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Riots across Sweden sparked by a notorious anti-immigrant provocateur threatening to tour the country burning the Koran has challenged the country's limits to free speech.

Finland's parliament Wednesday will open a debate on whether to seek NATO membership, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a surge in political and public support for joining the military alliance.

On a chilly morning, Beth Gatonye loaded two vibrating chairs into her van and headed to the US embassy in Kigali with three blind colleagues, ready to offer massage therapy.

Thousands of pilgrims from around the world gathered at the Vatican Wednesday as Pope Francis held his first weekly audience in St Peter's Square since coronavirus hit in early 2020.

European car sales sank in March as Russia's invasion of Ukraine added more problems to a sector already struggling with shortages of semiconductors, industry data showed Wednesday.

After nearly two months under siege, the southern city of Mariupol could fall into Russian hands within "hours", a Ukrainian official said Wednesday, as the two sides agreed to a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to flee the devastated port city.

Dillian Whyte may be the underdog in Saturday's all-British heavyweight WBC world title bout with the incumbent Tyson Fury but the latter's trainer says the pugilist known as 'The Bodysnatcher' can "surprise people".

Men's tennis world number two Daniil Medvedev is set to be barred from this year's Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament as The Times reported organisers are to ban Russian and Belarus players due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Surprise-package Gujarat Titans have taken the IPL by storm in their debut season with a cleverly assembled and astutely coached team led by the all-round talents of local star Hardik Pandya.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen braced for a televised debate Wednesday that is likely to prove the climax of this year's turbulent French presidential campaign, with millions of votes still up for grabs just four days before polls open.

Police enforced a curfew on Wednesday in a Sri Lankan town where an anti-government demonstrator was killed, a death that triggered international condemnation just as the crisis-hit country seeks an IMF bailout.

According to her death certificate, Lyudmyla Bochok, 79, was killed by a bullet to the head and the back on March 5.

Out-of-sorts Virat Kohli could be lost to cricket with a "fried brain" if he is not given a break soon, said former India coach Ravi Shastri after the batsman's latest IPL failure.

Shanghai further eased its gruelling, weeks-long Covid-19 lockdown on Wednesday despite a mounting official death toll and tens of thousands of daily cases.

A pro-democracy Hong Kong radio DJ was jailed for 40 months on Wednesday for "seditious speech" under a British colonial-era law authorities have embraced as China flattens dissent in the city.

Swimming superpowers Australia and the United States will clash in a "Duel in the Pool" with Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky renewing their Olympic rivalry, it was announced Wednesday.

Italian ministers head to central Africa Wednesday in an urgent quest for new energy deals as Italy scrambles to break away from Russian gas over the Ukraine war.

El Salvadoran NGOs asked the judiciary on Tuesday to declare unconstitutional a new measure that journalists warn could criminalize certain forms of media reporting on gangs.

The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday that it has asked cash-strapped Sri Lanka to "restructure" its huge foreign debt before a bailout programme could be finalised as anti-government protests escalated across the island.

India is tapping a new energy source that promises to help clean up smog-choked cities and is already providing a vital revenue stream for poor Indian farmers: truckloads of bovine manure.

In the heart of the English countryside, Will Woodhall is trying to stay positive, despite standing next to a vast pile of rotting beetroot that would once have been worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Wednesday his government signed a controversial security pact with China "with our eyes open" but refused to say when it may be published.

Police kept up a curfew in central Sri Lanka on Wednesday, a day after the killing of an anti-government demonstrator in escalating protests across the island triggered international condemnation.

Ukraine received fighter jets to help resist the Russian invasion, as Moscow intensified its offensive in the east where a besieged officer in Mariupol warned Wednesday his forces were facing their "last days, if not hours".

The couple behind a new start-up using adult toys and cheeky adverts to challenge long-held taboos say they want to take the "shame, guilt and fear" out of sex in India.

French leader Emmanuel Macron and the far-right's Marine Le Pen go head-to-head in a crunch TV debate on Wednesday, seeking to sway undecided voters with four days left until the presidential election's decisive second round.

Asian markets were flat on Wednesday as oil began clawing its way back up from a big drop after the International Monetary Fund downgraded its global growth forecast for 2022.

Chanting resonates through a church in the Cypriot resort town of Ayia Napa, darkened but for a few low lights and mobile devices displaying the singers' Byzantine melodies.

China reported seven Covid-19 deaths in Shanghai on Wednesday, raising the toll in the city to 17 fatalities as authorities struggled to rein in infections despite a gruelling, weeks-long lockdown.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Wednesday his government signed a controversial security pact with China "with our eyes open" but refused to say when it may be published.

Finance officials from the world's richest countries will meet on Wednesday to address global challenges like rising debt and a possible food crisis -- if they can overcome boiling tensions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Jose, an army captain, deserted after years of pressure. Rafael, a lieutenant, was prosecuted and expelled.