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Roman Abramovich rose from a penniless background in Russia's frozen north to become a multi-billionaire and a celebrity football tycoon who transformed the fortunes of one of England's most famous clubs.

Chelsea survived a major FA Cup scare to reach the quarter-finals with a 3-2 win at Luton just hours after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale on Wednesday.

Everton's Ukraine defender Vitalii Mykolenko will play in Thursday's FA Cup tie against Boreham Wood just 48 hours after his fierce criticism of Russia captain Artem Dzyuba over the invasion of his country.

Roman Abramovich's decision to sell Chelsea has sent shockwaves throughout English football but he leaves with the club firmly established as one of the giants of the European game.

The United States raised fears Wednesday that civilians are being targeted by Russia in Ukraine, warning that Moscow is moving cluster munitions and other lethal weaponry into the country in a potentially dangerous new phase of the conflict.

Georgia will "immediately" apply for EU membership, the Black Sea nation's ruling party said Wednesday, a day after the European Parliament backed war-torn Ukraine's bid to apply for EU membership.

Fitbit on Wednesday recalled 1.7 million of its Ionic smartwatches used for tracking steps and other activity due to the risk of batteries overheating and burning wearers.

A consortium of US states announced on Wednesday an investigation into TikTok's possible harms to young users of the platform, which has boomed in popularity especially among children.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken called President Vladimir Putin's "provocative" nuclear rhetoric "the height of irresponsibility" Wednesday, days after the Russian leader put his strategic forces on alert after invading Ukraine.

Tiger Woods hasn't played in a US PGA Tour event in more than a year, but the golf great still won the inaugural Player Impact Program bonus that rewards a player's popularity.

Lawyers for a former Irish soldier accused of being a member of the so-called Islamic State jihadist group on Wednesday criticised Facebook for breaching users' privacy.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian officially became single again on Wednesday, after a Los Angeles judge finalized her divorce from rapper Ye, whom she married in 2014.

The head of the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday pinned full responsibility for Russia's sporting exile on the Kremlin, insisting Russian athletes should not prosper while their Ukrainian counterparts suffer.

Anti-corruption activist Bill Browder, who campaigned for laws against Russian human rights abusers around the world, on Wednesday called for Western governments to go beyond sanctioning pro-Kremlin oligarchs over the invasion of Ukraine.

Former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn remains at large in Lebanon, but on Thursday, his aide Greg Kelly will learn his fate in a Tokyo courtroom after a nearly 18-month trial.

Bundesliga football club Borussia Dortmund said Wednesday they have withdrawn honorary membership from Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder because of his links to Russia.

The Group of Seven industrialised nations are examining ways to stop individuals or companies targeted by Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine using cryptocurrencies to dodge the punitive measures, Germany's finance minister said Wednesday.

Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich on Wednesday confirmed he is to sell the Premier League club, pledging that proceeds will go to victims of the war in Ukraine.

"L'Empire des lumieres" was sold for £59.4 million ($79.4 million, 71.4 million euros) in London on Wednesday, shattering the record for a work by Belgian artist Rene Magritte.

Belarusian tennis star Victoria Azarenka, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam title winner, said Wednesday she is "devastated" by the violence "against and in Ukraine" following Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

Dozens of anti-war demonstrators were detained in Moscow and Saint Petersburg Wednesday after jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny called on Russians to protest President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

An army of volunteer hackers is rising up in cyberspace to defend Ukraine, though internet specialists are calling on geeks and other "hacktivists" to stay out of a potentially very dangerous computer war.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich on Wednesday confirmed he will sell the Premier League club amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Two works by the mystery British artist Banksy belonging to the singer Robbie Williams both sold for several million pounds at auction in London on Wednesday.

Two works by the mystery British artist Banksy belonging to the singer Robbie Williams both sold for several million pounds at auction in London on Wednesday.

Spanish prosecutors have dropped all investigations into the finances of former king Juan Carlos, court documents showed Wednesday, potentially paving the way for his return from exile in the UAE.

Russia on Wednesday mooted the possibility of ceasefire talks with Ukraine after Russian forces shelled several Ukrainian cities and troops battled in the streets of Kharkiv.

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that "demands" Russia "immediately" withdraw from Ukraine, in a powerful rebuke of Moscow's invasion by a vast majority of the world's nations.

After spending several days in a basement in fear of Russian bombs in southern Ukraine, 15-year-old Arsen and his mother Irina reached Moldova. But the teenager is already longing to return home.

From wars in Chechnya to Syria, Vladimir Putin has overseen military campaigns that have inflicted vast and often indiscriminate damage on civilian infrastructure, raising fears he might repeat the tactics in Ukraine, observers say.

Amid all the focus on Roman Abramovich's stewardship of Chelsea, there is another prominent European football club in the hands of a discreet billionaire Russian owner about whom questions are being asked.

Oil prices soared Wednesday above $113 per barrel and natural gas hit a record peak before edging off their peaks, as investors fretted over key producer Russia's intensifying assault on Ukraine.