WORLD

France's foreign minister warned Wednesday that a military confrontation with Iran would be "almost inevitable" if talks over Tehran's nuclear programme failed.

A US judge on Wednesday permanently dismissed corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, weeks after President Donald Trump's administration pushed to stop the unprecedented prosecution.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said in an interview published Wednesday that she would use all possible legal avenues to stand in 2027 elections despite a ban on her running and hailed the promise of a speedy appeal of her criminal conviction.

Deutsche Bank's asset management arm DWS was hit Wednesday with a 25-million-euro ($27-million) fine over misleading advertising for supposedly sustainable products, with activists hailing one of the world's biggest ever "greenwashing" penalties.

The Congress, on Friday, was informed that nearly all USAID employees would be fired by September, with all of its overseas offices closed and some functions transferred to the State Department.

The World Health Organization is facing a gaping deficit this year and through 2027 following the US decision to withdraw, even after dramatically slashing its budget, a media report indicated Wednesday.

Chinese tourists visiting the country's closest point to Taiwan wished for the democratic island's return to Beijing's rule, as their leadership called its president a "parasite" and unleashed ships and jets in drills to encircle it.

A Singaporean teenager allegedly planning to kill dozens of Muslims outside several mosques has been detained, the city-state's Internal Security Department said on Wednesday.

Israel has been gripped by allegations linking aides of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to financing from Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders and helped broker the release of hostages from Gaza.

At an industrial bakery in war-ravaged Gaza City, a conveyor belt that once churned out thousands of pitta breads every day has come to a standstill.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads Wednesday to a NATO meeting in Europe as transatlantic tensions soar, with President Donald Trump slapping tariffs on Europeans and challenging Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland.

Bare-handed monks slowly pick away the rubble that was once the wall of a historic Buddhist monastery in Mandalay, its exposed side a searing reminder of the deadly earthquake that rocked the city five days ago.

The United States said Tuesday it has approved the possible sale of $5.58 billion in F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, as Washington backs its ally in rising tensions over China.

El Salvador's pugilistic president has become a key partner for US President Donald Trump's in-your-face campaign to deport migrants, with both men hoping to reap the political benefits.

Prolific American actor Val Kilmer, who was propelled to fame with "Top Gun" and went on to starring roles as Batman and Jim Morrison, has died at age 65, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

US lawmakers moved Tuesday to rename the street next to Hong Kong's Washington office after Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy activist and media mogul jailed as China clamps down on the financial hub.

Donald Trump's second presidency was dealt a spinning blow by voters in Wisconsin Tuesday as they elected a liberal judge to the state's Supreme Court, despite his powerful advisor Elon Musk pouring millions into the race to sway the polls.