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Israel's army chief told soldiers Wednesday to prepare for a possible ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon as US President Joe Biden warned against "all-out war" in the Middle East.

Russia on Wednesday struck the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk with guided bombs, killing at least two people and wounding 19, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said.

Unions on Wednesday criticised Volkswagen for failing to make specific proposals in the first round of talks over the German auto giant's drastic cost-cutting plan, as thousands of workers picketed the meeting.

EU member states on Wednesday voted in favour of lowering the protection status of wolves, a move decried by conservationists that paves the way for a relaxation of tight hunting restrictions.

US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday of the possibility of an "all-out war" in the Middle East but said he was hopeful a settlement was still achievable for the conflict-torn region.

France World Cup winner Raphael Varane on Wednesday announced his retirement from football at the age of 31, adding that he will remain at Como in a non-playing capacity.

Humanity could use a nuclear bomb to deflect a massive, life-threatening asteroid hurtling towards Earth in the future, according to scientists who tested the theory in the labaratory by blasting X-rays at a marble-sized "mock asteroid".

Firefighters and helicopters were battling five forest fires Wednesday on the outskirts of Quito that have left six people injured and led to the evacuation of over 100 families.

Thousands of residents on Wednesday began evacuating parts of coastal Florida as the US state braces for Hurricane Helene, forecast to barrel ashore as a powerful, potentially deadly storm.

German prosecutors said Wednesday they were bringing charges against three men arrested this year over a blackmail plot targeting the family of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher.

The restoration of a creek in Vienna reduced the impact of flooding caused by Storm Boris, authorities say, one of many projects experts believe helped central Europe endure the deluge better than in previous years.

Son Heung-min said Tottenham team-mate Rodrigo Bentancur "almost cried" when he apologised over an alleged racist remark about the South Korean.

France's conservative interior minister on Wednesday vowed new rules to "protect the French" after a Moroccan man suspected of raping and murdering a 19-year-old student then leaving her body in a Paris park was arrested in Switzerland.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will on Wednesday lay out rival visions for the economy, the top issue for many US voters, ahead of the vice president's first major solo interview since entering the White House race.

President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Wednesday of plotting potentially catastrophic attacks on Ukranian nuclear plants, in a defiant UN address in which he denounced bids to impose peace from the outside.

Germany's Greens party leaders stepped down Wednesday after a string of dismal vote results, dampening the mood in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition a year before elections.

Israel's army chief told soldiers on Wednesday to prepare for a possible ground offensive to fight Hezbollah in Lebanon as the air force conducted hundreds of deadly strikes around the country.

Israel's new UN ambassador accused the global body of pummelling his nation with unfair and disproportionate criticism since the October 7 onslaught, leaving the country feeling betrayed.

Sales of new homes in the United States cooled less than expected in August, according to government data released Wednesday, with lower interest rates potentially boosting the market going forward.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that rising sea levels threaten to create "a rising tide of misery" for millions, with intense storm surges, coastal erosion and coastal flooding increasingly likely.

Stock markets diverged and oil prices fell on Wednesday as China's latest measure to bolster its economy, the world's second-largest, failed to spark another global rally.

The United States and China are closing the divide on the contentious issue of international climate finance, raising hopes for a breakthrough at a crucial climate conference in Azerbaijan, according to the host country's chief negotiator.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky charged Wednesday before the United Nations that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is planning to attack nuclear power plants in his country, warning of catastrophic consequences.

Brigitte Bardot, the 1960s French cinema icon who left the silver screen behind her a half-century ago, says as her 90th birthday approaches that she now "flees humanity" in favour of "silent solitude".

A large, ordinary-looking warehouse in the German city of Cologne is the closest you can get to walking on the Moon -- without leaving Earth.

Google said Wednesday that it had filed a complaint against Microsoft at the European Commission, accusing its rival of "anticompetitive" licensing practices to force customers to use its cloud service.

Finland will return two giant pandas on loan from China more than eight years ahead of schedule because of financial problems at the zoo where they are housed, its chair told AFP on Wednesday.

Zhang Shuai won her first WTA Tour match since January 2023 when she triumphed at her home China Open on Wednesday to snap a painful run of 24 defeats.

Global stock markets traded mixed Wednesday as China's latest measure to bolster its economy, the world's second-largest, largely failed to extend gains for equities.

EU member states on Wednesday voted in favour of lowering the protection status of wolves, a move decried by conservationists that paves the way for a relaxation of tight hunting restrictions.

Will Jacks says England's new-look one-day side need time to get to grips with a format they rarely play after beating Australia to keep their five-match series alive.

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has sustained a thigh injury ahead of this weekend's La Liga derby with Atletico, his club said on Wednesday.