Police in Germany foiled an assassination plot against the state of Saxony’s political leader. The group behind the plot was reportedly angry about the country’s COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout. And in Sudan, anti-military demonstrations continue nationwide after the military coup in October. Civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was reinstated but now he must create a new government after a wave of official government resignations. Plus, the Swedish city of Gävle has put up its annual Christmas goat, a 100-foot-tall straw structure that’s regularly burned down despite the town’s attempts to secure it with webcams and guards.

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