Portal:Current events/2014 December 24

December 24, 2014 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi insurgency:
- A suicide bombing in Madaen among a group of pro-government Sunni militiamen kills at least 33 people and leaves 55 others wounded. (Reuters)
American-led intervention in Syria:
- A Royal Jordanian Air Force warplane crashes, and its pilot is captured by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants near the city of Ar-Raqqah in northern Syria. (BBC)
Sony Pictures Entertainment hack
- Sony releases the film The Interview online via YouTube and Google Play. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Russia declares a state of emergency after oil from a Russian oil pipeline spills into the Black Sea near the port of Tuapse. (Reuters)

International relations

Law and crime

Xinhua reports that on December 21 Chinese police in Guangxi shot dead one person and detained 21 others. China considers the group to be "religious extremists" who were trying to cross the border into Vietnam. (Reuters)