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Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad’s government killed two Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to interim officials. The details of how the fighting erupted and who instigated the confrontation were not immediately known. Interim officials in Syria said two fighters were killed from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led the stunning offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month.Syria’s transition has been surprisingly smooth but it’s only been a few weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces melted away. The insurgents who ousted Assad are rooted in fundamentalist Islamist ideology, and though they have vowed to create a pluralist system, it isn’t clear how or whether they plan ...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau struck a conciliatory and hopeful tone in his annual Christmas message as he faces growing calls to resign and questions about his leadership future. Trudeau posted a video on X, formerly know as Twitter, Wednesday morning, wishing everyone a merry Christmas and urging Canadians to check in on those who may be going through a “very hard time.”“This is the time of year to slow down, to rest, and to connect with the people you love most,” Trudeau said.“It’s a moment to put our phones down, to put our politics aside, even when that one cousin makes it really hard and to focus on what matters.”Trudeau said while the holidays are a time of celebration, for people who are grieving, worried or alone, it can be the “toughest time of the year.” Story continues ...

King Charles thanked the medics who have cared for him and his daughter-in-law Kate, after they both underwent treatment for cancer this year, in a Christmas Day message that touched on global conflicts and the summer’s riots in Britain. In his third Christmas TV broadcast since becoming king, Charles struck an unusually personal tone for the royal seasonal message, a tradition that dates back to a radio speech by George V in 1932.The year has been traumatic for the royals after Buckingham Palace said in February the 76-year-old had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.A month later, Kate, the wife of his son and heir Prince William, said she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer that conclud...

Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. The pontiff’s “Urbi et Orbi” — “To the City and the World” — address serves as a summary of the woes facing the world this year. As Christmas coincided with the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebration that he dedicated to hope, Francis called for broad reconciliation, “even (with) our enemies.”“I invite every individual, and all people of all nations … to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions,” the pope said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to throngs of people below.The pope invoked the H...

Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Wednesday, striking a thermal power plant and prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning. The strikes on Ukrainian fuel and energy sources included 78 air, ground, and sea-launched missiles as well as 106 Shaheds and other types of drones, Ukraine’s air force said. It claimed to have intercepted 59 missiles and 54 drones, with 52 more drones being jammed.“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane?” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X. “They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine.”In Russia, meanwhile, one woman died and three people were wounded after falling debris from a downed...