Reuters World News Summary

Syria's new interior minister said on Telegram that 10 police members were also wounded by what he called "remnants" of the Assad government in Tartous, vowing to crack down on "anyone who dares to undermine Syria's security or endanger the lives of its citizens." Russia launches 'inhuman' Christmas Day attacks, Ukraine says Russia attacked Ukraine's energy system and some cities with cruise and ballistic missiles plus drones on Wednesday in an "inhuman" Christmas Day assault, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Libya's eastern-based government agrees to proposal to end fuel subsidies

Libya's eastern-based government said in a statement on Wednesday that it had agreed on a proposal to end fuel subsidies and would prepare a mechanism to implement the agreement. The administration headed by Osama Hamad, a rival to the internationally recognised government based in Tripoli, did not disclose further details about the proposal.

King Charles thanks medics for his and Kate's cancer care

King Charles thanked the medics who have cared for him and his daughter-in-law Kate, after they both underwent treatment for cancer this year, in a Christmas Day message that touched on global conflicts and the summer's riots in Britain. In his third Christmas TV broadcast since becoming king, Charles struck an unusually personal tone for the royal seasonal message, a tradition that dates back to a radio speech by George V in 1932.

Suriname fugitive ex-President Desi Bouterse dead at 79

Suriname's fugitive former President Desi Bouterse has died aged 79, the country's government said on Wednesday, almost a year after he fled authorities to avoid jail following his conviction over the murder of 15 political activists in 1982. "The government has been informed through the family and its own investigations of the passing of Mr. D. Bouterse, ex-President of the Republic of Suriname," Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin told Reuters.

Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38

An Embraer passenger jet crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people, after diverting from an area of Russia that Moscow has recently defended against Ukrainian drone attacks. Twenty-nine survivors received hospital treatment.

14 Syrian police killed in ambush as unrest spreads

Fourteen members of the Syrian police were killed in an "ambush" by forces loyal to the ousted government in the Tartous countryside, the transitional administration said early on Thursday, as demonstrations and an overnight curfew elsewhere marked the most widespread unrest since Bashar al-Assad's removal more than two weeks ago. Syria's new interior minister said on Telegram that 10 police members were also wounded by what he called "remnants" of the Assad government in Tartous, vowing to crack down on "anyone who dares to undermine Syria's security or endanger the lives of its citizens."

Russia launches 'inhuman' Christmas Day attacks, Ukraine says

Russia attacked Ukraine's energy system and some cities with cruise and ballistic missiles plus drones on Wednesday in an "inhuman" Christmas Day assault, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Nearly three years into the war, the strikes wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the region of Dnipropetrovsk, the governors there said.

Serbian students march in Belgrade to protest train station disaster

Hundreds of university students rallied in Belgrade on Wednesday to protest the policies of President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), whom they blame for a railway disaster last month in which 15 people died. The concrete awning of the recently renovated roof of the train station in the northern city of Novi Sad caved in on Nov. 1, killing 14 and injuring three. One of the injured died later.

Biden, Trump send different Christmas messages

The outgoing and incoming U.S. presidents had different messages for the Christmas holiday on Wednesday, with Democrat Joe Biden urging Americans to reflect and unite, while Republican Donald Trump offered a holiday greeting and then took aim at his political opponents. Biden narrated a video tour of the White House Christmas decorations that was published on YouTube late on Christmas Eve, in which he urges Americans to set aside "all the noise and everything that divides us."

Hamas and Israel blame each other for ceasefire delay

The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel traded blame on Wednesday over their failure to conclude a ceasefire agreement despite progress reported by both sides in past days. Hamas said that Israel had laid down further conditions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the group of going back on understandings already reached.

More than 200,000 homes without power in Bosnia after Balkan snowstorm

More than 200,000 homes across Bosnia and Herzegovina were without electricity for a second day on Wednesday, authorities said, after a snowstorm the day before caused widespread disruption across several Balkan countries. Mainly in northwestern and central Bosnia, towns and villages suffered ongoing power outages, the country's two power utilities said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)