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Eighteen Cambodian soldiers received a hero's welcome Wednesday after Thailand released them as part of a truce deal that ended weeks of deadly fighting along their contested frontier.

Sudan must face 2022 champions Senegal in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations after losing 2-0 to Burkina Faso in their final group game on Wednesday, while Algeria beat Equatorial Guinea 3-1 at the same time.

Rodri and Jeremy Doku could both be involved when Manchester City travel to Sunderland on New Year's Day, manager Pep Guardiola said Wednesday.

A junior member of President Emmanuel Macron's government Wednesday criticised the French passports given to Hollywood superstar George Clooney despite him speaking poor French, saying the move suggested a "double standard".

Ukrainians marking their fourth New Year's Eve since Russia's invasion said their biggest wish for 2026 was peace -- as well as an end to the power cuts that had made life "hell".

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner gave little away Wednesday regarding his club's pursuit of Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson.

Gary Neville has branded Manchester United's performance in their draw with winless Wolves as "the baddest of the bad".

New Year celebrations took on a sombre tone in Sydney as revellers held a minute of silence for victims of the Bondi Beach shooting before fireworks lit up the harbour city at the stroke of midnight.

Stock markets mostly retreated Wednesday in thin trading, following a year of record gains for key assets as central banks cut interest rates and the tech sector boomed thanks to the growth of artificial intelligence.

France will make a fresh attempt to protect children from excessive screen time, proposing a ban on social media access for children under 15 by next September, according to a draft law seen by AFP.

Real Madrid on Wednesday said that Kylian Mbappe had suffered a knee sprain, delivering a blow to their bid to reel in Liga leaders Barcelona.

Rail traffic through the Channel tunnel slowly resumed with more cancellations and delays Wednesday after an electricity failure stranded thousands of passengers and trapped some for a night in a powerless train.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia believed it would win in Ukraine in an address Wednesday, as his country marked another New Year -- their main holiday -- at war.

A government building in southern Iran was attacked on Wednesday, authorities said, as the country's top prosecutor warned of a "decisive response" to any attempt to create instability after days of economic protests.

New Year's Eve revellers toasted the end of 2025 on Wednesday, waving goodbye to 12 months packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana believes "small details" are behind the Blues' frustrating habit of letting leads slip after they were again pegged back in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Israel has said 37 aid organisations will be banned from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they comply with guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff, drawing criticism from the United Nations and the European Union.

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi said Wednesday that protests which have gripped his country in recent days aimed "to move history forward".

Bulgaria will become the 21st country to switch to the euro when it enters the New Year on Thursday, amid concerns the move could usher in higher prices and add to political instability rattling the Balkan country.

China's economy is expected to have grown "around five percent" in 2025, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, despite "pressure" during a year he described as "very unusual", state media reported.

Turkey on Wednesday detained another 125 Islamic State group suspects in a string of nationwide raids, a minister said, following warnings that IS militants planned attacks over the holidays.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes his side are starting to see the benefits of their hard work as the Gunners head into 2026 at the top of the Premier League.

China "successfully completed" military drills around Taiwan that included live-fire exercises aimed at simulating a blockade of key ports and assaults on maritime targets, its military said on Wednesday.

Wilfried Nancy insists he can oversee a revival in Celtic's fortunes following a 2-0 defeat by Motherwell that represented his fifth loss in seven game since taking charge of the Scottish champions.

As 2025 draws to a close, Palestinians in Gaza are marking the new year not with celebration, but with exhaustion, grief and a fragile hope that their "endless nightmare" might finally end.

Queen Camilla has spoken for the first time publicly about fighting off an attacker on a train when she was a teenager, in an interview broadcast Wednesday.

Stock markets mostly fell Wednesday in thin trading, following a year of record gains for key assets as central banks cut interest rates and the tech sector boomed on growth of artificial intelligence.

Ruben Amorim is still optimistic about Manchester United's prospects this season despite ending a torrid 2025 with a lacklustre 1-1 draw at home to strugglers Wolves.

Efforts to break a deadlock in 2025 over plans for a new European fighter jet have been unsuccessful, a German government spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.

Iran's prosecutor general said on Wednesday that economic protests that had gripped the country were legitimate, but any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a "decisive response".

Unai Emery said his failure to shake hands with opposing manager Mikel Arteta was because it was "cold" at the Emirates following his Aston Villa side's thumping 4-1 loss to Premier League leaders Arsenal.

China said on Wednesday it will impose additional 55 percent tariffs on some beef imports from countries including Brazil, Australia and the United States that exceed a certain quantity from January 1.

Nearly 60 women lawmakers in Japan, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more toilets in the parliament building to match their improved representation.

Silver slipped further as Asian markets presented a mixed picture in the the final trading day of 2025 on Wednesday, with some stocks tracking Wall Street losses as investors eyed a New Year break.

Guinea's junta chief Mamady Doumbouya, who had pledged not to run for office after seizing power four years ago, has been elected president after securing a sweeping majority of the vote, according to initial results by the country's election commission published on Tuesday.

Cade Cunningham scored 27 points as the Detroit Pistons spoiled LeBron James' 41st birthday with a 128-106 drubbing of the depleted Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Chinese warships and coastguard vessels are withdrawing from waters around Taiwan, the island's coastguard said Wednesday, with Beijing's military drills appearing to be "over".

In the biting cold, homeless friends Danish and Sylvain walked briskly in the dark towards a hot meal distribution point, rubbing their hands together, their huge backpacks weighing down on their shoulders.

Zohran Mamdani, young upstart of the US left, was readying Wednesday to take over as New York mayor for a term sure to see him cross swords with President Donald Trump.