NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-25-2025 12PM EST

Episode Date: December 25, 2025

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Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwaalisei Kautel. Christians performed midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity last night in Bethlehem. The city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank brought back Christmas celebrations for the first time since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago. NPR's Hidal-Al-Shalchi reports. People lined up to receive communion in the austere prayer hall of the Church of the Nativity. The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizabella, just finished his sermon. He mentioned the devastation of the war in Gaza, but said he saw hope when he visited there earlier this week.

I hope that all the world will see also the other side of the early land, which is not only conflict and war, but is also life and joy and commitment to life and joy. Earlier in the day, the traditional scouts parade marched through the streets of Bethlehem. The Palestinians at Manger Square said that for the first time in more than two years, they felt they could let themselves feel life and joy. Hadeal al-Shalchi, NPR News, Bethlehem. In Turkey, authorities have detained more than a hundred suspected members of the Islamic State Group. The individuals are said to have been planning attacks on Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

The BBC Sebastian Usher has more about the information released by the chief prosecutor's office. This is not unusual in Turkey. they take these preventive measures regularly and often detain quite large numbers of suspects. And it's been pretty successful. I mean, if you go back about a decade in Turkey, there was a real threat from ISIS coming across the border from Syria and then from Iraq with what was going on with Islamic State then.

Since then, there have been attacks, but not on that scale and not with that regularity. The BBC's Sebastian Usher reporting. The holiday period on Wall Street is on. often all about the Santa Claus rally, as NPR's Raphael Nam explains. It's when traders get to discover whether stock market Santa will deliver gifts or a bunch of coal. For many households across the country, it's the time of family Christmas traditions. And for Wall Street, there's nothing more traditional than the Santa Claus rally.

For reasons that have never been really clear, stocks have tended to do well in the last five trading days of the year, as well as the first two sessions of the new year. And so far, it's been a promising start. Stocks rose on Wednesday with the S&P closing at a record high. But a warning here, it doesn't happen all the time. Last year, instead of a rally, traders got coal when Santa left behind a market sell-off. Rafael NAMM in PR News.

Trading is, of course, closed on Wall Street today for the Christmas holiday. Stocks resume on Friday. This is NPR. North Korea is making progress toward having a nuclear-powered submarine. The country disclosed a picture of a completed hull for the first time and said the vessel is capable of launching nuclear missiles. NPR's Seon Gong has more. North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, has visited a shipyard at an undisclosed location to inspect the submarine under construction. the country's state media reported. The Korean Central News Agency revealed also for the first time

that the submarine is 8,700-toned class. North Korea first publicized its plan for building nuclear subs in 2021 as part of a five-year military plan. South Korea won President Trump's approval for acquiring nuclear subs in October. It plans to hold working-level talks with the U.S. starting early next year. Kim Jong-un criticized Seoul's move as, quote, unoffensive act that must be countered.

Seung-Gong, NPR News, Seoul. The acclaimed Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mohamed Bakri has died in northern Israel. One of his sons, Salé Bakri wrote on Instagram, with profound sorrow and deep grief, we announced the passing of our beloved father. Bakri's acting career began in the 1980s when he performed in both Arabic and Hebrew, in Palestinian and Israeli theaters, but he's best known for his roles in films

such as Beyond the Walls, fellow travelers, and Cup Final, his most controversial and some say his best work with his film, Janine, Janine. This is NPR News from New York City.