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Bridges collapsed and rivers burst their banks as heavy rain lashed northern Japan on Thursday, with 200,000 residents urged to evacuate as authorities warned of dangerous flooding.

Toyota upgraded its annual net profit forecast on Thursday, predicting an earnings boost from the weaker yen even after first-quarter net profit took a hit from pandemic-related supply chain issues.

Model Chrissy Teigen and her award-winning singer husband John Legend said Wednesday that the couple is expecting another child, nearly two years after announcing her miscarriage.

World number one Daniil Medvedev, playing his first match in six weeks, beat Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday at the ATP hard court tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Chinese military exercises around Taiwan are set to disrupt one of the world's busiest shipping zones, analysts told AFP, highlighting the island's critical position in already stretched global supply chains.

Second-seeded Paula Badosa survived a scare on the way to a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5) victory over US qualifier Elizabeth Mandlik on Wednesday in the WTA hardcourt tournament in San Jose, California.

China's largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan kicked off Thursday, in a show of force straddling vital international shipping lanes after a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

After her high-profile trip to Taiwan, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in South Korea Thursday and her agenda included a visit to the border with the nuclear-armed North, an official told AFP.

Rescuers battled Wednesday to free about 10 workers believed to be trapped in a coal mine in northern Mexico, while three others were found alive, authorities said.

From the ancient alleys of Jerusalem's Old City to kitchens around the world, Palestinians are stirring new trends in cooking while abiding by traditions.

Asian markets on Thursday tracked a Wall Street rally fuelled by healthy economic and earnings data, while there was some relief that Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan trip did not elicit a harsher response from China despite grave warnings from Beijing.

Crisis-hit Lebanon marks two years Thursday since a massive explosion ripped through Beirut, with victims' relatives planning protest marches as they keep demanding truth and justice.

Arsenal's trip to Crystal Palace lifts the curtain on the new Premier League season on Friday, with Erling Haaland's debut in the English top flight the highlight of the weekend as champions Manchester City travel to West Ham.

'Tu, tu, Tuvalu' echoed around the beach volleyball stadium at the Commonwealth Games as spectators shouted their support for the team from the tiny Pacific island nation on the frontline of climate change.

Rescuers battled Wednesday to free around nine workers believed to be trapped in a coal mine in northern Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said.

Inside an old oak barrel, Ecuadoran bioengineer Javier Carvajal found the fungus of fortune: a 400-year-old yeast specimen that he has since managed to resurrect and use to reproduce what is believed to be Latin America's oldest beer.

The 2022/23 Ligue 1 season kicks off this weekend with Paris Saint-Germain overwhelming favourites to win what would be a record 11th French title following Kylian Mbappe's decision to snub Real Madrid and remain with the Qatar-owned club.

MotoGP returns from its mid-summer break with championship leader Fabio Quartararo aiming to resume his own winning streak while ending the long run of different victors at Silverstone.

Every time it rains, Blanca Arias in El Salvador and Sandra Ramos in Honduras fear that flooding will raze their precarious homes and leave their families destitute. Again.

The Bank of England is expected Thursday to follow other major central banks with an aggressive interest rate hike to tackle surging inflation.

Kylian Mbappe's decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain was hailed as a boon for French football but it surely rules out any slim chance of a title race as the new Ligue 1 season kicks off this weekend.

China is due on Thursday to kick off its largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan, in a show of force straddling vital international shipping lanes following a visit to the self-ruled island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

French-born Australian boxing legend Johnny Famechon, who became world featherweight champion during a short but stunning career, has died aged 77, officials said Thursday.

Australia's Daria Saville upset top-seeded defending champion Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday at the ATP and WTA Washington Open, where Hubert Hurkacz and Simona Halep also exited.

The Rolling Stones wrapped up their 60th-anniversary tour Wednesday in Germany with an emotional tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts.

Argentina's new economic "super minister" pledged on Wednesday to respect the crisis-wracked country's commitment with the IMF to reduce its public deficit to 2.5 percent this year.

A California court on Wednesday sentenced one of three men charged in the armed robbery of Lady Gaga's dog walker, in which the singer's French bulldogs were stolen, to four years in prison.

Brazil's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the 12th straight time Wednesday, citing an "adverse and volatile" global economy, and indicated its tightening cycle, one of the world's most aggressive, may not be over.

Olympic 100m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah cruised to Commonwealth gold on Wednesday as Australia's Ariarne Titmus completed a stunning individual freestyle treble on the last night of swimming action.

Jamaican sprint star Elaine Thompson-Herah eased the pain of a disappointing world championships by sprinting to 100m victory at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday as Katarina Johnson-Thompson ended her heptathlon drought.

The directors of "Batgirl" said Wednesday they were "shocked" that the $90 million dollar superhero film had been axed by the studio and will now not be released in any format.

Oil prices tumbled on demand worries Wednesday while global equities mostly rose as US-China tensions receded somewhat after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.