COLU @ CONCEPTS

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption The driver crashed into the entranceway of the Social Democratic Party's Berlin headquarters A man rammed a car into the headquarters of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Berlin on Christmas Eve, police have said. The crash happened at around midnight local time (23:00 GMT). The driver, a 58-year-old man, was believed to be the only person injured. The driver told police he had intended to kill himself, Berlin police said. Officers found petrol canisters and lighter fluid inside the car, according to local reports. Investigators were treating the incident as a possible arson attempt and also revealed that the man had earlier left a bag containing gas canisters in front of the headquarters of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, the Christian Democrat CDU, a few minutes' drive away. There was no indication that the man, who was slightly injured in the crash, was an extremist, Berlin media said. It was unclear wh...

Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Navalny was seen as the only candidate with a chance of challenging President Putin Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been formally barred from competing in next year's presidential election. The Central Electoral Commission has said Mr Navalny was ineligible because of a corruption conviction which he says is politically motivated. He has urged his supporters to boycott the March vote. Mr Navalny, 41, was widely regarded as the only candidate with a chance of challenging President Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin is seeking a fourth term that would see him become the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin. Navalny: Russia's vociferous opposition leader Mr Navalny, known for his anti-corruption campaign and protests against Mr Putin, was given a five-year suspended sentence in a retrial earlier this year on embezzlement charges. The commission's head, Ella Pamfilova, said her institution was simply app...

Image copyright EPA Image caption People have been evacuated from the Vietnamese province of Ben Tre Nearly a million people in southern Vietnam face evacuation from the path of a deadly typhoon sweeping in from the South China Sea. The national disaster prevention committee said more than 70,000 people had already been moved from low-lying areas. Typhoon Tembin killed at least 230 people and left 75,000 homeless in the Philippines. Rescuers are searching for more than 100 people still missing. Bridges and roads on the island of Mindanao have been destroyed or blocked by landslides. while nearly 1,000 houses were wrecked and many rice fields were washed away. Vietnam country profile Philippines country profile In Vietnam, the government ordered oil rigs and vessels to be secured and warned that about 62,000 fishing boats should not go out to sea, Reuters news agency reports. Media caption The aftermath of Storm Tembin on Mindanao island "V...

Media caption The bus hit the entrance of a pedestrian underpass in Moscow A bus left a road in Moscow before ploughing into a subway entrance, leaving at least four people dead and 15 injured, Russian officials say. Footage shows people scattering as the bus ran down wide steps before being brought to a halt by the tunnel's roof. The incident occurred near Slaviansky Boulevard station in western Moscow. There is no suggestion it was a terror attack. Russian investigators said the driver told police the vehicle had started to move suddenly. He tried to apply the brakes but they did not work, the investigative committee said. The crash happened in icy conditions. The number of people killed was unclear. Health officials said four people had died while interior ministry spokesman Col Yuri Titov said the accident had claimed five lives, Interfax news agency reported that the bus was not even a year old. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin told reporters ...

Media caption Pope Francis urged "peace for Jerusalem" Pope Francis has used his traditional Christmas Day message to call for "peace for Jerusalem" and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Acknowledging "growing tensions" between them, he urged a "negotiated solution... that would allow the peaceful co-existence of two states". US President Donald Trump recently announced that America recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The controversial move drew international condemnation. Media caption Why the city of Jerusalem matters Last week, UN members decisively backed a non-binding resolution that said any decisions regarding the status of Jerusalem were "null and void" and must be cancelled. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their future capital, and all countries currently keep their embassies in Tel Aviv. The Roman Catholic leader gave his Urbi et Orbi speech, whic...