By Rob Picheta, Teele Rebane, Svitlana Vlasova and Benjamin Brown (CNN) — An explosion sank a sanctioned Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday night, Russian authorities said, leaving two crew members missing. The crisis center of the Russian Foreign Ministry said the vessel, Ursa Major, sank south of Spain after a blast
Continue ReadingBy Andrew Torgan and Tricia Escobedo, CNN (CNN) — Last-minute errands tend to pop up on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, whether it’s buying a quick present or picking up one last ingredient. Check out what’s open and closed today and tomorrow. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and
Continue ReadingSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Tens of thousands of homes in Bosnia were without electricity on Tuesday after heavy snow and winds that also created traffic chaos in neighboring Croatia and Serbia. In Slovenia, the search for an injured Hungarian hiker missing in the Alps north of the capital, Ljubljana, since Sunday was suspended because of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem marked another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The cheer that typically descends on the West Bank during Christmas week were nowhere to be found. The festive lights and giant tree that normally decorate Manger
Continue ReadingBy Hassan Tayier, Gul Tuysuz and Edward Szekeres, CNN (CNN) — Eleven people were killed in a blast at an explosives and ammunition factory in the village of Kavakli in the Karesi district of Balikesir province in northwest Turkey on Tuesday, according to the country’s interior minister Ali Yerlikaya, who said that an investigation had
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — A Russian-born U.S. citizen already imprisoned in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second 15-year jail term for espionage, Russian news agencies reported. A Moscow court brought espionage charges against Gene Spector in August 2023, although details surrounding the case were not made public. Spector, formerly an executive at
Continue ReadingBy Yoonjung Seo and Chris Lau, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — South Korea has become a “super-aged” society with one in five people aged 65 or older, official data showed Tuesday, underscoring the country’s deepening demographic crisis. The number of people aged 65 and older stands at 10.24 million, accounting for 20% of South
Continue ReadingBy Catherine Nicholls and Darya Tarasova, CNN (CNN) — A Moscow court has on Tuesday sentenced a US citizen to 15 years in prison for espionage, according to state-run news agency RIA Novosti. Gene Spector, who was born in Russia but later moved to the United States and received citizenship, had previously been sentenced to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police have announced a fresh round of arrest warrants for six activists based overseas, with bounties set at $1 million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to their arrests. According to the warrants, the six individuals are wanted for national security offences such as secession, subversion, and
Continue ReadingAt least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank around the city of Tulkarem on Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, including three people it said were killed by Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military said it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of some uninvolved
Continue ReadingISTANBUL (AP) — An explosion at an ammunition factory in northwest Turkey left 11 dead and five injured Tuesday morning. The blast occurred in Balikesir province, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. The factory is in a rural area away from population centers. Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said the explosion collapsed the capsule production building
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and the United Kingdom have expressed deep concern over the recent handing down of convictions by Pakistani military courts to 25 civilian supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan over last year’s riots. The convictions had previously also been criticized by the European Union and Pakistani human
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after chronic kidney disease. He was 90. His contribution to cinema was recognized as a director, editor and screenwriter. He came into the limelight with films that challenged
Continue ReadingBy Nectar Gan and Joyce Jiang, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — A Chinese court has issued a suspended death sentence to a man who rammed his car into crowds outside a primary school in southern China last month, injuring more than two dozen people in one of several violent attacks that has recently rattled the
Continue ReadingBy Karina Tsui and Amanda Jackson, CNN (CNN) — One of the world’s most active volcanoes erupted on Monday after a three-month hiatus, spewing bright orange lava as high as 300 feet, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Kilauea volcano on Hawaii island, also known as the Big Island, began erupting at roughly
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LEAVENWORTH, Wash. (AP) — The scent of bratwurst and pretzels filled the air as horses clopped down the main street, hauling a carriage full of tourists. Nestled in her mother’s arms, a baby reached out to touch a shop window display, peering toward the sequin-covered reindeer behind it, as colorful ornaments twirled nearby.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PERTH, Australia (AP) — Tonga’s parliament has elected Aisake Eke as the country’s new prime minister. The vote came in a special session of the house on Christmas Eve. Eke’s predecessor quit earlier this month just ahead of a no-confidence vote by lawmakers. Eke — who assumes office less than a year before
Continue ReadingBy Nic Robertson, CNN’s International Diplomatic Editor (CNN) — 2024 was the year of the vote. More than 60 countries – home to nearly half the planet’s population – selected their leaders. In the history of democracy, it is a first. In the history of humankind, it was a remarkable coming of age, an evolution,
Continue ReadingBy Mostafa Salem, CNN (CNN) — Protests erupted in Christian neighborhoods of the Syrian capital Damascus after a Christmas tree was set on fire in another town by unidentified men on Monday evening. A video showing men setting fire to a publicly displayed Christmas tree in the Christian-majority town of Suqaylabiyah, near the city of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BOSTON (AP) — Straddling the scaffolding high up in a historic Boston church, murals conservator Gianfranco Pocobene is working to uncover eight angels that were hidden under layers of paint for more than a century. The painted angels — with round childlike faces and wings — once were among the defining features of
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