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US gymnastics star Simone Biles is set to make her first competitive appearance since the Tokyo Olympics after entering the US Classic, USA Gymnastics announced on Wednesday.

Drinks giant Diageo on Wednesday said it had ended its relationship with Sean "Diddy" Combs after the US rapper accused it of neglecting their business agreement and racism.

President Joe Biden is gambling his 2024 re-election on a continued strong US economy and manufacturing resurgence with a speech Wednesday launching his newly branded "Bidenomics."

Smoke from Canada's wildfires was wreaking havoc on air quality across Ontario and a dozen US states Wednesday, with monitors warning of very unhealthy or emergency conditions facing millions of people, particularly in Detroit and Chicago.

Global heating incrementally boosts the intensity of extreme rainfall at higher altitudes, putting two billion people living in or downstream from mountains at greater risk of floods and landslides, researchers said Wednesday.

African painted dogs, a species thought to have become extinct in Uganda four decades ago, have been spotted in the far northeast of the country, the wildlife authority said.

Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith put Australia in charge after recalled England fast bowler Josh Tongue struck twice on the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Wednesday.

A man set fire to several pages of the Koran outside Stockholm's main mosque Wednesday, after Swedish police granted a permit for the protest which coincided with the start of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha.

The UK government on Wednesday expressed serious concern about the financial plight of the country's biggest privatised water company, but insisted the taps would keep flowing for millions of consumers.

Stock markets diverged Wednesday as a rally fuelled by upbeat US economic data ran out of steam.

An earthquake in the Italian region of Tuscany sparked the brief evacuation of the cathedral and closure of museums Wednesday in the tourist hotspot of Siena.

Alsafi Mansur's "lifelong" wish to take part in the hajj pilgrimage came true this year, after Saudi Arabia lifted curbs that kept the elderly away from the compulsory Islamic ritual.

The EU on Wednesday took its first significant step towards launching a digital version of the euro, a controversial project that has been questioned by politicians and banks.

The UK government is considering temporary renationalisation of indebted Thames Water, Britain's biggest supplier of the commodity, media reports said Wednesday, one day after its chief executive resigned.

The streets of Sierra Leone's capital were quiet on Wednesday, a day after President Julius Maada Bio was sworn in for a second term following an election his main rival slammed as "not credible."

Australia's David Warner made England pay for dropping him in helpful conditions with a quickfire fifty before the hosts removed Usman Khawaja after protesters briefly disrupted the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Wednesday.

Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey returned to a London courtroom on Wednesday to stand trial for a dozen sexual offences which allegedly occurred more than a decade ago.

Switzerland, a global commodities trading hub, decided Wednesday to push for a moratorium on commercial exploitation of the international seabed area, which has enormous mineral resources.

Norway's government gave the green light Wednesday to 19 oil and gas projects worth more than 200 billion kroner ($18.6 billion), a decision that outraged climate activists.

Equity markets rallied and the dollar firmed Wednesday after data showed the US economy was resilient in the face of rising interest rates aimed at cooling elevated inflation.

France braced for more angry protests Wednesday after the killing of a teenager by police during a traffic stop that President Emmanuel Macron called "unforgivable".

Four Armenian separatist fighters died on Wednesday from Azerbaijani fire in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, the rebels said, as Baku and Yerevan held peace talks mediated by the United States.

Swedish police said they have granted a permit for a protest where the organiser plans to burn a Koran outside Stockholm's main mosque on Wednesday, the start of the Muslim three-day Eid al-Adha holiday.

England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow wrestled a protester to the ground as climate activists briefly interrupted play on the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Wednesday.

The EU has reached an agreement giving users greater access to their data and control over how the digital information is used by companies.

Soldiers in eastern Ukraine swiftly unpacked a large grey drone and launched it to check the cloud level and survey the area, just kilometres from Russian positions.

France braced for more angry protests Wednesday after police shot dead a teenager during a traffic stop and appeared to have lied about the circumstances of the killing.

England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl in the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Wednesday as Australia recalled Mitchell Starc to their side.

Vast crowds of robed worshippers hurled pebbles in the "stoning of the devil" ritual on Wednesday as the biggest hajj pilgrimage since the start of the pandemic draws to a close in intense Saudi Arabian heat.

Bayern Munich have agreed personal terms with England captain Harry Kane, German daily Bild reported Wednesday, but an initial 70-million-euro (£60-million, $76-million) bid was rejected by Tottenham Hotspur.

China and New Zealand on Wednesday signed a string of agreements designed to boost trade between the two countries, as their leaders met in Beijing for talks.

Equity markets rose Wednesday as investors weighed data showing the US economy remained resilient in the face of rising interest rates against the prospect of more tightening to bring inflation under control.