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70 dead from Tropical Storm Ana in southern Africa
The death toll from a storm that struck three southern African countries rose to 70 on Thursday as emergency teams battled to repair damaged infrastructure and help tens of thousands of victims.

Minimum wage in focus as Portugal heads to polls
Like nearly one in four workers in Portugal, Fernanda Moreira, a food services worker at a hospital in a Lisbon suburb, earns the minimum wage.

Pressure on UK PM mounts over Afghan pet evacuations
The UK government denied Thursday that embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson had prioritised pets over people in the chaotic evacuation out of Afghanistan as Kabul fell to the Taliban.
Russia says US failing on Ukraine but more talks possible
Russia said Thursday that the United States was failing to address its main security concerns over Ukraine but left the door open to further talks to ease tensions.

Top seed Barty crushes Keys to make Australian Open final
A ruthless Ashleigh Barty swept into her first Australian Open final on Thursday with the top seed outgunning a resurgent Madison Keys in a clinical, straight-sets demolition.

US ships nearly 1.7 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Uganda
The United States is shipping nearly 1.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Uganda, a White House official said Thursday, in the latest wave of jabs donated to stem the global pandemic.

Singapore Grand Prix gets green light for next seven years
Singapore will host the Formula One night race for another seven years from 2022 to 2028, organisers said Thursday, after the coronavirus pandemic scuppered the event for two years running.

Colourful Kenyan football fan hacked to death
Kenyans were mourning Thursday the country's best known football fan, a colourful former newspaper vendor who was found hacked to death at his home.

UAE largest bank makes record profit in 2021
The UAE’s largest bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, announced Thursday it scooped record annual net profit of $3.4 billion in 2021, a 19 percent increase over the previous year.

Rare snowfall carpets Jerusalem
Snow carpeted Jerusalem and its holy places Thursday as a rare wintry storm swept across Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as the wider Middle East.

Studio Ghibli theme park to open in Japan in November
A theme park based on the films of top anime studio Studio Ghibli, renowned for titles including the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away", will open in central Japan on November 1, the studio and local officials said Thursday.

Japan to help with Bill Gates' next-gen nuclear power project
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said Thursday it will work with Japan's atomic energy agency to provide technical assistance to a US start-up run by Bill Gates that is building a next-generation nuclear reactor in Wyoming.

Nadal closes in on quest for greatness, Medvedev running on empty
Rafael Nadal is two matches away from getting the jump on golden era rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to become all-time Grand Slam leader as the Australian Open gets down to the last four on Friday.

China warns US over 'interfering' in Winter Olympics
China warned the United States to "stop interfering" in the Winter Olympics on Thursday, a week before the controversy-hit Games are due to start in Beijing.

More than 200 new species found in Mekong region: WWF
Scientists discovered more than 200 new species across the greater Mekong region in 2020, according to a WWF report, despite the threats posed by climate change and human activities such as logging.

Kyrgios smashes racquet, flips finger as he reaches doubles final
Tennis' bad boy Nick Kyrgios was at it again Thursday, smashing a racquet and flipping a finger at the crowd as he and partner Thanasi Kokkinakis ensured an all-Australian Melbourne Park men's doubles final for the first time in 42 years.

Nissan alliance to invest $25 bn in electric vehicles over 5 years
The Nissan auto alliance said Thursday it will invest 23 billion euros ($25.7 billion) in electric vehicles over the next five years, marking the latest massive cash injection into the fast-growing sector by the auto industry.

China hails WTO green light on US import duties
China on Thursday hailed a WTO decision allowing it to slap duties on $645 million worth of US imports each year, calling on Washington to follow the ruling and "stop seeking excuses" in a long-running anti-dumping dispute.

EasyJet halves first-quarter loss despite Omicron
British airline EasyJet slashed losses by half in the first quarter, despite the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant which disrupted the travel industry, the company said Thursday.

Wheelchair great Alcott bows out with Australian Open final defeat
Wheelchair great Dylan Alcott bowed out of tennis Thursday after losing the Australian Open final, drawing the curtain on a glittering career in which he became a prominent disability advocate.

EU launches WTO case against China over Lithuania row
The European Union on Thursday launched a case against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for targeting Lithuania over its stance on Taiwan.

Boston hospital refuses heart transplant to unvaccinated patient
A hospital in Boston refused to perform a heart transplant on a patient who had not been vaccinated for Covid-19, US television media reported Wednesday.

Thailand rushes to contain oil spill after undersea leak
Thailand's navy and pollution experts battled Thursday to clear up an oil spill close to pristine holiday beaches, after an undersea pipeline leaked up to 50 tonnes of crude.

Castro to be sworn in as first woman president of Honduras
Honduras president-elect Xiomara Castro is due to be sworn in as the country's first woman president on Thursday, as confusion reigns over who will be head of congress during her four-year term.

Surging Cavs surprise Bucks, Suns scorch Jazz
The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their NBA resurgence Wednesday with a 115-99 victory over the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks that helped propel them into third place in the Eastern Conference.

Major Australian energy firm Woodside announces Myanmar pullout
Australian energy firm Woodside announced its withdrawal from junta-run Myanmar on Thursday, the latest company to head for the exit following a military coup last year.

IOC to meet Peng Shuai during Beijing Olympics
The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday that it has spoken with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai again and plans to meet her in Beijing during next month's Winter Games.

North Korea fires two missiles as testing blitz continues
North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles Thursday, Seoul said, its sixth weapons test this month in one of the most intense spates of launches on record that has delivered an emphatic rejection of Washington's offers for talks on its nuclear programme.

Twitter suspends spoiler account for 'Wordle' answer reveal
Twitter suspended a bot account on Wednesday for spoiling the solution to the next day's Wordle, the wildly popular internet word puzzle.

Auger-Aliassime ready to take on the world after 'insane' quarter-final epic
Canadian young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime said he was ready to test the world's best in men's tennis after taking title favourite Daniil Medvedev to the brink in a quarter-final blockbuster at the Australian Open.

Surging Cavs surprise Bucks, Hornets rout Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their NBA resurgence Wednesday with a convincing 115-99 victory over the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks that helped propel them into third place in the Eastern Conference.

Apple's iPhone retakes top spot in China smartphone market: research
Apple reclaimed its position as the top smartphone seller in China after six years, clocking a record market share in the final quarter of 2021 as US sanctions hit rival Huawei, according to researchers.