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Veteran actor Gerard Depardieu on Thursday denounced the "crazy, unacceptable excesses" of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

Bombed out wheat fields, farmers gone to the front, supplies chains ruined.

Skipper Babar Azam and opener Imam-ul-Haq smashed brilliant centuries to help Pakistan pull off their highest ODI run-chase in a six-wicket triumph over Australia in Lahore on Thursday.

International donors have pledged $2.44 billion in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, the United Nations said on Thursday, falling short of its target to provide emergency relief.

Opening practice for this weekend's Argentina MotoGP has been put back 24 hours to Saturday after flights carrying crucial equipment for the race were delayed with the Russian invasion of Ukraine cited as a major factor.

"Russian soldiers, go home, while you're still alive!" The commander-in-chief of the 92nd Brigade of the Ukrainian army and defender of Kharkiv is defiant despite five weeks of war.

The Taliban raised a giant white flag of their movement on a hill overlooking the Afghan capital Thursday in a ceremony held nearly eight months after they returned to power.

Australian star Nick Kyrgios was fined $35,000 by the ATP on Thursday following his stormy row with umpire Carlos Bernardes in a Tuesday loss at the Miami Open.

Claire Cooper stood with about 30 others at Liverpool docks, braving an icy wind to protest about P&O Ferries sudden sacking of a quarter of its workforce.

Russia's refocusing of its military efforts on the Donbas could herald a "longer, more prolonged conflict" as Ukrainian forces put up fierce resistance in the eastern region, a senior US defense official said Thursday.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of protesters trying to storm the home of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the capital Thursday, demanding his resignation as the South Asian nation's economic crisis worsened.

The United States is not looking for a new deal in its negotiations with China over trading practices but rather to address practices by Beijing that it finds objectionable, Washington's trade chief said Thursday.

The United Nations launched a task force Thursday to pressure businesses to keep their emissions-cutting promises instead of masking progress with feel-good "greenwashing".

Joe Marchant's form in the Six Nations should be rewarded with an extended run in the England side, according to Harlequins' attack coach Nick Evans.

Head coach Russell Domingo admitted on Thursday that Bangladesh's decision to bowl in the first Test against South Africa at Kingsmead was prompted by uncertainty about batting first in potentially difficult conditions.

Oil prices tumbled on Thursday as the US announced it would release a record amount of oil from its stockpiles to fight soaring prices over supply fears sparked by the Ukraine war.

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday launched a bitter attack against far-right leader Marine Le Pen after warning supporters to take nothing for granted in an increasingly tight French election.

Russia threatened Thursday to turn off its gas taps to Europe if the continent fails to pay in rubles, opening up a new front amid its war in Ukraine, where NATO and Kyiv warned that Russian troops were regrouping for new attacks.

Dubai shuttered Expo 2020 with a colourful closing ceremony punctuated by fireworks on Thursday, leaving a multi-billion dollar mini-city in the desert and heightened expectations for future hosts.

A dozen Greenpeace activists in kayaks and swimming in the water blocked the transfer of Russian oil between two tankers off Denmark's coast on Thursday, the environmental organisation said.

Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma hit half-centuries to give South Africa a slight edge on the first day of the first Test against Bangladesh at Kingsmead on Thursday.

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned "unfriendly" countries, including all EU members, that they would be cut off from Russian gas unless they opened an account in rubles to pay for deliveries.

Tanks in the streets, a severe medicine shortage and Russian soldiers searching homes -- residents in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson told AFP about life under Russian occupation.

President Joe Biden will announce Thursday a record release from US strategic oil reserves in an attempt to curb a politically damaging surge in domestic fuel prices following Russia's attack on Ukraine, the White House said.

"Tarawih" prayers which Muslims perform every night during the holy month of Ramadan, are returning to Istanbul's Hagia Sophia mosque for the first time in 88 years, the country's top religious body announced on Thursday.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin successfully carried out its fourth crewed spaceflight Thursday, a ten-minute joyride beyond the planet's atmosphere and back again.

Steering clear of scandals and of debates about Ukraine, France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen is gaining ground ahead of a presidential election and increasingly confident she has a fighting chance of defeating incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

Afghanistan's economy risks falling into a "death spiral" without urgent aid, with some Afghans already forced to sell their children and body parts to survive, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Thursday.

President Joe Biden will announce Thursday the release of a record million barrels of oil a day, for about 180 days, from US strategic stockpiles in an attempt to dampen soaring fuel prices in the wake of Russia's attack on Ukraine, the White House said.

Oil prices tumbled on Thursday on reports that the United States is considering tapping reserves to combat a supply crisis sparked by the Ukraine war.

President Joe Biden was expected Thursday to announce the release of a record million barrels of oil a day from US strategic stockpiles in a dramatic attempt to cushion the political fallout from soaring crude prices due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ben McDermott smashed a maiden century Tuesday to guide Australia to a massive 348-8 in the second day-night international against Pakistan in Lahore.