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European and US stock markets drifted lower while oil prices rose on Wednesday as investors tracked developments surrounding the Ukraine crisis and awaited fresh clues about the US Federal Reserve's interest rate plans.

Ukraine staged military drills and defiant displays of flag-waving patriotism on Wednesday as Western powers warned Russia is continuing to mass forces for a possible invasion.

Russian leader President Vladimir Putin welcomed "constructive" talks Wednesday with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was on his first official trip to Moscow, defying US concerns amid the Ukraine crisis.

Ukrainian cross-country skier Valentyna Kaminska has failed a doping test at the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Games' testing authority said on Wednesday.

Google announced plans Wednesday to limit ad tracking on its Android operating system, a sensitive privacy issue that rival Apple has already moved to address on its iPhones.

US retailers more than regained ground lost in an unexpected December slump, with a surprise boom in January sales, according to government data released Wednesday.

Nepali police fired tear gas and water cannon and arrested 77 demonstrators in the capital Kathmandu as several hundred people protested against a $500-million US grant, authorities said.

Bali began a tentative re-opening to foreign tourists on Wednesday with the first international passenger flight to the Indonesian holiday island in nearly two years.

Teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will go for a second Beijing Olympics title on Thursday, the next chapter in a damaging doping scandal which has overshadowed the Games.

The centuries-old language watchdog Academie Francaise has warned that growing use of English by public and private bodies risks poor communication and could even undermine social cohesion.

Outspoken British Olympian Gus Kenworthy said Wednesday that he is biting his tongue while in Beijing because of the "very real risks" of criticising hosts China.

The manuscript of "The Little Prince" travels to France for the first time this week as part of an exhibition about its legendary author Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Disgraced British royal Prince Andrew was urged Wednesday to "live out his retirement in ignominy" after reportedly settling a sexual assault lawsuit for a whopping £12 million ($16.3 million, 14.3 million euros).

European stock markets steadied Wednesday after a volatile start to the trading week, as investors tracked developments surrounding the Ukraine crisis.

Ukraine staged military drills and defiant displays of flag-waving patriotism on Wednesday as NATO warned Russia is continuing to mass forces for a possible invasion.

Austria's Johannes Strolz expects to put his work as a traffic policeman on hold after earning his second medal of the Beijing Olympics with silver in the slalom on Wednesday.

Burkina Faso strongman Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was inaugurated as president on Wednesday, just over three weeks after he led a coup to topple elected head of state Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

On the ice, the 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valieva exudes composure and emotional maturity.

The 72nd Berlinale film festival awards its top prizes on Wednesday including its Golden Bear for best picture and a gender-neutral acting gong after a reduced in-person run under the pandemic.

Former France scrum-half Pierre Mignoni will return to Toulon next season as director of rugby, the Top 14 strugglers' president Bernard Lemaitre said on Wednesday.

Vietnam will re-open to international tourists on March 15 after a two-year border closure due to the pandemic, the government said Wednesday.

The EU's top court on Wednesday rejected a challenge by Poland and Hungary to a mechanism allowing Brussels to slash funding to member states that flout democratic standards.

Nigeria's state-run oil company said it had started a 24-hour distribution of petrol to service stations to end a week-long scarcity that has caused traffic snarls in major cities.

France's public accounts watchdog warned Wednesday about the state of the country's finances, which have deteriorated dramatically in the last two years due to a massive Covid-19 rescue package, tax cuts and spending commitments.

China has not adopted the rules of the World Trade Organization even after 20 years' membership, the United States said Wednesday, adding that the world's second-biggest economy had "retained and expanded" its statist approach to the detriment of businesses and workers globally.

Disgraced British royal Prince Andrew faced a call Wednesday to "live out his retirement in ignominy" after reportedly settling a sexual assault lawsuit for a whopping £12 million ($16.3 million, 14.3 million euros).

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for Hong Kong to take "all necessary measures" to control an Omicron-fuelled Covid-19 outbreak, Beijing-affiliated newspapers in the city said Wednesday, a day after leader Carrie Lam ruled out a China-style hard lockdown.

Slovakia eliminated the United States in the Beijing Olympic ice hockey quarterfinals Wednesday, stunning the Americans with a tying goal in the final minute of regulation before winning 3-2 in a shootout.

As the title of his new album suggests, Metronomy's Joe Mount found an unexpected sense of connection to the rest of the planet in the midst of the pandemic.

Sporting shoulder-length hair, rings and baggy trousers, teenage snowboarding sensation Su Yiming looked every inch the cool, confident ambassador of China's new youth as he swept to home Olympic gold.

Ukrainian leaders were to stage a "Day of Unity" on Wednesday to rally patriotic support and defy fears of a Russian invasion, as Moscow announced an end to military manoeuvres in occupied Crimea.

Landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rainfall killed at least 18 people Tuesday in a tourist town in the hills above Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian firefighters said.