Paris Soir - News from Paris, France, Europe and the world – 24/7

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded Thursday with NATO leaders to send weapons "without restrictions" as the alliance sought to bolster Kyiv and strengthen its eastern flank in the face of Russia's war.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised the spectre of something considered almost unthinkable until recently: the use of a small nuclear weapon during a conflict in Europe.

The Indian Premier League returns for its biggest season on Saturday, with a galaxy of top names and two new franchises expanding the world's richest cricket competition to 10 teams for its 15th edition.

Substitute Kaoru Mitoma scored twice in the dying minutes as Japan beat Australia 2-0 on Thursday to book their place at a seventh straight World Cup and in doing so also helped Saudi Arabia qualify.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has stepped down as captain of Indian Premier League holders Chennai Super Kings two days before the new season and handed the leadership to Ravindra Jadeja, the club said Thursday.

A month on since Russia launched its shock invasion, Ukraine's leader pleaded for global street protests and for US-led allies meeting in Brussels Thursday to dramatically raise their arms supplies.

In-form opener Usman Khawaja hit a century and Steve Smith became the fastest man to 8,000 Test runs Thursday as Australia scented a series-clinching victory against Pakistan in Lahore.

Former women's world footballer of the year Ada Hegerberg said Thursday she was returning to the Norway squad after refusing to play for the national team for nearly five years.

NATO leaders pushed Thursday to raise the cost for Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine by bolstering weapons supplies to Kyiv and strengthening the alliance's eastern flank.

More than half of all children in Ukraine have been displaced from their homes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, the United Nations said Thursday.

North Korea fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, Tokyo and Seoul said as they voiced outrage at Pyongyang's most powerful launch since 2017.

Equity markets were mixed Thursday as investors contemplate the impact of surging inflation and central bank plans to sharply hike interest rates, while oil prices dipped but remain elevated on fears of further Russia sanctions that could hit already thin supplies.

A top doctor in China's pandemic fight who came under pressure last year for questioning the country’s zero-Covid policy has called again for balancing anti-virus measures with maintenance of normal life as China struggles with an Omicron surge.

Equity markets were mixed Thursday as investors contemplate the impact of surging inflation and central bank plans to sharply hike interest rates, while oil prices dipped though remain elevated on fears of further Russia sanctions that could hit already thin supplies.

David Warner was bowled after a quickfire half-century and embroiled in a pitch row as Australia reached 97-1 at lunch Thursday on the fourth day of the third and decisive final Test in Lahore.

Manchester United's Paul Pogba, fresh from a haircut, rhythmically juts out his chin to the catchy sounds of amapiano -- the South African music that has catapulted across the world.

Malta votes Saturday in elections expected to result in a landslide victory for the current government, after a campaign overshadowed by the Ukraine war and the legacy of corruption.

Jamaica is "moving on" and embracing its destiny as an independent country, its leader told Britain's Prince William on Wednesday, later calling the Caribbean nation's switch to a republican model "inevitable".

North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile Thursday, Seoul and Tokyo said, apparently continuing a weapons testing blitz that could culminate with a major, long-range missile launch.

Clutching her baby to her breast, Alona Shevchenko's eyes well up with tears as the plane lifts off from Krakow.

When 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a recent border clash with China, the military hardware New Delhi sent to bolster its Himalayan frontier was mostly Russian-origin, showing not for the first time its closeness to "longstanding and time-tested friend" Moscow.

Recovery teams deployed drones and thermal imaging equipment Thursday across a mountainous area where a China Eastern plane inexplicably crashed with 132 people on board.

With a shaved head and an empty stomach, artist Ujay Bajracharya dips his brush to line the eyes of the deity Tara as a soothing Buddhist hymn warbles in the background.

Defending champions England continued their Women's Cricket World Cup resurgence with an emphatic nine-wicket win over Pakistan Thursday to stand on the brink of the semi-finals.

South Korea's ex-president Park Geun-hye left hospital on Thursday, three months after she was released from prison following a pardon for her role in one of the country's biggest corruption cases.

World champion Max Verstappen hopes to put his season-opening disappointment behind him and show the true potential of his new Red Bull car at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Donald Trump is "guilty of numerous felony violations," said a prosecutor who resigned from a criminal probe into the former US president's business practices, according to his resignation letter published Wednesday by the New York Times.

Singapore will lift restrictions for all vaccinated travellers from next week, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday hailing it as a "major milestone" in the aviation hub's efforts to live with Covid-19.

South Africa reached the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup on Thursday when rain washed out their crunch match against the West Indies in Wellington.

Australia accepted on Thursday a long-standing New Zealand offer to take hundreds of refugees detained for years in remote camps under Canberra's "Pacific solution" immigration policy.

World number one Ashleigh Barty's sudden retirement has left a gaping hole in women's tennis, already preparing for life without ageing superstar Serena Williams and with Naomi Osaka sliding down the rankings.

Ashleigh Barty was coy about her future on Thursday, telling media "you'll have to wait and see" as speculation mounts about what comes next after her shock retirement from tennis.