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A Russian-announced ceasefire was due to begin Thursday at the besieged steel plant in the devastated Ukrainian city of Mariupol, to allow civilians to flee even as its defenders vowed to fight to the end.

Hong Kong has emerged a more unequal city, its freedoms curtailed and international shine dulled after five years with Carrie Lam at the helm, analysts say, as her turbulent leadership draws to an end.

US central bank officials announced an expected half-point lift in borrowing costs -- the biggest since 2000 -- as part of its battle to rein in inflation, while unveiling a timetable to offload its vast bond holdings.

The Bank of England is on Thursday expected to raise interest rates for a fourth time in a row to contain runaway inflation that is causing a cost-of-living crisis.

As a former beat cop who rose to become Hong Kong's security chief, John Lee is the one person China's leaders trust to run the city as their loyal lieutenant, analysts and insiders say.

A guard with a spotless record and a convict accused of murder -- this unlikely pair has vexed US law enforcement for days as they investigate an Alabama prison break seemingly planned down to the last detail.

The top-seeded Miami Heat overpowered the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers 119-103 on Wednesday to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference playoff series.

OPEC+ members meeting on Thursday are expected to agree a marginal increase in oil production, bolstered by risks to demand amid coronavirus restrictions in China.

A mothballed nuclear power plant built near a fault line and volcanoes in the Philippines during Ferdinand Marcos's dictatorship could be revived if his son wins next week's presidential election.

One of Colombia's most notorious drug lords was extradited Wednesday to the United States to face drug trafficking charges, announced President Ivan Duque.

Twenty years after Vladimir Putin flattened their capital Grozny in the same way that his forces are now destroying Mariupol, Chechens refugees in Europe still live in fear of Russia's long arm.

India and France on Wednesday called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities" in Ukraine, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi again stopping short of condemning Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola put his side's latest Champions League collapse down to the unpredictability of football after Real Madrid produced a stunning late fightback to reach the final.

Karim Benzema scored an extra-time penalty as Real Madrid pulled off another astonishing comeback in the Champions League to stun Manchester City 3-1 on Wednesday and book a showdown with Liverpool in the final.

Carlo Ancelotti said the "history of the club" helped his Real Madrid side stage another Champions League comeback to down Manchester City on Wednesday and reach the final.

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a ban within the year on Russian oil imports in its toughest move yet over the invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow said it was offering a new ceasefire to evacuate a steel plant in devastated Mariupol.

A man who attacked controversial comic Dave Chappelle on stage as he performed a live stand-up set in Los Angeles has been arrested and charged with assault, US police said Wednesday.

Real Madrid produced another barely believable Champions League fightback to beat Manchester City 3-1 after extra time on Wednesday and reach the final 6-5 on aggregate.

Karim Benzema scored an extra-time penalty as Real Madrid pulled off another astonishing comeback in the Champions League to stun Manchester City 3-1 on Wednesday and book a showdown with Liverpool in the final.

Wall Street stocks rallied and the dollar retreated Wednesday after the Federal Reserve announced a large 50 basis points interest rate increase but ruled out an even bigger hike for the foreseeable future.

Actress Amber Heard testified on Wednesday that her ex-husband, "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp, was obsessively jealous and would punch walls and slap and hit her in drunken rages.

UK and Japan leaders Boris Johnson and Fumio Kishida were on Thursday to hold talks in London, where they were set to agree a new defence agreement and measures to reduce dependency on Russian energy supplies.

US rap pioneer Kidd Creole, who helped found the band Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Wednesday for fatally stabbing a homeless men in 2017.

A Netflix shareholder is seeking class action status for a lawsuit accusing the streaming television titan of not making it clear that subscriber numbers were in peril.

Nearly half of LGBTQ youth aged 13 to 24 in America seriously considered committing suicide last year, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The blaze in a football field-length storage building had been burning at least a day -- but there are no firefighters in Temyrivka because everyone has evacuated, leaving the black smoke to rise unhindered.

After abortion, could gay marriage be next? With America's Supreme Court poised to roll back half a century of abortion rights, activists fear conservatives will set their sights on other constitutional freedoms, starting with same sex unions.

A swarm of 10 bright blue drones lifts off in a bamboo forest in China, then swerves its way between cluttered branches, bushes and over uneven ground as it autonomously navigates the best flight path through the woods.

Authorities have raised the death toll to five in a building collapse in central China that has left dozens missing, state media reported early Thursday.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday made its biggest rate hike since 2000 with a half percentage point increase meant to crush soaring inflation in the United States.

"Aquaman" star Amber Heard testified on Wednesday that the defamation case brought against her by her former husband, Johnny Depp, is the "most painful and difficult thing" she has ever experienced.

Uber shares skidded Wednesday after the company said it was hit with a big loss in the first three months of this year despite a rebound in its ride-share business.