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England and France romped to big wins while hosts New Zealand survived a mighty scare on Saturday in front of a record crowd on the opening day of the women's Rugby World Cup.

Moscow announced Saturday that a truck exploded igniting a huge fire and damaging the key Kerch bridge -- built as Russia's sole land link with annexed Crimea -- and vowed to find the perpetrators, without immediately blaming Ukraine.

Max Verstappen gave himself a great chance to retain his Formula One world title at Sunday's Japanese Grand prix after grabbing pole in Suzuka.

Moscow announced Saturday that a truck exploded igniting a huge fire and damaging the key Kerch bridge -- built as Russia's sole land link with annexed Crimea -- and vowed to find the perpetrators, without immediately blaming Ukraine.

US manager Vlatko Andonovski said the players "did an incredible" job of using the women's international between the world champions and Euro 2022 winners England as a platform to fight against sexual violence.

Fake heiress Anna Sorokin, whose breathtaking deception of New York's financial elite inspired a hit Netflix series, was released Friday from an immigration detention center but still faces deportation from the United States.

Frances Tiafoe battled past unseeded Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea on Saturday in three sets to reach the Japan Open final -- but the American admitted it hadn't made pretty viewing.

At least 14 people died when seven Russian missiles struck the industrial town of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, the town council's secretary announced late Friday.

Cover-up allegations are dogging a short-lived Greek parliamentary investigation into a state wire-tapping scandal that wraps up next week without providing any real answers.

Heartbroken families prayed Saturday for the victims of a Thai nursery massacre as the king offered his support, telling relatives he "shares their grief" in a rare public interaction with his subjects.

The first minors convicted under Hong Kong's national security law were Saturday sentenced to detention in a training centre by a judge who said their calls to overthrow China's government must be met with deterrence.

Hot favourites England opened their women's Rugby World Cup campaign in imperious style by crushing Fiji 84-19 while France were also convincing winners on day one on Saturday.

Tim Oberli smiles broadly at the man across the gold-plated desk, expertly checking him in and showing him to the executive suite, while simultaneously handling a boisterous man demanding a restaurant reservation.

Runaway championship leader Max Verstappen went quickest in Saturday's final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix as he attempts to clinch his second straight world title this weekend in Suzuka.

Russian forces said Friday they had captured ground in Donetsk in east Ukraine, their first claim of new gains since a Kyiv counter-offensive rattled Moscow's war effort.

Yu Darvish delivered a stellar pitching performance and San Diego sluggers smacked four home runs to power the Padres over the New York Mets 7-1 as the Major League Baseball playoffs began Friday.

Star scrum-half Laure Sansus crossed twice as France beat a stubborn South Africa 40-5 in the opening match of the women's Rugby World Cup in Auckland on Saturday.

Thailand's king has told bereaved families he "shares their grief" in a rare public address following a nursery massacre that killed dozens.

The deadly stampede at an Indonesian football stadium has shaken the foundations of the country's most popular sport and was the culmination of decades of mismanagement and violence, experts say.

Google is looking to up its smartphone game with the Pixel 7, the latest entrant in a competitive corner of personal electronics where it has traditionally been a bit player.

After losing the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump could have worked on his golf swing or produced another book by the pool at his south Florida beach club.

The United States will soon be unable to provide Ukraine with certain types of ammunition that are essential to Kyiv's battle against Russia's invasion, as supplies are being used up faster than they can be replaced.

US President Joe Biden admitted this week that American diplomats still did not know how Russian President Vladimir Putin could bring an end to his faltering war in Ukraine and save face. Western analysts see no good options.

US actor Anthony Rapp told a New York courtroom Friday that he froze up when he was allegedly assaulted by Kevin Spacey as a minor in 1986, on the second day of the disgraced Oscar winner's trial over the accusation.

French driver Pierre Gasly will leave Alpha Tauri to replace two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso at Alpine next season, the team announced Saturday.

The NFL Players Association announced Friday it has agreed to changes in concussion protocol rules and hoped the league would make the alterations before Sunday's games.

Jose Ramirez smacked a two-run home run in the sixth inning to give the Cleveland Guardians a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay in Friday's Major League Baseball playoff opener.

Russia on Friday labelled superstar rapper Oxxxymiron, popular among young Russians, a "foreign agent", according to the interior ministry's website.

Kiefer Sherwood had a goal and an assist as the Nashville Predators beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 in the NHL season opener in Prague on Friday.

England Women rode a wave of euphoria to beat world champions the United States 2-1 on Friday in their first match at Wembley since they were crowned European champions in July.

After three years of planning, five expeditions and a two-week trek through dense jungle, scientists have reached the tallest tree ever found in the Amazon rainforest, a towering specimen the size of a 25-storey building.

French superstar striker Kylian Mbappe will earn a record $128 million in annual earnings to top the list of the world's highest-paid football players, according to a Friday Forbes magazine report.