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US and Iran trade fire, threatening fragile truce
The US military said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets Thursday after an attack on three American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran accused Washington of striking first.
Sports
'Elitist' World Cup leaves Mexican soccer family on sidelines
A passion for football binds three generations of the Rueda family in Mexico City, from Pele fan Fernando to Maradona aficionado Jairo and France follower Emilio.
Sports
Palace overcome Shakhtar to reach historic Conference League final
Crystal Palace soared into their first European final on Thursday, completing an emphatic 5-2 aggregate win over Shakhtar Donetsk to give manager Oliver Glasner the chance of a fairytale end to his golden reign.
Sports
Watkins salutes Emery after Villa reach Europa final
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins saluted Unai Emery for masterminding his side's run to the Europa League final after they thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0 on Thursday.
Technology
AI actors not eligible for Golden Globes, say organizers
Performances by AI-generated actors will not be eligible for Golden Globe awards, organizers said Thursday, days after they were also ruled out of Oscars contention.
Sports
Kuebler brace sends Freiburg past Braga into Europa League final
Lukas Kuebler scored in each half as Freiburg beat Braga 3-1 at home on Thursday to win 4-3 on aggregate and and qualify for the Europa League final where they will face Aston Villa.
Sports
Rayo down Strasbourg in Conference League to set up first European final
Rayo Vallecano are through to the first European final in their history after ending Strasbourg's hopes with a 1-0 win in France in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League last-four tie on Thursday, as a 2-0 aggregate success set up a decider against Crystal Palace later this month.
Sports
Villa crush Forest to reach Europa League final against Freiburg
Aston Villa reached their first European final for 44 years in memorable style with a 4-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday.
Politics
Brazil's Lula and Trump hail positive talks after rocky relations
President Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday hailed a positive three-hour meeting in Washington, as the ideological opposites sought to smooth tensions.
Sports
Shakira teases new World Cup song
Colombian pop idol Shakira on Thursday teased the new official song for the 2026 World Cup, releasing a brief video of the track filmed at Brazil's iconic Maracana Stadium.
Sports
Palace beat Shakhtar to reach first European final
Crystal Palace swept past Shakhtar Donetsk 5-2 on aggregate to reach their first-ever European final on Thursday, giving manager Oliver Glasner the chance of a fairytale end to his golden reign.
Politics
Rail fare to World Cup final stadium is cut ... to $105
The price of a roundtrip rail ticket from New York to the nearby stadium that will host the final and seven other matches at football's World Cup is being cut from $150 to $105, following outrage from fans, an official said Thursday.
Economy
Global stocks mostly fall as US rally shows signs of fatigue
Global stocks mostly fell Thursday as US indices pulled back from records while Washington awaited Tehran's response to a US plan to end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Sports
Sabalenka, champion Paolini open Italian Open accounts
Aryna Sabalenka breezed into the third round of the Italian Open on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Barbora Krejcikova, 6-2, 6-3.
Politics
Trump gives EU until July 4 to ratify deal or face tariff hike
President Donald Trump on Thursday said the European Union must ratify its trade deal with the United States by July 4 or face "much higher" tariffs, after European officials fell short of agreement on the pact.
Boulevard
30 passengers left hantavirus ship in Saint Helena: cruise operator
A total of 30 passengers left the hantavirus-stricken Hondius during its call at the remote British island of Saint Helena, the cruise ship's Dutch operator said Thursday.
Sports
Real Madrid to punish Valverde, Tchouameni after training ground clash
Real Madrid said they would punish midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni after a clash on Thursday at the club's training ground which left the former needing hospital treatment.
Technology
French parliament votes to ease returns of looted art to ex-colonies
France's parliament on Thursday definitively adopted legislation to simplify the return of artworks looted during the colonial era to their countries of origin.
Sports
Ancelotti set for Brazil contract extension: federation
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti is set to be handed a four-year contract extension taking him through to the 2030 World Cup, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said Thursday.
Politics
Civilians lynched in Mali witch hunt after jihadist, rebel attacks
Abdoulaye Diarra was beaten and burnt alive near his home in the Malian capital, wrongly accused of being a "terrorist" because of his shabby clothes and long hair.
Politics
US targets Cuban military, mine in new sanctions
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on a Cuban military conglomerate that controls nearly 40 percent of the island's economy, as well as a Canadian mining company, as part of a mounting pressure campaign.
Sports
Marsh ton sets up Lucknow win in rain-hit IPL clash
Australia's Mitchell Marsh hit 111 to set up a tense nine-run win for Lucknow Super Giants in a rain-hit IPL clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.
Economy
Google faces new UK lawsuit over online display ads
Google faces a fresh UK lawsuit accusing it of abusing its dominance in online display advertising, the claimants announced Thursday, in the latest antitrust action against the US tech giant.
Sports
Yankees outfielder Dominguez collides with wall making catch
The New York Yankees' Jasson Dominguez was injured slamming into a wall as he took a superb leaping catch in the first inning on Thursday, eventually leaving the field on a medical cart.
Health
NY to hire 500 addiction recovery mentors with opioid settlement cash
New York will invest $12 million of settlement funds from opioid manufacturers to recruit 500 specialists to help treat people battling addiction, the city's mayor said Thursday.
Politics
Trump says he would not pay $1,000 to watch US at World Cup
President Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday that he would not pay the $1,000-plus ticket price for the United States' first World Cup match, piling pressure on FIFA over its sky-high costs.
Sports
Dubois vows to take out 'trash' WBO heavyweight champion Wardley
Daniel Dubois is determined to make the "trash" Fabio Wardley eat his words when he faces the reigning champion in an all-British bout for the World Boxing Organization heavyweight title in Manchester on Saturday.
Economy
France to ban CBD edibles: sources
France will ban the sale of cannabidiol (CBD) edibles from May 15, while still allowing it to be sold to be smoked, AFP learnt from several sources on Thursday.
Politics
Twin jihadist-claimed attacks kill more than 30 in Mali
Two attacks in central Mali claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists have killed more than 30 people, local, security and administrative sources told AFP on Thursday.
Hundreds paid or seeking damages over Harrods Al-Fayed abuse complaints
More than 75 survivors have been awarded "full compensation" for suffering sexual abuse at the hands of late Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, and nearly another 200 claims are being processed, a company scheme told AFP Thursday.
Economy
US oil blockade on Cuba 'energy starvation': UN experts
The fuel blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States amounts to "energy starvation", and has "grave consequences" for human rights and development, three UN special rapporteurs said Thursday.
Politics
Zelensky warns against attending Russia's parade as Moscow repeats threats
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday warned allies of Russia against attending its May 9 WWII victory parade, as Moscow doubled down on its threat to strike Kyiv on the day.