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India's lower house of parliament passed a bill Wednesday that would more than double the number of women lawmakers in its ranks, following several failed attempts to enact the measure stretching back decades.

Wall Street and European stock markets rose Wednesday as traders gear up for an expected pause in the US Federal Reserve's interest rate hike campaign.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday told world leaders humanity's addiction to fossil fuels had "opened the gates to hell" as he kicked off a climate meeting where leading polluters China and the United States were conspicuously absent.

Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted the club's re-signing of Cristiano Ronaldo "turned out wrong".

One of France's most iconic paintings, "Liberty Leading the People" by Eugene Delacroix, was taken down from the walls of the Louvre on Wednesday for a restoration expected to last until next spring.

Australia will be looking to improve their breakdown "physicality" when they face Wales in a must-win World Cup clash this weekend, scrum-half Tate McDermott said on Wednesday.

Workers at Apple stores in France are set to strike and disrupt the launch of the iPhone 15 in a battle over pay, trade unions told AFP on Wednesday.

Tottenham forward Ivan Perisic is expected to miss the rest of the Premier League season after suffering a serious knee injury in training.

Vanessa Uwase had little chance of survival when her mother was murdered during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Today, she works at the country's largest memorial to the slaughter -- one of four sites added to UNESCO's heritage list on Wednesday.

Most of Spain's women's national team have agreed to stay with the squad, the government said Wednesday, following a strike by the World Cup winners sparked by the disgraced former president of the football federation forcibly kissing a player.

As a child, Angel Leon spent hours fishing in the marshes of Cadiz in southwestern Spain -- and today the chef draws inspiration from this terrain for his three-star Michelin restaurant.

Turkey on Wednesday parted ways with German head coach Stefan Kuntz after a dire spell in which the national football team failed to qualify for last year's World Cup.

Hospital chiefs on Wednesday warned of danger to patient safety from the latest doctors strike, the first time consultants and junior doctors in England have walked out at the same time.

Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is set to compete at the upcoming world championships in Antwerp, Team USA announced on Wednesday.

The United States on Wednesday announced $225 million in investments to support emerging democracies in the face of a rise in autocracies around the world.

Marseille have been plunged into crisis just six weeks into the new season as coach Marcelino Garcia Toral left the French giants on Wednesday while the club's president was reportedly considering walking away too after an angry encounter with supporters.

The son of Ali Bongo Ondimba and several allies of the ousted Gabon president have been charged with corruption and placed in custody, the state prosecutor told AFP Wednesday.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan swept to power promising change, but a humiliating military defeat to Azerbaijan and a dramatic escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh tarnished his reputation in the poor ex-Soviet country.

Wales assistant coach Jonathan Thomas warned on Wednesday that Australia would be like a "wounded animal" before this weekend's high-stakes Rugby World Cup game in Lyon.

The UK looked set to backtrack Wednesday on policies aimed at achieving net zero emissions by 2050 with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expected to water down some of the government's green commitments.

King Charles III on Wednesday began his first state visit to France as monarch, a rescheduled trip aimed at showing the fundamentals of the cross-Channel alliance remain strong despite a litany of political tensions after Brexit.

Azerbaijan on Wednesday announced it had halted its military operation in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, after separatist Armenian forces agreed to lay down their arms and hold reintegration talks.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has said for the first time that he plans to run for a fourth term in elections due to be held next year.

South Africa's under pressure fly-half Manie Libbok said he has put "a lot of work" into his kicking at goal ahead of the blockbuster Rugby World Cup pool match between the defending champions and world-ranked number one Ireland.

Most of Spain's women's national team have agreed to stay with the squad, the government said Wednesday, following a strike by the World Cup winners sparked by the disgraced former president of the football federation forcibly kissing a player.

European stocks rose Wednesday on a surprise slowdown in UK inflation and lower oil prices, as traders awaited a key US Federal Reserve interest rate call and shrugged off equity losses in Asia.

Toshiba said on Wednesday that a $14 billion tender offer to take the troubled Japanese conglomerate private is set to succeed.

Australian driver Oscar Piastri has signed a new deal to keep him at McLaren until 2026, the Formula One team announced on Wednesday.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland strongly denied Wednesday that politics steered his investigative decisions, pushing back on Republican allegations that he has "weaponized" the Justice Department against President Joe Biden's top rival Donald Trump.

Azerbaijan on Wednesday announced it had halted its military operation in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, after separatist Armenian forces agreed to lay down their arms and hold reintegration talks.

Marseille have been plunged into crisis just six weeks into the season with new coach Marcelino expected to leave the French giants and the club's president reportedly considering walking away too after an angry encounter with supporters.

"Please let them not kill us, let them not kill us."