114: Drone strikes on a kindergarten and hospital in Sudan last Thursday left 114 people dead, including 63 children, according to the World Health Organization. The attack is just the latest atrocity in the Sahel State’s brutal two-and-a-half-year civil war. The Rapid Support Forces, the rebel group, was blamed for the assault. The attack took place in the central Kordofan region, reflecting how the frontline has shifted east from Darfur.
62: In 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron passed a law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. The French parliament could vote to reverse that today when it votes on the social security budget – a concession from Macron’s Renaissance party to the Socialists. It’s still unclear whether the budget has enough votes to pass.
11: Burkina Faso is holding 11 Nigerian military personnel after a Nigerian C-130 made an unauthorized emergency landing. The breakaway Alliance of Sahel States – of which Burkina Faso is a member – called the landing an “unfriendly act.” The incident comes a day after Nigeria helped Benin foil what officials called a coup, and underscored the growing divide between ECOWAS-aligned states and the AES bloc.
400: The Danes will send their last Christmas cards this year, as the state-run postal service, PostNord, will shutter its letter delivery service at the close of 2025. The decision to bring an end to the 400-year-old service comes after letter volumes have declined 90% since 2000. CARRIER PIGEONS, ASSEMBLE! It’s time to make a comeback.
