Former Senior Taliban Members Released from Pakistani Jails
Hemera/Thinkstock(ISLAMABAD) — Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Monday confirmed the release of eight taliban prisoners in order to “facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process.” As part of the ongoing peace process, the Pakistani and Afghan governments h…
Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ Around the World
TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The pope, in his annual Christmas message today, wished Christians all over the world a Merry Christmas in 65 languages. So anytime, anywhere, no matter where you and your friends and loved ones are today, here’s how to wish them — and everyone around you – a Merry Christmas:
Merry Christmas in Hawaiian:
Mele Kalikimaka
Merry Christmas in Spanish:
¡Feliz Navidad
Merry Christmas in German:
Frohe Weihnachten
Merry Christmas in French:
Joyeux Noël
Merry Christmas in Italian:
Buon Natale
Merry Christmas in Portuguese:
Feliz Natal
Merry Christmas in Japanese:
メリークリスマス (pronounce: Kurisumasu Omedeto)
Merry Christmas in Russian:
С Рождеством (pronounce: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva s Novim Godom)
Merry Christmas in Dutch:
Vrolijk Kerstfeest
Merry Christmas in Swedish:
God Jul
Merry Christmas in Czech:
Veselé Vánoce
Merry Christmas in Turkish:
Mutlu Noeller
Merry Christmas in Hebrew:
חג המולד שמח
(pronounce: Chag Hamoled Sameoch)
Merry Christmas in Chinese:
聖誕節快樂 (pronounce: Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan)
Merry Christmas in Arabic:
عيد ميلاد مجيد
(pronounce: I’d Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida)
Merry Christmas in Croatian:
Sretan Božić
Merry Christmas in Greek:
Καλά Χριστούγεννα (pronounce: Kala Christouyenna)
Merry Christmas in Hungarian:
Boldog Karácsonyt
Merry Christmas in Gaelic:
Nollaig Shona
Merry Christmas in Welsh:
Nadolig Llawen
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Mandela Doctors Not ‘Focusing on Discharge,’ Says Spokesman
Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images(JOHANNESBURG) — On day 14 of Nelson Mandela’s hospitalization, a spokesman for the Office of the Presidency reiterated to Friday that Mandela may not be released from the hospital anytime soon. “I don&rsquo…
Russia’s Ban on Adoptions to the US Moving Forward
Hemera/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Russia took one step closer to cutting off adoptions by American families Friday.The lower house of parliament approved a bill that would ban adoptions to the U.S. It was an amendment to a broader measure retaliating for hu…
Snakes Close Australian Day-Care Center
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(DARWIN, Australia) — Australian officials shut down a day-care center in the Northern Territory Thursday because of an infestation of at least 23 baby pythons and their much larger mother.It all started Wednesday, when a single …
‘Alien’-Looking Human Skulls Found in Mexico
File photo. Hemera/Thinkstock(SONORA, Mexico) — Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered 25 “alien”-looking human skulls in a cemetery in the northwest state of Sonora, they said Friday.Some of the skulls showed “deformities,” …
US Says Syria Has Resumed Launching Scuds at Rebels
Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Within the past day, the Assad regime in Syria once again launched Scud missiles at rebel-held areas in the northwest part of the country, U.S. officials said.Last week, officials said the Syrian regime fired five missi…
Frost Flowers Bloom Beautifully in Arctic Ocean
File photo. Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — In just a few hours, Jeff Bowman, a doctoral candidate at the University of Washington, watched the Arctic Ocean transform from heavy ice to a meadow of frost flowers.“It was amazing,” said Bowman…
Astronomers Discover Habitable Planet Around Nearby Star
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Golden Eagle Snatches Baby, Students Claim Credit for Viral Video
LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images(MONTREAL) — The viral debate over whether a YouTube video showing an eagle swooping down and picking up a baby was real or fake ended Wednesday when a group of students claimed credit for the digital mastery.Four students…
Queen Elizabeth II Attends Cabinet Meeting
Lewis Whyld – WPA Pool/Getty Images(LONDON) — For the first time in at least 100 years, a sitting monarch Tuesday attended a cabinet meeting in the U.K. Greeted by Prime Minister David Cameron, Queen Elizabeth II attended the 90-minute session, where …
Russian Adoption Ban Proposal Draws Criticism
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Russian lawmakers still appear prepared to introduce a measure that would cut off adoptions of children from Russia to the United States, even as criticism of the move mounts from unexpected corners.Russia’s…
Israel Says Strict Checks, Regulation Prevent Gun Crimes
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(JERUSALEM) — Guns are seen everywhere in Israel — semi-automatics slung from the shoulders of soldiers waiting for the bus, cradled by security guards stationed at checkpoints and building entrances. The sight can be …
Egypt’s Chief Prosecutor Quits One Month After Appointment
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(CAIRO) — One month after President Mohamed Morsi appointed him, Egypt’s chief public prosecutor resigned Monday.Talaat Ibrahim Abdullah stepped down after district prosecutors claimed he pushed for filing charges against a group o…
Russia Walking Back Syria Assessment
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Russia’s Foreign Ministry Friday walked back an assessment on Thursday by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who suggested that the Syrian rebels might win as President Assad loses his grip on power. …
Palestinian Liberation Organization Chief Rep: Israeli E1 Settlement Is ‘Red Line’
Uriel Sinai/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Maen Rashid Areikat, chief representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) delegation in D.C., said Friday that if Israel goes ahead with plans to establish settlements in a sensitive area outside…
Woman Who Botched "Ecce Homo" Restoration Now Potential Art Star
Centro de Estudios Borjanos(NEW YORK) — Cecilia Gímenez, the notorious octogenarian painter now credited with “the worst restoration in history” after she botched a 19th-century Christ fresco, may now become an art star in her own r…
Trinidad Baby Recovering After Father Bites Her Face, Leg
ABC News(PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad) — A baby girl is recovering in a hospital on the Caribbean island of Trinidad after police say her father bit off chunks of flesh from her face and leg when he couldn’t find food in the family’s home.Jermour Noel, 24,…
Not Happening: NASA Debunks Mayan Doomsday Prophecy
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — We’ll never know if they were wrong.NASA has quietly published a web video explaining why the world will not come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012.The date of its release, Dec. 11, was no mistake, even if doomsayer…
VIPs Slip Through Afghan Airport With Piles of Cash: Report
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ARLINGTON, Va.) — Afghan security officials allowed “very very important” persons to slip through their major airport with piles of cash, unchecked by American-bought money trackers, creating a “deeply troubling” vulnerability i…