Top Story: More details emerged in the story of a 23-year-old Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to set off an explosive during Northwest Airlines Flight 253, from Amsterdam to Detroit, on Christmas day.
The plastic explosive he had sewn into his underwear and attempted to set on fire -- pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN -- can be extremely powerful, experts said. If properly detonated, it could have blown a hole in the side of the plane. The United States is currently investigating if he had ties to al Qaeda.
The man's father -- a wealthy Nigerian banker and former government official -- told authorities at a U.S. embassy that he was concerned over the young man's radicalization approximately six weeks ago. Britain had revoked his travel privileges. The United States is investigating why Abdulmutallab was not banned from flying to the country.
What Santa brought: For the first time this year, online retailer Amazon sold more Kindle e-books than regular books.
Europe
- Croatians headed to the polls to elect a president. No candidate garnered a majority of votes, so the top two -- a popular social democratic leader and the mayor of Zagreb -- will head to a Jan. 10 runoff.
- Turkey has detained eight soldiers in connection with a plot to assassinate the deputy prime minister.
- Avalanches in Italy killed at least seven.
Africa
- The United States is sending special operations forces to fight al Qaeda in Yemen.
- Scrutiny is falling on the family of the Flight 253 bomber in Nigeria.
- Somali pirates releaseda hijacked Chinese ship.
Middle East
- In Iran, police killed 10 protesters during the Ashura holiday, reportedly including a nephew of the opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi.
- Security officials in Iran called for all protesters to be arrested in an attempt to return to order.
- Israel is planning to build 700 new apartments in East Jerusalem.
- In Iraq, more than 3 million Shiites celebrated the Ashura holiday, which was banned under Saddam Hussein.
Asia
- A bomb set off at a procession in Karachi, Pakistan, during the Ashura holiday killed at least three.
- Leaders from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will meet today to discuss gas supplies.
- Chinese authorities informed a British man convicted of smuggling heroin that he will be executed tomorrow, despite pleas for clemency from British authorities and dignitaries.
- Thailand is deporting thousands of members of the Hmong ethnic group to Laos, despite fears for their safety.
Americas
- North Korean border guards arrested a U.S. missionary who crossed into the country to protest human-rights abuses.
- Clashes over gold mining rights between citizens of Brazil and Suriname, which borders Brazil to the north, have left one dead and scores injured.
- After a five-year custody battle, a U.S. man was reunited with his son, who had been living with relatives in Brazil.
PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images
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