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Facebook owner Meta to lay off 11,000 staff
Facebook owner Meta will lay off more than 11,000 of its staff in "the most difficult changes we've made in Meta's history", boss Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday.
King Charles narrowly avoids being hit by eggs in York
King Charles III and his wife Queen Consort Camilla narrowly avoided being hit with eggs thrown at them during a visit to northern England on Wednesday, British media footage showed.
Tata Motors extends losses on chip woes, weak exports
India's Tata Motors announced a seventh consecutive quarter of losses Wednesday as chip shortages and weak demand in export markets hurt sales.
Benzema misses Real Madrid training hours before France World Cup squad announcement
France forward Karim Benzema was absent from Real Madrid's training session on Wednesday, hours before Didier Deschamps announces his World Cup squad, an AFP journalist witnessed.
Stocks drop with eyes on China, US midterms
Stock markets fell Wednesday following weak Chinese data and as traders assessed results of US midterm elections.
IMF agrees $4.5 billion support package for Bangladesh
The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday it reached a preliminary agreement to provide Bangladesh with a $4.5 billion support package to help it cope with soaring energy and food prices.
Pakistan power past New Zealand into T20 World Cup final
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam slammed half centuries as Pakistan powered past New Zealand by seven wickets and into the Twenty20 World Cup final Wednesday, moving within one win of a second title.
FTX collapse gives crypto sector 'another black eye'
Even for a sector regularly rocked by bankruptcies, the collapse of FTX –- a cryptocurrency platform worth $32 billion at the beginning of the year -- came as a shock.
Police raid French rugby World Cup HQ as legal probe opened
Organisers of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France said police raided their offices Wednesday as part of a legal probe into the management of the competition under former chief executive Claude Atcher.
Iran cities strike in solidarity with 'Bloody Friday' dead
Cities in western Iran went on strike Wednesday in solidarity with mourners marking 40 days since security forces killed dozens in a crackdown on protests in the country's strife-torn southeast, a rights group said.
Democrats hold back 'red wave' in cliff-hanger US midterms
Republican hopes of a "red wave" carrying them to power in the US Congress faded Wednesday as Joe Biden's Democrats put up a stronger-than-expected defense in a midterm contest headed for a cliff-hanger finish.
Midterms offer Biden hope in defeat
Joe Biden's Democrats seem to have escaped a feared drubbing in Tuesday's midterm elections, but it remains to be seen whether that will revive the US president's flagging fortunes until 2024 -- or beyond.
US livid as basketball star Griner moved to Russian penal colony
Russia is moving US basketball star Brittney Griner to a penal colony after she lost an appeal against a drug conviction, her lawyers said Wednesday, drawing a sharp rebuke from the White House.
Fleetwood and Molinari the captains for Europe's Ryder Cup warm-up
Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari were named Tuesday as playing captains for a new team matchplay competition aimed at boosting Europe's bid to regain the Ryder Cup.
US-China rivalry clouds Beijing's climate promises at UN summit
Fractured relations between the United States and China have cast further doubt on whether Beijing will sign up to more climate promises, with pressure mounting on the world's biggest emitter.
Tumbling gas prices fail to subdue energy bills
European wholesale gas prices have fallen from record peaks reached after producer Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but energy bills remain sky high despite government help aimed at easing consumers' pain.
Egypt dissident Abdel Fattah's family demands proof of life
The family of Egypt's jailed dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah, who is refusing food and water, demanded information on his health Wednesday amid what they said were "rumours of force-feeding".
Pakistan hold New Zealand to 152-4 in T20 World Cup semi-final
Daryl Mitchell hit an unbeaten 53 against some sharp Pakistan fielding and disciplined bowling as New Zealand were held to 152-4 in the first Twenty20 World Cup semi-final in Sydney on Wednesday.
Fear and propaganda: Russian tactics in captured lands
The first Ukrainian woman emerged from the evacuation bus shaking with sobs so violent she could barely speak.
China unveils new orders for homegrown passenger jet
China announced Wednesday hundreds of new orders for its first domestically manufactured large passenger jet, with the aircraft poised to make its commercial debut early next year.
Hong Kong charges four for reposting election boycott calls
Four people in Hong Kong were charged on Wednesday for reposting social media content by democracy activists calling for a boycott of the city's "patriots only" election last December.
North Korea fires ballistic missile, Seoul's military says
North Korea fired a ballistic missile Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest launch from Pyongyang following a record-breaking testing blitz earlier this month.
Dark clouds over China's economy as zero-Covid, global slowdown bite
A slew of lacklustre indicators for October show strict and enduring Covid curbs as well as a global slowdown are dragging on China's economy, analysts told AFP, with prospects looking increasingly grim for 2023.
Nissan hikes forecasts on weak yen despite falling unit sales
Nissan on Wednesday upgraded its full-year profit forecasts, as the depreciating yen helps inflate its overseas profits, despite ongoing challenges including Covid shutdowns and the global chip shortage.
Rare Canaanite inscription found on ivory comb in Israel
A rare inscription that sheds new light on the use of Canaanite language some 3,700 years ago has been discovered on an ivory comb in southern Israel, archaeologists said Wednesday.
Asian markets tepid with eyes on China, US midterms
Asian stocks made a positive start on Wednesday following gains on Wall Street, but lost momentum as factory gate prices in China fell for the first time in nearly two years.
Striking Kenya Airways pilots return to work
Kenya Airways pilots returned to work on Wednesday, after a court ordered them to end their days-long strike which had led to hundreds of flight cancellations and stranded thousands of passengers.
WHO chief Tedros walking tightrope on Tigray
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization's leader, is in the rare position of heading a UN agency's response to a humanitarian crisis in which his own family's survival is at stake.
Australian sentenced to 129 years in Philippine child sex abuse case
An Australian man has been sentenced to 129 years in a Philippine jail as part of a child sexual abuse case involving victims as young as 18 months, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Little respite for Ukrainian artillery fighters near Bakhmut
From the woods at the edge of Bakhmut, a besieged Ukrainian city in the Donbas region, a soldier shouts: "Postril!"
US livid as basketball star Griner said moved to Russia penal colony
Russia is moving detained US basketball star Brittney Griner to a penal colony, her lawyers said Wednesday, drawing a sharp rebuke from the White House.
Moldova facing dark winter as energy crisis bites
A silence hangs over Ion Ignat's normally noisy factory in Chetrosu, Moldova, with his 50 workers fretting about their future.