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A volcano in Russia's far east on Wednesday spewed ash several kilometres into the sky, authorities said, putting on a spectacular display in its latest eruption.

Thailand has given a contraceptive vaccine to wild elephants for the first time in an effort to control their ballooning population, a conservation official said on Wednesday.

Novak Djokovic admitted he got lucky after opponent Lorenzo Musetti retired hurt on Wednesday to send the Serbian great into a semi-final against either two-time reigning champion Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton.

US immigration agents may have breached "protocol" in Minneapolis before shooting dead a nurse during protests, a senior White House aide said on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump suggested he would "de-escalate a little bit" in the city.

An "extremely lucky" Novak Djokovic survived a massive scare to reach the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday when Lorenzo Musetti retired hurt while two sets up, keeping alive the Serbian great's bid for a 25th Grand Slam crown.

Top players on Wednesday backed Coco Gauff's call for more privacy during tournaments, with world number two Iga Swiatek saying it felt like "animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop".

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer begins a three-day visit to China on Wednesday, where he will defend London's "pragmatic" partnership with the Asian giant after years of fraught relations.

Far from the legendary skies above Hogwarts school, a young woman chased a "Golden Snitch" highlighting how the craze for Harry Potter's favourite sport, Quidditch, has taken hold in a remote Ugandan village.

Shivering in her flat after Russian strikes knocked out the heating, 91-year-old Lidia Teleschuk said she couldn't remember a winter this harsh since World War II.

A South Korean judge handed the country's former first lady Kim Keon Hee 20 months in jail for accepting lavish gifts from a cult-like church on Wednesday, but acquitted her for alleged stock manipulation and other charges.

Unemployment was soaring and the country was in economic turmoil when Monika Pudlik first left Poland to find a job in Ireland just over two decades ago.

Dutch tech giant ASML, which sells cutting-edge machines to make semiconductor chips, reported a significant gain in annual net profit Wednesday and predicted a bright future driven by demand for artificial intelligence.

A South Korean judge handed the country's former first lady Kim Keon Hee 20 months in jail for corruption on Wednesday but acquitted her for alleged stock manipulation and other charges.

Seconds after an attacker sprayed US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with unidentified liquid at a Minnesota meeting, she confronted the man and then defiantly went on to finish her comments, AFP journalists saw.

Jessica Pegula said she will have to "crack the code" of Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open semi-finals after dismantling error-strewn Amanda Anisimova on Wednesday in an all-American showdown.

Australian authorities have sparked a backlash by killing a group of dingoes linked to the death of a young Canadian woman on an island in the country's east.

Brazil has declared the acai berry a national fruit, a move to stamp its ownership on the popular "superfood" as concerns grow about foreign companies staking claims to the Amazon's biological riches.

Amanda Anisimova said she will "lose her mind" for a couple of days after suffering defeat in her Australian Open quarter-final on Wednesday to fellow American Jessica Pegula.

Sofia Goggia is on a mission for medals as she prepares for her home Winter Olympics, where the Italian speed specialist will be hunting for gold on one of her favourite pistes.

Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina will clash in the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic hopes to join them later Wednesday in his latest history bid.

Elena Rybakina credited a calmer mindset for helping her stun world number two Iga Swiatek Wednesday to race into the Australian Open semi-finals, calling it "just another day".

As the White House worked to "de-escalate" tensions in Minneapolis Tuesday, a man sprayed Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with a syringe of unknown liquid at a town hall meeting, where she called for curbing the Trump administration's anti-immigration crackdown.

Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points as the Detroit Pistons held off a late rally from the depleted Denver Nuggets to hang on for a 109-107 road victory on Tuesday.

Jessica Pegula will meet Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open semi-finals after dismantling error-strewn Amanda Anisimova on Wednesday in an all-American showdown.

World number two Iga Swiatek on Wednesday backed Coco Gauff's call for more privacy during tournaments, saying players sometimes feel "like animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop".

Ahead of a snap election in Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to scrap a tax on food, but a lack of clear funding is unnerving markets and voters.

Facing what activists say is a hardening of repression inside Chechnya amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Asil and Aishat, both young women, recently fled their violent families in search of safety.

Elena Rybakina ramped up her quest for a second major title as she dismantled Iga Swiatek to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic plays later Wednesday in his latest history bid.

The dollar ticked up Wednesday following another selloff fuelled by Donald Trump's suggestion he was happy with the currency's recent decline, while tech firms extended their rally ahead of much-anticipated earnings from the sector this week.

Presiding over the signing of a major trade deal alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen broke into a large smile.

As France moves one step closer to banning social media for children, the European Union is seriously considering whether it's time for the bloc to follow suit.

A Dutch court will decide Wednesday if the Netherlands must do more to protect the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire from climate change, in a potentially landmark environmental justice ruling.