Hallacas, Kindness and Christmas News
Cooking hallacas, preparing for Christmas and changes in sight for 2026!
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Chapter 23 is Ready
The final draft of Chapter 23 is ready.
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Tahir Has Become a Canadian Citizen
Newsletter to Friends: Celebrating Tahir's Canadian Nationality!
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Chapters 21 & 22 Ready
Summaries of chapters 21 and 22 are now available online!
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The Season of Light and Silence
All Saints' Day Reflections from Caracas.
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Flash news/Press review:
13.12.2025: Al Jazeera: Tens of thousands of people took to the frosty streets of Budapest on December 13, 2025, in a powerful protest demanding that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán resign over what demonstrators see as his government’s failure to act decisively on repeated reports of child abuse in state‑run juvenile institutions. The demonstrations were sparked by the release of disturbing footage and allegations that staff at a Budapest detention centre physically abused minors, intensifying public outrage and solidarity with the victims. While Orbán has condemned the abuse as unacceptable and moved to place the centres under police oversight, opposition leaders have seized on the scandal ahead of next spring’s elections to call for accountability and political change.
25.11.2025: Al Jazeera: Donald Trump has announced that the United States is nearing a deal to end the war in Ukraine, revealing plans to send his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow for further talks with Vladimir Putin. While Ukrainian officials have expressed support for the general outline of the proposal, they and their European allies remain cautious, concerned that earlier versions of the plan could pressure Kyiv into territorial concessions or military limitations. At the same time, France and other Western partners are urging continued pressure on Moscow, especially following renewed Russian missile strikes on Kyiv—even as negotiations appear to gain momentum.
01.11.2025: Al Jazeera: Civilians fleeing Darfur have shared horrific accounts of killings, rape, and abuse by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following the fall of El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in North Darfur, after an 18-month siege. Survivors described being stopped, beaten, and searched by RSF fighters, with one man spared execution only because a captor recognised him from university. Many, including elderly women and children, endured days of walking in extreme conditions to reach safety in the nearby town of Tawila.
28.09.2025: Seychelles to hold presidential and parlamentary elections. Environment and drug policies appear to be the main theme of political discussion in the country.
01.09.2025: Euronews: A powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has killed at least 800 people and injured more than 2,500, the Taliban government said on Monday.
10.08.2025: Al Jazeera: The Palestinian mission to the United Nations accused Israel of “deliberately assassinating” al-Sharif and Qreiqeh, describing them as among the “last remaining journalists” in Gaza.
03.08.2025: Al Jazeera: A Palestinian teenager, shot in the eye by Israeli forces while desperately seeking food for his family near a United States and Israeli-backed GHF site in Gaza. Fifteen-year-old Abdul Rahman Abu Jazar told Al Jazeera that Israeli soldiers kept shooting at him even after he was struck by a bullet, making him think “this was the end” and “death was near”.
28.07.2025: BBC: Preserving traditional santoors in Kashmir. A story of Ghulam Mohammed, a passionate lover of music and craftmanship.