Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party 36 years ago, is willing to testify next week in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, US media reported on Thursday.

There is a disturbance in the Force.

California restaurants will soon stop providing plastic straws unless customers explicitly ask for them, under a new law signed on Thursday by the state's environment-friendly governor.

Coca-Cola, Walmart and other big multinationals pledged on Thursday to help reduce plastic pollution in the world's oceans in support of a campaign by five of the G7 industrialized nations.

Italy's competition authority Antitrust has opened an inquiry into low-cost airline Ryanair's decision to charge passengers for hand luggage, a which the body described an "essential" item for travellers.

A Saudi court has ruled in favour of a woman who challenged her father's decision to not let her have a passport, reports said Thursday, stirring an online debate on the contentious male guardianship system.

One of the largest swinging bells in the world, weighing 55 tons (7,850 stone), was unveiled in the Polish city of Krakow on Thursday ahead of being installed at a major pilgrimage site in Brazil.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck twice as Arsenal defeated Ukraine's Vorskla Poltava 4-2 in the Europa League on Thursday, while in-form Chelsea began their campaign with a 1-0 win away to PAOK in Greece.

A powerful American squad featuring nine major winners tries to end a 25-year drought in Europe at next week's 42nd Ryder Cup against a veteran-laden European team at France's Le Golf National.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen expressed outrage Thursday after being ordered to undergo psychiatric tests for tweeting pictures of atrocities committed by the Islamic State group.

There is a disturbance in the Force.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Thursday lifted a ban on Russia's anti-doping agency, paving the way for Russian athletes to return to competition but also sparking claims of "treachery" and "dark shadows" cast over the fight against drugs in sport.

Four young children from a Dutch daycare centre were killed on Thursday when a train smashed into their electric cart at a crossing, in an accident described as the "worst nightmare of any parent".

A confidential report by Belgian investigators confirms that British intelligence services hacked state-owned Belgian telecom giant Belgacom on behalf of Washington, an official said Thursday.

A pair of debut novels, including one in verse, feature among six "miracles of stylistic invention" shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, judges of the British award announced on Thursday.

A cockpit mix-up left more than 30 passengers on an Indian plane bleeding from their ears and noses Thursday after the crew reportedly forgot to flick a switch regulating cabin air pressure.

EU leaders refused to give ground to Britain's Theresa May on Thursday, warning that her Brexit plan is unacceptable, even as she offered to come up with new proposals for the Irish border.

Global expansion is likely to slow as tensions kickstarted by US President Donald Trump's protectionist policies hit world trade, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.

Filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga will become the first American to direct a James Bond movie, its producers announced Thursday, replacing British director Danny Boyle for the storied spy franchise's 25th instalment.

Malta's prime minister on Thursday signalled unexpected support from EU leaders for a second referendum on Brexit in Britain, boosting a growing campaign for a new poll despite the British government's trenchant opposition.

Malaysia's ex-leader Najib Razak was hit with 25 new charges of money laundering and abuse of power linked to the 1MDB mega-scandal Thursday, including allegations hundreds of millions of dollars were transferred to his personal bank account.

Turkey, which was last month buffeted by its worst currency crisis in recent years, on Thursday forecast sharply lower growth coupled with persistently high inflation in its new medium-term economic programme.

Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in visited the spiritual birthplace of the Korean nation Thursday for a show of unity after their North-South summit gave new momentum to Pyongyang's negotiations with Washington.

Twelve people were killed and dozens missing after a landslide unleashed by monsoon rains struck in the central Philippines Thursday, inflicting more misery on the already storm-battered nation.

Sewing needles were taken off the shelves at a major Australian supermarket chain Thursday amid a national panic over sharp objects being found inside strawberries and other fruit.

The EU warned social network Facebook on Thursday to bring its allegedly "misleading" consumer terms of service in line with the bloc's rules by the end of the year or to risk financial penalties.

EU leaders met Thursday to prepare for the final stretch of Brexit negotiations, after public clashes with Britain over who should give ground but signs of a shift on both sides over the key issue of Ireland.

More than half of all countries will likely fail to hit the UN target of reducing premature deaths from a quartet of chronic diseases by a third before 2030, researchers said Friday.

Financial giant John Hancock is converting all its life insurance policies to an incentive-based system using activity tracking, a move aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles but which also raises privacy questions.

One of the largest swinging bells in the world, weighing 55 tons (7,850 stone), was unveiled in the Polish city of Krakow on Thursday ahead of being installed at a major pilgrimage site in Brazil.

Indiana Jones's signature fedora fetched more than half a million dollars at a blockbuster London auction of rare memorabilia from some of the most iconic movies of the past 40 years.

A local canoeing association filed a lawsuit on Thursday to ensure access to a section of the Potomac River that abuts a Trump golf course where the president plays frequently.

The decision by a fiercely pro-Western region of Ukraine to ban Russian-language arts, from songs to books and films, prompted widespread condemnation on Thursday even as it remained unclear how it would be implemented.

A cockpit mix-up left more than 30 passengers on an Indian plane bleeding from their ears and noses Thursday after the crew reportedly forgot to flick a switch regulating cabin air pressure.

Three years ago, asphyxiated by Venezuela's economic meltdown, Francisco Rojas and his wife Elena packed up four suitcases with the barest of essentials and walked out of their Caracas apartment.

A Toronto marketing company is looking to recruit six "cannabis enthusiasts" to test strains of pot and report back on their characteristics.

Madagascar's seasonal outbreak of plague, which has so far killed two people, is "under control", Health Minister Yoel Rantomalala said Thursday.

It's a devastating disease driving a dementia epidemic ruining tens of millions of lives, but with no new medical treatment since the turn of the century the fight against Alzheimer's is foundering.

Eliminating dead-but-toxic cells occurring naturally in the brains of mice designed to mimic Alzheimer's slowed neuron damage and memory loss associated with the disease, according to a study published Wednesday that could open a new front in the fight against dementia.

The mother was admitted at 9:30 am, the birth recorded at 9:35. Women often arrive in extremis at the Doctors Without Borders maternity hospital in southeastern Afghanistan, one of the most active in the world, with more than 60 babies born daily.

Sewing needles were taken off the shelves at a major Australian supermarket chain Thursday amid a national panic over sharp objects being found inside strawberries and other fruit.

Qu Jianguo, 64, had a futuristic medical visit in Shanghai as he put his wrist through an automated pulse-taking machine and received the result within two minutes on a mobile phone -- without a doctor present.

US environmental regulators are under increasing pressure over a controversial pesticide known for laying waste to nearby crops as well as the harmful weeds it is meant to control.

Arthur Mitchell, a pioneering black American ballet dancer, died Wednesday at the age of 84, the Dance Theatre of Harlem troupe which he co-founded announced.

Eliminating dead-but-toxic cells occurring naturally in the brains of mice designed to mimic Alzheimer's slowed neuron damage and memory loss associated with the disease, according to a study published Wednesday that could open a new front in the fight against dementia.

Illegal coca plantations in Colombia reached record levels last year following a 17 percent increase from 2016 to around 423,000 acres (171,000 hectares), the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Sony announced Wednesday it plans to launch a miniature games console designed like the original PlayStation pre-loaded with 20 vintage games as it joins the retro gaming craze just in time for Christmas.

The piercing of supermarket strawberries with sewing needles is comparable to terrorism, Australia's prime minister said Wednesday, as he demanded sentences of up to 15 years in response to a nationwide scare.

Friends call him "Maradona" and Chinese media have dubbed him "Soccer Nut" -- Zhao Chongshan is 63 but he still plays football three times a week and has no plan to hang up his boots.

On a Saturday morning in September in the Normandy countryside a group of men and women gather for an ancient French initiation ceremony.

Milan Fashion Week kicks off on Wednesday with cutting-edge couturiers taking over the city to present their women's ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2019 collections, while doffing a collective cap to the environment.

The Kennedy assassination, Watergate, 911 and the war in Iraq: all these landmark events in US history fueled public suspicions about the elites and fostered conspiracy theories that inspired artists, and are the focus of a new exhibition at New York's Met Breuer museum.

A barge built secretly for Napoleon Bonaparte in 1810 to inspect his imperial fleet had its crown removed in a delicate museum operation Tuesday ahead of the vessel's move to a new home on the coast of Brittany.

A French court is set to rule Wednesday on an appeal by two senior editors of celebrity magazine Closer against hefty fines imposed over their 2012 decision to publish pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless.

Tiger Woods delivered easily the loudest roar in ending his round with an eagle three to share the lead on day one of the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

A powerful American squad featuring nine major winners tries to end a 25-year drought in Europe at next week's 42nd Ryder Cup against a veteran-laden European team at France's Le Golf National.

World number one Justin Rose is projected to end the season as the PGA Tour's No. 1 after signing for a 66 on day one of the season-ending Tour Championship.

Tiger Woods delivered easily the loudest roar in ending his round with an eagle three to share the lead on day one of the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The United States have not won the Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993 -- the year which saw Bill Clinton become US President and the formation of the European Union.

European skipper Thomas Bjorn will entrust a handful of Ryder Cup veterans, including the struggling Sergio Garcia, to accompany a quintet of rookies into battle against a fearsome United States team in Paris.

A veteran United States squad featuring 14-time major winner Tiger Woods seeks the first American triumph on European soil in 25 years when the Ryder Cup tees off next week at Le Golf National.

Cristiano Ronaldo picks himself up and gets back to business in Serie A against promoted Frosinone on Sunday after his return to Spain in the Champions League ended in a tearful sending off against Valencia.

Barcelona are the only team left with a perfect record in La Liga but their match against Girona on Sunday is not all about the points.

Anthony Joshua has admitted to feeling under "tons of pressure" ahead of his latest world heavyweight title defence against Russia's Alexander Povetkin at London's Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

When British billionaire Steve Lansdown got fed up with his home town of Bristol being treated as a sporting joke he set out to put that right -- modelling his vision on mighty Barcelona.

Leaders Bayern Munich will be looking to add to Schalke's Bundesliga misery on Saturday when Germany captain Manuel Neuer returns to Gelsenkirchen.

Romelu Lukaku will look at Manchester United's next three Premier League games as a good opportunity to strengthen his prospects of being this season's top scorer in the competition.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola returns to the touchline for the Premier League champions' visit to Cardiff City looking for his team to recover from a shock midweek home defeat to Lyon.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino goes into Saturday's Premier League visit to Brighton in the unusual position of being under pressure following three straight defeats.

Liverpool look to maintain their impressive start to the new season in a potentially historic meeting against Southampton, with Jurgen Klopp's players benefitting from their relatively quiet summer of international football.

Virgil van Dijk has challenged Liverpool to use their blistering start to the Premier League season as fuel to finally end their trophy drought.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck twice as Arsenal defeated Ukraine's Vorskla Poltava 4-2 in the Europa League on Thursday, while in-form Chelsea began their campaign with a 1-0 win away to PAOK in Greece.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Thursday lifted a ban on Russia's anti-doping agency, paving the way for Russian athletes to return to competition but also sparking claims of "treachery" and "dark shadows" cast over the fight against drugs in sport.

Juventus midfielder Emre Can apologised on Thursday after saying "we're not women, let's play football" in response to teammate Cristiano Ronaldo being sent off in the Champions League win at Valencia.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Thursday lifted a ban on Russia's anti-doping agency, paving the way for Russian athletes to return to competition but also sparking claims of "treachery" and "dark shadows" cast over the fight against drugs in sport.

Sergio Garcia admitted he was already planning his Ryder Cup strategy for next week's showdown against the United States after carding an impressive five-under par 66 in the first round of the Portugal Masters on Thursday.

Mikhail Youzhny brought the curtain down on his two-decade career on Thursday, a rollercoaster ride which saw him win 10 titles, earn the affectionate nickname of 'Colonel' and get a sweaty hug from former Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

Talented spinner Rashid Khan celebrated his 20th birthday by scoring a half century and taking two wickets as Afghanistan upset Bangladesh by 136 runs in the Asia Cup on Thursday.

IAAF president Sebastian Coe said Thursday that Russia still has two pre-conditions to meet before they are allowed to return to international competition, despite the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) deciding to lift a ban on Russia's anti-doping agency.

Daria Bilodid of Ukraine made judo history on Thursday by becoming the youngest world champion at the age of 17 in Baku.

The Russian government said on Thursday the decision by the world anti-doping body to lift sanctions on Russia's anti-doping agency was the result of "enormous work" by Moscow to improve testing.

There is a disturbance in the Force.

Pop-country superstar Carrie Underwood on Thursday got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- the latest honor for the Grammy-winning onetime champion of TV reality show "American Idol."

"Serial," the hit US internet radio sensation and most downloaded podcast in history, is back for season three. This time, focused on explaining to listeners how ordinary American criminal justice functions.

More than 150 works by American artist Alexander Calder, including his famous mobiles, will go on display starting Friday at Montreal's Museum of Fine Arts, Canada's first retrospective dedicated to the influential sculptor.

Fendi presented a jungle-themed collection aimed at the inner Lara Croft, Prada shone with its own impression of strong women and Emporio Armani invaded an airport on the second day of Milan Fashion Week on Thursday.

Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter on Thursday and will serve 28 years in prison for running over and killing a man three years ago.

Rockers Wolf Alice defied the odds to win Britain's prestigious Mercury Prize on Thursday for their second album "Visions of a Life", beating off competition from heavyweights Arctic Monkeys and Noel Gallagher.

There is a disturbance in the Force.

Indiana Jones's signature fedora fetched more than half a million dollars at a blockbuster London auction of rare memorabilia from some of the most iconic movies of the past 40 years.

The decision by a fiercely pro-Western region of Ukraine to ban Russian-language arts, from songs to books and films, prompted widespread condemnation on Thursday even as it remained unclear how it would be implemented.

Mexico's President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a stickler for austerity who has vowed to fly only commercial, spent three hours stuck on a grounded plane because of bad weather, Mexican media reported Thursday.

Fendi and Max Mara presented jungle-themed collections aimed at the inner Lara Croft on the second day of Milan Fashion Week on Thursday, with Emporio Armani and Prada to come.

A pair of debut novels, including one in verse, feature among six "miracles of stylistic invention" shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, judges of the British award announced on Thursday.

In a move with the power to shake up the music industry, Spotify said Thursday that it will allow select artists to upload songs directly without record labels or distributors.

Bob Dylan will release for the first time the studio outtakes from his classic 1974 album "Blood on the Tracks," which have long been coveted by collectors.

Ugandan pop star turned opposition MP Robert Kyagulanyi returned from medical treatment abroad on Thursday to be met by police who forcibly escorted him to his home in the capital Kampala.

France is to give movies made by women a special subsidy bonus in a bid to counter sexism in the film industry, its culture minister said Wednesday.

K-Pop sensation BTS will address the United Nations on Monday for the launch of a campaign by the UN children's agency UNICEF as world leaders prepare to open their annual General Assembly debate.

Filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga will become the first American to direct a James Bond movie, its producers announced Thursday, replacing British director Danny Boyle for the storied spy franchise's 25th instalment.

Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher and Lily Allen are among the heavyweight contenders for Britain's prestigious Mercury award on Thursday, but newcomer Nadine Shah's pro-immigration album "Holiday Destination" is favourite to win.

US filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga will direct the next James Bond movie, set for worldwide release on February 14, 2020, the franchise's producers said Thursday after British director Danny Boyle quit the project last month.

Two months ago, basketball superstar LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, he's taking on Hollywood in a big way.

Explicitly erotic sculptures inspired by ancient Greek ceramic art are making waves at a marina in the Spanish city of Valencia.

Ian Buruma, the editor of the prestigious New York Review of Books, has left his position after being roundly criticized for publishing an essay condemned as insulting toward the #MeToo movement and victims of sexual abuse.

U2 frontman Bono said he could see the pain on Pope Francis's face on Wednesday when he told him "it looks to some people that the abusers are being more protected than the victims".

The man at the centre of a sexual assault scandal that prompted the Swedish Academy to postpone this year's Nobel Literature Prize denied two counts of rape as his first hearing ended on Wednesday.

A social media campaign has been launched to ban the songs of Moroccan pop star Saad Lamjarred on the country's radio stations after he was charged in France in a third case involving rape charges.

California restaurants will soon stop providing plastic straws unless customers explicitly ask for them, under a new law signed on Thursday by the state's environment-friendly governor.

Coca-Cola, Walmart and other big multinationals pledged on Thursday to help reduce plastic pollution in the world's oceans in support of a campaign by five of the G7 industrialized nations.

At least 34 people have died in northern Ghana during flooding caused by heavy rains and waters spilling from a dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso, relief agency officials said Thursday.

A strange fossil that looks a bit like a giant leaf, or a fingerprint the size of a coffee table, has intrigued scientists for decades.

As global warming outpaces efforts to tame it, scientists have proposed building massive underwater structures to prevent an Antarctic glacier the size of Britain from sliding into the sea and lifting the world's oceans by several metres.

Indonesia's president has signed a moratorium on all new palm oil plantation development, an official said Thursday, in a move hailed by environmentalists.

Dozens of farmers and lawmakers stormed out of a meeting Thursday with France's new environment minister after he confirmed that two more bears would soon be released into the Pyrenees mountains.

There might not be a maniacal cat-killer on the loose in London after all, or at least not a human one.

It's a devastating disease driving a dementia epidemic ruining tens of millions of lives, but with no new medical treatment since the turn of the century the fight against Alzheimer's is foundering.

Eliminating dead-but-toxic cells occurring naturally in the brains of mice designed to mimic Alzheimer's slowed neuron damage and memory loss associated with the disease, according to a study published Wednesday that could open a new front in the fight against dementia.

Qu Jianguo, 64, had a futuristic medical visit in Shanghai as he put his wrist through an automated pulse-taking machine and received the result within two minutes on a mobile phone -- without a doctor present.

US environmental regulators are under increasing pressure over a controversial pesticide known for laying waste to nearby crops as well as the harmful weeds it is meant to control.

Scientists have created a self-flying glider that uses machine learning to navigate rising air currents, in an experiment that could help our understanding of how birds migrate.

The German authorities on Wednesday suspended an operation to evict protesters, holed up in forest treehouses to block the expansion of an open-pit coal mine, after the death of a journalist.

Firefighters trying to put out a record number of wildfires in westernmost Canada recently found themselves in an unexpected tug-o-war with a fire devil for control of their hose.

Eliminating dead-but-toxic cells occurring naturally in the brains of mice designed to mimic Alzheimer's slowed neuron damage and memory loss associated with the disease, according to a study published Wednesday that could open a new front in the fight against dementia.

Fighting global warming will necessarily require taxing carbon emissions, or setting a price on carbon pollution, the World Bank's chief executive said Wednesday at a G7 environment meeting in Canada.

Desperate and alone -- and with the US government nowhere to be seen -- many Puerto Ricans turned to each other for salvation as they faced the furies of Hurricane Maria one year ago.

DNA tests on smuggled elephant tusks have identified three major ivory cartels in Africa and are helping investigators bolster the criminal cases against some of the most dangerous traffickers, researchers said Wednesday.

Hundreds of years ago, the American bison roamed freely across the widest natural range of any herbivore on the continent -- a vast habitat extending from northern Mexico across the United States to Alaska, and Canada.

Moderate global temperature rises of just two degrees Celsius could still be enough to melt parts of the largest ice sheet on Earth and raise sea levels by several metres, experts warned on Wednesday.

They arrived in New York from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island in September 2017, leaving widespread devastation in its wake and a death toll that would spiral to almost 3,000.

Urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles, is associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to research published Wednesday.

Mosquito larvae have been observed ingesting microplastics that can be passed up the food chain, researchers said Wednesday, potentially uncovering a new way that the polluting particles could damage the environment.

US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy Tuesday aimed at reducing the risks of man-made and naturally occurring biological threats.

The Swiss NGO Public Eye called Tuesday for an export ban on the pesticide Polo, produced by agriculture giant Syngenta, implicating it in the death of 20 Indian farmers last year.

Fed-up with a growing mountain of stinking disposable nappies, a Dutch firm Tuesday started building the country's first recycling plant to turn poo into profit.