A Bosnian firefighter rescues a half-submerged car from the freezing Drina river in eastern Bosnia. The country, like the rest of the region, has been hit by heavy rains and snowfall since the weekend, leaving rivers swollen, homes flooded and causing power cuts

Where did our species first emerge? Fossils discovered in Morocco dating back more than 773,000 years bolster the theory that Homo sapiens originally appeared in Africa, scientists say in new study u.afp.com/SXca

Australia win final Test to seal 4-1 Ashes triumph over England u.afp.com/SXcE

Firefighters warn millions of Australians of "catastrophic" bushfire dangers as they battle multiple blazes stoked by a heatwave blanketing the country u.afp.com/SXcY

BREAKING Australia clinched the final Ashes Test against England on Thursday by five wickets to complete a 4-1 series victory, sending the retiring Usman Khawaja out on a high

A US immigration officer shot and killed an American woman on the streets of Minneapolis Wednesday, leading to huge protests and outrage from local leaders u.afp.com/SXcM

Trump is withdrawing the US from a key climate treaty, as part of a sweeping exit from the United Nations system u.afp.com/SXcp

Supporters of deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro march in Caracas to demand his release. Venezuela's state petroleum firm says it is negotiating the sale of crude oil to the United States, following Washington's demand for access to the country's reserves after ousting its president

Leo XIV is hosting cardinals from around the world in the Vatican for the first time since he became pope, in a two-day assembly aimed at more collegial governance of the Catholic Church. u.afp.com/SXqt

Politically charged movie "One Battle After Another" sets a record for nominations for the Screen Actors Guild's influential Actor Awards with seven, staking its claim to Oscars frontrunner status. u.afp.com/SXqC

Manchester City miss out on the chance to make significant inroads into Arsenal's lead at the top of football’s Premier League. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton while Aston Villa also dropped points. u.afp.com/SXqF

An immigration agent in the US city of Minneapolis shot dead a woman, triggering outrage from local leaders and renewed anger over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Trump claimed the officer acted in self-defense. u.afp.com/SXqy

US President Donald Trump's administration says it intends to dictate the decisions of Venezuela's interim leaders and control the country's oil sales "indefinitely" after toppling Nicolas Maduro. u.afp.com/SXq9

New research suggests that small-scale deforestation - clearances of less than 2 hectares - have a “disproportionate” impact on the Earth's climate and have accounted for most of the carbon losses in the past 30 years. u.afp.com/SXqr

Argentine authorities have evacuated 3,000 tourists from a sparsely populated Patagonian district ravaged by wildfires. Thousands of hectares of forest have been burned in a region still recovering from major wildfires a year ago. u.afp.com/SXqB

The Trump administration is urging Americans to avoid highly processed foods along with added sugars while touting consumption of red meat and full-fat dairy, foods many nutritionists had previously discouraged. u.afp.com/SXqA

Where did our species first emerge? A new study sheds light on that question based on fossils discovered in Morocco, dating back more than 773,000 years. They bolster the theory that Homo sapiens originally appeared in Africa. u.afp.com/SXqx

Cambodia's government says Chinese-born tycoon Chen Zhi, who is accused of running a multibillion-dollar cyberscam network, has been arrested in Cambodia extradited to China. u.afp.com/SXqp

VIDEO: 🇫🇷 🏂 Snowboarder rides down Montmartre's snow-covered streets in Paris As snow, ice and high winds have brought transport chaos to swathes of Europe, including the French capital, a snowboarder found a way to make the best of the situation

#BREAKING US President Trump says doubts 'NATO would be there for us if we really needed them', in Truth Social post

⚽ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could each hold fresh talks with Manchester United as the club seeks to appoint an interim head coach after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, according to British media reports ➡️ u.afp.com/SXSv

VIDEO: 🇨🇳 🧊 Visitors brave sub-zero temperatures to visit China’s huge ice festival The 26th annual Harbin Ice and Snow Festival has begun, with thousands of tourists flocking to northeast China to witness the spectacle. The festival is set to run until mid-February

#BREAKING US starts operation to seize Russian-flagged oil tanker in North Atlantic: US media

🇷🇺 Russia has sent a submarine to escort an empty oil tanker the US military has been pursuing and attempting to seize for weeks, according to US media reports. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXSL

🇨🇳 Ice slides, fireworks at annual snow festival in China Fireworks light up the night sky over huge illuminated ice sculptures as China's annual Harbin Ice Festival officially opens.

🇫🇷 Well-wishers lined the streets in Brigitte Bardot's hometown of Saint-Tropez on Wednesday for the funeral of the French screen icon as her husband revealed she had died from cancer. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXSg

🇬🇧 London Zoo marks 200 years of animal counting London Zoo carries out its annual animal stocktake, a process dating back two centuries. The stocktake sees the zoo officially record more than 8,000 animals on an international conservation database.

🇺🇸 🇬🇱 🇩🇰 US President Donald Trump is discussing options including military action to take control of Greenland, the White House has said, upping tensions that Denmark warns could destroy the NATO alliance. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXSZ

❄️ Snow, ice and high winds brought transport chaos to swathes of Europe for a third day on Wednesday, with hundreds of flights cancelled and passengers stranded. ➡️ u.afp.com/SX5C

🇸🇦 🇾🇪 A Saudi-led coalition conducted deadly air strikes on the home province of a UAE-backed separatist leader in Yemen on Wednesday, after his divided government kicked him out and accused him of treason. ➡️ u.afp.com/SX5r

🇮🇷 Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered security forces not to crack down on economic protests, drawing a distinction between peaceful demonstrators and armed "rioters". ➡️ u.afp.com/SX52

🏏 Jacob Bethell fulfilled his rich potential with a chanceless maiden Test century as England built a fragile 119-run second-innings lead with two wickets remaining to give themselves a glimmer of hope in the final Ashes Test. ➡️ u.afp.com/SX5W

Relief mixed with fear as Venezuelans cross into Colombia. While many celebrate the toppling of leftist leader Nicolas Maduro by US forces, they are also anxious about what comes next u.afp.com/SXi8

Fireworks light up the night sky over huge illuminated ice sculptures as China's annual Harbin Ice Festival officially opens

Nvidia CEO praises robots as 'AI immigrants'. Jensen Huang says they could solve a global labor shortage that is hampering manufacturing u.afp.com/SXwa

Venezuela's oil resources. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela's interim government will deliver up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, and that the proceeds "will be controlled by me" as president

Nostalgia and new fans as Tamagotchi turns 30. Japan's Tamagotchi toys were a 1990s playground craze and the virtual pets that demand food and attention are still a hit among retro-loving Gen Z and nostalgic parents u.afp.com/SXwD

Vietnamese caught in Japan's illegal worker crackdown. Despite an ageing population, one of the world's lowest birth rates, labour shortages across industries and low immigration levels compared to other rich economies, the prime minister has promised to crackdown on illegal workers u.afp.com/SXwy

Aldrich Ames, CIA agent convicted of spying for Soviets, dies in prison. Ames worked as a counterintelligence analyst for the CIA for 31 years and was convicted of selling information to the Soviet Union between 1985 and 1993 in exchange for more than $2.5 million u.afp.com/SXwH

'Not acceptable in the civilised world': Greenland residents react to Trump comments. "You don't know if he should be taken seriously or not," says Kunuk Evaldsen, a business owner in Nuuk, following comments made by Trump about annexing the mineral-rich autonomous Danish territory

Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7 in the Middle East, Russia and parts of Europe. Some Orthodox churches use the old Julian calendar instead of the 17th-century Gregorian calendar adopted by Catholics, Protestants, Greek Orthodox and commonly used in secular life around the world

A photo of a plaque marking the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, hangs outside an office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The actual plaque, which is required by law to be displayed in the Capitol, is nowhere to be found, leading to members displaying copies at their offices 📸 Saul Loeb

Greenland: critical minerals. AFP Infographic with a map showing main deposits of selected critical minerals in Greenland, according to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland

US Capitol riot anniversary exposes a country still divided. Washington on Tuesday marked five years since a mob overran the US Capitol, with rioters pardoned by Donald Trump retracing their steps even as Democrats revive hearings to hold the president accountable u.afp.com/SXwE

London Zoo marks 200 years of animal counting. London Zoo carries out its annual animal stocktake, a process dating back two centuries. The stocktake sees the zoo officially record more than 8,000 animals on an international conservation database

AI deepfakes, outdated images fuel misinformation on social media platforms after US forces seize Venezuela’s Maduro u.afp.com/SXw2

BREAKING Trump says Venezuela's interim government will deliver up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, and that the proceeds "will be controlled by me" as president

Clashes in Aleppo between Syrian government troops and Kurdish-led forces killed at least nine people Tuesday, mostly civilians, in one of the worst flare-ups between the sides in months. Flights have been halted at Aleppo's airport for 24 hours. u.afp.com/SXwq

‘Human statue’ Michel Kuka Mboladinga has been the standout supporter at football’s Africa Cup of Nations, standing immobile during each game of his team, DR Congo. Alas, DRC was knocked out on Tuesday, losing 1-0 to Algeria. u.afp.com/SXwT

Syria's new government and Israel will set up a joint group under US supervision to share intelligence and seek military de-escalation on the ground, the three nations announced Tuesday after talks in Paris. u.afp.com/SXw5