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The families of two British-Iranians who returned to the UK after years imprisoned in Tehran on Thursday spoke of their overwhelming relief and gratitude at finally being reunited.

East Timor will hold presidential polls on Saturday, with the winner facing a Covid and cyclone-battered economy, as well as a protracted political impasse.

Ukraine's leader on Thursday said Russia was building a new Cold War wall across Europe "between freedom and bondage", after his government accused invading forces of bombing a theatre sheltering many civilians and marked with the word "children".

Russia announced Thursday that it paid interest on foreign debt due this week, avoiding a devastating default for now after it was hit by unprecedented Western sanctions over Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is riding high in the polls, is to reveal his manifesto on Thursday at his first major campaign event for the election next month.

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin won the overall women's World Cup title for the fourth time in her career on Thursday, bouncing back from a disastrous performance at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel has tested positive for Covid-19 and will be replaced by Nico Huelkenberg for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, the Aston Martin team said on Thursday.

US prosecutors accused China on Wednesday of spying on pro-democracy activists in the United States and seeking to harass and intimidate a former Tiananmen Square dissident who is running for Congress.

International takeaway food app Deliveroo on Thursday announced rising annual losses after costs rose by more than one third, offsetting a surge in home deliveries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Germany in an emotional video address before parliament Thursday to help destroy a new "Wall" Russia was erecting in Europe.

Mali's ruling junta ordered French broadcasters RFI and France 24 off the air on Wednesday night, complaining they had falsely accused the army of committing abuses.

People in northeast Japan were cleaning up and surveying the damage on Thursday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude quake derailed a bullet train, opened cracks in highways and initially cut power to over two million homes.

A Cambodian court handed out jail terms Thursday to 20 opposition figures including exiled leader Sam Rainsy, who condemned the judgment as a fresh bid by strongman ruler Hun Sen to quash dissent.

South Africa notched a two-wicket win over New Zealand on Thursday to virtually guarantee themselves a spot in the Women's Cricket World Cup semi-finals and leave the hosts in danger of elimination.

Asian and European markets rallied further Thursday with another blistering surge in tech firms helping Hong Kong extend its recovery from the recent rout, while traders also cheered soothing comments on the US economy by the Federal Reserve after it lifted interest rates.

Thailand's embattled prime minister will hold talks with party leaders in his ruling coalition Thursday as he seeks to control growing divisions that could lead to early elections later this year.

South Korea reported a record of more than 600,000 coronavirus cases Thursday, with authorities saying the country was near the peak of an Omicron-fuelled infection wave.

Hong Kong's leader said Thursday she was mulling easing some of the city's coronavirus restrictions due to waning public tolerance, but could not provide a roadmap out of the current Omicron-fuelled crisis.

France's film industry needs to focus on splashier productions to stay ahead in the streaming era and keep its cinemas alive, the head of Paris-based Pathe Films told AFP.

In 2013 he achieved one of the great shocks in tennis history, knocking defending champion Roger Federer out of Wimbledon.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has long established his credentials in limited-overs cricket, but his 196 against Australia put him up there with some greats in the long form of the game too.

The Security Council votes Thursday on a resolution to secure the United Nations' presence in war-torn Afghanistan into the future -- unless Russia, which has stymied negotiations this week, vetoes the measure.

Two British-Iranians imprisoned for years in Iran were reunited with their families in the early hours of Thursday, tears of joy and long hugs marking the culmination of years of campaigning and earlier false hopes.

Rafael Nadal battled past big-hitting American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5) on Wednesday to push his 2022 record to 18-0 and reach the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters.

Hundreds of thousands of Irish and international visitors were to celebrate St Patrick's Day in Ireland on Thursday after a two-year pause in festivities due to the coronavirus.

French President Emmanuel Macron, riding high in the polls ahead of elections next month, is to reveal his programme for a second term on Thursday in his first major campaign event.

A judge in Honduras on Wednesday granted the extradition of former president Juan Orlando Hernandez to the United States where he is wanted for alleged drug trafficking, the Central American country's Supreme Court of Justice said on Twitter.

The station in the west Ukraine city of Lviv teems with outgoing passengers, vying for seats on trains leaving the war-torn nation.

Ukraine accused Russia Thursday of bombing a theatre that was sheltering more than 1,000 civilians in the city of Mariupol, after US President Joe Biden branded Vladimir Putin a "war criminal".

Every school has its rules, but tough regulations at some Japanese institutions, mandating everything from black hair to white shoelaces, are facing increasing criticism and even legal action.

Four people were reported dead and more than 100 injured in Japan on Thursday after a powerful overnight earthquake rattled large parts of the east coast and prompted a tsunami warning, authorities said.

North Korea's state media was silent Thursday after a suspected missile test ended in what Seoul said was total failure, exploding mid-air in the skies above the capital Pyongyang almost immediately after launch.