Russia has exchanged jailed French researcher Laurent Vinatier for a Russian basketball player who was being held in France, state media reported on Thursday, citing Russia's FSB security service.
The Spanish government and the Catholic Church signed a landmark agreement Thursday to compensate victims of sexual abuse by clergy, aiming to settle what officials described as a "moral debt".
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that the United States was "breaking free from international rules" and "gradually turning away" from some of its allies.
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Politics
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.
January 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
New clashes hit Iran as opposition urges protests, strikes
Boulevard
January 08, 2026
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen announced on Thursday that she was withdrawing from the Australian Open later this month due to a lack of physical conditioning.
January 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
England's white-ball captain Harry Brook issued an apology on Thursday saying he was "deeply sorry" for an altercation at a New Zealand nightclub ahead of the Ashes.
January 08, 2026
Security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters in Iran as people angered by the economic situation in the Islamic republic kept up their challenge to the authorities and the exiled opposition Thursday urged them to step up their actions.
January 08, 2026
Equity 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
Sports
The England and Wales Cricket Board said it had launched an immediate and "thorough" review following the tourists' defeat in the fifth and final Ashes Test on Thursday.
January 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
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.
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.
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.
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
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