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China's women's basketball team made up for their men's shortcomings at the Asian Games on Thursday, retaining their title with a thrilling 74-72 win over Olympic silver-medallists Japan in Hangzhou.

European stocks markets mostly rose while Wall Street wobbled on Thursday as investors fret over the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates.

Aryna Sabalenka progressed into the women's quarter-finals of the China Open with a hard-fought straight-sets win over Jasmine Paolini in Beijing on Thursday.

An increase in exports helped to reduce the overall US trade deficit in August to the smallest since late 2020, according to government data released on Thursday.

Georgia coach Levan Maisashvili has made five changes to his starting XV to face Wales in their final World Cup Pool C match in Nantes on Saturday as captain Merab Sharikadze returns at centre.

Teenager Tharushi Karunarathna, Sri Lanka's only gold medallist so far at the Hangzhou Asian Games, received a congratulatory telephone call from the country's president and cash from the cricket board.

Forwards Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen have returned to the England squad for a friendly against Australia and a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy but there is again no place for Raheem Sterling.

The European Union vowed steadfast support for Ukraine at a summit Thursday but warned leaders -- including Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky -- it would not be able to fully fill any funding gap left by the United States.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski could miss the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid on October 28 after spraining his ankle in Wednesday's Champions League win over Porto.

Norway's Jon Fosse, whose plays are among the most widely staged of any contemporary playwright in the world, won the Nobel prize in literature on Thursday.

Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse, who on Thursday won the Nobel literature prize, said he was "surprised, but also not" as his name has cropped in the past.

Europe's quest to build a common geopolitical purpose suffered a new blow on Thursday when Turkey and Azerbaijan skipped a major summit, as tensions mounted over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Women's basketball takes centre stage at the Asian Games on Thursday when hosts China clash with Japan for gold, as the number of doping cases mounts.

New Zealand bowlers led by Matt Henry kept England in check to 282-9 despite Joe Root's 77 in the opening match of the World Cup on Thursday.

The UK government is facing calls to crack down on the backyard breeders of XL bully dogs, and even to cull the breed, following a string of horrifying attacks.

France's highest mountain, Mont Blanc, has shrunk by over two metres in height over the past two years, researchers said on Thursday, measuring the Alpine peak at 4,805.59 metres (15,766.4 feet).

Japan are ready to summon their inner samurai as they enter the "death zone" when taking on Argentina in what is a winner-takes-all match to qualify as World Cup Pool D runners-up.

The United States offered no fresh cash to the world's largest climate fund on Thursday, overshadowing pledges of financial support for nations most vulnerable to global warming and infuriating campaigners.

Last month was the hottest September on record by an "extraordinary" margin as the world flirts dangerously with breaching a key warming limit, the EU climate monitor said on Thursday.

South Korea cut neighbours North Korea and their giant centre Pak Ji Na down to size to win bronze in the Asian Games women's basketball on Thursday in Hangzhou.

The Venice overpass from which a bus plunged killing 21 people this week had been earmarked for renovation for years and had a hole in the barrier which was due to be closed, it emerged Thursday.

Norwegian author Jon Fosse is an all-rounder whose writing is defined more by form than content -- what is not said is often more revealing than what is.

The Swedish Academy on Thursday awarded the Nobel literature prize to Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse, whose plays are among the most widely staged of any contemporary playwright in Europe.

Asian and European stocks rose Thursday after modest Wall Street gains as investors kept a wary eye on US bond yields, while oil sank further on stubborn demand fears.

China's Tian Tao denied North Korea a sixth Asian Games weightlifting gold when he won the men's 96kg division on Thursday from Ro Kwang Ryol, who took silver.

Argentina take on Japan in Nantes on Sunday in both team's last Pool D match, with veteran Pumas hooker Agustin Creevy describing it as "another final".

Indian rescue teams searched on Thursday for 102 people missing after a devastating flash flood triggered by a high-altitude glacial lake burst killed at least 14, officials said.

Shanghai Masters top seed Carlos Alcaraz said Thursday he was ready for the tournament and would change what he did wrong in Beijing, where he crashed out of the China Open this week.

Marylebone Cricket Club has expelled one member and suspended two others following an ugly altercation with Australia players during the second Ashes Test against England at Lord's.

Bangladesh on Thursday received the first uranium delivery for its Russia-backed nuclear plant, a project aimed at bolstering its overstretched energy grid but complicated by sanctions on Moscow.

US Open champion Coco Gauff shook off an indifferent first-set performance to glide into the women's quarter-finals of the China Open with victory over Russia's Veronika Kudermetova in Beijing on Thursday.

England and New Zealand opened the Cricket World Cup on Thursday faced with a largely empty stadium -- and those in the crowd donned tops and face-paint in the national colours of India.