Paris Soir - News from Paris, France, Europe and the world – 24/7

Top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek eased into the Indian Wells quarter-finals on cue on Tuesday as in-form Daniil Medvedev defied injury in a wild three-set win over Alexander Zverev.

Honduras will establish diplomatic ties with China, President Xiomara Castro said Tuesday, a move that would result in the severing of longstanding official ties with Taiwan.

Mexico defeated Great Britain 2-1 on Tuesday to stay on course for a place in the World Baseball Classic quarter-finals as Canada got their campaign back on track with a 5-0 defeat of Colombia.

Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani has been having a ball at the World Baseball Classic and is determined not to let Italy wipe the smile off his face in Thursday's quarter-final.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday hailed growing cooperation with Japan on issues from North Korea to semiconductors, saying it was part of a historic "new chapter" for the two countries.

Bulging grey heads break the turbid waters of the Mekong River in Cambodia as a pod of rare Irrawaddy dolphins surfaces to breathe, drawing excited murmurs from tourists watching from nearby boats.

The Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch an NBA playoff place on Tuesday after holding off a late rally from the Phoenix Suns to complete a 116-104 road victory in Arizona.

Honduras will establish diplomatic relations with mainland China, President Xiomara Castro said Tuesday, a move that would result in the severing of longstanding official ties with Taiwan.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz reached the Indian Wells quarter-finals Tuesday as Britain's Jack Draper retired from their fourth-round match with an injury to his right side.

Chinese retail sales rebounded in January and February as Beijing abandoned its suffocating zero-Covid policy, reopening borders and ending mandatory quarantine, and the country celebrated the Lunar New Year holiday.

A former Australian prime minister on Wednesday rubbished the country's landmark nuclear-powered submarines deal, saying it unnecessarily targeted China and could have "deadly consequences".

Dutch voters go to the polls in local elections on Wednesday, with a party of angry farmers posing a challenge to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his climate change plans.

Bankrupt Sri Lanka's hospitals were crippled and transport disrupted on Wednesday as trade unions protested against the doubling of taxes to qualify for a crucial IMF bailout.

A diplomatic spat between Ecuador and Argentina escalated Tuesday after it was revealed that a convicted former cabinet minister, who had been living in the Argentine embassy, had escaped Quito to Venezuela.

China and Russia are bolstering their presence in Africa to tap its rich natural resources, analysts say, amid grave warnings from UN agencies the world's poorest countries face accumulating crippling debts.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova saved four match points to shock third-ranked American Jessica Pegula 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (13/11) on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells for the first time in seven years.

His medical studies in Syria keep Mohammed Shasho busy enough but whenever he can he also pores over German vocabulary and grammar points in hopes of a move to Europe.

Asian markets bounced Wednesday as concerns about contagion from the collapse of two US regional lenders eased while investors turned their attention back to next week's Federal Reserve interest rate decision.

The massive constellation of satellites operated by SpaceX, while still growing, will soon be joined in low Earth orbit by many more commercial competitors, but also government-sponsored programs.

Supporters of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan clashed repeatedly with police overnight as he remained holed up in his Lahore residence early Wednesday, defying attempts to arrest him.

The Denver Nuggets slumped to a fourth straight defeat on Tuesday as Fred VanVleet kept the Toronto Raptors' playoff hopes alive with a virtuoso display in a 125-110 victory.

Daniil Medvedev shook off a second-set fall to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 on Tuesday, the "crazy" victory pushing him into the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the first time.

Youssef Jira, a fresh-faced 18-year-old in a hoodie, has big ambitions in a Libyan society where youthful creativity has long been sacrificed to dictatorship and violence.

Every morning in a city in Indonesia's far east, sleepy teenagers can be seen trudging zombie-like through the streets on their reluctant way to school.

Governor Samuel Garcia is a man in a hurry, juggling his daughter's birth and Tesla's arrival in northern Mexico, which hopes to benefit from a new wave of foreign investment.

France faces another day of strikes on Wednesday over highly contested pension reforms which President Emmanuel Macron appears on the verge of pushing through despite months of protests.

Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal will not down tools in the Europa League to help their bid to win a first Premier League title for 19 years.

After a grueling jeep trip of almost 24 hours on mostly desert roads, two-year-old Rosalinda arrived at the clinic in Uribia, northern Colombia, just in time.

He has dressed celebrity royalty around the world from Beyonce and Deepika Padukone to Zendaya and Cardi B but for years few of Mohammed Ashi's clients knew he was Saudi Arabia's first big-name designer.

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro is in hot water over allegations he tried to illegally import millions of dollars' worth of jewelery given to him and his wife by Saudi Arabia.

One-time subway "surfer" Isa Islam has a straightforward message for thrill-seeking youngsters sparking a surge in riders traveling on the roofs of New York City trains: don't do it.

Daniil Medvedev makes no secret of his antipathy for the slow hard courts of Indian Wells, but the Russian admitted Tuesday he'd do better to shut up and play rather than vocally venting his frustration in every match.