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An Ecuador judge ordered the immediate release of prominent Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza, his lawyer said early Wednesday, less than a day after he was arrested and accused of paralyzing roads during nationwide anti-government protests.

At the peak of their success, K-pop megastars BTS made an emotional announcement to fans: they were taking a break from the supergroup to focus on their solo careers.

Tourists are flocking back to Croatia after the pandemic decimated its vital travel industry, except the Adriatic nation has a problem: it lacks workers to cater to the legions of visitors.

Britain vowed Wednesday it would pursue its controversial policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda after a first flight was cancelled following a legal ruling, in an embarrassing blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government.

After months of anxious wait for some parents, a panel of experts convened by the US Food and Drug Administration will meet Wednesday to weigh recommending Covid vaccines for the nation's youngest children.

Russia said it would establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from a chemical plant in Severodonetsk starting Wednesday as Ukrainian forces wage a desperate battle for control of the city.

Captain Maya Yoshida warned Japan they will have no chance at the World Cup if they "fall apart after conceding one goal", following a sobering 3-0 home defeat to Tunisia.

Alan Li no longer sees any future for his family in China after harsh Covid rules decimated his business, upended his son's education and left his country out of step with the rest of the world.

An injury-time header from Jordan Morris salvaged a 1-1 draw for the United States against El Salvador in a scrappy CONCACAF Nations League clash on Tuesday.

Stradivarius is "top class" like the violin he is named after, his trainer John Gosden told AFP, and on Thursday can make his final Royal Ascot appearance a memorable one by winning a record-equalling fourth Ascot Gold Cup.

K-pop megastars BTS told fans they were taking a break from the supergroup to focus on their solo careers, citing exhaustion and the pressures of stratospheric success in an emotional video appearance.

South Korean truck drivers will return to work Wednesday after reaching an agreement with Seoul to end an eight-day protest over wages and fuel costs that had snarled global supply chains.

Ecuador police clashed with protesters Tuesday hours after authorities arrested the leader of an Indigenous movement, as his organization called for a popular uprising following nationwide roadblocks to protest high fuel prices.

China's factory output and retail sales remained weak in May, official data showed Wednesday, with tepid demand and lingering Covid restrictions putting a damper on growth in the world's second-largest economy.

Asian equities were mixed Wednesday with investors nervously awaiting a Federal Reserve interest rate decision that has taken on greater significance since a forecast-busting inflation report sent shockwaves through world markets.

Prathamesh Jathar is one of many brightly dressed riders zipping through the streets of Berlin, dropping off groceries just minutes after the orders come in.

Police in Brazil said Tuesday they had arrested a second suspect in the disappearance earlier this month of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous specialist Bruno Pereira.

Germany's race to wean itself off Russian energy and stockpile enough gas before winter is playing out largely hidden from view, some 1,600 metres (one mile) below ground in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps.

Shanghai's lengthy Covid-19 lockdown pushed a quarter of US firms in the city to cut investment plans and nearly all to drop revenue forecasts, a business group said Wednesday.

For the first time, Colombia will have a black woman vice president, as voters decide Sunday between a pair of rival candidates aiming to make history in the South American nation.

Sofia-Rose Adams skillfully scoops ice cream onto cones and manages the cash register at Les Gourmandes cafe and ice cream parlor in Canada's Montreal region.

The US Federal Reserve is poised to raise borrowing costs Wednesday amid the troubling acceleration of inflation, with the only question being whether officials will opt for the biggest hike in nearly three decades or a smaller step up.

An internal fight over whether Google built technology with human-like consciousness has spilled into the open, exposing the ambitions and risks inherent in artificial intelligence that can feel all too real.

Discarded All Blacks scrum-half TJ Perenara will get an immediate chance to show his omission was a mistake after being named on Wednesday in a New Zealand Maori squad for two matches against Ireland.

As intelligent as she is, Happy the elephant doesn't meet the definition of a "person" and is therefore not being illegally confined in the Bronx Zoo, New York's top court ruled Tuesday in a closely watched case for animal rights.

Tampons are the latest product disappearing from store shelves in the United States, another illustration of supply chain problems that are complicating daily life, following the troubling shortage of baby formula.

A hotly anticipated US Open starts Thursday that will test the world's top golfers over a formidable layout at a historic setting with a splash of controversy as well.

The depressing state of the world is leading people to switch off from the news, the Reuters Institute reported on Wednesday.

Disney's latest animation "Lightyear," which features a same-sex kiss, has been denied release in more than a dozen mainly Muslim countries, a source close to the company told AFP on Tuesday.

Ukraine's battle against Russian troops in the eastern region of the Donbass will determine the course of the war, President Zelensky said Tuesday, asking his nation to stay strong in the face of Moscow's devastating attack against two key cities.

Volkswagen appeared Tuesday before a hearing with Brazilian prosecutors to answer to allegations of human-rights violations at a farm the German auto giant ran during Brazil's military dictatorship, including slave labor, rapes and torture.

A first flight carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda as part of a controversial UK policy was cancelled on Tuesday in an embarrassing blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson government.