China says its economy has maintained robust growth in the third quarter of 2010, but at a slightly lower rate.

Official figures show a drop from just over 10% growth to 9.6%.

This leaves China still far ahead of any major economy, but experts fear the slowdown will reduce the contribution China can make to a global recovery.

The Chinese government has recently taken measures to cool a credit boom in order to achieve more sustainable growth levels.

Toyota has announced a recall of more than 1.5 million cars worldwide over brake and fuel pump defects.

The carmaker said the decision affected certain Avalon, Highlander and Lexus cars, including 740,000 cars in the US, 600,000 in Japan and 17,000 in the UK.

It wants to ensure that fluid does not leak from the brake master cylinder, causing the warning light to turn on.

The fault could cause the brake pedal to feel spongy, and braking performance to "gradually decline".

BAE Systems has said that the impact on its business of the UK government's defence cuts will only be "modest".

While the defence group has been hit by some cuts - such as the retirement of the Harrier jet - a number of its manufacturing contracts will continue.

These include the two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, of which BAE is a lead member of the consortium that is building them.

Outside of the UK, BAE said it was enjoying strong business in the US.

UK retail sales fell again September, the second month in succession they have declined, official data has shown.

Sales last month were 0.2% lower than August, led by falls in clothing and car fuel sales, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS also revised down August's decline, saying sales that month slipped by 0.7% compared with its original calculation of 0.5%.

The data comes as a number of retailers have warned of weak trading conditions.

Three such warnings have come this week from Debenhams, Argos-owner Home Retail Group, and sportswear chain Sports Direct.

The ONS said that compared with the same month last year sales in September were 0.5% higher. However, this was below analysts' expectations of a 1% rise.

Veteran US actor Tom Bosley, most famous for playing all-American father Howard Cunningham in the 1970s TV series Happy Days, has died aged 83.

The star, who had been suffering from lung cancer, passed away at his home just outside Palm Springs, his family said in a statement.

Henry Winkler, who played The Fonz in Happy Days, paid tribute to the actor.

"He was our television father on the sound stage, but a father figure in real life," he said.

The Chinese Basketball Association has apologised for a fight which broke out during a friendly match against a visiting team from Brazil.

The game on Tuesday degenerated into a brawl as players from both sides exchanged kicks and punches - forcing an end to play.

The Chinese association said training for the Asian Games had been put on hold while it investigated.

It said players found to be at fault would be dealt with severely.

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"The CBA apologises to the Brazilian side and all other parties over the incident which created such serious consequences," association vice chairman Li Jinsheng said in a statement.

The Tour de France will mark 100 years since the race first went over the Col du Galibier by visiting the legendary Alpine climb twice in 2011.
The 18th stage will end at the summit of the Tour's most climbed mountain, which at an altitude of 2,645 metres will be the event's highest finish.
The following day, the riders will take on the Galibier again before another mountain-top finish at Alpe d'Huez.
The race starts on 2 July in the Vendee and finishes in Paris on 24 July.
A 191km opening stage, instead of the more traditional time trial prologue, marks the Grand Depart of a race that has 10 flat and six mountain stages with four summit finishes in its 21 stages.

Casey Stoner has won the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island for the fourth successive year.
Having earned pole position on his 25th birthday on Saturday, the Australian Ducati rider led from start to finish to seal the win in superb fashion.
Stoner opened up a 1.5 second gap between himself and newly crowned MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo within the first lap.
He eventually finished 8.598secs ahead of Lorenzo, with Valentino Rossi third.
Rossi, the 2009 world champion from Italy, stole in to finish third courtesy of a bold overtaking manoeuvre on United States rider Nicky Hayden in the final lap of the race.

Everybody was expecting the fourth win but I attacked this race like any other and we were able to control the gap at the front and bring home the win
Casey Stoner
His third place finish ensured that he and Spaniard Lorenzo sealed the 2010 Team Championship with two rounds remaining.

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button must beat Mark Webber in Korea on Sunday to have any chance of winning the title, says McLaren engineer Phil Prew.
Red Bull driver Webber has a 14-point lead over team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with only three races left.
Hamilton is 28 points adrift with Button 31 points behind Webber.
And Prew told BBC Sport: "We need to be in front of Webber. Both our drivers need to attack."
Every team is entering into the unknown to some extent this weekend in Yeongam on a brand new track being used for a grand prix race for the first time.