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Washington said Wednesday it was "close" to a deal with Iran on reviving a 2015 pact that saw Western powers provide sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Tehran's nuclear programme, the latest sign of advancement following prolonged deadlock.

Authorities lifted a tsunami advisory and electricity was restored after a powerful 7.4-magnitude quake jolted northeastern Japan on Wednesday night in waters near the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Serbia's 61st-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic shocked sixth-seeded Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 on Wednesday to book a quarter-final clash with Taylor Fritz at the ATP Indian Wells Masters.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky made a desperate appeal for help against Russia to the US Congress on Wednesday, and within hours of the speech, President Joe Biden responded by promising $1 billion in new weapons to fight "war criminal" Vladimir Putin's invading army.

Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family have confirmed they are leading a consortium that will bid to buy English Premier League club Chelsea, as British athletics great Sebastian Coe announced his involvement in a rival effort to purchase the Blues.

Retired Ukraine tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov has returned home to take up arms and defend his native city Kyiv from the Russian invasion.

Australia's Nick Kyrgios became the first man into the Indian Wells ATP Masters quarter-finals on Wednesday when scheduled opponent Jan Sinner withdrew due to illness.

Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who helped his country win Olympic gold last year, has agreed to a Major League Baseball deal with the Chicago Cubs, according to multiple reports Wednesday.

Trainer Willie Mullins finally added a glaring omission to his trophy cabinet landing the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday with Energumene whilst another Irish racing legend Tiger Roll bowed out with honour at the Cheltenham Festival.

Axel Witsel fired in a late winner Wednesday as Borussia Dortmund ground out a 1-0 victory at Mainz to trim Bayern Munich's lead at the top of the Bundesliga to four points.

A long-discussed rival for the US PGA Tour unveiled details for a 2022 season on Wednesday, with a June start in London and four US events, according to multiple media reports.

Reigning men's Olympic and world champion Nathan Chen of the United States on Wednesday withdrew from next week's world figure skating championships in France.

West Indies missed another opportunity to remove Joe Root and the England captain took advantage of the second reprieve in guiding his team to 136 for two at tea on the opening day of the second Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky invoked September 11 and Pearl Harbor in an impassioned address to the US Congress on Wednesday pleading for weapons to fight Russia -- and earning a promise from President Joe Biden just hours later for $1 billion in new arms.

"We didn't even have time to get our things," says Ukrainian refugee Ludmila Nikiforova, one of hundreds fleeing the brutal conflict to Sweden on ferries from Poland every day.

The Federal Reserve escalated its battle against the wave of prices increases battering the US economy on Wednesday by raising the benchmark interest even as it acknowledged the risk posed by the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's leader on Wednesday made 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 aid with arms and sanctions.

A powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolted eastern Japan on Wednesday night, rattling the capital Tokyo and prompting a tsunami advisory for parts of the northeast coast.

Condemnation by Madonna, a Russian tour cancelled by Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd pulling out of streaming platforms -- Western music stars have rallied to the Ukrainian cause.

West Ham defender Kurt Zouma and his brother Yoan face prosecution under British animal welfare laws after a disturbing video circulated showing Kurt slapping and kicking one of his own pet cats.

Eugene Parker, a pioneering American astrophysicist whose mathematical prediction that charged particles streamed from stars in a solar wind was met with disbelief before he was ultimately vindicated, has died aged 94, NASA said on Wednesday.

The NFL will examine two overtime rule change proposals after the Buffalo Bills lost to Kansas City in a January playoff game without ever possessing the ball in extra time.

Global stocks rallied on Wednesday, buoyed by Ukraine peace hopes and China's pledge to help stabilise markets after recent routs.

The comedy satire in which Volodymyr Zelensky unexpectedly becomes Ukraine's president -- his now war-time job in real life -- will be aired again on Netflix, the streaming platform announced Wednesday.

West Ham defender Kurt Zouma and his brother Yoan are being prosecuted under British animal welfare laws after a disturbing video circulated showing Kurt slapping and kicking one of his own pet cats.

Russia on Wednesday ceased to be a member of the Council of Europe after over a quarter of a century of membership in the pan-European rights body, the council said in a statement.

Defensive end Carl Nassib, the NFL's first openly gay active player, was released on Wednesday by the Las Vegas Raiders, according to a report on the NFL website.

Trading in nickel resumed Wednesday on the London Metal Exchange but was disrupted by an IT glitch, after a suspension linked to the Ukraine crisis.

Frank Lampard has urged Everton's players and fans to stick together as his struggling side face the growing threat of relegation from the Premier League.

Two-time Grand National champion Tiger Roll came agonisingly close to a fairytale farewell to the sport he adorned, only to be denied by his stablemate Delta Work in the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday.

The UN's top court on Wednesday ordered Russia to suspend its invasion of Ukraine, saying it was "profoundly concerned" by Moscow's use of force.

Sri Lanka will seek an International Monetary Fund bailout, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Wednesday, to battle record inflation and unprecedented food and fuel shortages as the country runs out of dollars to finance imports.