Berlin crash treated as terror attack; detained suspect cleared

Berlin prosecutors said Tuesday they released the person they initially detained as a suspect in a truck crash that killed 12 people at a Christmas market.

Asia Marks 10th Anniversary of Tsunami (UN says world better prepared for natural disasters)

Beach side memorials, moments of silence, and religious services are planned across Asia on Friday to mark the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed at least 220,000 people in 2004.
The gigantic wave stuck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim. It destroyed entire coastal communities, wiped out families and crashed over tourist-filled beaches the morning after Christmas.

France deploys extra army patrols in wake of attacks

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday said France had deployed 300 extra troops to patrol public areas over the Christmas period following a spate of attacks on police officers and shoppers.

In an announcement broadcast on live TV, Valls said he appreciated that the “deeply shocking” events had “understandably created great concerns”, but insisted that “each event must be treated separately”.

Greeks, Romanians, Cut Christmas Spending

Greek retailers registered the lowest Christmas sales for the past 10 years, down by 40% from 2011, according to preliminary estimations.
According to reports of the National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Christmas sales of clothes and footwear fell by 50% from 2011, sales of electric appliances decerased by 40%, and sales of cosmetics and books declined by 30%.
Even sales of food products prior to the 2012 Christmas holidays dropped by 20% as compared to 2011.