Germany's unemployment rate ticked higher in June, official figures showed Wednesday, but the rise was slower than in the previous two months and extensive use of a government-backed short-time work program kept job losses down.

From Tokyo to Brussels, political leaders have swiftly decried Beijing's move to impose a tough national security law on Hong Kong that cracks down on subversive activity and protest in the semi-autonomous territory.

Saudi shoppers have rushed to buy big-ticket items such as gold, appliances and electronics ahead of the announced tripling of taxes on basic goods on Wednesday as the government tries to shore up revenue for its economy battered by the coronavirus and low oil prices.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said its findings indicate the Afghan military had mistakenly fired the mortars this week at a busy market in southern Helmand province that inflicted heavy civilian casualties.

Up to 60 migrants may have been trapped in a boat that sank in an eastern lake last week, Turkey's interior minister said Wednesday.

Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday he doubts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank will start on its target date, casting further uncertainty over whether Israel would ultimately follow through on the explosive initiative that has drawn fierce international condemnation.

A boiler exploded at a government-run electricity plant in southern India on Wednesday, killing at least five workers, police said.

Harandane Toure started taking malaria pills when he first spiked a fever but as the days passed his illness only worsened.

Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday after Wall Street capped its best quarter since 1998, shrugging off continued signs of global economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

Coach Dawn Staley would be prepping the U.S. women's basketball team for the Tokyo Olympics this week if not for the coronavirus pandemic.