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Ferdinand Marcos Jr was Wednesday proclaimed the next Philippine president after a landslide win in elections that rights groups and religious leaders fear could weaken the corruption-prone country's fragile democracy.

He was once described as a "greased piglet", with an uncanny knack of wriggling free from politically perilous situations -- usually of his own making.

British clothing-to-food retailer Marks and Spencer on Wednesday announced a full exit from Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Chinese and Australian foreign ministers will launch duelling charm offensives in the South Pacific Thursday, as Beijing and the West jostle for influence in the strategically significant region.

More than 100 activists sought to block oil giant TotalEnergies' annual general meeting in central Paris on Wednesday to protest the energy firm's climate policies and continued presence in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Wednesday said it would sell its patented drugs on a not-for-profit basis to the world's poorest countries, as part of a new initiative announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The ground shook and birds scattered moments after Natalia Timofeyenko climbed out of her bunker to reassure herself that she was not alone on the east Ukrainian front.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson braced Wednesday for the release of a senior civil servant's long-awaited full report into a "Partygate" scandal, as new allegations emerged about a culture of lockdown-breaking boozing in his offices.

Markets were mixed Wednesday, with little sign of any relief from recent dour performances as investors remain fearful about the economic outlook owing to the impact of inflation, higher interest rates, China's slowdown and the Ukraine war.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a video call with UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday, as she visits Xinjiang during a mission overshadowed by fresh allegations of Uyghur abuses and fears she is being used as a public relations tool.

The UK government announced Wednesday it had given the green light to Todd Boehly's proposed takeover of Chelsea football club from the sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Wednesday said it would sell its patented drugs at a not-for-profit basis to the world's poorest countries, as part of a new initiative announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The UK government announced Wednesday it had given the green light to Todd Boehly's proposed takeover of Chelsea football club from the sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

A head pops out of the toilet, a woman gets pregnant from birth control pills -- South Korean Booker Prize nominee Bora Chung's short stories are full of horror, inspired by her own lonely life.

India said it has capped sugar exports to safeguard its own supplies and ease inflation, days after a ban on wheat shipments sent global prices soaring in the wake of the Ukraine war.

Boeing's Starliner capsule is readying to return to Earth on Wednesday in the final step of a key test flight to prove itself worthy of providing rides for NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was on Wednesday given the additional responsibility of running the finance ministry as the island nation grapples with its worst-ever economic crisis.

Bangladesh made early inroads on the third day of the second Test in Dhaka on Wednesday but Sri Lanka recovered to reach lunch at 210-4, still trailing by 155.

A teenage gunman killed at least 19 young children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas on Tuesday, prompting a furious President Joe Biden to denounce the US gun lobby and vow to end the nation's cycle of mass shootings.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a video call with UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday, as she visits Xinjiang during a mission overshadowed by fresh allegations of Uyghur abuses and fears she is being used as a public relations tool by the Communist Party.

North Korea fired a volley of missiles early Wednesday including a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile, just hours after US President Joe Biden left Asia after a trip overshadowed by Pyongyang's sabre-rattling.

On a sun-drenched Sierra Leone beach, a one-legged man balances on his crutches and fires the ball past a one-armed goalkeeper.

All roads leading into Pakistan's capital Islamabad were blocked on Wednesday ahead of a major protest planned by ousted prime minister Imran Khan and his supporters.

As the sound of artillery rumbles in the distance and the occasional air raid siren wails, Anna Bondar waits her turn to fill up on drinking water in Mykolaiv, a port city in southern Ukraine.

"To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away," said US President Joe Biden -- a twice-bereaved father channeling his own heartache to console a nation devastated by another mass shooting on Tuesday.

US oil and gas firms took advantage of energy worries over the Ukraine war to push their fossil fuel products and resist climate change regulatory measures, an analysis showed on Wednesday.

Luka Doncic scored 30 points as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Golden State Warriors 119-109 to keep their NBA Western Conference finals series alive on Tuesday.

At the height of his career, Vietnamese hacker Ngo Minh Hieu made a fortune stealing the personal data of hundreds of millions of Americans.

Reigning champion Novak Djokovic will come up against his long-time former coach when he plays Slovakia's Alex Molcan in the second round Wednesday at Roland Garros, while Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz look to keep their French Open title ambitions on course.

Asian markets fluctuated Wednesday, with little sign of any relief from recent dour performances as investors remain fearful about the economic outlook owing to the impact of inflation, higher interest rates, China's slowdown and the Ukraine war.

A teenage gunman killed at least 19 young children and two adults at an elementary school in Texas on Tuesday, prompting a furious President Joe Biden to denounce the US gun lobby and vow to end the nation's cycle of mass shootings.

Fearing Russia's invasion of Ukraine will disrupt its crucial supply of fertilizer imports, agricultural powerhouse Brazil is increasingly turning to natural alternatives.