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North Korea confirmed its first-ever Covid-19 cases Thursday and declared a "serious emergency", with leader Kim Jong Un appearing in a mask on television for the first time to order nationwide lockdowns.

Former world darts champion Ted Hankey was on Thursday jailed for two years after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a young woman.

Beijing residents rushed to supermarkets on Thursday as Chinese officials tried to curb mounting panic over a rumour the capital would be placed under stay-at-home orders.

The Rugby World Cup will be staged in the United States for the first time in 2031 after the game's governing body named the host nations for five men's and women's tournaments.

Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim, who provided one of the emotional peaks of the Tokyo Olympics by sharing the high jump gold medal, will not repeat the gesture if they are tied again.

The UK will have "no choice but to act" unless the European Union agrees to change post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Thursday.

President Joe Biden will address a global summit on Covid-19 Thursday, but Congress' refusal to authorize billions of dollars in funding has thrown into doubt his role as leader of ambitious plans to vaccinate the world and finally stop the pandemic.

World equities tanked Thursday as slowing US inflation failed to dent fears of rising global interest rates and sent oil prices diving on demand concerns.

The Rugby World Cup will be staged in the United States for the first time in 2031 after officials announced the host nations for a number of men's and women's tournaments on Thursday.

India crashed out of Thailand's Uber Cup on Thursday after women's badminton superstar PV Sindhu came up short against local crowd favourite Ratchanok Intanon.

North Korea confirmed its first-ever Covid cases Thursday and declared a "serious emergency", with leader Kim Jong Un appearing in a mask on television for the first time to order nationwide lockdowns.

Everest saw a clutch of records on Thursday including the most summits for a woman and the first all-Black team -- and a Ukrainian climber reached the top of the world for her war-torn country.

Britain's economy shrank in March on fallout from soaring inflation, increasing the prospect of the country falling into recession.

Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn on Thursday said the impact on production from Covid lockdowns in China was "limited" and most of its facilities in the country were operating normally.

Pakistan paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi is returning home immediately ahead of next month's one-day international series against the West Indies, Middlesex County Cricket Club announced on Thursday.

Finland on Thursday took a step towards fast-track membership of NATO, triggering a warning from the Kremlin, as the war in Ukraine throttled supplies of Russian gas to Europe.

With Moscow's invasion of Ukraine pushing Finland and Sweden to join NATO, the trans-Atlantic alliance could soon welcome valuable partners for deterring any future Russian aggression.

The Taliban shutdown of girls' education shows the hardline Islamists' are not listening to the Afghan people and poses a major hurdle to international recognition of the new regime, a top European Union official said Thursday.

The pudgy Ukrainian policeman taking pasta and bread to villagers trapped under bombs on the eastern front sometimes feels like he is entering enemy territory.

The United States has crossed the threshold of one million deaths from Covid-19, the White House said on Thursday, as cities like New York try to turn the page on the pandemic despite threats of another surge.

French farmer Robin Lachaux is worried about his wheat. In normal years, it flowers and bulks up in May thanks to regular spring rainfall, but this year hot and dry conditions risk stunting its progress.

For almost half a decade former Russian soldier Marat Gabidullin was a fighter with the controversial mercenary outfit Wagner, deployed in the east of Ukraine and then in Syria, where he was badly wounded.

Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since its independence from Britain in 1948.

Asian and European equities slumped on Thursday following Wall Street's lead, after a key US report renewed fears of inflation and a tightening of monetary policies.

Suzuki announced on Thursday they want to quit MotoGP and are holding talks with the championship promoters Dorna over breaking their contract.

In Aberdeen, northeast Scotland, offshore wind turbines, the extension to the city's port, and hydrogen buses are clear evidence of the move to green energy.

With their infectious musical fusion of roots and rhythm, Ukrainian folk hiphop band Kalush Orchestra is riding a wave of goodwill at the Eurovision Song Contest this year -- while eyeing the contest's top prize.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was set Thursday to name a new prime minister, hoping to assemble a unity government after weeks of anti-government protests triggered by a dire economic crisis turned violent.

Iraq has agreed to pay $1.6 billion in debt to Iran by June 1 to secure a steady gas supply for power generation through the summer, its electricity minister said.

Japanese investment giant SoftBank Group on Thursday logged a record annual net loss after a bruising year that saw its assets hit by a US tech-share rout and a regulatory crackdown in China.

North Korea announced its first official cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, saying the highly transmissible Omicron variant had been detected and a national emergency declared.

Artyom Kotenko's world collapsed when Russia invaded Ukraine.