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President Emmanuel Macron will meet leaders of all of France's political parties Wednesday, including his most bitter opponents, outside Paris in a bid to break the deadlock of a hung parliament.

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has acquired a minority stake in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the two entities said Wednesday, the latest example of the kingdom's sports investment push.

Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a Category 4 storm early Wednesday as it barreled towards Florida, threatening "catastrophic" impacts, with officials forecasting it will slam into the coast within hours.

Historic Hollywood strikes have robbed the Venice Film Festival of some of its usual glitz as it launched its 80th edition Wednesday, but a raft of big-name -- and controversial -- directors are keeping the film world buzzing.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he had raised human rights concerns at "every single one" of his meetings with top Chinese officials, as he made a state visit to Beijing on Wednesday.

Iran is ratcheting up a crackdown ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, arresting prominent personalities, campaigners and relatives of those killed by security forces in protests last year, activists say.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose ouster has been announced by rebel officers, came to power in 2009, succeeding his father Omar, the country's ruler for more than four decades.

The Global Fund announced Wednesday a deal with generic pharmaceutical manufacturers to significantly slash the price of a cutting-edge HIV drug, in a move it said would save lives.

A Pakistan court on Wednesday ordered that former prime minister Imran Khan be kept in jail over allegations he leaked classified documents, a day after a judge granted his release in a separate graft case.

Damien Chazelle, who heads the jury at the Venice Film Festival that kicks off Wednesday, told AFP he hopes Hollywood will get over its current crisis and said he was confident that movies will survive the AI revolution.

The coursing floods in eastern Pakistan first swallowed Nasreen Bibi's corn crop, then the cattle that fed on it, and finally her family home.

A row between China and Japan over Tokyo's decision to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant has added to decades of animosity between the two nations.

Military officers announced on Wednesday overturning the government in Gabon, in an apparent coup targeting President Ali Bongo Ondimba who has been in power for 14 years and whose re-election was just announced.

India's teen chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa arrived home to celebration Wednesday, with media jostling to catch a glimpse of the newly minted star who faced international No.1 Magnus Carlsen in the World Cup final.

Hurricane Idalia intensified early Wednesday as it hurtled towards northwest Florida, threatening "catastrophic" impacts including a dangerous storm surge, with officials forecasting it will slam the coast within hours as an extreme and historic Category 4 storm.

The United States wants to work with China to ensure a more "predictable" environment for American businesses in Shanghai, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told officials in the economic hub on Wednesday.

A group of Gabonese military officers appeared on television Wednesday announcing they were "putting an end to the current regime" and scrapping official election results that had handed another term to veteran President Ali Bongo Ondimba.

Indian officials preparing for the G20 summit next week have hired teams of "monkey-men" and erected primate cutouts to deter marauding monkeys from munching on the floral displays laid out for global leaders.

Dozens of Chinese nationals were arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of running an online love scam syndicate that ensnared hundreds of victims in China, police said Wednesday.

Soon after Judy Kengo was sworn into office last year, the Kenyan legislator faced her first public test when a doctored photo of a lookalike kissing another woman surfaced online.

A group of Gabonese military officers appeared on television Wednesday announcing they were "putting an end to the current regime" and cancelling an election that, according to official results, President Ali Bongo Ondimba won.

Ten-year-old Nathaniel squeezes his eyes shut, straightens his back and sucks in his breath as he plunges backward from the reinforced steel roof of a stunt car.

Kyiv was targeted early Wednesday by the "most powerful" barrage of missiles and drones since the spring, authorities said, with two people reported dead, as Russia claimed it destroyed four Ukrainian boats in the Black Sea carrying up to 50 soldiers.

Hurricane Idalia intensified late Tuesday as it hurtled towards northwest Florida, threatening "catastrophic" impacts including dangerous storm surge, with officials forecasting it will slam the coast within hours as an extreme and historic Category 4 storm.

India's Moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulphur on the lunar south pole, the country's space agency said.

Carlos Alcaraz said retaining the US Open title was not on his mind as he began the defence of his crown Tuesday with a swift win over injured German opponent Dominik Koepfer.

There used to be a lazily-used cliche about France claiming "you never knew what French team would turn up" but in the build-up to this year's Rugby World Cup that remark has been consigned to the past.

Oil companies are paying popular influencers to pump their gas on social media, sparking a backlash from some climate-conscious fans for promoting planet-warming fossil fuels among young people.

Asian investors on Wednesday tracked a rally on Wall Street as a softer-than-expected report on US job openings soothed fears the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates again.

All Blacks coach Ian Foster said it was a "great result" that Scott Barrett avoided a World Cup ban after being sent off against South Africa.

Former US Open champion Stan Wawrinka on Tuesday became the oldest man to win a match at the tournament since 40-year-old Jimmy Connors in 1992.

Australia will hold a historic Indigenous rights referendum on October 14, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday, setting up a defining moment in the nation's relationship with its Aboriginal minority.