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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.

With drought casting a constant shadow over Santiago's 7.1 million residents, there has been a recent rush to replace thirsty, exotic plants with hardier, native ones in the hopes of staving off water rationing.

After two bleak years of lock-downs and loss, Rio de Janeiro will hold its famed carnival this weekend for the first time since Covid-19 hit Brazil, promising a giant, glittering spectacle of pandemic catharsis.

As pot smokers prepare to light up for "4/20" -- the annual counter-cultural celebration of cannabis held on April 20 -- the United States' legalization experiment blazes ahead.

Tens of thousands of Americans will gather in parks and city plazas under a fog of marijuana smoke on Wednesday to celebrate a drug that remains illegal in much of the country.

Buy a T-shirt, get a "gift" of weed: that's how some stores operate in Washington, exploiting a perceived loophole to sidestep a ban on selling cannabis in the US capital.

Rarely has a 4-0 defeat for Manchester United seemed so inevitable as the thrashing dished out on Tuesday by a Liverpool side sensing their shot at history.

Reigning Women's World Cup champion United States was drawn against Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti for July's CONCACAF W Championship, the North American qualifying event for the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Ukraine has received fighter planes and aircraft parts to bolster its air force in the face of Russia's invasion, the Pentagon said Tuesday, declining to specify the number of aircraft or their origin.

Mexican lawmakers on Tuesday approved a plan to nationalize the exploration and mining of lithium, a vital material in the production of batteries for electric cars, cellphones and other technology.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis asked the US state's congress Tuesday to vote to eliminate a statute that allows entertainment giant Disney to act as a local government in Orlando, where it has its theme park.

Western allies on Tuesday pledged more military supplies and sanctions to assist Ukraine as its troops battle against Russian forces intensifying their offensive in the east of the country.

Israel carried out its first air strike on the Gaza Strip in months early Tuesday, in response to a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave after a weekend of violence around a Jerusalem holy site.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday sought greater cooperation in Latin America on migration, taking up a cause of rising political headaches amid the global focus on Ukraine.

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick said the Red Devils are "six years" behind Liverpool after being blown away in a 4-0 defeat at Anfield on Tuesday.

Netflix shares lost a quarter of their value Tuesday after the company revealed its ranks of subscribers shrank in the first quarter of this year.

Mohamed Salah conceded playing against Manchester United this season has been "easy" after scoring twice in a 4-0 thrashing of the Red Devils at Anfield on Tuesday which sent Liverpool top of the Premier League.