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Kurdish forces slowly advanced Wednesday inside a Syria prison where jihadists have been holed up for six days, in violence that has cost hundreds of lives, a war monitor said.

Stefanos Tsitsipas said he was "in the zone" after producing his best match of the tournament to demolish Jannik Sinner and storm into his third Australian Open semi-final on Wednesday.

Beijing shrugged off IMF warnings about the economic impact of its aggressive anti-Covid policy, saying on Wednesday that China has achieved "significant results" and is a key driver of global growth.

A Polish luger who feared his Beijing 2022 dreams were over when he was seriously injured testing the Olympic track will compete at the Games next month -- but with deep mental and physical scars.

Ashleigh Barty is wary of "exceptional athlete" Madison Keys but the resurgent American knows she will need more than supreme fitness to outsmart the top seed and make the Australian Open final.

Israeli director Alon Schwarz concedes he might face a backlash over his documentary on an alleged 1948 massacre of Palestinians, but says the Jewish state's citizens need "to understand our history".

Iga Swiatek said she was proud of how she battled from a set down to make her maiden Australian Open semi-final Wednesday, with a Grand Slam comeback "a new thing for me".

Europe's busiest airport in Istanbul was "gradually" resuming normal operations after a blizzard shut it down for a day, the head of Turkish Airlines said on Wednesday.

Undeterred by the heavy medical bags on their backs, a group of Chinese doctors zipped down a steep ski slope, part of a crack medical team tasked with racing to any injured athletes during the Winter Olympics.

Most markets rose Wednesday to provide some respite from the hefty selling at the start of the week, with focus on the end of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting later in the day, when traders hope it will provide much-needed guidance on its plans for hiking interest rates.

Stefanos Tsitsipas stormed into his third Australian Open semi-final with a blistering straight-sets victory over Jannik Sinner on Wednesday.

Japan can overcome losing half their defence to injury and take a big step towards World Cup qualification this week, their Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino said Wednesday.

The city of San Jose voted Tuesday to pass a law that will compel gun owners to take out insurance to cover any damage caused by their weapon, a move its mayor said was the first of its kind in the United States.

Most Asian markets enjoyed some respite Wednesday from the hefty selling at the start of the week, with focus on the end of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting later in the day, when traders hope it will provide much-needed guidance on its plans for hiking interest rates.

A Syrian neighbourhood targeted by regime bombing lies in ruins, with bodies and broken toys poking out of the rubble; tall, grey buildings are reduced to crumbling, empty shells, their walls blown away or pockmarked by the blast.

A coronavirus-hit Australian warship docked in Tonga on Wednesday, delivering desperately needed aid to the volcano-and-tsunami-struck nation under strict "no-contact" protocols.

Underground operations have finally begun at a copper mine in Mongolia, official media has reported, ending years of delays for Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto.

Opening one of his many cages, Michal Trojczak watches proudly as more than 70 dusty-blue pigeons take flight, soaring high above snow-covered fields in eastern Poland.

From hypersonic to cruise missiles, North Korea started 2022 with its most intensive spate of weapons testing in years, but analysts said the barrage is more domestic political ploy than a diplomatic gambit.

A resurgent Danielle Collins said feeling herself again after difficult surgery, coupled with improved strength and stamina, helped power her into the last four of the Australian Open Wednesday.

An Indigenous community in Canada has identified nearly 100 "potential" graves at a residential school site, months after the discovery of hundreds of children's remains at former boarding schools rocked the country.

Danielle Collins and Iga Swiatek will meet in the Australian Open semi-finals after vastly contrasting wins in the last eight on Wednesday.

Cardi B has won some $4 million in a libel lawsuit in the United States against a celebrity gossip blogger, who posted claims that the superstar rapper was a "prostitute" who had herpes and used cocaine.

Iga Swiatek came from a set down to make her maiden Australian Open semi-final Wednesday by battling past gutsy veteran Kaia Kanepi to set up a last-four clash with Danielle Collins.

Human rights activists and some academics in China have had their WeChat messaging app accounts restricted in recent weeks, multiple people affected have told AFP, as Beijing cracks down on dissent before the Winter Olympics.

When Olympic champions at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games are handed their customary bouquets on the medal stand, no one will be prouder than Shanghai pensioner Mou Guoying.

Alize Cornet said she has "eternal respect" for Grand Slam champions after her Australian Open exit Wednesday -- and now knows just how hard it is to win seven matches in two weeks to lift a major.

A coronavirus-hit Australian warship will dock in Tonga Wednesday, delivering desperately needed aid to the volcano-and-tsunami-struck nation under strict "no-contact" protocols.

Supermarket shelves are bare and restaurants can't serve meals, but Sri Lanka's economic crisis is a bonanza for used car dealers, with vehicle shortages pushing prices higher than a house in a nice area.

Two months before it is due to open with just a handful of confirmed flights, workers are racing to finish a new international airport for Mexico City -- one of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's flagship projects.

The "old fogeys" of Chilean politics must go, says Isabel Allende -- a stance that is true to form for the novelist, whose latest book "Violeta" is a sweeping epic depicting the transformation between past and present.

Asian markets enjoyed some respite Wednesday from the hefty selling at the start of the week, with focus on the end of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting later in the day, when traders hope it will provide much-needed guidance on its plans for hiking interest rates.