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Damaging winds, excessive rainfall and extremely heavy snow are expected to wallop California and southern Oregon through Thursday as a series of winter storms rip across the western US coast, prompting the Golden State's governor to declare an emergency.

China on Thursday insisted it had been transparent with the international community about its Covid data, as it hit back against World Health Organization criticism that its tally of virus deaths was understating the true scale of its outbreak.

Tens of thousands of mourners gathered Thursday for the funeral of former pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, led by his successor Pope Francis in an event unprecedented in modern times.

An imperious Usman Khawaja was on the verge of a double century when rain interrupted Australia's run plunder against South Africa in the third Test on Thursday in Sydney.

Novak Djokovic said on Thursday he wants to play a practice match against Nick Kyrgios ahead of the Australian Open, the latest improvement in what was once an icy relationship.

Asian markets rose Thursday, led by Hong Kong after the city's traders extended an impressive start to the year thanks to optimism over China's reopening and officials there making key policy changes to encourage investment.

Novak Djokovic said "it is what it is" Thursday as he faced the prospect of missing more tournaments in the United States over his refusal to have a coronavirus shot.

Usman Khawaja was stranded just short of a pinnacle double-century when rain interrupted Australia's run plunder against South Africa in the third Sydney Test on Thursday.

On the face of it, the timing could not be better for Turkey's fractured opposition to end President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's two-decade grip on power in elections due by June.

Hong Kong will resume hamster imports later this month, officials said Thursday, nearly a year after some 2,000 pet rodents were culled at the height of the city's coronavirus outbreak.

Australia's rugby World Cup preparations were dealt a blow on Thursday with assistant coach Scott Wisemantel quitting just eight months out from the global showpiece in France.

Desperate families searching for critical Covid-19 medication in China, faced with bare pharmacy shelves and an explosion of cases, are being driven into murky online marketplaces rife with price gouging and fraud.

Novak Djokovic overcame a shaky start to beat Frenchman Quentin Halys on Thursday and reach the Adelaide quarter-finals, stepping up his preparations for the Australian Open.

Steven Smith passed a Don Bradman landmark to claim his 30th Test century on Thursday as Usman Khawaja and Australia piled on the misery for the beleaguered South Africans in the third Sydney Test.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's triple double sparked the Milwaukee Bucks to a 104-101 overtime victory at Toronto on Wednesday while the Brooklyn Nets saw their 12-game NBA win streak snapped.

Britain's Prince Harry recounts in his new book how he was physically "attacked" by his older brother Prince William during an argument in 2019, the Guardian reported Wednesday.

Asian markets rose Thursday, led by Hong Kong after the city's traders extended an impressive start to the year thanks to optimism over China's reopening and officials there making key policy changes to encourage investment.

France international Samuel Umtiti reportedly left the pitch in tears after he and Lecce teammate Lameck Banda suffered racist abuse from visiting Lazio fans in Italy's Serie A on Wednesday.

Aid groups say they have been "pushed against a wall" by the Taliban prohibiting Afghan women from working for NGOs, a ban that has left a dangerous gap in life-saving support.

Amazon announced Wednesday it will cut more than 18,000 jobs from its workforce, citing "the uncertain economy" and the fact that the online retail giant had "hired rapidly" during the pandemic.

From godfather of punk to francophile crooner, Iggy Pop has always made unexpected moves. But he returns to his hard rock roots on Friday with help from some stalwarts of the US indie scene that he helped create.

Addressing the nation on New Year's Eve, French President Emmanuel Macron put the country on alert for another period of political turbulence.

Ex-pope Benedict XVI was a brilliant theologian and defender of conservative values who made history by becoming the first pontiff to resign since the Middle Ages, after a scandal-dogged papacy.

Pope Francis will preside Thursday over the funeral of his predecessor Benedict XVI at the Vatican, an unprecedented event in modern times expected to draw tens of thousands of people.

Usman Khawaja raised his third consecutive Sydney Test century Thursday to lead an Australian run onslaught against flailing South Africa in the third Test.

US First Lady Jill Biden will undergo surgery next week to remove a "small lesion" discovered on her face during a routine examination, her spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

The annual CES consumer electronics extravaganza throws open its doors in Las Vegas on Thursday as the industry looks to the latest innovations to help cure the pain from an ailing global economy.

The top-selling tuna at Tokyo's traditional New Year auction sold for more than $270,000 on Thursday, nearly double last year's price, breaking a pandemic trend of slumping demand.

An injured Nick Kyrgios on Thursday pulled out of next week's Adelaide International II, but his team insisted he was in "no doubt" for the Australian Open.

A former Bolivian cabinet minister was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison in Florida Wednesday after pleading guilty to money laundering in a bribery scheme, the US Justice Department said.

Ansu Fati snatched an extra-time winner for Barcelona in a thrilling 4-3 victory over third-tier Intercity in the Spanish Cup round of 32 on Wednesday.

The deeply-riven US House of Representatives was engulfed in crisis for a second day running Wednesday as fresh rounds of voting failed to produce a winner in the race for speaker.