Bangladesh PM hopeful Rahman returns from exile ahead of polls
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.
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Police suspect suicide bomber behind Nigeria's deadly mosque blast
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.
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AFCON organisers allowing fans in for free to fill empty stands: source
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.
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Mali coach Saintfiet hits out at European clubs, FIFA over AFCON changes
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.
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Pope urges Russia, Ukraine dialogue in Christmas blessing
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.
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Last Christians gather in ruins of Turkey's quake-hit Antakya
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.
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Pope Leo condemns 'open wounds' of war in first Christmas homily
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.
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Mogadishu votes in first local elections in decades under tight security
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.
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Prime minister hopeful Tarique Rahman arrives in Bangladesh
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.
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'Starting anew': Indonesians in disaster-struck Sumatra hold Christmas mass
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.
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