1. Report: CIA torture brutal, ineffective

    The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) torture of al-Qaida suspects was far more brutal than acknowledged, a U.S. Senate report revealed on December 9.

    The CIA also misled the White House and Congress with inaccurate claims about the program’s usefulness in thwarting* attacks, the Senate Intelligence Committee said in its graphic report that revived the debate over interrogation* tactics such as waterboarding*.

    President Barack Obama admitted some of the tactics detailed in the explosive findings in the report’s 500-page declassified summary were “brutal.”

    2. Suspected bomb kills 10 in Philippines

    The death toll from a suspected bomb explosion on a bus in the southern Philippines rose to at least 10 with another 34 people wounded, officials said on December 10.

    The Rural Transit bus had picked up passengers, mostly students, and was passing near the main gate of Central Mindanao University in Maramag town in Bukidnon province on December 9 when the powerful blast sent shrapnel* and debris flying through the vehicle.

    The blast killed 10 passengers and wounded 34 others, many of them seriously, police said.

    3. Venezuela finds US$3m in truck from U.S.

    Venezuela has uncovered at least US$3 million in cash hidden under the false bottom of a Ford truck that arrived on a Lebanese-flagged ship from Miami, the United States.

    Anti-drug agents discovered the greenbacks* after performing an X-ray scan on December 14 at the port of Cabello in the central state of Carabobo.

    4. Palestinian minister dies

    A Palestinian minister died on December 10 after an Israeli border policeman grabbed him by the throat during a protest in the West Bank, an incident Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described as barbaric.

    Ziad Abu Ein, 55, a minister without portfolio, was among scores of* Palestinian and foreign activists who were confronted at an Israeli checkpoint while heading to a demonstration against Jewish settlements in the occupied territory.

    5. Thai princess gives up royal title

    Thailand’s crown prince has divorced his wife.

    A statement published by the palace in the early hours on December 13 in the Royal Gazette said Princess Srirasmi had relinquished* her royal status, a move that ends her 13-year marriage to Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.

    Analysts said the 62-year-old crown prince’s split from his wife will deepen fears for the monarchy’s future as Thailand’s 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej enters the twilight of his reign.

    6. Dozens killed in Afghanistan fighting

    The Afghan Taliban killed a Supreme Court official, a dozen mine clearers and several national and foreign soldiers but also suffered heavy losses from intensifying violence ahead of the withdrawal of most international troops in the next two weeks.

    In Kabul on December 13, a bomb ripped through a bus carrying soldiers in Kabul, killing at least seven of them, mangling* the vehicle and sending a column of black smoke over the capital.

    7. SantaCon revelers hit Manhattan

    Waves of revelers* dressed in Santa Claus outfits invaded Midtown Manhattan on December 13 as part of New York’s version of SantaCon.

    The loosely organized event, which moves every year to a different neighborhood of the city, has become notorious for public drunkness and rowdy* behavior by some of its participants.s

    This year, merrymakers gathered in mid-morning in Times Square, one of Manhattan’s busiest crossroads, after organizers posted online the list of taverns that were officially participating this year.

    (SD-Agencies)