Cities worldwide hold subdued Christmas Eve celebrations amid conflicts
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem’s economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war.
Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome’s patience
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It’s a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope.
Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole. Trump said that he will direct the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated.” Trump was vague on what specific actions he may take.
After 20 years, the post-tsunami generation stays vigilant for future disasters
LHOKNGA, Indonesia (AP) — Qurrata Ayuni, a 28-year-old survivor of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated her hometown two decades ago, has transformed her resilience into purpose. Defying Aceh’s male-dominated coffee culture, she runs a café that serves as a welcoming space for women, employing and empowering them in one of the worst-hit regions. On Dec. 26, 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people across a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa.
21 dead as Mozambique erupts in violence after election court ruling
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Violence that engulfed Mozambique after the country’s highest court confirmed ruling party presidential candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner of disputed Oct. 9 elections has killed at least 21 people, including two police officers. Mozambique Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda told a news conference in Maputo late Tuesday that a wave of violence and looting was sparked by the court’s announcement a day earlier. He said it was led by mostly youthful supporters of losing candidate Venancio Mondlane, who received 24% of the vote, second to Chapo, who got 65%.
Ecuadorian police probe if bodies found are of missing children allegedly taken by soldiers
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorian police have found an undisclosed number of bodies in an area close to a military base. Authorities are now probing if the bodies could be those of some of the four children who were last seen taken by men in military uniform earlier this month. The case has shaken Ecuador and the government has placed 16 soldiers in custody as it investigates the disappearance of the children. A police official said on Tuesday that the bodies were found in a mangrove near the western city of Taura, where the military base is located. The official did not say how many bodies were found, but that they will be analyzed to determine if they were the children.
A Haiti gang attack on the reopening of a main hospital kills 2 reporters and a police officer
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s online media association says two reporters were killed and several were wounded in a gang attack on the reopening of Port-au-Prince’s biggest public hospital. A police officer was also killed in the attack on Tuesday. Street gangs had forced the hospital’s closure early this year but authorities had pledged to reopen the facility on Christmas Eve. As journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire. The killed journalists were identified as Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean. The Haitian Association of Journalists said seven reporters were wounded in what it called “a macabre scene comparable to terrorism, pure and simple.” The attack has been blamed on the Viv Ansanm gang coalition.
Stunning photos show lava erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano
HONOLULU (AP) — Lava is erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano for the second straight day. The eruption has stayed within Kilauea’s summit caldera inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and no homes are threatened. Molten rock began spewing out of the volcano before dawn on Monday when fissures opened in the caldera floor and shot lava high into the air. It then oozed across the caldera floor. Scientists expect activity to fluctuate in coming days. The lava paused Monday afternoon but fountains reemerged Tuesday morning. The eruption has occurred in an area that’s been closed to the public since 2007 due to hazards including crater wall instability and rockfalls.
Hurricane-force winds bear down on California, latest in stretch of extreme weather
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has been hit hard by extreme weather over the past several weeks. Atmospheric rivers, which are long stretches of wet air that can produce heavy rains, brought a record-setting rainfall before Thanksgiving. A series of atmospheric rivers are producing strong waves and storms near Santa Cruz this week. Thousands were left under evacuation warnings and orders because of a fire around Malibu. Climate change means that strong storms will be responsible for a greater share of the state’s yearly precipitation and the periods between those events will be drier.
Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights
WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by vendor technology in its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled.