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Hundreds of families on New Zealand's South Island were forced to leave their homes on Thursday after dramatic flooding prompted a state of emergency in three regions.

Rafael Nadal's disaster comeback match on Wednesday at the Cincinnati Masters leaves the Spaniard lagging in the chase for the top ATP ranking.

The United States expects China to ramp up its military, diplomatic and economic "coercion" of Taiwan, its top envoy in East Asia said Thursday, after Beijing's unprecedented drills around the island it claims as its own.

The self-proclaimed queen of Japanese hip-hop Awich has stories to tell, from discovering rap as a rebellious teenager in Okinawa to losing her husband to gun violence in America.

A blast ripped through a mosque packed with worshippers in the Afghan capital Kabul Wednesday night, killing at least three people and wounding two dozen others, a hospital and officials said.

Borna Coric spoiled the return of Rafael Nadal after a five-year absence from the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday with a 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-3 upset victory in the second round.

The phone's home screen shows 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32C) in Silver Spring, a suburb of Washington, on a mid-August day. But the reality is more complex -- in terms of heat exposure, not all parts of the city are equal.

"Mystery" medley, "broken" freestyle and non-disabled swimmers racing with Paralympians highlight the return after a seven-year hiatus of the "Duel in the Pool" this weekend between Australia and the United States.

Overlooked by high-rises on the outskirts of Hong Kong, a group of students practise body-slam tackles and vicious ankle-wrenches at weekly training for an unlikely sport: the ancient Indian game of kabaddi.

The United States and Taiwan announced on Wednesday objectives for trade negotiations set for the early autumn in another step to boost ties even as tensions soar with China over the self-ruled island.

Guatemala said Wednesday it had recovered 33 pre-Columbian artifacts that were voluntarily returned from a private collection in Germany.

The remains of 14 firefighters who died combatting a major blaze at a Cuban fuel depot last week are too badly burned to be identified, a specialist said Wednesday.

The Vuelta a Espana starts on Friday with three-time defending champion Primoz Roglic in the spotlight.

UN chief Antonio Guterres will meet the leaders of Ukraine and Turkey in Lviv on Thursday, following a deal reached last month that allowed the resumption of grain exports after Russia's invasion blocked essential global supplies.

Markets dropped in Asia on Thursday following a sell-off in New York spurred by minutes from the Federal Reserve indicating officials intended to keep lifting interest rates to tackle decades-high inflation.

Japanese designer Hanae Mori, who cracked the Parisian haute couture world and was dubbed "Madame Butterfly" for her signature motif, has died in Tokyo aged 96, her office told AFP.

Malaysia’s top court on Thursday began hearing ex-leader Najib Razak's appeal to overturn his jail sentence for corruption in a high-stakes legal gambit that could see him locked up or potentially launching a political comeback.

Shamarh Brooks played the sheet anchor role to perfection in guiding the West Indies to a five-wicket victory over top-ranked New Zealand in a low-scoring opening day-night One-Day International of a three-match series at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday.

Hundreds of families on New Zealand's South Island were forced to leave their homes on Thursday after flooding caused a state of emergency to be declared in three regions.

Half a dozen beluga whales dive and reemerge around tourist paddle boards in Canada's Hudson Bay, a handful of about 55,000 of the creatures that migrate from the Arctic to the bay's more temperate waters each summer.

Enrique Galan is seldom happier than when he disappears deep into the Everglades to hunt down Burmese pythons, an invasive species that has been damaging Florida's wetland ecosystem for decades.

Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori, who cracked the elite world of Parisian haute couture, has died at her home in Tokyo aged 96, Japanese media reported Thursday.

The Ethiopian government called Wednesday for a formal Tigray ceasefire agreement to be reached as soon as possible to enable the resumption of basic services to the war-stricken northern region.

Tiger Woods led a US PGA Tour players-only meeting regarding the threat posed by Saudi-backed LIV Golf, and how to combat it, ahead of this week's BMW Championship.

US golfer Patrick Reed, who departed the US PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, has filed a $750 million defamation lawsuit against The Golf Channel and commentator Brandel Chamblee.

Performers at a Los Angeles strip club took their first steps toward unionization Wednesday, becoming the latest US workers to seek collective bargaining power.

Colombian Nairo Quintana on Wednesday denied taking a banned pain medication after he was retrospectively disqualified from this year's Tour de France over a positive tramadol test result.

Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori, who cracked the elite world of Parisian haute couture, has died at her home in Tokyo aged 96, Japanese media reported Thursday.

An appeals court in Florida has upheld a ruling that a 16-year-old girl is not "sufficiently mature" enough to get an abortion -- a decision that sparked the ire of some US lawmakers.

West Indies' varied bowling attack exploited a turgid pitch expertly in dismissing New Zealand for 190 off 45.2 overs batting first in the opening one-day international of a three-match series at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday.

Studies are under way to see whether genetic changes in the monkeypox virus are driving the rapid spread of the disease, the World Health Organization told AFP on Wednesday.

Wall Street stocks sagged Wednesday as the market's July and August rally showed signs of fatigue, while European bourses were pressured by British inflation data.