US polling firm -- whose data was tracked by political campaigns and mainstream media -- has admitted that its polls were fabricated. It is the second such scandal to stir controversy ahead of the midterm elections u.afp.com/SCyG

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado rally in Caracas to demand her return to the country and participation in talks towards a democratic election 📸 Federico Parra

New York votes to ban Central Park horse carriages after decades of debate. If the mayor signs it, the ban will go into effect in June of 2028 - a lead-up meant to help the approximately 150 active carriage drives find new employment u.afp.com/SCy5

In El Salvador, walls that were once plastered with gang graffiti now feature tableaus of birds, flowers and landscapes, as artists reclaim public spaces from vanquished criminal gangs. u.afp.com/SCCV

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton on Thursday welcomed Formula One’s decision to return to Africa, but revealed reservations over the choice of Rwanda to host the continent’s first Grand Prix in more than three decades. u.afp.com/SCCt

Elon Musk has said that SpaceX and Tesla will consider a merger of his two biggest companies. The combination would be worth about $3.5 trillion. Here's what you need to know. u.afp.com/SCC9

Bournemouth pulled off a sensational 3-0 home victory over 10-man AC Milan on Thursday to make it three wins from their opening three games in the Europa League. u.afp.com/SCCj

French health authorities said Thursday that the Shamonda virus, which usually affects livestock, had been detected in a human for the first time, in a severely immunocompromised patient who died earlier this month. u.afp.com/SCCR

Tens of thousands of supporters of Serbia's opposition student movement rallied in central Belgrade on Thursday, seeking to oust the party of veteran leader Aleksandar Vucic in crunch parliamentary elections this weekend. u.afp.com/SCCE

Kevin Martinez has come up with a creative new way to avoid shutting his restaurant when water runs low in Cuba, a common source of frustration for the business owner -- he is digging downwards for his own source. He is not alone. u.afp.com/SCCB

Sixteen writers -- half French-speaking and half Japanese -- boarded a luxury train in Kyoto on Thursday, faced with the unusual task of collectively writing a novel in under 24 hours. u.afp.com/SCCX

A Guatemalan court has sentenced seven former police officers to up to 60 years in prison over the "extrajudicial execution" of a gay couple, killings denounced by human rights groups as a hate crime. u.afp.com/SCC7

Janith Liyanage smashed a six off the penultimate ball as Sri Lanka completed the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, scoring 430-8 to beat England in Rawalpindi on Thursday. u.afp.com/SCCn

The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that Africa faced a "complex" Ebola outbreak after the virus crossed from east Africa to Nigeria, which has reported the first case in the west of the continent. u.afp.com/SCCs

🏠 The days of having to take out the trash or wash the dishes before leaving an Airbnb are numbered as the short-term rental platform is tightening rules on what conditions hosts may impose on guests. ➡️ u.afp.com/SCCx

🇫🇷 French authorities have imposed bans or restrictions on fresh protests springing up in the wake of demonstrations last weekend that degenerated into the country's worst street violence in years. ➡️ u.afp.com/SC9a

🌎 Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ordered aides to fetch him a globe associated with legendary World War II General Dwight Eisenhower -- and they broke it, The Washington Post reported Thursday. ➡️ u.afp.com/SCCN

🇯🇵 Strong winds, heavy rain in Japan's Ishigaki as Typhoon Champi nears Stores are closed and people shelter from the heavy rain in Ishigaki, in Japan's Okinawa prefecture, as Typhoon Champi approaches the island.

🇻🇦 Pope warns young people afraid to make mistakes Pope Leo XIV warns that a "performance-driven culture" is leaving many young people "virtually paralysed by the fear" of making mistakes.