Freed Putin critic applies for visa

Former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky has applied for a Swiss visa, less than a week after his release from a Russian prison, authorities said Wednesday.



via CNN.com - Top Stories http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/25/world/europe/mikhail-khodorkovsky-swiss-visa/index.html?eref=edition

Ship stuck in Antarctic ice

Passengers on a Russian polar expedition ship off Antarctica are getting a whiter Christmas than they probably wanted.



via CNN.com - Top Stories http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/25/travel/antarctica-ship-stuck/index.html?eref=edition

Astronauts complete risky repair

It took about seven hours but astronauts successfully replaced a pump aboard the International Space Station.



via CNN.com - Top Stories http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/12/24/lead-machado-space-walk-complete.cnn.html?eref=edition

S.Africa's Kallis quits Test cricket

South African all-rounder announces he will retire from Test match cricket following the Boxing Day Test against India in Durban.



via CNN.com - Top Stories http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/25/sport/cricket-jacques-kallis/index.html?eref=edition

Bad Santa wanted for bank heist

A bank robber wearing a Santa hat and beard walked into a Port Orange, Florida, bank and walked out with loot, police said Tuesday.



via CNN.com - Top Stories http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/24/justice/bank-robber-santa/index.html?eref=edition

Olympic chief downplays snubs

No prominent world leaders at the Sochi Olympics in two months? No problem, according to Russia's Olympics chief.



via CNN.com - Top Stories http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/24/sport/sochi-2014-zhukov-obama-hollande/index.html?eref=edition

Bloodshed in oil-rich state in S. Sudan

Rebels and government troops in South Sudan battled for control of an oil-rich state Wednesday, after leaders in Washington and at the United Nations called for the bloodshed to stop.



via CNN.com - Top Stories http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/25/world/africa/south-sudan-fighting/index.html?eref=edition