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Far-right leader Geert Wilders told AFP Thursday it could take "years" for the Netherlands' new government to fulfil its pledge to opt-out of the EU asylum system, but vowed the nation would enforce its strictest asylum policy ever.

Andy Murray made a victorious comeback from a serious ankle injury at the ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux.

Chinese internet giant Baidu announced Thursday its slowest quarterly revenue growth in over a year, as competition between top players in the country's cutting-edge tech sector intensifies.

The EU on Thursday opened a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram on suspicion the platforms owned by Meta are causing addictive behaviour in children.

Inter Milan will officially crown themselves champions of Italy on Sunday evening when they face Lazio before being awarded the Serie A trophy in front of an adoring San Siro crowd.

Beijingers praised Vladimir Putin's "charisma" on Thursday and expressed hopes that China would deepen ties with Moscow as the Russian leader paid a two-day visit.

The Ukrainian army said on Thursday it had partially halted a Russian advance in the northeast, where Moscow has secured its largest territorial gains in 18 months over the last week.

Asia's governing body for football voted Thursday to scrap term limits for its president and top leaders, allowing them to rule indefinitely -- scrapping reforms brought in after the scandals that rocked FIFA a decade ago.

Israel said Thursday that five of its troops were killed by friendly fire in a Gaza battle, as a rift emerged inside the war cabinet on how the Palestinian territory should be ruled in future.

US troops early Thursday anchored a long-awaited temporary pier, meant to boost aid deliveries into war-ravaged Gaza, to a beach in the besieged Palestinian territory, the US military said.

Preparing for a state banquet reflecting the self-ruled island's unique history, Taiwanese chef Wes Kuo places delicate vegetable fronds around sauces inspired by the cuisines of its five major ethnic groups.

Easyjet said Thursday that chief executive Johan Lundgren would step down at the start of 2025 after seven years piloting the no-frills airline, notably through Covid turbulence.

The newly agreed Dutch coalition government on Thursday proposed what it called the "strictest ever" asylum policy, including an opt-out from European Union rules, and vowed to examine moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

German industrial giant Siemens said Thursday it will sell its electrical motors business Innomotics to private US equity firm KPS Capital Partners for 3.5 billion euros ($3.8 billion).

Son of a coal miner, Taiwan's Lai Ching-te takes the helm Monday as president of the self-ruled island, tasked with navigating the widening rift with an increasingly assertive China.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's condition has stabilised but was still "very serious", his deputy said Thursday, a day after Fico was shot multiple times in an attack the government in Bratislava decried as "political assault".

France deployed troops to New Caledonia's ports and international airport, banned TikTok and imposed a state of emergency on Thursday after three nights of clashes that have left four dead and hundreds wounded.

Wellington Hurricanes captain Brad Shields is backing teammate TJ Perenara to regain his All Blacks place after coming back this season from a ruptured Achilles.

India captain Sunil Chhetri said Thursday he will retire from international football aged 39, ending a record-breaking career for his country spanning two decades.

Episode 23 of a great African club rivalry unfolds in Tunisia on Saturday when Esperance host Egyptian visitors Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League final first leg.

It's crunch time for Donald Trump's defense team as they take another stab Thursday at Michael Cohen, the key witness in the criminal trial in which the former president is accused of fraudulently covering up his affair with a porn star to influence his first presidential bid.

Its fans swear it can cure heart palpitations, dodgy stomachs and even impotence. Yet every year hundreds of people end up in hospital after gorging themselves on Turkey's "mad honey".

Leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin framed their nations' ties as a stabilising force in a chaotic world as they met Thursday in Beijing, where the Russian president is seeking greater Chinese support for his war effort in Ukraine and isolated economy.

European consumer groups on Thursday accused Chinese shopping app Temu of using "manipulative techniques" to force users to spend more and other violations of a landmark EU tech law.

FIFA is to consider allowing domestic leagues to play matches overseas, opening the door to money-spinning English Premier League or Spanish La Liga clashes being staged in the United States, the Middle East or Asia.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday hailed ties with Russia as "conducive to peace" as he met with counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

The Boston Celtics overpowered the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 to reach a third straight Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday as Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City moved to the brink of elimination after crashing 104-92 at home to Dallas.

A Monet sold for nearly $35 million at auction Wednesday evening, Sotheby's said, marking a solid start to New York's spring art sales.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Thursday with counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing as he seeks greater support from China for his war effort in Ukraine and his isolated economy.

Asian equities rallied Thursday after US data showed inflation cooled last month, fuelling speculation that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates twice this year.

Like hundreds of other pro-Turkish fighters, Omar left northern Syria for mineral-rich Niger last year, joining Syrian mercenaries sent to the West African nation by a private Turkish military company.

Football's world governing body FIFA will decide the hosts for the 2027 Women's World Cup at its congress in Bangkok on Friday, where the war in Gaza will also rear its head.