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The 2024 Paralympics opened in Paris on Wednesday in a colourful and hope-filled ceremony, starting 11 days of competition in a city still riding the wave of the successful Olympics.

When John McFall, the world's first parastronaut, carried the Paralympic flag at the opening ceremony of the Games in Paris Wednesday, he knew he was sending a "powerful message".

Lille clung on to secure a Champions League place despite a 2-1 loss on Wednesday to Slavia Prague, with Red Star Belgrade and Slovan Bratislava also qualifying for the expanded 36-team tournament.

Spain has signed agreements with Mauritania and The Gambia to strengthen cooperation to combat people smuggling and promote legal migration, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visits West Africa in the face of surging migrant arrivals.

France on Wednesday charged Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, with a litany of violations related to the messaging app and banned him from leaving the country while allowing the billionaire to walk free after four days under arrest.

US shares fell and European stock markets mostly closed higher Wednesday as investors cautiously waited to see if the latest earnings results from US chip giant Nvidia could justify the high valuations of tech stocks.

The 2024 Paralympics were opened in Paris on Wednesday by French President Emmanuel Macron, firing the starting gun on 11 days of competition in a city still riding the wave of the successful Olympics.

France on Wednesday charged Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, with a litany of violations related to the messaging app and banned him from leaving the country while allowing the billionaire to walk free after four days under arrest.

Alexander Zverev made the US Open last 32 on Wednesday, racking up a season-leading 54th win, but admitted doubting he'd ever return to the game's heights after a horror injury in 2022.

Juventus have signed Netherlands midfielder Teun Koopmeiners from Atalanta in a deal worth up to 60.7 million euros ($67.5 million), the Serie A giants confirmed on Wednesday.

Manchester United defender Jonny Evans announced his retirement from international football on Wednesday as he brought down the curtain on a career that saw him win 107 caps for Northern Ireland.

The opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics got underway on Wednesday in the centre of the French capital, firing the starting gun on 11 days of intense competition.

Switzerland said Wednesday it was open to building new nuclear power stations in the long term, given new geopolitical uncertainties, climate targets and population growth boosting the demand for electricity.

SpaceX's stalwart Falcon 9 rocket has been grounded while the Federal Aviation Administration investigates why its first-stage booster tipped over and exploded while attempting to land after its latest launch, the agency announced Wednesday.

Taylor Swift has yet to weigh in on the US presidential race, but some of her superfans are already stumping for Kamala Harris.

Keegan Bradley's upsurge in form has caused an unexpected headache for USA Presidents Cup captain Jim Furyk.

Authorities in central Greece are racing to deal with an inundation of tons of dead fish at a popular port that locals say could threaten their livelihoods.

Record wildfires last year bumped Canada into the top four CO2-emitting countries in the world, according to a study Wednesday that also cast doubt on its forests' future ability to capture and store significant amounts of carbon dioxide.

Two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas opened up about his on-court struggles after a first-round exit at the US Open, but girlfriend Paula Badosa is confident he'll find his way.

Israel launched a large-scale operation Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, where the army said it killed Palestinian fighters, as the nearly 11-month-old Gaza war showed no signs of abating.

The opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics got underway on Wednesday in the centre of the French capital, firing the starting gun on 11 days of intense competition.

After over 14 months of talks, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said on Wednesday that there is no deadline to complete a merger with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), owners of the breakaway LIV Golf league.

Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, was appearing in a French court Wednesday to face possible charges of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app after his arrest at the weekend.

The United States on Wednesday announced new sanctions on West Bank settlers over violence against Palestinians, urging greater accountability efforts by its ally Israel, which responded with anger to the move.

Naomi Osaka stole the show at the US Open when she appeared on court sporting a giant, bright green bow on the back of her jacket before peeling off an equally colourful tutu.

Top US and Chinese officials on Wednesday discussed plans for Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping to talk in coming weeks, despite exchanging warnings over regional tensions.

Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse bounced Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova from the second round of the US Open on Wednesday, beating the Czech 6-4, 7-5 to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva hopes his side can climb up the World Test Championship (WTC) table as they go in search of a maiden win in the five-day format at Lord's this week.

A group of UN experts said Wednesday that a prominent Guatemalan journalist who has been in prison for more than two years was being kept in inhumane conditions "that may amount to torture and put his life in danger."

The first flights left Eindhoven airport in the Netherlands late Wednesday after a computer outage grounded planes for hours and hit government services, with authorities saying it was pinning the cause.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway holding company briefly crossed $1 trillion in market value Wednesday, making it the first non-tech firm on Wall Street to cross the milestone.

A Romanian man and a Serbian national have been charged with making bomb threats and triggering "swatting" attacks on dozens of US officials and lawmakers, the Justice Department said Wednesday.