Dec 25 Ukrainians move up their traditional Christmas celebration in break with Russia By Renata Brito, Hanna Arhirova, Associated Press BOBRYTSIA, Ukraine — Ukrainians usually celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, as do the Russians. But not this year, or at least not all of them. Some Orthodox Ukrainians have decided to observe Christmas on Dec. 25, like many Christians around… Continue reading
Dec 24 Pope Francis denounces war, poverty and injustice in Christmas Eve mass By Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press Recalling Jesus’ birth in a stable, Pope Francis rebuked those “ravenous” for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable, including children, in a Christmas Eve homily decrying war, poverty and greedy consumerism. Continue reading
Dec 24 Bethlehem rebounds from pandemic, lifting Christmas spirits in West Bank By Maya Alleruzzo, Jalal Bwaitel, Associated Press The biblical town of Bethlehem marked a merry Christmas on Saturday, with thousands of visitors descending upon the traditional birthplace of Jesus as it rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Dec 24 Russian shelling in Ukraine’s Kherson leaves at least 10 dead, 55 wounded By Associated Press Russian shells pummeled the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Saturday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 55 in the city that Moscow’s troops were forced to abandon last month. Continue reading
Dec 24 COVID-19 wave rolls through China, overwhelming hospitals outside Beijing By Dake Kang, Associated Press As China grapples with its first-ever national COVID-19 wave, emergency wards in small cities and towns southwest of Beijing are overwhelmed. Continue reading
Dec 24 Kurds, anti-racist activists gather in Paris after deadly cultural center shooting By Jeffrey Schaeffer, Angela Charlton, Associated Press Kurdish activists, left-wing politicians and anti-racism groups demonstrated Saturday in Paris after three people were killed at a Kurdish cultural center in an attack that prosecutors say was racially motivated. Continue reading
Dec 24 Taliban bans women from working for domestic, foreign NGOs in Afghanistan By Riazat Butt, Associated Press The Taliban government on Saturday ordered all foreign and domestic non-governmental groups in Afghanistan to suspend employing women, allegedly because some female employees didn't wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. Continue reading
Dec 23 Watch 3:32 News Wrap: House passes $1.7 trillion spending bill avoiding government shutdown In our news wrap Friday, the House of Representatives passed the $1.7 trillion spending bill avoiding a government shutdown, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is back home in Kyiv after a trip to Washington that helped secure a new $1.8 billion… Continue watching
Dec 23 Watch 8:47 Jordan battles influx of cheap amphetamines from neighboring Syria By Simona Foltyn In the first part of our series on the regional drug trade in the Middle East, we explored how crystal meth is affecting Iraq. In this segment, we turn our attention to Captagon, a cheap amphetamine that is popular in… Continue watching
Dec 23 Watch 13:00 Brooks and Capehart on Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington and defending democracy abroad New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's trip to Washington, the Jan. 6 committee report and if Congress should consider barring… Continue watching