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Dutch defending Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen shattered the men's individual sprint world record in track cycling on Wednesday in qualifying, just minutes after Australia's Matthew Richardson lowered the mark.

Seen from the sky, with its turquoise waters stretching out into the desert expanses in the shape of a crescent, you can see why they call Lake Balkhash the "pearl of Kazakhstan".

European and Asian stocks recovered further and the Japanese yen slid against the dollar on Wednesday with markets volatility taking centre stage.

LeBron James and the United States look to continue their relentless march toward a fifth straight Olympic basketball gold on Thursday, taking on Nikola Jokic's Serbia for a place in the final.

Alanna Smith scored 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead Australia to a convincing 85-67 victory over Serbia and into the Olympic women's basketball semi-finals on Wednesday.

Alvaro Martin and Maria Perez clinched Olympic gold for Spain in the inaugural marathon race walk mixed relay in Paris on Wednesday as Jakob Ingebrigtsen licked his wounds to qualify for the 5,000m final.

Olympic mountain bike champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévothas has signed a three-year deal with Visma-Lease a bike in a switch back to road cycling for the Frenchwoman.

Hamas named the alleged mastermind of the deadliest attack in Israeli history as its new leader, further inflaming regional tensions as the Gaza war entered its 11th month on Wednesday.

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said Wednesday it would buy up to 60 Airbus A330-900 aircraft as it looks to build on a post-Covid recovery and reach pre-pandemic passenger numbers in the new year.

With much of Gaza reduced to rubble by 10 months of war, counting the dead has become a challenge for the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, as the death toll nears 40,000.

French police have arrested Australian Olympic field hockey player Sam Craig on suspicion of buying cocaine from a drug dealer in central Paris, police and prosecutors said Wednesday.

With their fingertips, Marina and Jose Pedro pored over a small-scale model of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church in an exhibition which allows the blind to discover some of the world's best-known monuments.

Animal rights activists briefly interrupted Pope Francis' weekly audience at the Vatican Wednesday, holding up signs demanding an end to bullfighting.

China carried out a combat patrol to test "strike capabilities" near a flashpoint reef in the South China Sea on Wednesday, as the United States and its allies held joint military drills in the same waters.

Veteran Argentina winger Angel Di Maria has decided against a return to his homeland and extended his deal with Portuguese club Benfica, the Lisbon outfit said on Wednesday.

It felt highly symbolic that the United States' win over Germany in their Olympic women's football semi-final on Tuesday should come a year to the day after their humbling early exit from the World Cup.

Sony raised its annual net profit forecast on Wednesday after a solid performance in the first quarter, predicting strong sales in video games and music, as well as image sensors used in iPhones.

Swiss commodities giant Glencore announced Wednesday that it had decided against spinning off its coal business for now after consulting shareholders who view the polluting fossil fuel as a cash-generating activity.

Thousands of UK riot police on Wednesday stood ready to deal with more potential outbreaks of violence, which erupted more than a week ago after three children were murdered.

Stocks rose again Wednesday as some stability returned after a volatile start to the week, while the yen weakened further after the Bank of Japan looked to ease worries about more interest rate hikes.

Police in Beijing said they had arrested a woman for posting defamatory online comments about athletes and coaches in the wake of the women's singles table tennis final at the Paris Olympics.

Sony raised its full-year net profit forecast on Wednesday after a solid performance in the first quarter, predicting strong sales in its video game, music and image sensor sectors.

China on Wednesday carried out a combat patrol to test "strike capabilities" near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a flashpoint area also claimed by the Philippines.

Australia back row forward Harry Wilson said Wednesday he "feels for the big boys in the front row" who will bear the brunt of new regulations for the Rugby Championship, which kicks off on Saturday.

With Tom Cruise widely predicted to engage in a death-defying stunt on the roof of the Stade de France, Sunday's Paris Olympics closing ceremony promises a memorable passing of the five rings flag to Los Angeles.

Bangladesh's Nobel-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus will lead an interim government after mass protests forced longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee, the presidency announced Wednesday.

Matthew Hudson-Smith will attempt to become Britain's first Olympic men's 400m champion in 100 years on Wednesday, while women's golf star Nelly Korda begins the defence of her title.

Britain go for their second athletics gold of the Paris Olympics in the shape of Matthew Hudson-Smith in the men's 400m on Wednesday.

Houston's Framber Valdez needed just one more out to pitch his second Major League Baseball no-hitter on Tuesday before Corey Seager smashed a home run for Texas, though the game still ended in the Astros' 4-2 triumph.

Asian stocks rose again Wednesday as some stability returned after a volatile start to the week, though Tokyo saw more big swings and the yen weakened further as analysts warned more upheaval could be in store.

Sheltering under a palm tree in Saudi Arabia's capital, a Pakistani delivery driver stole a quick break during the lunch rush when orders -- and scorching temperatures -- are at their peak.

Quantum computing promises society-changing breakthroughs in drug development and tackling climate change, and on an unassuming English high street, the race to unleash the latest tech revolution is gathering pace.