France has for the first time started sending natural gas to Germany, French gas network operator GRTgaz said Thursday, as Berlin strives to diversify its energy supply following the interruption of Russian gas deliveries.

GRTgaz said the gas pipeline connecting both countries at the French border village of Obergailbach has began delivering an initial daily capacity of 31 gigawatt-hours.

The pickleball craze is getting the Stephen Colbert treatment, with charity the winner.

Colbert will host CBS' "Pickled," described as a sports-comedy special centered on a celebrity pickleball tournament. Among the players: Dierks Bentley, Will Ferrell, Emma Watson, Daniel Dae Kim, Max Greenfield, Luis Guzman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tig Notaro and Kelly Rowland.

India's renewables sector is booming, with the country projected to add 35 to 40 gigawatts of renewable energy annually until 2030, enough to power up to 30 million more homes each year, a report said Thursday.

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis estimated that India, the third largest energy-consuming country in the world, will reach 405 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030. It's expected to surpass the government's target of producing 50% of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by the end of the decade.

Having a crisis in autumn is kind of a tradition at Paris Saint-Germain, and this year is no exception.

The problem for PSG this season is that it's happening just before the game against rival Marseille, which looks rejuvenated under coach Igor Tudor and travels to the Parc des Princes on Sunday in good form.

FIFA wants to help workers in Qatar get compensation for being injured while building projects for the World Cup, one of the soccer body's top officials told European lawmakers on Thursday.

Soccer federations in Europe have supported calls for a fund since Amnesty International said FIFA should contribute $440 million toward reparations — matching the total prize money FIFA will pay to the 32 national teams playing in Qatar next month.

Inflation in the United States accelerated in September, with the cost of housing and other necessities intensifying pressure on households, wiping out pay gains that many have received and ensuring that the Federal Reserve will keep raising interest rates aggressively.

Consumer prices rose 8.2% in September compared with a year earlier, the government said Thursday. On a month-to-month basis, prices increased 0.4% from August to September after having ticked up 0.1% from July to August.

Qatar's emir thanked Vladimir Putin on Thursday for what he said was Russia's support organizing the upcoming World Cup.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also lauded Russia's hosting of the soccer tournament in 2018.

The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia's "attempted illegal annexation" of four Ukrainian regions and demand its immediate reversal, a sign of strong global opposition to the seven-month war and Moscow's attempt to grab its neighbor's territory.

The vote in the 193-member world body was 143-5 with 35 abstentions. It was the strongest support from the General Assembly for Ukraine and against Russia of the four resolutions it has approved since Russian troops invaded Ukraine Feb. 24.

Saudi Arabia said Thursday that the U.S. had urged the kingdom to postpone a decision by OPEC and its allies — including Russia — to cut oil production by a month. Such a delay could have helped reduce the risk of a spike in gas prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections next month.

A statement issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry didn't specifically mention the Nov. 8 elections in which U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to maintain his narrow Democratic majority in Congress. However, it stated that the U.S. "suggested" the cuts be delayed by a month. In the end, OPEC announced the cuts at its Oct. 5 meeting in Vienna.

They show up at the first signs of protest in Iran — men in black, riding motorcycles, often wielding guns or batons.

They are members of what's known as the Basij, paramilitary volunteers who are fiercely loyal to the Islamic Republic. The shock troops of the ayatollahs have taken on a leading role in quashing dissent for more than two decades.