Global

Willis Gibson, 13, a competitive gamer known as "blue scuti," became the first human to reach the "kill screen" of the Nintendo version of the puzzle game, as fellow players followed his progress online.

Hospital doctors in England on Wednesday began their longest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain's National Health Service (NHS).

The Japanese government said it was still assessing the extent of damage caused and whether there had been any casualties from the quake, which was felt in the capital Tokyo 300 kilometres (190 miles) away. Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said that there were reports that six people were in the rubble of collapsed buildings, but gave no further details.

South Africa launched a case on Friday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel for what it said were "genocidal" acts in Gaza, with Israel rejecting the case "with disgust."

"Based on our understanding of the situation, it is currently impossible to prove that Yan engaged in cheating via 'anal beads' as speculated on social media," the CXA said.

Pope Francis has kicked off global Christmas celebrations with a call for peace.

Israel continued to push ahead with its Gaza offensive Saturday, hours after world powers demanded more aid be allowed into the besieged Palestinian territory.

The United Nations warned the Israel-Hamas war was pushing Gaza towards famine.

The Thai cave tragedy that captivated the world has re-opened partially for tourists. Five years after the dramatic rescue against impossible odds of 12 young footballers from a flooded cave in northern Thailand the public can now access parts of the cave.