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Russian military courts on Wednesday sentenced two Ukrainian soldiers to 19 and 20 years in prison for allegedly shooting civilians in separate incidents in Mariupol in 2022.

The number of Afghans coming home from Iran has doubled in the past month, a top border official said Wednesday, with returnees reporting growing pressure to leave.

Switzerland on Wednesday scrapped a tax exemption for imports of electric cars, whose growing presence on Swiss roads has cut into tax revenues.

Thousands of Palestinians were fleeing on foot Wednesday in a surge away from the fighting and intense bombardment in Gaza as Israel said it was tightening the "stranglehold" around Hamas.

A Paris court on Wednesday began hearing former president Nicolas Sarkozy's appeal against his conviction for illegal campaign financing in a failed 2012 re-election bid.

Plans to expand oil, gas and coal production by major fossil fuel countries would push the world far beyond agreed global warming limits and are "throwing humanity's future into question", the UN warned Wednesday.

An Iranian court has ordered a five-year jail sentence against a French national tried on national security charges, his family announced on Wednesday.

The EU's executive on Wednesday recommended opening formal membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, in a major show of support for Kyiv as it battles Russia.

A call for a weekend march in Paris against anti-Semitism sparked bitter squabbling between political parties Wednesday despite a surge in anti-Semitic incidents in the country.

Portugal's political parties were preparing Wednesday for a landscape without Antonio Costa, who had been prime minister since 2015 but quit suddenly the day prior when he was implicated in a corruption probe.

Asian and European stocks struggled Wednesday as investors digested a barrage of company results and assessed the US Federal Reserve's interest rate plans, while oil plumbed more multi-month lows on energy demand worries.

The president of the French overseas territory of French Polynesia has suggested an alternative venue for the 2024 Olympics surf competition after plans for a gigantic tower at a planned venue in Tahiti site caused uproar.

Ben Stokes scored his maiden World Cup hundred as he rescued England from a top-order collapse against the Netherlands in Pune on Wednesday.

Shakhtar Donetsk's surprise 1-0 Champions League win against Barcelona was hailed by coach Marino Pusic as "only the beginning" for the club and an important step forward for football in beleaguered Ukraine.

French automaker Renault and Japanese partner Nissan officially launched their "rebalanced" alliance on Wednesday as they seek to reset a rocky 24-year-old partnership.

The "extreme" drought gripping Iraq, Syria and Iran would not have occurred without climate change caused primarily by burning fossil fuels, scientists said Wednesday, warning that punishing dry spells will become more intense as the world warms.

British police came under mounting government pressure on Wednesday to ban a pro-Palestinian rally scheduled to take place in London on the day the country commemorates its war dead.

This year in Europe it was supposed to be different but Barcelona will have to do it the hard way, with coach Xavi Hernandez watching his credit start to drain.

Israel said it was tightening the "stranglehold" around Hamas in Gaza City as the military operation on Wednesday aimed at smashing the Palestinian militants gathered pace despite ceasefire calls.

Russian prosecutors on Wednesday demanded an eight-year prison sentence for artist Alexandra Skochilenko, who last year swapped supermarket price tags for statements criticising Moscow's military offensive in Ukraine, independent media reported.

A Bangladeshi woman was shot dead Wednesday in the latest violent protests by garment workers after they rejected a government wage increase offer, with the victim's husband blaming the police.

The El Nino weather phenomenon, which triggers higher global temperatures, is expected to last until at least April 2024, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

China's red carpet treatment for "handsome boy" Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered an intriguing blueprint for Beijing's shifting approach to international diplomacy.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson insisted Wednesday his team will "focus on cricket" when they face a potentially make-or-break clash with Sri Lanka, shrugging off fears that rain may return to wash away their World Cup dreams.

Nintendo is developing a film based on its hugely popular "The Legend of Zelda" franchise, the Japanese gaming giant announced, as it bids to capitalize on the blockbuster success of its recent "Mario" movie.

Glenn Maxwell on Wednesday was the toast of the cricket world a day after his unbeaten 201 powered Australia into the World Cup semi-finals with a thrilling win over Afghanistan.

G7 foreign ministers said Wednesday that they supported "humanitarian pauses and corridors" in the Hamas-Israel war but refrained from calling for a ceasefire.

German chemicals giant Bayer said Wednesday it would cut management jobs and was examining splitting off one of its divisions after reporting a massive third-quarter loss.

Equity markets struggled Wednesday as investors tried to figure out the Federal Reserve's interest rate plans, while demand concerns saw oil prices struggling to recover from the previous day's plunge.

Japan named a full-strength squad featuring Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma and Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo on Wednesday for the start of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Myanmar and Syria.

More than 10 million Australians were cut off from internet and phone services on Wednesday after unexplained outages struck one of the country's largest communications companies.

Off the pace in Serie A, Roma may once again be relying on Jose Mourinho to lead them on a long European run in order to save their season.