NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-27-2024 8AM EST

Episode Date: December 27, 2024

NPR News: 12-27-2024 8AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Oh, oh, oh, Santa here coming to you from the North Pole. We're the elves in our podcast division of just completed work on this season's best gift for public radio lovers. NPR plus give the gift of sponsored free listening and even bonus episodes from your favorite NPR podcasts, all while supporting public media. Learn more at plus dot NPR dot org. Live from NPR News in Washington, on Korva Coleman, Lebanon says Israel is violating its ceasefire deal and has filed a complaint to the UN Security Council.

NPR's Keri Kahn reports Lebanese officials cite around 300 violations. Lebanon has repeatedly accused Israel of bombing villages in southern Lebanon near its border with Israel. And this week, an Israeli airstrike hit a town in the northwestern Baalbek region of Lebanon, the farthest inside Lebanese territory it has targeted since the ceasefire was signed. Munafil, the United Nations agency tasked with helping implement this ceasefire and a past one, said it had quote, concern at continuing destruction by the Israeli military. The agency says that destruction included striking residential areas, agricultural land,

and road networks in southern Lebanon. Israel says its raids are against Islamist fighters and only target weapons caches. An Israeli official say it is preventing residents from returning to a strip in southern Lebanon that is unsafe for civilians. Emily Fang and Per News Tel Aviv, Israel. South Korea's parliament has impeached the country's acting president, who'd been on the job for less than two weeks. Opposition lawmakers say he was trying to shield President Yun Song-yol, who was also

impeached this month. That was after his botched attempt to declare martial law. The former Soviet Republic of Georgia is preparing to inaugurate a new president this weekend. But Georgia's current president says she won't stand down. She says Georgia's presidential elections remain disputed and Georgian protesters don't like the new leaders turn away from Western organizations such as the European Union. Reporter Robin Forrest Deer Walker has more. Mikhail Kavilashvili is 53 years old.

He's a former soccer player, turned politician for the Georgian Dream Party, that's the governing party. And he's played an important role in the government's shift away from the West. He's set to be inaugurated on Sunday. But the demonstrators who've been protesting after the government's U-turn on the EU really dislike Kavirashvili. Robin Forrest Deer Walker reporting. Human-caused climate change piled on more than 40 extra days of dangerous heat this

year. And Piers Alejandro Barrundo reports this worsened weather disasters around the world. Throughout the year, scientists with the group World Weather Attribution keep track of weather disasters and tease out the ways human-driven climate change affected them. This year, they looked at nearly 30 disasters. Of those, climate change did play a role and often a major role in most of the events we studied, making heat, droughts, tropical cyclones, and heavy rainfall more likely and more intense. That's Frederike Otto. She's a climate scientist at Imperial College, Lungen and the founder of World Weather Attribution.

She says a New Year's resolution for everyone should be cutting fossil fuel burning in order to stop the climate pollution problem at its source. Alejandra Burunda, NPR News. You're listening to NPR. India has declared seven days of mourning for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He died yesterday at the age of 92. When Singh was India's finance minister in the 90s, he helped secure his country's economic liberalization.

He was prime minister for two terms and was known for personal integrity. But Singh's second term was known for corruption scandals and he left office in 2014. China has slapped sanctions on seven international defense companies and their top executives. And Piers Awen-Tsao reports China blames U.S. arms sales and their support for Taiwan. The sanctions targeted companies like Boeing's Institute Inc., Hudson Technologies, and Raytheam Australia. On Friday, China's foreign ministry accused them of threatening its sovereignty and security.

The penalties freeze their assets in China, everything from buildings to bank accounts, and ban any Chinese businesses or individuals from working with them. This move underscores Beijing's anger over U.S. military ties with Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory. Al Wentao, MPR News, Beijing. The Mega Millions lottery drawing is tonight. The jackpot is worth more than $1 billion. Raymond Corral bought a ticket just outside San Francisco.

He says he knows it's a very long shot to win. It's over a billion without a doubt. So, hey, any good numbers are good numbers. So let's see what happens, you know. This is one of the largest jackpots ever up for grabs in the U.S. The highest amount ever won in a mega million's drawing was $1.6 billion. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.