- Armed conflicts and attacks
- Libyan civil war
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Somali civil war
- Al-Shabab militants attack AMISOM's headquarters in Mogadishu, leaving three peacekeeping soldiers and a civilian contractor dead. Five of the attackers are also killed. (Al Jazeera)
- Pakistani forces report the killing of the "mastermind" behind the Peshawar school massacre during a gun battle in the Khyber Agency tribal area. (The Telegraph)
- Arts and culture
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Urbi et Orbi
- Pope Francis condemns the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for violence against women, children, and ethnic minorities. (CNN)
- Iraqi Christians defy persecution and celebrate Christmas in Baghdad. (The New York Times)
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2014 Ebola epidemic
- In her Royal Christmas Message, Queen Elizabeth II praises aid workers for fighting ebola in West Africa. (CBS)
- United States President Barack Obama praises U.S. troops and reflects on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during his annual Christmas message from Hawaii. (Toronto Star)
- Businesses and economy
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2014 Russian financial crisis
- Vladimir Putin announces price controls on vodka to reduce bootlegging and moonshining. (New York Daily News)