A judge has ordered that Donald Trump will be sentenced on 10 January in his hush-money case in New York - less than two weeks before he is set to be sworn in as president.
Germany's Foreign Ministry has launched a new digital platform for visa applications, with its Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock hailing it as "a real administrative revolution" in a press release.
Ivory Coast has announced that French troops will withdraw from the West African nation, further reducing the military influence of the former colonial power in the region.
A California man who was planning to propose to his girlfriend on New Year's Eve died during a Christmas Day house fire after searching for the engagement ring.
Electronics manufactures must from Saturday fit all devices sold in the EU with USB-C charger ports in a bid by the 27-nation bloc to reduce waste and cut costs for consumers, who will no longer have to purchase separate chargers for each device they own.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has apologised to the president of neighbouring Azerbaijan over the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace, in which 38 people were killed - but stopped short of saying Russia was responsible.
