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By early December US intelligence was certain: the man occupying the top floor of a nondescript house in Atme, northern Syria -- who never left the premises, emerging only to bathe on the roof -- was the head of the Islamic State group.

A Winter Olympics overshadowed by rights concerns and Covid will officially begin in Beijing on Friday with an opening ceremony at the "Bird's Nest" stadium.

Real Betis cruised into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday after thrashing Real Sociedad 4-0 to continue their superb season under Manuel Pellegrini.

Tropical cyclone Batsirai skirted the French Indian Ocean territory of La Reunion Thursday, leaving at least 12 people injured and an empty oil tanker stuck aground in its wake.

England coach Chris Silverwood paid the price for the team's woeful Ashes series loss in Australia by leaving his post on Thursday, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced.

China's President Xi Jinping is poised for his first face-to-face meeting with a world leader in nearly two years on Friday when he hosts Russia's Vladimir Putin, with the pair drawing closer as tensions grow with the West.

A former Washington Commanders employee told a US Congressional panel hearing evidence of workplace malpractice at the NFL franchise on Thursday that she was sexually harassed by team owner Dan Snyder.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday poured cold water on sending in the military to clear protestors opposed to Covid vaccine mandates, whose convoy of big trucks are clogging Ottawa's downtown.

Facebook-parent Meta saw investors flee on Thursday rather than buckle-up for what could be a long ride towards the firm's metaverse vision for the internet's future.

On a scale of one to 10 of jihadist radicalization, an American woman alleged to have led an all-female Islamic State battalion in Syria was described by someone who knew her there as an "11 or a 12."

The United States will gradually permit more 5G telecommunications service near airports, but a long-term solution on air safety concerns will take at least a year, a senior regulator said Thursday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered four staff defections on Thursday as pressure intensified on the embattled leader over lockdown parties and his loose-lipped style of politics.

Around 500 Tibetans marched outside the International Olympic Committee headquarters on Thursday, led by an activist on skis dragging the Chinese flag behind him, to protest against Beijing hosting the Games.

The head of embattled streaming service Spotify has told staff that Joe Rogan is vital to the company, but that he doesn't agree with the controversial podcaster.

Former Tour de France winner Egan Bernal broke "nearly 20 bones" in a high-speed crash into the back of a stationary bus last week, the Colombian revealed on Thursday.

Hand fed fish and given gentle yet rigorous baths, penguins and other sea birds are slowly regaining their strength at a Peruvian zoo after a major oil spill that claimed many of their friends.

Catalan designer Antonio Miro, a Spanish fashion legend whose models included undocumented migrants and prisoners, has died aged 74, the country's culture minister said Thursday.

By early December, US intelligence was certain of it: the man occupying the top floor of a nondescript house in Atme, northern Syria -- who never left the premises, emerging only to bathe on the roof -- was the head of the Islamic State group.

Fabio Jakobsen of Quick-Step powered ahead of a speeding pack for an impressive stage win on day two of cycling's Vuelta a Valencia on Thursday.

Northern Ireland's unionist chief minister quit on Thursday, forcing his nationalist deputy also to stand down and prompting calls for early elections in the tense province.

More than seven million foreign tourists visited Dubai last year, marking a "remarkable turnaround", the government of the Gulf city state hosting the Expo world fair announced Thursday.

Workers at a General Motors factory in Mexico have elected an independent union -- a step hailed as a victory for labor rights helped by a revamped North American trade agreement.

The daring US helicopter raid deep in Syria that ended in the death of one of the world's most wanted men gives Joe Biden the kind of dramatic military win presidents crave -- and one the Democrat particularly needed.

President Joe Biden said Thursday a global "terrorist threat" was removed when the head of the Islamic State blew himself up after US special forces swooped on his Syrian hideout in an "incredibly challenging" nighttime helicopter raid.

Russia said Thursday it is closing the Moscow bureau of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and revoking staff accreditations in Russia, in response to Berlin's ban on the German-language channel of Russian state TV network RT.

Facebook announced on Thursday that its daily user numbers had fallen for the first time in its history, reopening the debate around its problem with attracting new, younger subscribers.

Former prodigy Matteo Manassero rediscovered his best form as he shot 62 on Thursday in the opening round of the Saudi International, while a current rising teen, Kim Joo-hyung, was in the chasing pack.

The head of Islamic State group, whom the US declared dead in a special-forces raid Thursday, was nicknamed the "Destroyer" and presided over massacres of Yazidis before assuming the leadership.

Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew unveiled its annual orchid festival Thursday, turning a sliver of southwest London into a riot of tropical colour and flora celebrating biodiversity hotspot Costa Rica.

Dylan Groenewegen timed his sprint to perfection to win a mass dash to the line on stage three of cycling's Tour of Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Stock markets slid Thursday, dragged down by a massive plunge in the shares of Facebook parent company Meta following disappointing earnings, as well as indications central banks may move more aggressively to raise interest rates.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has hit back at accusations made by former head coach Brian Flores in a lawsuit, branding the allegations as "false, malicious and defamatory."