Word of the year announced, a violent intervention in Hamm, and Israeli airstrike on Yemen airport

Luxembourg

CHRISTMAS TRADITION – The Luxembourg Young Farmers' Association (LLJ) brought festive cheer to the nation by adorning their tractors with dazzling lights for their much-anticipated annual Christmas tour.

FATAL ACCIDENT – A fatal accident occurred near Bastogne, Belgium, claiming the life of a Luxembourg nurse on Christmas Eve. The victim, a man in his fifties, was a married father to a 17-year-old and was returning home from work in Luxembourg at the time of the crash.

WORD OF THE YEAR – The Centre for the Luxembourgish Language once again brought the nation's vocabulary into focus with its "Word of the Year" initiative, spotlighting key terms that defined 2024.This year's winner, "Presidententrick" was voted for in light of the Caritas scandal.

VIOLENT INTERVENTION – On Christmas Day in Hamm, an intoxicated dog owner resisted arrest and injured a police officer after his three unleashed dogs attacked responding officers, leading to the man's temporary detention and multiple charges.

World

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – Israeli airstrikes targeted Yemen's Sanaa airport and other sites, killing six, amid escalating hostilities with the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who Israel accused of smuggling Iranian weapons and launching attacks in solidarity with Palestinians.

HISTORIC FIGURE – India mourns the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a key architect of the country’s economic liberalisation, with seven days of state mourning and a state funeral in his honour.

AUSTRALIA – Australian firefighters are battling a massive bushfire in Victoria's Grampians National Park, which has scorched an area the size of Singapore.

CONFIRMED – South Korea's spy agency confirmed that a North Korean soldier fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine has been captured by Ukrainian troops, highlighting Pyongyang's growing military involvement in Russia's war.

Sport

FOOTBALL – Curtis Jones fired Liverpool seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favourites survived a scare in their 3-1 win against struggling Leicester on Thursday. Arne Slot's side were shocked by Jordan Ayew's early strike at Anfield, but the leaders recovered their composure to equalise just before the interval through Cody Gakpo.
Manchester United's miserable season suffered another Boxing Day blow as captain Bruno Fernandes was sent-off in a 2-0 defeat at lowly Wolves.

CRICKET – A resurgent Steve Smith's 34th Test century powered Australia to a hefty 474 on Friday before Pat Cummins removed Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to put them in the driving seat of the fourth Test against India.

Weather 

Just like yesterday, the day starts with a touch of fog in the valleys, but the sky brightens by afternoon, letting the sun sneak a peek.
It will be around -2–0°C in the morning, slightly rising to up to 7°C in the afternoon and dropping back to -1–1°C in the evening.