It's already Christmas In Venezuela

EARLY CHRISTMAS IN VENEZUELA
Yep - that is President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro one month ago, announcing a really early Christmas. Snap forward to today and locals in the capital of Caracas have been greeted with ornaments galore. So what's the deal? Well, it all starts with Venezuela's presidential election, which happened back in July. At the time, Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner, but the opposition also claimed they were the winners, and brought forward what they said was evidence that they actually secured more votes! All of this ended up sparking lots of tension and unease across the country. So some reckon this early dose of holiday spirit could have been an attempt to distract from anger over the election. While some aren't so sure this Christmas is all that merry, others are welcoming the season with open arms.
JULIAN ASSANGE
Australian Julian Assange has spoken publicly for the first time since he was released from jail. Mr Assange has been making headlines since 2010 when his website called Wikileaks, released hundreds of thousands of secret US military documents, which can be a serious crime. While Julian believed the public deserved to see the documents, others said releasing them put lives at risk. In June this year, he was released from a UK jail and returned home to Australia. He used his first public appearance to criticise the US and its allies, for how they handled his case, and spoke a lot about freedom of speech.
POLITICAL CARTOONS
Political cartoons, as the name suggests, are cartoons about politics designed to make us think about or laugh at complex social and political issues. Peter Broelman would know, because he's a political cartoonist! Peter's part of the Behind The Lines exhibition which travels around Australia, showcasing the past year's most memorable cartoons. Political cartooning only started to kick off in the 18th century, when artists would draw funny pictures to mock, ridicule or praise people in power, and they could have a really big impact. Cartoons like these helped to bring down kings, and ruin reputations. They were used to push for or against big causes, and to stir up patriotism in times of war.
10 MILLION DOLLAR BALLOON SCULPTURE
First to this giant balloon monkey in a London park. It was created by American artist Jeff Koons, who is well known for creating balloon-ey art like this. It's about to be auctioned for a pretty solid price tag, like I'm talking somewhere around 10 million Euros, which is equivalent to over 16 million bucks here. Where do you even put a sculpture that big?
PINE MARTENS
Now to these wittle Pine martens who are taking their first nervous steps into the woods of Dartmoor in southern England. These small members of the weasel family actually became extinct here more than a century ago, due to habitat loss and hunting. But now, they're being reintroduced in hopes of restoring the woodland ecosystems here. Off you go!
100 WEDDINGS - ONE DAY
And finally to this iconic town hall in the UK. Renowned for hosting celebrity weddings for two Beatles singers, and a swathe of Hollywood actors, the Old Marylebone Town Hall is today celebrating its 100-year anniversary! How? By officiating 100 weddings in one day of course - how else!
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