‘Christmas ruined’ in Hong Kong

‘Christmas ruined’ in Hong Kong [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( Amid Christmas carols and Santa hats, pro-democracy protesters made their way through Hong Kong’s shopping malls. A Chilean resort city burns — was it arson? And we tell you what it’s like amid a massive exodus from Idlib, a province in northwest Syria, after intense bombing. --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Ho, ho, protest: Hong Kong pro-democracy activists keep at it [Riot police stand guard next to a Christmas tree inside a shopping mall during an anti-government protest on Christmas Eve at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, China, on Dec. 24, 2019.]( Credit: Tyrone Siu/Reuters Hong Kong anti-government protesters [marched through Christmas-decorated shopping centers]( on Wednesday, chanting pro-democracy slogans and forcing one mall to close early, as police fired tear gas to disperse crowds gathering on nearby streets. The protests have turned more confrontational over the festive season, though earlier in December they had been largely peaceful after [pro-democracy candidates overwhelmingly won district council elections](. Despite the embarrassing results, Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leaders have made no new concessions. Riot police patrolled several neighborhoods while tourists and shoppers, many wearing Santa hats or reindeer antlers, strolled past. There were no major clashes, but with impromptu crowds forming to shout expletives at the unpopular officers, who have been accused of using excessive force, [police briefly fired tear gas in Mong Kok](, a popular protest area. The city's leader Carrie Lam didn’t like the protesters’ timing. She said that many Hong Kongers and tourists were disappointed that their "[Christmas Eve celebrations have been ruined](." Also: [Amnesty International: Hong Kong’s protests explained]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Fire in Chilean city of Valparaíso destroys over 200 homes A fire in the colorful Chilean port city of Valparaíso [destroyed at least 200 homes]( on Tuesday and firefighters struggled to control the blaze. [Arson is suspected](. Inhabitants fled their homes in the middle of Christmas Eve festivities, some losing all their belongings and even pets. "The entire Valparaíso Fire Department with support from neighboring units is deployed. The fire has consumed about 120 homes," [firefighters said on Twitter](. Two nearby neighborhoods were being evacuated, they said. [The blaze](, fed by high Southern Hemisphere summer temperatures and strong winds, started in a forested area and spread to the city, firefighters said. The fire is currently under control in urban areas, but [remains “active” in the woods](. Valparaiso, known for its colorful wood-frame houses, is popular among tourists in the South American country. There are no reports of casualties. Also: [Chilean government blames K-pop for recent protests]( --------------------------------------------------------------- NewsMatch Do you value the global journalism you read here every morning? [Make a gift]( to support our work now, and your donation will be matched. [Donate here](. Idlib in northwest Syria is under attack from Russian and Syrian jets. Here’s how one resident described it. [Trucks carry belongings of people fleeing from Maarat al-Numan, in northern Idlib, Syria, on Dec. 24, 2019.]( Credit: Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters Over just five days, at least [100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes]( in Idlib — "with thousands more unable to reach safety due to the intensity of hostilities and now fearing for their lives,” according to [a statement]( from the International Rescue Committee. Idlib is the last territory held by a group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has links to al-Qaeda and opposes the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The World spoke with Muhmmad Alkassom last week. He’s a teacher in Idlib, but his work has shifted from education to survival. He said he had gone from teaching every day to taking shelter in the basement of his home. “[The bombings start from nine in the morning and it goes on until midnight](,” he said over a scratchy WhatsApp line. “We listen to the warplanes. We know the difference between a Syrian jet and a Russian one.” Also: [Turkey denies deporting thousands of refugees to Syria]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a smart speaker? Listen to The World's new show called [The Number in the News](! We produce The Number in the News daily from our studio in Boston. Host Bianca Hillier will tell you one number you won’t forget and why it’s the news today. Add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google news briefing. Iran curbs internet before possible new protests Iran's authorities have [restricted mobile internet access]( in several provinces, a day before [new protests were expected to kick off]( following calls for demonstrations on social media. Social media posts, along with some relatives of people killed in unrest last month, have called for renewed protests and for ceremonies to commemorate the dead to be held on Thursday. The protests were initially sparked in November by hikes in gasoline prices but demonstrators quickly expanded their demands to cover calls for more political freedom and other issues. The government, which launched the [bloodiest crackdown on demonstrators in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic](, blamed foreign enemies for stoking tensions. Internet blockage observatory NetBlocks said on Twitter: "[Confirmed: Evidence of mobile internet disruption in parts of #Iran]( ...real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid reports of regional outages; incident ongoing." The internet blockage made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliable reports on the extent of the unrest. Also: [Iran’s brutal crackdown on protesters]( And: [The history of the US, Russia and China supplying arms to Iran]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning meme(s) Sometimes, the simple gifts bring the most joy. [Especially if you’re a professional wrestler](. Extra: [History’s largest mining operation is about to begin. It’s underwater — and the consequences are unimaginable.]( Reuters contributed to this newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [What melting in Antarctica means around the world]( - [A surprise on the ice in Antarctica]( - [Journey to Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica]( - [A hip hop tune for Hanukkah]( - [A new study puts a dollar value on nature-based therapies]( - [Australia’s firefighting volunteers spend Christmas Day controlling fires]( - [Tanzanian human rights activists spend Christmas in jail]( - [Cayman Islands Port]( - [From Cape Verde to collaborating with Madonna]( - [Pancho Claus is coming to town]( - [Christmas lights visible from space]( - [Love around the world]( - [Syrian military offensive continues]( - [What about North Korea’s ‘Christmas gift’?]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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