Forward of the Spanish football club Barcelona Lionel Messi took third place in a vote by Argentine sports journalists, which determined the country's best athlete. First place was taken by boxer Sergio Martinez, world champion according to the WBC (World Boxing Council) in the weight category up to 72.5 kilograms. reports Associated Press . Martinez had two fights in 2012. In March he defeated Briton Matthew Macklin, and in September he defeated Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has submitted an application to acquire 80.03 percent of the British company Manganese Bronze Holdings (MBH), which was a manufacturer of London cabs. Bloomberg reports this citing unnamed sources. The cost of the possible transaction has not been disclosed. Zhejiang Geely's Hong Kong subsidiary Geely Auto already owns 19.97 percent of MBH shares.

Three militants were eliminated in Nazran, two of whom turned out to be bandit leaders, Interfax reports , citing the information department of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. They were previously identified as the leader of the “Kurchaloev” gang, Ayub Kholadov, born in 1981, the leader of the “Nazran” gang, Movsar Katsiev, born in 1987, and a member of the latter, Khamzat Pugoev, born in 1987.

The results of the draw for the 1/8 finals of the UEFA Champions League completely coincided with the results of the draw rehearsal, which took place on December 19. All eight pairs of the first round of the playoffs were repeated, reports the online publication Goal.com. The draw rehearsal was conducted by UEFA Secretary General Gianni Infantino.

On December 19, the final of the Miss Universe contest took place in Las Vegas, in which 89 girls from different countries took part. 20-year-old Miss USA Olivia Culpo from Rhode Island won the competition. The girl, who has Italian and Irish roots, became the first US representative in the last 15 years to be awarded the Miss Universe title. The runner-up was the Philippines' Janine Tugonon, and the third place went to Irene Sofia Esser Quintero from Venezuela.

Ferry service between Kerch and the Russian port "Kavkaz" (Krasnodar Territory) has been suspended due to a storm in the Kerch Strait. The Center for Investigative Journalism reported this on December 20, citing the Crimean Republican Committee for Transport and Communications. “Since yesterday, the ferries have not been operating due to strong waves. It is difficult to say exactly when the service will be restored, it all depends on the weather.

Christmas cards from German soldiers sent during the Second World War from the island of Jersey, which is the crown possession of the British crown, have arrived in Germany, writes The Local. Jersey was then occupied by Nazi troops. In December 1941, a group of local youth stole 86 congratulation cards from soldiers from the field mail, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. In this way they wanted to protest against the Nazi occupiers.

The Lada Favorit LLC company, which disseminated reports on December 20 that AvtoVAZ would carry out a buy-back of shares from individuals, is not a structural division of the automaker and does not have the right to provide information on its behalf. This was announced by AvtoVAZ representative Igor Burenkov, RIA Novosti reports .

The winner of the Miss Universe 2012 beauty pageant, the last stage of which was held in Las Vegas on December 19, was Olivia Culpo, winner of the Miss USA title. reports this Agence France-Presse . According to tradition, the winner received the crown from the hands of last year's Miss Universe, Leila Lopez, a representative of Angola. The second place in the competition was taken by Janine Tugonon, representing the Philippines. In third place was Irene Sofia Esser Quintero from Venezuela.

Every tenth Russian listened to the end of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s message to the Federal Assembly, writes Kommersant, citing data from a VTsIOM survey. A third of Russian residents showed interest in the message. Every fifth respondent learned the main themes of the message from the media. Supporters of United Russia and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, as well as non-parliamentary parties, showed the greatest interest in the president’s speech.

The office of the Media Forum company was robbed in Bishkek, AKIpress reports. The agency notes that we are talking about the company of the President of Kyrgyzstan Almaz Atambayev. The Media Forum building also houses the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party created by Atambayev (which currently has the status of ruling in Kyrgyzstan). The information about the robbery was confirmed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic.

On December 20, US President Barack Obama signed a declaration repealing the Jackson-Vanik Amendment in relation to Russia and Moldova. “The extension of permanent normal trade relations with Russia will allow the United States to enjoy all the rights of the agreement establishing the WTO when trading with the Russian Federation,” says the declaration, the text of which is published on the White House website.

Almost a thousand members of a Christian sect that spread rumors about the end of the world were arrested in China. reports this with reference to the local press Agence France-Presse . According to Chinese media reports, members of the “God Almighty” sect convinced that on December 21, 2012, in accordance with the Mayan calendar, the end of the world would come, followed by three days of darkness, and tsunamis and earthquakes would hit the earth.

In Moscow, on December 19, the general director of the construction company Inprofstroy, Hovik Aleksanyan, was arrested for ordering the murder of his former business partner Armen Shaginyan, the Kommersant newspaper writes. To prevent the murder, criminal investigation officers faked Shaginyan’s death, making him up to look like a corpse. Criminal investigation officers learned about the impending murder of Shaginyan in September 2012.

Over the 11 months of 2012, the average supply price on the primary housing market in St. Petersburg increased by 9.4 percent and amounted to 84.8 thousand rubles per square meter. This is stated in the review of the Agency for Development and Research in Real Estate (ARIN). Experts note that over the past few months, the price of the primary product has shown positive dynamics for the first time.