Christmas 2025

Below split and overlap – posted Friday 12.26 3pm 

Christmas 2025 

United States president Donald Trump orders strikes on the Islamic State in northwestern Nigeria. (CBS News) 

The Polish Air Force intercepts and escorts a Russian aerial reconnaissance aircraft over international waters in the Baltic sea away from nearby Polish airspace. (DW) 

Three people are killed in two separate Israeli airstrikes targeting vehicles in southern Lebanon, including a member of the Iranian Quds Force.  (Reuters) 

Turkish authorities seize weapons and documents and arrest 115 suspects in Istanbul, connected with Islamic State-planned attacks on non-Muslims at Christmas and New Year’s festivities across the country. (BBC News) 

A woman is found dead and two other people are wounded in an attack in Boden, Sweden. The perpetrator is shot and killed by police. (Reuters) 

Residents of Mogadishu, Somalia, vote to elect 390 district council members who will select the city’s mayor, marking Somalia’s first direct election since 1969, serving as a pilot for planned nationwide polls. (Reuters) 

The United States imposes visa bans on Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed, former European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry BretonGlobal Disinformation Index co-founder Clare Melford, and HateAid CEOs Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon for allegedly pressuring U.S. social media platforms to restrict speech. (Reuters) 

Harmony Jets Flight 185 A Dassault Falcon 50 jet carrying Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, the Libyan Army chief, four other passengers and three crew crashes approximately two kilometers south of Kesikkavak, Haymana, Ankara, Turkey. No survivors are reported. (Al Jazeera) (AP) 

An alleged Hezbollah member is killed in an airstrike by the Israel Defense Forces on a vehicle near Jannata, Tyre District, South Governorate, Lebanon. (MSN) 

Three former officials of the al-Assad regime are killed in clashes with Syrian security forces near Jableh, Latakia Governorate. (AFP via Al Arabiya) 

At least six people are killed, including the perpetrator, and 35 others are injured in a suicide bombing by a Boko Haram terrorist at a mosque in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. (Reuters) 

An explosive device kills two police officers and the suspected perpetrator in Moscow, Russia, near where Russian lieutenant general Fanil Sarvarov was killed in a separate bombing two days prior. (BBC News) 

A boat carrying 117 migrants capsizes off in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 116 people and leaving only one survivor. (Daily Express) 

Five people are killed when a rescue helicopter crashes on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. (Reuters) 

The Ghanaian information ministry arrests 48 Nigerians allegedly participating in cybercrime operations on the outskirts of Accra. (DW) 

The Honduran National Electoral Council declares National Party candidate Nasry Asfura winner of the presidential election almost one month after it was held. (BBC News) 

Five masked Israeli settlers break into a Palestinian house in the southern West Bank, killing three sheep, injuring four others, and fire tear gas into the living quarters. Three children under the age of four are taken to hospital after the tear gas attack. (Los Angeles Times) 

Five masked Israeli settlers violently break into a Palestinian house in the southern West Bank, killing three sheep, injuring four others, and fire tear gas into the living quarters. Three children under the age of four are taken to hospital after the tear gas attack. (Los Angeles Times) 

The Ukrainian Armed Forces confirm their withdrawal from Siversk, Donetsk Oblast. (Reuters) 

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirms their withdrawal from SiverskDonetsk Oblast(upday) 

The United States Southern Command announces U.S. forces have struck an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person. (ABC News) 

The United States Southern Command announces it struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person. (ABC News) 

The Pakistani Taliban detonates a bomb and shoots at a police van in Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, killing five officers. (Reuters) 

The Pakistani Taliban detonates a bomb and shoots at a police van in KarakKhyber PakhtunkhwaPakistan, killing five officers. (Reuters) 

In an agreement mediated by the United Nations special envoy office and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the Houthis release a joint 2,900 detainees held throughout the civil war. (AP) 

The Italian Competition Authority fines Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair €255 million (US$300 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant market position from April 2023 to April 2025 by restricting how travel agencies sell its flights. (Reuters) 

At least two people are killed and 20 others are injured in an explosion and fire at a nursing home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. (WPVI-TV) (Reuters) 

Montenegro reinstates visa-free entry for Turkish citizens but shortens the permitted stay from 90 days to 30 days after resuming cooperation with Turkey. (Reuters) 

Romanian president Nicușor Dan announces an investigation into alleged systemic abuses within the judiciary after judges and prosecutors report intimidation and undue influence by the High Court of Cassation and Justice(Reuters) 

The Venezuelan National Assembly approves a law that creates prison terms of up to 20 years for promoting or financing activities defined as piracy, blockades, or related international crimes. (Reuters) 

A Croatian man is sentenced to 50 years in prison for fatally stabbing a 7-year-old student at a school in Zagreb in December 2024. (AP) 

A court in Lisbon, Portugal, orders Chega presidential candidate André Ventura to remove campaign posters targeting the Romani people within 24 hours, ruling that the materials are discriminatory and may incite hatred, or face daily fines of €2,500 (US$2,940) per poster. (Reuters) 

The End Friday 

Tuesday,  December 23rd, 2025 

At least two people are killed, 21 others are injured and five are reported missing in an explosion and fire at a nursing home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. (WPVI-TV) 

tank truck explodes on a highway in TeanoCampaniaItaly. The number of casualties is unknown. (Times Now) 

Romanian president Nicușor Dan announces an investigation into alleged systemic abuses within the judiciary after judges and prosecutors report intimidation and undue influence by the High Court of Cassation and Justice(Reuters) 

Croatian man is sentenced to 50 years in prison for fatally stabbing a 7-year-old student at Prečko Elementary School in Zagreb in December 2024. (AP) 

The price of gold reaches an all-time high of US$4,383.76 per ounce, surpassing its previous peak of $4,381.52. (AFP via Barron’s) 

Lieutenant general Fanil Sarvarov is killed by a car bomb in Moscow, Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine is being investigated for its role in the attack, which they have not taken responsibility for, with connections also drawn to the assassination of Igor Kirillov last year. (The Guardian) 

Nuclear power in JapanThe Niigata prefectural assembly approves the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, the world’s largest nuclear facility, nearly 15 years after Japan shut down its reactors following the 2011 Fukushima disaster(Reuters) 

The Israeli cabinet approves 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite such settlements being considered illegal under international law. (BBC News) 

Three people are killed in an Israeli airstrike against a vehicle near Sidon, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera) 

Two people are killed and eight others are injured during clashes between Syrian security forces and Syrian Democratic Forces fighters in Aleppo. (AP via WFMZ-TV) 

Ukrainian military forces launch airstrikes on several targets across Russia, hitting an oil terminal, an ammunition depot, and a drone launch site in Krasnodar. (AP) 

Turkish intelligence agents capture a senior member of the Islamic State – Khorasan Province along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border(AP) 

The Chinese commerce ministry imposes a provisional set of 42.7% tariffs on dairy products, including milk and cheese, imported from the European Union(AP) 

The price of gold reaches an all-time high of US$4,383.76 per ounce, surpassing its previous peak of $4,381.52. (AFP via Barron’s) 

At least 16 people are killed and 18 others are injured, including five critically, when a passenger bus loses control on a toll road, strikes a concrete barrier, and overturns in SemarangCentral JavaIndonesia(AP) 

Mexican Navy Beechcraft Super King Air plane carrying eight people, including a pediatric patient, crashes into a bay while on approach to Scholes International Airport in Galveston, Texas, United States. At least five people are killed, including a two-year-old child, while two others are rescued and another is reported missing. (Chron) (BNO News) (AP) 

Ten people are injured, including three seriously and the driver, when an individual drove into a crowd waiting to watch a parade in Nunspeet, Gelderland, Netherlands. (Nunspeet Huis aan Huis in Dutch) (AP) 

India and New Zealand finalize a free-trade agreement aiming to reduce most tariffs on bilateral trades, while New Zealand also pledges to invest US$20 billion in India’s economy over the next 15 years. (DW) 

Development Berhad scandalThe high court of Kuala LumpurMalaysia, rules that former prime minister Najib Razak must remain in prison, holding that a purported royal addendum allowing house arrest lacks legal force because it was not approved by the pardons board, as required under the constitution(Reuters) 

The Israeli cabinet approves defense minister Israel Katz‘s proposal to close the Israeli Army Radio, one of the country’s two state broadcasters, by March 1, 2026, citing dissatisfaction from soldiers. (Reuters) 

United States president Donald Trump reveals the development of the Trump Class USS Defiant, the first American battleship built since World War II. (BBC News) 

Three people are killed in an Israeli airstrike against a vehicle near Sidon, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera) 

At least 16 people are killed and 18 others are injured, including five critically, when a passenger bus loses control on a toll road, strikes a concrete barrier, and overturns in SemarangCentral JavaIndonesia(AP) 

At least nine people are injured, including three seriously, when a person drives into a crowd in Nunspeet, Gelderland, Netherlands.  (AP) 

Jaime Osuna Worlda’s Most Evil Prisoners

12.21.2025 sunday [i Ori99 wrk]

For me probably the greatest advance in the history of the recorded image is the ability to watch footage like this literally anywhere I want on any device or size screen on absolutely any topic ever considered by anyone in human history for free anytime. I know it’s a lot. So I got no complaints. I’m glad I live now and not at anytime in the past or the future. This is great. This is perfect.

SunshinE BY Danny Boyle

Braveheart the shining secretagent

1967 July Leica M4 can’t remember lens, maybe Canon 50mm f/1.8 and Portra 800 – Fresh Pond

The United States Coast Guard intercepts and seizes an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela after previously seizing another last week. (Reuters) (BBC) (The Washington Post) 

    The United States says it has carried out airstrikes on 70 targets at multiple locations against ISIS in Syria. (BBC News) 

    Seven elephants are killed and another is injured when a passenger train strikes a herd in the Hojai district of Assam, India. (DW) (Reuters) 

    A Pakistani court sentences former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of corruption-related charges. (AP) 

    Iran executes a man convicted of spying for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad in Urmia(AP) (Iran Human Rights) 

    German engineer becomes the first person in a wheelchair and the first with paraplegia to travel to space on a sub-orbital trip conducted by Blue Origin(DW) 

    A court in Pakistan sentences former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of corruption-related charges. (AP) 

    t least six Palestinians are killed when an Israeli tank fires at a wedding hosted in a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City(Al Jazeera) 

    Social media platform TikTok announces a deal to sell 80.1% of its United States-based assets to a consortium of companies, including OracleSilver LakeMGX, and existing ByteDance investors, to avoid a ban in the US. (DW) 

    International relations 

    Law and crime 

    •  
    •  

    Three people are killed and five more injured in a mass stabbing near a subway station in  Taiwan. The perpetrator, who also threw smoke bombs at the train station, dies during the chase with police(Reuters) 

    •  

    Singapore announces that scammers will face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes from December 30 under changes to the criminal law passed by parliament in November. (AP) 

    Protests and riots erupt across Bangladesh after the assassination of activist Osman Hadi by two members of the banned Awami League party. (Al Jazeera) 

    •  

    The U.S. Department of Justice releases a heavily redacted fraction of the Epstein files, violating federal law requesting their full release by the December 19 deadline. DOJ Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issues a statement of intent to continue violation by releasing remaining files over subsequent weeks. (AP) (Guardian) 

    United States Army sergeant pleads not guilty to six counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault and domestic violence for a mass shooting in August at Fort Stewart in Georgia, United States, that injured five people. (MSN) 

    *x*x* 

    Thursday, December 18th, 2025 

    *x*x* 

    Armed conflicts and attacks 

    Disasters and accidents 

    •  
    •  

    The United States approves a $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, including medium-range ballistic missilesdrones, and howitzers, as the largest arms deal in the history of bilateral relations between the two countries. (DW) 

    The United Nations General Assembly elects former Iraqi president Barham Salih as the next High Commissioner for Refugees, succeeding Filippo Grandi, whose term ends December 31. (Reuters) 

    A 48-year-old suspect of the mass shooting at Brown University in ProvidenceRhode Island, United States, is found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside of a storage unit in SalemNew Hampshire. Authorities are investigating whether the murder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro is connected. (NBC News) 

    Frédéric Péchier, an anesthesiologist who was found guilty of poisoning 30 patients and killing twelve with anesthetic infusion bags in BesançonFrance, is sentenced to life in prison(BBC News) 

      *x*x* 

      2025 Wednesday, December 17th, 2025 

      International relations 

      •  
      •  

      Politics and elections 

      •  

      Russian president Vladimir Putin signs a law to redistribute ownerless homes on occupied territories to those who have lost homes during the conflict. (Euromaidan Press) 

      Brazil‘s Supreme Federal Court rules that Indigenous land rights constitute unamendable constitutional guarantees, thereby blocking congressional efforts to restrict the recognition of Indigenous territories and reinforcing existing protections despite pending legislative opposition. (Reuters) 

      In association footballParis Saint-Germain win their first FIFA Intercontinental Cup after defeating Flamengo 2–1 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw after extra time, in the final in Al RayyanQatar(Reuters) 

      The End Saturday 

      x