KHODORKOVSKY FREE
Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was freed from prison this morning, after Thursday’s surprise announcement by Vladimir Putin that he would sign a decree pardoning him of his convictions for fraud, tax evasion and embezzlement, Ria Novosti reports.
The international cause célèbre spent a total of 3,709 days in prison.
ROOF COLLAPSE AT LONDON’S APOLLO THEATER
At least 76 people were injured as part of the ceiling of London’s Apollo Theater collapsed in the middle of a performance Thursday evening, with more than 700 people inside, the BBC reports. An investigation was launched into the causes of the incident, which happened after a heavy rainstorm.
THREE PEACEKEEPERS KILLED IN SOUTH SUDAN
Three United Nations peacekeepers from India were killed in South Sudan, after rebels attacked their base, The Times Of India reports. Barack Obama announced Thursday the United States had sent 45 military personnel to protect American citizens in the country, saying that “South Sudan stands at the precipice.” Read more from AP.
NORTH KOREA WARNS SOUTH OF STRIKES
The President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, received threats from North Korea of “retaliatory strikes without warning” if the country didn’t stop anti-Pyongyang rallies in Seoul, The New York Times quotes officials as saying. Earlier this week, demonstrators in the South Korean capital burned posters of Kim Jong-un and described him as a “devil.”
PHILIPPINES MAYOR AMONG 4 DEAD IN MANILA AIRPORT ATTACK
The mayor of a southern Philippine town was shot dead along with his wife and two other people, including an 18-month-old baby, in an attack in the airport of Manila, The Inquirer reports. According to the chief of police, the gunmen were riding motorcycles and wearing police uniforms under black jackets. The motive for the killing is still unknown.
A WARM CHRISTMAS
While snow hits northern hemisphere, Argentinian authorities hold heatwave alert as temperatures reach 32 °C in Buenos Aires.
S&P DOWNGRADES EU
Credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s stripped the European Union of its AAA rating, citing disagreements among the 28 countries and an increasingly fragile financial profile, the Financial Times reports.
SPACE SANTA
What does a space robot wish for Christmas? Read it here.
A LOOK BACK ON THE YEAR
Revisit this year’s main events around the world, from the horsemeat and NSA scandals to a papal transition, Typhoon Haiyan and Canada’s singing astronaut: It’s our compilation of top stories from 26 countries.
