Christmas in mud as rain pelts Philippine disaster zone
Survivors of the Philippines' deadliest typhoon spent a gloomy Christmas Day surrounded by mud Wednesday as heavy rain drove many inside their flimsy shelters, dampening efforts to retain some holiday cheer in the deeply devout nation.
26 December 2013
'Thousands' killed as South Sudan slides towards civil war
Thousands of South Sudanese have been killed in over a week of violence with reports of bodies piled in mass graves, the UN said Tuesday, as the Security Council agreed to nearly double its peacekeepers in the young nation threatening to slide into civil war.
Rockets explode in Kabul as foreigners mark Christmas
Two rockets exploded in Kabul on Wednesday morning, causing no reported casualties but underlining Afghanistan's continuing security problems as many foreigners in the capital marked Christmas Day.
Despite disasters, Philippines expects a merry Christmas
Despite several deadly disasters including a killer typhoon and a powerful earthquake, the Philippines still expects a merry Christmas this year, survey results released Tuesday said.
25 December 2013
Zimmerman painting sells for $100,000
A painting by George Zimmerman, whose fatal 2012 shooting of a black teenager triggered an outcry across the United States, sold for just over $100,000 on eBay.
BA airplane wing strikes Johannesburg airport building
A British Airways airplane carrying 202 people struck an office building at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport with its wing while taxiing for take-off Sunday, injuring four.
Dubai police in record $31 mn drugs haul
Dubai police have made a record drug seizure of some 4.6 million Captagon pills, an amphetamine-like stimulant, worth more than $31 million (23 million euros), the local press reported Monday.