News

South African activist and Nobel Peace Prize and Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu holds a press conference in 1986 at St Alban's Anglican Mission Church in Johannesburg.

Desmond Tutu's laugh was contagious. His fight for freedom was deadly serious

2:12pm December 26, 2021

by Greg Myre

Desmond Tutu will be remembered for helping end apartheid. But also for his memorable laugh, an infectious, cackling howl employed in the service of easing tensions in a very tense nation.

Wanda Olson poses for a photo in Villa Rica, Ga., on Dec. 17. When Olson's son-in-law died in March after contracting COVID-19, she and her daughter had to grapple with more than just their sudden grief. They had to come up with money for a cremation. Eve

FEMA wants to give families up to $9,000 for COVID funerals, but many don't apply

12:13pm December 26, 2021

by The Associated Press

A federal program reimburses families up to $9,000 for funeral costs for loved ones who died of COVID-19. But many eligible families have not applied for assistance.

Three members of the K-pop superstar group BTS have been infected with the coronavirus, their Big Hit Entertainment agency said. Members of the group are seen here at a news conference to introduce their single "Butter," in May. They are, from left to rig

3 members of K-pop sensation BTS have tested positive for COVID-19

9:50am December 26, 2021

by The Associated Press

Nearly half of the seven-member band have now tested positive, after returning to South Korea from abroad earlier this month.

Palestinian workers clean dirt off sweet potatoes to prepare them for export to the West Bank.

World News

A biblical rest from farming in Israel could help Gaza's growers. They are waiting

8:00am December 26, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

For Orthodox Jews during a yearlong agricultural sabbath, Israel pledged to lift some restrictions on produce from the Gaza Strip. Palestinian farmers in Gaza are wondering what's taking so long.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launches on Dec. 25 at 7:20 a.m. from a European spaceport in French Guiana.

Science

NASA just launched the most powerful space telescope ever. Watch it here

10:13pm December 25, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The James Webb Space Telescope blasted off from French Guinea at 7:20 a.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 25. The NASA mission was decades in the making and should reveal the earliest galaxies in the universe.

Queue Listen Now

Employees of Nomi Health check in a long line of people for COVID-19 tests on Tuesday in North Miami, Fla.

COVID-19 outbreaks hit 3 cruise ships as Florida breaks record for new cases

8:10pm December 25, 2021

by The Associated Press

An undisclosed number of passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Freedom tested positive. It was the third outbreak this week affecting ships operated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

Protesters in San Salvador, on Dec. 13, 2017, demand El Salvador's government free women prisoners serving 30-year sentences for having an abortion.

World News

El Salvador frees 3 women who were sentenced to 30 years under anti-abortion laws

7:20pm December 25, 2021

by The Associated Press

President Nayib Bukele's government has freed three Salvadoran women who were sentenced to 30 years in prison under the nation's strict anti-abortion laws after suffering obstetric emergencies.

Whirling dervishes perform during a Sheb-i Arus ceremony in Konya, Turkey, on Dec. 17. Every December the Anatolian city hosts a series of events to commemorate the death of 13th century Islamic scholar, poet and Sufi mystic Jalaladdin Rumi.

World News

Photos: Whirling dervish ritual honors Rumi, the Sufi mystic poet

6:46pm December 25, 2021

by The Associated Press

Each year, thousands of people travel to the Turkish city of Konya to attend a series of events and ceremonies that mark the death of the 13th-century Islamic poet, scholar and Sufi mystic Rumi.

In an image released by Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service, Ukrainian soldiers use a launcher with U.S. Javelin missiles during military exercises in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Thursday.

World News

Some Russian troops reportedly withdraw from Ukraine border area

6:02pm December 25, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

Russia's Interfax news, citing the military, reports that 10,000 troops are returning to their "permanent deployment points" from the border region.

A fissure is seen next to a house covered with ash on the Canary island of La Palma on Dec. 1. Authorities on the Spanish island are declaring a volcanic eruption that has caused widespread damage but no casualties officially finished.

World News

La Palma's volcanic eruption is officially over, but its devastating toll lingers

5:51pm December 25, 2021

by The Associated Press

Authorities on the Canary Islands declared an eruption that started in September officially finished following 10 days of no lava flows, seismic activity or significant sulfur dioxide emissions.