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Russian Veronika Kudermetova ousted world number three Jessica Pegula 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 in a topsy-turvy clash on Wednesday to reach the Madrid Open semi-finals.

US private sector employment heated up unexpectedly in April, according to data released by payroll firm ADP on Wednesday, although pay gains slowed rapidly as well.

Erik ten Hag has warned his Manchester United team of the dangers of complacency as they attempt to wrap up a place in next season's Champions League.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said this year will be "decisive" as he reaffirmed his call for heavier weapons ahead of Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russia, during a surprise visit to Finland.

A guitar smashed on stage by Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain is going under the hammer later this month in the United States.

As Sudan has descended into bloody chaos, all Rami Badawi wants is to escape the country with his family, but there is a major hitch: his passport is locked inside the shuttered French embassy.

Belgium's Greg Van Avermaet, Olympic road race champion at the 2016 Rio Games and winner of Paris-Roubaix a year later, will retire at the end of the season.

A popular opposition politician in Zimbabwe was convicted of obstruction of justice in a high-profile trial on Wednesday, a move that bars him from contesting upcoming elections.

Groundbreaking rapper Missy Elliott, the late English chart-topper George Michael and rap-rock changemakers Rage Against the Machine are among this year's inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, organizers announced Wednesday.

Meta on Wednesday warned that hackers are using the promise of generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT to trick people into installing malicious code on devices.

A senior UN official in Khartoum on Wednesday demanded security guarantees for the delivery of aid as persistent fighting between Sudan's rival generals undermined efforts to firm up a truce.

Leeds have sacked manager Javi Gracia and appointed Sam Allardyce for the final four games of the season as they scramble to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Lionel Messi's future at PSG was plunged into doubt on Wednesday after he was suspended by Paris Saint-Germain after travelling to Saudi Arabia without the club's permission.

European stock markets advanced and the dollar dropped Wednesday with all eyes on the Federal Reserve's latest decision on US interest rates.

Film star Michael Douglas will receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival later this month, the organisers announced on Wednesday.

Three huge bags wedged under the handlebar of his red and white moped, Oleksandr rushes through the winding trails of the Donbas, east Ukraine, to deliver bread to remaining locals.

Police across Europe launched a vast, coordinated operation against Italy's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia on Wednesday, arresting more than 130 people and seizing millions of euros in dozens of searches.

Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest automaker, said Wednesday that an easing shortage of semiconductor supplies helped drive sales in the first quarter, as more vehicles could be delivered to buyers.

Visiting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi congratulated Syria's Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday for overcoming sanctions and achieving "victory" in the country's 12-year-long civil war, in which Tehran has been a major ally.

Botswana's Nijel Amos, an Olympic 800m silver medallist in 2012, has been banned for three years after testing positive for metabolites, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced Wednesday.

Myanmar's junta pardoned more than 2,000 political prisoners to mark a Buddhist holiday on Wednesday, triggering tearful reunions outside jails but also demands that the many others behind bars be released.

Leeds have sacked manager Javi Gracia and appointed Sam Allardyce for the rest of the season as they scramble to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Eight students and a security guard were killed during a school shooting in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on Wednesday, the interior ministry said, as police arrested a teenage student suspected of carrying out the attack.

A city near the front line in southern Ukraine on Wednesday announced a long curfew and sabotage acts behind Russian lines intensified as Ukraine prepares for a spring offensive against Russian troops.

Iranian forces seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early on Wednesday, the US Navy said, the second such incident in less than a week.

Leeds have sacked manager Javi Gracia and appointed Sam Allardyce for the rest of the season as they bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The wife of a Greek journalist murdered two years ago believes the profession is imperilled in her country, which remains the European Union's worst performer in a press freedom ranking published on Wednesday.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi met his Syrian counterpart in Damascus Wednesday, official media said, on the first visit by a head of state of the Islamic republic since Syria's civil war broke out 12 years ago.

Former Audi boss Rupert Stadler will plead guilty over the "dieselgate" vehicle emissions-cheating scandal, a German court said Wednesday, which would make him the first auto CEO to be convicted in the resulting lawsuits.

Bernard Lapasset, former president of rugby union's governing body and the driving force behind Paris' successful 2024 Olympic bid, has died. He was 75.

Persistent fighting between Sudan's rival generals undermined efforts to firm up a truce Wednesday, as a senior UN official arrived for talks on providing relief to millions of trapped civilians.

The United Nations warned Wednesday of a growing likelihood the weather phenomenon El Nino will develop in coming months, fuelling higher global temperatures and possibly new heat records.