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cMajor Wall Street indices surged to fresh records Wednesday after the Federal Reserve reaffirmed plans for interest rate cuts in the coming months, cheering investors who had feared a retreat.

US President Joe Biden unveiled almost $20 billion in grants and loans Wednesday for Intel's domestic chip-making plants -- his administration's biggest investment yet in the sector as he takes on China's chip dominance and sells his economic achievements over election rival Donald Trump.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken touched down Wednesday in the Middle East to bolster efforts for a truce in the war in Gaza, as Israeli forces pushed on with a raid on the territory's largest hospital.

Canadians Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps electrified home fans as they seized the lead in the pairs short programme at the Figure Skating World Championships on Wednesday.

Four-times winners USA, Germany and Australia were placed in the same group, while hosts France will play holders Canada after the women's draw for the 2024 Olympics was made on Wednesday.

Thierry Henry's France side are firm favourites to progress following a kind group draw for men's football at the 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday, as the hosts wait to see if Kylian Mbappe will be made available.

On the streets of a Bogota neighborhood where a businessman was killed for refusing to pay protection money, retired soldiers sporting weapons and camouflage gear keep a watchful eye on every movement.

Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto has been elected president of the world's third-biggest democracy, the elections commission said Wednesday, beating two rivals who have vowed to file legal complaints about the vote.

Wales manager Rob Page is backing a new crop of attacking talent to step into the breach left by Gareth Bale's retirement and lead their nation to Euro 2024.

The World Meteorological Organization on Wednesday said it had withdrawn Otis and Dora from the list of northeast Pacific hurricane names due to their roles in destructive extreme weather events.

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez said his return to the England squad for the first time in three-and-a-half years has closed the chapter on an injury-hit period of his career which took a "psychological toll".

A top US official said Wednesday that Washington could not predict when a vital $60-billion military aid package for Ukraine would be passed, as a fresh round of aerial bombardments killed civilians in both Russia and Ukraine.

Negotiations to form a transitional council to govern Haiti advanced on Wednesday, as the United States airlifted more citizens to safety from gang violence that has plunged the impoverished country into chaos.

Authorities in Florida on Wednesday sought the public's help in tracking down Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton, who is wanted in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem was on Wednesday cleared of accusations that he interfered with the organisation of last year's inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Spanish police searched the Spanish football federation (RFEF) headquarters and its former president Luis Rubiales' house among other locations as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and other crimes, judicial sources said Wednesday.

Gucci owner Kering had its worst ever day on the Paris stock market Wednesday after it warned that it was expecting a sharp drop in sales in the first quarter.

The US Federal Reserve voted Wednesday to hold interest rates at a 23-year high for a fifth consecutive meeting, while signaling it still expects to make three cuts this year.

Owen Farrell has left open the possibility of returning to international rugby, be it with England or the 2025 British and Irish Lions, after calling a halt to his Test career.

Jasper Philipsen won the Classic Brugge De-Panne in a sprint finish on Wednesday, following up on his Milan-San Remo success at the weekend.

Newcastle and the Netherlands were dealt a huge blow on Wednesday as it was revealed defender Sven Botman could be sidelined for the rest of the year by an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The US Congress heads out on a two-week break this weekend with no clear plan to provide desperately needed military aid requested by the White House to help pro-Western Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion.

Chelsea face creating "irreversible toxicity" among their fanbase over how the club is run, according to the Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST).

Mixed-race and openly gay, Leo Varadkar captured the spirit of a liberalising Ireland when he became prime minister at just 38 years old, but shifting sentiments and disastrous recent referendums have ended his dream.

Moscow's criticism of Olympic restrictions on Russian athletes was beyond unacceptable and had reached a "new low", the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday.

Negotiations to form a transitional council to govern Haiti advanced on Wednesday, officials said, against a backdrop of intense gang violence that has plunged the country into chaos.

Stock markets barely budged Wednesday as traders awaited the outcome of the US Federal Reserve's interest rate meeting.

After his radical ideas led to mass protests, Austrian far-right activist Martin Sellner this week grabbed headlines again, by being deported from neighbouring Switzerland and banned from Germany.

More than a third of the US Senate's Democrats called on President Joe Biden's administration Wednesday to take "bold" action toward establishing a Palestinian state, in the latest pushback against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shohei Ohtani said he felt "relaxed" after starting his Los Angeles Dodgers career with a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres in their Major League Baseball season-opening clash in Seoul on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden's administration announced Wednesday revised pollution standards for cars and trucks meant to accelerate the US auto industry's shift to electric to mitigate climate change.

Moscow and Kyiv said civilians had been killed in the latest exchange of air strikes Wednesday, and Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to restore security after a sharp increase in attacks on Russia's border regions.