December 25, 2014 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- Somali Civil War
- Al-Shabab militants attack AMISOM's headquarters in Mogadishu, leaving three peacekeeping soldiers and a civilian contractor dead. Five of the attackers are also killed. (Al Jazeera)
- Pakistani forces report the killing of the "mastermind" behind the Peshawar school massacre during a gun battle in the Khyber Agency tribal area. (The Telegraph)
Arts and culture
- Urbi et Orbi
- Pope Francis condemns the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for violence against women, children, and ethnic minorities. (CNN)
- Iraqi Christians defy persecution and celebrate Christmas in Baghdad. (The New York Times)
- 2014 Ebola epidemic
- In her Royal Christmas Message, Queen Elizabeth II praises aid workers for fighting ebola in West Africa. (CBS)
- United States President Barack Obama praises U.S. troops and reflects on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during his annual Christmas message from Hawaii. (Toronto Star)
Businesses and economy
- 2014 Russian financial crisis
- Vladimir Putin announces price controls on vodka to reduce bootlegging and moonshining. (New York Daily News)