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Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a tight Spanish Super Cup semi-final in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to set up a Clasico final clash against rivals Barcelona.

Iranian protesters on Thursday stepped up their challenge to the clerical leadership with the biggest protests yet of nearly two weeks of rallies, as authorities cut internet access and the death toll from a crackdown mounted.

Severe winds, snow and freezing temperatures buffeted Europe with the arrival of Storm Goretti on Thursday, prompting forecasters from Britain to Germany to issue weather warnings.

Paris Saint-Germain beat Marseille on penalties to win a topsy turvy French Champions Trophy in Kuwait on Thursday.

President Emmanuel Macron says France will vote against the European Union's trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur, after farmers rolled into Paris on tractors in a show of anger against the pact.

Clashes between Syrian government and Kurdish forces in Aleppo raged into the night Thursday on the third day of fighting, as Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi warned the violence undermined talks with Damascus.

Exoskeletons are shedding their bulky, sci-fi image to become lightweight, AI-powered consumer devices that manufacturers hope will become as commonplace as smartwatches, targeting everyone from hikers to seniors seeking to stay active.

There's a few special words that will perk the ears of many a dog -- hungry, park, and of course T-R-E-A-T.

The EU executive on Thursday said it ordered Elon Musk's Grok to keep data related to the AI chatbot after the tool sparked a backlash for generating sexualised deepfakes of minors.

Venezuela on Thursday announced the release of a "large number" of prisoners, some of them foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States after its ouster of ruler Nicolas Maduro.

An endangered mountain gorilla has given birth to twins in the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, whose remarkable biodiversity has long been threatened by the region's litany of conflicts.

Clashes between Syrian government personnel and Kurdish forces raged into the night Thursday on the third day of fighting, as Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi warned the violence undermined talks with Damascus.

Rights groups accused Iranian security forces of shooting at protesters as the death toll mounted on Thursday from a crackdown on a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living that has now spread across the Islamic republic.

The Miami Dolphins became the latest NFL team to axe their head coach on Thursday, firing Mike McDaniel after four seasons in charge.

Three of 11 vessels chartered by Chevron were Thursday transporting oil from Venezuela to the US, according to an AFP analysis of ship-tracking data, as export sanctions raised concerns over the South American country's storage capacity.

The United States could run Venezuela and tap into its oil reserves for years, President Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday, less than a week after toppling its leader Nicolas Maduro.

French researcher Laurent Vinatier arrived in France on Thursday following a prisoner exchange involving a Russian basketball player wanted in the United States, officials said.

Europe was set to be buffeted by weather ranging from severe winds to snow and freezing temperatures with the arrival of Storm Goretti on Thursday, with forecasters issuing warnings from Britain to Germany.

Morocco coach Walid Regragui on Thursday sought to remove some of the pressure on his team as he suggested Cameroon had more to lose in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final between the sides.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned Thursday that the UK has "severely restricted the right to protest" in recent years and was expanding "repressive measures" against peaceful demonstrators.

Hundreds of French farmers protested in Paris Thursday after rolling into the capital on tractors, angry at a planned EU trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur they fear will create unfair competition.

Two robots the size of schoolchildren stepped into the ring at BattleBots Arena.

Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday vetoed a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of former far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, convicted last year of coup plotting.

Protesters denounced the Iranian authorities and staged strike actions Thursday in a new wave of demonstrations that have spread across the Islamic republic, as rights groups accused security forces of shooting on people in several locations.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday the United States was "gradually turning away" from some of its allies and "breaking free from international rules", offering some of his strongest criticism yet of Washington's policies under Donald Trump.

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua paid a moving tribute on Thursday to the two close friends killed in a car crash in Nigeria, labelling them "brothers" and "great men".

Protesters clashed with law enforcement officers in Minneapolis on Thursday after the fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration agent triggered outrage fueled by the Trump administration's insistence she was guilty of "domestic terrorism."

A former head of France's foreign intelligence agency was handed a one-year suspended jail sentence Thursday for attempted extortion worth millions of euros.

The UN climate chief led a chorus of criticism Thursday over President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from a bedrock climate treaty, calling it a "colossal own goal" that will only harm his country.

Syria's military began heavy bombardment of Kurdish neighbourhoods in the city of Aleppo on Thursday after warning civilians to leave on a third day of fighting.

Between US demands for its crude, tankers threatened with seizure, storage tanks at overflow risk and bewildered local authorities, the outlook for Venezuela's oil industry has never been murkier.

Stock markets pulled back Thursday as an early-year rally ran out of steam, with investors locking in profits ahead of the release of key US jobs data this week.