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The world threw away a record amount of smartphones, televisions and other electrical devices in 2022, the UN said Wednesday, warning this avalanche of dumped gadgets was polluting the planet.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken touched down Wednesday in the Middle East to bolster international efforts to secure a truce in the Israel-Hamas war, as the threat of famine looms in besieged Gaza.

US President Joe Biden won the endorsement of the United Steelworkers (USW) union Wednesday, less than a week after saying he opposed the proposed sale of US Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel.

All major oil and gas companies plan fossil fuel expansion incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a new report said Wednesday.

The Paris Opera faced questions Wednesday over its new programme, which includes only one woman among its directors and choreographers, and the inclusion of a conductor with ties to the Russian state.

A Russian court on Wednesday ordered a bar administrator and its art director to be placed in custody, accusing them of organising an "extremist organisation" under new legislation criminalising the LGBTQ community.

Myanmar's junta is already facing an "existential threat" but the world could help end its "nightmare" rule with coordinated sanctions, the UN special rapporteur on the country said Wednesday.

For Michel Talagrand, who won the Abel mathematics prize on Wednesday, maths provided a fun life free from all constraints -- and an escape from the eye problems he suffered as a child.

Stock markets were mostly in wait-and-see mode Wednesday as traders awaited the outcome of the US Federal Reserve's interest-rate meeting.

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

Leo Varadkar on Wednesday announced that he was stepping down as Ireland's prime minister and leader of the Fine Gael party in the governing coalition, citing "personal and political" reasons.

Shohei Ohtani got his Los Angeles Dodgers career off to a winning start Wednesday in a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres in their Major League Baseball season-opening clash in Seoul.

Polish farmers on Wednesday staged tractor blockades on roads nationwide in their latest protest against farm imports from outside the European Union, in particular Ukraine, and the bloc's environmental regulations.

Organisers of the Paris Olympics are to distribute 220,000 condoms to athletes who want to get romantic during this year's Games in the City of Love.

Argentina's middle class is vanishing: with austerity cuts introduced by self-proclaimed "anarcho-capitalist" President Javier Milei, ever more people cannot afford schooling or medicine, even those holding down two jobs.

Former Brazil international Dani Alves is to be released from jail pending an appeal against his rape conviction in a one-million-euro bail agreement denounced by the victim's lawyer as "justice for the rich".

Russia launched a furious tirade at the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday, arguing the IOC's restrictions on Russian athletes and its criticism of the Moscow-organised Friendship Games amounted to "neo-Nazism".

The UK government's controversial use of former military bases and a barge to house asylum seekers is set to cost more than continuing to use hotels, a public-spending watchdog said Wednesday.

Switzerland is set to vote on reinforcing its neutrality, campaigners said Wednesday, Russia's war in Ukraine having reopened questions over the country's long-standing position on non-engagement in foreign conflicts.

European equity markets mostly fell Wednesday despite a bright Asian performance and fresh Wall Street records as anxious traders awaited the outcome of the Federal Reserve's interest-rate meeting.

French regulators said Wednesday they were fining Google 250 million euros ($272 million) for breaching commitments on paying media companies for reproducing their content online and for using their material for its AI chatbot without telling them.

EU member states and lawmakers on Wednesday reached a deal to cap duty-free imports of a range of Ukrainian farm goods, which were allowed in the wake of Russia's invasion but have drawn fierce protests from farmers in the bloc.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz is set to be back in the cockpit at the Australian Grand Prix this week after recovering from surgery for appendicitis, the team said Wednesday.

Former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves is to be released from jail pending an appeal against his rape conviction in exchange for posting bail of one million euros ($1.08 million), a Barcelona court said Wednesday.

Dutch airline KLM misled consumers with "vague and general" adverts about its efforts to reduce the environmental impact of flying, an Amsterdam court ruled Wednesday in a greenwashing case brought by a pressure group.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken was set to return to the Middle East Wednesday in a new bid to secure a truce in the Israel-Hamas war as the threat of famine looms in besieged Gaza.

Polish farmers on Wednesday staged tractor blockades on roads nationwide in their latest protest against farm imports from outside the European Union and the bloc's environmental red tape.

When Herve found out he had glioblastoma -- the most aggressive form of brain cancer -- at the age of 40, he made a deal with himself.

Police have been asked to look at claims that at least one worker attempted to access the confidential medical records of Catherine, Princess of Wales during her hospitalisation for abdominal surgery, a minister said on Wednesday.

Russian rescuers were scrambling to save 13 workers trapped inside a giant gold mine near the Chinese border for a second day on Wednesday, as officials warned of a "difficult situation".

China blasted critics of Hong Kong's new national security law on Wednesday, after Western powers and the United Nations said it would further curtail freedoms in the finance hub.

French regulators said Wednesday they were fining Google 250 million euros ($272 million) for breaching commitments on paying media companies for reproducing their content online and using their material for its AI chatbot without telling them.