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World

Britain's inflation rate increases to 3.4 pct in December

LONDON, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Britain's consumer price index (CPI) rose by 3.4 percent year on year in December 2025, accelerating from 3.2 percent in November, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Wednesday.

World

Qatar's Hamad International Airport handles 54.3 mln passengers in 2025

DOHA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Qatar's Hamad International Airport handled 54.3 million passengers in 2025, up 3 percent from the previous year, the airport operator said on Wednesday.

Rugby

Rugby-Former England captain George to retire after next season

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Former England ‌captain Jamie George will retire from rugby at the ‌end of the 2026-27 season, the 35-year-old hooker said on ‌Wednesday, after signing a one-year contract extension with lifelong club Saracens. 

World

2nd LD Writethru: Trump reiterates push to acquire Greenland, slams Europe, NATO at Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed his push for U.S. acquisition of Greenland and sharpened criticism of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a special address at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, adding fresh strain to transatlantic ties.

Hockey

Olympics-US replace injured Jones with LaCombe on men's Olympic ice hockey roster

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Jackson ‌LaCombe of the Anaheim Ducks has ‌replaced injured defenseman Seth Jones in ‌the United States men's ice hockey roster for the upcoming Milano Cortina Olympics, USA Hockey said on ‍Wednesday.

Rugby

Rugby-Henshaw joins growing Irish injury list for start of Six Nations

DUBLIN, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Robbie Henshaw will ‌miss the start of the Six Nations, bringing to ten the number of Irish players ruled ‌out for at least the tournament's opening games as Andy Farrell named a depleted squad ‌on Wednesday.

Cricket

Cricket-Abhishek blitzes NZ in big India win

NEW DELHI, Jan 21 (Reuters) - ‌Opener Abhishek Sharma smashed an incendiary 84 to fashion India's ‌48-run victory against New Zealand in the first Twenty20 international ‌in Nagpur on Wednesday.

Other Sports

Olympics-Austrians seek to dent German luge hegemony

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - To say ‌that Germany is the dominant force in Olympic luge barely does justice to the country's near-total ‌hegemony of the high-speed, "feet-first" sliding event and it would be a huge surprise if they do ‌not win most, if not all of the five golds available in Cortina next month.

Football

Soccer-France defender Lucas Hernandez accused of exploiting Colombian family

PARIS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - French ‌prosecutors are investigating Paris St Germain and France ‌defender Lucas Hernandez and his partner following allegations of ‌human trafficking and illegal employment by a Colombian family, a judicial source said on Wednesday.

Motorsport

Motor racing-FIA plays down talk of engine protest at Melbourne opener

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - ‌Formula One's governing body has played down talk of the sport's new engine ‌rules triggering a protest that overshadows the Australian season-opener in March.

World

US military starts transferring Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq

WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Wednesday that its forces have ‌transferred 150 Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, announcing an effort that ‌could eventually see 7,000 detainees moved out of Syria.

World

20 pct of mammals at risk of extinction in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini: report

JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- About 20 percent of mammals in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini are threatened with extinction, and a further 12 percent are classified as near threatened, according to the 2025 Regional Mammal Red List of Threatened Species released Wednesday.

World

1st LD Writethru: 5 shot dead in South Africa's Gauteng Province

JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Five people were shot dead on Wednesday outside a tuck shop in Jeffsville, Atteridgeville, in South Africa's Gauteng Province, local police said in a statement.

Football

Soccer-Man City players to reimburse travelling fans after shock defeat in Bodo

MANCHESTER, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Manchester City ‌players will dig into their own pockets to refund travelling fans after ‌a humiliating 3-1 Champions League defeat to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in Arctic ‌conditions.

World

Davos participants react to Trump's Greenland speech

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President ‌Donald Trump ruled out the use of force in his bid to control ‌Greenland on Wednesday but said in a speech in Davos that no other ‌country can secure the autonomous Danish territory. 

World

Trump chides Carney at Davos, says Canada should be 'grateful'

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump chided ‌Mark Carney in a speech in Davos on Wednesday ‌after the Canadian prime minister delivered a rousing address on a "rupture" in the international rules-based order.

World

Death toll from Spanish rail crash rises to 43

MADRID, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Sunday's rail crash near the town of Adamuz in the southern Spanish province of Cordoba has risen to 43 after another body was recovered from the wreckage on Wednesday, Spanish authorities confirmed.

World

1st LD: European Parliament puts EU-U.S. trade deal on hold over Greenland tariff threats

STRASBOURG, France, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament on Wednesday announced to put on hold the approval of the EU-U.S. trade deal following U.S. threats of tariffs over Greenland.

Other Sports

Olympics-Italy bets on Games infrastructure for economic boost

ROME, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Italy hopes ‌to receive a "healthy dose of doping" for its economy from investments linked to the Milano Cortina 2026 ‌Winter Olympics, arguing that major events can accelerate long‑delayed infrastructure projects.

World

Romania's far-right opposition dominates in latest opinion poll

BUCHAREST, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Romania's hard-right ‌opposition party the Alliance for Uniting Romanians is towering over the four parties of ‌the pro-European coalition government in popular support, an opinion poll showed on ‌Wednesday, although no election is due until 2028.