NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-13-2024 2PM EST
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When it came out in 1843, a Christmas carol was a sensation, and Charles Dickens became
a legend.
Some people would consider him the originator of Christmas or the inventor of Christmas.
The past, present, and future of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Listen to Thulein wherever you get your podcasts.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling through the Middle East to drum up support
for Syria nearly a week after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.
NPR's Michelle Kaliman reports Blinken made an unannounced stop in Iraq today.
Secretary Blinken flew to Iraq to meet the country's prime minister to talk about regional
security.
Before that, in Turkey, he told reporters there was broad agreement on what an interim
government should look like in Syria.
One that is inclusive and nonsectarian.
One that protects the rights of minorities and women, one that preserves
institutions of the state and delivers services to the people.
Lincoln says the U.S. is also focused on efforts to keep ISIS in check in Syria and is urging
rebel leaders to secure and destroy any chemical weapons they find.
The secretary will continue talks with Arab foreign ministers at a gathering in Jordan
on Saturday.
Michelle Kelliman, NPR News Tel Aviv.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been hospitalized in Europe after sustaining an
unspecified injury.
NPR's Elena Moore reports Pelosi is traveling in Luxembourg with a congressional delegation.
According to her spokesperson, Pelosi is receiving quote excellent treatment.
The statement did not provide details
about how the injury occurred or the
Speaker Emeritus current condition.
Pelosi, who is 84, was in Luxembourg
to honor American service members
who fought in the Battle of the Bulge,
which happened 80 years ago this December.
Her spokesperson said that due to her injury,
she will not be attending the rest of the events on the trip.
Alaina Moore, NPR News, Washington.
The president of France has named a new prime minister after the government collapsed in
a no-confidence vote last week. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports Emmanuel Macron has chosen
a centrist veteran lawmaker with contacts across the political spectrum.
Many hope François Bayrou will avoid the fate of his predecessor, conservative Michel
Barnier, who was taken down in a no-confidence vote by parliamentarians on the far left and
far right just three months into his term.
After snap elections this summer, the French parliament is divided into three mutually
detesting blocks where none has a majority.
The priority for Bayrou will be passing a special law to roll over the 2024 budget,
with a nasty battle over the 2025 legislation looming early next year.
The far-left France Unbowed party said it would immediately attempt to remove Bayrou if he ignores their tax and pensions concerns.
Bayrou is Macron's
fourth prime minister since he was re-elected in 2022. Eleanor Beardsley in PR News, Paris.
Stocks are trading lower on Wall Street at this hour. The Dow is down 49 points. The
Nasdaq composite down 4. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A Japanese court has ruled that the government's refusal to legally recognize same-sex marriage
is unconstitutional.
NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports it's the third such ruling in the country this year, and
it increases pressure on Japanese lawmakers to change their stance.
The Fukuoka High Court ruled that the civil law's lack of recognition of same-sex marriage
violates constitutional rights to the pursuit of happiness, equality under the law, and
equality of the sexes.
Since 2019, eight court rulings have found the ban unconstitutional, one has found it
constitutional.
All of the courts have rejected plaintiffs' demands for damages.
The government's chief spokesman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said after the ruling that the government
will continue to monitor similar pending cases and public opinion.
Opinion polls show most Japanese favor legalizing same-sex marriage, but the conservative ruling
party has been reluctant to scrap the ban.
Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.
A powerful typhoon is making its way toward Mozambique in southeastern Africa. Forecasters
say the cyclone is brushing the northern tip of Madagascar with wind speeds of about 120
miles per hour. The United Nations says an estimated 1.7 million people are in the storm's path.
The typhoon is expected to make landfall by the end of the weekend.
Other countries in the region are expected to receive heavy rainfall from the storm,
including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, and Botswana.
I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.