France’s highest court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by far-right leader Marine Le Pen, dealing a major setback to her efforts to overturn a sentence that could bar her from running in the 2027 presidential election. Le Pen was handed a four-year prison sentence, including two years to serve, a €100,000 fine and a five-year ban from public office over a party funds misuse case.

The increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere last year was the biggest ever recorded, the United Nations said Wednesday, calling for urgent action to slash emissions.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed Wednesday to a 48-hour “temporary ceasefire” following deadly border clashes that killed more than a dozen civilians, Islamabad said. The truce, requested by Kabul, comes after Pakistani air strikes in Kandahar and Kabul provinces and marks the worst violence between the two neighbours since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Colonel Michael Randrianirina, a senior officer in Madagascar's elite CAPSAT military unit, took control of the African island nation on Tuesday after President Andry Rajoelina fled following weeks of youth-led protests. The officer, once jailed for mutiny, has suspended key state institutions and said it could take up to two years to hold elections.

Kenyan President William Ruto has announced seven days of national mourning and a state funeral for opposition leader Raila Odinga, who died Wednesday following a cardiac arrest while receiving medical treatment abroad. Odinga had been at the centre of Kenyan politics for decades, making alliances with rivals and inspiring loyalty from his base. 

At least 15 civilians have been killed and dozens more wounded in renewed border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghan officials said Wednesday. Cross-border violence has flared since Kabul was rocked last week by explosions blamed on Pakistan, which in turn accuses Afghanistan of harbouring militant groups that carry out attacks on its territory.

France’s opposition Socialist Party said Wednesday it would push for a so-called "Zucman tax" targeting the country’s richest individuals, a day after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu agreed to suspend an unpopular pension reform in a bid to survive a looming no-confidence vote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Moscow on Wednesday during Sharaa's first official visit to Russia, the Kremlin announced.