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Legendary American pop composer Burt Bacharach, whose prolific output provided a chart-topping playlist for the 1960s and 70s with hits like "I Say a Little Prayer," has died in Los Angeles aged 94, US media said Thursday.

It was a moment encapsulating the unspeakable pain of the Turkish earthquake: a father holding his 15-year-old's hand, the only thing visible after her body was crushed by concrete.

Three ancient cities suffered widespread destruction in Monday's massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria: Antakya, Sanliurfa and Aleppo.

British energy giant Shell has been hit with a new lawsuit over climate change, with activist investors accusing the company's leadership of mismanaging risks to the company.

The Church of England's governing body on Thursday endorsed plans to let priests offer blessings to same-sex couples, after hours of acrimonious debate highlighted deep Anglican divisions on the issue.

Gold medallist James Crawford admitted to feeling confident heading into the men's super-G after a pre-race inspection revealed near-ideal snow and course conditions for the Canadian.

The UK said Thursday it was aware of "potential escalatory risks" in equipping Ukraine with more Western weaponry, while playing down the prospective delivery of older Typhoon fighter jets.

Veteran scrum-half Conor Murray will start for Ireland in their much-anticipated Six Nations clash with titleholders France on Saturday.

Milan's 245-year-old La Scala entered the digital age Thursday, launching its own TV channel that will broadcast live operas, ballets and concerts, and allow people to re-watch shows from their sofa.

Images from U2 spy planes showed that the Chinese balloon that flew over the United States last week was unmistakably equipped for collecting intelligence and not weather data, a US official said Thursday.

As always, Paris Saint-Germain's season will be defined by what happens in the Champions League and there are major doubts about their prospects heading into the first leg of a heavyweight last-16 tie with Bayern Munich next week.

The troubled business empire of Indian tycoon Gautam Adani has links to foreign firms in a broad range of sectors including banking, energy and food.

Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis headlines the Berlin indoor athletics meet on Friday where the 23-year-old Swede is gunning to break his own world record.

Zander Fagerson has been recalled to Scotland's starting side for their Six Nations match at home to Wales on Saturday.

The deadliest cholera outbreak in Malawi's history has killed at least 1,210 people, while vaccines remain scarce and several other African nations report outbreaks, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The ongoing Club World Cup is being used as a trial run for another potential refereeing revolution in football, with fans in the stadium able to hear officials explain decisions taken following VAR reviews.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has dropped three British and Irish Lions forwards -- Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric -- from a revamped starting lineup for Saturday's Six Nations match against Scotland.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky received a hero's welcome in Brussels on Thursday as he lobbied star-struck EU leaders to speed the delivery of modern weapons to halt a Russian offensive.

It was just after dawn and tempers were fraying outside the First Bank in the northern Nigerian town of Kano, where scores of customers jostled to get on a waiting list to withdraw money.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has dropped three British and Irish Lions forwards -- Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric -- from a revamped starting XV for Saturday's Six Nations match against Scotland.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will seek to lift the mood of a country encumbered by energy shortages and a sickly economy when he delivers his state-of-the-nation address Thursday.

Major stock markets rallied Thursday as traders toasted some strong earnings as well as takeover talk, offsetting concerns about the need for more interest-rate hikes to cool strong inflation.

The deadliest cholera outbreak in Malawi's history has killed at least 1,210 people, while vaccines remain scarce, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

France head coach Fabien Galthie said on Thursday he had "no surprises" in his unchanged starting team to face Ireland in the Six Nations this weekend.

Three years of extreme drought may have brought about the collapse of the mighty Hittite Empire around 1200 BC, researchers have said, linking the plight of the fallen civilisation to the modern world's climate crisis.

Canada's James Crawford upset a loaded field to snatch a surprise super-G gold at the World Ski Championships in Courchevel on Thursday.

A Hong Kong judge sentenced two members of a pro-independence group to five years in prison on Thursday, insisting there would be zero tolerance for advocating violent resistance to China.

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki said Thursday that allegations of rights abuses by Eritrean troops in Ethiopia's Tigray region during the two-year war there amounted to "fantasy".

Hopes were fading Thursday for rescuing survivors of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which has killed over 17,500 people in one of the deadliest tremors in decades.

Manchester United have reportedly opened talks with Qatari investors as speculation intensifies over the future ownership of the Premier League giants ahead of a deadline for bids.

France head coach Fabien Galthie on Thursday named the same starting team for this weekend's Six Nations trip to Ireland as the one that beat Italy in the opening round.

Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja grabbed a five-wicket haul on his international return as India ruled the opening day of the first Test against Australia on Thursday.