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India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat against New Zealand in the first World Cup semi-final at his Wankhede Stadium home ground in Mumbai on Wednesday with sporting royalty in the shape of Sachin Tendulkar and David Beckham looking on.

One of the world's most famous symbols of a band -- the ruby red tongue and lips of the Rolling Stones -- was inspired by the Indian goddess Kali, Mick Jagger has told Indian media.

Dubai is forging ahead with plans to replace the world's busiest airport with an even bigger one as passenger traffic recovers to outstrip pre-pandemic levels, a top official told AFP on Wednesday.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins said his players will draw on experience from previous title wins in their World Cup semi-final clash with South Africa, spurred on by Glenn Maxwell's heroics having given them "an extra leg".

The first semi-final of the 2023 World Cup between India and New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday will be played on a used pitch that has already staged two games during the showpiece tournament.

Israeli forces raided Gaza's largest hospital Wednesday, targeting what they say is a Hamas command centre in tunnels beneath thousands of patients and civilians seeking refuge from intense combat.

Siemens Energy reported a 4.59-billion-euro ($5-billion) annual loss Wednesday, dragged down by a crisis in its wind power unit, a day after a government-backed rescue package was unveiled for the German group.

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will try to stop the superpowers' rivalry spilling into conflict when they meet for the first time in a year at a high-stakes summit in San Francisco on Wednesday.

UK inflation fell more than expected in October, data showed Wednesday, easing a cost-of-living crisis and relieving pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Equities surged Wednesday and the dollar struggled after slower-than-forecast US inflation was seen as all but putting to bed any chance of another interest rate hike, even allowing traders to bet on a series of cuts in the new year.

Nikola Jokic scored 32 points as the Denver Nuggets preserved their unbeaten home record to send the Los Angeles Clippers spinning to a sixth straight defeat in the NBA's in-season tournament on Tuesday.

Pedro Sanchez will seek a new term as Spain's prime minister in parliament Wednesday, after securing the backing of Catalan separatists in exchange for a controversial amnesty.

The ancient Vietnamese city of Hue, a world heritage site popular with tourists, was underwater Wednesday after heavy rain flooded thousands of homes and blocked highways.

Indian rescuers said Wednesday they had sent medicine to 40 men trapped after the road tunnel they were building collapsed, as frantic efforts to free them entered a fourth day.

With 16 wins and a draw in 17 matches in all competitions, Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen could scarcely have had a better start to the season.

China and the United States pledged Wednesday to work more closely together to fight global warming, declaring the climate crisis the "one of the greatest challenges of our time".

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that China has "real problems," speaking at a fundraiser in San Francisco on the eve of an eagerly awaited meeting in the US city between himself and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Rory McIlroy has resigned from the PGA Tour's board after admitting he had grown disenchanted with the role during the tour's acrimonious battle with Saudi-funded LIV Golf.

Israeli forces stormed Gaza's largest hospital Wednesday, targeting what they believe is a Hamas command centre housed among thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians.

Chinese retail sales grew in October at the fastest rate in five months, data showed Wednesday, boosted by an extended holiday at the start of the month, though other indicators pointed to still-sluggish demand in the world's number-two economy.

Britain's Sikh population, whose ancestors first migrated from the Punjab more than a century ago, have long been admired as a model of integration and for maintaining a strong identity.

Golf star Rory McIlroy has resigned from the PGA Tour's board in order to concentrate on his game and spend more time with his family, multiple US media reports said Tuesday.

A "weird puking bird" with a bizarre mating dance has won New Zealand's annual avian beauty contest, triumphing after British comedian John Oliver launched an unlikely global campaign.

"Matilda" was picked as Australia's word of the year on Wednesday after the national football team's historic run to the semi-finals of their home Women's World Cup.

China and the United States will launch a working group on climate cooperation, both countries said Wednesday, as the two sides work to deepen communication and mend fractured ties with a leaders' meeting in San Francisco just hours away.

Five years after hundreds of thousands of people swarmed through French cities in a show of rage against President Emmanuel Macron's policies, France still bears the scars of the revolt.

For many, gaming is a waste of time. Hours lost staring at glowing screens. But Jordan is betting on its youth to capture a slice of a lucrative global market.

Germany's top court will decide Wednesday whether the government broke debt rules enshrined in the constitution, potentially throwing its spending plans into disarray and further fuelling tensions in the ruling coalition.

Equities surged Wednesday and the dollar struggled after slower-than-forecast US inflation was seen as all but putting to bed any chance of another interest rate hike, and even allowed traders to bet on a series of cuts in the new year.

Israeli forces entered Gaza's largest hospital Wednesday, targeting a Hamas command centre they say is located below thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians.

The UK Supreme Court will rule Wednesday on whether the government's controversial Rwanda policy for migrants is lawful, a decision with major political ramifications for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The Maldives's incoming president Mohamed Muizzu has vowed to expel Indian troops after taking office later this week, but told AFP he does not want to redraw regional balance by bringing in Chinese forces instead.