France qualify for World Cup as Portugal, Norway forced to wait
France reached the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 win over Ukraine on Thursday as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris attacks, while Portugal were made to wait after losing 2-0 in Dublin as Cristiano Ronaldo saw red.
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US says trade talks with Swiss 'very positive'
A senior US official sounded a positive note Thursday about trade talks with Switzerland, as the Alpine nation's economy minister Guy Parmelin visited Washington hoping to reduce steep tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
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Brazil rebuts UN complaint about COP30 security, but boosts presence
Brazil has pushed back against a complaint by the UN's climate chief over a security breach at the COP30 summit in Belem, saying responsibility for safeguarding the venue's interior lies with the world body itself.
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Swiss Gruyere crowned world cheese champ
A Swiss Gruyere was crowned the 2025 World Cheese Champion on Thursday, seeing off competition from more than 5,000 rivals from 46 countries.
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Palestinian Authority says Israel killed two teens in West Bank
The Palestinian Authority said Thursday that Israeli soldiers had killed two 15-year-olds in the occupied West Bank, while Israel called them "terrorists" attempting to carry out an attack.
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Blue Origin launches NASA Mars mission and sticks booster landing
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket on Thursday with NASA twin spacecraft destined for Mars aboard, and in a breakthrough stuck the landing of its booster.
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Stocks slide despite end of US government shutdown
Global stocks slid back sharply on Thursday, dashing hopes that US President Donald Trump's signing of a spending bill to end a record government shutdown might enliven trading floors.
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MLS to align calendar with world's top football leagues
Major League Soccer will change its competition schedule to align with the world's top football leagues, shifting to a North American summer to spring schedule in 2027, MLS said on Thursday.
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BBC says sorry to Trump, but rejects defamation claim
The BBC said Thursday that its chairman had sent a letter to US President Donald Trump apologising for a misleading edit of one of his speeches, but rejected that it was grounds for a defamation lawsuit.
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Mbappe, Olise star as France seal spot at 2026 World Cup
Kylian Mbappe hit a brace while Michael Olise and Hugo Ekitike also scored as France beat Ukraine 4-0 on Thursday to secure World Cup qualification after an evening marked by tributes to the victims of the 2015 Paris attacks.
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