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Lionel Messi was among the scorers as Argentina wrapped up their World Cup preparations with a 5-0 friendly victory over the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo is suffering a stomach bug and will be left out of the team's World Cup warm-up friendly against Nigeria on Thursday, according to his coach Fernando Santos.

Brexit is hurting the UK economy, Bank of England officials said Wednesday, even as government leaders downplay the impact of the seismic EU withdrawal.

James Maddison said there was great "energy" in the England World Cup squad as Gareth Southgate's men seek to take the final step and win their first major trophy for 56 years.

Charles Caudrelier won the Route du Rhum on Wednesday, smashing the record in the transatlantic race though the finish in Guadeloupe was marred by the deaths of two spectators.

A Pakistani film portraying romance between a married man and a transgender woman was cleared for domestic screenings on Wednesday, officials said, reversing a government ban forced by Islamist pressure.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has been given three-match ban in La Liga for showing "disrespect" towards a referee, which he will serve when Spanish domestic football resumes after the World Cup.

Some have fled or gone into hiding while for others, just to walk in front of their party's now abandoned headquarters stirs dread.

The James Webb Space Telescope unveiled its latest image of celestial majesty on Wednesday, an ethereal hourglass of orange and blue dust being shot out from a newly forming star at its centre.

World champions France touched down in Qatar on Wednesday as Argentina and superstar Lionel Messi warmed up for the World Cup with a goal in a friendly.

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton paid tribute on Wednesday to Owen Farrell who is set to become only the third English player to reach the 100 cap milestone saying "his leadership is outstanding".

Three candidate vaccines against the strain of Ebola wreaking havoc in Uganda will be shipped to the East African country next week for trials, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

Tesla tycoon Elon Musk on Wednesday defended his $50 billion pay package as CEO of the electric vehicle giant, arguing that the pioneering company was expected to collapse when the deal was agreed.

Novak Djokovic confirmed Wednesday he has received a visa to travel to Melbourne to play in the 2023 Australian Open, after he was deported last January over his vaccine status.

Novak Djokovic confirmed Wednesday he has received a visa to travel to Melbourne to play in the 2023 Australian Open, after he was deported last January over his vaccine status.

The ball that Diego Maradona handled to score his infamous "Hand of God" goal for Argentina against England in the 1986 World Cup sold at auction on Wednesday for £2 million ($2.4 million).

Prince William, who has the royal title Prince of Wales, on Wednesday defended his support for England's football team while meeting lawmakers in the Welsh parliament.

Novak Djokovic advanced to the semi-finals of the ATP Masters Series in Turin on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Andrey Rublev, his second straight sets victory in as many matches.

New Zealand's Ryan Fox will lead the hunt to deny Rory McIlroy the honour of becoming only the second player in history to win both the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in a single year.

Tesla tycoon Elon Musk took the stand on Wednesday as part of a trial over his $50 billion pay package as CEO of the electric car giant.

On the Greek island of Naxos, two divers reeled in not the catch of the day but a jumble of cable, rope, fishing nets and old clothes from the seafloor.

The World Food Programme said its first aid convoy since the signing of a landmark peace deal between Ethiopia's government and Tigrayan rebels had arrived in the war-torn Tigray region on Wednesday.

Christian Pulisic says the World Cup is a chance to change global perceptions of American soccer as the United States return to the tournament after an eight-year absence.

US retail sales jumped more than expected in October, bumped up by higher gas prices and auto sales while pointing to resilience in spending in the face of price pressures, according to government data released Wednesday.

Conservationists in Niger said on Wednesday they had transferred threatened West African giraffes to a new home 600 kilometres (375 miles) away.

A joint bid by the five national associations of the United Kingdom and Ireland to host the 2028 European Championship published a shortlist of 14 venues for the tournament on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian welder pondered the afterlife while whispering wedding vows to the nurse with whom he had three children in just-liberated Kherson.

South African rugby authorities should have a word in Springbok director of rugby Rassie Erasmus's ear and tell him to stop criticising match referees, says former Wales head coach Warren Gatland.

A musical adaptation of "Monsoon Wedding" starting Thursday in Qatar had to remove alcohol and kissing, but the hit film's director Mira Nair insists it has not lost its "soul".

As COP27 delegates in Egypt debate planet-heating emissions, the climate crisis is exacerbating devastating hunger across several African nations and will worsen further without urgent action, the UN said Wednesday.

Israel blamed Iran on Wednesday after what it said was a drone strike hit a tanker operated by an Israeli-owned firm carrying gas oil off the coast of Oman.

Poland on Wednesday said a deadly blast that killed two people in a village near the border with Ukraine was likely caused by a stray Ukrainian air defence missile launched against a Russian barrage.