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Tournament hosts England head into the Women's Rugby World Cup as strong favourites, but are under huge pressure to end more than a decade of disappointment in the sport's showpiece event.

Marseille president Pablo Longoria said Wednesday that the French giants had decided to place star player Adrien Rabiot and English winger Jonathan Rowe on the transfer list as the result of an "extremely violent" dressing room bust-up.

Newcastle great Alan Shearer has accused wantaway striker Alexander Isak of pouring "flames on the fire" of his row with the Magpies by accusing the northeast club of breaking promises.

France's Champagne region kicked off its official grape harvest Wednesday, with producers predicting a "promising" yield after an early start brought on by hot weather.

England coach John Mitchell has named an unchanged team from their final warm-up game for their Women's Rugby World Cup opener against the United States in Sunderland on Friday.

Stock markets fluctuated on Wednesday, with many investors sticking to the sidelines while awaiting clues on US interest rate moves.

Russia said on Wednesday it had to be part of any discussion on security guarantees for Ukraine and downplayed the likelihood of an imminent summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky, tempering hopes for a quick peace deal.

A landmark Swedish church in the Arctic arrived Wednesday at its new home after a two-day move across the town of Kiruna to allow Europe's biggest underground mine to expand.

High winds on Wednesday hampered efforts to contain wildfires in Spain that have already scorched a record stretch of land despite lower temperatures, authorities said.

Faced with climate change diminishing farmers' yields, Nestle announced Wednesday that it was working on a technique to produce chocolate by using up to 30 percent more of the cocoa fruit.

Britain's government was considering Wednesday whether to appeal a court ruling blocking the housing of asylum seekers in a flashpoint hotel, as it scrambled to come up with contingency plans for the migrants.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that discussing any Western security guarantees for Ukraine without Russian involvement was a "road to nowhere".

More than 20 people were killed on Wednesday in a torrential spell of monsoon rain in Pakistan, where downpours have swept away entire villages over the last week, leaving more than 400 dead.

Europe has registered a record number of outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses such as chikungunya and West Nile virus this year, the EU health agency said Wednesday, saying climate change was contributing to a "new normal".

Stock markets were mixed Wednesday after a US tech sell-off while investors awaited signals from US policymakers on the outlook for interest rates.

Rows of neatly dressed soldiers marched in unison to shouted instructions at a training ground in humid Beijing on Wednesday, as China prepares to unveil new domestically produced military hardware at a parade next month.

A lawyer representing Jimmy Lai said Wednesday it was "not wrong to support freedom of expression" as the defence began closing arguments in the jailed Hong Kong media mogul's national security trial.

World champions South Africa will play Japan at Wembley on November 1 the first time they have met in England since the Japanese recorded one of the greatest upsets in Rugby World Cup history in 2015.

Dozens of supporters of Irish rap band Kneecap protested outside a London court Wednesday, as one of the band members appeared charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah.

Israel's defence minister approved a plan on Wednesday for the conquest of Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists, piling pressure on Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire.

Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher has described performing again with his brother Liam as "great", confounding sceptics who feared a fresh sibling bust-up could scupper their reunion tour.

China's assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and tensions in the Taiwan Strait threaten international security and European interests, Germany's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Markets were mixed Wednesday in the face of worrying signs for Japanese exports, as investors await signals from US policymakers of an interest rate cut in the world's largest economy.

The death toll from a collision between a bus carrying Afghan migrants returning from Iran and two other vehicles in western Afghanistan has risen to 78, provincial officials said on Wednesday.

A historic red wooden church considered one of Sweden's most beautiful buildings resumed its slow move across the Arctic town of Kiruna on Wednesday, inching toward its new home to allow Europe's biggest underground mine to expand.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday in the face of worrying signs for Japanese exports, as investors await signals from US policymakers of an interest rate cut in the world's largest economy.

Israel's defence minister has approved a plan for the conquest of Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists to carry it out, his ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

More than 20 people have died on Wednesday in a torrential spell of monsoon rain in Pakistan, where downpours have swept away entire villages over the last week, killing more than 400.

Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio on Tuesday claimed the record for most competitive appearances in men's football when the Brazilian played for a 1,391st time.

Vienna was chosen on Wednesday to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, the world's biggest live televised music event, Austria's public broadcaster announced, with the final set for May 16.

Japan hosted African leaders on Wednesday for a three-day development conference, offering itself as an alternative to China as the continent reels from a debt crisis exacerbated by Western aid cuts, conflict and climate change.

When he was a teenager, Bekmurad Khodjayev used to hide from his parents to smoke. Fifty years later, the Turkmen pensioner is still hiding, but this time from the police.