Beijing Olympics set to open under cloud of Covid, rights fears
A Winter Olympics overshadowed by rights concerns and Covid will officially begin in Beijing on Friday with an opening ceremony at the "Bird's Nest" stadium.
Around 500 Tibetans marched outside the International Olympic Committee headquarters on Thursday, led by an activist on skis dragging the Chinese flag behind him, to protest against Beijing hosting the Games.
The head of embattled streaming service Spotify has told staff that Joe Rogan is vital to the company, but that he doesn't agree with the controversial podcaster.
Former Tour de France winner Egan Bernal broke "nearly 20 bones" in a high-speed crash into the back of a stationary bus last week, the Colombian revealed on Thursday.
Hand fed fish and given gentle yet rigorous baths, penguins and other sea birds are slowly regaining their strength at a Peruvian zoo after a major oil spill that claimed many of their friends.
Catalan designer Antonio Miro, a Spanish fashion legend whose models included undocumented migrants and prisoners, has died aged 74, the country's culture minister said Thursday.
By early December, US intelligence was certain of it: the man occupying the top floor of a nondescript house in Atme, northern Syria -- who never left the premises, emerging only to bathe on the roof -- was the head of the Islamic State group.
Fabio Jakobsen of Quick-Step powered ahead of a speeding pack for an impressive stage win on day two of cycling's Vuelta a Valencia on Thursday.
Northern Ireland's unionist chief minister quit on Thursday, forcing his nationalist deputy also to stand down and prompting calls for early elections in the tense province.
More than seven million foreign tourists visited Dubai last year, marking a "remarkable turnaround", the government of the Gulf city state hosting the Expo world fair announced Thursday.
Workers at a General Motors factory in Mexico have elected an independent union -- a step hailed as a victory for labor rights helped by a revamped North American trade agreement.
The daring US helicopter raid deep in Syria that ended in the death of one of the world's most wanted men gives Joe Biden the kind of dramatic military win presidents crave -- and one the Democrat particularly needed.
President Joe Biden said Thursday a global "terrorist threat" was removed when the head of the Islamic State blew himself up after US special forces swooped on his Syrian hideout in an "incredibly challenging" nighttime helicopter raid.
Russia said Thursday it is closing the Moscow bureau of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and revoking staff accreditations in Russia, in response to Berlin's ban on the German-language channel of Russian state TV network RT.
Facebook announced on Thursday that its daily user numbers had fallen for the first time in its history, reopening the debate around its problem with attracting new, younger subscribers.
Former prodigy Matteo Manassero rediscovered his best form as he shot 62 on Thursday in the opening round of the Saudi International, while a current rising teen, Kim Joo-hyung, was in the chasing pack.
The head of Islamic State group, whom the US declared dead in a special-forces raid Thursday, was nicknamed the "Destroyer" and presided over massacres of Yazidis before assuming the leadership.
Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew unveiled its annual orchid festival Thursday, turning a sliver of southwest London into a riot of tropical colour and flora celebrating biodiversity hotspot Costa Rica.
Dylan Groenewegen timed his sprint to perfection to win a mass dash to the line on stage three of cycling's Tour of Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Stock markets slid Thursday, dragged down by a massive plunge in the shares of Facebook parent company Meta following disappointing earnings, as well as indications central banks may move more aggressively to raise interest rates.
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has hit back at accusations made by former head coach Brian Flores in a lawsuit, branding the allegations as "false, malicious and defamatory."
France's head of performance Thibault Giroud said on Thursday he expects captain Antoine Dupont to feature against Italy in the Six Nations this weekend despite playing just once in the past seven weeks.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank said Thursday he hoped new signing Christian Eriksen would be in action within "weeks" but could not make a full assessment until he had seen him train.
A Barcelona official has resigned after calling Rafael Nadal, a known supporter of Real Madrid, an "enemy of the state".
Gregor Townsend said on Thursday England coach Eddie Jones' suggestion that Scotland are "red-hot favourites" for this weekend's Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield was just a "song and dance" routine from his opposite number.
Frank Lampard admitted on Thursday he has a tough job on his hands to revive the fortunes of struggling Everton after taking over as manager following Rafael Benitez's dismissal.
Investigators in Argentina raced Thursday to track down laced cocaine and remove it from circulation after 20 people died and dozens were sent to hospital poisoned.
Facebook's parent firm Meta on Thursday lost over $200 billion in stock value -- comparable to the size of New Zealand's economy -- after results that raised doubts about the troubled social media giant's future.
Growth in the US services sector slowed modestly in January amid the surging Omicron variant of Covid-19 and lingering supply chain problems, according to a survey released Thursday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered Thursday on a visit to Kyiv to hold a Ukraine-Russia summit, as EU leaders stepped up outreach to the Kremlin to defuse fears Moscow could invade.
President Joe Biden said Thursday a global "terrorist threat" was removed when the head of the Islamic State group blew himself up after US special forces swooped on his Syrian hideout in an "incredibly challenging" nighttime helicopter raid.
Myanmar's junta on Thursday slammed "dictating" remarks by the United Nations human rights chief and accused the body of interfering in its affairs after it called for the world to ramp up pressure on the generals.
European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday left open the possibility of interest rate hikes this year for the first time, as the eurozone comes under pressure from soaring prices.
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick said Thursday that Mason Greenwood's arrest and suspension by the club was a factor in the decision to keep Jesse Lingard at Old Trafford.
Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro tweeted his support for embattled American podcast host Joe Rogan, whose spreading of disinformation about Covid-19 has caused a firestorm of controversy on streaming service Spotify.
Stock markets fell Thursday, dragged down by a massive plunge in the shares of Facebook parent company Meta following disappointing earnings.
Major oil terminals in some of Western Europe's biggest ports have fallen victim to a cyberattack at a time when energy prices are already soaring, sources confirmed on Thursday.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang called joining Barcelona "the opportunity of his life" on Thursday and backed the club to regain its place among Europe's elite.
Japanese snowboarder Rina Yoshika is out of the Beijing Olympics after injuring her spine in a heavy fall in practice on Thursday, the Japanese Olympic Committee said.
European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said Thursday that record inflation would stay high longer than expected, but the ECB stuck to its ultra-loose monetary policy as it sees prices cooling this year.