Forest fire in Chile damages around 400 homes

Strong winds are complicating efforts to contain the blaze. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Forest fire in Chile damages around 400 homes [A plane dumps water on fires in Vina del Mar, Chile, Dec. 23, 2022.] Credit: Matias Basualdo/AP Chile At least two people have died and around 400 homes have been damaged by a forest fire in the Chilean [seaside resort of Vina del Mar](. President Gabriel Boric's administration has declared a state of emergency. Several neighborhoods and one informal settlement have been evacuated. The blaze has destroyed around 270 acres, and strong winds have [complicated efforts]( to contain the flames. Jordan Protests have accelerated in Jordan over [rising fuel prices](, with people staging sit-ins on Friday. Youths attacked government property during riots in the southern city of Ma'an, and several police officers have died in recent clashes. [Truck and public transport drivers]( began striking two weeks ago, escalating into the unrest, though local media outlets reported that most of them have now ended their strikes. Nigeria Oil and gas company Shell is set to [pay $15.9 million]( to communities in Nigeria that have been affected by oil pipeline leaks in the Niger Delta. The spills severely polluted three villages in the region. A Dutch court had ruled last year that the subsidiary was required to pay compensation in the [long-running lawsuit]( brought forth by four Nigerian farmers and a fisherman in 2008 — the four original plaintiffs have all died since then. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Education for women 'is an Afghan value and an Islamic right,' says male professor in solidarity against university ban]( [Afghan women participate in a protest against the university education ban for women, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 22, 2022.]( Credit: AP Male faculty members are [standing up in solidarity]( with Afghan women following a Taliban decree banning them from attending universities. Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, discusses the situation with The World's host Marco Werman. Time is running out to support The World before 2023. There is only about a week left before our fundraiser ends, but we’re still short of our goal. We need just 244 listeners to donate $100 or pledge $10 monthly in order to sustain our nonprofit newsroom for another year. If you rely on The World to keep you connected and informed, please join the hundreds of listeners who have already donated and [make your gift today](. We can’t do it without you. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot “The Nutcracker” is a cultural institution in the United States, with local companies performing it every Christmas. But it’s also performed in countries around the world, especially because the ballet can be very easily adapted to different cultural contexts. One of the places that did so this year was Hong Kong. 🩰 [Listen to the story]( by The World's Sarah Birnbaum. 🎧 [Picture of "The Nutcracker" performance in Hong Kong.] Credit: Hong Kong Ballet/Facebook In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- The Top of The World newsletter will resume in January. Happy holidays from all of us at The World. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.