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Sri Lanka's president has appointed a panel of experts to organise a restructuring of foreign debt as he seeks a way out of a worsening economic crisis, with protests demanding his resignation escalating.

Greece's government said Thursday it plans to double production of lignite, or brown coal, in the coming two years despite the pollution it causes as Athens aims to reduce its dependence upon Russian gas.

Andreas Christensen has urged Chelsea to take a "nothing to lose" approach if they are to revive their season following Wednesday's convincing 3-1 loss at home to Real Madrid.

A cast of "The Thinker" by Auguste Rodin will be auctioned in Paris on June 30, expected to reach between 9 and 14 million euros ($10-$15 million), Christie's said Thursday.

The UN rights chief has miserably failed to address China's "genocide" against the Uyghur minority, a leading campaigner told AFP, demanding that a long-delayed report on abuses be released "immediately".

Yemen's president said Thursday he is handing his powers to a new leadership council, in a major shake-up in the coalition battling Huthi rebels as a fragile ceasefire takes hold.

Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose has demanded an improved performance from his team at Stuttgart on Friday to make amends for their drubbing at home to RB Leipzig.

UEFA on Thursday approved new licensing regulations to replace its existing Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, allowing European clubs to make bigger losses than before but limiting spending on wages and transfers.

Somalia's feuding leaders were locked in a fresh dispute Thursday after the prime minister ordered the expulsion of the African Union's envoy -- a move rejected by the president as "illegal".

Tiger Woods, 14 months removed from a car crash that left him with injuries so severe he feared he might lose his lower right leg, was set to launch his boldest Masters bid yet on Thursday as play began at Augusta National.

Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and newcomer Tom Watson struck ceremonial tee shots Thursday to signal the start of the 86th Masters golf tournament at Augusta National.

South African Test captain Dean Elgar on Thursday defended his team against allegations of "unbearable sledging" during the first Test against Bangladesh in Durban.

Eurozone stocks rose Thursday but London drooped as investors digested news that the Federal Reserve held off from a bigger interest rate hike last month owing to Ukraine turmoil, dealers said.

Real Madrid might want both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland this summer but Karim Benzema's latest Champions League hat-trick shows they already have the world's deadliest number nine.

Ukraine urged its residents in the east of the country Thursday to take their "last chance" to flee mounting Russian attacks, after devastation around the capital Kyiv shocked the world.

Early morning thunderstorms forced a 30-minute delay to Thursday's start of the opening round of the 86th Masters, pushing back the return of Tiger Woods to major golf.

The Pakistan rupee dropped to a historic low of 191 rupees to the dollar Thursday as an ongoing political crisis rocked confidence in the currency.

Wales will bid to end a nearly 70-year long losing streak against the All Blacks when they open their November international campaign against New Zealand in Cardiff.

Erik ten Hag is the strong favourite to be named Manchester United's next full-time manager, dealing a crushing blow to the dreams of embattled Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, according to British media reports on Thursday.

French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen vowed Thursday to issue fines to Muslims who wear headscarves in public, as candidates made a final push for votes three days ahead of an election seen as increasingly close.

Erik ten Hag is the strong favourite to be named Manchester United's next full-time manager, dealing a crushing blow to the dreams of embattled Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, according to British media reports on Thursday.

Shell on Thursday warned that its exit from Russia over the Ukraine war would cost the British energy giant up to $5 billion, but it would fulfil pre-conflict contracts to buy fuel from Moscow.

Human Rights Watch on Thursday slammed a meeting between Australia's ambassador to Myanmar and the military junta chief, saying it was "lending credibility" to a regime accused of war crimes.

Taiwan will move away from a zero-Covid policy and instead focus on tackling the most severe infections in an effort to live with the coronavirus, its health minister said Thursday.

Britain insisted Thursday it was sticking to its climate change goals despite unveiling a new energy strategy that foresees new drilling for North Sea fossil fuels.

Yemen's president announced Thursday he is handing his powers to a new leadership council, in a major shake-up in the coalition battling Huthi rebels as a fragile ceasefire takes hold.

Doctors have removed a metal plate from the skull of India's former cricket captain Nari Contractor -- 60 years after it was put in following a near-fatal bouncer by West Indies' Charlie Griffith.

Sri Lanka's beleaguered president has appointed an expert panel to organise a debt restructure to claw the country out of a crippling economic crisis that has sparked huge protests demanding his resignation.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visits Morocco on Thursday, after Madrid reversed decades of policy on the Western Sahara to end a year-long diplomatic crisis, a U-turn that has angered Algeria.

Australia on Thursday released the last refugees held in a former hotel where tennis superstar Novak Djokovic was spectacularly detained earlier this year, activists said.

Videos of a pet dog killed in the name of Covid controls, expletive-strewn songs aimed at Communist authorities and scuffles with hazmat-suited officials –- seething, locked-down Shanghai residents are pouring scorn on China's hardline virus measures via social media.

A Turkish court on Thursday confirmed a halt of the trial in absentia of 26 suspects linked to the killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi and its transfer to Riyadh, a decision that has angered rights groups.