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The European Union on Thursday expressed concern about layoffs at Twitter since its takeover by Elon Musk, after the reported closure of the tech firm's lobbying office in Brussels.

Iran forward Mehdi Taremi on Thursday denied his team had come "under pressure" from their government after opting not to sing the national anthem before their first World Cup match.

Delegates at a global summit on trade in endangered species will decide Thursday whether to approve a proposal to protect sharks, a move that could drastically reduce the lucrative and often cruel shark fin trade.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score at five World Cups on Thursday when he scored the opening goal from the penalty spot in Portugal's 3-2 win over Ghana.

The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday condemned Iran's repression of peaceful demonstrators following the death of Mahsa Amini, and voted to create a high-level investigation into the deadly crackdown.

Cristiano Ronaldo claimed a piece of World Cup goalscoring history on Thursday as mighty Brazil prepared for their first game of the finals.

Extreme poverty is likely to affect 82 million people in Latin America in 2022, an increase spurred by a slow pandemic recovery and high inflation, the UN economic commission for the region said Thursday.

Iran on Thursday arrested a former international football player of Kurdish origin who has strongly supported the protests that have rocked the country since September, news agencies said.

A bid to ban bullfighting in France was abandoned Thursday in parliament, spelling relief for lovers of the traditional blood sport and dismay for animal rights' activists.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score at five World Cups on Thursday after opening the scoring in Portugal's World Cup clash with Ghana.

The Christmas tree outside Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office in Berlin will not be lit as long this year, a government spokesman said Thursday, as Germany seeks to save energy through the winter.

Ukraine battled Thursday to reconnect water and electricity services to millions of people cut off after Russia launched dozens of cruise missiles that battered Ukraine's already crippled electricity grid.

Gareth Southgate urged England to exorcise the ghosts of their World Cup embarrassments against the United States when they clash in Doha on Friday.

Wayne Pivac has insisted he will ignore the growing speculation surrounding his future as Wales coach ahead of Saturday's potentially make-or-break clash at home to Australia.

Adidas said Thursday it was investigating claims against Kanye West after a report detailed alleged inappropriate behaviour, just weeks after the German sportswear giant ended its partnership with the rapper.

Wales manager Rob Page ruled out emulating Germany's pre-match protest against FIFA's stance on the "OneLove" rainbow armband when his team face Iran in a crucial World Cup Group B clash on Friday.

Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli cruised to victory in the deciding doubles as Italy beat the United States 2-1 their Davis Cup quarter-final in Malaga on Thursday.

Lawmakers in the French parliament voted Thursday to add the right to abortion to the constitution in response to recent changes in Poland and the United States.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said Thursday he would ask judges to confirm charges against Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, head of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), even though Kony remains at large.

The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday condemned Iran's repression of peaceful demonstrators following the death of Mahsa Amini, and voted to create a high-level investigation into the deadly crackdown.

Soldiers are battling trench foot while the rain and snow have turned roads to mud and ongoing power outages have led many to question how they will manage to endure the coming cold as winter descends on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine.

The body of an Israeli teenager snatched by Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank was returned to his relatives Thursday, following intense talks to avoid an escalation of violence.

The returning Son Heung-min could not inspire South Korea as the Tigers of Asia started their World Cup Group H campaign with a 0-0 draw against Uruguay in Qatar on Thursday.

Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu was given a surprise shower by a pitch sprinkler on Thursday but it did nothing to dampen his spirits after his team's stunning victory over Germany.

Charles Ble Goude, a key figure in post-electoral violence that swept Ivory Coast 11 years ago, wants to make a low-key homecoming this weekend, his representatives said on Thursday.

A forgotten Roman emperor has been rescued from "obscurity" after UK researchers determined a coin long dismissed as fake was in fact authentic.

Austria's Salzburg opera, theatre and music festival said Thursday it had appointed exiled Russian playwright Marina Davydova as its drama director.

England coach Eddie Jones said referees had to be treated with respect ahead his team's meeting with a South Africa side who will be without Rassie Erasmus at Twickenham.

Son Heung-min was everywhere around Education City Stadium with South Korean fans sporting his shirt and a giant cutout of his face, but on the pitch their talisman was a subdued figure in Thursday's 0-0 World Cup stalemate with Uruguay.

The domestic violence trial of Franco-Malian superstar singer Aya Nakamura and her former partner was adjourned on Thursday with neither defendant appearing in court in Paris.

Ghana's finance minister, Kenneth Ofori-Atta, presented the 2023 budget to parliament on Thursday, hiking tax and planning a debt swap as the country's negotiates an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan.

Brazil's top electoral authority on Wednesday threw out a challenge by President Jair Bolsonaro's party against his election defeat and fined it more than $4 million for bringing the case "in bad faith."