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Ballon d'Or disappointment will inspire Yamal: Barca coach Flick
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal will be driven to greater heights after being beaten to the Ballon d'Or by Ousmane Dembele, the club's coach Hansi Flick said Wednesday.

French-German duo wins mega offshore wind energy project
French energy multinational TotalEnergies and German energy group RWE have won a contract to built a large offshore wind energy project with a potential to supply the equivalent of one million households with electricity, the French government said Wednesday.

Italy deploys frigate after drone 'attack' on Gaza aid flotilla
Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto sent a navy frigate Wednesday to assist a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, after organisers said several of their boats had been targeted by drones off Greece.

Typhoon Ragasa slams into south China after killing 17 in Taiwan
Fierce winds, pounding rain and rough seas battered southern China on Wednesday as powerful Typhoon Ragasa made landfall in Guangdong province after killing at least 17 in Taiwan.

NASA launches mission to study space weather
The United States launched three spacecraft on Wednesday in an effort to better monitor space weather such as solar storms, which can interfere with technology and power systems on Earth.

Stocks torn between Fed rate warning, AI optimism
Europe's main stock markets retreated Wednesday following gains in Asia and Wall Street losses, with focus on shares in technology giants and a warning from US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell on interest rates.

Russia vows to press offensive, rejects idea Ukraine can retake land
The Kremlin said Wednesday it would press on with its military offensive in Ukraine and rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that Kyiv's army could retake territory it had seized.

French consumer group seeks Perrier sales ban
An influential consumer rights association on Wednesday urged a court to ban the sale of Perrier bottled water in France, saying the brand's claim that its product is "natural" was misleading.
17 killed in Taiwan after barrier lake bursts
At least 17 people were killed when a decades-old barrier lake burst in Taiwan, government officials said Wednesday, after Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded the island with torrential rain.

Photographer Arthus-Bertrand rejects image of 'fractured France'
"People always say we live in a fractured and cynical country. I can't bear it!" Famed French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand pushes a different image of his homeland with his latest monumental project.

Gaza civil defence says dozens killed in Israeli strikes
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed dozens of people across the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, as the military pressed its assault on Gaza City from where hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee.

Pakistan's Shaheen sends Asia Cup warning as third India clash looms
Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has declared that his team will reach the Asia Cup final and can beat India if the arch-rivals clash again.

Amazon to shut checkout-free UK grocery shops
Amazon plans to shut all its grocery stores in Britain, after the shops without checkout registers failed to compete with online delivery demand.

Typhoon Ragasa hits south China after killing 15 in Taiwan
Fierce winds, pounding rain and rough seas battered southern China and Hong Kong on Wednesday as powerful Typhoon Ragasa churned toward millions of people in Guangdong Province after killing at least 15 in Taiwan.

Russia vows to press on in Ukraine, rejects Trump jibe
The Kremlin said Wednesday it had no choice but to continue its military offensive on Ukraine and rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that Russia was a "paper tiger".

Germany's Merz rejects claims he is slowing green shift
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday rejected claims his government was undermining the climate change fight, but insisted that industry also needed to be protected to revive the crisis-wracked economy.

Sinner says 'changing a lot' after US Open loss to Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner said Wednesday he has been making changes to his game and "reflecting a lot" ahead of his first appearance since losing the US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz.

Russia-linked disinfo campaign targets Moldovan election
Ahead of Moldova's parliamentary elections on Sunday, deepfake videos and unsubstantiated accusations targeting pro-EU President Maia Sandu are spreading online, with analysts warning the country has become Moscow's "testing ground" for information warfare in Europe.

Danish PM to apologise to victims of Greenland forced contraception
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has arrived in Denmark's autonomous territory Greenland for a ceremony Wednesday to apologise in person to the victims of a forced contraception programme that Copenhagen ran for more than three decades.

Wiretapping scandal goes to court in Greece
A trial linked to the illegal wiretapping of politicians and journalists using the spy software Predator opens on Wednesday in Greece, three years after a scandal that rocked the country.

Ekitike apologises to Liverpool fans after 'stupid' red card
Hugo Ekitike has apologised to Liverpool fans after he was sent off for removing his shirt following his late League Cup winner against Southampton -- a celebration labelled "stupid" by manager Arne Slot.

UK rail operators set for new EU border checks
The Channel Tunnel's operator and train service Eurostar have expressed confidence that the European Union's much delayed new border-check system will run smoothly when launched next month.

Markets waver after Wall St drop, Alibaba soars
Equities were mixed Wednesday following a down day on Wall Street, where worries about high valuations were compounded by mixed messaging from the Federal Reserve on its plans for interest rates.
14 killed, 152 missing in Taiwan after barrier lake burst
At least 14 people were killed when a decades-old lake barrier burst in Taiwan, a government official said Wednesday, after Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded the island with torrential rain.

S. Korea's ex-first lady goes on trial in corruption case
South Korea opened a criminal trial Wednesday for the wife of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, marking the first time an ex-first lady has faced trial, after her husband was removed from office over a martial law bid.

Modern-day Colombian guerrillas are mere druglords: ex-FARC commander
Colombian guerrilla fighters today are no more than drug lords given too much leeway by the leftist government, infamous former rebel commander Rodrigo Londono, aka "Timochenko," told AFP on Tuesday.

Australian telco giant slapped with $66 million fine over 'appalling' conduct
Embattled Australian telco giant Optus was hit with a $66 million fine on Wednesday over "appalling" sales conduct as the firm grapples with fallout from a network outage linked to several deaths.

TV host Kimmel says 'anti-American' for govt to threaten comedians
TV host Jimmy Kimmel defended free speech when he returned to US screens on Tuesday, calling government pressure on his late-night talk show "anti-American" as critics decried his suspension as an attack on constitutional rights.

Massive sinkhole in Bangkok street forces evacuations
A portion of a busy road in Thailand's capital caved in early Wednesday, leaving a hole dozens of meters deep in front of a main hospital and forcing people nearby to evacuate.

Alcaraz expects Sinner to come back stronger after US Open loss
World number one Carlos Alcaraz said Wednesday that he will have to prepare for a new and improved Jannik Sinner after beating his great rival in the US Open final.

Japan PM says Palestine state recognition 'when not if'
Japan's prime minister told the United Nations on Tuesday that Tokyo's recognition of the State of Palestine was only a question of time, saying he was "indignant" at recent comments by Israeli officials.

14 killed by lake burst in Taiwan as Super Typhoon Ragasa wreaks havoc
Fierce winds, pounding rain and high seas battered Hong Kong on Wednesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa headed into southern China after causing a lake burst that killed at least 14 people in Taiwan.