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Thai election chiefs on Wednesday asked the country's top court to suspend Pita Limjaroenrat, the frontrunner in the race to become prime minister, over allegations he broke campaign rules as an MP.

Philippine censors said Wednesday they have allowed the Barbie film to be shown in cinemas, after asking its Hollywood distributor to blur lines on a brightly-coloured world map drawing allegedly showing China's claims to the disputed South China Sea.

Western powers will offer Ukraine a package of long-term security commitments on Wednesday, after NATO dashed President Volodymyr Zelensky's hopes of a clear timeline for joining the alliance.

Asian and European markets mostly rose Wednesday as investors jockeyed for position ahead of a key US inflation report later in the day, and Hong Kong extended gains on hopes for fresh Chinese stimulus.

Britain's top lenders have passed stress tests to show they can withstand major economic shock, even as rising interest rates pressure the financial system, the Bank of England said Wednesday.

The leaders of Iran and Kenya pledged to strengthen ties as their governments signed a raft of trade agreements Wednesday during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's maiden visit to the East African nation.

Thailand's foreign minister said Wednesday he met with ousted Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week and she was in good health in her first known meeting with a foreign envoy since she was detained following a 2021 coup.

South Africa loose forward Kwagga Smith said Wednesday he expects an "epic" Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand this weekend in what he called "the ultimate test".

Hollywood actors on Wednesday anxiously awaited their union's decision on whether to strike, right at the peak of the film industry's key summer blockbuster season.

United States veteran Megan Rapinoe admitted Wednesday she was feeling nervous but is determined to enjoy her last World Cup and sign out with a third title.

Thailand's foreign minister met with ousted Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week, he told reporters Wednesday, her first known meeting with a foreign envoy since she was detained following a 2021 coup.

Paraguay's incoming president Santiago Pena said Wednesday the country would stand by Taiwan's side for the duration of his five-year term, reaffirming it as Taipei's lone diplomatic ally in South America.

The war in Ukraine will not end until the West stops trying to defeat Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Indonesian media on Wednesday.

Mexican authorities on Tuesday secured the release of 13 security personnel who had been taken captive the previous day by protesters allegedly infiltrated by a criminal group, a senior official said.

Philippine censors said Wednesday they have allowed the upcoming Barbie film to be shown in cinemas, after asking its Hollywood distributor to blur a map allegedly showing China's claims to the disputed South China Sea.

North Korea has fired a long-range ballistic missile, the South Korean military said Wednesday, days after Pyongyang threatened to down US spy planes that violated its airspace.

A South Korean zoo has announced the birth of two giant panda twins -- the first to be born in the country -- triggering an outpouring of excitement online.

When Haiti play England in Brisbane on their Women's World Cup debut this month it will mark the culmination of a long and arduous journey against adversity.

Injuries to key players and a dip in form have left England coach Sarina Wiegman with plenty to ponder if the European champions are to win the Women's World Cup for the first time.

NASA is set Wednesday to unveil a new image from the James Webb Space Telescope a year after it first stunned the world with breathtaking views of the distant cosmos.

The FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand kicks off on July 20.

Kazuyoshi Miura will continue playing aged 56 after the former Japan international extended his loan deal with Portuguese second-division outfit Oliveirense.

Grimsby, perched on the southern side of the River Humber, near Kingston-upon-Hull in northern England, was built on the fishing industry.

Asian markets saw choppy trade Wednesday as investors jockeyed for position ahead of a key US inflation report later in the day, though Hong Kong extended gains on hopes for fresh Chinese stimulus.

Ukraine fencing great Olha Kharlan believes she and her team-mates should be allowed to compete in individual events and carry the fight to the Russians on "all fronts", she has told AFP.

Carlos Alcaraz targets his 10th straight win on grass as he bids to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals on Wednesday while Elena Rybakina takes on Ons Jabeur in a repeat of last year's title match.

Western powers will propose long-term security commitments for Ukraine on Wednesday after NATO dashed President Volodymyr Zelensky's hopes of a clear timeline for joining the alliance.

The most ambitious attempt yet to establish professional cricket in the United States gets under way on Wednesday when wickets will be pitched for the start of the inaugural season of Major League Cricket.

Attorney Jeffrey B. Simon helped families affected by the opioid crisis obtain settlements worth more than $2.7 billion against leading pharmaceutical companies.

In white tuk-tuks kitted out with megaphones and banners, supporters of a tiny Cambodian opposition party wind down a dusty Phnom Penh street, rallying votes ahead of the country's one-sided election.

From October, France will pay a bonus to encourage people to have their clothes and shoes repaired rather than throwing them away, the government said.

After years of bad press and scandal, Mark Zuckerberg is seeing his reputation spruced up in the fickle world of tech, largely thanks to the increasingly unpredictable behavior of Elon Musk.