NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-25-2024 2PM EST

Episode Date: December 25, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Millions of people around the world are marking Christmas today. Thousands of Christian faithful filled St. Peter's Square where Pope Francis delivered his annual Christmas Day address. Dear sisters, dear brothers, Merry Christmas. The Pope's message marks the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebration that's expected to bring some 32 million people to Rome. In Bethlehem, Christmas celebrations have been cancelled for the second straight year amid the war in Gaza.

NPR's Kerry Kahn says the mood there is somber compared to years past. Usually Bethlehem is full of lights, these amazing decorations, a huge tree in the center of Major Square, and there are crowds, crowds and tourists and pilgrims. This year it is empty, barren. You know, I was here last year, and if it's possible, it feels even more empty and more somber. That's NPR's Keri Kahn reporting from Bethlehem. In Jerusalem, crowds of people gathered at the Western Mall Plaza as the first Hanukkah candle was lit. The ceremony was attended

by families who have lost their loved ones in Gaza and those who were kidnapped by Hamas. The World Health Organization is asking for nearly $57 million to meet the urgent health needs of Syrians affected by years of conflict. Lisa Schlein reports the money will help fund the recovery process. Over the next six months, WHO officials say they plan to focus on strengthening trauma care, providing essential health services, and preventing disease outbreaks. WHO representative in Syria, Christina Betke, says Syria's humanitarian needs remain immense and immediate.

The health infrastructure is severely strained, and we saw in just three weeks during this escalation, 36 attacks on health care have been reported and over half of the country's hospitals are non-functional. After more than 13 years of civil war, Betke says many of the millions of displaced people in Syria are suffering from mental health disorders and need psychosocial care. For NPR News, I'm Lisa Schlein in Geneva. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the Russian attack against his country's energy system was inhumane. The BBC's Will Vernon reports. Many people around the world will be waking up to a joyous day spent with family. For Ukrainians, Christmas morning started

very differently. Sirens, explosions, and destruction. Russia launched a huge number of crews and ballistic missiles at Ukrainian cities this morning. A growing body of research. That's the BBC's Will Vernon reporting. This is NPR. King Charles dedicated his Christmas address to the British medical workers who took care of him and his daughter-in-law, Princess Catherine, during their treatments for cancer. The King spoke from the chapel of a former hospital in central London, which is now used

for community purposes. New research suggests that showing kindness and goodwill to others is good for one's own health, and PR's Maria Godoy has more. A growing body of research has linked kindness in the form of things like volunteering or helping a neighbor, for example, to living healthier as we age. Tara Grunwald of Chapman University says studies have linked such contributing behaviors to benefits like improved balance and mobility and better brain health in older adults. And then much of the work that I'm interested in others is also showing that folks live

longer. So there is that ultimate benefit of longevity from giving and contributing to others. Other research has linked routine volunteering to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Maria Godoy, NPR News. Protesters in Panama are blasting President-elect Donald Trump after he demanded that control of the Panama Canal be returned to the United States. Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. Embassy saying Trump should leave the canal alone.

Trump says Panama charges the U.S. too much to use the waterway. Wall Street is closed for the Christmas Day holiday stocks resume trading tomorrow. This is NPR News.