Both St. Paul, Minneapolis have Christmas markets worth visiting
St. Paul’s European Christmas Market is the clear No. 1, but the Minneapolis Christkindl Market in the North Loop is worth a stop, too.
by Bill Lindeke
https://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2025/12/both-st-paul-minneapolis-have-christmas-markets-worth-visiting/

Rainfall creates crimson spectacle at beach on Iran’s Hormuz Island
Streams of soil turn sand and surrounding water red, creating sharp contrast with blue waters of Persian Gulf
Associated Press in Tehran
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/18/rainfall-iran-hormuz-island-red-beach

Man sues Tennessee county after he was jailed over meme related to Charlie Kirk killing
Lawsuit alleges that Larry Bushart’s first amendment rights were violated when he was arrested and jailed for 37 days
Anna Betts
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/18/tennessee-charlie-kirk-meme-arrest-lawsuit

Bavarian pensioner lays trap to catch phone fraudster who was out for his gold
Second ‘exemplary’ success for 85-year-old who had already rumbled bogus police officer demanding €60,000
Deborah Cole in Berlin
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/18/german-pensioner-lays-trap-catch-fraudsters-after-gold

‘It’s an open invasion’: how millions of quagga mussels changed Lake Geneva for ever
The molluscs are decimating food chains in Switzerland, have devastated the Great Lakes in the US, and this week were spotted in Northern Ireland for the first time
By Phoebe Weston
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/18/invasive-quagga-mussels-lake-geneva-aoe

US government admits negligence in helicopter-plane collision that killed 67
Official response to lawsuit filed by victims’ relatives admits FAA and army failures played role in Washington DC crash
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/17/us-government-helicopter-crash-washington-dc

The motorcyclist fighting a deadly disease in the African bush
8 hours ago
Kang-Chun Cheng
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251217-the-motorcyclist-fighting-the-worlds-second-deadliest-parasite-in-the-african-bush