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High US interest rates are doing their job in the fight against inflation, but more hikes may yet be needed, senior US Federal Reserve officials said Thursday.

North Korea on Friday announced it had built a "tactical nuclear attack submarine" as part of its effort to strengthen its naval force, the state news agency KCNA reported.

Attacks on an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger River in northern Mali on Thursday by suspected jihadists killed 64 people, a Malian official said.

France took a huge step towards qualifying for Euro 2024 with a 2-0 victory over Ireland on Thursday, while the Netherlands and Denmark claimed big wins as they eye places at next year's finals in Germany.

President Joe Biden left for the G20 summit in India on Thursday, hoping to seize on the absence of the leaders of China and Russia to shore up US influence in the divided bloc.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised what he called Ukraine's "extraordinary resilience" against Russian aggression during a visit to Chernigiv region Thursday as he concluded a surprise two-day trip.

The Netherlands scored three times in the first half against Greece in Eindhoven on Thursday and cruised to a victory that lifted them to second place in Group B of Euro 2024 qualifying.

Divided G20 leaders will descend on New Delhi from Friday, with host Prime Minister Narendra Modi seizing a chance to occupy the geopolitical centre stage and hammer home India's growing diplomatic clout.

Stock markets wavered on Thursday, weighed down by concerns about China's economy and fears of more US interest-rate hikes.

Aurelien Tchouameni's superb strike set France up for a comfortable 2-0 win over Ireland in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Thursday as Les Bleus took a big step towards securing a spot at next year's finals in Germany.

Brazil is bracing for new storms just days after a devastating cyclone killed at least 39 people in the country's south, officials said Thursday.

"That '70s Show" actor Danny Masterson was sentenced Thursday to at least 30 years in prison for raping two women at his home two decades ago.

US President Joe Biden leaves for the G20 in India on Thursday, aiming to boost alliances at a summit where global tensions will be highlighted by the absence of the leaders of China and Russia.

Concussion substitute Marnus Labuschagne played a match-winning innings for Australia to trump an unbeaten century by South African captain Temba Bavuma in the first one-day international at the Mangaung Oval on Thursday.

Two years ago, El Salvador shrugged off a chorus of warnings and adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in a bid to revitalize its economy and improve access to financial services.

Japan can "go all the way" in the Rugby World Cup, said prop Craig Millar on Thursday, two days before the Brave Blossoms' opening game against Chile.

New Zealand great Dan Carter believes the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which gets underway on Friday, will be the "closest" ever but says his compatriots will use the "hurt" of the 2019 event to inspire them to victory.

Record rainfall in Hong Kong caused widespread flooding in the early hours of Friday, disrupting road and rail traffic just days after the city dodged major damage from a super typhoon.

Record-shattering temperatures that impacted billions of people in the northern hemisphere this summer were given a massive boost by human-caused climate change, an analysis showed Thursday.

Gabon's military rulers on Thursday appointed Raymond Ndong Sima, a prominent opponent to ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba, as interim prime minister following the country's coup on August 30.

The US Senate confirmed Adriana Kugler on Thursday to a management position at the Federal Reserve, making her the first Hispanic-American to serve on the seven-person governing body in its 110-year history.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente insisted he has "blind confidence" in Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal without revealing if he would make history by playing Friday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Georgia.

The European Union is open to Georgia becoming a member, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Thursday, but warned Tbilisi needed to implement sweeping reforms to get candidate status.

Hong Kong saw widespread flooding and heavy rain in the early hours of Friday, which disrupted road and rail traffic just days after the city dodged major damage from a super typhoon.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised what he called Ukraine's "extraordinary resilience" against Russian aggression during a visit to Chernigiv region Thursday, before the top diplomat concluded his surprise two-day trip.

Players from Spain's women's top flight, Liga F, will follow through with strike action after negotiations to improve pay remained at an impasse, unions representing the players said Thursday.

Astronomers have discovered the first "bubble of galaxies," an almost unimaginably huge cosmic structure thought to be a fossilised remnant from just after the Big Bang sitting in our galactic backyard.

France's top administrative court on Thursday upheld a government ban on traditional over-garments worn by some Muslim women in schools and rejected complaints it was discriminatory and could incite hatred.

Shericka Jackson takes aim at Florence Griffith-Joyner's 35-year-old 200m world record at the Brussels Diamond League meeting on Friday where Armand Duplantis hopes for another pole-vault landmark performance.

The biggest film festival in North America opens Thursday in Toronto with the international launch of Oscar-winning Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki's likely last movie, as the twin Hollywood strikes drag on.

A passenger boat on the Niger River in northern Mali was attacked on Thursday by suspected jihadists, the Malian army said.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic are one victory away from a blockbuster US Open final showdown as they head into the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows on Friday.