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US President Donald Trump asked Syria's new leader on Wednesday to normalise relations with Israel after he offered a major boost to the war-ravaged country by announcing the lifting of sanctions.

An exceptionally-rare blue diamond went under the hammer in Geneva late Tuesday, selling for $21.5 million, Sotheby's auction house said.

Major stock markets diverged and the dollar slid Wednesday as euphoria over easing US-China trade tensions petered out.

Myanmar's ex-ambassador to London has been charged with trespass for refusing to leave his ambassadorial residence, police said Wednesday, after he was stripped of his post by the military junta following a 2021 coup.

Russia on Wednesday sentenced a high-profile election monitor to five years in prison, part of an intensifying crackdown by the Kremlin against independent critics and opponents.

A consortium that includes the US owner of sportswear brand Umbro and French telecom billionaire Xavier Niel unveiled Wednesday an offer to acquire France's struggling sportswear label Le Coq Sportif for 60 million euros ($68 million).

Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" powers into the Cannes film festival for its premiere on Wednesday on a steamroller of hype, with the world asking if this will be the final curtain for agent Ethan Hunt.

Chinese internet giant Tencent on Wednesday reported a better-than-expected increase in first-quarter revenue, propelled by growth in gaming as the firm's strategic drive into artificial intelligence deepens.

US President Donald Trump asked Syria's new leader on Wednesday to normalise relations with Israel after he offered a major boost to the war-ravaged country by announcing the lifting of sanctions.

Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth has returned to the Football Association (FA) after being appointed as chief football officer following his ill-fated stint at Old Trafford.

UN experts on Wednesday called on Venezuela's government to stop holding opponents and activists incommunicado, saying the practice often amounted to "enforced disappearances".

Indonesia's top movie-makers are aiming to make a splash at this year's Cannes film festival, backed by one of the country's most famous cinema veterans, Christine Hakim.

US President Donald Trump asked Syria's new leader on Wednesday to normalise relations with Israel after he offered a major boost to the war-ravaged country by announcing the lifting of sanctions.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Wednesday faces one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office as he responds to questions from a parliamentary committee investigating claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school.

The IPL resumes Saturday after its suspension because of the India-Pakistan conflict, but there are doubts over foreign players and the extended schedule has sparked a showdown with international cricket.

Peruvian Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen resigned Tuesday on the eve of a no-confidence vote against him, as the government faces mounting pressure over a spike in violent crime.

Gaza rescuers said at least 29 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday as negotiations took place in Qatar for the release of hostages still held in the war-battered territory.

A top court Wednesday ruled the European Commission failed the transparency test by declining to release text messages sent by Ursula von der Leyen to the head of Pfizer as the bloc tried to secure Covid vaccines.

The French interior minister said Wednesday he will meet with cryptocurrency professionals to discuss how to prevent future kidnappings for ransom following several such high-profile cases in France.

Pakistan returned a captured border guard to India on Wednesday, in a fresh sign of detente after a ceasefire ended four days of conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals.

Chinese tech giant Baidu plans to start testing self-driving taxis in Europe for the first time by the end of this year, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

Donald Trump became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader on Wednesday after he offered sanctions relief in hopes of offering a new path to the war-battered country.

Stocks fluctuated Wednesday, with investors struggling to track a strong day on Wall Street as euphoria over the China-US trade detente petered out.

British luxury fashion label Burberry said Wednesday it could shed almost one-fifth of its global workforce over two years to reduce costs as it fell into an annual net loss.

Donald Trump was set to become the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader on Wednesday after he offered sanctions relief in hopes of offering a new path to the war-battered country.

Ko Min said he found his son and daughter's bodies in the ruins of a schoolhouse in central Myanmar, moments after a deadly air strike that witnesses said came as a military jet circled the village.

Colombia formally agreed on Wednesday to join China's vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, as Beijing draws Latin America closer in a bid to counter the United States.

Australian former world champion cyclist Rohan Dennis avoided jail Wednesday for driving in a way "likely to cause harm" before his car struck and killed his Olympian wife Melissa Hoskins.

Inside one of South Korea's oldest semiconductor research institutes, the cleanrooms and workshops are calm and immaculate, but outside the Seoul National University campus, a chip storm is brewing.

Starbucks in South Korea has banned customers from using the names of the country's presidential candidates -- or the disgraced ex-president -- for their orders, the coffee giant told AFP on Wednesday.

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Antalya from Wednesday will look to forge a compromise deal on ramping up defence spending as allies scramble to satisfy US President Donald Trump's demand to agree to five percent of GDP at a summit next month.

The Eurovision Song Contest's groundbreaking stage, built in a race against time, is a hi-tech playground for artists performing at the world's biggest live music TV event, its producer told AFP.