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Prima ballerina Olga Smirnova has quit the Bolshoi in Moscow to join the Dutch National Ballet, it was announced Wednesday, making her the first Russian to quit the fabled company over the war in Ukraine.

Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family have confirmed they are leading a consortium that will bid to buy English Premier League club Chelsea, according to press reports on Wednesday.

Ukraine's leader on Wednesday issued an emotive appeal to US lawmakers for greater Western intervention against Russia, which insisted its invasion was going "successfully" despite the West rallying to Kyiv's side via arms and sanctions.

Starbucks announced Wednesday that longtime chief Howard Schultz will return to helm the global coffee shop chain on an interim basis while the company searches for a new leader amid a growing unionization drive.

Unvaccinated players, including Novak Djokovic, will be free to play at this year's French Open "as it stands", the French Tennis Federation (FFT) said on Wednesday.

Ukraine's besieged leader urged the United States Wednesday to reconsider his plea for a no-fly zone, invoking the terror of the September 11 attacks as he ratcheted up pressure on the White House to move aggressively against the Russian invasion closing in on Kyiv.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admitted Wednesday he had to have a grasp of global issues even though he feels uncomfortable straying from football as he was questioned about the club's Saudi-led ownership.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam smashed 196 and Mohammad Rizwan 104 not out to deny Australia victory Wednesday and force a dramatic draw in the second Test in Karachi.

Stuck to the door of one Warsaw high school is the sign "Laskavo prosimo do shkoli", or "Welcome to school" in Ukrainian, along with the flags of Poland and Ukraine.

Starbucks announced Wednesday that longtime chief Howard Schultz will return to lead the global coffee shop chain on an interim basis while the company searches for a new leader amid a growing unionization drive.

Rising costs for gasoline caused US retail sales to grow in February, according to government data released Wednesday, though the expansion was slightly below expectations.

The World Trade Organization chief hailed Wednesday a breakthrough between the EU, the United States, India and South Africa on waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines.

Borussia Dortmund advisor Matthias Sammer has spoken openly about the possibility of Erling Haaland moving to Manchester City amid reports Wednesday that a clause in the striker's contract would have to be actioned before April 30.

Ukraine on Wednesday dismissed Russian neutrality proposals, refused to surrender and vowed prosecution of "war crimes" three weeks into an invasion that is drawing ever-increasing Western support against Moscow.

Two dual UK-Iranian nationals have been released from custody, the authorities in Tehran said on Wednesday, ending a lengthy ordeal after years of diplomatic wrangling between the two countries over a cancelled defence deal.

Manchester United were established members of Europe's elite a decade ago but they have been reduced to the status of also-rans in the Premier League and even in their own city.

A hundred technicians are working under armed guard to maintain the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant in northern Ukraine, held hostage for three weeks by Russian forces who seized the compound in the first hours of the invasion.

For teenager Gleb Gunko, war-torn Ukraine will be his first time in combat. But the cause is nothing new. As a Belarusian, he knows what it means to fight for freedom.

Stocks rallied Wednesday, helped by Ukraine peace hopes and China's pledge to help stabilise markets after recent routs, ahead of a keenly-awaited US interest rate decision.

From airlines in Nigeria to shoppers in Malawi, Africans are feeling the impact of the Ukraine crisis in wrenching increases in the price of fuel, grain and fertiliser.

Marco Odermatt became the first Swiss man to win the overall World Cup alpine skiing title since 2010 on Wednesday while Mikaela Shiffrin stretched her lead in the women''s standings.

The head of Russia's tech giant Yandex, Tigran Khudaverdyan, has resigned after being placed on a list of European sanctions.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been held in Iran since 2016, was on Wednesday handed over to the UK authorities in Tehran, with her local MP in London saying she was on her way home.

Marco Odermatt became the first Swiss man to win the overall World Cup alpine skiing title since 2010 on Wednesday.

Ukraine on Wednesday dismissed Russian proposals to turn it into a neutral state, as the United States readied a huge package of military aid ahead of a historic address to Congress by Kyiv's defiant leader.

Russia is due to make an interest payment on its foreign debt Wednesday as sanctions over the Ukraine conflict have raised concerns that Moscow could default.

Marco Odermatt became the first Swiss man to win the overall World Cup alpine skiing title since 2010 on Wednesday.

Somalia has again pushed back the deadline for completing lower house elections, delaying until March 31 a process that is already more than a year overdue and has resulted in political sanctions.

Workers in PPE gear in Hong Kong carted the bodies of coronavirus victims into refrigerated shipping containers on Wednesday, as the city's morgues run out of space from a deadly Omicron surge.

Famed Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky has shocked the classical world after calling for pressure to be increased on Ukraine by cutting power to the capital Kyiv.

Skipper Babar Azam survived dropped catches off successive balls from Australian spinner Mitchell Swepson Wednesday to keep Pakistan in with a chance of a fighting draw on the fifth and final day of the second Test in Karachi.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson began lobbying Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to pump more oil to calm markets roiled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine as he met the Gulf states' leadership on Wednesday.