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Germany sporting director Rudi Voeller on Wednesday urged members of the World Cup squad to avoid making political statements during this summer's tournament.

A buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed "Donald Trump" for its flowing blond hair has been spared from sacrifice after shooting to fame, and will instead be cared for at the national zoo.

Sweden's government rejected Wednesday a government-appointed commission's recommendations on ways to phase out fossil fuels, which included tax hikes on petrol and diesel to meet the country's 2030 climate targets.

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has included Corinthians forward Memphis Depay in his World Cup squad announced on Wednesday, but Liverpool wing-back Jeremie Frimpong misses out.

Manchester United's decision to sack head coach Ruben Amorim and his staff with 18 months left on the Portuguese's contract cost the Premier League giants £16.7 million ($22.5 million), according to a club financial statement published on Wednesday.

Nepal is eyeing a record-breaking Everest season with more climbers expected to reach the top than ever before, officials said Wednesday, as the climbing window nears its end.

The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was "a brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis".

Oil prices tumbled Wednesday as investors tracked signs that the US and Iran were closing in on a deal that would open up the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf crude shipments and avoid a resumption of the Mideast war.

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina both eased into the French Open third round with straight-sets wins on Wednesday, ahead of Novak Djokovic's match against Valentin Royer.

Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed a decisive win for his favored candidate in a bitter Senate primary runoff in Texas, as scandal-plagued Ken Paxton's victory further cemented the US president's grip on the Republican Party.

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face a crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court from November 30, the presiding judge said on Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta is "fully convinced" Arsenal can be crowned champions of Europe for the first time this weekend after ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.

Former Australia women's boss Jo Yapp has been appointed head coach of the British and Irish Lions women's team for their inaugural tour of New Zealand next year.

Iga Swiatek navigated her way into the third round of the French Open on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-3 success over world number 35 Sara Bejlek.

Squeezed onto the back of a motorcycle, clearly exhausted and symptomatic, a young woman arrived at Rwampara hospital, where overwhelmed health workers have found themselves on the front line of a deadly Ebola outbreak.

Stock markets diverged and oil prices fell on Wednesday as investors tracked optimism over artificial intelligence and fragile US-Iran negotiations aimed at ending the Mideast war.

A giant statue of football superstar Lionel Messi erected in India to mark his visit last year is "swaying in the wind" and will be removed, a lawmaker told AFP on Wednesday.

Zulma Hinojosa waits anxiously in a doctor's office at La Paz's Children's Hospital for her 13-year-old son, who suffers from asthma and heart problems.

US rapper Kanye West, whose concerts have been banned in several European venues over controversial antisemitic remarks, will appear in Istanbul on May 30, organisers said.

Muslim faithful ritually stoned the devil on Wednesday in the climactic ceremony of a hajj pilgrimage held in intense heat and against the backdrop of a war that has plunged the wealthy Gulf into crisis.

Nuno Espirito Santo will remain as head coach of West Ham following the club's relegation from the Premier League, the London side announced on Wednesday.

A German far-left militant arrested in Berlin after decades on the run was sentenced to 13 years' jail Wednesday for a series of armed robberies committed while she was a fugitive.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday said a return to war with the United States was unlikely, while warning that the Islamic republic stood ready against any attack.

Asian equities were mixed on Wednesday with gains driven by soaring tech stocks and guarded optimism the United States and Iran will reach a peace deal.

Moises Caicedo lifted his first trophy, a golden plastic cup, among the tightly packed little houses of a working-class neighbourhood in Ecuador. This summer he is heading to his second World Cup.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the initial news regarding superstar Lionel Messi's fitness "is not that bad" and hopes further examinations will confirm that diagnosis with the World Cup just a fortnight away.

Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Mecca.

When Beijinger Jacqueline Li first heard one of her favourite luxury department stores in the city was closing, she was shocked -- until she considered how Chinese spending habits have changed in recent years.

Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama prayed as the leader of the elected goverment of Tibetans in exile was sworn in for a second term on Wednesday.

Nvidia will increase investment in Taiwan to $150 billion a year, the US chip giant's boss said Wednesday, describing the export-driven island as the "epicentre of the AI revolution".

New Zealand rugby captain Scott Barrett was on Wednesday ruled out for up to five months because of a back injury that will require surgery, meaning he will miss the historic tour of South Africa.

The market value of South Korean memory chip maker SK hynix soared past $1 trillion on Wednesday thanks to frenzied global demand for the computing hardware that powers artificial intelligence tools.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 to move within one win of a return to the NBA Finals on Tuesday.

One of the world's rarest parakeets has seen its numbers surge thanks to a pair of super breeders now responsible for more than 10 percent of the total population.

Three-time runners-up the Netherlands head into another World Cup with reasons to be hopeful of a long-awaited first global title, but not among the favourites to lift the trophy.

Sweden are hoping a strikeforce featuring Premier League stars Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres can fire them through a tricky World Cup Group F, after they scraped into the tournament without winning a single group game in qualifying.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell last year to its lowest level since 2019, according to a report published Wednesday that will be seen as good news for leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Asian equities were mixed on Wednesday with gains driven by tech stocks and guarded optimism the United States and Iran will reach a peace deal.

As temperatures continue to soar at the French Open, the competition starts to heat up for Iga Swiatek and Alexander Zverev when they face tough Czech tests in the second round on Wednesday.