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Japan's government approved new coronavirus restrictions on a large part of the country, including Tokyo, on Wednesday as it battles record infections fuelled by the Omicron variant.

English golfer Paul Casey on Wednesday defended Saudi Arabia's $200 million cash injection to revive the Asian Tour, following criticism of the deal over the oil-rich kingdom's human rights record.

Hong Kong's government faced outrage Wednesday over its decision to cull thousands of small animals after hamsters in a pet store tested positive for Covid-19.

The Taliban's prime minister called Wednesday on Muslim nations to be the first to officially recognise their government, as aid-dependent Afghanistan faces economic collapse.

Robert Tomlinson picks rhubarb stalks by candlelight in the dark, carrying on a century-old family tradition that survives today despite the challenges posed to his business by Brexit and climate change.

Taiwan said Wednesday its deputy leader will go to the inauguration of Honduran president-elect Xiomara Castro as the island faces the potential loss of yet another diplomatic ally in Latin America.

Survivors of twin earthquakes in Afghanistan were waiting Wednesday for aid to arrive after spending their second night exposed to sub-zero temperatures following tremors that killed at least 22 people and wrecked homes.

At 92, Giddes Chalamanda has no idea what TikTok is. He doesn't even own a smartphone.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka threw her support Wednesday behind a vaccine mandate on the women's tour, as tennis wrestles with the fall-out of the saga surrounding unvaccinated Novak Djokovic.

Women's top seed Ashleigh Barty took a step closer to a potential fourth-round showdown with Naomi Osaka with a second flawless display at the Australian Open on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, as France, Germany and Brazil posted new records of infections in the past 24 hours.

Women's tennis needs to hear directly from Peng Shuai to know that she is safe, two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka said Wednesday, as fears persist for China's former world number one doubles player.

Microsoft's $69 billion deal to buy video game powerhouse Activision Blizzard is expected to win out with regulators despite vows in Europe and the United States to rein in tech titans.

A human rights lawyer has been detained in China on suspicion of "inciting state subversion", according to an official notice obtained by his wife weeks after he spoke out for a hospitalised teacher.

France's Harmony Tan had to be helped off court in a wheelchair Wednesday after breaking down in agony with calf problems during her second-round Australian Open clash with Elina Svitolina.

Top seed Ashleigh Barty said Wednesday she had been working hard to make her serve "a weapon" and it paid off as she raced into the Australian Open third round with another near-flawless performance.

President Joe Biden transformed the White House in his first year with policies unrecognizable from the Trump era -- at least regarding the policy on pets, that is.

The Chinese megacity of Xi'an has partially resumed public transport, according to official announcements, after millions were confined to their homes for weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak.

Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha called Wednesday for treason charges against him to be dropped as his trial resumed after two years of delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Long uprooted from his native Iraq, Naseer Shamma, an icon of the Arabic oud, has returned home to help rekindle the flame of Iraqi music, snuffed out by decades of conflict.

As the EU moves to label energy from nuclear power and natural gas as "green" investments, Austria is gearing up to fight this, including with a legal complaint.

Housewife Maira Tayyab has considered begging for money to feed her family in inflation-hit Pakistan, while shop owner Mohammad Hanif finds his thoughts turning to crime.

Every day, Aiden Lee joins the hundreds of thousands of people getting around Taipei on two wheels.

Beijing has forced nearly 10,000 Chinese overseas nationals to return since 2014 using coercive means outside the justice system, according to a new report.

The Spanish government is increasingly under fire over its use of the European Union's massive economic recovery funds, with critics blasting the distribution of aid as too slow and arbitrary.

A Belgian court on Wednesday is to deliver its verdict in a trial of 23 people suspected of being involved with a gang that smuggled Vietnamese migrants to Britain, 39 of whom died in the back of a truck in October 2019.

Liam Broady panned the intimidating home support for Nick Krygios at the Australian Open as an "absolutely awful" experience and one of the toughest atmospheres in which to play tennis.

Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled its big-ticket plans to buy US video game powerhouse Activision Blizzard, a record-smashing acquisition in the gaming sector.

A thief has made off with 42,000 much-sought rapid antigen tests from a freight depot in Sydney, authorities said Wednesday.

Teenage US Open champion Emma Raducanu says 2022 will be a learning experience as she adjusts to the big time, with her first-round win at the Australian Open "a great step forward".

When Joe Biden became president, he inherited an America divided in almost every conceivable way, promising to be a force for unity and reconciliation.

Andy Murray called it "irritating" and Nick Kyrgios said it was "stupid" as confused players at the Australian Open had to deal with spectators giving them Cristiano Ronaldo's "siuu" celebration treatment.