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European and US equities moved sideways on Wednesday as investors awaited signals on the next US interest rate hikes.

Japanese badminton star Kento Momota blamed his fear of failure for a "weak-spirited" second-round exit from the world championships on Wednesday after losing 21-17, 21-16 to India's HS Prannoy.

Orders for big-ticket US-manufactured goods were flat in July after four straight monthly increases due to a plunge in the volatile military aircraft category, according to government data released Wednesday.

Legendary Algerian music label Disco Maghreb, which launched the careers of some of the Rai folk-inspired genre's most famous stars, has seen a revival thanks to a hit song by DJ Snake.

Leicester defender Wesley Fofana is training with the Under 23 squad because he has been distracted by interest from Chelsea, said manager Brendan Rodgers.

Jonn Beer's ashes rise in a cloud of dust from the saddle of a rodeo horse, the final journey for a young Wyoming cowboy killed by his addiction to opioids.

President Joe Biden announced nearly $3 billion in military aid to Kyiv on Wednesday -- the biggest US package so far -- to mark Ukraine's independence day, six months after Russia invaded the country.

Six months since the start of Russia's invasion, residents of Mykolaiv feel dread and resignation as the daily shelling of their city in southern Ukraine becomes the new routine.

Google is breaking EU law by sending users of its email service Gmail direct advertising messages, activists said in a complaint sent to French regulators on Wednesday.

Former women's world number one Angelique Kerber announced on Wednesday that she is pregnant and has withdrawn from next week's US Open joking "two against one just isn't a fair competition."

Inflation in South Africa accelerated to its highest level in 13 years in July, pushed mainly by surging food, transport and electricity prices, official data showed Wednesday as workers staged protests over the high cost of living.

Ollie Robinson, who last played for England in the final Ashes Test in January, has been recalled for the second Test with South Africa as the hosts bid to level the three match series.

Searing summer temperatures in the UK have not just parched the earth and dried up rivers, lakes and reservoirs but are also seeing trees shed their leaves early.

Finland's prime minister on Wednesday gave a forceful defence of her work record and her right to a private life after criticism sparked by a video of the 36-year-old partying.

Olympic champions Marcell Jacobs and Karsten Warholm have had the door closed on their hopes of a wild card entry for next month's Diamond League finals in Zurich.

Fighting erupted between government forces and Tigrayan rebels in northern Ethiopia on Wednesday, with the warring sides blaming each other for shattering a five-month-old truce.

Asian and European equities fell Wednesday as investors awaited news on the next US interest rate hikes.

Anti-trafficking campaigners in Hong Kong played a harrowing recording on Wednesday of a resident testifying that he has been kidnapped and forced to work for online scam syndicates in Myanmar.

Russian police on Wednesday detained one of the last opposition figures still in the country and not behind bars, according to state media, after he reportedly criticised Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

An Indian billionaire close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to buy a broadcaster seen as the last major critical voice on television, stoking fears about media freedom in the world's largest democracy.

The lights are out along a once-bustling boulevard in a tourist spot at the epicentre of China's hottest summer on record, as people take refuge indoors from the searing heat engulfing the country's southwest.

Belgian hospitals have begun testing a drone to save time delivering human tissue samples across city centres, between patients on the operating table and medical labs, a first in Europe.

Record monsoon rains were causing a "catastrophe of epic scale", Pakistan's climate change minister said Wednesday, announcing an international appeal for help in dealing with floods that have killed more than 800 people since June.

Japan's prime minister on Wednesday called for a push to revive the country's nuclear power industry in a bid to tackle soaring imported energy costs linked to the war in Ukraine.

Godwin risked everything for a better life in Europe, but he was detained and ransomed in Libya by European Union-backed authorities accused of "extreme abuse" against captured migrants.

Turkey's top business association has confirmed receiving a letter from the US Treasury warning of possible sanctions if it continues doing business with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Wednesday that Ukraine will resist the Russian invasion "until the end" without "any concession or compromise", as the nation marks its Independence Day as well as the six-month anniversary of the start of the war.

Japan's prime minister on Wednesday called for a push to revive the country's nuclear power industry in a bid to tackle soaring imported energy costs linked to the Ukraine war.

Asian markets were mostly lower on Wednesday as investors await news on the next US interest rate hikes.

Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha from office while it considers a legal challenge that could see him thrown out months before an expected general election.

Sri Lanka tightened import restrictions Wednesday with a ban on more than 300 additional items, as an economic crisis that has created months of shortages and toppled a president refuses to abate.

Angolans started casting ballots on Wednesday in what is expected to be the most competitive vote in its democratic history, with incumbent president Joao Lourenco squaring up against charismatic opposition leader Adalberto Costa Junior.