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England come face to face with former boss Eddie Jones when they play his new-look Japan in a Test in sweltering Tokyo on Saturday.

The death toll from this year's hajj has exceeded 1,000, an AFP tally said on Thursday, more than half of them unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia.

Fears of a regional war rose Thursday after Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement said none of Israel would be spared in a full-blown conflict, and Israel said it had approved plans for a Lebanon offensive.

Leicester City have appointed former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper as their new manager, the newly promoted Premier League club said on Thursday.

Russia and Vietnam pledged Thursday to deepen ties as President Vladimir Putin made a state visit aimed at bolstering his alliances to counter Moscow's growing isolation over the war in Ukraine.

The Bank of England was set to hold its interest rate steady on Thursday despite slowing UK inflation, with higher price risks and Britain's looming election preventing a cut, according to analysts.

Japan's tourism chief said Thursday its ambitious goal of luring 60 million foreign tourists a year -- more than double the current level -- is well within reach, despite surging overtourism concerns.

Eddie Jones vowed Japan will have "a red-hot go" against his former team England when the two sides meet in Tokyo on Saturday.

Shohei Ohtani's disgraced former interpreter will be removed from a school textbook that had celebrated his work, a Japanese publisher said Thursday.

Gold medallist Sarah Hirini was named Thursday in New Zealand women's rugby sevens squad for the Paris Olympics, just six months after surgery for a serious knee injury.

A Russian missile and drone barrage damaged a Ukrainian power plant and other energy facilities overnight, officials said on Thursday, the latest in a series of strikes that have pushed its grid to the brink.

Skipper Jamie George expects former boss Eddie Jones to have a few more tricks up his sleeve when England face a much-changed Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.

Deadly heat that blanketed the United States, Mexico and Central America recently was made 35 times more likely due to global warming, an international network of climate scientists said on Thursday.

When invading Russian troops advanced towards Kyiv and the first explosions rang out in the suburbs, Daria Zymenko took refuge in Gavronshchyna, her parents' village near the Ukrainian capital.

Bright yellow, black, red and blue, Alexanor butterflies once fluttered abundantly on southwestern Albania's flowery slopes. Now, like many related species, scientists say they are disappearing due to human impacts, including climate change.

The three parties in the German government are locked in a bitter dispute over the 2025 budget, with experts warning the stalemate could be the final straw for the uneasy coalition.

A community of nuns in a 15th century convent in northern Spain has split with the Roman Catholic Church because of a property dispute and doctrinal wrangling that has seen them join up with a renegade priest.

Chinese coast guard sailors brandishing knives, an axe and other weapons clashed with Philippine naval vessels near a strategic reef in the South China Sea, dramatic new footage released by Manila showed.

Waikato Chiefs lock Tupou Vaa'i has mixed feelings as he prepares for Saturday's Super Rugby final against the Auckland Blues, facing off with an All Blacks rival who is also one of his idols.

English coach Colin Bell has left his post as South Korea women's football boss after nearly five years in charge, the football association said Thursday.

Chinese coast guard sailors brandishing weapons including sticks, knives and an axe clashed with Philippine naval vessels near a strategic reef in the South China Sea, dramatic new footage released by Manila showed.

Phil Salt thrashed a brilliant 87 not out off just 47 balls as defending champions England romped to an eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in their T20 World Cup Super Eight clash on Wednesday.

Four in every five people want their country to strengthen its commitments to addressing climate change, according to a global poll of 75,000 participants published on Thursday.

Rugby World Cup winners South Africa have included four uncapped players in the matchday 23 for a one-off Test against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

Holders Toulouse meet ambitious La Rochelle in the Top 14 semi-final on Friday at Bordeaux in the latest instalment of one of modern French club rugby's great contests.

Caeleb Dressel won't defend his 100m freestyle title at next month's Paris Games, but after a third-placed finish in a storming final Wednesday at the US Olympic swimming trials he's ready to make relay history.

Asian markets drifted Thursday as investors try to gauge the outlook for US interest rates, while also keeping tabs on developments in France as it heads for crucial elections.

Fahd Ramadhan spent years building a life as a refugee in the Netherlands, only to have it unravel with his surprise arrest on a trip to his birthplace Saudi Arabia.

Johnson Charles top-scored with 38 as hosts the West Indies set England a victory target of 181 in their T20 World Cup Super Eight clash in St. Lucia on Wednesday.

The Bank of England was set to hold its interest rate steady on Thursday despite slowing UK inflation, with higher price risks and Britain's looming election preventing a cut, according to analysts.

Saudi taekwondo standout Donia Abu Taleb had an unusual introduction to the sport: for years she trained at a boys' club because there were no girls to compete with.

Formula One returns to Europe this weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix. Here AFP Sport assesses five storylines as F1 prepares for the battle of Barcelona: