The images of France's riots posted and broadcast around the world have cast a pall on the country's important tourism sector, with many fearing worse consequences if violence returns.

Argentina's far-right President Javier Milei called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a "dictator" in a visit to Madrid on Wednesday, urging voters to oust the Socialist leader in upcoming elections.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday took an apparent swipe at counterpart Donald Trump of exploiting France's riots for advantage in the U.S. midterm election battle, as Paris prepared for more protests this weekend.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called Wednesday for freezing the front in his country's war against Russia as a first step toward ceasefire talks.

A ship was struck on Wednesday by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire, a British maritime security agency said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in October 27 elections, ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot, said on Wednesday that he would refuse to serve as a minister in a new government led by the current premier.

French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Riyadh where he is due to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday, in a surprise "solidarity" visit after weeks of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that his country would organize a conference to support the Lebanese Army after Israeli elections this month, decrying what he called untenable pressure on Beirut.

Israeli troops currently occupy a swathe of south Lebanon after invading in March, while Lebanese authorities are under pressure to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah.

A meeting in Saint Petersburg Wednesday between Russia's Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on ending the Ukraine war concluded after more than three hours, Russian news agencies reported.

Israel goes to the polls on October 27 with results forecast to be close, meaning that the next government will be determined by whoever can cobble together a coalition in a fragmented political landscape.