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Eurozone stock markets slid Wednesday after strong gains the previous session, as Russia downplayed hopes of a breakthrough in peace talks with Ukraine and Germany's growth outlook darkened.

Shane Warne was remembered as "mesmerising" and a "genius" at a state memorial service in Melbourne Wednesday attended by tens of thousands of spectators and legendary players, with music superstars Elton John and Chris Martin performing by video link.

Sri Lanka on Wednesday began imposing record nationwide 10-hour daily power cuts as more hospitals announced the suspension of routine surgeries in response to severe shortages of fuel and life-saving medicines.

Marta Ortega, whose father founded Zara-owner Inditex, will become the world's most powerful woman in the ready-to-wear sector when she takes the reins of the company on Friday.

His extravagant outfits and jaw-dropping stunts are headline news in Japan, but now larger-than-life baseball manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo has upped the theatrical ante by entering the stadium on a hover-bike.

More than four million Ukrainians have now fled the country to escape Russia's "senseless war", the United Nations said Wednesday.

Talks on Yemen's devastating war started in the Saudi capital Wednesday, but without the Huthi rebels, hours after the Riyadh-led coalition announced a ceasefire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The German government's economic advisers slashed their growth forecast for 2022 on Wednesday, warning that the war in Ukraine and soaring energy prices would take a toll on Europe's biggest economy.

At home in Pudong district, on reduced pay and playing computer games to lift the gloom, 25-year-old Chinese engineer Terry is in the locked-down half of Shanghai.

Shane Warne was remembered as a "genius" at a state memorial service at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday attended by tens of thousands of spectators and legendary players, with music stars including Elton John performing by video link.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said Moscow and Beijing are leading the way towards a fairer world order, as he makes his first visit to the key ally since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last month.

Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russia of shelling Chernigiv in northern Ukraine despite promising to scale back military activity around the city and the capital Kyiv after more than a month of war.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's future looked increasingly in doubt Wednesday after a key coalition partner switched allegiance ahead of a parliamentary no-confidence vote that could be held as early as this weekend.

Iraqi lawmakers were Wednesday set to try for a third time to elect a new national president after two previous attempts failed because of boycotts by a Shiite Muslim coalition.

North Korea faked a "successful" launch of its most powerful long-range missile to shore up domestic support for Kim Jong Un's regime after the real test ended in failure, analysts say.

Spanish inflation has surged to a near 37-year high due to soaring energy prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, official data showed Wednesday, adding pressure on the government.

The Australian coastal enclave of Byron Bay, known for its celebrity residents and idyllic beaches, was inundated by floodwaters Wednesday as severe storms again battered the country's east.

Most stocks rose again Wednesday as investors gave a cautious welcome to Russia's pledge to "radically" wind down military activity around two cities including Kyiv, lifting hopes for a ceasefire in the month-long Ukraine war.

A prominent Indian activist and writer has said she was prevented from flying to Europe to speak about intimidation of journalists and rights in the world's largest democracy.

A double-century opening stand carried tournament favourites Australia to a commanding 157-run win over the West Indies on Wednesday and a place in the Women's World Cup final.

Japan's Naoya Inoue will face Nonito Donaire of the Philippines in a bantamweight title unification fight in Japan in June, adding a sequel to their classic 2019 encounter.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned of a "wave of murderous Arab terrorism" ahead of funerals Wednesday for two of five people killed in a shooting rampage in an ultra-religious Jewish town.

The first trial on US soil of an alleged major figure in the Islamic State (IS) group -- an accused member of the kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles" -- will begin in earnest Wednesday near Washington.

The Palace of Versailles is reopening the site of on an often-overlooked part of its history on Friday with a fully restored Jeu de Paume Room that hosted the founding of French democracy.

Switzerland's top luxury watch fair will resurface this week in Geneva after two years of pandemic-induced virtual shows, but Ukraine's raging conflict and Covid lockdowns in China could dampen the mood.

NBA basketball returned to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV for the first time in nearly 18 months on Wednesday, after China blacklisted it following a team official's support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.

Sri Lanka on Wednesday began imposing record nationwide 10-hour daily power cuts as it ran out of hydro-electricity on top of a severe shortage of fuel.

As Sri Lankans faint in day-long queues for fuel and swelter through stifling evening blackouts by candlelight, anger is mounting over the worst economic crisis in living memory.

North Korea faked the launch of what analysts have dubbed its "monster missile" last week, Seoul's military said Wednesday, adding that the test was, in reality, likely the same intercontinental ballistic missile Pyongyang fired in 2017.

Russia's Ukraine invasion, which has already exacerbated food woes in parts of Africa and the Middle East, is marring preparations for the holy month of Ramadan and forcing a turn to frugal iftar sunset meals.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in China on Wednesday in his first visit to the key ally since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine last month.

Asian stocks rose again Wednesday as investors gave a cautious welcome to Russia's pledge to "radically" wind down military activity around two cities including Kyiv, lifting hopes for a ceasefire in the month-long Ukraine war.