Displaying items by tag: celebrations

On 31 December Panama celebrated the 25th anniversary of reclaiming the Panama Canal from US control. President José Raúl Mulino has rejected recent comments by Donald Trump suggesting that the USA might try to reclaim it; he commented, ‘(It) will stay in our hands for ever’. The transfer of the canal in 1999, ending 85 years of US administration, was hailed as a landmark moment in Panamanian sovereignty. The canal, which remains a crucial global shipping route, is vital to the country’s economy, accounting for about 20% of its annual revenue. Challenges emerged in 2023 as droughts reduced transit capacity, forcing higher shipping fees. Although operations have normalised since then, price increases are anticipated next year.

Roast turkey and Christmas pudding? Not if you live in Finland, where the traditional dish is porridge made with rice and milk, topped with cinnamon or butter. In Barbados no Christmas is complete without a baked ham decorated with pineapple and sorrel glazes, a rum cake, and a dish which combines pigeon peas, guinea corn flour, herbs, and salt meat. On Christmas Eve in Poland, many families share an oplatek (an unleavened religious wafer), each person breaking off a piece. Marinated steaks and boerewors sausages serve as the main course in South Africa, and gingerbread features in countries such as Norway and the Netherlands. Perhaps most unexpectedly, families in Japan head out for Kentucky Fried Chicken, either ordering their boxes months in advance or standing in two-hour-long queues – a tradition which resulted from a wildly successful marketing campaign in 1974.

‘The regime has fallen, we won!’ was the cry outside the defence ministry as the three-decade reign of President al-Bashir came to an end on 11 April. President Omar al-Bashir has stepped down, and consultations are under way to set up a transitional military council to run Sudan. Bashir is under heavy guard at the presidential residence. Tens of thousands of Sudanese took to the streets in the centre of Khartoum in jubilation, dancing and chanting anti-Bashir slogans. Since 19 December 2018, Sudan has experienced persistent violent demonstrations sparked by the government’s attempt to raise the price of bread, and an economic crisis that has led to fuel and cash shortages.