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Art is "probably the only help one has to cope" in a world being traumatised by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, one of Austria's most famous artists told AFP.

High altitude, an Italian debut in Florence and a finale on the French Riviera are on the itinerary of the 3,492km route for the 2024 Tour de France unveiled on Wednesday.

Dutch brewing giant Heineken said Wednesday that it sold less beer in the third quarter, noting that higher prices and the poor economic outlook was affecting consumer demand.

Europe's main stock markets slid in subdued trade Wednesday, but Asia rallied after China unveiled plans for $137 billion in extra debt to boost infrastructure spending.

Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny announced his retirement from Test Rugby on Wednesday, saying it was a difficult decision to step away.

Moeen Ali said Wednesday that "everything is a must-win now" as faltering defending champions England face a Cricket World Cup day of reckoning.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he was cancelling plans to visit Israel because of its "inhumane" war against Hamas militants in Gaza.

The raging war between Israel and Hamas is already battering the economies of nearby countries, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund told a Saudi investor forum on Wednesday.

Hurricane Otis was downgraded to a Category 4 storm after making landfall near Mexico's Pacific beach resort of Acapulco on Wednesday, though it was still generating "damaging" winds and "life-threatening" storm surge, according to US forecasters.

David Warner and Steve Smith hit half-centuries to give Australia a solid start against the Netherlands in a World Cup clash on Wednesday.

Jawaher al-Aqraa says it will be a "miracle" if she survives the Gaza war but in the meantime she is singing to "block out" the roar of Israeli fighter jets over the Palestinian territory.

Japan's top court said on Wednesday that obliging transgender people to be sterilised in order to change their legal gender was unconstitutional.

The main UN aid agency in besieged Gaza warned it will have to stop operations by the end of Wednesday because it is running out of fuel, as Hamas said overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 80 people.

Russia claimed Wednesday it was exhausting Ukraine's army, 20 months into a campaign where neither side has made signficant gains.

Melting glaciers, unbearable heat and space junk: a month before crunch climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, a UN report published Wednesday warns about irreversible impacts to the planet without drastic changes to connected social and physical systems.

US President Joe Biden hosts Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a lavish state visit Wednesday where their focus on China risks being overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Kenya's central bank chief has said that the country's currency, currently trading at record lows, has been overvalued for several years.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first against the Netherlands in a World Cup clash on Wednesday with opener Travis Head failing to make the starting line-up.

Some of the miners who stayed underground for more than two days in a standoff between rival South African labour unions began returning to the surface Wednesday, their representatives said.

Japan's top court said on Wednesday that requiring transgender people to be sterilised in order to change their legal gender was unconstitutional.

Most markets rose Wednesday after China unveiled plans for $137 billion in extra debt to boost infrastructure spending, while oil extended losses on hopes that Israel will scale back its plans for a Gaza ground invasion.

Five Myanmar nationals asked the Philippines on Wednesday to investigate alleged war crimes committed by 10 serving or former members of Myanmar's military against the mainly Christian Chin minority.

Japan's Naoya Inoue announced Wednesday that he will attempt to become an undisputed world champion in a second weight division by fighting Marlon Tapales in December when all four super-bantamweight belts will be at stake.

Spanish lender Banco Santander announced Wednesday another record quarterly profit thanks to high interest rates and a growing customer base.

The raging war between Israel and Hamas is already battering the economies of nearby countries, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund told a Saudi investor forum on Wednesday.

On Singapore's tiny Kusu islet, legend has it that a giant turtle turned itself into an island to save two sailors. A century after a Chinese temple was opened on its shores, pilgrims are still flowing in, seeking good fortunes.

A major Category 5 hurricane made landfall near Mexico's Pacific beach resort of Acapulco early Wednesday, threatening to wreak "catastrophic" damage, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

More than six decades after Gitu Wa Kahengeri was jailed, tortured and denied food in a British-run labour camp in Kenya, the anti-colonial fighter says he is still waiting for justice.

The candidates for next year's Indonesian presidential election were set Wednesday, with septuagenarian former special forces general Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, the president's son, seen as the frontrunners.

China will send its youngest-ever crew of astronauts to the Tiangong space station this week, officials said Wednesday, as Beijing pursues plans for a manned mission to the Moon by the end of the decade.

Hoang Thi Minh Hong had worried for months she could become the next environmental activist swept up in Vietnam's crackdown, so she closed her NGO and began keeping a low profile.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said Wednesday that the semi-autonomous city would create its own national security law in 2024, four years after Beijing imposed sweeping legislation aimed at silencing dissent.