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A gunman opened fire Wednesday on school children attending church in Minneapolis, killing two pupils and wounding 17 people, police said, in the country's latest violent tragedy.

German weapons-maker Rheinmetall opened Europe's largest munitions plant on Wednesday, a move hailed as boosting Western defences by NATO chief Mark Rutte.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam warned Wednesday that it faced closure without more state funding, saying a 104-million-euro ($120 million) renovation was vital to protect its masterpieces.

Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen's US Open campaign ground to a halt on Wednesday with a comprehensive second-round defeat to Britain's Emma Raducanu.

The Trump administration said Wednesday it will exert more control over Washington by taking over management of Union Station, the US capital's rail hub.

Stock markets fluctuated Wednesday as investors braced for a key earnings update from AI giant Nvidia, whose robust growth has largely driven strong gains for tech stocks in recent months.

All eight known pangolin species remain at high risk of extinction due to over-exploitation and loss of habitat, conservationists warned Wednesday, warning knowledge gaps were hampering protection efforts.

US captain Keegan Bradley won't play in the Ryder Cup, making the "extremely difficult" decision to focus on his captain's duties in the biennial match play showdown with Europe next month.

French celebrity chef Jean Imbert said Wednesday he would "step back" from his restaurants after prosecutors opened an investigation into a domestic violence complaint from his former partner.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has brought back centre-back Antonio Rudiger while dropping winger Leroy Sane in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in September.

Washington's preferential treatment of white Afrikaners for resettlement into the United States is "apartheid 2.0", South Africa's foreign minister said Wednesday.

When zombie-blasting survival game "Resident Evil" launched on the very first PlayStation console in 1996, Japanese publishers Capcom never thought the series would reach tens of millions of people or endure for three decades.

Denmark's prime minister on Wednesday presented a long-awaited apology to the victims of Denmark's forced contraception campaign in Greenland, lifting a key point of tension with its autonomous territory.

Videos of a countryside estate owned by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's father have raked in hundreds of thousands of views online, with an anti-corruption campaigner sharing fresh footage Wednesday.

Newcastle forward Alexander Isak has been called up by Sweden for World Cup qualifiers despite being sidelined by his club as he tries to force a move to Liverpool.

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino hopes his latest film premiering Wednesday in Venice will bring attention to the controversial topic of euthanasia -- while encouraging those in power to reject the need for certainty and embrace doubt.

US President Donald Trump called Wednesday for billionaire George Soros and his son to face criminal charges over unfounded claims that the family, a favorite target of the right, is behind "violent protests" around the country.

Wildfires that have swept across Spain this summer are piling pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is already reeling from a string of corruption allegations against members of his inner circle.

Stock markets fluctuated on Wednesday as investors braced for a key earnings update from AI giant Nvidia, whose robust growth has largely driven strong gains for tech stocks in recent months.

Cordell Tinch's circuituous route to the pinnacle of 110m hurdles is American football's loss while his all-round athletic ability shows distinct similarities to US teammate Grant Holloway.

Pakistan authorities blew up an embankment next to a monsoon-engorged dam on Wednesday as flooding submerged one of the world's holiest Sikh sites.

Danish toymaker Lego, the world's biggest, posted record sales for the first half of the year and continues to gain market share despite global volatility, its chief executive told AFP.

Hugo Ekitike missed out on a place in the France squad named Wednesday for the start of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, but coach Didier Deschamps did hand a first senior call-up to highly-rated Monaco winger Maghnes Akliouche.

US sprinter Noah Lyles played down the prospect of heavy rain at the Diamond League finals in Zurich on Thursday when he will go head-to-head in a mouth-watering 200m with Botswanan rival Letsile Tebogo.

Floods and landslides triggered by record-breaking heavy rain have killed more than 30 people in India's Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.

The Venice Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday with Hollywood royalty heading to Italy's swanky movie showcase where a strong line up of star-packed films will vie with protests over Gaza for public attention.

Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar urged Madrid to cut all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel Wednesday over the war in Gaza, calling the conflict a "genocide".

President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday gave his "full support" to France's embattled prime minister, who has called a confidence vote that could see his government collapse next month.

Stock markets diverged Wednesday following broad losses in the previous session, as attention turned to a key earnings update from AI giant Nvidia.

The German cabinet on Wednesday signed off steps to boost recruitment for the country's armed forces and strengthen military readiness in the face of high tensions between NATO and Russia.

Denmark summoned the US charge d'affaires Wednesday after reports of attempted interference in Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory which US President Donald Trump wants to take over.

Germany's plant and equipment makers' federation warned Wednesday the sector is facing an "existential crisis" after the United States broadened the reach of its metals tariffs.

The Israeli military pressed operations around Gaza City on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump prepared to host a White House meeting on post-war plans for the shattered Palestinian territory.

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 30 people in India's Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir, officials and local media said Wednesday.

A former Australian Rules star on Wednesday came out as the first openly bisexual or gay player in the sport's long history, a move hailed as "breaking decades of silence".

Indian spin great Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League and plans to play in other global franchise tournaments.

India could be banned from world football for the second time in three years after FIFA and the Asian governing body demanded it implement a new constitution by October 30 or risk suspension.

Globetrotting filmmaker Werner Herzog, an eclectic risk-taker whose monumental works often explore humankind's conflict with nature, will receive a special award Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival.

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