The incoming head of the world's Anglicans urged the Church of England to "kneel in penitence" in a Christmas Day sermon as its leadership faces criticism over the handling of sexual abuse scandals.

China on Wednesday said it would extend its anti-dumping probe into brandy imported from the European Union due to the case's "complexity", prolonging a trade standoff between Beijing and Brussels.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Wednesday that 23 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall war death toll to 45,361.