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The EU executive proposed on Wednesday a long-term budget boosted to two trillion euros ($2.3 trillion) as Europe confronts complex challenges, from overseas competition to Russian aggression at its borders.

Norway's Jonas Abrahamsen won stage 11 of the Tour de France at Toulouse on Wednesday while defending champion Tadej Pogacar crashed 4km from the line.

Croatia captain Luka Modric said Wednesday he had penned a one-year contract with AC Milan to "stay competitive and in Europe".

At least 20 people were killed in a chaotic crush at an aid centre in southern Gaza on Wednesday, with the site's operator blaming "agitators" within the crowd and the territory's civil defence agency attributing the panic to Israeli gunfire.

Kosovare Asllani said Wednesday that Sweden should be getting more attention for their performances at the Women's Euro 2025 as the Scandinavians prepare for a blockbuster quarter-final against England.

World decathlon record holder Kevin Mayer said on Wednesday he would sit out the entire 2025 season due to the long-term hamstring injury which dashed his Paris Olympics hopes.

A volcano erupted on Wednesday in Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest, weather authorities said, the ninth eruption to hit the region since the end of 2023.

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has confirmed his club will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being demoted from the Europa League.

Ministers in the UK's last Conservative government have "serious questions to answer" over a secret resettlement plan for thousands of Afghans after a data breach endangered their lives, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday.

Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic joined Bournemouth in a deal worth a reported £25 million ($33 million) on Wednesday.

Real Madrid defender Lucas Vazquez will leave the club, the Spanish giants confirmed Wednesday.

British Open organisers the Royal and Ancient (R&A) refused to rule out a return to US President Donald Trump's Turnberry course if infrastructure challenges were overcome.

Following weeks of rumours, President Volodymyr Zelensky this week unveiled a government reshuffle, replacing his prime minister and defence minister as he aims to inject fresh energy into his team, with no end in sight to the war.

Two stars of the "Harry Potter" films, including actress Emma Watson, were each banned from driving for six months Wednesday after being caught speeding in separate incidents.

Israel said it bombed Syrian army headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the Druze minority alone in its Sweida heartland where a monitor says sectarian clashes have killed nearly 250 people.

England captain Ben Stokes put his body on the line to inspire his side's dramatic victory over India at Lord's, according to team-mate Joe Root.

Major stock markets turned steadier Wednesday as traders weighed a spike to US inflation that pared bets on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.

Liverpool are considering a blockbuster £120 million ($160 million) bid for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak despite the Magpies' desire to hold onto the Sweden star, according to reports on Wednesday.

Leo XIV has not long been pope, yet the American head of the Catholic Church already receives 100 kilogrammes of letters a day, faithfully sorted by the Italian post office.

Jeep-maker Stellantis said Wednesday it was pulling the plug on plans to build light vans using hydrogen fuel cells, saying it saw no prospects for it to be commercially viable.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday his firm was "doing our best" to serve China's vast market for semiconductors after meeting Beijing officials.

A Japanese man enraged by the noise of go-karting popular with foreign tourists was arrested Wednesday for trying to set fire to the motor vehicles, according to police and local media.

Sweeping foreign aid cuts led by the United States will cause international health funding to plummet to the lowest level in 15 years, a study said Wednesday, warning the world has entered a new "era of global health austerity."

Germany's Florian Wellbrock won the men's 10km at the world championships in Singapore on Wednesday after the race had been postponed for several hours because of poor water quality.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as they weighed Indonesia's trade deal with Washington and a spike in US inflation that saw investors pare their bets on Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.

At a leather boot shop in the Indonesian city of Bandung, workers handle an order from Texas but owner Etnawati Melani says she fears such business will dwindle when Donald Trump's tariffs hit exports.

Indonesia's leader on Wednesday hailed a "new era" of trade relations with the United States, after Donald Trump said he slashed the tariff rate faced by Southeast Asia's biggest economy from 32 percent to 19 percent.

Flanker Rob Valetini has resumed training in a big boost for Australia ahead of the first Test against the British and Irish Lions, with assistant coach Geoff Parling Wednesday "very hopeful" the dynamic forward will be fit.

Pakistanis are increasingly ditching the national grid in favour of solar power, prompting a boom in rooftop panels and spooking a government weighed down by billions of dollars of power sector debt.

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra testified in court on Wednesday, seeking to defend himself against royal defamation charges in a watershed case for his faltering political dynasty.

Dutch tech giant ASML said Wednesday it booked higher net profits in the second quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year but warned that geopolitical headwinds had darkened the 2026 outlook.

Tajik apricot farmer Uktam Kuziev is worried about the future now that climate change is threatening Central Asia's vital fruit harvest.