National And World Briefs For Aug. 8

Narges Mohammadi picked up Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid ‘s Tale while in prison. The activist had been sentenced to 16 years for challenging Iran’s enforcement of what Mohammadi terms gender apartheid—a system of dress codes, sexual subjugation, and coercive control enforced, as in Atwood’s book, by men who have taken power as a theocracy.

For the first time since 2005, the first night of Hanukkah will fall on the same day as Christmas. The two winter holidays converge an average of five times a century, according to Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President of the New York Board of Rabbis. Since 1900, the first night of Hanukkah has fallen on December 25 five times: 1910, 1921, 1959, 2005, and now 2024.

(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland. The President-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U. S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which he’s picking fights even before taking office on Jan.

(BETHLEHEM, West Bank) — The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. But as Bethlehem prepares to mark its second Christmas under the shadow of the war in Gaza, there are almost no tourists, leaving the Nativity Store and other businesses unsure of how much longer they can hold on. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] For the second straight year, Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations will be somber and muted, in deference to ongoing war in Gaza.

The Philippines is known for its monthslong Christmas celebrations starting in September. The heavily Catholic country of nearly 120 million people is serious about the festive season. However, this time of year has recently taken a much more somber tone for many Filipino families. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Estrella Pagarigan had decorated her home with recycled bamboo and plastic bottle parols for the holidays, but in early November, the house where she, her husband, and three children have lived for years was flattened overnight.

A tribute to some of the noteworthy people who died in 2024.