A new book by the million-selling children's author and visual artist Oliver Jeffers is a blend of art and science and adventure.

Jeffers' "Meanwhile Back on Earth" will be published Oct. 4, according to Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. The book was inspired by an art installation called "Our Place in Space," a sculpture trail and scale model of the solar system the Irish author worked on with the astrophysicist Professor Stephen Smartt among others. It opens in the United Kingdom this spring.

Paris Saint-Germain expects Kylian Mbappé to play against Real Madrid in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday, while the Spanish powerhouse still waits on whether Toni Kroos will recover in time to make it to the decisive match.

Mbappé had been listed as doubtful after hurting his left foot in training on Monday, but he practiced normally with the rest of the squad in the team's last training session on Tuesday.

Liverpool could cope with its first Anfield loss in a year to still overcome Inter Milan and reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Leading 2-0 from the last-16 first leg in Italy, Lautaro Martinez's swerving shot that reduced the deficit in the 61st minute gave the Italian champions a hope of a comeback.

Asian stocks rebounded Wednesday after Wall Street declined and Chinese inflation edged higher.

Already high oil prices rose further, adding more than $2 per barrel following President Joe Biden's ban on imports of Russian crude.

U.S. wildlife officials reversed their previous finding that a widely used and highly toxic pesticide could jeopardize dozens of plants and animals with extinction, after receiving pledges from chemical manufacturers that they will change product labels for malathion so that it's used more carefully by gardeners, farmers and other consumers.

Federal rules for malathion are under review in response to longstanding concerns that the pesticide used on mosquitoes, grasshoppers and other insects also kills many rare plants and animals. A draft finding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last April said malathion could threaten 78 imperiled species with extinction and cause lesser harm to many more.

McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and General Electric __ ubiquitous global brands and symbols of U.S. corporate might __ all announced they were temporarily suspending their business in Russia in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine.

"Our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine," McDonald's President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said in an open letter to employees.

Rising gas prices pose a fresh election year challenge for President Joe Biden. He's balancing concerns about costs at the pump in the U.S. against calls from both parties to step up penalties on Russian President Vladimir Putin following his invasion of Ukraine.

In announcing a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil on Tuesday, Biden was blunt in warning that while the move would hurt Putin, "there will be a cost as well here in the United States." He sought to avoid being blamed for that by dubbing it "Putin's price hike."

Air raid sirens blared over Ukraine's capital on Wednesday and officials said they bolstered defenses in key cities threatened by Russian forces, as authorities renewed efforts to evacuate civilians from besieged urban areas.

Ukrainian officials announced Russia has agreed to a new daylong cease-fire along several evacuation routes for people fleeing cities, including Mariupol, scene of some of the worst desperation of the war. Russian shelling there has shattered buildings, leaving the port without water, heat, working sewage systems or phone service. Local officials said they planned to start digging mass graves for the dead.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog travels to Turkey on Wednesday, becoming the first Israeli leader to visit in 14 years, as the two countries move to turn a new page in their troubled relationship.

Herzog is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before traveling to Istanbul for meetings with Turkey's Jewish community there.

People stand when Dr. Matshidiso Moeti enters a room at the World Health Organization's Africa headquarters in Republic of Congo. Small in stature, big in presence, Moeti is the first woman to lead WHO's regional Africa office, the capstone of her trailblazing career in which she has overcome discrimination in apartheid South Africa to become one of the world's top health administrators.

As WHO Africa chief, Moeti initiates emergency responses to health crises in 47 of the continent's countries and recommends policies to strengthen their health care systems.