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Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.

England captain Ben Stokes has warned leading players such as Jofra Archer could be driven away from international cricket if England attempt to limit their Indian Premier League commitments.

A UN report on Wednesday urged artificial intelligence firms to disclose their environmental footprint, warning that the AI boom is putting growing pressure on power grids, water supplies and land resources.

Aryna Sabalenka's bid for a first French Open title was left in tatters as she fell apart in a bizarre defeat by Russian 25th seed Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Oil prices rose on Wednesday, edging closer to $100 a barrel while stocks fell as further attacks between the US and Iran dented hopes of an imminent peace deal.

Matt Henry is set to lead a full-strength New Zealand pace attack in the first Test against England at Lord's starting on Thursday after recovering from injury.

Forwards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams should be fit for Spain's World Cup opener, coach Luis de la Fuente said on Wednesday.

British leader Keir Starmer said Wednesday there was "no justification" for violence after protesters clashed with police in a demonstration against officers' handling of the murder of a white student by a Sikh man.

The EU on Wednesday unveiled its plan for slashing dependence on American and Asian technology, including favouring European firms in the most sensitive public contracts for cloud computing and AI.

England captain Ben Stokes said the "landscape of cricket" has changed as he defended Jofra Archer's absence from the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's because of the fast bowler's IPL commitments.

A Iranian drone strike on a passenger terminal in Kuwait's international airport killed one person and wounded 63 more Wednesday, Kuwaiti officials said, as conflict escalated between Tehran and US forces in the Gulf.

Oil prices jumped and stock markets diverged Wednesday as fresh Middle East attacks dented hopes of an imminent peace deal.

The EU on Wednesday eased its spending rules to help member states confront the energy shock sparked by the Middle East war, as back-to-back crises leave countries in a fiscal squeeze.

World number 114 Maja Chwalinska continued her stunning French Open run on Wednesday by beating 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya to become just the second women's qualifier to reach the last four at Roland Garros in the professional era.

Romania's foreign minister said Wednesday her country needed to bolster its air defences with the help of its allies, days after two people were wounded in a drone strike on an apartment block close to the Ukraine border that was blamed on Russia.

Bringing a horror series that went viral on YouTube to the big screen, "Backrooms" smashed box office records in its opening weekend in the US.

Politicians want to meet them, the media want to hire them -- content creators, seen as a key to reaching their young followers, are readying to be players in the 2027 presidential campaign.

French authorities said Wednesday that they had imposed two fines on Shein totalling more than 22 million euros ($25.5 million), citing problems with product traceability, environmental labelling and delivery times.

The Democratic Republic of Congo are willing to play their pre-World Cup friendly with Chile behind closed doors, their head coach Sebastien Desabre has said.

Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg early Wednesday morning as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.

CBS News fired longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday following clashes over the show's future, the latest shakeup under the network's new leadership.

From laptops designed for the artificial intelligence era to advances in robotics and sky-high tech shares, here are five hot topics at Taipei's huge Computex trade show:

Pope Leo XIV heads to Spain on Saturday for a visit with a strong focus on immigration and politics, in a traditionally Catholic country where religious observance is fast declining.

Charles Leclerc has agreed a multi-year extension with his "second family" Ferrari days out from his home Monaco Grand Prix, the Formula One team announced on Wednesday.

Hundreds of foreigners fearing for their lives have taken shelter in community halls on South Africa's south coast, saying mobs of locals were going door-to-door telling them to leave the country.

A severe tropical storm brought torrential rain to Tokyo on Wednesday, swelling rivers, grounding flights and sparking calls to evacuate for hundreds of thousands of people across wide swathes of Japan.

A drone strike on a passenger terminal in Kuwait's international airport wounded several people Wednesday and forced air traffic to be suspended, as Iranian and US forces traded attacks in the Gulf.

Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg early Wednesday morning as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.

Iran's World Cup squad will arrive early on Sunday in Mexico where they will be based for the duration of the global football tournament, a team statement said Wednesday.

Bollywood stars are campaigning to end the use of elephants in Indian films, saying that life-size robot replicas and AI-generated images do the job without cruelty.

The war in the Middle East has dented economic growth prospects worldwide, with a more severe shock likely if no effective ceasefire is agreed before 2027, the OECD warned Wednesday.

Oil prices extended gains Wednesday as Middle East peace talks stuttered, though stocks mostly rose on the back of continued demand for all things linked to artificial intelligence.