As he gears up for his first Christmas as leader of the world's Catholics, Pope Leo XIV is starting to show more noticeable differences in leadership style with his predecessor Francis.
Squabbles over the EU-Mercosur trade deal are likely to punctuate a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday.
President Donald Trump promised Americans an economic boom in an address to the nation on Wednesday, while blaming Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for high prices that have hit the Republican's popularity.
- Conway 120 as New Zealand in command at 216-0 against West Indies
- Taiwan eyes fresh diplomatic ties with Honduras
Economy
The European Central Bank is expected to hold interest rates steady Thursday for its fourth meeting in a row as inflation remains in check, although debate is heating up about the path forward.
December 18, 2025
RECENT NEWS
Turkmenistan's battle against desert sand
Nature
December 18, 2025
Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg on Thursday called an error in the Snicko technology being used during the Ashes "not good enough" as England had a review reinstated over the row.
December 18, 2025
RECENT NEWS
New Zealand were 83-0 at lunch on day one of the third Test against the West Indies on Thursday, justifying a decision to bat first on a green-looking Mount Maunganui wicket.
December 18, 2025
Ecuadoran footballer Mario Pineida was shot and killed in the port city of Guayaquil on Wednesday, his team said.
December 18, 2025
The US government admitted it was liable for a deadly midair collision between a military helicopter and a passenger jet outside Washington earlier this year, killing 67 people, according to a court document filed Wednesday.
December 18, 2025
Politics
Deputy FBI director Dan Bongino, a former right-wing podcaster, announced on Wednesday that he would step down in January after less than 10 months on the job.
December 17, 2025
RECENT NEWS
A Kylian Mbappe brace helped Real Madrid avoid an upset at third-tier Talavera as Xabi Alonso's side scraped home 3-2 to stamp their ticket into the Spanish Cup last 16 on Wednesday.
A manhunt for the mass shooter who opened fire in an exam room at one of America's top universities stretched into a fifth day Wednesday with no apparent police progress in identifying a suspect or a motive.
Rayan Cherki's stunning strike put Manchester City on their way to the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Brentford, while holders Newcastle beat Fulham 2-1 on Wednesday.
Barcelona and Lyon clinched places in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League on Wednesday, while Chelsea came from behind to beat Wolfsburg and qualify directly for the last eight.
December 17, 2025
Politics
Venezuela struck a defiant note Wednesday, insisting its crude oil exports were not impacted by US President Donald Trump's announcement of a potentially crippling blockade.
December 17, 2025
RECENT NEWS
Tech shares suffered another bout of weakness Wednesday on worries about an AI bubble, hitting US stocks as oil prices advanced following a US announcement of a blockade of tankers to Venezuela.
South Africa arrested and expelled seven Kenyans who had been working illegally on a US government programme to accept white Afrikaners as "refugees", the government said Wednesday.
The US Congress on Wednesday permanently ended sanctions imposed on Syria under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation.
Rayan Cherki's stunning strike put Manchester City on their way to the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday.
December 17, 2025
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