WORLD

French lawmakers on Wednesday voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, a historic move which plunged the country further into political chaos.

British nurse Lucy Letby, who is serving life without parole for committing infanticide, has been questioned by police about more infant deaths and non-fatal collapses.

Cash-strapped Cuba was plunged into darkness on Wednesday for the third time in two months after the power grid failed.

Russia and Ukraine will send their foreign ministers to Malta this week for a summit of the OSCE, officials said Wednesday, in one of the few events attended by both countries since Moscow's Ukraine offensive began.

McDonald's Canada has teamed up with The Grinch™ for a festive treat this holiday season with the launch of The Grinch Meal, that's already causing a stir stateside.

Gaza's civil defence agency said the Israeli military issued evacuation calls Wednesday as it heavily bombarded the northern town of Beit Lahia as part of an intensive two-month operation.

Iranian authorities on Wednesday freed Nobel peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi from prison for three weeks on medical grounds, a move supporters decried as "too little too late" with the Nobel committee urging a permanent release.

US President-elect Donald Trump's controversial nomination of TV host Pete Hegseth to run the Defense Department was teetering Wednesday as Republican senators raised questions over his fitness for the powerful role.

Iran has released Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, jailed since November 2021, for three weeks on medical grounds, her lawyer posted on social media.

Georgian police raided the offices of opposition parties on Wednesday after the government vowed to crack down on those organising pro-EU protests, deepening a political crisis engulfing the Black Sea nation.

Syrian government forces launched a counterattack against Islamist-led rebels around the key city of Hama on Wednesday after suffering a string of staggering losses, a war monitor said.

President Joe Biden will make the case on Wednesday in Angola that the United States must do better rather than more than China to regain influence in Africa.

South Koreans took to the streets Wednesday for a day of rage laser-focused on President Yoon Seok Yeol, whose failed attempt at imposing martial law sparked anger and dismay in the vibrant democracy.

Around the world, people are increasingly willing to uproot their lives in search of better opportunities and living conditions. In the U.S., record numbers of residents have left high-tax states like New York and Illinois for states like Texas and Florida.

A French appeals court is to decide Wednesday whether French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski owes a British actor damages after he was acquitted of allegedly defaming her when she accused him of rape.

The cost of hiring a boyfriend ranges from a few hundred thousand Vietnamese Dong (US$10 to US$20) for a two-hour outing, to 1 million Dong (US$40) for a family meeting.

Months of fighting on the Ukrainian front have not taken away Kostya's sense of humour -- even when it comes to the topic of Donald Trump.

Parliamentary staffers used sofas and fire extinguishers to block soldiers armed with assault rifles and night-vision goggles from entering South Korea's National Assembly to maintain martial law, CCTV footage released Wednesday showed.

A second major Myanmar ethnic rebel group has said it is ready for Beijing-mediated talks with the junta to end more than a year of renewed fighting that has ravaged areas along the Chinese border.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te arrived in the tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu on Wednesday, as part of a trip aimed at shoring up international support for Taiwan as China seeks to poach its few remaining allies.

Yoon's shock bid to impose South Korea's first martial law in over four decades plunged the country into the deepest turmoil in its modern democratic history and caught its close allies around the world off guard.

The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and "sideswiped" a government vessel Wednesday during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, after Beijing said it had "exercised control" over the ship.

South Korean stocks sank more than two percent Wednesday while the won rebounded from earlier losses after President Yoon Suk Yeol dramatically declared martial law overnight before reversing the decision hours later.

France's government on Wednesday faces no confidence votes that could spell the end of the short-lived administration of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, plunging the country into uncharted waters of political chaos.

Ruud van Nistelrooy savoured his first match in charge of Leicester with a 3-1 Premier League win over West Ham, while Crystal Palace edged Ipswich 1-0 on Tuesday.

A study assessed the usage of words used by politicians in the United States and the United Kingdom to determine the person who uses fewer words to get their message across.

Namibia's ruling SWAPO party was declared winner Tuesday of last week's disputed elections, ushering in the southern African country's first woman president after a disputed vote that the main opposition has already said it does not recognise.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law on Tuesday, was elected in 2022 as a conservative political novice promising a tougher line on North Korea.

UK officials hinted Tuesday that a deal was in the works with Greece to end a decades-long dispute over the highly contested and priceless Parthenon Marbles.