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Conservation group BirdLife Cyprus reported Wednesday a "worrying increase" in illegal bird trappings last year, blaming authorities for reducing fines for killing protected species.

Ukraine mobilised its military reserves and Russia evacuated its Kyiv embassy on Wednesday as fears reached fever pitch of a full-scale conflict breaking out in eastern Europe.

Stock markets mostly rose and oil prices held relatively steady Wednesday as economic sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Russia-Ukraine crisis were deemed less harsh than expected.

Andy Murray described Alexander Zverev's racquet-smashing spree that got the German kicked out of the ATP tournament in Acapulco late on Tuesday as "dangerous" and "reckless".

Tunisia has withdrawn from cinemas a new Agatha Christie adaptation starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot, following protests over "normalisation" with the Jewish state, officials said Wednesday.

German Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev said there "was no excuse" for smashing his racket on the umpire's chair several times and his foul-mouthed rant at the official was "unacceptable", as he was expelled from the Acapulco Open by the ATP.

Police hailed a hostage held by a gunman in an Apple store in Amsterdam as a hero Wednesday after he helped end the tense, hours-long ordeal that gripped the Dutch city.

Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan shared a record 174-run seventh-wicket stand as Bangladesh recovered from a top-order collapse to beat Afghanistan by four wickets in the first one-day international of a three-match series in Chittagong on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has "gone full tonto" by ordering his troops into two rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine, Britain's defence secretary said Wednesday in unguarded comments to military officials.

Every hour, from dawn til dusk, Ukraine's soulful national anthem echoes across Kyiv's expansive Maidan Square, just as it did in 2014.

Tadej Pogacar made an early-season statement when he sprinted away from an elite group on Wednesday to win the first climbing stage of the World Tour season in the UAE Tour.

French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi said Wednesday that its Covid-19 vaccine, developed with Britain's GSK, had delivered positive results after nearly a year of delays left it lagging far behind its rivals.

It is admired the world over as an exquisite depiction of maternal grief. But Michelangelo's "Pieta" has overshadowed two other moving sculptures on the same subject by the Renaissance giant.

British bank Barclays on Wednesday suspended £22 million of bonuses owed to ex-boss Jes Staley amid a probe into his links with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he is delighted Raul Jimenez is back playing football after witnessing the Wolves striker fracture his skull.

Emma Raducanu's disappointing run since her shock US Open triumph continued at the Guadalajara Open when the top seed retired with a hip injury in her first round match against Australia's Daria Saville.

Negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal have entered a "critical" stage during which some key issues still need to be resolved, Tehran's top diplomat said on Wednesday.

A man who stalked British tennis star Emma Raducanu, walking 23 miles (37 kilometres) to her home and taking one of her father's shoes, was on Wednesday given a five-year restraining order.

With companies reaping increasing amounts of data from consumers and firms, the EU is looking at wrestling back access to that digital information under a Data Act proposed Wednesday by the European Commission.

Lebanon has thwarted a plan by the Islamic State group to carry out three suicide bombings targeting Shiite religious compounds in Beirut's southern suburbs, the interior ministry said Wednesday.

Stock markets mostly rose and oil prices fell Wednesday as economic sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Russia-Ukraine crisis were deemed less harsh than expected.

Sally Horrox has been appointed as World Rugby's director of women's rugby, the global governing body announced Wednesday.

Archaeologists deep in the Jordanian desert have discovered a 9,000-year-old ritualistic complex near what is thought to be the earliest known large human-built structure worldwide.

Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit has been dropped from the match-day 23 to play England in the Six Nations Championship at Twickenham this weekend, according to a Wales Online report published Wednesday.

President Emmanuel Macron will launch his re-election bid on March 5 at an inaugural campaign rally in Marseille, sources in his party said Wednesday.

A man who held several people hostage at an Apple store in Amsterdam demanded 200 million euros ($230 million) in cryptocurrency before he was taken to hospital "seriously injured", police said Wednesday.

China on Wednesday dismissed comparisons between the Ukraine crisis and its own claim over Taiwan, after the self-ruled island's president said evidence of Russian aggression was being used to hurt Taiwanese morale.

Ukraine mobilised its military reserve Wednesday and urged its citizens to leave Russian territory as Moscow sharpened its demands, increasing fears of all-out war.

The world should provide millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines to North Korea, where "draconian" anti-pandemic measures are worsening an already-severe food crisis, a UN human rights expert said Wednesday.

An award-winning Ugandan author who fled the country after being charged with insulting President Yoweri Museveni and his son told AFP Wednesday that he was "relieved" to be in Germany for medical treatment after being "tortured" in jail.

Rohit Sharma said Wednesday he was happy to help train possible successors following his recent appointment as India's cricket captain across all formats in place of Virat Kohli.

German Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev has been expelled from the Mexican Open in Acapulco after smashing his racket on the umpire's chair several times and directing a foul-mouthed rant at the official, the ATP announced Wednesday.