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With less than six months to go before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, organizers are bracing for what could be their most challenging opponent yet: extreme heat.

The Green Bay Packers advanced to the NFL playoffs on Thursday without stepping onto the field, clinching a post-season berth when the Detroit Lions lost 23-10 at Minnesota.

Presidential candidates in Guinea, including junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya, held their final political rallies Thursday ahead of this weekend's elections.

Aston Villa face a tough challenge at Chelsea on Saturday after muscling their way into the Premier League title race alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.

Reigning champions Oklahoma City have the NBA's best record, but they can't find a way to defeat San Antonio, with superstar Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench Thursday to help lift the Spurs to an emphatic 117-102 victory.

Former prime minister Najib Razak faces judgment on Friday for his alleged involvement in Malaysia's 1MDB mega-graft scandal, with a guilty verdict likely to add years to a sentence already being served.

Russia has made an offer to France regarding a jailed researcher facing espionage charges that could see him sentenced to 20 years in prison, the Kremlin said Thursday.

Britain's King Charles III called for "compassion and reconciliation" at a time of "division" across the world in his Christmas Day message Thursday.

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup, underwent a "successful" surgery on Thursday for an inguinal hernia, his wife said.

The chief of a prominent anti-disinformation watchdog has sued President Donald Trump's administration over a US entry ban, calling it an "unconstitutional" attempt to expel the permanent American resident, court filings showed Wednesday.

Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, warned during a Christmas sermon on Thursday that national conversations over immigration were dividing British society.

Moscow has made an offer to Paris regarding jailed French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who is facing espionage charges that could see him sentenced to 20 years in a Russian prison, the Kremlin said Thursday.

Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on Thursday, ending 17 years in self-imposed exile with a promise to deliver safety and justice if his party wins next year's elections.

Nigeria police said Thursday that they suspected a suicide bomber was behind the blast that killed several worshippers in a mosque on Christmas eve in the country's northeastern Borno state.

Organisers at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco are allowing supporters in for free after kick-off in matches where stadiums are not full, a Confederation of African Football source told AFP.

Mali coach Tom Saintfiet on Thursday railed against the decision to play the Africa Cup of Nations every four years instead of two, insisting the move was forced upon the continent by FIFA and European clubs motivated by money.

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.

Saint Peter's, one of the world's oldest rock churches, is a sacred rallying point for the isolated Christians still left in quake-hit Antakya in southeastern Turkey, the city known in ancient times as Antioch.

Pope Leo XIV condemned the "senselessness" of war and the "open wounds" it leaves behind, as he delivered his first Christmas message on Thursday after a year marked by conflict but also hopes for peace in Gaza and Ukraine.

Somalians turned out in droves on Thursday to vote in local elections in the capital Mogadishu -- the first by universal suffrage in nearly 60 years -- with the city locked down amid security concerns.

Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh on Thursday by huge crowds of joyous supporters after 17 years in self-imposed exile.

At a church in Sumatra, dozens of worshippers sang hymns at a Christmas mass, gathered together for their first service since deadly floods swept the Indonesian island.

The wife of Cambodia's leader has attended funerals for soldiers killed in border clashes with Thailand, according to an official Facebook post, even though Phnom Penh has not announced any military deaths.

Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh on Thursday by huge crowds of supporters after his 17 years in self-imposed exile.

The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau has agreed to accept up to 75 non-American migrants from the United States under a deal worth $7.5 million, the two countries have said.

Pope Leo XIV is expected to renew his calls for peace Thursday when he delivers his first Christmas blessing from St Peter's Basilica at the end of a year overshadowed by conflict, but also marked by hopes for peace in Gaza.

Australia will take an all-pace attack into the fourth Ashes Test, skipper Steve Smith said Thursday, while Josh Inglis was dropped with selectors preferring Usman Khawaja.

Turkish democracy has taken a heavy beating since the jailing of Istanbul's popular opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, his wife told AFP, saying it has been painful for his family but that the ordeal has made them stronger.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a nuclear submarine factory and received a message from Russia's Vladimir Putin hailing the countries' "invincible friendship", state media said Thursday.

US President Donald Trump seized on the occasion of Christmas Eve to assail opposition Democrats, branding them "radical left scum" as he sent out holiday greetings.

Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides.

Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square before the service in an usually informal style.