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Controversial former Wallaby Israel Folau declared Thursday it was "awesome" to be ending a four-year Test rugby exile by making his debut for Tonga against Fiji at Saturday.

Thousands of Afghan religious scholars and tribal elders gathered in the capital Thursday for a men-only meeting the Taliban hope will rubber-stamp their hardline Islamic rule.

Rain has delayed the start of Thursday's second day of play in the opening Test between Sri Lanka and Australia in Galle.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday praised his dictator father's rule after being sworn in as the country's new leader, completing a decades-long effort to restore the clan to the country's highest office.

Samsung Electronics became the first chipmaker in the world to mass produce advanced 3-nanometre microchips, the company said Thursday, as it seeks to catch up with Taiwan's TSMC.

The son of the Philippines' late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was sworn in as president Thursday, completing a decades-long effort to restore the clan to the country's highest office.

Rafael Nadal tops the bill in the Wimbledon second round on Thursday, eyeing a clear path to the semi-finals as Iga Swiatek seeks a 37th consecutive win.

Veteran lock Cadeyrn Neville and hooker David Porecki were handed Australia debuts Thursday in a powerful pack to face England in the first Test, while playmaker Quade Cooper got the nod over James O'Connor.

Japanese drinks giant Kirin said Thursday it has agreed to a buyout of its shares in a Myanmar joint venture with a junta-linked conglomerate, completing its exit from the market over the 2021 coup.

Ireland on Thursday named all four of their New Zealand-born players in their line-up for the first Test against the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday.

The Ecuadoran government said late Wednesday it would restart talks with Indigenous-led protesters, mediated by the Catholic Church, as a fresh state of emergency was issued more than two weeks into disruptive and often violent daily rallies against rising living costs.

Most Asian markets fell again Thursday as traders fear that hefty rate hikes to rein in soaring inflation will spark a recession, though a slight improvement in Chinese data did provide some cheer.

Jessica Springsteen has made a success out of a career that could not be further removed from that of her rock legend father Bruce and yet the Olympic silver medallist show jumper told AFP that at times she feared she would never make it.

As the monsoon storms bear down on India, a dedicated group of women hope that after years of backbreaking labour, water shortages will no longer leave their village high and dry.

James Anderson cannot wait to rejoin a "fearless" England team, unlike any he has known in two decades of international cricket, in this week's long-delayed India series finale.

China's factory and services activity picked up in June, official data showed Thursday, fuelled by the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.

Dozens of vibrantly coloured floating homes have for decades dotted the banks of the River Nile, rare havens of leafy seclusion in the Egyptian capital's hustle and bustle -- but maybe not for much longer.

Abortion is now banned in Lori Lamprich's home state of Missouri, but that hasn't stopped her taking women to their appointments -- she drives them across the Mississippi River to Illinois, where it remains legal.

Young musicians, dancers, actors and comedians from across the Arab world took to the stage in Tunisia to express their visions of freedom, more than a decade after the Arab Spring uprisings.

A wealthy prince and some astute promotion involving US rapper Snoop Dogg have helped turn Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim from footballing minnows into one of Asia's top clubs.

Powerhouse wing Leicester Fainga'anuku will make his All Blacks debut after being named Thursday in the side to start against Ireland in the first Test as Covid struck down another New Zealand coach.

Dennis Morris was the official Sex Pistols photographer, taking some of the most iconic images of the 1970s punk trailblazers.

One year on from a painful crash, Max Verstappen returns to Silverstone as clear favourite to register his first British Grand Prix win and increase his lead in the title race.

Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are expected to stick to a previously decided output boost at their meeting on Thursday, despite pressure to further increase production.

The Czech Republic will take over the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union on Friday with all eyes on Ukraine, which has been battling Russian forces since February.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Hong Kong Thursday, prompting a massive security effort ahead of celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the city's handover to communist China.

Veteran Italy and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini said Wednesday he's looking forward to bringing a high level of play and a wealth of experience to Los Angeles FC as they pursue the Major League Soccer crown.

Australian golf Thursday reaffirmed its "full support" of the US PGA Tour and European Tour in a rebuke to the Saudi-backed LIV series headed by Greg Norman, calling their relationship "stronger than ever".

Indirect talks in Qatar's capital between Iran and the US on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal have concluded with "no progress made", a State Department spokesperson said late Wednesday.

For all its tough talk against Russia, the UK's government is failing to enforce its promises to clean up dirty foreign money, a hard-hitting report by MPs said Thursday.

Powerhouse wing Leicester Fainga'anuku will make his All Blacks debut after being named Thursday in the New Zealand side to start against Ireland in first Test.

Ecuador called a fresh state of emergency Wednesday as Indigenous people marched in the capital Quito to call for a restart of talks with the government, more than two weeks into disruptive and often violent daily rallies against rising living costs.