Vatican City: Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia.

Tel Aviv: At least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank around the city of Tulkarem on Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, including three people it said were killed by Israeli airstrikes.

Tehran: Iran's government on Tuesday said it had lifted a ban on access to WhatsApp and Google Play after more than two years, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Moscow: An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed Wednesday in the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, leaving at least 32 survivors, according to officials. More than 30 people are likely dead.

Bethlehem, the city in the occupied West Bank believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, marked another somber Christmas amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. For the second consecutive year, the town's usual festive cheer was absent, with no lights, decorations, or tourists in the central Manger Square. Bethlehem's mayor, Anton Salman, said the town had “limited its joy” in solidarity with those suffering in Gaza.

The United States has addressed human rights concerns with Bangladesh's interim government, amid ongoing tensions with India over attacks on minorities. In a phone conversation on Monday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus discussed the protection of human rights, though the official accounts of the discussion varied significantly.

A passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported, citing Kazakhstan's Emergencies Ministry. The aircraft, which was en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya, was rerouted due to fog in Grozny.

Sanjeeb Wazed, son of deposed Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has accused the Muhammad Yunus led interim government of “weaponising the judiciary” for carrying out a “political witch hunt” against the Awami League leadership.