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The Brazilian military launched an operation Wednesday to crack down on illegal gold miners accused of invading the massive Yanomami Indigenous reservation and spreading disease, violating human rights and destroying the environment.

Pop megastar Beyonce on Wednesday announced plans to tour Europe and North America later this year, following the release of her latest album "Renaissance" -- just days before a Grammy Awards ceremony where she is the most-nominated artist.

The issue of Russian and Belarusian participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics has provoked polarised debate in the last week and raised questions about whether it might blight the Games.

A climate activist who invaded the track at last year's British Grand Prix told a court on Wednesday that the protest was safe due to its meticulous planning.

The discovery of dozens of beakers and bowls in a mummification workshop has helped reveal how ancient Egyptians embalmed their dead, with some "surprising" ingredients imported from as far as Southeast Asia, a study said Wednesday.

When the damselfly reappeared in France in 2009 after a 133-year absence, it was considered a small miracle.

Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of football's 2027 Asian Cup on Wednesday, an expected prelude for a World Cup bid as the oil-rich kingdom spends big on sports in an attempt to improve its image.

Pope Francis slammed "brutal atrocities" committed in eastern DR Congo after hearing harrowing accounts of violence from the turbulent region during the second day of his visit to the conflict-torn country Wednesday.

Stock markets and the dollar struggled for direction on Wednesday, as investors waited to learn the size of the US Federal Reserve's latest interest-rate hike to cool inflation.

Ukraine expanded a clampdown on corruption on Wednesday, launching coordinated searches of residences linked to a divisive oligarch and former interior minister as well as tax offices in the capital.

Half a million people stopped work over pay in Britain on Wednesday leaving transport networks paralysed and thousands of classrooms empty in the largest walkout in over a decade.

Sweden's record-breaking Olympic champion pole vaulter Armand Duplantis on Wednesday cast doubt on whether he will defend his title at next month's European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

Corporations and consumers are the main obstacle to the emissions cuts needed to keep global warming to the 1.5-degree Celsius limit, researchers said Wednesday, adding that "positive signs" in other areas are not yet enough to meet climate goals.

Former Australia batsman Mike Hussey has been appointed men's head coach of the Welsh Fire, the ailing Hundred team announced on Wednesday.

The United States hit its borrowing cap of $31.4 trillion in January, prompting the start of measures to avoid a default as Democrats and Republicans head towards another clash on raising or suspending the country's debt limit.

Myanmar's military authorities announced a six-month extension to a state of emergency on Wednesday, effectively delaying elections the junta had pledged to hold by August, as they battle anti-coup fighters across the country.

Just weeks after going on trial in a case brought by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italian investigative journalist Roberto Saviano was back in court on Wednesday facing allegations of defamation lodged by Meloni's deputy.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has hailed Ireland counterpart Andy Farrell's ability to create a "winning culture" ahead of their Six Nations opener on Saturday.

Ukraine expanded a clampdown on corruption on Wednesday launching coordinated searches of residences linked to a divisive oligarch and former interior minister as well as tax offices in the capital.

Tom Brady forged a reputation as the greatest quarterback in NFL history in a career spanning 23 seasons that produced a host of records that may never be beaten.

Activity in the US manufacturing sector shrank for a third straight month in January, hovering at the lowest levels since May 2020 as new orders and production slumped, according to survey data released Wednesday.

Dawid Malan and captain Jos Buttler both hit centuries as England overcame a poor start in the third and final one-day international against South Africa at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Wednesday.

Five memorable moments in the career of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who confirmed his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday:

Stock markets struggled for direction and the dollar dipped Wednesday, with all eyes on the size of the Federal Reserve's latest US interest-rate hike to cool inflation.

Western countries have only just approved sending battle tanks to Ukraine, but Kyiv is already requesting F-16 warplanes to help repel the Russian invasion.

With pressure mounting from US and European allies to strike a deal with arch-rival Serbia, Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti vowed on Wednesday to resist any attempt at "blackmail" in the face of a looming deadline from the West to reach an agreement.

Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has relieved the club of an outstanding £194 million ($239 million) debt which had been owed to parent company King Power International (KPI).

Inflation has risen to a 48-year high in crisis-hit Pakistan, according to government data released Wednesday, as IMF officials visit for urgent talks on a stalled bailout package.

Marizanne Kapp has been given "compassionate leave" and will miss South Africa's match against India in the final of a triangular women's Twenty20 series in East London on Thursday.

Record-breaking NFL quarterback Tom Brady announced on Wednesday that he was "retiring for good" at the age of 45, one year after reversing his decision to quit the sport.

French actor Juliette Binoche will be honoured at Spain's top film honours, the Goya awards, later this month, the Spanish Film Academy said Wednesday.

Private employers in the United States slowed their hiring pace in January, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday, in the latest sign that economic activity is cooling on efforts to rein in inflation.