Nobel winner and Belarusian dissident Ales Bialiatski told AFP on Thursday that it was "very important" to keep up pressure on Belarus in order to free political prisoners after his first meeting with the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Russia on Thursday slammed a plan for European peacekeepers to be deployed to Ukraine as "dangerous" and dubbed Kyiv and its allies an "axis of war", dousing hopes the plan could be a step towards ending the almost four-year-war.
Bordeaux-Begles's South African back-rower Jean-Luc du Preez says that Northampton will be desperate for revenge for last season's Champions Cup final defeat when the teams meet in the pool stage on Sunday.
- Romero apologises for Spurs slump as crisis deepens
- Former Premier League referee Coote gets suspended sentence for indecent image
Boulevard
Security forces used tear gas and live fire to disperse protesters in Iran, rights groups said Thursday, as people angered by economic crisis kept up their challenge to the authorities and exiled opposition groups urged new protests as well as strikes.
January 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
'Sign of life': defence boom lifts German factory orders
Economy
January 08, 2026
Humanoid robots danced, somersaulted, dealt blackjack and played ping-pong at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, but some in the industry are impatient for them to become more useful, not just a promise of things to come.
January 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Asian markets mostly fell Thursday as the rally that has characterised the start of the year paused with investors looking ahead to the release of key US jobs data this week.
January 08, 2026
Australia will hold a royal commission inquiry into the mass shooting that killed 15 people at Bondi Beach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday, as he faced public demands for answers.
January 08, 2026
World number one Aryna Sabalenka accused tennis authorities on Thursday of failing to put player welfare first over what she called an "insane" tennis season.
January 08, 2026
Economy
A Cambodian bank founded by accused scam boss Chen Zhi, who has been indicted by the United States over multibillion-dollar fraud and extradited to China, was ordered liquidated Thursday, Cambodia's central bank said.
January 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
French farmers rolled into Paris on tractors Thursday morning in a show of dissent against a free trade deal they fear will create unfair competition.
Outstretching his hands in a signature Donald Trump pose, impersonator Ryan Chen mimics the US president's voice and gestures with such accuracy that he has become a social media phenomenon with his funny videos.
Ben Stokes vowed Thursday to stay on as England captain and said he believes coach Brendon McCullum will too, while admitting there were "wrongs to put right" after a crushing 4-1 Ashes defeat.
German hard discount food retailer Lidl announced Thursday it would halt spots on broadcast television in France, where it is one of the country's top advertisers.
January 08, 2026
Sports
England captain Ben Stokes said Thursday there were a lot of "wrongs to put right" after a crushing 4-1 Ashes series defeat to Australia.
January 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
World number one Aryna Sabalenka said she still had room for improvement after a second dominant win in the Brisbane International on Thursday.
Australia won the final Ashes Test against England by five wickets on Thursday to seal a dominant 4-1 victory after a gruelling series, sending the retiring Usman Khawaja out on a high.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
The Africa Cup of Nations reaches the quarter-final stage this weekend with a series of mouthwatering ties between the continent's heavyweights. AFP Sport picks out five stars enjoying their first AFCON to look out for in the last eight:
January 08, 2026
- Startups go public in litmus test for Chinese AI
- Death of Bazball: Five things we learned from Ashes series
- Australia's emotional Khawaja bows out for final time with Ashes win
- Asian markets mixed as traders eye US jobs data
- Australia win final Test to complete 4-1 Ashes triumph over England
- Trump withdraws US from key climate treaty, deepening global pullback
- Trump pulls US out of key climate treaty, deepening global pullback
- Morocco under huge pressure as hosts face Cup of Nations heat