Moscow gas threat as NATO warns Russians 'regrouping' in Ukraine
Russia threatened Thursday to turn off its gas taps to Europe if the continent fails to pay in rubles, opening up a new front amid its war in Ukraine, where NATO and Kyiv warned that Russian troops were regrouping for new attacks.
Read moreExit Expo: Dubai world fair closes in blaze of fireworks
Dubai shuttered Expo 2020 with a colourful closing ceremony punctuated by fireworks on Thursday, leaving a multi-billion dollar mini-city in the desert and heightened expectations for future hosts.
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Greenpeace blocks Russian oil delivery off Denmark
A dozen Greenpeace activists in kayaks and swimming in the water blocked the transfer of Russian oil between two tankers off Denmark's coast on Thursday, the environmental organisation said.
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Elgar, Bavuma give South Africa early Test edge over Bangladesh
Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma hit half-centuries to give South Africa a slight edge on the first day of the first Test against Bangladesh at Kingsmead on Thursday.
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Putin warns EU nations need ruble accounts to get gas
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned "unfriendly" countries, including all EU members, that they would be cut off from Russian gas unless they opened an account in rubles to pay for deliveries.
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Medicine shortages and Russian army searches: life in occupied Kherson
Tanks in the streets, a severe medicine shortage and Russian soldiers searching homes -- residents in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson told AFP about life under Russian occupation.
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Biden orders unprecedented use of oil stockpile to combat US fuel prices
President Joe Biden will announce Thursday a record release from US strategic oil reserves in an attempt to curb a politically damaging surge in domestic fuel prices following Russia's attack on Ukraine, the White House said.
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Ramadan prayers return to Istanbul's Hagia Sophia mosque after 88 years
"Tarawih" prayers which Muslims perform every night during the holy month of Ramadan, are returning to Istanbul's Hagia Sophia mosque for the first time in 88 years, the country's top religious body announced on Thursday.
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Blue Origin launches its fourth crew to final frontier
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin successfully carried out its fourth crewed spaceflight Thursday, a ten-minute joyride beyond the planet's atmosphere and back again.
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Far-right Le Pen closes in on French presidential favourite Macron
Steering clear of scandals and of debates about Ukraine, France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen is gaining ground ahead of a presidential election and increasingly confident she has a fighting chance of defeating incumbent Emmanuel Macron.
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