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Canada on brink, US ice Honduras in big chill
Canada moved to the brink of their first World Cup finals appearance in 36 years on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over El Salvador as the United States reignited their qualification campaign with victory against Honduras.

Under-manned Wizards shock Sixers
Spencer Dinwiddie delivered a triple-double of 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to power the short-handed Washington Wizards to a 106-103 NBA victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Rio Tinto's recent scandals
Revelations of rape and sexual assault at Rio Tinto are the latest in a series of scandals to hit the global mining giant, which is listed in London and Sydney.

France the favourites for exciting Six Nations
France may be "red-hot favourites" to win the Six Nations according to England coach Eddie Jones, but several sides will fancy their title chances when spectators return for a 2022 edition that starts this weekend.

W. African leaders hold emergency summit after spate of coups
West African leaders hold a key summit on Thursday as a wave of coups buffet a region struggling with poverty and a long history of turbulence.

Asia stocks mixed as profit-taking, tech woes offset catch-up play
Asian markets were mixed Thursday, with a split between those suffering from profit-taking following a recent rally and those that were playing catch-up after a midweek break across much of the region.

Patriots coach Belichick praises 'ultimate competitor' Brady
Bill Belichick, who coached Tom Brady to six of his seven Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, praised the now-retired superstar as the "best player in NFL history."

Scraping a living: salt offers women lifeline in Yemen
Scooping up handfuls of white crystals from coastal pools, a group of women in Yemen harvest salt -- a traditional industry proving to be a lifeline after seven years of war.

Iraq struggles to make use of Saddam's crumbling palaces
Scattered across Iraq lie more than 100 opulent palaces and villas built by former dictator Saddam Hussein -- some in use, many in ruins like much of the war-scarred country.

New Zealand to start easing tough Covid border controls
New Zealand will start easing some of the world's toughest pandemic border restrictions this month but will not fully reopen until October, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday.

Erdogan eyes Ukraine summit with Putin on Kyiv visit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Kyiv on Thursday in a bid to set the stage for a three-way summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin aimed at avoiding war in Ukraine.

US back on track with Honduras win
The United States reignited their World Cup qualifying campaign on Wednesday with a 3-0 victory over Honduras.

Lisa Cook, expert on economic scars of racism, now Biden Fed nominee
A researcher focused on how discrimination has harmed the American economy and the damage downturns do to the poor, Lisa Cook would bring a new perspective to the US central bank.

Biden's Fed board nominees become political footballs
Though set up as an institution operating above the partisan fray in Washington, the Federal Reserve has again become a political football, with Republicans and business groups attacking President Joe Biden's nominees to serve on the central bank's board.

NFT museum opens its doors in United States
A museum dedicated to NFTs -- the blockchain-based creations that have taken the artworld by storm -- has opened its doors in the United States.

India's Chettinad mansions a testament to past glory
Thousands of mansions in a remote corner of India once housed some of the nation's wealthiest bankers and traders but a century later most of them lie abandoned, their desolate remains a mute testament to lost riches.

Russia takes lead at UN in crises around the world
Russia has a stake in crises around the world from Ukraine to Syria, Sudan and Mali -- and that is reflected in the active role it takes at the UN Security Council on issues both big and small, contrasting with the relative detachment of the United States.

The NFT artist who sold a trashcan image for $252,000
Marcel Duchamp scandalised the art world in 1917 by submitting a urinal as his entry to a prestigious competition. A century later, an American artist known as Robness sparked his own controversy by selling an NFT of a rubbish bin for $252,000.

Pricey pixels: Why people spend fortunes on NFT art
Thousands of artists beaver away every day creating images to sell as digital tokens (NFTs) in online exchanges. The market is booming, the most popular pieces can sell for millions, but outsiders may wonder why anyone would pay anything at all.

Clashes in NW Syria as US-led troops conduct anti-jihadist operation: monitor
Troops from the US-led anti-jihadist coalition landed in northwest Syria Thursday in search of wanted militants, resulting in clashes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Meta's profit slips as Facebook loses users
Facebook's parent firm Meta on Wednesday delivered a gloomy mix of a sharper-than-expected drop in profit, a decrease in users and threats to its ad business that plunged shares some 22 percent in after-hours trading.

SpaceX rocket successfully launches US spy satellite
A US intelligence agency said Wednesday that its newest spy satellite successfully launched into orbit atop a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Ex-Browns coach makes 'tanking' claim
Ex-Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson said Wednesday the team incentivised losing during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, a day after former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores made similar allegations in an explosive lawsuit.

Brazil hikes key interest rate to double digits
Brazil's central bank hiked its benchmark interest rate by 1.5 points Wednesday to 10.75 percent, bringing it into double digits for the first time in nearly five years to fight rampant inflation.

Spotify shares fall on worries over slowing growth amid Rogan row
Shares of Spotify tumbled Wednesday after the music streaming service -- roiled in controversy over its star podcaster Joe Rogan -- projected lower profit margins in the coming earnings period as subscriber growth slows.

Austria court orders Facebook to remove defamatory content
An Austrian court has ordered Facebook to remove content defaming a former lawmaker and post a banner on its home page announcing the decision, a court spokesman said Wednesday.

UEFA estimates Covid pandemic cost Europe's clubs 7bn euros
The Covid-19 pandemic has left Europe's clubs with a massive seven billion euro-crater in their bank accounts, a UEFA report concluded on Thursday.

US intelligence says directed energy could explain Havana syndrome
Intense directed energy from an external source could have caused some cases of the debilitating so-called "Havana syndrome" among US diplomats, US intelligence said Wednesday, supporting the possibility of deliberate attacks.

Seventeen dead in Argentina after taking laced cocaine
At least 17 people died and 56 more were hospitalized in a northwestern suburb of Buenos Aires after consuming cocaine cut with an a toxic substance, possibly opioids, authorities said Wednesday.

Facebook parent Meta's profit slips as problems pile up
Facebook's parent firm Meta delivered unsteady results Wednesday, with threats to its key ad business, big expenses on its metaverse vision and a weaker forecast that plunged shares some 20 percent in after-hours trading.

Armenia, Turkey resume first flights in two years
Historic rivals Turkey and Armenia on Wednesday resumed their first commercial flights in two years as part of cautious efforts to warm their frozen ties.

Mane urges Senegal to 'go all the way' and lift Cup of Nations
Sadio Mane hailed his Senegal teammates after they beat Burkina Faso 3-1 in Yaounde on Wednesday to reach their second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations final.