YEMEN
President seeks ceasefire
President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi told the UN on Monday that he has asked the Saudi-led coalition to begin a seven-day ceasefire on Tuesday next week to coincide with UN-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending months of fighting that has killed nearly 6,000 people. “I have notified the leadership of the coalition of our intention to cease fire for a period of seven days, starting December 15 until December 21,” Hadi said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “This will coincide with the starting of consultations and will automatically be renewed upon commitment by the [Iran-backed] Houthis.”
SOMALIA
American leaves militants
An unidentified American citizen defected from militant group al-Shabaab and surrendered to authorities following clashes between pro-Islamic State fighters and al-Shabaab. “He told us that he had feared for his life, as he was being chased by a hit squad from the al-Qaeda-linked group of al-Shabaab,” Hussein Mohamed Barre, mayor of the port town of Barawe, said by telephone late on Monday. “He is white and emaciated because of the ordeal he [has] undergone.” Barre said friction within al-Shabaab’s ranks increased after some fighters pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, leading to bloody confrontations.
AUSTRIA
Danube cash baffles police
Mystified police are trying to find out how more than 100,000 euros (US$108,230) in 100 and 500 euro notes came to be floating down an arm of the River Danube. Investigations have so far found no criminal act in the area in which such a sum of money had been lost, a Vienna police spokesman said. A young man who spotted the wet treasure on Saturday jumped into the river to retrieve it, the Oesterreich newspaper said. Bystanders thinking he was attempting to commit suicide alerted police, who arrived just as he was fishing out the money. He is now trying to claim a share.
HUNGARY
Tax collectors snare Santa
A Santa received a nasty surprise after tax inspectors posing as parents booked him for failing to invoice his seasonal gift-giving services. The Santa, who told his sad story to the TV2 channel on Sunday, said he was invited to a Budapest apartment by parents, who, as per local tradition, told him beforehand how the children behaved during the year. After singing, handing over presents and smiling for photographs, Santa, who traditionally visits children in Hungary on Dec. 6, was in for a shock after being paid. Called back into the apartment, the “parents” showed him their tax inspector identity cards and said he would be fined for not producing an invoice.
GERMANY
Boar adopted by cattle
A wild pig has decided to give up its “boaring” life — leaving the forest to live with a small herd of cattle. Farmer Dirk Reese told the DPA news agency on Monday that the boar, which he nicknamed “Banana,” has been living with the eight cattle for more than two months on his property north of Hamburg, not far from the Danish border. Reese said Banana has been effectively adopted by the cattle. “He’s fully integrated into the herd, which is fascinating,” he said. Banana has achieved something of a celebrity status in the area, so he is not worried that the boar’s life in an open pasture might make it easy prey for a hunter. “This pig has a special status,” he said.
FLYBY: The object, appears to be traveling more than 60 kilometers per second, meaning it is not bound by the sun’s orbit, astronomers studying 3I/Atlas said Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through the solar system — only the third-ever spotted, although scientists suspect many more might slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. “It looks kind of fuzzy,” said Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, which was responsible for the official confirmation. “It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.” Originally known as A11pl3Z before
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
BRICS leaders are to meet in Rio de Janeiro from today, with the bloc depleted by the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years. The grouping meets as its members face imminent and costly tariff wars with the US. Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be dominated by Beijing, which grew much faster and larger than the rest. China has not said why Xi would miss the summit, a first since he became president in 2013. “I expect there
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