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Hong Kong's economy grew by 3.1 percent in the second quarter, according to government estimates released Thursday, beating expectations, with strong exports buoyed by businesses racing to take advantage of US tariff easing.

Major stock markets and the dollar traded mixed Thursday as traders weighed a cautious Federal Reserve, strong tech earnings and new US tariffs.

Track and field athletes aiming to take part in the female category in elite competitions will have to take a gene test from September, World Athletics has announced.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country "great & rich again" as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline.

The opposition leader in Pakistan's parliament was among more than 100 people convicted Thursday over nationwide protests in support of Imran Khan in 2023, his party said.

India star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was left out of the fifth and deciding Test at the Oval on Thursday as stand-in England captain Ollie Pope won the toss and elected to field.

Rights groups on Thursday urged Nepal to reverse a ban on the Telegram messaging app, calling the move a serious threat to freedom of expression and digital privacy.

German carmaker BMW stuck to its 2025 targets Thursday despite quarterly profits tumbling a third due partly to US tariffs, insisting its large American operations meant it could weather the storm.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged his allies to bring about "regime change" in Russia, hours after a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv killed seven people including a six-year-old boy.

French automaker Renault said Thursday that the tough retail and commercial van market in Europe had squeezed profits although it was able to maintain profitability better than most rivals.

Beijing city officials admitted on Thursday they had not been prepared for heavy rains that soaked swathes of the capital, killing 44 people and leaving nine still missing.

A former Macau pro-democracy lawmaker became the first person to be arrested under the city's national security law, with authorities alleging on Thursday that he had ties to foreign groups endangering China.

Beijing city officials admitted on Thursday they had not been prepared for heavy rains that soaked swathes of the capital, killing 44 people and leaving nine still missing.

Japan's weather office on Thursday lifted a tsunami advisory imposed a day earlier after Russia's Far East was rocked by one of the strongest earthquakes on record.

British energy giant Shell on Thursday said its net profit slid 23 percent in the first six months of the year, hit by lower oil and gas prices.

British consumer goods giant Unilever on Thursday said net profit fell five percent in the first six months of the year, as it prepares to demerge its ice cream business.

US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs to punish or favor major trading partners Wednesday, as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline.

The world's number two steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, said on Thursday its half-year net profit jumped on exceptional items but US tariffs began to eat into its margin.

British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell warned Thursday there will be no let-up against the Wallabies in the third Test, with a rare series whitewash a big incentive to finish the job.

BMW said Thursday its profits slumped by a third in the second quarter as the German premium carmaker was hit hard by falling sales in key market China and US tariffs.

Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least six people, officials said Thursday, as Moscow claimed the capture of a town that had been a key stronghold for the Ukrainian army in the east of the country.

As Donald Trump's eye-watering tariffs on Chinese products passing through Vietnam are set to kick in Friday, companies in the Southeast Asian country are cautiously waiting to see what falls into that category.

Chinese internet authorities summoned Nvidia on Thursday to discuss "serious security issues" over some of its artificial intelligence (AI) chips, as the US technology giant finds itself entangled in trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt insisted Thursday on picking retiring scrum-half Nic White for the third British and Irish Lions Test was not a sentimental decision and he was banking on the veteran to help rally his "deflated" team.

President Donald Trump has succeeded in strong-arming nations to accept higher tariffs on US exports, yet for now experts see little threat to the postwar trend of lower duties in the pursuit of greater wealth all around.

Myanmar's junta ended the country's state of emergency on Thursday, ramping up preparations for a December election being boycotted by opposition groups and criticised by international monitors.

The British and Irish Lions made two changes Thursday for the final Test against the Wallabies, with James Ryan in at lock and Blair Kinghorn on the wing as they look to finish their Australia tour on a high.

In the sweltering streets of Jakarta, buskers carry towering, hollow puppets and pass around a bucket for donations. Now, they fear becoming outlaws.

Veteran scrum-half Nic White and hulking prop Taniela Tupou were handed starts Thursday for the Wallabies' third Test against the British and Irish Lions, but influential flanker Rob Valetini was ruled out.

Second-seeded Taylor Fritz struggled with three rain delays and a stubborn Spanish opponent on Wednesday, pulling out a tight 7-5, 7-6 (7/1) win over Roberto Carballes Baena at the ATP Toronto Masters.

Hawking clothes outside the garment factory where her daughter toils inside, a Laos vendor weighs US President Donald Trump's threat of trade tariffs that may soon snarl both their livelihoods.

Manchester United made it two wins out of two with a 4-1 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League Summer Series pre-season tournament in Chicago on Wednesday.