The capital of the United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday it would start banning single-use plastic bags from June, the oil-rich country's latest move to advance its ambitious carbon reduction goals.

The statement from Abu Dhabi's government-run media office did not specify how the upcoming ban would be enforced, whether by fining businesses distributing the ubiquitous thin bags or charging people for their use. The emirate also said it plans to completely get rid of single-use Styrofoam cups, plates and food containers by 2024.

A rare video has appeared of al-Qaida's chief praising an Indian Muslim woman who in February defied a ban on hijab wearing, revealing the first proof in months that he is still alive.

Rumors of the death of Ayman al-Zawahri have persistently circulated, but in a video released Tuesday and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, the reclusive al-Qaida chief praises Muskan Khan who defied a ban on the wearing of the hijab in schools in India's southwestern state of Karnataka.

Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi says he was surprised by the international popularity of his Oscar-winning film "Drive My Car," but attributes it to the universality of the short story by Haruki Murakami on which it is based.

The movie centers on an actor played by Hidetoshi Nishijima who is directing a multilingual production of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." Still mourning the sudden loss of his wife, the actor, Kafuku, leads the cast in rehearsals in which they sit and read their lines flatly, ingesting the language for days before acting them out.

Grammy Award-winning songwriter Ed Sheeran won a U.K. copyright battle over his 2017 hit "Shape of You" on Wednesday, then slammed what he described as a "culture" of baseless lawsuits intended to squeeze money out of artists eager to avoid the expense of a trial.

The British pop star and his co-writers, Snow Patrol's John McDaid and producer Steven McCutcheon, had denied allegations that the song copied part of 2015's "Oh Why" by Sami Chokri, who performs under the name Sami Switch.

A group of financial donors committed to racial equity plans has secured at least $100 million annually to benefit minority groups that are disproportionately harmed by extreme weather events.

The group, the Donors of Color Network, also announced that 10 of the nation's top 40 donors to environment causes have now signed on to at least a portion of a pledge the network established last year. The Climate Funders Justice Pledge commits the donors to make their climate-related grants transparent and to direct at least 30% of their donations to groups that have Black, Indigenous or other people of color as their leaders.

A look at what's happening in European soccer on Wednesday:

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Russian federations and athletes have filed multiple legal challenges to fight their bans from international sports events because of their country waging war on Ukraine.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has said that Russian officials have filed appeals against governing bodies in soccer, figure skating and speed skating, gymnastics, rowing, rugby and biathlon.

It was the best of moments - or the worst of moments - in soccer history, and now sports fans with deep pockets can own a piece of it.

The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the controversial "Hand of God" goal against England in the 1986 World Cup is for sale for the first time.

Atlético Madrid wasn't making any excuses for the overly defensive style it used in the first leg against Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Championship League on Tuesday.

Coach Diego Simeone and his players were actually proudly defending it.

Iran on Wednesday said it supplied the United Nations' nuclear watchdog with documents explaining the discovery of suspect enriched uranium traces, state media reported, the first acknowledgement from Tehran that it had answered the agency's long-standing demands.

The head of Iran's civilian Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, said Iran on March 20 had sent the requested explanations about several former undeclared sites in Iran where there was evidence of past nuclear activity.