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The Middle East war has plunged Swiss watchmakers into uncertainty, testing the resilience of an iconic national industry already shaken by several crises.

Carlos Alcaraz withdrew on Wednesday from the Barcelona Open because of a wrist injury that troubled him in his first-round match, potentially casting doubt over his Roland Garros defence.

President Donald Trump renewed pressure Wednesday on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, with the US leader threatening to fire the central bank chief if he stays beyond his mandate.

Donors pledged about 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) for Sudan at an international meeting held in Berlin Wednesday to mark three years of a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

The World Bank announced a plan Wednesday that aims to improve secure water access for a billion people within the next four years.

Harry Maguire will miss Manchester United's Premier League game away to Chelsea on Saturday after being handed an additional one-match ban for his reaction to being sent off at Bournemouth.

Crude prices climbed Wednesday while stocks diverged as investors digested mixed signals about talks to end the war in the Middle East and get oil and gas flowing through the Strait of Hormuz once again.

Jamie Murray, who became the first British doubles player to be ranked world number one, announced his retirement from tennis on Wednesday at the age of 40.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday praised "the strategic importance" of Lufthansa as the German airline giant marked its centenary, but the celebrations were marred by a wave of recent strikes.

Just a stone's throw from the chalk cliffs of Dieppe in northern France, French Navy minehunter L'Aigle -- a veteran of the Gulf war -- scans the seabed with ultrasound for unexploded devices.

Brazil's Supreme Court has ordered an investigation of Flavio Bolsonaro, the main rival of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in upcoming elections, for slander over a post linking Lula to drug trafficking.

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warned Wednesday of difficult times ahead for the global economy if war in the Middle East is unresolved and oil prices stay high, adding that inflation risks could seep into food prices.

Bosnia approved Wednesday a $1.5 billion energy project led by investors close to US President Donald Trump that aims to reduce the Balkan country's reliance on Russian natural gas.

A 13-year-old opened fire at a Turkish school on Wednesday, killing nine people and wounding 13, with students jumping from windows to escape the second school shooting in the country in as many days, officials said.

Left-wing candidate Roberto Sanchez climbed to second place in Peru's presidential election on Wednesday, positioning himself to face conservative Keiko Fujimori in a June runoff, while his nearest challenger threatened protests over alleged voter fraud.

In a quiet space secluded from the throngs of daily visitors to Madrid's Prado art museum, a team of experts perpetuate an ancient tradition of restoring centuries-old European cultural treasures.

Thousands of people, singing and dancing, welcomed Pope Leo XIV to Cameroon on Wednesday for a three-day trip that includes a visit to the epicentre of a nearly decade-long separatist conflict, where he is expected to bring a message of peace.

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali on Wednesday called on drivers, including the outspoken Max Verstappen, to "be respectful" of the sport but said changes to this year's new power unit regulations needed to be made.

Eddie Hearn said on Wednesday Katie Taylor deserves top-billing for her farewell fight at Croke Park as he ruled out the Dublin stadium staging the long-awaited 'Battle of Britain' clash between former world heavyweight champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

Stock markets were mostly higher Wednesday on signs that talks were continuing to end the war in the Middle East, bolstering hopes that Gulf oil and gas could again be flowing soon through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's military threatened on Wednesday to shut down Red Sea trade unless the United States lifted its naval blockade on Tehran's ports, saying the ceasefire was at risk.

A critically endangered Borneo orangutan has been born at Madrid's zoo, described by keepers as strong and developing normally.

The EU told Meta Wednesday that charging rival AI chatbots for access to its WhatsApp platform runs against the bloc's antitrust rules, rebuffing the measure taken by the US giant in response to a probe.

A student aged about 13 opened fire at random in a Turkish school Wednesday killing four people and wounding 20, just one day after a shooter wounded 16 people and then killed himself in another school, officials said.

Radical left-wing Peruvian presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez told AFP Tuesday that he was confident of reaching the second round of voting after a late surprise surge from rural polling stations.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said he would not "yield" to pressure to join the Iran war after US President Donald Trump threatened to scrap a UK trade deal.

Virgil van Dijk had no complaints after Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by title-holders Paris Saint-Germain in a defeat compounded by a serious injury to Hugo Ekitike.

England women's rugby star Ellie Kildunne has revealed she struggled with an eating disorder and other health issues during the coronavirus lockdown.

Suppliers and buyers at a trade show in southern China were cautious on Wednesday as they weighed costs for ice cream machines, home appliances and cars that have risen since the start of the Middle East war.

Markets largely steadied Wednesday as traders waited to see if Mideast peace talks resume, though share prices of Gucci parent Kering and French luxury group Hermes tumbled on weak earnings linked partly to the conflict's fallout.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that an EU-developed age verification app was ready to go, as the bloc pushes to better protect children from online harm.

Hungary's new leader Peter Magyar said Wednesday he had told President Tamas Sulyok, a supporter of ousted prime minister Viktor Orban, that he should resign following Orban's election defeat.