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AP World News

Thousands flock to Bethlehem to revive Christmas spirit after 2 years of war in Gaza

By MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit. The giant Christmas tree that was absent during the Israel-Hamas war returned on Wednesday. The city where Christians believe Jesus was born had cancelled Christmas

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Explosion in Russian capital kills 3 including a bystander

MOSCOW (AP) — Three people, including two police officers, were killed in an explosion in Moscow on Wednesday, Russian investigators said, two days after a car bomb killed a high-ranking general not far away. The two traffic police officers were approaching a “suspicious individual” when an explosive device detonated, Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said

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EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive on Wednesday warned that it would take action against any “unjustified measures” after the U.S. State Department barred five Europeans it accuses of pressuring U.S. technology firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints. The Europeans were characterized by U.S. Secretary of State Marco

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Zelenskyy says he’s open to a free economic zone in Ukraine’s east but it must be put to a vote

By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia’s war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized, free economic zone monitored by international

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Search teams in Turkey recover recorders after plane crash that killed Libyan military officials

By SUZAN FRASER and FAY ABUELGASIM Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Search teams in Turkey on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, while efforts to retrieve the victims’ remains were still underway, Turkey’s interior minister said. The private

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Trump says he’s inviting Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to next year’s G20 summit in Miami

AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said he will be extending invitations to next year’s U.S.-hosted Group of 20 summit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as the Republican administration looks to deepen its relationship with the Central Asian nations. Trump announced the plan on Tuesday after holding separate phone

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Ex-aide says Netanyahu tasked him with making a plan to evade responsibility for Oct. 7 attack

By JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A former close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that immediately following the October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, the Israeli leader instructed him to figure out how the premier could evade responsibility for the security breach. Former Netanyahu spokesperson Eli

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Gaza’s tiny Christian community tries to capture the holiday spirit during the ceasefire

By MARIAM FAM Associated Press Attallah Tarazi recently received Christmas presents that included socks and a scarf to shield him against the Gaza winter, and he joined some fellow Palestinian Christians in a round of hymns. “Christ is born,” the group sang in Arabic. “Hallelujah.” The presents and hymns offered the 76-year-old a taste of

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Sudan’s prime minister takes his peace plan to the UN, but US urges humanitarian truce now

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Sudan’s prime minister on Monday proposed a wide-ranging peace initiative to end a nearly 1,000-day war with a rival paramilitary force, but the United States urged both sides to accept the Trump administration’s call for an immediate humanitarian truce. Kamil Idris, who heads Sudan’s transitional

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The killing of a general in Moscow follows a series of assassinations Russia blames on Ukraine

By KATIE MARIE DAVIES Associated Press Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out a number of high-profile attacks against prominent Russians since Moscow invaded its neighbor nearly four years ago. While Kyiv has hinted at its involvement in some cases, Ukrainian officials have often stopped short of publicly claiming responsibility. In other cases, they have

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Clashes flare as top Turkish officials visit Syria ahead of a deadline for Kurdish integration

By GHAITH ALSAYED Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes erupted between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters on Monday as top Turkish officials visited Damascus ahead of a deadline to implement a deal between the government and Kurdish-led forces in the country’s northeast. Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that two civilians were killed

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Trump’s appointment of envoy to Greenland sparks new tension with Denmark

By GEIR MOULSON and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press The leaders of Denmark and Greenland insisted Monday that the United States won’t take over Greenland and demanded respect for their territorial integrity after President Donald Trump ‍​announced ​the appointment of a ‌special envoy to the semi-autonomous territory. Trump’s announcement on Sunday that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry

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Starlink in the crosshairs: How Russia could attack Elon Musk’s conquering of space

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press Two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel, with the aim of reining in Western space superiority that has helped Ukraine on the battlefield. Intelligence findings seen by The Associated Press say the so-called

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Bondi Beach shooting suspect conducted firearms training with his father, Australian police say

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A man accused of killing 15 people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach conducted firearms training in an area of New South Wales state outside of Sydney with his father, according to Australian police documents released on Monday. The documents, made public following Naveed Akram’s video court appearance

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Thailand and Cambodia to resume ceasefire talks after deadly border clashes

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Thailand and Cambodia will resume talks later this week to work toward a more durable ceasefire along their border, Thailand’s foreign minister said Monday, stressing that progress depends on detailed bilateral negotiations rather than public declarations that internationalize the dispute. A ceasefire agreement in October was rushed to ensure it

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