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Peter O'Mahony will become the latest Irish player to reach a landmark 100 caps for his country on Saturday when Ireland face Scotland in a match pivotal to both sides' Rugby World Cup hopes.

Canada saw trade rebound sharply in August, posting a surplus of Can$718 million (US$522 million) with the strongest exports in two years outpacing an uptick in imports, the government statistical agency said Thursday.

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur hopes his team will have two wins under their belts before they face old rivals India in the eagerly-awaited World Cup blockbuster.

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur believes there's a "bit of mystique" around his World Cup team as they make a first appearance in India for seven years.

Russian mercenary group Wagner in 2022 signed a contract with a Chinese firm to acquire two satellites and use their images, aiding its intelligence work as the organisation sought to push Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to a document seen by AFP.

Iraqi gamers celebrated the release Thursday of the latest instalment of the "Assassin's Creed" action-adventure saga, set in ninth century Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate.

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".