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High-octane batting and a precocious day-one declaration put England in control of the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.

They were long derided as old-fashioned symbols of grinding poverty, but mud and straw houses are making a comeback in Hungary as a low-cost, eco-friendly alternative to concrete.

Asian and European markets rose Thursday, extending gains in New York, as a forecast-busting US retail sales report showed American consumers remained confident despite elevated inflation and the prospect of more interest rate hikes.

Swiss food giant Nestle said on Thursday sales rose last year but inflation nibbled at its margins, while net profits plunged due to asset disposals in 2021.

As Spain prepares to adopt a law simplifying the process for self-identifying as transgender, other early adopters are applying the brakes over the complexities involved in this highly sensitive issue.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins brushed off concerns Thursday over David Warner's batting form and said he was certain the opener would play in this week's second Test against India.

Ben Duckett and Harry Brook struck blistering half-centuries as England declared their innings at 325-9 late on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.

The United States will not lift sanctions on an elite Bangladesh police unit accused of extrajudicial killings until it is reformed, a top US envoy visiting the country has said.

At a prominent carnival season event this year, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock admitted she thought about turning up disguised "as a leopard".

New Zealand redeployed gunships and helicopters to deliver water, food and fuel to cities cut off by Cyclone Gabrielle on Thursday, as overwhelmed rescue teams embraced overseas offers of help.

French automaker Renault said Thursday it boosted manufacturing profitability in 2022 but the sale of its operations in Russia pushed the company into a net loss.

Former Inter Milan owner Erick Thohir was named Indonesia's football association chief on Thursday, the organisation said, several months after one of the worst stadium disasters in the sport's history.

Nikola Jokic bagged his 21st triple-double of the season Wednesday as the Denver Nuggets maintained their grip on the top spot in the NBA's Western Conference with a 118-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Ben Duckett and Harry Brook struck blistering half-centuries as England raced to 279-5 at dinner on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.

Dancing to Iraqi pop made TikTok personality Om Fahad a hit among tens of thousands of followers, but now she is in prison, caught up in a state campaign targeting "decadent content".

A spectacular "firefall" wowed nature-watchers in California's Yosemite National Park on Wednesday, with the setting sun lighting up a waterfall like a ribbon of fire.

Nikola Jokic bagged his 21st triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets maintained their grip on top spot in the NBA's Western Conference on Wednesday with a 118-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

One third of all second-hand clothing shipped to Kenya in 2021 was "plastic waste in disguise", creating a slew of environmental and health problems for local communities, a new report said Thursday.

The documents issued to Dmitry by the Russian military carry an ominous hand-written designation: "Category One. State of Health B".

A Russian missile smashed a Ukrainian apartment complex, killing dozens. Pro-Russian propagandists offered a slick counter-narrative that shifted the blame away from Moscow -- using pseudo fact-checking as a tool of disinformation.

Russian conservative writer Alexandra Makarova fell in love with soldier Dmitry Matviyenko after he lost a leg fighting in Ukraine.

Still reeling from the Kremlin's decision to send troops to Ukraine, Masha Yanchevskaya is one of many young Russians torn between trying to "heal" society or seclude themselves from it.

When Russia introduced patriotism classes in primary and secondary schools last September, Tatyana Chervenko decided she was not going to peddle Kremlin "propaganda" to her eighth-grade students in Moscow.

When Vladimir Stetsenko put his apartment on the market in October, he thought the ad for the newly renovated property in southern Moscow would generate some interest. It did not.

The Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, opens Thursday with a comedy starring Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei and Peter Dinklage ahead of a packed programme spotlighting Iran and Ukraine.

Despite strict government censorship and the threat of jail, residents of Russia's capital are finding subtle ways to express alarm and dissent over the Kremlin's year-long offensive in Ukraine.

The first one challenged Ukraine's president to a fighter jet duel. The second has threatened Europe with nuclear apocalypse. The third has said cannibals roam Ukraine.

A Nicaraguan court under President Daniel Ortega stripped the citizenship from 94 exiled dissidents and declared them to be "traitors to the fatherland," drawing sharp criticism from a regional UN watchdog agency.

Carlos Alcaraz made a winning return to tennis after a four-month injury absence on Wednesday, defeating Serbia's Laslo Djere to advance to the quarter-finals of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

Five months since protests broke out in Iran, a divided opposition in and outside of the country is seeking unity that has so far eluded foes of the Islamic republic.

Opener Ben Duckett was dismissed for a rapid 84 as England's trademark attacking style dominated the start of the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.

Prospective new owners of Manchester United have until Friday to reveal their interest in buying one of the world's biggest clubs, with a rumoured bid from Qatar sending shockwaves through European football.