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Ukraine needs a "serious" contribution from Europe of troops who are ready to fight, and not peacekeepers, after any end of hostilities with Russia, a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump ramped up his claims to Greenland on Wednesday, saying ahead of a visit by Vice President JD Vance that the United States needed to take control of the Danish island for "international security."

Scientists said they have seen the first signs of life returning to deep sea mining tracks carved into the abyssal seabed more than four decades ago, but warned on Wednesday that full recovery may be "impossible".

Finland said on Wednesday it has kicked off a two-year scheme to improve the fitness of conscription-age youths, warning that their physical condition was declining, and this was a serious societal issue.

Chinese doctors said Wednesday that they had transplanted a liver from a genetically modified pig into a brain-dead human for the first time, raising hopes of a live-saving donor option for patients in the future.

US magazine the Atlantic on Wednesday published the full exchange of leaked messages between officials laying out plans for an attack on Yemen, as the White House fought fiercely to defend itself over the slip-up.

Barely a week goes by in France without headlines about Cyril Hanouna, a scandal-plagued talkshow host with possible political ambitions who is set to end his hit broadcast on Wednesday.

Sweden will increase defence spending by about 300 billion kronor ($30 billion) over the next decade, the prime minister said Wednesday, calling it the nation's biggest rearmament push since the Cold War.

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Biden-era federal regulation of untraceable "ghost guns" -- firearms sold in easy-to-assemble kits -- in a defeat for the powerful gun lobby.

The world's oceans harbor a cultural heritage of sunken ships, remains of those lost in the transatlantic slave trade and Indigenous islanders' spiritual ties to the sea that must be protected, NGOs and native peoples say.

Prince Harry said he had quit as patron of a charity he founded in southern Africa almost 20 years ago with a "heavy heart" amid a bitter boardroom battle, in a new blow to the royal living in self-exile.

French actor Fanny Ardant on Wednesday defended 76-year-old screen icon Gerard Depardieu at his trial on charges of sexual assault in Paris, saying she had never known him to behave in a "shocking" manner with a woman.

Teach giant Apple announced on Wednesday the iPhone 16 will be available in Indonesia from next month, indicating the sales ban in Southeast Asia's biggest economy had been lifted.

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky interrupted a press conference he was holding to answer a telephone call from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, he opened a window into a new world of geopolitical diplomacy.

The Atlantic magazine on Wednesday published what it said was the entire text of a chat group mistakenly shared with a journalist by top US national security officials laying out plans of an imminent attack on Yemen.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken Turkey closer to autocracy with the arrest of the elected mayor of Istanbul, but the scale of the ensuing protests could yet shake his grip, analysts say.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other Wednesday of derailing a US-brokered deal that could see the warring countries halt attacks on the Black Sea and against energy sites.

The UK government halved its 2025 growth forecast on Wednesday as it made billions of pounds of spendings cuts to shore up the public purse in the face of economic headwinds.

Europe must seize on the "huge economic opportunities" offered by the green technology boom, Germany said Wednesday -- adding it was up to the United States if it decided to miss out.

The Atlantic magazine on Wednesday published what it said was the entire text of a chat group mistakenly shared with a journalist by top US national security officials laying out plans of an imminent attack on Yemen.

Chinese drinks company Mixue Group, which has surpassed McDonald's and Starbucks in store count to become the world's largest food and beverage chain, reported a spike in profits on Wednesday as it laid out further expansion plans.

Three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar will bid to avenge his defeat by Mathieu van der Poel in the Milan-San Remo and race in the Paris-Roubaix, another of the 'Monuments', for the first time, his team UAE announced on Wednesday.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that he expects talks between South America's Mercosur bloc and Japan on a trade deal to begin in the second half of the year.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick confirmed winger Raphinha and defender Ronald Araujo will not feature in his team's rearranged La Liga match against Osasuna on Thursday.

The Sudanese army said it recaptured Khartoum airport from the Rapid Support Forces and surrounded the paramilitaries south of the capital on Wednesday, marking its latest battlefield gains.

British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell said Wednesday that 75 players are still in contention for the tour of Australia just weeks before he names his squad.

Denmark welcomed on Wednesday Washington's decision to limit a US delegation's visit to Greenland to a US military base, after previous plans for the unexpected trip sparked criticism.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Wednesday to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas does not release hostages, while the militant group warned they would return "in coffins" if Israel does not stop bombing the Palestinian territory.

The winner of this year's expanded Club World Cup in the United States will receive up to $125 million in prize money, FIFA announced on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio headed Wednesday to the Caribbean looking for ways forward on violence-torn Haiti and to show support for oil-rich Guyana in its dispute with Venezuela.

Prince Harry has quit as patron of a charity he founded in southern Africa almost 20 years ago in honour of his mother Princess Diana after a bitter boardroom battle.

Huthi media said 19 strikes hit rebel-held parts of Yemen, mostly Saada, blaming the United States, with the group later announcing they targeted a US warship and Israel.