Paris Soir - News from Paris, France, Europe and the world – 24/7

Jonathan Milan claimed his second win at this year's Giro d'Italia after taking the honours at Wednesday's 11th stage in a messy bunch sprint.

Stock markets struck record highs Wednesday after official data showed US inflation cooled slightly in April, raising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in the coming months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in China on Thursday to meet his "dear friend" Xi Jinping as he seeks to win greater support from Beijing for his war effort in Ukraine and his isolated economy.

Israel's prime minister on Wednesday insisted there was no "humanitarian catastrophe" in Rafah as he announced nearly 500,000 people had been evacuated from the south Gaza city amid intense fighting.

More than 30,000 children have crossed the perilous Darien Gap jungle in four months on the path to a better life in the United States, a number up 40 percent from the same period last year, the UN children's agency said Wednesday.

Six months after Geert Wilders won a stunning election victory, squabbling politicians finally clinched an agreement Wednesday on a coalition government, said the Dutch far-right leader, who will not be prime minister.

Sixth-ranked Ludvig Aberg, coming off a runner-up Masters finish in his major debut, has no worries about a lingering knee issue when the 106th PGA Championship tees off Thursday.

Alejandro Tabilo hailed the best tennis of his career on Wednesday after his fairytale run at the Rome Open continued to the semi-finals with a straight-sets win over China's Zhang Zhizhen.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was battling life-threatening wounds Wednesday after officials said he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt condemned by European leaders.

Meryl Streep shared intimate anecdotes from her career at the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday, including falling in love when Robert Redford washed her hair and leaving her Oscar in the toilet.

Drug overdose deaths in the United States declined last year for the first time since 2018, provisional data released Wednesday showed, suggesting tentative progress in combating the opioid epidemic even as experts cautioned against premature celebration.

Italy's Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won the 11th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Wednesday in a messy bunch sprint in Francavilla al Mare, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea.

Six months after Geert Wilders won a stunning election victory, squabbling politicians finally clinched a deal Wednesday on a coalition government, said the Dutch far-right leader, who will not be prime minister.

Alejandro Tabilo's fairytale run at the Rome Open will continue to the semi-finals after Novak Djokovic's vanquisher beat China's unseeded Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday, while Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the women's last four.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was battling life-threatening wounds Wednesday after officials said he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt condemned by European leaders.

French authorities on Wednesday were hunting for a group of gunmen who killed two prison officers in an attack at a motorway toll that freed a convict linked to gangland drug killings, with an international alert also issued.

Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan has catapulted to the forefront of Armenian politics, galvanising mass popular protests against the government's plan to cede land to arch-foe Azerbaijan.

Researchers have discovered hundreds of historical accounts of humans hunting prey by chasing them down over long distances, which some believe is why we evolved our unique talent for endurance running.

Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico was on Wednesday shot multiple times and rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a cabinet meeting, officials said, in an attack condemned by EU chiefs.

Stock markets rose Wednesday after official data showed US inflation cooled slightly in April, raising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut rates in the coming months.

Two of Kenya's 2026 World Cup qualifying matches have been moved to Malawi after the government closed down all major stadiums, a move that is also hitting athletics preparations ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Drug overdose deaths in the United States declined last year for the first time since 2018, provisional data released Wednesday showed, suggesting the strategy of increasing access to the life-saving medicine naloxone could be working.

A brain injury charity has questioned why Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was not replaced immediately following his collision with Tottenham Hotspur's Cristian Romero.

City Football Group, the parent company of Manchester City, must reduce its stake in Girona if the Spanish club is to be allowed to compete in next season's Champions League, UEFA said on Wednesday.

US consumer inflation eased slightly last month, according to US government data published Wednesday, a positive sign for President Joe Biden ahead of November's election.

Dual world champion Mathieu van der Poel announced on Wednesday that he would not be competing in the mountain bike event at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, prefering to focus on his bid to win gold in the road event instead.

President Emmanuel Macron moved Wednesday to declare a state of emergency in France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia after a second night of rioting that left three dead and hundreds wounded, his office said.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed Russian advances in the Kharkiv region and the recapture of a symbolic town further south that was one of the only prizes of Ukraine's underwhelming counteroffensive last summer.

Ireland is certain to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the country's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said on Wednesday, without specifying a date.

Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced Gambian ex-interior minister Ousman Sonko to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed under the regime of former dictator Yahya Jammeh.

Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the semi-finals of the Rome Open on Wednesday after comfortably defeating Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

Russia said Wednesday its forces had pushed deeper into the Kharkiv region and also captured the symbolic town of Robotyne further south, one of the only prizes of Ukraine's underwhelming counteroffensive last summer.