2014 Russian financial crisis Vladimir Putin announces price controls on vodka to reduce bootlegging and moonshining.
United States United States President Barack Obama praises U.S. troops and reflects on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during his annual Christmas message from Hawaii.
2014 Ebola epidemic In her Royal Christmas Message, Queen Elizabeth II praises aid workers for fighting ebola in West Africa.
Pope Francis Pope Francis condemns the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for violence against women, children, and ethnic minorities.
Pakistani forces Pakistani forces report the killing of the "mastermind" behind the Peshawar school massacre during a gun battle in the Khyber Agency tribal area.
Somali civil war Al-Shabab militants attack AMISOM's headquarters in Mogadishu, leaving three peacekeeping soldiers and a civilian contractor dead. Five of the attackers are also killed.