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Ukraine staged military drills and defiant displays of flag-waving patriotism on Wednesday as NATO warned Russia is continuing to mass forces for a possible invasion.

Austria's Johannes Strolz expects to put his work as a traffic policeman on hold after earning his second medal of the Beijing Olympics with silver in the slalom on Wednesday.

Burkina Faso strongman Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was inaugurated as president on Wednesday, just over three weeks after he led a coup to topple elected head of state Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

On the ice, the 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valieva exudes composure and emotional maturity.

The 72nd Berlinale film festival awards its top prizes on Wednesday including its Golden Bear for best picture and a gender-neutral acting gong after a reduced in-person run under the pandemic.

Former France scrum-half Pierre Mignoni will return to Toulon next season as director of rugby, the Top 14 strugglers' president Bernard Lemaitre said on Wednesday.

Vietnam will re-open to international tourists on March 15 after a two-year border closure due to the pandemic, the government said Wednesday.

The EU's top court on Wednesday rejected a challenge by Poland and Hungary to a mechanism allowing Brussels to slash funding to member states that flout democratic standards.

Nigeria's state-run oil company said it had started a 24-hour distribution of petrol to service stations to end a week-long scarcity that has caused traffic snarls in major cities.

France's public accounts watchdog warned Wednesday about the state of the country's finances, which have deteriorated dramatically in the last two years due to a massive Covid-19 rescue package, tax cuts and spending commitments.

China has not adopted the rules of the World Trade Organization even after 20 years' membership, the United States said Wednesday, adding that the world's second-biggest economy had "retained and expanded" its statist approach to the detriment of businesses and workers globally.

Disgraced British royal Prince Andrew faced a call Wednesday to "live out his retirement in ignominy" after reportedly settling a sexual assault lawsuit for a whopping £12 million ($16.3 million, 14.3 million euros).

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for Hong Kong to take "all necessary measures" to control an Omicron-fuelled Covid-19 outbreak, Beijing-affiliated newspapers in the city said Wednesday, a day after leader Carrie Lam ruled out a China-style hard lockdown.

Slovakia eliminated the United States in the Beijing Olympic ice hockey quarterfinals Wednesday, stunning the Americans with a tying goal in the final minute of regulation before winning 3-2 in a shootout.

As the title of his new album suggests, Metronomy's Joe Mount found an unexpected sense of connection to the rest of the planet in the midst of the pandemic.

Sporting shoulder-length hair, rings and baggy trousers, teenage snowboarding sensation Su Yiming looked every inch the cool, confident ambassador of China's new youth as he swept to home Olympic gold.

Ukrainian leaders were to stage a "Day of Unity" on Wednesday to rally patriotic support and defy fears of a Russian invasion, as Moscow announced an end to military manoeuvres in occupied Crimea.

Landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rainfall killed at least 18 people Tuesday in a tourist town in the hills above Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian firefighters said.

Asian markets rebounded Wednesday and Europe extended gains on hopes that Russia will not invade Ukraine after Moscow said some of its troops on the countries' border had started pulling back.

UK annual inflation has hit the highest level since 1992, data showed Wednesday, adding pressure to the cost of living and on the Bank of England to keep raising rates.

Slovakia stunned the United States with a tying goal in the final minute of regulation before winning 3-2 in a shootout to eliminate the Americans in the Beijing Olympic ice hockey quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Australian state Victoria said Wednesday it was in exclusive talks to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Clement Noel claimed France's first alpine skiing gold medal of the Beijing Olympics when he won the men's slalom on Wednesday.

China will help its coal-fired power plants run at full capacity, the government has announced, raising further alarm about the fate of Beijing's climate pledges.

Asian markets rebounded and oil held most of the previous day's steep losses Wednesday on hopes that Russia will not invade Ukraine after Moscow said some of its troops on the countries' border had started pulling back.

Clement Noel claimed France's first alpine skiing gold medal of the Beijing Olympics when he won the men's slalom on Wednesday.

Clement Noel claimed France's first alpine skiing gold medal of the Beijing Olympics when he won the men's slalom on Wednesday.

Indian singer-composer and "Disco King" Bappi Lahiri, who collaborated with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Samantha Fox, has died aged 69, his family said Wednesday, prompting tributes from the world of politics and Bollywood.

High in the barren Indian Himalayas, artists are chainsawing blocks of ice from a frozen river creating what they hope will be the beginnings of India's answer to China's Harbin International Ice Festival.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led a potent Milwaukee attack, scoring a season-high 50 points Tuesday as the Bucks snapped a modest two-game losing skid with a 128-119 win over the Indiana Pacers.

By the time Kismet the horse sets off, Orhan Goller's bare fingers have already turned blue from the freezing temperatures. But the pure white surroundings and the echo of hooves are enough to delight his customers in eastern Turkey.

Anna Pirozzi was more into Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston growing up -- it never even crossed her mind that she might one day be singing in the world's most illustrious opera halls.