While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 26, 2024
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A screen grab from social media said to show a protest in the Syrian city of Homs, where a curfew was later imposed by police.
SCREENSHOT: X
Syria protests after shrine attack video circulates
Angry protests broke out Dec 25 in Syria over a video showing an attack on an Alawite shrine, with a war monitor saying one demonstrator was killed in Homs city.
In an unrelated incident in Tartus province, a stronghold of deposed ruler Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported deadly clashes over the attempted arrest of a former official.
The Observatory said six security personnel of Syria’s new authorities and three armed men were killed in clashes in Tartus province when forces sought to arrest an Assad-era officer linked to the notorious Saydnaya prison.
In the central city of Homs, where protesters took to the streets earlier over the shrine attack video, the Britain-based Observatory said one demonstrator was killed and five others wounded “after security forces... opened fire to disperse” the crowd.
Finland-Estonia power cable hit in latest Baltic incident
EPA-EFE
An undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia broke down Dec 25, Finland’s prime minister said, the latest in a series of incidents involving telecom cables and energy pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
Mr Arto Pahkin, the head of operations of the Finnish electricity grid, told public broadcaster Yle that “the possibility of sabotage cannot be ruled out”.
In November, two telecoms cables in the Baltic linking neighbouring Sweden and Denmark were also cut.
Mozambique prison riot leaves 33 dead amid civil unrest
A prison riot in Mozambique’s capital Maputo left 33 people dead and 15 injured, the country’s police general commander Bernardino Rafael said on Dec 25, as civil unrest linked to October’s disputed election continues.
A decision on Dec 23 by Mozambique’s top court confirming long-ruling party Frelimo’s victory in the election has sparked fresh nationwide protests by opposition groups and their supporters who say the vote was rigged.
While Cdr Rafael blamed protests outside the prison for encouraging the riot, Justice Minister Helena Kida told local private broadcaster Miramar TV that the unrest was started inside the prison and had nothing to do with protests outside.
Biden, Trump send different Christmas messages
The outgoing and incoming US presidents had different messages for the Christmas holiday, with Democrat Joe Biden urging Americans to reflect and unite and Republican Donald Trump offering a holiday greeting and a flurry of politically focused social media posts.
Mr Biden narrated a video tour of the White House Christmas decorations that was published on YouTube late on Christmas Eve, in which he urges Americans to set aside “all the noise and everything that divides us.”
Trump published a mid-morning “Merry Christmas” message on Truth Social on Christmas Day, with a photo of himself and his wife Melania, followed by over two dozen retweets of articles or other social media posts that backed his political positions on topics including controversial defence secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and his pursuit of Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Stephen Curry says ‘end is near’ for career
NBA great Stephen Curry said he is appreciating his 16th season, knowing he is closing in on the end of his record-setting career.
“It’s OK to accept and acknowledge that the end is near,” Curry said, in a clip of an interview posted to the NBA on ESPN’s account on X.
“But only because it allows you to enjoy what’s happening right now. But I think the more you talk about it and the more you acknowledge it, the more it levels up the sense of urgency in the moment, now.”
