December 25, 2013 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Euromaidan:
- Tetiana Chornovol, a Ukrainian civic activist and journalist, is dragged from her car and beaten by a group of men. Authorities say that this is the latest attack on government opponents. (CNN)
- Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- A car bomb explodes near a church as Christian worshippers were leaving a Christmas service in the capital, Baghdad, killing at least 14 people and wounding 28 others. (BBC)
Arts and culture
- Pope Francis gives his first Urbi et Orbi speech calling for peace amidst the Syrian civil war and the 2013 South Sudan political crisis. (Al Jazeera)
Disasters and accidents
- Eighteen Haitian migrants drown off the Turks and Caicos Islands after their sailboat carrying more than 50 suspected immigrants capsized while being towed into port. (Reuters) (CNN) (BBC)
- A piranha attack in the Paraná River near the city of Rosario, Argentina by a school of Pygocentrus palometa reportedly leaves at least 70 injured. (FOX News)
Politics and elections
- Three Turkish ministers resign amid a corruption scandal involving bribery in the awarding of construction projects. (BBC)
- Islamist protests in Egypt (July 2013–present):
- The Egyptian government re-designates the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as a terrorist organisation. (Reuters)