World News Summary: Israel bars Gaza's Christians from visiting Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Israel bars Gaza's Christians from visiting Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas

Christians in the Gaza Strip will not be allowed to visit holy cities such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem to celebrate Christmas this year, Israeli authorities said on Thursday. Gazan Christians will be granted permits to travel abroad but none will be allowed to go to Israel and the occupied West Bank, home to many sites holy to Christians, a spokeswoman for Israel's military liaison to the Palestinians said. Myanmar's Suu Kyi urges World Court to drop genocide case

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi called on World Court judges on Thursday to dismiss an accusation of genocide against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority, saying its own justice system should be given the chance to work first. Gambia has accused Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in a military campaign that expelled more than 730,000 Rohingya from Myanmar and it has asked the International Court of Justice to order "provisional measures" to prevent more harm. 'We have work to do': World's youngest leader debuts at EU summit

New Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin brushed aside the media frenzy over her appointment as the world's youngest serving head of government at age 34, pledging a sharp focus on climate policies as she made her debut at an EU summit. Marin took office on Tuesday after the Centre Party withdrew support from Social Democrat leader Antti Rinne, forcing him to step down as prime minister. Marin became the world's youngest national leader, and all five leaders of the parties in her coalition are women, four of them under 35. U.S. Senate passes resolution recognizing Armenian genocide, angering Turkey

The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution that recognizes as a genocide the mass killings of Armenians a century ago, a historic move that infuriated Turkey and dealt a blow to the already problematic ties between Ankara and Washington. Turkey condemned the measure, which passed a month after an official visit to the White House by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who enjoys a special rapport with President Donald Trump, amid mounting issues that have soured the relationship between the two NATO allies. New Zealand recovers six bodies from volcanic island in high-risk mission

A New Zealand military team recovered six bodies on Friday from the volcanic island that fatally erupted earlier this week, in a high risk operation watched by dozens of grieving family members waiting on the mainland. Military personnel worked as quickly as possible after using helicopters to land on White Island, which experts have said still has a 50-60% chance of another eruption over the coming hours. EU leaders agree to extend sanctions on Russia: diplomats

European Union leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday agreed to extend their main economic sanctions against Russia for six months to the end of July 2020, four diplomatic sources told Reuters. The bloc first slapped sanctions on Moscow after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and went on to back separatists facing off against Kiev in the industrial east of the country. Its economic sanctions target Russia's energy, financial and arms sectors and are currently in place until the end of January. Royal Caribbean liability for volcano deaths may turn on 'act of God' defense

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd's potential liability for a deadly excursion to a volcanic island in New Zealand could hinge on whether the eruption was an unforeseeable "act of God," according to maritime lawyers. Cruise ship passengers were among the tourists on White Island on Monday when it erupted. While no lawsuits have yet been filed, legal experts said they expected action in U.S courts by injured passengers and families of those who died. Britain Brexit bound as Johnson heads for big parliamentary majority

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party will win a resounding victory in Britain's election with a parliamentary majority of 86 seats, an exit poll showed on Thursday, empowering him to deliver Brexit on Jan. 31. The survey showed Johnson's Conservatives would win a landslide of 368 seats, more than enough for a very comfortable majority in the 650-seat parliament and the biggest Conservative national election win since Margaret Thatcher's 1987 triumph. Refinitiv created filter to block Reuters stories amid Hong Kong protests

As anti-government demonstrations engulfed Hong Kong in August, Reuters broke a sensitive story: Beijing had rejected a secret proposal by city leader Carrie Lam to meet several of the protesters’ demands in a bid to defuse the unrest. The story buttressed a main claim of the protesters, that Beijing is intervening deeply in the affairs of the semi-autonomous city. A state-run newspaper denounced the story as “fake” and “shameful.” The article soon became unavailable in mainland China. Argentina's new government moves to guarantee access to abortion in rape cases

Women and girls in Argentina seeking to end pregnancies caused by rape will be guaranteed access to abortion under a protocol announced on Thursday aimed at reducing the latitude hospitals have in deciding whether or not to perform the procedure. Argentine law allows abortion in case of rape or threat to the life or health of the mother. But abortion rights advocates say the law is not always applied across the largely Roman Catholic country and that local hospitals have too much power to decide which cases fall under the legal criteria.

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