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French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday stood by his controversial comments on Taiwan , saying that being a US ally did not mean being a "vassal".

Daniil Medvedev cruised through his first match of the year on clay Wednesday, defeating Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-2 at the Monte Carlo Masters to set up a meeting with Alexander Zverev.

Relativity Space, an aerospace startup that carried out the first test flight of a 3D-printed rocket, announced Wednesday that it will focus on a bigger rocket to compete for commercial launches with SpaceX and other companies.

With no debate and at lightning speed, Russian parliament this week backed a bill that will allow authorities to call up men with a simple click as Moscow's Ukraine offensive grinds on.

The lawyer for an 11-year-old Moroccan girl, whose rapists received light sentences that outraged the country, on Wednesday urged authorities to review laws protecting minors.

Environmental campaigners have been blocked from bringing a legal challenge to a UK government approval for a new coal mine in northwest England, they said on Wednesday.

Britain and the US targeted fresh sanctions Wednesday at Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov and Cyprus-based "financial fixers" who allegedly help mask his assets as well as those of fellow Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

More than a dozen women have accused veteran French actor Gerard Depardieu of sexual violence, with some allegations going back decades, according to a report from French investigative news website Mediapart.

Stock markets wavered on Wednesday as investors weighed whether official data showing that US inflation cooled in March will prompt the Federal Reserve to pause its interest-rate-hike campaign.

A Belgian judge agreed on Wednesday to release Greek MEP Eva Kaili, the public face of the so-called Qatargate graft inquiry, from jail and to place her under house arrest pending prosecution on corruption charges.

Bayern Munich have condemnded racist slurs made online against centre back Dayot Upamecano, after the club lost 3-0 to Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final on Tuesday.

US radio broadcaster NPR on Wednesday said it was quitting Twitter, in the first significant defection by a major news outlet since Elon Musk's tumultuous takeover of the platform.

A trove of highly sensitive US government documents circulating online includes secret assessments of the Ukraine conflict as well as analyses that point to surveillance of close American allies.

Saudi Arabia hosted landmark delegations from Iran and Syria on Wednesday as Gulf countries prepare for re-establishing diplomatic ties after years of bitter divisions.

Prince Harry will attend the coronation in London of his father King Charles III but without his wife Meghan, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday began a nostalgia-filled tour of the Republic of Ireland, jetting in from Northern Ireland where he pushed for an end to crippling political paralysis in the British province.

Defendants on trial over the 2016 Brussels attacks recounted Wednesday the anger they felt at the aerial bombardments of the Islamic State group by an international coalition.

Germany has scrapped plans to allow the widespread sale of cannabis in licensed stores for the time being following EU concerns, the government said Wednesday.

Netflix said on Wednesday it planned to expand operations in Africa, building on the success of hit shows like the South African drama "Blood and Water."

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier "firmly denies" making discriminatory remarks towards players when he was in charge of Nice last season, his lawyer told AFP on Wednesday.

An exchange of nearly 900 prisoners from Yemen's civil war will start on Friday, one day later than previously announced, a government official said on Wednesday.

Myanmar's ruling junta confirmed on Wednesday that it carried out an air strike on a village in which dozens of people were reported killed, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers.

Dutch police detained two protesters who ran towards French President Emmanuel Macron in Amsterdam on Wednesday as his domestic troubles intruded once again on his state visit.

US radio broadcaster NPR on Wednesday said it would "no longer remain active" on Twitter, accusing the platform owned by Elon Musk of undermining its credibility and sowing doubt over its editorial independence.

US consumer inflation slowed in March, according to data released Wednesday, but remained well above the Federal Reserve's target level despite numerous interest rate hikes over the last year.

Another 13 women have accused French actor Gerard Depardieu of sexual violence over two decades, investigative website Mediapart has reported, in the latest such allegations against him.

Saracens and England No. 8 Billy Vunipola will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a knee injury in his club's Champions Cup defeat at La Rochelle.

Stock markets rose on Wednesday as data showed US inflation had slowed to its lowest level in nearly two years in March, raising hopes that the Federal Reserve will wind down its interest-rate-hike campaign.

US President Joe Biden urged political compromise in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, using a visit to Belfast to promote the benefits of enduring peace and investment, but faced heated criticism from pro-UK hardliners.

An Iranian delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Tehran said, to pave the way for reopening diplomatic missions as the Gulf rivals prepare to normalise relations, seven years after an acrimonious split.

A former teen idol said on Wednesday he was sexually assaulted repeatedly by Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Japan's biggest boyband empire, in a rare public allegation against the late mogul.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denounced Russian "beasts" after a video appeared to show the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner, prompting international outrage.