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Microsoft on Tuesday announced a landmark $69 billion deal to buy US gaming giant Activision Blizzard, betting big on the prospects of the video game market by scooping up the scandal-hit "Call of Duty" maker.

Rafael Nadal steps up his march towards a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Wednesday, with Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka also taking centre stage.

A German referee has revealed he has been the target of a death threat and abusive emails since England midfielder Jude Bellingham sharply criticised his handling of last month's Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday weighed the fate of a painting by Camille Pissarro looted by the Nazis in 1939 and currently on display at a gallery in Spain.

Tourism arrivals around the world are not expected to return to their pre-pandemic levels until 2024 at the earliest, the World Tourism Organization said Tuesday.

Lionel Messi was back in full training with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday for the first time since testing positive for Covid-19 at the end of last year.

Israeli police on Tuesday backed down from attempts to evict Palestinians from their home in a Jerusalem flashpoint district, the family said.

The Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, the World Health Organization chief said Tuesday, cautioning against a narrative that the fast-spreading Omicron variant is risk-free.

Ingrid Betancourt -- who was abducted 20 years ago while campaigning for Colombia's presidency, and held captive by FARC rebels in the jungle for more than six years -- on Tuesday announced a new bid for the country's top job.

Irina Karamanos, the partner of Chile's president elect Gabriel Boric, announced on Tuesday she would take on the official role of first lady but vowed to make it more feminist.

Britain's York Racecourse is to rename the Duke of York Stakes in an effort to distance itself from Queen Elizabeth II's second son Prince Andrew, who is facing a US civil case for sexual assault.

Senegal were held 0-0 by minnows Malawi in Bafoussam on Tuesday despite the return of stars Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Idrissa Gueye, but still won Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidance on transgender inclusion poses a risk to the integrity of female competition, according to a study produced by 38 medical experts.

A volcano that exploded in the Pacific island nation of Tonga has almost disappeared from view, new images revealed Tuesday, with swathes of the country smothered in grey dust or damaged by a tsunami.

AT&T will delay activating its 5G network on a "limited number of towers" near some airport runways following warnings from US airlines, a spokesperson for the telecommunications company said Tuesday.

Activision Blizzard is a star developer of gaming hits like "Call of Duty", but the firm has been roiled by serious sex discrimination allegations that have led to lawsuits, firings and official scrutiny.

On a frosty morning in London's Hyde Park, onlookers aim their mobile phones at the top of the Serpentine Gallery.

Hong Kong will cull hundreds of hamsters after some tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Tuesday, as the city pushes to maintain its strict "zero-Covid" strategy.

Everton announced on Tuesday they had appointed Duncan Ferguson as caretaker manager for the second time following the sacking of Rafael Benitez.

A Roman villa housing the only mural by Caravaggio failed to find a bidder in an auction Tuesday sparked by a dispute between its heirs.

The trial of Iranian-Swedish dissident Habib Chaab started in Tehran on Tuesday, state television showed, with charges including terrorism and "spreading corruption on earth" punishable by the death sentence.

The English Football League (EFL) must work "pragmatically and rapidly" to resolve issues that threaten the future of Derby County, according to a UK government minister.

Rwandan Salima Mukansanga became the first woman to referee an Africa Cup of Nations match when she oversaw the Group B clash between Guinea and Zimbabwe in Yaounde on Tuesday.

Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made Nazi salutes and lauded white power on Tuesday as he asked for parole just 10 years after carrying out Norway's deadliest peacetime attack, using his court appearance to spread his ideology.

Wales coach Wayne Pivac is confident the extra responsibility of captaincy will "add' to the game of Dan Biggar after he named the fly-half as skipper for his side's Six Nations title defence in place of the injured Alun Wyn Jones.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday "categorically" denied claims by his former chief aide that he lied to parliament about a Downing Street party held during a strict lockdown.

Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz said Tuesday he will not be swayed by critics of his underperforming team as the seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions target a spot in the knockout rounds.

Argentina's economy minister, renegotiating a massive loan with the International Monetary Fund, warned the lender risked losing credibility if it "pushes" the country "into a destabilizing situation."

The Saudi-led coalition killed 14 people in air strikes on Yemen's rebel-held capital, a medical source said Tuesday, after an attack by Huthi insurgents on the United Arab Emirates sent regional tensions soaring.

Wales manager Ryan Giggs's trial on charges of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and her sister has been delayed until August because of a courts backlog, meaning Robert Page is set to lead the side in March's World Cup play-offs.

World Player of the Year Antoine Dupont has been named in France's Six Nations squad by head coach Fabien Galthie despite not having played since December 11.

The EU's effort to implement an internationally agreed minimum tax on big multinationals was met with opposition by Poland and Hungary on Tuesday, endangering a major priority of France's presidency of the bloc.

Teenage US Open champion Emma Raducanu sent 2017 Flushing Meadows winner Sloane Stephens crashing out of the Australian Open at the first hurdle Tuesday, producing some devastating tennis in a return to form.

Microsoft announced Tuesday a $69 billion deal to purchase US gaming giant Activision Blizzard, the firm behind hits like "Call of Duty" that has been hit by allegations of sex discrimination against women.

Former world number one Andy Murray turned back the clock in typically combative style and favourite Daniil Medvedev set up a blockbuster second-round showdown with Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Greek painter Alekos Fassianos, one of the country's greatest 20th century artists, was laid to rest Tuesday at a funeral in an Athens suburb attended by the prime minister, senior officials and hundreds of mourners.

Novak Djokovic may be public enemy number one to many in Melbourne but he has found an unlikely ally in Nick Kyrgios -- and now the Australian wants them to play doubles.

Doctors in Ethiopia's Tigray region are recycling surgical gloves and using salt to disinfect wounds as essential medical supplies run out, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday.

The influential former leader of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev denied any conflict with his successor Tuesday, in his first appearance since unprecedented violence in the Central Asian country sparked rumours of a power struggle.