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England won the toss and elected to bowl in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford on Wednesday as the tourists picked paceman Jasprit Bumrah for a match they must win.

Italy's UniCredit posted a sharp rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday despite lower revenues, a day after it withdrew its offer for smaller rival Banco BPM due to government interference.

Norwegian energy company Equinor said on Wednesday that its giant offshore wind project in New York -- once halted by the US administration -- had lost nearly $1bn in value following regulatory changes and tariffs.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied discussing his resignation with party elders on Wednesday, as media speculation about his futureintensified after a weekend election debacle.

In the Japanese city of Seki, famed for its razor-sharp artisan knives, news that incoming US tariffs will be lowered is welcome but not entirely unexpected.

World No.1 Jannik Sinner is teaming up once again with Umberto Ferrara, the fitness coach he sacked in the summer of 2024 after it was revealed that the Italian had tested positive for doping, his management team announced on Wednesday.

Brighton and Ireland forward Evan Ferguson has joined Serie A side Roma on a season-long loan, the clubs announced on Wednesday.

More than 80 percent of Pacific nation Tuvalu's population is seeking a landmark climate visa to live in Australia as rising seas lap at its shores, official figures showed Wednesday.

South Korea registered record birth rate growth during the first five months of the year, a statistics agency official told AFP on Wednesday.

Passion fruit, guava, dragon fruit or kiwano -- climate change is sparking Albanian farmers to start growing exotic fruits to sell to Europe.

Donald Trump announced Tuesday a "massive" trade deal with Japan, marking a key breakthrough for major US trade partners as they scramble to strike agreements before the end of the month.

Having done a trade deal with US President Donald Trump, Japan's prime minister will soon announce his resignation, reports said Wednesday, after his latest election debacle left his coalition without a majority now in both houses of parliament.

Andre Russell struck a sparkling 36 off 15 balls in his final innings before retirement on Tuesday but could not save the West Indies from losing the second Twenty20 international against Australia in Kingston.

Three world records in five days put Summer McIntosh in rare company and now the 18-year-old Canadian swimming sensation is primed to take the world championships by storm.

French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss NATO security, the US-EU trade row and other key issues.

A leading deep-sea mining company in the paradisal Cook Islands is aiming to start commercial production by 2030, spurred on by Donald Trump's recent backing for the much-maligned industry.

The United States is looking to send asylum seekers to the sparsely populated volcanic isles of Palau, the small South Pacific nation said Wednesday.

In the laboratories of German fragrance and flavours giant Symrise, a citrus scent clings to the lab coats of trainees -- "noses" who are learning the art of making things smell good.

Wallabies winger Harry Potter rubbished suggestions Wednesday that Australia have a "losing mentality", but admitted they must be better in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions.

A 1,000-tonne ship is exploring the far-flung South Pacific for riches buried beneath the waves, spearheading efforts to dredge the tropical waters for industrial deep-sea mining.

The island nation of Vanuatu has been the driving force behind efforts to get the International Court of Justice to deliver its first-ever legal opinion on climate change.

British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell was mulling his options Wednesday ahead of "the biggest game of our lives", with some selection conundrums for the second Test against Australia.

Tokyo stocks rallied with the yen Wednesday after Japan and the United States finally hammered out a trade deal to slash Donald Trump's tariffs, including those on the crucial car sector.

Venus Williams made a triumphant return to singles tennis on Tuesday after a 16-month hiatus, defeating fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round of the WTA and ATP DC Open.

More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza ahead of the US top envoy's visit to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and an aid corridor.

The International Court of Justice is preparing to hand down its first-ever opinion on climate change, seen by many as a historic moment in international law.

The world's top court will Wednesday deliver a seminal ruling laying out what legal obligations countries have to prevent climate change and whether polluters should pay up for the consequences.

Is "drill, baby, drill" compatible with "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"?

Acrobatics, fortune tellers, opulent gowns and palace intrigue: the New York debut of the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra was a performance befitting the era it recalls.

World champions Australia on Wednesday appointed Kevin Walters head coach for the first rugby league Ashes series against England since 2003.

American transgender women will no longer be able to compete in women's events at the Olympics and Paralympics after a recent policy change by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States had agreed to a "massive" trade deal with Japan that would include a 15 percent tariff on its exports.