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European stocks rose Wednesday, as London played catch-up with Frankfurt and Paris after a long Christmas break.

France winger Damian Penaud will leave Clermont to join Top 14 rivals Bordeaux-Begles on a three-year contract at the end of the season, Bordeaux announced on Wednesday.

Andy Murray revealed his amazement Wednesday at how a British-Iranian citizen watched his 2016 Wimbledon singles triumph while in solitary confinement in a Tehran prison.

For Russians who have been fighting on Ukraine's side as part of the "Freedom of Russia" legion since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine, secrecy is of the utmost importance.

Swiss world champion Lara Gut-Behrami clocked the fastest time in the first run of the second giant slalom in Semmering on Wednesday, ahead of Tuesday's winner Mikaela Shiffrin.

Pope Francis said Wednesday that former pontiff Benedict XVI, 95, is "very ill", and urged people to pray for him before going to be by his side.

Pope Francis said Wednesday that former pontiff Benedict XVI, 95, whose health has steadily been deteriorating, is "very ill" and called on the faithful to pray for him.

French United Cup teammates Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet spent Christmas at 39,000 feet in their haste to get to Perth for Thursday's start of the ATP-WTA United Cup.

Doctors working despite being infected, beds filled with dozens of elderly straining to breathe -- on the front lines of China's worst-ever Covid outbreak, hospitals are struggling.

Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday told rival Nick Kyrgios to "enjoy his holidays", after the Australian stunned his team by withdrawing from the United Cup at the last minute.

Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday asked Japan to remove restrictions on direct flights from the city, which were imposed following the explosion of coronavirus cases in mainland China.

Beijing's sudden pivot away from containing Covid-19 has caused jitters around the world, with the United States saying it may restrict travel from China following its decision to end mandatory quarantine for overseas arrivals.

World number one Iga Swiatek said Wednesday she will put a breakthrough 2022 season behind her to concentrate on staying at the pinnacle of the women's game.

Australia closed in on winning the second Test and the series against South Africa on Wednesday after Alex Carey struck a maiden century to leave them in a commanding position.

Robert Lewandowski has taken La Liga by storm but Barcelona coach Xavi must cope without him during a busy January period, starting with a Catalan derby against Espanyol on Saturday.

Underneath the calm turquoise waters off eastern Thailand, a rapidly spreading disease is killing corals over vast stretches of the sea floor, and scientists fear it may be getting worse because of climate change.

Dallas star Luka Doncic rewrote the NBA record book on Tuesday with a stunning 60-point triple-double, carrying the Mavericks to a wild 126-121 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.

Nick Kyrgios stunned his teammates by pulling out of the United Cup Wednesday on the eve of the tournament, soon after Rafael Nadal said the Australian had "all the weapons" to win a Grand Slam.

Norway's Casper Ruud declared Wednesday that the world number one ranking could be his as early as the Australian Open in January.

Alex Carey struck a maiden Test century Wednesday to give Australia a vice-like grip on the second Test against South Africa at tea on day three in Melbourne.

Moroccan director Maryam Touzani hopes her latest film, shortlisted for an Oscar, will provoke "a healthy, much-needed debate" around LGBTQ rights and challenge taboos in the conservative country.

Asian markets were mostly lower on Wednesday following declines on Wall Street as China's move to reopen after abandoning its zero-Covid policy revived inflation fears.

With foreign workers making up the vast bulk of private sector jobs in the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf's second-largest economy wants to boost opportunities for its own citizens.

Reinventing himself as a brewer at age 62 would never have occurred to Poul Erik Vestergaard, but Denmark's controversial cull of the country's minks over Covid fears forced him to change course.

A "highly motivated" Rafael Nadal welcomed rival Novak Djokovic's much-anticipated return to the Australian Open as "good for tennis" Wednesday, while brushing off suggestions this may be his last tilt at the season-opening Grand Slam.

Acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda fears that Japan's underfunded, inward-looking cinema industry is putting off young talent, so he's taken matters into his own hands by mentoring up-and-coming filmmakers for a new Netflix series.

South Africa took four wickets, including David Warner first ball after he resumed on 200, but a half-century from Alex Carey strengthened Australia's grip on the second Test in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Exhausted by "surviving instead of living" in Cuba, David Gonzalez set his sights on a new life in the United States.

Among a motley collection of rescued farm animals, four horses graze peacefully on a farm outside the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, blissfully unaware they had narrowly escaped the chopping block.

A Republican elected to Congress in November was facing a growing clamor for his resignation Tuesday after admitting that he made up large parts of his biography -- but refusing to give up his seat.

The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

European and Asian stock markets advanced on Tuesday but Wall Street wavered after China said it would end quarantines for overseas arrivals, spurring hopes for the revival of the world's second-largest economy.