5 things you absolutely must know today (and one more thing)

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Will Ferrell terrifies New Yorkers with Christmas trivia

It’s the Christmas edition of Billy on the Street featuring Billy and a very skittish, hilarious Will Ferrell – both dressed in festive onesies – cornering and overwhelming New Yorkers with holiday trivia. It’s fantastic, especially the part when the duo forces a gift-wrapped bale of hay on a confused and terrified pedestrian while yelling “Merry Christmas.”

Marathon reading of ‘War and Peace’ streaming live right now

It’s a 60-hour marathon reading of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace by more than 1,300 Russians, broadcast live from all parts of the country and the world. Tolstoy’s great-great-granddaughter Fekla Tolstaya coordinated the event. ”For me, this project is ideologically important – it demonstrates that we are united not only by citizenship, the same language, currency and territory. We are united by classic Russian literature and culture – and that is very important. It seems to me that even the name of the novel, ‘War and Peace’ is relevant now; in a tragic way it has come to be more than just the name of a Tolstoy novel for us,” Tolstaya told Russia’s Gazeta.ru. The four-day reading is streaming online as we speak. Tune in here. [Source: Telegraph]

Syrian refugees greeted by Trudeau at Pearson

The first large group of Syrian refugees landed at Toronto’s Pearson airport late last night. And our Prime Minister took what time he had between photo shoots (kidding) to greet them as they arrived. Canada is expected to be welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February, 2016. “We suffered a lot,” one family told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Now, we feel as if we got out of hell and we came to paradise.” More than 100 refugees were on the plane, which flew in from Beirut, making it the largest influx yet. Many refugees have already arrived in smaller numbers over the last few months. [Source: Globe and Mail]

Ohio man facing fines for zombie nativity scene

Jasen Dixon of Sycamore, Ohio put up a zombie-inspired nativity scene on his yard, and the city is threatening to fine him $500 per day. And those are U.S. dollars. This is the second year Dixon has setup the living dead tableau depicting baby Jesus and all others as zombies. Officials are ticked. “I think it’s the them. I think it rubs people the wrong way,” he told local news. “That’s why they’re coming down so hard on me.” He has yet to receive a fine, and has vowed to keep the exhibit up and on full display until he does.

Rwanda genocide fugitive arrested

Ladislas Ntaganzwa has been on the run for 20 years, avoiding arrest for his involvement in 1994 Rwanda genocide, which is responsible for the killing of nearly one million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, according to the head of the genocide tracking unit at Rwanda’s Public Prosecution Authority John Bosco Siboyintore. He was arrested by Interpol agents in the Congolese city of Goma, and is one of the nine most wanted fugitives in the genocide. There was a $5m bounty on his capture. The details surrounding the charges are horrific and can be found in the source article this brief links to. [Source: Guardian]

Goerge Takei invites Donald Trump to Broadway show following the presidential candidate’s ludicrous comments regarding Japanese internment camps