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Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, waves to supporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after returning from London, ending more than 17 years of self-imposed exile, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Son of former Bangladesh prime minister returns after 17 years in exile with a chance to lead

Julhas Alam, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 2:44 AM CST

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The son of a former prime minister of Bangladesh returned home Thursday after more than 17 years in self-imposed exile as a frontrunner to become the nation's next leader in upcoming elections.

Tarique Rahman moved to London in 2008 for medical treatment with permission after he was tortured while in custody during a military-backed government that ruled from 2006 to 2008.

Rahman, 60, is the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, one of two major political parties in the South Asian nation of more than 170 million people. His return is seen as politically significant ahead of the next election set for Feb. 12 under the current interim government.

A flight carrying Rahman, his wife and daughter arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital, Dhaka, late Thursday morning among tight security measures.

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Delaware trooper killed at DMV in ‘act of pure evil’ is remembered as dependable, devoted to family

Holly Ramer, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Delaware trooper killed at DMV in ‘act of pure evil’ is remembered as dependable, devoted to family

Holly Ramer, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:28 PM CST

A Delaware state trooper who was shot to death at a DMV office was described Thursday as dependable and professional on the job and steady and kind at home.

Cpl. Matthew “Ty” Snook, 34, of Hockessin, Delaware, was working an overtime assignment at a DMV office near Wilmington on Tuesday when he was shot by a 44-year-old gunman, state police said. Authorities said Snook pushed a nearby employee to safety before he was shot again. He died later at a hospital, as did the gunman, who was shot by another officer.

Snook, who is survived by his wife and their 1-year-old daughter, was a Delaware native. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he was a member of the wrestling team, and had been a trooper for 10 years.

“He was known as a dependable, professional, and committed trooper,” state police said in a press release that also described him as a trusted partner and beloved community member and extended condolences to Snook's family.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:28 PM CST

This photo provided by the Delaware State Police in December 2025 shows Cpl. Matthew Snook, a state trooper who was fatally shot at a DMV office near Wilmington, Del. (Delaware State Police via AP)

A helicopter on a rescue mission crashes on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, killing all 5 on board

The Associated Press 1 minute read Updated: 1:31 AM CST

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — Five people have died after a helicopter crashed on Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania.

The accident Wednesday evening happened on one of the most popular tourist climbing routes, in what police said was a rescue mission to pick up patients on the mountain.

Two foreigners, who police said had been picked up in a medical evacuation, were among those killed. A local doctor, a tour guide and a pilot were also killed in the crash.

The accident happened between the mountain's Barafu Camp and Kibo Summit at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters (13,100 feet).

Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:07 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — A planned Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center, a holiday tradition dating back more than 20 years, has been canceled. The show's host, musician Chuck Redd, says that he called off the performance in the wake of the White House announcing last week that President Donald Trump's name would be added to the facility.

As of last Friday, the building's facade reads The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. According to the White House, the president's handpicked board approved the decision, which scholars have said violates the law. Trump had been suggesting for months he was open to changing the center's name.

“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press in an email Wednesday. Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has toured with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Ray Brown, has been presiding over holiday “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006, succeeding bassist William “Keter” Betts.

The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to email seeking comment. The center's website lists the show as canceled.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:07 PM CST

FILE - A memorial wreath stands next to the bronze memorial bust by Robert Berks of President John F. Kennedy in the grand foyer at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Nov. 22, 2013, on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Saudi Arabia calls on Yemen separatists to leave 2 governorates as anti-Houthi coalition strains

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Saudi Arabia calls on Yemen separatists to leave 2 governorates as anti-Houthi coalition strains

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 2:54 AM CST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia on Thursday formally called on Emirati-backed separatists in Yemen to withdraw from two governorates their forces now control in the country, a move that threatens sparking a confrontation within a fragile coalition battling the Houthi rebels.

The statement from Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry on Christmas morning appeared aimed at putting public pressure on the Southern Transitional Council, a force long backed by the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has backed other fighters within Yemen, including the National Shield Forces, in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis the kingdom launched in 2015.

The separatists' actions have "resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of all segments of Yemeni people, as well as the southern cause and the coalition’s efforts,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry warned.

It added: “The kingdom stresses the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni factions and components to exercise restraint and avoid any measures that could destabilize security and stability, which may result in undesirable consequences.”

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Updated: 2:54 AM CST

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)

Public release of Epstein records puts Maxwell under fresh scrutiny amid her claims of innocence

Michael R. Sisak And Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Public release of Epstein records puts Maxwell under fresh scrutiny amid her claims of innocence

Michael R. Sisak And Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press 6 minute read Yesterday at 11:06 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to immediately free her from a 20-year prison sentence, the public release of grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking case returned the spotlight to victims whose allegations helped land her behind bars.

The disclosure of the transcripts as part of the Justice Department’s ongoing release of its investigative files on Maxwell and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exposed how an FBI agent told grand jurors about Maxwell's critical role in Epstein’s decades-long sexual abuse of girls and young women.

Maxwell, a British socialite and publishing heir, was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021 after four women told a federal jury in New York City about how she and Epstein abused them in the 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein never went to trial. He was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges and killed himself a month later in his cell at a Manhattan federal jail.

Two weeks ago, as the Justice Department prepared to begin releasing what are commonly known as the Epstein files, Maxwell filed a habeas petition, asking a federal judge to free her on grounds that “substantial new evidence” has emerged proving that constitutional violations spoiled her trial.

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Yesterday at 11:06 PM CST

This undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Ghislaine Maxwell. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

Federal judge upholds Hawaii’s new climate change tax on cruise passengers

Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Federal judge upholds Hawaii’s new climate change tax on cruise passengers

Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:39 PM CST

HONOLULU (AP) — A federal judge’s ruling has cleared the way for Hawaii to include cruise ship passengers in a new tourist tax to help cope with climate change, a levy set to go into effect at the start of 2026.

U.S. District Judge Jill A. Otake denied a request Tuesday that sought to stop officials from enforcing the new law on cruises.

In the nation’s first such levy to help cope with a warming planet, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signed legislation in May that raises tax revenue to deal with eroding shorelines, wildfires and other climate problems. Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually.

The levy increases rates on hotel room and vacation rental stays but also imposes a new 11% tax on the gross fares paid by a cruise ship’s passengers, starting next year, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:39 PM CST

FILE - A cruise ship, background, is docked in Honolulu, March 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File)

After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files

Seung Min Kim, Eric Tucker And Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files

Seung Min Kim, Eric Tucker And Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:46 PM CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks" to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline.

The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.

The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more documents” that could be related to the Epstein case — a stunning 11th hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.

In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been produced after she ordered the FBI to “deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office.” She issued the directive after saying she learned from an unidentified source that the FBI in New York was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents.”

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:46 PM CST

This undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids

Will Weissert, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids

Will Weissert, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:03 PM CST

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by quizzing children calling in about what presents they were excited about receiving, while promising to not let a “bad Santa” infiltrate the country and even suggesting that a stocking full of coal may not be so bad.

Vacationing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the president and first lady Melania Trump participated in the tradition of talking to youngsters dialing into the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which playfully tracks Santa's progress around the globe.

“We want to make sure that Santa is being good. Santa’s a very good person," Trump said while speaking to kids ages 4 and 10 in Oklahoma. “We want to make sure that he’s not infiltrated, that we’re not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa.”

He didn't elaborate.

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Updated: Yesterday at 8:03 PM CST

President Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, speaks during a call with service members at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Storm system threatens more rainfall Christmas Day over waterlogged Southern California

Jaimie Ding, Dorany Pineda And Trân Nguyễn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Storm system threatens more rainfall Christmas Day over waterlogged Southern California

Jaimie Ding, Dorany Pineda And Trân Nguyễn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 11:03 PM CST

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rain from a powerful winter storm that swept across Southern California has begun to taper off, but another storm system was on the horizon for Christmas Day with showers and possible thunderstorms.

Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned of flash flooding and mudslides. Areas scorched by wildfires in January saw evacuation warnings as heavy rains and gusty winds brought mudslides and debris flows.

Many flood areas were in burn scar zones, which were stripped of vegetation by fire and are less able to absorb water.

San Bernardino County firefighters said they rescued people trapped in cars Wednesday when mud and debris rushed down a road leading into Wrightwood, a resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear how many were rescued.

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Yesterday at 11:03 PM CST

A car sits buried in mud after flooding Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST

The Associated Press 11 minute read Yesterday at 11:05 PM CST

Faithful return to Bethlehem and Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza.

At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV presided over his first Midnight Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. In his homily, he marveled at the “wisdom” of the Christmas story — an infant Jesus born to save mankind.

“In the face of the suffering of the poor, (God) sends one who is defenseless to be the strength to rise again,” the first U.S. pope told a packed basilica.

Blast at mosque in Nigeria kills 5 and injures more than 30 in apparent suicide attack

Ope Adetayo, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Blast at mosque in Nigeria kills 5 and injures more than 30 in apparent suicide attack

Ope Adetayo, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 2:06 AM CST

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A bomb exploded during prayers at a mosque in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri on Wednesday night, killing five people in what police described as a likely suicide attack.

Police said that 35 people were also injured in the attack.

Nahum Daso, spokesperson for police command in the surrounding state of Borno, said in a statement that fragments of a suspected suicide vest were found at the site.

The bombing is the latest in a series of attacks in Nigeria's troubled northern region, where the country is battling multiple armed groups, including Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province.

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Updated: 2:06 AM CST

People inspect the scene of a deadly bomb explosion inside a mosque in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola )

Albanese announces bravery award for heroes of Bondi antisemitic attack

Keiran Smith, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Albanese announces bravery award for heroes of Bondi antisemitic attack

Keiran Smith, The Associated Press 3 minute read Yesterday at 9:58 PM CST

NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans Thursday for a national bravery award to recognize civilians and first responders who confronted “the worst of evil” during an antisemitic terror attack that left 15 dead and has cast a heavy shadow over the nation’s holiday season.

Albanese said he plans to establish a special honors system for those who placed themselves in harms way to help during the attack on a beachside Hanukkah celebration, like Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian Muslim who disarmed one of the assailants before being wounded himself.

Sajid Akram, who was killed by police during the Dec. 14 attack, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram are accused of perpetrating Australia’s worst massacre since 1996.

Speaking at a press conference after a Christmas Day lunch at a charitable foundation in Sydney, Albanese described a Christmas defined by a sharp contrast between extremist violence and the “best of humanity.”

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Yesterday at 9:58 PM CST

December 25, 2025

Son of former Bangladesh prime minister returns after 17 years in exile with a chance to lead

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Delaware trooper killed at DMV in ‘act of pure evil’ is remembered as dependable, devoted to family

Delaware trooper killed at DMV in ‘act of pure evil’ is remembered as dependable, devoted to family

A helicopter on a rescue mission crashes on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, killing all 5 on board

Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building

Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building

Saudi Arabia calls on Yemen separatists to leave 2 governorates as anti-Houthi coalition strains

Saudi Arabia calls on Yemen separatists to leave 2 governorates as anti-Houthi coalition strains

Public release of Epstein records puts Maxwell under fresh scrutiny amid her claims of innocence

Public release of Epstein records puts Maxwell under fresh scrutiny amid her claims of innocence

Federal judge upholds Hawaii’s new climate change tax on cruise passengers

Federal judge upholds Hawaii’s new climate change tax on cruise passengers

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Jets out of excuses

After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files

After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files

Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids

Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids

Storm system threatens more rainfall Christmas Day over waterlogged Southern California

Storm system threatens more rainfall Christmas Day over waterlogged Southern California

AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST

Blast at mosque in Nigeria kills 5 and injures more than 30 in apparent suicide attack

Blast at mosque in Nigeria kills 5 and injures more than 30 in apparent suicide attack

Albanese announces bravery award for heroes of Bondi antisemitic attack

Albanese announces bravery award for heroes of Bondi antisemitic attack

December 25, 2025

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