NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-25-2024 3PM EST

Episode Date: December 25, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. A high-ranking Syrian official says his government wants cordial relations with Israel and would like the United States to help mediate that process. The request echoes previous comments by the newly installed leader of Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. NPR's Hadil al-Shalchi spoke with the governor in Damascus and has this report. In a wide-ranging interview with NPR, the newly appointed governor of Damascus said that Syria's new government has, quote, no problems with Israel. Governor Mehar Marwan

said it was natural for Israel to feel fear when the new government took power, but that Syria does not want to meddle with Israel's security. HTS leader Ahmed Al-Shar has previously said the new government does not want conflict with Israel. Marwan called on the United States to influence Israel to let it know that Syrians are a people who want peace and not, quote, disputes with Israel. A U.S. official told NPR that this message has been relayed to Israeli officials. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Damascus.

For the second straight year, the city of Bethlehem was quiet on Christmas Day. In years past, thousands of tourists flocked to Major Square, the traditional birthplace of Jesus. But the mood there today is somber amid the war in Gaza. NPR's Emily Fang reports. At Christmas Mass in the Catholic section of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, worshippers and visitors alike crowded into the pews. Nearby, nuns and pilgrims chanted prayers and sang songs in an underground grotto in the church's Greek Orthodox section. This grotto was believed to be the cave where Jesus

Christ was born. But the church and manger square in front of it was relatively empty. Celebrations have been muted to mourn the more than 45,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza. Emily Fang and Peer News' Bethlehem, The West Bank. An Azerbaijan passenger jet carrying 67 people on board has crashed in Kazakhstan. Authorities say at least 30 people died. 29 passengers survived the crash and were taken to the hospital. NPR's Fatma Tanis reports recovery operations are underway. The plane was flying from Baku in Azerbaijan to Grozny in Russia when it notified the airline

that it was making an emergency landing in Kazakhstan. The plane then caught fire and crashed according to Kazakh authorities. Dozens of emergency units were deployed to the site to recover bodies and help survivors. Most of the passengers were from Azerbaijan, but there were also citizens from Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on board. That's NPR's Fatma Tanis reporting. This is NPR News. The NFL's Netflix debut has kicked off without a glitch.

Mariah Carey opened today's doubleheader with a taped performance of All I Want for Christmas is You before the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chief faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Singer Beyoncé is set to perform at the halftime of the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans game. NPR's Ava Pukac reports this is the start of a three-year contract for Netflix to carry NFL Christmas Day games. This season, Netflix is paying the NFL $150 million to air the Steelers Chiefs and Ravens Texans games. And Beyoncé's halftime show, in her hometown of Houston, will be the first time the singer

has performed songs off her latest album, Cowboy Carter. The streaming giant says it's made adjustments to avoid technical problems during the broadcast. Many viewers reported long buffering times during Netflix's previous live broadcast of the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight last month. Netflix says the NFL games will be available for replay for three hours after the livestream ends. Eva Puchach and PR News. Local officials and scientists continue to monitor Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, which was

active for a second day in a row on Tuesday. The U.S. Geological Survey says it spewed lava as high as 300 feet. The eruption took place in an area that's been closed to the public since 2007 due to hazardous activity, including rock falls. This is NPR News.