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US President Joe Biden hosts Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a lavish state visit Wednesday where their focus on China risks being overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Kenya's central bank chief has said that the country's currency, currently trading at record lows, has been overvalued for several years.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first against the Netherlands in a World Cup clash on Wednesday with opener Travis Head failing to make the starting line-up.

Some of the miners who stayed underground for more than two days in a standoff between rival South African labour unions began returning to the surface Wednesday, their representatives said.

Japan's top court said on Wednesday that requiring transgender people to be sterilised in order to change their legal gender was unconstitutional.

Most markets rose Wednesday after China unveiled plans for $137 billion in extra debt to boost infrastructure spending, while oil extended losses on hopes that Israel will scale back its plans for a Gaza ground invasion.

Five Myanmar nationals asked the Philippines on Wednesday to investigate alleged war crimes committed by 10 serving or former members of Myanmar's military against the mainly Christian Chin minority.

Japan's Naoya Inoue announced Wednesday that he will attempt to become an undisputed world champion in a second weight division by fighting Marlon Tapales in December when all four super-bantamweight belts will be at stake.

Spanish lender Banco Santander announced Wednesday another record quarterly profit thanks to high interest rates and a growing customer base.

The raging war between Israel and Hamas is already battering the economies of nearby countries, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund told a Saudi investor forum on Wednesday.

On Singapore's tiny Kusu islet, legend has it that a giant turtle turned itself into an island to save two sailors. A century after a Chinese temple was opened on its shores, pilgrims are still flowing in, seeking good fortunes.

A major Category 5 hurricane made landfall near Mexico's Pacific beach resort of Acapulco early Wednesday, threatening to wreak "catastrophic" damage, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

More than six decades after Gitu Wa Kahengeri was jailed, tortured and denied food in a British-run labour camp in Kenya, the anti-colonial fighter says he is still waiting for justice.

The candidates for next year's Indonesian presidential election were set Wednesday, with septuagenarian former special forces general Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, the president's son, seen as the frontrunners.

China will send its youngest-ever crew of astronauts to the Tiangong space station this week, officials said Wednesday, as Beijing pursues plans for a manned mission to the Moon by the end of the decade.

Hoang Thi Minh Hong had worried for months she could become the next environmental activist swept up in Vietnam's crackdown, so she closed her NGO and began keeping a low profile.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said Wednesday that the semi-autonomous city would create its own national security law in 2024, four years after Beijing imposed sweeping legislation aimed at silencing dissent.

The Arizona Diamondbacks upset the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 to reach the World Series for the first time in 22 years on Tuesday.

Tokyo's rebranded auto show returns this weekend just as China looks set to overtake Japan as the world's biggest car exporter after Toyota, Nissan and others got stuck in the electric vehicle slow lane.

Jorge Martin has pledged no more "gambles", beginning with the Thailand MotoGP this weekend, after two ruinous races saw the Spaniard fall behind Francesco Bagnaia in the championship fight.

Most markets rose Wednesday after China unveiled plans for $137 billion in extra debt to boost infrastructure spending, while oil extended losses on hopes Israel will scale back its plans for a Gaza ground invasion.

A worried Iraqi father points at a blister on the face of his one-year-old daughter, the result of a parasitic infection carried by sandflies in her remote village.

A UN agency warned it could be forced to stop aid operations in war-riven Gaza on Wednesday due to dwindling fuel supplies, as calls mounted for a humanitarian "pause" in fighting.

Republicans on Tuesday made their fourth pick in just two weeks to replace the ousted speaker of the US House of Representatives, underlining the chaos engulfing the fragmented party after three previous nominees failed to win the gavel.

Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years to score two stunning goals and propel his Al Nassr side to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Al Duhail of Qatar in the AFC Champions League.

American actor Richard Roundtree, heralded as "the first Black action hero" for his starring role in the iconic 1971 hit "Shaft," died Tuesday at 81, US media reported.

Australia's oldest city, Sydney, is reviewing statues of its colonial figureheads after an Indigenous leader raised concerns about "offensive" plaques ignoring historical atrocities.

Liverpool's home meeting with Toulouse on Thursday might not be their biggest European game of recent seasons, but the match offers a chance for a figure who was once highly influential on Merseyside to return to Anfield.

South Africa's Ox Nche smiled as he reeled off the desserts he had tasted during the Rugby World Cup in France following Saturday's semi-final win over England.

Ian Foster grew up with faith "an important part of our family" and the New Zealand head coach has had to draw on deep reserves of that with his job at one point in doubt.

In Argentina, where women have made some recent gains but are still fighting for full equal rights, anti-establishment presidential candidate Javier Milei has divided the electorate with an unashamedly machismo stance.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States has sought to isolate Moscow and pressure China to keep its distance. With war in the Middle East, Russia and China are seeking to turn the tables.