Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues to apply pressure on the USA to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, which will carry Canadian oil-sands crude to US markets.
Russian President [Grinch] Putin, tells the 95,000 workers preparing for the Sochi Olympic Winter Games that they will have no Christmas holiday as they will be expected to work straight through to the March 18th Paralympics Opening
Russian President Putin ceremoniously lit the Olympic Flame in Red Square, but the Olympic torch went out en route to the Kremlin. [It was re-lit with a cigarette lighter]