Topic: picture channel
On the 24th, a newly decorated Christmas tree was placed in the Grand Square in Brussels, Belgium.
25th is Christmas, a traditional western holiday. In the United States, President Bush and his family celebrated Christmas for the last time at Camp David, the presidential resort. In Britain, a TV station was accused of broadcasting the Christmas message of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On that day, while festivals were celebrated in different ways around the world, travelers in some parts of the United States had to stay at the airport for the holidays because of bad weather.
figure
Obama encourages people
US President-elect Barack Obama delivered a radio and Internet video speech on the 24th, taking the opportunity of Christmas to encourage people to share the financial crisis.
Obama said that the current US economy has been hit, "millions of people have lost their jobs" and "more people are struggling to pay bills or keep their homes. From students to the elderly, I feel that the future is full of uncertainty. " He encouraged people to "do their duty to serve others, find new ideas and inventions, and open a new chapter for our country".
Obama said: "If the American people come together and go all out to shoulder the historical responsibility, then we can let the people continue to work and point out a new direction for the country. Only in this way can we get through this crisis and make tomorrow better. "
Obama also expressed condolences to the officers and men of the navy, army, air force, marine corps and coast guard serving overseas.
Bush sent his subordinates jobs.
This year is the last time Bush and his family celebrated Christmas at Camp David, the presidential resort. The Bushes, their two daughters and other family members gathered at Camp David in Maryland that day. Although in Maryland, their Christmas dinner is quite traditional in Bush’s hometown of Texas, including roast turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.
With Bush leaving office soon, many government dignitaries are worrying about re-employment. Bush was sympathetic to his subordinates and gave them a big gift-work-on Christmas Eve, which solved their worries.
The Associated Press reported that the White House announced on the 24th that Bush had selected 24 part-time job candidates for 10 boards and committees, most of whom were right-hand men under Bush.
For example, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was elected to the board of directors of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a six-year term. Minister of Commerce Gutierrez was nominated as a member of the woodrow wilson international center for scholars Council for a term of six years.
Chino, former vice minister of transportation and chairman of the 2008 Republican National Convention, will take office on the Trade Policy and Negotiation Advisory Committee for a four-year term.
Mcbride, the housekeeper of First Lady Laura, was also awarded a three-year term on the board of directors of the J. William Fulbright Scholarship for Foreign Scholars.
Ahmadinejad delivered a Christmas speech
On the 25th, the British TV station Channel 4 broadcast the Christmas speech delivered by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which provided the public with a window to understand the "alternative viewpoint", but it still attracted a lot of criticism.
A spokesman for Channel 4 said that Ahmadinejad finished his speech in Iran with Persian quotations, and the whole process was highly confidential in advance. The producer of the program matched the speech with English subtitles.
Ahmadinejad extended his holiday greetings to Christians in the program. However, the text of the speech shows that this holiday greeting is ironic.
Ahmadinejad said: "If Christ were alive, he would join people in opposing the tyrannical and irritable expansionist power." The Associated Press reported that this clearly points to the United States and its allies.
Ahmadinejad said: "If Christ were alive today, there is no doubt that he would hold high the banner of justice and fraternity against militants, occupiers, terrorists and bullies. If Christ were alive today, there is no doubt that he would resist the arbitrary policies prevailing in the global economic and political system, just as he devoted himself to it all his life. "
Bourne, director of the news and current affairs program of Channel 4, said that Ahmadinejad was chosen as the protagonist of this year’s Christmas speech because Iran’s relations with western countries may become a key global issue next year.
However, the efforts of "Channel 4" did not seem to help it reduce its criticism. Smith, head of the British Holocaust Memorial Center, said that Ahmadinejad’s message should be treated with caution. "Many of his political and historical views are very dangerous."
Grunwald, chairman of the British Jewish Representative Committee, firmly believes that Ahmadinejad is not qualified for Christmas programs.
Conservative MP Davis believes that the choice of "Channel 4" is "unacceptable at any level".
event
Snow and ice weather affect some areas.
Passengers stranded at American airport on Christmas Eve.
Some parts of the United States suffered from snow and ice weather on the 24th, which caused some airport flights to be cancelled and delayed, and many passengers preparing to go home for Christmas were stranded.
As the second largest airport in the United States, Chicago O ‘Hare International Airport in Illinois had to cancel more than 100 flights on the 24th, leaving more than 500 passengers stranded. The day before, due to the ice storm, the airport cancelled more than 500 flights.
Tommy and siobhan from Ireland spent their second night at O ‘Hare International Airport on the 24th. They had planned to go to San Diego, California for their honeymoon. When they arrived at the airport on the 23rd, the flight at O ‘Hare International Airport was cancelled due to bad weather. The couple can only leave on the 25th flight at the earliest.
As they were preparing to go to the relatively warm San Diego, the couple were unprepared for the temperature near zero degrees Celsius in Chicago and were at a loss for a while. Siobhan, 30, said: "This place was supposed to be a transit station, but now there is nothing to do but wait."
At present, the meteorological department of the United States has issued ice storm warnings and travel suggestions to most parts of the western region and parts of the central, western and northeastern regions.
titbits
Mysterious Santa Claus haunts Korean community
The staff of a residential area in Jeonju, a city in southwestern South Korea, received a mysterious phone call on the 25th, reminding them to go to the parking lot to find a mysterious box.
They found the box and opened it. It actually contained 20 million won (about 15,000 US dollars) in cash. There is also a note in the box that says, "Cheer up, breadwinners."
The Korea Times reported that since 2000, this community has received cash from mysterious Santa Claus every Christmas, and has accumulated more than 81 million won so far.
The staff suspect that this mysterious Santa Claus is a resident of the community, and he may not be well off, but he insists on donating his savings every year.
Park Mingxi, the head of the community, said: "We are very touched. There is such a kind-hearted person living here." He said that he would distribute the money to 100 residents in the community.
Add citizenship to Santa Claus
Canadian Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Kenny granted Santa Claus citizenship on the 24th.
Kenny said in a statement released in Ottawa on the same day that Santa Claus officially became a Canadian citizen and gained the right to enter the country many times.
Kenny said: "The Canadian government sincerely wishes Santa all the best in his work on Christmas Eve. As a Canadian citizen, he has the right to enter Canada again after completing his world tour."
The statement also said that Santa Claus wore traditional red and white costumes, which just echoed the color of the Canadian flag. (Wu Zheng, He Shan, Chen Lixi)
Editor: Wang Jiaolong
