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- Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' in Christmas appeal
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- Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' across world
- 32 survivors as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
- Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan, Kabul says
- Liverpool host Foxes, Arsenal prepare for life without Saka
- Japan FM raises 'serious concerns' over China military buildup
- Pope's sombre message in Christmas under shadow of war
- Zelensky condemns Russian 'inhumane' Christmas attack on energy grid
- Sweeping Vietnam internet law comes into force
- Pope kicks off Christmas under shadow of war
- Catholics hold muted Christmas mass in Indonesia's Sharia stronghold
- Japan's top diplomat in China to address 'challenges'
- Thousands attend Christmas charity dinner in Buenos Aires
- Demand for Japanese content booms post 'Shogun'
- As India's Bollywood shifts, stars and snappers click
- Mystery drones won't interfere with Santa's work: US tracker
- Djokovic eyes more Slam glory as Swiatek returns under doping cloud
- Australia's in-form Head confirmed fit for Boxing Day Test
- Brazilian midfielder Oscar returns to Sao Paulo
- 'Wemby' and 'Ant-Man' to make NBA Christmas debuts
- US agency focused on foreign disinformation shuts down
- On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis launches holy Jubilee year
- 'Like a dream': AFP photographer's return to Syria
- Chiefs seek top seed in holiday test for playoff-bound NFL teams
- Panamanians protest 'public enemy' Trump's canal threat
- Cyclone death toll in Mayotte rises to 39
- Ecuador vice president says Noboa seeking her 'banishment'
- Leicester boss Van Nistelrooy aware of 'bigger picture' as Liverpool await
- Syria authorities say armed groups have agreed to disband
- Maresca expects Man City to be in title hunt as he downplays Chelsea's chancs
- Man Utd boss Amorim vows to stay on course despite Rashford row
- South Africa opt for all-pace attack against Pakistan
- Guardiola adamant Man City slump not all about Haaland
- Global stocks mostly higher in thin pre-Christmas trade
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- NASA probe makes closest ever pass by the Sun
- 11 killed in blast at Turkey explosives plant
- Indonesia considers parole for ex-terror chiefs: official
- Global stocks mostly rise in thin pre-Christmas trade
- Postecoglou says Spurs 'need to reinforce' in transfer window
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- Villa boss Emery set for 'very difficult' clash with Newcastle
Floods force evacuations in Australia
Thousands were warned to flee their homes in southeastern Australia on Friday to escape surging floodwaters threatening towns across three separate states.
The flooding emergency was the worst in Victoria -- Australia's second most populous state -- where on Friday morning rapidly rising waters swamped the Maribyrnong suburb of Melbourne, forcing evacuations.
The Victorian government was preparing to reopen a Covid-19 quarantine centre to shelter those whose homes were uninhabitable, state leader Daniel Andrews told ABC Radio.
"This has been a very, very significant flood event and it's far from over," he said Friday morning.
"The real challenge is waters continuing to rise and more and more houses being inundated, more and more communities being closed off."
The ground floor of the Anglers Tavern, a pub on the banks of the Maribyrnong River, was on Friday morning almost completely under water.
Near-record flood levels were expected later on Friday evening in the towns of Shepparton and Murchison, north of Melbourne.
Northern parts of Tasmania -- an island state south of Victoria -- were on Friday also preparing for major floods.
Mass evacuation orders were issued, while heavy rains forced the closure of some 120 roads.
"Lives are at risk from floodwaters," Tasmania's state emergency service said in a statement.
In New South Wales -- Australia's most populous state -- an evacuation centre was set up after intense downpours Thursday evening in Forbes, an inland town about five hours' drive east of Sydney.
The New South Wales emergency service said flood levels in Forbes could peak on Friday as water moved downstream.
Australia's east coast has been repeatedly lashed by heavy rainfall in the past two years, driven by back-to-back La Nina cycles.
The east coast flooding disaster in March -- caused by heavy storms that devastated parts of Queensland and New South Wales -- claimed more than 20 lives.
Tens of thousands of Sydney residents were ordered to evacuate in July when floods again swamped suburbs on the city's fridge.
A.Jones--AMWN