Thirty years to the day since his death following a crash that sent shockwaves around the world, Brazilians paid homage Wednesday to Formula One superstar Ayrton Senna -- a beloved symbol of national pride comparable only to compatriot Pele. The Brazilian government declared three days of national mourning for Senna, who died in an Italian hospital of head injuries after the crash.

Five people were killed Wednesday as Russia struck Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, local officials said. And in the eastern Donetsk region, two people were killed and six injured in the small town of Girnyk, about 15 kilometres from the front line, said Vadym Filashkin, the head of the region's military administration.

Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein faced one of his accusers in New York court Wednesday as he was told he would be retried for rape and sexual assault convictions that were overturned in the state. Weinstein was convicted in New York in 2020 of the rape and sexual assault of ex-actress Mann in 2013, and of forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006.

At least 10 people have died in floods caused by heavy rains in Brazil's south, authorities said Wednesday, as rescuers searched for nearly two dozen individuals reported missing. Authorities have urged people to avoid at least 20 areas along state highways due to a risk of mudslides. 

Thousands of Georgians protested again Wednesday, as parliament advanced a controversial "foreign influence" bill, despite weeks of demonstrations and warnings from Brussels that it would damage Tbilisi's European aspirations. Waving Georgian and EU flags, thousands of demonstrators once again gathered outside parliament, Wednesday evening, trying to block the building's entrances, said an AFP reporter.

Families of victims of Northern Ireland's "Troubles" protested in Belfast Wednesday against a new UK law that halts coroner's inquests into crimes from the era and grants immunity to past combatants. Notably, it will halt inquests, civil cases and criminal prosecutions for crimes related to the conflict and grant conditional immunity to former combatants on all sides.

The United Methodist Church, which has some 10 million members around the world, repealed on Wednesday a ban on ordaining gay clergy and same-sex marriage. It also decided that clergy who perform same-sex marriages will not be subject to any penalties.

Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein was due in court in New York on Wednesday for the first time since his convictions in the state were overturned. The hearing, at which a judge is expected to vacate his convictions in the state but not free the 72-year-old because of a separate, unchanged conviction in California, could pave the way for a new trial.

Hundreds of people were arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on US campuses as police Wednesday extended a crackdown that included clearing out demonstrators occupying a building at Columbia University in New York. At Columbia, the center of nationwide protests, police were on standby Wednesday after their overnight operation dismantled a weeks-long encampment and forcibly removed people occupying an academic building.

Nearly 100 tourists were among people marooned after a river overflowed in Kenya's famed Maasai Mara wildlife reserve following a heavy downpour, a local administrator said Wednesday, as the death toll from flood-related disasters neared 180. Tourism minister Alfred Mutua had earlier on Wednesday said "several camps have been impacted" by the downpour and warned all hotels and camps near rivers within Kenyan parks and reserves to prepare "for potential evacuations."

Polish authorities on Wednesday condemned an arson attack against a Warsaw synagogue. "I condemn this shameful attack on the Nozyk synagogue in Warsaw," Polish President Andrzej Duda wrote on X. "Anti-Semitism has no place in Poland.

An extreme right-wing US lawmaker said Wednesday that she plans to introduce a motion next week to oust Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, for backing new aid for Ukraine. After months of debate and amid pressure from Democrats and US allies, Johnson last week finally backed a new aid package for Ukraine, drawing the ire of some extreme right-wing members of his party.

The UK government confirmed Wednesday it had detained an unspecified number of migrants in recent days for deportation to Rwanda in July under its controversial new policy. - Missing migrants - A senior minister said Tuesday the government expected to deport 5,700 migrants to Rwanda this year, after the interior ministry confirmed that Kigali had "in principle" agreed to accept that number.

Hiring in the US private sector cooled in April but job growth was still higher than anticipated, boosted by the services sector, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday. Other sectors adding jobs included trade, transport and utilities, as well as education and health services, said ADP. But analysts caution that private payroll numbers can be revised significantly.

A Saudi court's decision to sentence fitness influencer Manahel al-Otaibi to 11 years in prison highlights what activists describe as a fierce crackdown on even vaguely critical online speech. - Manahel al-Otaibi - Otaibi, a 29-year-old blogger and fitness instructor, was arrested in November 2022.

Pfizer reported a drop in profits on lower sales of Covid-19 related profits Wednesday as it steers investments to other pharmaceutical areas and implements previously announced cost cuts. Much lower sales of Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty and therapeutic Paxlovid accounted for a 20 percent drop in first-quarter revenues to $14.9 billion compared with the year-ago period.

The Gaza Strip is filled with more war debris and rubble than Ukraine, the head of UN demining operations for the narrow Palestinian territory said Wednesday. "Gaza has more rubble than Ukraine, and to put that in perspective, the Ukrainian front line is 600 miles (nearly 1,000 kilometres) long, and Gaza is 25 miles (40 km) long," said Mungo Birch, head of the UNMAS programme in the Palestinian territories.

Turkish police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters and arrested more than 200 people and skirmishes broke out in France, as May 1 rallies around the world drew tens of thousands of demonstrators on Wednesday. Police in Istanbul clashed with demonstrators near city hall in the Sarachane district, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to stop protesters breaching barricades, AFP reporters said.  "226 people were arrested, including 217 in Istanbul, for having demonstrated in unauthorised areas and failed to heed police warnings," the interior ministry said.

Red Bull confirmed on Wednesday that celebrated chief technical officer Adrian Newey will leave the Formula One team in early 2025 after 19 years. Last year, Verstappen and Red Bull produced the most dominant season in F1 history, with the Dutchman winning 19 of the 22 races and the team all but one. 

Clashes broke out on Wednesday at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, as dozens of universities around the United States struggle to contain similar protests. CNN reported that the clashes erupted between rival pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups.