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Police in Nigeria say at least 67 people have died after three stampedes within days of each other.

On Saturday, 32 people were killed, including at least four children, during Christmas charity events as crowds surged forward while food was being handed out.

Of those killed, 22 died in the town of Okija, in the southeastern state of Anambra, after a philanthropist organised an event to distribute food, local police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga said.

Ten others died in the capital, Abuja, during a similar event organised by a local church.

Stampede kills 22 in Nigeria's southeastern Anambra state’s Okija town, during a food distribution organised by a philanthropist on 21/12/2024. screengrab shows Abuja residents at Christmas event before stampede Pic: Arise News
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Crowds before the stampede in Anambra on Saturday. Pic: Arise News/AP

Africa’s most populous country is seeing a growing trend by local organisations, churches and individuals to ease economic hardship caused by a cost-of-living crisis.

Witnesses of the Abuja stampede told the Associated Press there was a crowd surge at one of the church gates. Some people had waited overnight to get food.

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On Wednesday, another stampede killed 35 children at a holiday funfair in southwestern Nigeria.

Several children killed in stampede at a holiday fair event in Nigeria in Basorun, Oyo State on 18/12/2024. Pic: ARISE NEWS
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Children were rushed to hospital after the Oyo incident. Pic: Arise News/AP

It happened at a school in Basorun in the state of Oyo although the exact cause is not clear.

A local radio station, Agidigbo FM, had reportedly suggested children could win prizes and gifts at the event.

Several children killed in stampede at a holiday fair event in Nigeria in Basorun, Oyo State on 18/12/2024. Pic: ARISE NEWS Pictured centre is Bayo Lawal, Oyo State Deputy Governor
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Oyo state deputy governor Bayo Lawal visited injured children. Pic: Arise News/AP

The organisers were arrested, state governor Seyi Makinde said in a statement.

“We are not exonerating anybody who’s connected with this organisation of the event,” Oyo state deputy governor Bayo Lawal said as he visited a hospital treating some of the injured.

But he said the government is awaiting a report on what happened.

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‘NATO Santa’ shot down over Moscow in apparent Russian propaganda video

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'NATO Santa' shot down over Moscow in apparent Russian propaganda video

Father Christmas, driving a sleigh filled with NATO-branded rockets, is shot out of the sky above Moscow in an apparent new piece of Russian propaganda.

“Good, we don’t need anything foreign in our skies,” says a second Santa in Russian, sitting in what appears to be a control room.

Ukraine Centre for Countering Disinformation shared the video, saying that Russia’s “paranoia about the ‘NATO threat’ has reached new heights”.

Follow latest: Russia’s aviation watchdog comments on Azerbaijani Airlines crash

Still from apparent Russian propaganda showing Santa over Moscow
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Still from apparent Russian propaganda showing Santa over Moscow

Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko reported that it was released after the Azerbaijani Airlines plane crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day – amid speculation it was shot down by Russian air defences.

Sky News has not yet been able to verify the timing of the video’s release, which appeared on pro-Russian social media channels and not from an official source.

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The video begins with Santa, dressed in red, flying in a sleigh above the Russian capital, saying: “Ho, ho, ho! Hi Russians, here are your presents! Happy New Year!”

It then shows a missile blowing up the sleigh and cuts to the control room, where an alternative Father Christmas dressed in blue asks “Is that it?” and a man in uniform replies: “Yes, the target is destroyed.”

“Good, we don’t need anything foreign in our skies,” the Santa says in response.

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Eurostar passengers ‘trapped for hours’ in Channel Tunnel after train breaks down between London and Paris

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Eurostar passengers 'trapped for hours' in Channel Tunnel after train breaks down between London and Paris

Passengers on a Eurostar train from London to Paris say they were stuck for hours in the Channel Tunnel after a train broke down.

The 06.01am train left on time and was supposed to arrive at Paris Gare du Nord at 9.20am local time – but travellers were told they would get to Paris with a delay of about six hours.

Eurostar said on its live departures and arrivals page: “Due to a technical problem, your train cannot complete its journey. It will now terminate at Calais Frethun where you’ll be transferred onto another train to your destination.”

Lisa Levine posted on X: “What a mess. We were trapped for hours and hours in a tunnel. No idea of when we were go get out. Now transferred to another train and literally missing our entire day in Paris.

“Do better Eurostar. Communicate with your paying customers.”

Gaby Koppel, a television producer, told The Independent: “We stopped in the tunnel about an hour into the journey, so roughly 7am UK time.

“There were occasional loudspeaker announcements saying they did not know what the fault was.”

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Alicia Peters, an operations supervisor, was on the train taking her daughter to Disneyland Paris.

She told The Independent: “Sitting for 2.5 hours on a stationary train with my eight-year-old daughter was very stressful.

“She was very worried as we heard a noise and then there was no power.

“It was very hot and we didn’t really know when we would be moving as they were unable to provide any timeframe.”

In a post on X the rail company said: “Service update: Train 9080 had a technical issue this morning.

“This train is now running at reduced speed to Calais where passengers will be transferred to another Eurostar train to continue their journey to Paris. Thank you for your understanding and our apologies for the delay.”

X users reported long queues on the motorway to the Channel Tunnel following the train breakdown.

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South Korea’s parliament impeaches acting president

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South Korea's parliament impeaches acting president

South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo.

The move could deepen a constitutional crisis triggered by a short-lived period of martial law declared by Mr Han’s predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol.

After the vote on Friday, Mr Han said he will step aside to avoid more chaos.

The opposition brought impeachment proceedings against him over his refusal to immediately fill three places on South Korea’s Constitutional Court – where the former president is on trial.

Three justices had been approved by parliament – where the opposition Democratic Party has a majority – but Mr Han said he would not formally appoint them without bipartisan agreement.

South Korea’s constitution says that six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must agree to remove an impeached president, meaning the current justices must vote unanimously to remove Mr Yoon.

The court has said it can deliberate without the full nine-member bench.

Leader of the opposition Lee Jae-myung had vowed to go ahead with the impeachment, accusing Mr Han of “acting for insurrection”.

A man waves a South Korean flag at an anti-Yoon Suk Yeol protest.
Pic: AP
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A man waves a South Korean flag at an anti-Yoon Suk Yeol protest. Pic: AP

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Now that Mr Han – who is also prime minister – has been impeached, his finance minister Choi Sang-mok is set to take over as acting president.

Politicians in the 300 parliament voted 192-0 to impeach him. Governing party politicians boycotted the vote.

Following the vote, Mr Han said he would respect the decision and will await a ruling from the Constitutional Court on the impeachment motion.

Mr Han will be stripped of the powers and duties of the president until the Constitutional Court decides whether to dismiss or reinstate him – the same as with Mr Yoon.

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