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Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez insisted Wednesday Real Madrid are favourites to progress from their Clasico Copa del Rey semi-final tie.

Australia spinner Matthew Kuhnemann said Wednesday he enjoyed turning the tables on India with his five-wicket haul in the third Test, after the tourists suffered a spin onslaught earlier in the series.

South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje ended a period of stubborn West Indian resistance on the second day of the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.

Spinner Matthew Kuhnemann's five-wicket haul and a 60 by Usman Khawaja helped Australia grab the early advantage after they dismissed India for 109 on Wednesday's opening day of the third Test.

Stock markets rose Wednesday as data showed decade-high Chinese factory activity last month after leaders began reopening the economy from years of painful zero-Covid measures.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday pressed Uzbekistan to expand rights and investigate abuses as it pursues nascent reforms, on a trip to woo Central Asia amid tensions with Russia.

A hearing into the racism scandal at Yorkshire started on Wednesday, with ex-player Azeem Rafiq set to give evidence more than two years after he made damning allegations over his treatment by the English county cricket club.

Western governments are falling over each other to restrict social media platform TikTok, but Chinese firms are still huge in sectors from smartphones to network equipment and are only looking to grow.

Ukraine said it had survived a months-long winter onslaught of Russian strikes on water and energy infrastructure, as it marked the first day of spring Wednesday.

Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu on Wednesday was declared winner of Nigeria's fiercely disputed presidential elections, securing the former Lagos governor his life-long ambition of heading Africa's most populous democracy.

Los Angeles County has agreed to pay the widow of Kobe Bryant nearly $29 million after first responders shared photos taken at the site of the helicopter crash that killed the NBA superstar.

Plans for a takeover of Manchester United could be delayed until May, with the current US-based owners the Glazer family said to be holding out for a better offer, according to British media reports.

A two-day conference to highlight the key environmental role and value of the world's rainforests got underway in Gabon Wednesday, backed by several leaders of tropical countries.

Survivors of a shipwreck off southern Italy wept over their dead Wednesday, as relatives of some of the 67 people who drowned arrived from other countries to claim their loved ones.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping his country "fully supports" Beijing's proposals for ending the Ukraine war when the two leaders met Wednesday.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are being evicted from their home on the British royal family's Windsor estate, leaving them without a UK base, reports said on Wednesday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday ruled out any delay in elections after the devastating quake that killed tens of thousands in Turkey, saying the vote would push ahead on May 14 as planned.

British luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda on Wednesday said annual losses almost tripled on soaring costs and supply strains, but shares surged on rebounding sales and a bright outlook.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic vowed to never recognise Kosovo after refusing to sign an EU-backed deal aimed at normalising ties between the rivals, following failed talks this week that aimed to deliver a breakthrough.

Najmul Hossain struck his maiden half-century but England still bowled out Bangladesh for 209 in the first one-day international Wednesday.

Just Fontaine, the all-time top scorer in a single World Cup finals with 13 goals, has died aged 89, his family told AFP on Wednesday.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday congratulated the declared winner of Nigeria's presidential elections, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying he was the best man for the job.

Just Fontaine, the legendary France striker who died on Wednesday at the age of 89, will forever be remembered for scoring 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup, a remarkable feat that seems unlikely ever to be matched.

Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to overturn her conviction and 20-year sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls, US media reported.

Beijing accused Washington on Wednesday of harming its own credibility after a top US intelligence official said his agency believed the pandemic "most likely" caused by a laboratory incident in Wuhan, China.

At least 36 people were killed and another 66 injured after two trains collided head-on near the Greek city of Larissa, authorities said, as emergency services raced Wednesday to find survivors among the charred wreckage.

Australia made a solid start with the bat on day one of the third Test against India on Wednesday, reaching 71-1 at tea after bowling out the hosts for just 109.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday hailed his country's ties with Beijing ahead of a closely watched meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The European Parliament has told staff to purge TikTok from devices used for work because of data protection concerns, after similar moves by the EU's main governing bodies last week.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday pressed Uzbekistan's leaders to address human rights as they pursue nascent reforms, on a trip to woo Central Asia amid tensions with Russia.

Asian and European markets rose Wednesday as data showed decade-high Chinese factory activity last month after leaders began reopening the economy from years of painful zero-Covid measures.

China is playing an increasingly prominent role on the sidelines of Russia's war in Ukraine as the conflict drags on into its second year.