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A former British soldier on Thursday avoided a prison sentence over the killing of a man at a border checkpoint during the period of violence in Northern Ireland known as "The Troubles".

The second Emirati to journey into space, martial arts enthusiast Sultan AlNeyadi, weighed up Thursday performing Ramadan in orbit -- and promised to pack his jiu-jitsu suit for the ride.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter says he is excited by the challenge of getting the best out of a bloated squad after the Blues smashed spending records during the January transfer window.

European and US stock markets mostly rose on Thursday after the European Central Bank and Bank of England raised interest rates, joining the US Federal Reserve in moving once again to cool sky-high inflation.

Kylian Mbappe faces three weeks out with a thigh injury and will miss the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich on February 14, his club announced Thursday.

Nigeria's central bank on Thursday ordered financial institutions to distribute newly designed bills over the counter in a bid to reduce massive queues at cash dispensers.

The European Central Bank raised interest rates again Thursday and signalled it would "stay the course" with an identical hike next month, even as the outlook in the eurozone brightens.

Charges including attempted rape and assault against Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood have been dropped by prosecutors, British police said on Wednesday.

England centre Manu Tuilagi was omitted from Steve Borthwick's first matchday squad for Saturday's Six Nations opener against Scotland.

European and US stock markets rose on Thursday after the European Central Bank and Bank of England raised interest rates, joining the US Federal Reserve in moving once again to cool sky-high inflation.

A special Kosovo court reduced the prison sentences on Thursday of two former rebels convicted of intimidating witnesses to war crimes during the 1990s independence conflict with Serbia.

Pakistan police officers say they have been "thrown to the beasts" in their battle against rising militancy after a blast at a city headquarters killed dozens of their colleagues.

Could humanity finally be gaining the upper hand in our age-old fight against cancer?

And the winner is... a 16-year-old Colombian whose videos of his life in the countryside landed him an award at TikTok's answer to the Oscars for social media influencers.

British energy giant Shell on Thursday unveiled record annual net profit of $42.3 billion thanks to surging oil and gas prices, sparking outrage from green groups and unions as the UK endures a cost-of-living crisis.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday warned that Russia was building up its troops to take "revenge" on the West nearly a year into Moscow's invasion.

Leigh Halfpenny has been ruled out of Wales' Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday due to a back spasm.

Ulster's Stuart McCloskey will fill the vacuum left by injured centre Robbie Henshaw as world ranked number one side Ireland open their Six Nations campaign against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

European stock markets rose on Thursday after the European Central Bank and Bank of England raised interest rates, joining the US Federal Reserve in moving once again to cool sky-high inflation.

The European Central Bank raised interest rates again Thursday and signalled it would "stay the course" in its monetary policy tightening, even as sky-high inflation starts to slow.

France centre-back Raphael Varane, a World Cup winner in 2018 and runner-up last year, announced Thursday his retirement from international duty at the age of 29.

The Bank of England on Thursday hiked its interest rate for a tenth time in a row as global authorities race to combat sky-high inflation.

French President Emmanuel Macron is facing his biggest standoff with France's trade unions since coming to power in 2017, with the outcome of a series of strikes and protests seen as decisive for both sides.

England picked teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed in their white-ball squads for the first time on Thursday ahead of next month's tour of Bangladesh.

Hanah Zachariah is so determined to see Pope Francis in South Sudan that she walked nine days in sandals to reach the capital where he makes his long-awaited visit.

European stock markets rallied Thursday before interest rate decisions from the European Central Bank and Bank of England and following the US Federal Reserve's latest hike aimed at cooling sky-high inflation.

The suicide bomber who killed more than 80 police officers at a mosque inside a sensitive compound earlier this week entered wearing a uniform and helmet, a provincial police chief said Thursday.

Hong Kong is ready to welcome the world back, its leader said Thursday, pledging more than half a million free flights and positive publicity to resurrect the once-vibrant global hub after three years of Covid-enforced isolation.

The European Parliament on Thursday lifted the immunity of two lawmakers targeted in a Belgian probe into suspected bribery linked to Qatar and Morocco.

Russia accused the West of wanting to inflict a lasting defeat against Moscow and lashed out against EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who is in Kyiv ahead of a Ukraine summit.

Ben White was a notable inclusion in Scotland's starting side to face England in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday after coach Gregor Townsend left regular scrum-half Ali Price out of his matchday 23.

Pope Francis on Thursday urged tens of thousands of young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo to work towards a better future and shun corruption in the deeply Catholic country, which is plagued by violence in its east.