Top News Stories for Today – Dec 25, 2018
Pope’s wish this Christmas
In his Christmas message from the central loggia of Saint Peter’s Basilica, to the city and to the world, Pope Francis said his wish this year was for fraternity, among individuals of every nation and culture and expressed hope this would help bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians, in Syria and in Yemen.
Pope Francis said, “The Son of God tells us that salvation comes through love, acceptance, respect for this poor humanity of ours, which we all share in a great variety of races, languages, and cultures. Yet all of us are brothers and sisters in humanity!” VOA
Judge orders N Korea to pay Warmbier family $500m
A federal judge in Washington awarded the parents of Otto Warmbier more than half a billion dollars in a wrongful death suit against the North Korean government, which detained and allegedly tortured the college student over 17 months before returning him to the US last year, where he died days later.
North Korean officials detained Warmbier in 2016 as he tried to leave the country after spending five days there on a commercial tour. Warmbier, then a student at the University of Virginia, was accused by the government of stealing a political poster from a restricted floor in his hotel. Warmbier returned to the US in June of 2017 after negotiations led by the Trump administration. Then 22 years old, Warmbier was blind and deaf and had sustained severe brain damage from his time in detention. He died less than a week later in his hometown of Cincinnati. CNN
Democrats, Trump blame each other for shut down
The partial shutdown of the US government has moved no closer to a resolution, with President Donald Trump asserting Democrats “must end” the standoff while Democratic leaders in Congress blamed Trump for “plunging the country into chaos.”
The two sides traded their accusations ahead of Christmas, the fourth day in which parts of the government are closed because Congress and Trump have not been able to agree on necessary spending legislation. VOA
Mexico power couple killed in air crash
A Mexican governor who was sworn in earlier this month and her senator husband have died in a helicopter crash in the central state of Puebla. The aircraft carrying Puebla Gov. Martha Erika Alonso and Sen Rafael Moreno Valle came down shortly after it took off. The two pilots were killed. Reports say a third passenger also died.
Officials say the helicopter may have suffered an unspecified failure. An investigation has been opened. Alonso, 45, had been sworn in on 14 December as Puebla’s first female governor, after hotly contested polls. Moreno, 50, had served as Puebla’s governor between 2011 and 2017. BBC
Trump blasts Mattis after searing rebuke
President Trump blasted outgoing Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Christmas Eve after announcing Sunday that he would replace the general by Jan. 1, two months earlier than previously announced. A Trump aide said the president became furious after he realized how forcefully Mattis had rebuked him in his letter of resignation.
“We are substantially subsidizing the militaries of many VERY rich countries all over the world, while at the same time these countries take total advantage of the US, and our TAXPAYERS, on trade,” Trump tweeted. “General Mattis did not see this as a problem. I DO, and it is being fixed!” Patrick Shanahan, Mattis’ deputy, will assume the title of acting Defense secretary after the first of the year. The Week
Indonesia tsunami death toll rises
The death toll following the tsunami caused by the Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia has risen to at least 429, the disaster mitigation agency says. On Saturday giant waves crashed into coastal towns on the islands of Sumatra and Java. It is thought that volcanic activity set off undersea landslides which in turn generated the killer waves.
About 150 people are still missing, while more than 16,000 have been displaced, the agency says. Coastal residents near the volcano have been warned to keep away from beaches amid fears it could trigger a new tsunami. Anak Krakatau erupted again on Sunday, spewing ash and smoke. BBC
Trump blames Fed for market turmoil
Stock markets in Japan and China saw sharp declines Tuesday, following selloffs Monday in US markets. US President Donald Trump is blaming the Federal Reserve (central bank) for stock market declines and other economic problems.
In tweets, Trump has said the only US economic problem is rising interest rates. He accused Fed chief Jerome Powell of not understanding the market and damaging the economy with rate hikes. VOA