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Beach lovers were able to take a dip in New Caledonia's capital Noumea for the first time in months Wednesday, after the French Pacific territory installed a controversial net to keep sharks out.

Authoritarian states are increasingly targeting journalists working in exile as part of government reprisal campaigns against dissidents living outside their countries, US-based rights group Freedom House said in a new report Wednesday.

Ukraine faces growing diplomatic headwinds after its summer counter-offensive against Russia's forces faltered, with aid from vital backers in the United States and EU being increasingly called into question.

Google on Wednesday infused its Bard chatbot with a new-generation artificial intelligence model called Gemini, which it touts as being able to reason better than ChatGPT and other rivals.

A man suspected of stabbing a German tourist to death near the Eiffel Tower was to appear before a French judge on Wednesday with a view to being charged with carrying out a terror attack, a source close to the case said.

Italy's governing right-wing parties on Wednesday scuppered an attempt by the opposition to introduce a minimum wage, which would have brought the country into line with the majority of the EU.

The US trade deficit continued to grow in October due to a fall in exports, according to government data published Wednesday.

Hiring in the US private sector eased in November, as the post-pandemic boom in restaurant and hotel employment moderated, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday.

The European Union will seek to thrash out an agreement on sweeping rules to regulate artificial intelligence on Wednesday, following months of difficult negotiations in particular on how to monitor generative AI applications like ChatGPT.

Global equities rose Wednesday with Frankfurt striking a record peak, as investors tracked resurgent hopes of interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve.

The Emirati head of UN climate talks faced growing pressure Wednesday to steer nations towards a consensus as negotiators sparred over the thorny issue of fossil fuels.

Volkswagen said Wednesday it would cut its workforce over the coming years as the German auto giant seeks to boost its profitability and reboot a faltering shift to electric cars.

The UN rights chief voiced deep concern on Wednesday over allegations of sexual violence by Hamas militants during their October 7 attack, calling on Israel to allow his team in to investigate.

Rafael Nadal on Wednesday insisted he will be "competitive" when he returns to professional tennis next month after enduring nearly a year out of action due to injury.

US-based streaming platform Twitch said Wednesday it would stop its service in South Korea in February because of "seriously high" network costs, dealing a blow to millions of users in one of the heartlands of e-sports.

Norman Lear was television's prolific genius whose trailblazing sitcoms in the 1970s and 1980s not only revolutionized US entertainment -- they helped change the way a nation saw itself.

Time magazine named US pop superstar Taylor Swift as its person of the year on Wednesday, calling the musical force of nature the "hero of her own story."

The mayor's office in Paris has urged the regional transport authority to abandon its plan to near-double metro fares during the Olympics this summer.

Brussels proposed Wednesday a three-year delay on tariffs on the sale of electric vehicles between Britain and the EU that was meant to kick in from January, in a major reversal of its previous position.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is seeking to further the fight against fentanyl during a trip to Mexico this week, with planned meetings on Wednesday involving financial institution leaders and the central bank governor.

Bayern Munich have reached an agreement to sign Spain winger Bryan Zaragoza from La Liga side Granada next summer, the German champions announced on Wednesday.

Boris Johnson on Wednesday apologised for "the pain and the loss and the suffering" caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, as he gave evidence at a public inquiry into his government's handling of the global health crisis.

Britain on Wednesday announced a fresh round of sanctions against Russia's "war machine" in Ukraine, as David Cameron headed to Washington for his first visit as foreign secretary.

Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini has insisted a new track for sliding events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics could be built at Cortina d'Ampezzo, despite the plans previously being shelved.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are living in "utter, deepening horror", the UN human rights chief said Wednesday, as he pleaded for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Airlines should carry a record number of passengers next year as the sector puts the Covid-19 pandemic behind it, the industry's top trade association said Wednesday, although profitability remains a concern.

The International Surf Association (ISA) said on Wednesday it welcomed the decision by authorities to suspend work on the venue in Tahiti for the Paris Olympics events.

The UK government on Wednesday unveiled reforms to ensure there would be no repeat of the "most unforgivable forms of institutional obstruction" faced by families of the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough football disaster.

In a Polish car park near the Ukrainian border, truck drivers stranded by a month-long blockade that has caused disruption and a row with Ukraine shoveled snow off their vehicles.

President Vladimir Putin is in the United Arab Emirates for a rare visit outside the former Soviet Union Wednesday, as Russia seeks to reassert itself on the global stage.

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope will be sidelined for "around four months" with a shoulder injury, manager Eddie Howe said on Wednesday as his list of absentees continued to grow.

Global equities rose Wednesday with Frankfurt striking a record peak, as investors tracked resurgent hopes of interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve.