Portal:Current events/2015 December 24

December 24, 2015 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2015 Zaria Shia Massacre
- Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports Nigeria’s military has quickly buried the corpses of at least 300 Shia Muslims killed during raids at the house of Ibrahim Zakzaky in Zaria earlier in December. (BBC) (International Business Times)

Business and economy

Three business services companies are engaged in an auction to purchase Perot Systems from Dell. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A fire at the Jizan General Hospital in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 24 people and injures over 100. The blaze began on the first floor of the hospital which contains the maternity ward and intensive care unit. Government-controlled Al Ekhbariya television reports the cause of the fire seems to be electrical. (Al Jazeera) (The News Tribe) (Reuters) (Pakistan Today)
Tornadoes of 2015
- Officials report the casualties from yesterday's spring-like storm that triggered more than 20 tornadoes, destroyed homes, delayed and cancelled air flights, and caused power outages in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast have risen to at least 11 people killed with dozens injured. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declares a state of emergency in areas affected by the storm. (NBC News) (Reuters)
Up to 100 people die in an explosion at an LPG gas plant in Nnewi, Anambra, in southern Nigeria. Sources indicate the accident was caused by a truck discharging its contents before the mandatory cooling time had expired. (BBC) (Vanguard)
Uruguay's National Emergencies System reports two people have died in flooding from heavy rains in its northern provinces, and almost 5,500 have been evacuated. The Uruguay River has risen close to three meters over safe levels in Paysandú, and almost four meters (13 feet) in Salto. (Fox News Latino) (Latin American Herald Tribune)

Health and medicine

The same day the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announces it is easing restrictions on medical research involving cannabidiol (CBD), a key component in marijuana, NYU Langone Medical Center researchers report a clinical trial suggests a pill containing CBD may reduce seizures for children and young adults with epilepsy. (CBS News) (Health Day via U.S. News & World Report) (Leafly.com)

International relations

Australia, the UK, France, and the United States, all issue security alerts for westerners in Sanlitun in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, a popular diplomatic and entertainment district. Chinese officials indicate they have taken appropriate measures in response to this information. (Reuters) (CNN) (Latin American Herald Tribune)

Law and crime

One person is shot and killed by a policeman at the Northlake Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. (TWC News)

Politics and elections

2016 United States federal budget, Iran hostage crisis
- The 53 Americans taken hostage in Tehran, Iran, in 1979, or their families, will receive compensation of $4.4 million each from the United States government as a result of a provision in the spending deal signed into law last week. (ABC News) (The Hill)