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Bolivia, Jamaica close in on World Cup after playoff wins

Bolivia, Jamaica close in on World Cup after playoff wins

Bolivia and Jamaica moved to within one win of returning to the World Cup after decades-long absences on Thursday after securing opening victories in FIFA's intercontinental playoff tournament in Mexico.

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Tech-equipped Indigenous firefighters protect Thai forests

Tech-equipped Indigenous firefighters protect Thai forests

In the dry-season heat of northern Thailand, Hmong villagers zip through forested slopes, blasting tinder with leaf blowers and cutting through brush with machetes, while others scan for smoke on live feeds from their phones.

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Sacred leaf offers hope for Vanuatu's threatened forests

Sacred leaf offers hope for Vanuatu's threatened forests

The feather-shaped namele leaf is so central to Vanuatu it features on the national flag, and now it is being enlisted to protect some of the country's most important forests.

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Mercedes' Russell fastest in first practice for Japan GP

Mercedes' Russell fastest in first practice for Japan GP

George Russell went fastest ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli in an eventful first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday as Mercedes continued their dominant start to the Formula One season.

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Sabalenka, Sinner keep 'Sunshine Double' in sight with Miami Open wins

Sabalenka, Sinner keep 'Sunshine Double' in sight with Miami Open wins

World number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka subdued second-ranked rival Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to book a Miami Open title clash with American Coco Gauff.

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AI used to make 'fetishised' images of disabled women

AI used to make 'fetishised' images of disabled women

British charities and disability advocates have slammed a trend for using AI to generate "fetishised" images of women with disabilities and genetic conditions including Down syndrome, vitiligo and albinism.

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Oil drops as Trump pauses Iran strikes, but stock traders nervous

Oil drops as Trump pauses Iran strikes, but stock traders nervous

Oil prices fell Friday after Donald Trump again pushed back a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though most equities also dropped as traders shrugged at the news following a series of conflicting messaging from the White House.

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Parents sacrificed all for 15-year-old India prodigy Suryavanshi

Parents sacrificed all for 15-year-old India prodigy Suryavanshi

Vaibhav Suryavanshi's parents told AFP how they made a practice pitch in their village in India's poorest state to spark the teenage cricket prodigy's stunning rise -- and now his younger brother hones his skills on it.

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Sabalenka subdues Rybakina to reach Miami Open final

Sabalenka subdues Rybakina to reach Miami Open final

World number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka powered past second-ranked Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to line up a Miami Open title clash with Coco Gauff.

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Newcomers could threaten Christiania's hippie soul, locals fear

Newcomers could threaten Christiania's hippie soul, locals fear

The colourful residents of Copenhagen's libertarian Christiania enclave, long a refuge for anarchists, hippies and artists, fear new housing within its borders could spell the end of the freetown's identity.

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