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Stock markets diverged Wednesday as they digested a mixed bag of economic data and corporate reports, while bitcoin traded close to its record high with eyes on the upcoming US presidential election.

White House rivals Donald Trump and Kamala Harris launched a frantic last week of election campaigning Wednesday, with the Democrat having to distance herself from comments by President Joe Biden that appeared to label Trump supporters "garbage."

UN chief Antonio Guterres called Wednesday for "peace among ourselves" in order to save the planet, as devastating wars rage in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan.

A French court on Wednesday found a 78-year-old man not guilty of murdering his incurably ill wife after he said that he had assisted her to die at her request.

Hezbollah's new leader says the beleaguered Lebanese militia could agree to a ceasefire under certain terms, as Israeli forces warn civilians to flee more cities as they expand their bombardment of the group's bastions.

Manchester United are reportedly closing in on their top managerial target Ruben Amorim even though the Sporting Lisbon coach said "nothing is decided yet" when it came to him replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag.

Two men went on trial in Brazil on Wednesday over the 2018 assassination of charismatic black LGBT activist Marielle Franco, a Rio de Janeiro councilor who was gunned down in an attack that shocked the country.

Progress has been slow but it is relentless. Russia's army has been advancing at several points along the Ukrainian war front for weeks now, gobbling up territory one village at a time.

Donald Trump has seized on isolated irregularities caught by US election officials to claim "cheating" has occurred, amplifying expectations that he will again reject results if he loses next week's vote.

Spanish rescuers on Wednesday scrambled to save people trapped by surging tides of muddy water in floods that have killed at least 72 people in the country's east.

Britain's new Labour government on Wednesday announced major tax hikes and higher borrowing to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer's aim of investing for long-term growth.

Daniil Medvedev is still searching for his first ATP tournament victory this year after the world number five lost to Australia's Alexei Popyrin for the first time in his career at the Paris Masters on Wednesday.

Germany dodged a technical recession after posting surprise growth in the third quarter, official data showed Wednesday, but the rare good news for Europe's largest economy was tempered by a sharp uptick in inflation.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris sought to distance herself Wednesday from comments by US President Joe Biden appearing to refer to Republican Donald Trump's supporters as "garbage."

Spanish rescuers on Wednesday scrambled to save people trapped by surging tides of muddy water in floods that have killed at least 64 people in the country's east.

Saudi Arabia's new national airline, Riyadh Air, announced on Wednesday it has ordered 60 narrow-body aircraft from Airbus, as it prepares for takeoff next year.

The US economy saw resilient growth in the third quarter despite a modest slowdown according to government data Wednesday, less than a week before inflation-weary voters head into the presidential election.

The eurozone economy grew faster than expected between July and September buoyed by Germany's surprise expansion, official data showed Wednesday, but experts warned of slow growth in the months ahead.

Swiss banking giant UBS said Wednesday it earned a net profit of $1.4 billion in the third quarter, beating analyst expectations.

Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD reported surging sales on Wednesday, surpassing global rival Tesla in quarterly revenue for the first time as its push into overseas markets advances.

The US economy undershot expectations in the third quarter even as growth remained resilient, according to government data Wednesday, weighing on inflation-weary voters less than a week to the presidential election.

Jurgen Klopp said on Wednesday he hoped to be a "mouthpiece for the players" in his new role with Red Bull, for instance by targeting player welfare issues.

Ailing auto giant Volkswagen warned Wednesday that "painful" cost cuts were unavoidable as third-quarter profit plummeted, fuelling tensions with unions which fear mass job losses and factory closures on home turf Germany.

Diamond-rich Botswana went to the polls Wednesday with voters concerned about high unemployment and an economic slump as the ruling party vies to extend its nearly six decades in power and hand President Mokgweetsi Masisi a second term.

Spanish rescuers on Wednesday scrambled to save people trapped by surging tides of muddy water in floods that have killed at least 62 people in the eastern Valencia region.

A record 8.2 million new tuberculosis cases were diagnosed worldwide last year, the World Health Organization said -- the highest number since it began global TB monitoring in 1995.

Bangladesh lost four wickets in their first seven overs in a hapless reply to South Africa's mammoth first innings of 575-6 at stumps Wednesday on day two of the second and final Test in Chattogram.

Massive fields of magma underneath ancient volcanoes spewed out carbon dioxide long after eruptions on the surface had ended, potentially explaining why past global warming episodes lasted longer than expected, a study said Wednesday.

Major stock markets mostly dropped Wednesday and bitcoin traded close to its record high with all eyes on the upcoming US presidential election.

The eurozone economy grew more than expected in the third quarter, official data showed Wednesday, thanks to Germany which defied expectations and dodged a recession.

Israeli forces carried out new deadly bombings targeting Hamas in Gaza on Wednesday, as international mediators prepared to propose a short-term truce to free hostages and avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

Chinese electronics manufacturer Hisense deepened its relationship with FIFA on Wednesday as it became the first official sponsor of the controversial 2025 Club World Cup.