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An Italian media group majority-owned by late leader Silvio Berlusconi's family moved closer to taking over a German broadcasting giant Wednesday, sparking warnings from Berlin that its journalistic independence must be maintained.

Italy's government on Wednesday approved a controversial 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world's longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the Gunners believe this season will be different as they aim to get over a series of near misses at winning silverware.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a decree that would allow Russia to increase its greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth by 2035 compared with 2021 levels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held "constructive" talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, two days ahead of a US deadline for Russia to halt its Ukraine offensive or face fresh sanctions.

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is reportedly closing in on a move to Saudi club Al Hilal, which could allow the Premier League champions to make a fresh bid for Newcastle's Alexander Isak.

Stock markets edged higher Wednesday as traders assessed the latest corporate earnings and awaited President Donald Trump's next wave of tariffs.

German broadcasting giant ProSiebenSat.1 recommended Wednesday that its shareholders accept an improved takeover offer from Italy's MediaForEurope group, majority-owned by the family of late former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Poland's new nationalist president Karol Nawrocki called for a "sovereign Poland" and promised to "fight those who are pushing the nation towards decline" as he was sworn in on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, two days ahead of a deadline imposed by US President Donald Trump on Moscow to halt its Ukraine offensive or face fresh sanctions.

Britain's advertising regulator on Wednesday banned two adverts by Spanish clothing group Zara for featuring models that appeared "unhealthily thin", calling the images "irresponsible".

Natural disasters caused $135 billion in economic losses globally in the first half of 2025, fuelled by the Los Angeles wildfires, Swiss Re said Wednesday.

Sun-seekers crowded onto the beach in Mariupol in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine -- a devastated city which Moscow wants to turn into an improbable seaside resort.

Hundreds of firefighters on Wednesday battled to halt the spread of a wildfire in southern France that has scorched a vast area, killed one person and injured nine others.

German industrial orders unexpectedly fell in June, official data showed Wednesday, as Europe's biggest economy struggles with prolonged domestic weakness and volatile US trade policy.

People go to the "Gateway to Hell" gas crater in the middle of the Turkmenistan desert expecting an angry cauldron but are now coming away unimpressed.

Asian equities edged higher Wednesday as traders weighed Donald Trump's trade war and fresh data that indicated further weakness in the US economy but added to interest rate cut speculation.

When the giant landfill collapsed in Uganda's capital Kampala a year ago, Zamhall Nansamba thought she was hearing an aeroplane taking off.

Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk posted a sharp rise in second-quarter net profit Wednesday, but rising competition is weighing on sales of its diabetes and obesity treatments Ozempic and Wegovy in the United States.

The UK charity watchdog Wednesday cleared Prince Harry of accusations of bullying in a row with an African charity he founded, but deplored that the bitter internal dispute was played out in public.

Since the start of US President Donald Trump's global trade war, Taiwanese orchid grower Lee Tsang-yu has watched tariffs on his seedlings shoot from nothing to 20 percent.

Asian equities edged higher Wednesday as traders weigh Donald Trump's trade war and fresh data that indicated further weakness in the US economy but added to interest rate cut speculation.

Activists, journalists and relatives of jailed dissidents say they were briefly detained or prevented from leaving their homes by state security agents Tuesday on the anniversary of the "Maleconazo," the largest protest Fidel Castro faced during his rule.

A Trump supporter backed by the populist opposition will take over as Poland's new president on Wednesday, heralding confrontation with a pro-EU government he has branded "the worst in history".

Nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki, who is set to be inaugurated as Poland's new president on Wednesday, is a former amateur boxer with a particular interest in the criminal underworld.

It is wedding season in the Comoros, when the diaspora return to the tiny Indian Ocean islands for days-long celebrations that mark an essential rite of passage, the "Grand Mariage".

In a Moscow nightclub, some 100 heavy metal fans belted out Metallica's hit song, "For whom the bell tolls!"

In the shadow of luxury apartment buildings under construction on the shores of the reservoir, Maniru Umar dips his oar into the water, pushing his shallow, wooden canoe forward through thick reeds.

A woman died and nine people were injured in a wildfire in southern France that has burned 11,000 hectares, local officials said Wednesday.

Cases of chikungunya fever are rising in southern China, prompting local authorities to take measures to curb its spread.

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific said Wednesday it would place a US$8.1-billion order for 14 Boeing jets, its first order with the American aircraft maker for 12 years.

US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, state media reported, where he will meet with Russian leadership as President Donald Trump's deadline to impose fresh sanctions over the war in Ukraine looms.

The Indian army brought in sniffer dogs, drones and heavy earth-moving equipment Wednesday to search for scores missing a day after a deadly Himalayan flash flood.

US tariffs on many Brazilian products surged Wednesday, as President Donald Trump moved ahead with a pressure campaign against the trial of his right-wing ally Jair Bolsonaro.

Sufi singer Jamal has spent decades devoted to his craft but now fears for his future as hardline Islamists gain ground in post-revolution Bangladesh.

Deep in the rugged forests of North Macedonia, small-hydropower developers are facing off with activists who warn that a thirst for lucrative green energy contracts is threatening the country's rivers.

A wildfire in southern France slowed overnight into Wednesday after injuring nine people and burning through 11,000 hectares of vegetation, local officials said.

Rugby Australia has signalled that more overseas-based players will be allowed to represent the Wallabies, shifting away from a strict policy that has heavily favoured domestic players.

South Korean star Son Heung-min has not even been officially announced as joining Los Angeles FC of MLS, but excited fans are already waiting to welcome him.