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

Track "rock stars" Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson are two of 13 newly-crowned world champions who headline a stellar line-up at Thursday's Diamond League meet in Zurich.

A Russian man prosecuted for giving a spontaneous street comment criticising the Kremlin's Ukraine offensive to foreign media said he stood by his words during his trial Wednesday, despite facing up to 10 years in prison.

The Kremlin said Wednesday that investigators were probing all possible scenarios surrounding the death last week of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash, including premeditated murder.

Climate change has sharply boosted the risk of fast-spreading wildfires, according to a Californian study published Wednesday that offers lessons for prevention after recent disasters in Canada, Greece and Hawaii.

Tech titans, including TikTok and Twitter, failed to effectively tackle Russian disinformation online during the first year of the war in Ukraine, according to a study published Wednesday by the EU.

Manchester City have reached a verbal agreement with Wolves on a fee for Portugal midfielder Matheus Nunes, according to reports on Wednesday.

A growing number of media outlets are blocking a webpage-scanning tool used by ChatGPT creator OpenAI to improve its artificial intelligence models.

Ukraine said Wednesday that its recapture of Robotyne village this week was a strategic victory paving the way for its forces to push deeper into Russian positions in the south towards Crimea.

Two years after iconic Swedish pop group ABBA returned with a new album, singer Agnetha Faltskog has announced she will unveil a new single as a solo artist this week.

Stock markets diverged Wednesday as a global rally faded despite more data that soothed fears of a further rise in US interest rates.

Scores of sea lions have died from bird flu in Argentina, officials said Tuesday, as an unprecedented global outbreak continues to infect mammals, raising fears it could spread more easily among humans.

Newly-crowned sprint king Noah Lyles insisted Wednesday that he had received some support for his comments criticising NBA stars for declaring themselves "world champions" for winning the elite basketball league.

The worst disruption to UK air traffic control in almost a decade following a technical fault risks costing carriers around £100 million, the head of global airline body IATA estimated Wednesday.

Kyrgyzstan said Wednesday it planned to ban the popular video sharing platform TikTok, after the Central Asian country accused the app of "causing addiction" among children and affecting their mental health.

France condemned the toppling of Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba on Wednesday which could represent another setback for Paris in Africa where friendly governments have been falling in an "epidemic" of coups.

French journalist groups have condemned "sexist" remarks directed at women reporters by Eric Dupond-Moretti, the country's combative justice minister.

Private sector hiring in the United States slowed more than expected in August, according to data from payroll firm ADP on Wednesday, as a boom from the leisure and hospitality sectors faded.

Hurricane Idalia slammed into northwest Florida as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm early Wednesday, as officials warned of catastrophic impacts including storm surges of up to 16 feet (about five meters).

England's women cricketers will be paid the same match fees as their male counterparts, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Wednesday.

Climate change threatens to exacerbate conflict in fragile nations across the globe and lead to increased deaths, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report published Wednesday.

Shooting guard Anthony "Ant-Man" Edwards hailed the chemistry in the United States team as they won their third game out of three at the Basketball World Cup on Wednesday.

Europe's main stock markets diverged Wednesday after a global rally faded.

The graft-tainted former secretary-general of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) launched a new leftwing party on Wednesday ahead of general elections next year.

Rebel officers in the oil-rich central African state of Gabon announced on Wednesday they had seized power following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power since 2009, had been declared victor.

Raphael Varane has been ruled out for "a few weeks" as Manchester United's injury issues pile up ahead of their Premier League trip to Arsenal.

Business in China could become "too risky" for US firms without changes to the regulatory environment, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned Wednesday as she wrapped up a visit to the world's second-largest economy.

French international forward Randal Kolo Muani skipped training with Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, as he continues to try to force a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

President Emmanuel Macron will meet leaders of all of France's political parties Wednesday, including his most bitter opponents, outside Paris in a bid to break the deadlock of a hung parliament.

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has acquired a minority stake in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the two entities said Wednesday, the latest example of the kingdom's sports investment push.

Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a Category 4 storm early Wednesday as it barreled towards Florida, threatening "catastrophic" impacts, with officials forecasting it will slam into the coast within hours.

Historic Hollywood strikes have robbed the Venice Film Festival of some of its usual glitz as it launched its 80th edition Wednesday, but a raft of big-name -- and controversial -- directors are keeping the film world buzzing.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he had raised human rights concerns at "every single one" of his meetings with top Chinese officials, as he made a state visit to Beijing on Wednesday.