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With Qatari suitors reportedly seeking to add Manchester United to a portfolio that includes Paris Saint-Germain, precedent suggests both clubs would be allowed to pursue the Champions League grail at the same time.

Jannik Sinner stunned top seed and Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the Rotterdam ATP quarter-finals on Thursday.

Former world number one Tiger Woods launched his first US PGA tournament bid in seven months on Thursday as he teed off in Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said he would talk to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the wake of the US Air Force shooting down what Washington says was a high-tech Chinese spy balloon earlier this month.

The Boston Celtics officially named Joe Mazzulla the 19th head coach in franchise history on Thursday, removing the "interim" tag from the title he'd held since replacing Ime Udoka.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Hollywood actor Sean Penn by video link on Thursday at the opening of the Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, calling for the entertainment world to maintain its "solidarity" with his besieged country.

Barcelona and Manchester United shared a gripping 2-2 draw at Camp Nou on Thursday as the two European heavyweights traded blows in an intense Europa League play-off first leg.

Portugal is to end its practice of issuing "golden visas" to rich foreign investors, one of several measures announced by Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Thursday to tackle the lack of affordable housing.

Turkish rescuers on Thursday pulled a 17-year-girl and a woman in her 20s from the rubble of last week's devastating earthquake, as hopes fade of finding more survivors.

Parts of Earth's ice sheets that could lift global oceans by metres will likely crumble with another half degree Celsius of warming, and are fragile in ways not previously understood, according to new research.

Lionel Messi's father and representative Jorge Messi said on Thursday it is unlikely his son will return to play for Barcelona.

Dozens of arms frantically reach for heaters and blankets handed out by a private donor, illustrating the desperation and rage gripping swathes of Turkey 11 days after its disastrous quake.

French protesters joined fresh rallies and strikes against a bitterly contested pensions reform on Thursday, but turnout failed to match the massive numbers seen in previous demonstrations.

King Charles III on Thursday encountered a group of anti-monarchy activists while on walkabout in the city of Milton Keynes north of London.

Bitcoin hit an eight-month high to surge past $25,000 on Thursday as the volatile cryptocurrency rises despite pressure from US regulators.

Czech international footballer Jakub Jankto said Thursday his coming out as gay earlier this week was "definitely a relief".

Veronika Kudermetova upset the Doha Open seedings to defeat American teenager Coco Gauff 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 on Thursday and set up a semi-final clash with world number one Iga Swiatek.

Spain's parliament approved Thursday a law granting paid medical leave to women suffering severe period pain, becoming the first European country to advance such legislation.

The London and Paris stock exchanges leapt to all-time highs on Thursday as strong corporate results propelled European markets, but Wall Street fell on renewed concerns about future interest rate hikes.

The head of Russia's mercenary outfit Wagner said on Thursday it could take months to capture the embattled Ukraine city of Bakhmut and slammed Moscow's "monstrous bureaucracy" for slowing military gains.

Australian opening batters Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy took the defending champions to a dominant 10-wicket Women's T20 World Cup win against Sri Lanka at St George's Park in Gqeberha on Thursday.

Mikaela Shiffrin bagged a 13th individual world medal -- and seventh title -- when she won the giant slalom in Meribel on Thursday, but the American star batted away suggestions she was now the greatest of all time.

Swiss food giant Nestle and liquor group Pernod Ricard, owner of Absolut vodka and Jameson whiskey, announced fresh price hikes on Thursday due to inflation even as consumers across the world face a cost-of-living crunch.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian rights activist whose NGO was co-winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, called Thursday for the world to "hold Russian war criminals accountable," in an interview with AFP.

England women's lock Abbie Ward hailed a new maternity policy from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) on Thursday as giving mothers the "best possible chance of returning to play."

The Paris stock market hit an all-time high on Thursday but Wall Street and most European indices fell on renewed concerns about future interest rate hikes.

When migration officials detained six pregnant Russian women at a Buenos Aires airport last week, they exposed a phenomenon that has been growing in the country for a year: Russian birthing tourism.

Australian all-rounder Grace Harris held a spectacular catch and took two wickets as Sri Lanka struggled in a top-of-the-table Women's T20 World Cup clash at St George's Park in Gqeberha on Thursday.

Mikaela Shiffrin put the split with her long-time coach behind her as she won a memorable seventh world title, storming to giant slalom glory at the World Ski Championships on Thursday.

Britain's biggest domestic energy supplier Centrica on Thursday posted rocketing annual profit, sparking fury as Britons face soaring household electricity and gas bills that have fuelled a cost-of-living crisis.

Ireland lock Tadhg Beirne has been ruled out for the rest of the Six Nations due to surgery on his ankle, the Irish Rugby Football Union said Thursday.

Turnout was sharply down on Thursday for new strikes in France against a bitterly opposed pension reform being debated in parliament, with union heads hoping for a bigger showdown to come.