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British head of state King Charles III's upcoming visit to France will underscore historic close relations between the two countries, London and Paris said on Wednesday.

Irish rugby legend Paul O'Connell's hopes his memories of this World Cup will be happier than his final one as a player in 2015 when Ireland once again failed to get past the quarter-finals.

Taiwan chip giant TSMC's planned factory in the United States was making "fast progress", the company's chairman said Wednesday, despite it facing a delayed start due to worker shortages and reported union disputes.

Germany ended Latvia's dream run at the Basketball World Cup on Wednesday with a nervy 81-79 win to squeeze into the semi-finals and a clash with the United States.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv Wednesday after another night of Russian strikes on Ukraine, with Washington set to unveil more than $1 billion in fresh aid to battle Russia.

England white-ball coach Matthew Mott has suggested rising star Harry Brook could yet feature at the World Cup, saying the defending champions' final squad is "still open for debate".

The European Union on Wednesday unveiled the list of digital giants -- including Apple, Facebook owner Meta and TikTok parent ByteDance -- that will face tough new curbs on how they do business.

Russia's central bank announced Wednesday it plans to sharply step up support for the ruble, which has weakened considerably after 18 months of Western sanctions following Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine.

The number of people under 50 diagnosed with cancer has surged worldwide in the last three decades but it is not fully clear why, a study said on Wednesday.

The toll from torrential rains and flooding on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast has climbed to three as the bad weather left tourists stranded, officials said Wednesday.

French actor Mathieu Kassovitz, director of the 1995 film "La Haine", on Wednesday thanked fans for their support following his serious motorbike accident which left him with a broken femur and ankle.

Sacked Spain women's coach Jorge Vilda says he has a clear conscience and his dismissal 16 days after La Roja's World Cup triumph was unjust.

Anthony "Ant-Man" Edwards doesn't wear a cape but he has emerged as the United States' superhero at the Basketball World Cup.

China's premier said on Wednesday major powers must oppose a new Cold War, a thinly veiled reference to Washington as top Asian and US officials gathered for talks in Indonesia.

Fiji fly-half Caleb Muntz, who scored 15 points in the historic Test win over England last month, has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup due to a knee injury, said coach Simon Raiwalui.

Climate change is driving more intense and more frequent heatwaves, which in turn generate a "witch's brew" of pollutants, threatening the health of humans and other living things, the UN warned Wednesday.

2023 is likely to be the hottest year in human history, and global temperatures during the Northern Hemisphere summer were the warmest on record, the EU climate monitor said on Wednesday.

The head of British air traffic control on Wednesday blamed a "one in 15 million" event that caused the country's worst systems failure in almost 10 years, stranding thousands of passengers.

Chinese travellers throng the bazaars of old Kashgar, munching mutton kebabs and soaking up heavily commodified Uyghur culture -- part of a government push to remould troubled Xinjiang into a tourism paradise.

Most markets fell Wednesday as a jump in oil prices to 10-month highs rekindled worries of another US Federal Reserve interest rate hike.

Indonesia has nearly halved output at a major coal-fired power plant near the capital Jakarta after the city faced major pollution spikes in recent weeks, its operator told AFP Wednesday.

Novak Djokovic charged into a record 47th Grand Slam semi-final on a steamy Tuesday at the US Open with a straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz, while home favourite Coco Gauff stayed on track for her first major title.

A Nigerian appeals court on Wednesday will rule on an opposition challenge to overturn President Bola Tinubu's election victory in an eagerly awaited decision.

Unseeded Ben Shelton took down Frances Tiafoe in four sets in an all-American US Open clash Tuesday to book a semi-final date with 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

Landmark African climate talks are set to wrap up Wednesday with leaders seeking a united voice to highlight the continent's green growth potential provided the world steps up help for funding and debt.

Thousands of items belonging to the charismatic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, from manuscripts of his band's biggest hits to furniture, paintings and knick-knacks are on auction in London from Wednesday.

Leaders from the world's top economies arrive in India on Friday for a two-day G20 summit overshadowed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, worries over the global economy and climate change.

Australia on Wednesday named the injured quartet of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc in a provisional 15-man squad for next month's 50-over cricket World Cup in India.

Karolina Muchova defeated Romania's Sorana Cirstea in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the US Open on Tuesday.

Most Asian markets fell Wednesday as a jump in oil prices to 10-month highs rekindled worries of another US Federal Reserve interest rate hike.

The EU will reveal Wednesday which of the world's tech behemoths face stronger curbs from next year under a law that will shake up how major players like Apple and Meta do business online.

Manchester United's valuation on the New York Stock Exchange plummeted by more than $700 million Tuesday after a British media report that the team's owners had halted plans to sell the club.