December 24, 2013 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Islamist protests in Egypt (July 2013–present):
- A huge explosion hits the Dakahlia security directorate in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, killing 16 and injuring at least 134. (Al Ahram) (Reuters)
- 2013 South Sudanese political crisis:
- The United Nations says that they have discovered a mass grave containing 75 bodies in Unity State, and two other mass graves have been reported in Juba. (Irish Times)
- South Sudan's government says its military has recaptured the key town of Bor, days after it was seized by rebels. (Channel 4 News)
- A Palestinian sniper kills a Bedouin laborer who was repairing the Israeli fence surrounding Gaza; following this, the Israeli Military attacked targets in Gaza with airstrikes and ground forces, killing at least one Palestinian three-year-old child and wounding several others.(The New York Times) (The Times of Israel)
- The New People's Army, the armed branch of the Communist Party of the Philippines, torches 3 taxis in Panabo, Davao del Norte, just before a Christmas 'truce'. (GMA News)
Arts and culture
- Pope Francis visits Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI before celebrating his first Christmas Mass. (Slate)
Business and economy
- American Express is ordered to pay US$75.7 million in restitution and fines to customers and federal regulators over billing people for services they never received. (Bloomberg)
Disasters and accidents
- The United Kingdom pledges US$1 billion for the Philippines to help with the reconstruction due to the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan. (The Philippine Star)
- Heavy winds and rain disrupt transportation and cut power in parts of France and the United Kingdom, bringing the death toll of the last two days of storms to 6. (Reuters)
- Two NASA astronauts at the International Space Station complete a series of spacewalks to replace a faulty ammonia coolant pump. (FOX News) (NASA)
Law and crime
- A Cryptolocker ransomware has infected about 250,000 computers around the world. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Today is the deadline for U.S. residents to sign up without penalty for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. (Fox News)