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Second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz saw his title defence and 14-match winning streak in Madrid come to an end at the hands of Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals on Wednesday while top-seeded Jannik Sinner withdrew from the tournament citing a right hip injury.

France national team coach Didier Deschamps told AFP in an exclusive interview that even if France are amongst the pre-tournament favourites for Euro 2024 in Germany, his team must first concentrate on getting through a "tough group".

World number two Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Madrid Open on Wednesday due to a hip injury, handing a walkover into the semi-finals to last-eight opponent Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Geraint Thomas said Wednesday he and his Ineos Grenadiers team were primed for a tilt at the Giro d'Italia title on a route that should suit him better than last year's edition.

At least 10 people have died in floods caused by heavy rains in Brazil's south, authorities said Wednesday, as rescuers searched for nearly two dozen individuals reported missing.

Thousands of Georgians protested again Wednesday, as parliament advanced a controversial "foreign influence" bill, despite weeks of demonstrations and warnings from Brussels that it would damage Tbilisi's European aspirations.

Andrey Rublev ended Carlos Alcaraz's title defence and 14-match winning streak in Madrid by upsetting the second seed 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Nepal on Wednesday named their squad for the T20 World Cup in June with Rohit Paudel as captain and boasting the power-hitting of Dipendra Singh Airee.

Turkish police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters and arrested more than 200 people and skirmishes broke out in France, as May 1 rallies around the world drew tens of thousands of demonstrators on Wednesday.

Former governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King will take over as president of Marylebone Cricket Club later this year, the MCC announced on Wednesday.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was sent crashing out of the Madrid Open on Wednesday as Andrey Rublev triumphed in their quarter-final clash.

Families of victims of Northern Ireland's "Troubles" protested in Belfast Wednesday against a new UK law that halts coroner's inquests into crimes from the era and grants immunity to past combatants.

The United Methodist Church, which has some 10 million members around the world, repealed on Wednesday a ban on ordaining gay clergy and same-sex marriage.

The dollar steadied Wednesday and Wall Street shares were mixed as investors went into a holding pattern ahead of key announcements from the US Federal Reserve.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says he has full faith in deputy goalkeeper Robin Olsen ahead of the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final against Olympiakos on Thursday after number one Emiliano Martinez was suspended.

Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein was due in court in New York on Wednesday for the first time since his convictions in the state were overturned.

Hundreds of people were arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on US campuses as police Wednesday extended a crackdown that included clearing out demonstrators occupying a building at Columbia University in New York.

Nearly 100 tourists are among people marooned after a river overflowed in Kenya's famed Maasai Mara wildlife reserve following a heavy downpour, a local administrator said Wednesday.

The toll after heavy rains in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul rose to eight dead and 21 missing, regional authorities said Wednesday.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou joked Wednesday he was packing his bags for Sweden because the country has rejected VAR, which has again been in the spotlight in the Premier League.

Polish authorities on Wednesday condemned an arson attack against a Warsaw synagogue.

Turkish police on Wednesday fired tear gas and rubber bullets and detained more than 200 protesters after authorities banned May 1 rallies at Istanbul's historic Taksim Square.

Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone regrets prematurely informing Ayrton Senna's brother the three-time world champion had died after his crash in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix telling AFP it caused "unnecessary trouble."

Wall Street shares opened mixed and the dollar steadied Wednesday as investors waited to hear the US Federal Reserve's latest thinking on interest rates.

The UK government confirmed Wednesday it had detained an unspecified number of migrants in recent days for deportation to Rwanda in July under its controversial new policy.

Alexander Mutiso Munyao, the surprise winner of this year's London Marathon, was rewarded for his victory on Wednesday by being named in the Kenyan marathon team for this year's Olympic Games in Paris.

Hiring in the US private sector cooled in April but job growth was still higher than anticipated, boosted by the services sector, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday.

A Saudi court's decision to sentence fitness influencer Manahel al-Otaibi to 11 years in prison highlights what activists describe as a fierce crackdown on even vaguely critical online speech.

Pfizer reported a drop in profits on lower sales of Covid-19 related profits Wednesday as it steers investments to other pharmaceutical areas and implements previously announced cost cuts.

Jazz icon Herbie Hancock performed this week in Tangiers at the end of a four-day jazz festival he launched more than a decade ago, telling AFP the genre is all about unity and diversity.

The Gaza Strip is filled with more war debris and rubble than Ukraine, the head of UN demining operations for the narrow Palestinian territory said Wednesday.

Colombian rider Egan Bernal, who has made a promising start to the season, announced on Wednesday he would be taking part in the Tour de France in a bid to repeat his triumph of 2019.