World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

Russian military plane crashes in Black Sea with 92 on board
Donald Trump to dissolve his charitable foundation after mounting complaints
Pope Francis: Christmas has been ‘taken hostage’ by materialism
Philippines typhoon: thousands flee as Christmas Day storm barrels down
Berlin market attack: Anis Amri’s nephew arrested in Tunisia
Israel to ‘reassess’ ties with UN, says Benjamin Netanyahu
Julian Assange gives guarded praise of Trump and blasts Clinton in interview
Lawyers urge Egypt to lift travel ban on ‘Facebook Girl’ journalist
Serbian survivor of fall from plane explosion dies at 66
Literary quiz 2016: Christmas in books and music
Costa little more: Spain questions its tourism strategy
'We got Christmas back': readers mark 25 years since fall of Soviet Union
Dozens of UK banks and financial firms 'looking at moving to Ireland'
Kenyan creativity broadens employment horizons for disabled people | Kate Hodal
Pakistan transgender leader calls for end to culture of 'gurus'
Queen too ill to attend Christmas Day church service
Citizen Dilma: Rousseff reflects on life after impeachment
Germany moves to atone for 'forgotten genocide' in Namibia
Why Christmas time in China means jail for human rights activists
Christian leaders' end-of-year messages focus on uncertainty and fear
Terminally ill Dutch child raises £2m with nail-painting challenge
Christmas Eve around the world - in pictures
Israel's ambassador to UN rejects 'shameful' resolution to halt Israeli settlements – video
Chagos islanders plead for end to 50-year exile as UK-US deal rolls over
Nigerian army captures last Boko Haram camp in former stronghold
‘Only skeletons, not people’: diaries shed new light on siege of Leningrad
Family of man held in Ethiopia urges UK to do more to secure his release
Trump Tower's revolving door of big-name visitors – in pictures

Russian military plane crashes in Black Sea with 92 on board

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 11:53 PM PST

A defence force Tu-154 aircraft carrying musicians from the famous Alexandrov military choir disappeared after leaving the resort of Sochi

A Russian defence force Tu-154 aircraft carrying 92 people has crashed into the Black Sea, according to reports.

The Russian defence ministry said that the plane carrying musicians from the famous Alexandrov military choir to a New Year concert for troops in Syria went missing soon after taking off from the resort of Sochi on Sunday.

Donald Trump to dissolve his charitable foundation after mounting complaints

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:42 PM PST

President-elect released statement saying he would dissolve Trump Foundation to avoid 'even the appearance of any conflict with my role as President'

Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he will shut down his charitable foundation, a response to mounting complaints over conflicts related to the president-elect's charitable and business interests.

In a statement released by his campaign, Trump said the Donald J Trump Foundation would be "dissolved" to avoid "even the appearance of any conflict with my role as President".

Pope Francis: Christmas has been ‘taken hostage’ by materialism

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:49 PM PST

Birth of Jesus should remind world of the suffering of children today, pontiff says in Christmas Eve address at Vatican

Pope Francis said Christmas has been "taken hostage" by dazzling materialism that puts God in the shadows and blinds many to the needs of the hungry, the migrants and the war-weary.

Francis, leading the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas for the fourth time since his election in 2013, said in his Christmas Eve homily in Vatican City that a world often obsessed with gifts, feasting and self-centredness needed more humility.

Philippines typhoon: thousands flee as Christmas Day storm barrels down

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 10:32 PM PST

Powerful typhoon Nina threatens an area populated by nearly 42 million people, including the capital Manila

Thousands of residents were fleeing coastal and other hazardous areas in the eastern Philippines on Sunday as a powerful typhoon barrelled towards the disaster-prone archipelago.

Officials warned 2.5-metre (eight feet) high waves and landslides posed the biggest threats as typhoon Nina (also known as Nock-ten) closed in on the Bicol peninsula and nearby islands.

Berlin market attack: Anis Amri’s nephew arrested in Tunisia

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 06:28 AM PST

Relative of suspected truck attacker held in Tunisia along with two other alleged extremists, local officials say

The Berlin attacker Anis Amri urged his nephew to swear allegiance to Islamic State and sent him money to travel to Europe, Tunisian authorities have said after arresting the teenager along with two other men suspected of terrorist links.

It was not clear whether Tunisian authorities believe the three men, aged between 18 and 27, played a direct role in the Berlin attack or were linked to other terror plans.

Israel to ‘reassess’ ties with UN, says Benjamin Netanyahu

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:03 PM PST

Prime minister stops funding to some UN bodies, after security council resolution demanding end to Israeli settlement building in occupied territories

Israel will reassess its ties with the UN following the adoption by the security council of a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced.

The vote was able to pass the 15-member council on Friday after the US broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and did not wield its veto power as it had many times before – a decision that Netanyahu called "shameful".

Julian Assange gives guarded praise of Trump and blasts Clinton in interview

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 10:36 AM PST

WikiLeaks founder said there are opportunities for the US to change under the Trump administration – 'change for the worse and change for the better'

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has offered guarded praise of Donald Trump, arguing the president-elect "is not a DC insider" and could mean an opportunity for positive as well as negative change in the US.

Assange described his feelings about the US election results in an interview as "mixed" before going on to sharply criticize Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and providing a more ambivalent assessment of Trump's ascent to the White House.

Lawyers urge Egypt to lift travel ban on ‘Facebook Girl’ journalist

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 10:22 AM PST

Before an appeal by Esraa Abdel Fattah, international legal team calls for help from UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression

In 10 days' time a court in Cairo will hear an appeal by journalist Esraa Abdel Fattah against the iniquitous travel ban imposed on her two years ago.

She was prevented from leaving Egypt in January 2015 to take up a scholarship at Stanford university in California because a judge issued an order on the grounds that she had allegedly received foreign funding.

Serbian survivor of fall from plane explosion dies at 66

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 10:02 AM PST

Flight attendant Vesna Vulović set record for highest fall survived without a parachute, said to be 10,000 metres

A Serbian woman who survived what was said to be a 10,000-metre (33,000ft) fall after a plane exploded in mid-air in 1972 has died aged 66.

Vesna Vulović was found dead by her friends in her apartment in Belgrade, Serbian state television reported. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Literary quiz 2016: Christmas in books and music

Posted: 25 Dec 2016 02:00 AM PST

From Silas Marner to Shakespeare to Slade – brainteasers for the festive season

Which story begins with a Christmas goose being dropped in the street?

Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Blue Carbuncle"

Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep

Charles Dickens's The Haunted Man

In which literary work does a man dressed as a woman fall in love with a woman dressed as a man at Christmas?

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Twelfth Night

War and Peace

Who regrets the vulgarity of Christmas while Christmas shopping?

Emma Woodhouse in Emma

Mary Smith in Cranford

Margaret Schlegel in Howards End

Which story features a mur-der-ous Christmas Day Punch and Judy show?

Henry James's "The Pretty Corner"

MR James's "The Story of an Appearance and a Disappearance"

Charles Dickens's "The Trial for Murder"

The protagonist of which novel sets out one Christmas on a long sea voyage?

Treasure Island

Moby-Dick

Robinson Crusoe

A misanthrope's neighbour tries to tempt him to church at Christmas by having her son sing carols to him and offering him lard cakes, in which novel?

Silas Marner

A Handful of Dust

Wuthering Heights

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, what presents does Father Christmas give Lucy?

A bow and arrows

A shield and a sword

A healing cordial and a dagger

What is John Masefield, author of 1935 festive classic The Box of Delights, also known for?

He was astronomer royal

He was poet laureate

He was dean of Westminster Abbey

In Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising, set over Christmas, which figure from English mythology makes an appearance?

Merlin

Herne the Hunter

Gogmagog

From which town did Dr Seuss's Grinch steal Christmas?

Whoville

Wellville

Whereville

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, what do the Dursleys give Harry for Christmas?

An invisibility cloak

Bertie Botts' vomit-flavoured jellybeans

A 50-pence piece

Who says "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents"?

Katy in What Katy Did

Jo March in Little Women

Laura in Little House on the Prairie

In which year did "Merry Xmas Every-body" by Slade reach No 1?

1972

1973

1974

In which film did the song "White Christmas" first appear?

White Christmas

Going My Way

Holiday Inn

Which much-loved artist had the UK No 1 Christmas single in 1993?

Cliff Richard

Mr Blobby

Michael Jackson

Which song has twice been Christmas No 1 for the same artist(s)?

"Mary's Boy Child"

"Do They Know It's Christmas"

"Bohemian Rhapsody"

Who released the 2009 album Christmas in the Heart?

Robbie Williams

Paul McCartney

Bob Dylan

Chris Rea's "Driving Home for Christmas" was inspired by a journey from London to where?

Middlesbrough

Manchester

Macclesfield

Costa little more: Spain questions its tourism strategy

Posted: 25 Dec 2016 02:00 AM PST

Its sun and beaches attract millions, but what they spend is falling, prompting a push for wealthier visitors attracted by its food and culture

For more than half a century, Spain's tourist fame has rested mainly on its sandy beaches, warm waters and dependable weather. But despite record-breaking visitor numbers over the past 12 months, there are fears the sun could slowly be setting on the country's traditional approach to attracting foreign holidaymakers.

Although Spain is predicted to have welcomed 75 million tourists by the end of this month – up from 68 million last year – the surge is not quite what it seems.

'We got Christmas back': readers mark 25 years since fall of Soviet Union

Posted: 25 Dec 2016 01:00 AM PST

Whether it was arrival of capitalism, social instability or denim, monumental changes followed Gorbachev's resignation in 1991

After years of food shortages, rising nationalist movements and an attempted coup, Mikhail Gorbachev, the president of the Soviet Union, resigned on Christmas Day 1991. His resignation 25 years ago was the final nail in the coffin of the USSR.

To mark the anniversary we asked our readers across the region to share their memories of the monumental events, and to tell us how they felt about the change from a communist, collective system, to a capitalist one.

Dozens of UK banks and financial firms 'looking at moving to Ireland'

Posted: 25 Dec 2016 01:00 AM PST

Head of agency tasked with attracting foreign investment to Ireland says City corporations are interested in relocating

Banks and financial institutions make up the overwhelming majority of more than 100 companies inquiring about relocating to Ireland after Brexit, the head of the agency tasked with bringing foreign investment into the republic has confirmed.

Martin Shanahan, the chief executive of the Industrial Development Agency (IDA), said many of the corporations looking to move were based in the City of London.

Kenyan creativity broadens employment horizons for disabled people | Kate Hodal

Posted: 25 Dec 2016 01:00 AM PST

A digital tool that helps disabled people find jobs and a convertible electric wheelchair that solves access issues could foster greater diversity in the Kenyan workplace

Finding a job has never been an easy task for Frederick Ouko. Despite university degrees and a can-do attitude, the 34-year-old Kenyan has found himself turned away from employment time and again, solely because he uses a wheelchair.

"Just the act of getting on to public transport takes a long time: first you have to wait for a bus that has enough room for you and your chair, then finally you show up at the office for the interview, and you are turned away at the door because they think you are there to beg," says Ouko, who is from Nairobi.

Pakistan transgender leader calls for end to culture of 'gurus'

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 11:00 PM PST

Nadeem Kashish says unwanted children handed over to the care of gurus are sexually abused and financially exploited

A leader of Pakistan's historic transgender community has called for an end to the culture of "gurus", the leaders of transgender groups who take unwanted children into their care.

Nadeem Kashish, the president of the Shemale Association for Fundamental Rights, says that, far from acting as guardians, the gurus encourage young transgender people to take up sex work. "We must eliminate the culture of handing over transgenders to gurus in childhood," said Kashish. "They sexually abuse them and compel them to beg on the streets."

Queen too ill to attend Christmas Day church service

Posted: 25 Dec 2016 01:58 AM PST

Elizabeth II will not attend church in Sandringham for first time since 1988 due to ongoing heavy cold, Buckingham Palace says

The Queen will not attend the annual Christmas morning church service at Sandringham for the first time in almost 30 years as she continues to fight a heavy cold, the palace has said.

Hundreds of people had gathered outside the church for a glimpse of the monarch, including some who had arrived before dawn. She had attended the traditional service at the church of St Mary Magdalene, near the royal estate, every year since 1988.

Citizen Dilma: Rousseff reflects on life after impeachment

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:00 AM PST

Brazil's former president, who survived two years of torture in prison in the 1970s, is on a mission to clear her name and tell her side of the story

Reversals of fortune do not come much sharper or more symbolic than that suffered by Dilma Rousseff over the past year.

Last December, she was still in the early stages of her second term as Brazil's first woman president. Unbeaten in elections, she lived in a palace, commanded Latin America's biggest bureaucracy, joined summit banquets alongside Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel, and went on her morning bicycle ride in Brasília with the full protection given to a head of state.

Germany moves to atone for 'forgotten genocide' in Namibia

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 10:00 PM PST

Berlin discusses possible reparation payments over massacre of tens of thousands of people in early years of 20th century

It has become known as the first genocide of the 20th century: tens of thousands of men, women and children shot, starved, and tortured to death by German troops as they put down rebellious tribes in what is now Namibia. For more than a century the atrocities have been largely forgotten in Europe, and often in much of Africa too.

Now a series of events – and a policy U-turn by Berlin – is raising the international profile of the massacre of Herero and Namaqua peoples and bringing justice for their descendants a little closer. Negotiations between the German and Namibian governments over possible reparation payments are expected to be completed and result in an official apology before next June.

Why Christmas time in China means jail for human rights activists

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 06:40 PM PST

Beijing accused of bringing campaigners to trial when foreign observers are least likely to be paying attention

As people celebrate around the world, a new Christmas tradition is increasingly popular in China: jailing political prisoners, hoping the distraction of the holiday season will lead to less attention.

This year is no different. Three human rights activists will come to trial in the next few days when many foreign diplomats, journalists and NGO observers are away from their desks.

Christian leaders' end-of-year messages focus on uncertainty and fear

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 05:00 PM PST

Archbishop of Canterbury to say world at end of 2016 is now less predictable and people's values are in the wrong place

Britain's Christian leaders are focusing their Christmas messages on uncertainty, anxiety and fear at the end of a tumultuous year on the global stage.

In his Christmas Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, will warn against putting trust in the wrong things and values in the wrong place.

Terminally ill Dutch child raises £2m with nail-painting challenge

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:08 PM PST

Famous people including DJs and politicians across the Netherlands respond to six-year-old Tijn Kolsteren's charity appeal

A terminally ill six-year-old Dutch boy, who hoped to raise a few hundred euros by daring people to paint their nails, has raised more than €2.5m (£2.1m).

Tijn Kolsteren, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in May, launched the appeal just three days ago, but it fired the imagination of the Dutch public. The charity drive ended on Saturday.

Christmas Eve around the world - in pictures

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 12:24 PM PST

Scenes from Montreal, Lagos, Bethlehem and beyond as people all over the world prepare to celebrate Christmas

Israel's ambassador to UN rejects 'shameful' resolution to halt Israeli settlements – video

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 06:55 AM PST

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, describes the landmark resolution demanding a halt to all Israeli settlement in the occupied territories as 'shameful'. The resolution, which was passed by a 14-0 vote on Friday night, received a more positive response from Palestine's ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, who said it was 'timely, necessary and important'

Israel rejects 'shameful' UN resolution amid criticism of Netanyahu

Chagos islanders plead for end to 50-year exile as UK-US deal rolls over

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 06:33 AM PST

Chagossians say extension of agreement for US to use Diego Garcia as military base is yet another betrayal by UK

New Year's Eve marks the conclusion of a 50-year agreement under which the UK has allowed the US to use the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia as a military base. On New Year's Day the agreement will be rolled over into a new one lasting a further 20 years.

The agreement lay behind the forcible removal of residents from the Chagos Islands, of which Diego Garcia is the main island, triggering a battle for their right to return home that has lasted for half a century.

Nigerian army captures last Boko Haram camp in former stronghold

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 05:36 AM PST

'The terrorists are on the run and no longer have a place to hide,' says president after military offensive in Sambisa forest

Nigeria's army has captured Boko Haram's last enclave in the vast Sambisa forest that was the Islamist group's stronghold, the country's president has announced.

‘Only skeletons, not people’: diaries shed new light on siege of Leningrad

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 05:00 AM PST

Academic says contemporary accounts of suffering are very different to stories survivors now tell of triumphant resistance

The discovery of a huge number of unpublished diaries has given an extraordinary insight into one of the most notorious and brutal military sieges in history.

The siege of Leningrad by German and Finnish forces lasted 872 days, from September 1941 to 27 January 1944. Up to 2 million lives were lost, including about 800,000 civilians or 40% of the population of the city now called St Petersburg.

Family of man held in Ethiopia urges UK to do more to secure his release

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 03:22 AM PST

Family of Andy Tsege, who was kidnapped by Ethiopian agents in Yemen, call for action as they prepare to spend a third Christmas without him

The family of a British citizen illegally abducted and detained in Ethiopia has appealed to Boris Johnson to step up efforts to secure his release, as they prepare to spend a third Christmas without him.

Andy Tsege, who was granted political asylum in the UK in 1979 and has lived in Britain ever since, was kidnapped and illegally rendered to the east African state in June 2014 at the behest of the Ethiopian government, as part of a widely criticised crackdown on dissidents and civil rights activists.

Trump Tower's revolving door of big-name visitors – in pictures

Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:00 AM PST

Many great and good, and not so great or good, people have marched into Trump Tower for a word in the ear of the president-elect. Here's a who's who