What You Should Be Drinking on New Year's Eve

Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Master of Wine and Spirits Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan discusses the best wines of 21012 and what to expect for 2013. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "Market Makers." (Source: Bloomberg)

The Top Ten Stocks for Wednesday, December 26

Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Betty Liu, Josh Lipton Julie Hyman and Alix Steel report on today's ten most important stocks including Apple, Herbalife and Netflix. They speak on Bloomberg Television's "In The Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)

Thursday: US New Home Sales, Initial Jobless Claims

Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Gigi Stone forecasts tomorrow's news, highlighting the big stories to be on the look for in the next trading day. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg Rewind." (Source: Bloomberg)

Nicaragua plans canal across Central America

Published 26 December 2012 22:33

Nicaragua has signed an agreement with a Chinese company for a $30bn canal between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is looking for foreign investment from Brazil, China, Russia and Venezuela to help build the waterway as an alternative to the Panama Canal. For more than 150 years, the country has looked to build a canal across Central America but has never been able to get the project off the ground. Planners there say the project would lift Nicaragua - the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere - out of poverty. Al Jazeera's Adam Raney reports from San Juan del Norte, a town on Nicaragua's coast that could see big benefits.

Rare 'corpse flower' blooms in Australia

Published on Dec 26, 2012

Melbourne botanists were given a gift from nature this Christmas with a rare blossoming of an Indonesian 'corpse flower'.

The aptly named flower is said to smell somewhere between rotten cheese, rotting flesh and rotten fish.

Ashlynne McGhee reports.

Fireworks blaze rips through central Lagos

Published 27 December 2012 02:38

An explosion at a fireworks warehouse has caused a huge fire in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos. At least one person died and around thirty were injured. Al Jazeera's Iain Bruce reports.

Mega ice meteor lands in Morocco

Published on Dec 26, 2012

http://www.euronews.com/ A Moroccan farmer got the shock of his life when a giant snowball fell to earth leaving a half metre hole in his land. The farmer from the Hrira region split the ice and put it in his fridge to prevent it melting. Local authorities then sent a team of scientists who confirmed that it was in fact a 'mega meteor' from space.

French share their way through recession

Published 26 December 2012 23:08

The French are responding to Europe's stagnant economy by sharing rather than consuming. People have seen that statistically, most people with a power drill use it for 12 seconds each year, so now they are wondering: why bother buying one? The same principle is being extended to a widening range of goods and services - from children's toys to commuting - saving billions in the process. And advocates for collaborative consumption describe it as a revival of the old way of doing things -- sharing, renting, swapping - but for the internet generation. Al Jazeera's Charlie Angela reports from Paris.

Estonians on track for free public transport

Published 25 December 2012 11:51

Estonians in the capital city of Talinn are soon to benefit from the arrival of free public transport. It is the first EU capital to make the shift and is part of a green platform adopted by Talinn's mayor, Edgar Savisaar. However, not everyone thinks the move will get cars off the road. The opposition fume that the idea is less about a clean environment and more about political opportunism. Al Jazeera's Tim Friend reports from Talinn.

China launches world's longest high-speed rail

Published 26 December 2012 19:06

China has launched the world's longest high-speed rail line, which runs 2,298 kms from the Beijing in the north to Guangzhou, an economic hub in the Pearl River delta in southern China. But the high prices for fares have been criticised. The cheapest tickets are priced at 138 USD one way and the most expensive seats are at 437 USD. Al Jazeera's Gerald Tan takes a closer look at China's latest showpiece.

Farming on Qatari saltlands

Published 24 December 2012 11:47

Concerns over global food security is putting pressure on arable land worldwide. But one project in Qatar shows it is possible to grow food even in the harshest of environments. Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley reports from Dukhan, Qatar.

Waterlogged in Baghdad (1:04)

Dec. 26 - Heavy rains flood Baghdad, forcing residents to wade in knee-deep water as Prime Minister Maliki tours the capital city. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

Thousands flee Malaysia floods (0:37)

Dec.26 - More than 13,000 are evacuated as floods swamp the east coast of Malaysia. Paul Chapman reports

Blizzard strands commuters in northern Japan (0:42)

Dec. 26 - A severe winter storm disrupts traffic, grounds flights and halts public transport in northern Japan. Lindsey Parietti reports

Ho hum holidays for retailers (2:20)

Dec. 26 - Retailers' sales barely increased this holiday season, according to a preliminary estimate- a big disappointment from optimistic expectations. Bobbi Rebell reports