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It is easy to see why "Those About To Die," Roland Emmerich's racy new TV drama set in Ancient Rome, is frequently described by critics as "Game of Thrones" with added chariot racing and gladiators.

Uncertainty hangs over presidential elections in Venezuela Sunday, with incumbent Nicolas Maduro vowing a "bloodbath" if he loses, which polls say is likely.

Jacob Bridgeman birdied five of the last seven holes to grab a one-stroke lead after Thursday's opening round of the US PGA Tour's 3M Open.

A fraught election campaign closed Thursday in Venezuela, mired in uncertainty after President Nicolas Maduro warned of a "bloodbath" if he loses -- which polls suggest is likely.

Two top leaders of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, including its co-founder Ismael Zambada Garcia, were arrested on Thursday in Texas, the US Department of Justice said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigeria's armed forces on Thursday warned against Kenya-style violence in protests planned for next week over soaring living costs, with the military saying it would head off "anarchy".

Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez announced on Thursday that he will defend three super-middleweight world boxing titles on September 14 against undefeated Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas.

Kamala Harris signaled a major shift on US Gaza policy Thursday, with the presidential hopeful telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seal a peace deal and insisting she would not be "silent" on the suffering in the Palestinian enclave.

A jersey belonging to American baseball legend Babe Ruth broke the world record Thursday for most expensive sports object sold at auction -- and the sale has not even ended yet.

Brazil's vision for a global deal to tax the ultra-rich sparked divisions Thursday at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro, where Washington dismissed the need for an international accord on the matter.

Long before President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris had established herself as the administration's leading advocate of abortion rights.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered the dismantling of homeless encampments on state land, one month after the US Supreme Court overturned protections for unhoused residents sleeping outdoors.

An "out of control" wildfire has devoured up to half of the main town in western Canada's popular Jasper National Park, authorities said Thursday, with 400 foreign firefighters called in to help battle the blaze.

Former French Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux on Thursday said they will become an amateur club for the first time in almost 90 years after filing for bankruptcy.

Hollywood's video game actors will go on strike early Friday to demand safeguards against artificial intelligence, the US actors' union announced.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree a Gaza ceasefire Thursday, with friendly greetings masking tense ties as well as questions over Biden's relevance.

Reigning Ballon d'Or Aitana Bonmati scored one goal and helped create another as World Cup holders Spain beat Japan 2-1 in their first game of the women's Olympic football tournament on Thursday, while record four-time gold medallists the United States beat Zambia 3-0.

Paris was on Thursday counting down the hours to the most ambitious Olympics opening ceremony in history on the river Seine, as tennis icon Rafael Nadal was fighting an injury battle which could shatter his gold medal dreams.

Antoine Dupont helped France to a semi-final showdown against South Africa on Saturday while Fiji survived an Irish scare to set up a last-four match-up against Australia in the Olympic rugby sevens tournament.

Global rugby superstar Antoine Dupont inspired France to a thrilling 26-14 Olympic sevens quarter-final win over Argentina Friday on a pulsating night at the Stade de France that also saw the mighty New Zealand suffer a shock exit.

Max Verstappen declined to apologise for his language and stood his ground on Thursday when questioned about his aggressive behaviour at last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

US Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance is learning the hard way the internet doesn't just love cats but also childless cat ladies, as comments resurfaced in which he claimed those without offspring were less fit to govern.

Long before President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris had established herself as the administration's leading advocate of abortion rights -- a stance Democrats hope could prove decisive in November.

Rafael Nadal has suffered a thigh injury to put his participation at the Paris Olympics in doubt, his coach Carlos Moya said on Thursday.

OpenAI on Thursday said it was putting its artificial intelligence engine to work in a challenge to Google's market-dominating search engine.

President Joe Biden pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly reach a Gaza ceasefire Thursday, with a friendly handshake masking tense ties and questions over the outgoing US leader's relevance.

A fraught election campaign closes Thursday in Venezuela, with the country mired in uncertainty after President Nicolas Maduro warned of a "bloodbath" if he loses -- which polls suggest is likely.

Canada defender Vanessa Gilles insisted her team were "not cheats" despite a spying scandal before their 2-1 opening win over New Zealand in the Olympic women's football competition on Thursday.

Humanity is suffering from an "extreme heat epidemic," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday, calling for action to limit the impacts of heat waves intensified by climate change.

Coco Gauff joked on Thursday that she is worried about the height difference with her fellow Team USA flagbearer LeBron James, ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Ukrainian Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi says "the Russians wanted his country to cease to exist" but instead over two years on from the invasion, "the opposite has happened" at the Paris Olympics.

Paris was on Thursday counting down the hours to the most ambitious Olympics opening ceremony in history on the river Seine.