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Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he'll “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole. Trump said that he will direct the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated.” Trump was vague on what specific actions he may take. 21 dead as Mozambique erupts in violence after election court ruling MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Violence that engulfed Mozambique after the country’s highest court confirmed ruling party presidential candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner of disputed Oct. 9 elections has killed at least 21 people, including two police officers. Mozambique Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda told a news conference in Maputo late Tuesday that a wave of violence and looting was sparked by the court’s announcement a day earlier. He said it was led by mostly youthful supporters of losing candidate Venancio Mondlane, who received 24% of the vote, second to Chapo, who got 65%. Prosecutors find workers in 'slavery like' conditions at Chinese car company site in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — A task force led by Brazilian prosecutors says it has rescued 163 Chinese nationals working in “slavery-like” conditions at a construction site in northeastern Brazil, where Chinese electric vehicle company BYD is building a factory. The Labor Prosecutor’s Office released videos of the dorms where the construction workers were staying, which showed beds with no mattresses and rooms without any place for the workers to store their personal belongings. In a statement issued Monday, the prosecutor’s office said the workers had been hired in China by Jinjian Group, one of the contractors on the site, which is located in Camaçari, a city in the Salvador metropolitan region. NFL players who use platform to share their faith say it's their duty to spread their love of Jesus ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Jake Bates was standing on the turf in his hometown of Houston when asked to reflect on an unlikely journey from learning how to sell bricks to making game-winning kicks for the Detroit Lions. Bates used his platform as an NFL player to spread his love of Jesus. A month later, Bates told The Associated Press it is a duty to share his faith. The NFL is filled with players and coaches who feel the same way, such as Houston's C.J. Stroud, Atlanta's Kirk Cousins, and Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens. Stunning photos show lava erupting from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano HONOLULU (AP) — Lava is erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano for the second straight day. The eruption has stayed within Kilauea’s summit caldera inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and no homes are threatened. Molten rock began spewing out of the volcano before dawn on Monday when fissures opened in the caldera floor and shot lava high into the air. It then oozed across the caldera floor. Scientists expect activity to fluctuate in coming days. The lava paused Monday afternoon but fountains reemerged Tuesday morning. The eruption has occurred in an area that’s been closed to the public since 2007 due to hazards including crater wall instability and rockfalls. Haiti gangs fire on journalists covering a planned hospital reopening, leaving casualties PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Suspected gang members have opened fire on journalists in Haiti’s capital as they were covering the attempted reopening of the country’s largest hospital, wounding or killing an unknown number of people. The country's interim president, Leslie Voltaire, said in an address to the nation that journalists and police were among the victims of the vicious Christmas Eve attack. He did not specify how many casualties there were, or give a breakdown for the dead or wounded. Radio Télé Métronome said earlier on Tuesday that seven journalists and two police officers were wounded in the shooting. Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Hurricane-force winds bear down on California, latest in stretch of extreme weather LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has been hit hard by extreme weather over the past several weeks. Atmospheric rivers, which are long stretches of wet air that can produce heavy rains, brought a record-setting rainfall before Thanksgiving. A series of atmospheric rivers are producing strong waves and storms near Santa Cruz this week. Thousands were left under evacuation warnings and orders because of a fire around Malibu. Climate change means that strong storms will be responsible for a greater share of the state's yearly precipitation and the periods between those events will be drier. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by vendor technology in its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled.Getting smart about car insurance can provide cost savings and peace of mindUTAH TECH 68, DENVER 54
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'Serial' victim Hae Min Lee's family crushed as her 'killer' Adnan Syed begs court to lower sentence By JOE HUTCHISON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and MARJORIE HERNANDEZ WEST COAST EDITOR FOR DAILY MAIL.COM Published: 20:22 GMT, 24 December 2024 | Updated: 21:12 GMT, 24 December 2024 e-mail View comments The family of murder victim Hae Min Lee have hit back at her convicted killer after his lawyers filed to have his prison sentence reduced. Lee was just 18 when she was strangled and dumped in an unmarked shallow grave in Baltimore's Leakin Park in 1999. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed , who was 17 at the time, was convicted of murdering Lee and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in 2000. The case captured national attention a decade ago when it was the focus of the popular true crime podcast 'Serial.' Syed, now 43, has always maintained his innocence, and was released from prison in 2022 after his conviction was overturned when flaws were found in the evidence. In 2023, it was then reinstated after a court ruled that Lee's family didn't receive enough notice to allow them to attend the hearing in person . That decision to reinstate the conviction was then upheld by the state Supreme Court in August of this year in the latest twist in the legal saga surrounding the case. Syed has remained free pending a new hearing about whether he should have been released, with his lawyers filing to have his sentence reduced last week. Lee was just 18 when she was strangled and dumped in an unmarked grave in Baltimore's Leakin Park in 1999 Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed, seen here, who was 17 at the time, was convicted of murdering Lee and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in 2000 David Sanford, an attorney who represents Lee's family , said that the state had not presented 'a shred' of evidence that warranted overturning the conviction. In a statement, Sanford said: ' The family of Hae Min Lee has always said that if there is new and compelling evidence to support vacating the conviction of Adnan Syed, we will be the first to call for Mr. Syed’s freedom. 'To date, Mr. Syed and the State of Maryland have not presented a shred of new, let alone compelling, evidence which would warrant overturning a murder conviction that has withstood appeals for over two decades. 'The State of Maryland engaged in a charade in 2022: it recycled old evidence and, in the process, bamboozled the trial court and the public into believing that Mr. Syed was likely innocent. 'Adnan Syed remains a convicted murderer. Having failed to produce new evidence and without any acknowledgement of guilt by Mr. Syed, Syed’s attorneys now seek mercy, arguing that Mr. Syed is not a danger to the public . 'We will confer with the family of Hae Min Lee and present our position to the court in the days ahead.' Syed's lawyers said in their filing on Friday that his accomplishments and good conduct, while incarcerated and since his release support the reduction. Erica Suter, who represents the convicted killer, said: 'This filing is a small step toward ensuring that Adnan’s custody status is stabilized and his freedom is safeguarded.' Brought to tears: Youn Wha Kim is pictured crying as her daughter's murderer is sentenced in 2000 Syed asked Lee to junior prom in 1998 after placing a bet with his friend on who would get the prettiest date for the hottest event in their social calendar Adnan Syed pictured as a young man, before being jailed over Hae Min Lee's murder Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates is weighing how to proceed given the Maryland Supreme Court's decision. Lee, a Korean-American, was a scholar at school, an athlete and wanted to be an optician. Read More What next for Adnan Syed in Hae Min Lee murder case? She played on the lacrosse and field hockey teams and was manager of the wrestling team. Syed asked Lee to junior prom in 1998 after placing a bet with his friend on who would get the prettiest date for the hottest event in their social calendar. Images taken from that night show Syed with his arms wrapped around Lee, who described him as the 'sweetest guy' in a diary entry on her whirlwind night. He later described their first kiss at prom as 'one of the best moments of my whole life, like one of the happiest times.' But because their teenage relationship had to be kept a secret from their parents, the couple were forced to sneak around, lie about their whereabouts and put special systems in place just to speak on the phone. This became too much for Lee. She broke off the relationship with Syed around December 1999. She was last seen alive on January 13, 1999. The Korean-American girl was also a scholar at school, as well as an athlete who wanted to be an optician. She was killed in 1999 Hae Min Lee's brother, Young (left) and mother Youn Wha Kim are pictured here following her tragic death. Last year, on the one-year anniversary of his release, Syed called a press conference from his Maryland living room where he called for an investigation into his case, 'to essentially understand how our rights as a family have been violated.' He highlighted 'two new pieces of information' in his case, and alleged that there had been prosecutorial misconduct - specifically by Kevin Urick and Kathleen Murphy. Syed said that he has always pushed for justice for his 'friend' Lee, and her family saying: 'We have the upmost respect and concern for Lee's younger brother.' He said that there is evidence that Urick committed a Brady violation and that the AG ought to probe him for it. Syed believes this due to the new evidence that came to light that convinced officials keeping Syed locked up for the murder was no longer justifiable. Syed gets emotional as he speaks to reporters outside the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal building after a hearing, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Annapolis The 'new evidence' was twofold. Firstly, two new suspects were identified in the case. They were known to prosecutors in 1999, but they were not properly ruled out during the murder investigation. Secondly, prosecutors determined that they no longer had faith in the old evidence used in the murder trial - namely, they did not believe the star witness to be credible anymore. When the new investigator, Becky Feldman, found the evidence, she contacted Syed's lawyer Erica J. Suter to see if she was aware of it. She was not. This means that the prosecutors at trial in 2000 failed to hand over key information to the defense team as required, in what is known as a Brady violation. If it's ruled that a Brady violation was in fact breached, this could be enough to get Syed's case exonerated in itself. Adnan Syed Maryland Share or comment on this article: 'Serial' victim Hae Min Lee's family crushed as her 'killer' Adnan Syed begs court to lower sentence e-mail Add comment"The Council of Autism Service Providers" And "ABA Centers" Partner to Ring Closing Bell at the New York Stock ExchangeNew ministers put on their game faces
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