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Australia captain Pat Cummins described the World Cup as the "most physically taxing" format for fast bowlers as batsmen pile up record scores around India.

British businesses are seeking government help as shops suffer an unprecedented number of thefts and violence by criminal gangs, addicts and people struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.

Poor spectator turnout, a scheduling fiasco and a dubious outfield have cast a shadow over the Cricket World Cup in India, as the 50-over game itself faces an existential crisis.

ExxonMobil sealed a megadeal to acquire Pioneer Natural Resources for about $60 billion, bolstering its holdings in the Permian Basin, a key US petroleum region, the companies announced Wednesday.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell selected the same starting XV for Saturday's World Cup quarter-final with New Zealand that whipped Scotland 36-14 last weekend.

A potential intervention by Tehran-backed Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and uncertainty over the role played by Iran itself are risk factors that could push the unprecedented conflict between Israel and Hamas into a wider regional war, analysts say.

European stock markets steadied Wednesday after big gains the previous session, while European gas prices hit six months highs on supply constraints.

The EU's top internet enforcer took to X, the rebranded Twitter, on Wednesday to trumpet a rival platform, as a duel with Elon Musk over disinformation ratcheted up.

A "paradigm shift" is needed on the risks posed to human health by plastics, researchers said Wednesday, warning of huge gaps in scientific understanding of the issue.

Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney was hired as the new manager of Championship club Birmingham on Wednesday.

The outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas risks hardening anti-Israel sentiment in Saudi Arabia, which Washington has spent months trying to coax into a landmark normalisation deal.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) are investigating Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli over possible sports betting.

Afghanistan's Taliban government downgraded the death toll from a series of earthquakes to "over 1,000" on Wednesday, as fresh tremors panicked residents of villages flattened by the disaster.

Twin brothers Osher and Michael Vaknin organised rave parties across Israel, including the one close to the Gaza Strip, where a shock attack by Hamas fighters would leave one of them dead and the other missing.

President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukraine's allies on Wednesday to step up weapons supplies to help his country survive through the winter, on his first visit to the military alliance's headquarters during Russia's all-out war.

Qatar has agreed to supply France's TotalEnergies with natural gas for 27 years, its state energy company announced on Wednesday.

In the back room of "The Baron", a Dutch marijuana-selling "coffee shop", owner Rick Brand excitedly browsed through the cannabis products he will soon be able to offer.

German sandals maker Birkenstock will debut on the New York stock exchange Wednesday with a valuation of $8.6 billion that belies its former dowdy image, with the brand now a fashion favorite and the pink footwear of choice for "Barbie."

Warren Gatland has again underlined his coaching credentials by leading Wales into a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final, introducing a much-needed clarity to transform a misfiring team into contenders in a timeframe not thought possible.

Israel kept pounding Hamas targets in Gaza, where entire districts lay in rubble Wednesday, as its forces found more victims five days after the Islamist militants' onslaught on its southern towns.

The World Bank could raise its lending capacity by $150 billion in the next decade but it will need to become "bigger" to respond to global challenges, its president said Wednesday.

Abdullah Shafique has a habit of making great first impressions, the latest of which came on Tuesday when he became the first Pakistan batsman to make a century on his World Cup debut in an epic pursuit against Sri Lanka.

Harry Maguire has thanked David Beckham after the former Manchester United star contacted the troubled England defender to offer support when he was booed by Scotland fans earlier this season.

Dozens of island nations signed a declaration in Indonesia on Wednesday to boost solidarity and cooperation on fighting climate threats, including rising sea levels.

Methane emissions from fossil fuels must be slashed immediately to limit climate warming, and major reductions are possible with existing technologies at low cost, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

Rafael Nadal will return to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open in January, tournament director Craig Tiley said Wednesday, for what will almost certainly be the Spaniard's farewell to Melbourne.

China announced Wednesday it will host a gathering of foreign leaders next week to celebrate a decade of its Belt and Road infrastructure project, with Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to attend.

German sandals maker Birkenstock will debut on the New York stock exchange Wednesday with a valuation of $8.6 billion that belies its former dowdy image, with the brand now a fashion favorite and the pink footwear of choice for "Barbie."

Australian journalist Cheng Lei was deported from China on Wednesday after more than three years in detention on espionage charges widely seen as politically motivated.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday urged allies to step up weapons supplies, on his first visit to the military alliance headquarters since the start of Russia's all-out war.

Hurricane Lidia was downgraded to a tropical storm early Wednesday as it weakened after making landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast, where it left at least one dead and caused flooding and blocked roads, officials said.

Dozens of foreigners have been killed, injured or taken hostage during a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.