Peking (AFP) – China says it supports Panamanians after recent threats made by US President-elect Donald Trump to retake control of the Panama Canal over complaints of “unfair” treatment of American ships. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also warns that the Philippines was risking an “arms race” after Manila said it planned to acquire the US Typhon missile system to protect its maritime interests.
Belgrade (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people protest in Belgrade to demand that Serbian leaders take responsibility for the collapse of a train station roof that killed 15 people last month.
Magdeburg (Germany) (AFP) – Around 2,000 people gather outside the cathedral in the German city of Magdeburg as a memorial mass is held for victims of the car-ramming attack at a Christmas market that left at least five people dead and 200 injured. The mourners watch a big screen broadcast the ceremony inside, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in attendance.
New Delhi (AFP) – A branch of the Indian private detective sector which investigates potential children-in-law ahead of the big day is seeing a boost in business, while traditional arranged marriages decline. Hiring a detective for your child’s spouse can cost up to $2000 depending on the extent of surveillance.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis condemns ongoing strikes on Gaza during the weekly Angelus prayer, saying he thinks of “children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals.”
Manaus (Brazil) (AFP) – Santa Claus arrives by boat to deliver gifts to Indigenous children in the riverside community of Abelha in the Brazilian Amazon. Jorge Alberto, a 60-year-old technician, is one of 50 volunteers from Friends of Santa Claus who have delivered gifts to more than 150,000 children in rural Amazon communities since the organization was founded in 1998.
Russian President Vladimir Putin vows to bring more “destruction” to Ukraine in retaliation for a drone attack on a high-rise apartment block in the central Russian city of Kazan a day earlier. “Whoever, and however much they [Ukraine] try to destroy in Russia, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country,” Putin says during a televised government meeting.
Magdeburg (Germany) (AFP) – The motivation of the suspect in the deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeberg may have been “disgruntlement with the way Saudi Arabian refugees are treated in Germany” says a prosecutor. Horst Walter Nopens adds that “what exactly was behind it is still under investigation.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledges that Germany will respond “with the full force of the law” to the car-ramming attack on a crowded Christmas market that killed five people and injured more than 200 in the eastern city of Magdeburg. Scholz condems the attack as a “terrible act”.
London (AFP) – Britain’s Labour government plans to pass legislation ending so-called no-fault evictions – requiring landlords to provide a reason in advance of evicting tenants and extending the required notice period to allow tenants more time to find alternate housing. No-fault evictions have existed since 1988 when Margaret Thatcher’s government introduced them as part of a push to deregulate the rental market to attract more private landlords.
Stonehenge (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Thousands of people gather at the ancient English monument of Stonehenge to greet sunrise on winter solstice, the northern hemisphere’s shortest day of the year.
Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan’s capital Taipei hosts a deadlift competition for seniors with a Christmas theme, attracting 45 participants aged 70 and above. 90-year-old competitor Cheng Chen Chin-mei set a new personal record, successfully deadlifting 45 kilograms during the event.
