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- [00:01]
NPR Sponsor Announcer (Odoo)
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- [00:19]
Dale Willman
Live from NPR News. I'm Dale Willman. A major fire is burning in downtown Denver at this hour. An apartment complex is under construction. It went up in flames. Officials say an entire city block is burning. Firemen have evacuated a 20 block area and at least one firefighter has been injured. The FBI says it stopped a terrorist attack scheduled for New Year's Eve in a town near Charlotte, N.C. 18 year old Christian Sturtevant has been arrested. Officials say he told an FBI undercover employee that he was going to use knives and hammers to kill people at a fast food restaurant and a store. U.S. attorney Russ Ferguson says Sturtevant had pledged his loyalty to the Islamic State group.
- [00:58]
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson
He has been planning this attack for about a year, but he's been planning an attack for far longer than that. He was planning this attack in support of isis, and we have charged him with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
- [01:11]
Dale Willman
If convicted, Sturtevant could face 20 years in prison. Iranian officials say they'll continue to clamp down on anti government protests despite warnings from President Trump that he might intervene to help them. A spokesman says officers would not allow what he called enemies to turn unrest into chaos. The the BBC's chief political correspondent, Lias Doucet has our reports.
- [01:31]
Lias Doucet
There's no sign yet that President Trump's threat to, in his words, come to the rescue of Iranians will convince the authorities to change course from the start of this strife. Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian has also tried to defuse tension by pledging to listen to what he called legitimate demands. But this dissent isn't just about a cost of living crisis, but a measure of of political discontent. And Mr. Trump's warnings have added yet more unpredictability and possible peril.
- [02:01]
Dale Willman
The BBC's leads to dozens of aid groups as well as Arab and European countries are urging Israel to reverse a ban on humanitarian organizations. In Gaza, the Israelis suspended the registration of 37 aid groups. As NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, Israel says.
- [02:17]
Michelle Kellerman
The groups failed to meet new registration requirements, which include providing to the Israeli government the names of all the Palestinians working for them. The aid groups will have to cease operations in the coming weeks. In Gaza, the West bank and in East Jerusalem, dozens of aid groups warn in a letter that the humanitarian needs are still extreme in Gaza, where winter storms have displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians in the west bank, the aid groups write, quote, ongoing military raids and settler violence continue to drive displacement. Similar concerns are raised in a letter from the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt, among others. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
- [03:00]
Dale Willman
Investigators in Switzerland say they have a likely cause for a deadly fire at a Swiss ski resort Thursday night. They say sparkling candles held in champagne bottles were too close to the ceiling of a crowded bar. 40 people were killed in the ensuing fire. Another 119 people were injured. You're listening to NPR News. More than half a million people worldwide were sickened by chikungunya disease last year. That's according to the World health organization. As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, most of the cases were in Central and South America.
- [03:32]
Jonathan Lambert
Chikungunya disease is caused by a virus spread through mosquito bites. While it's much less prevalent than dengue, which sickens hundreds of millions of people each year, it's still a major risk. It can cause severe joint pain, fever and rash that can become chronic. By early December of this past year, 41 countries and territories had reported a case. 186 people died from the disease. More than half of all cases were in the Americas, with Brazil accounting for the vast majority. But researchers worry that climate change could be pushing the mosquitoes that carry chikungunya into new areas, including the U.S. last October, someone in Long Island, New York, got infected by a mosquito. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.
- [04:13]
Dale Willman
President Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged threats on Friday as widening economic protests grow across Iran. In a social media post, Trump warned Iran that if it kills peaceful protesters, the US Will come to their rescue. An Iranian official responded saying US Intervention would lead to chaos in the entire region and the destruction of US Interests. Ukraine's president named a new chief of staff on Friday. 39 year old General Kirill Budanov has headed the country's military intelligence since 2020. He replaces Andrei Yermak, who is being investigated the as a potential suspect in alleged corruption in the country's energy sector. Budinoff is one of the country's most recognizable and popular wartime figures. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.
- [04:58]
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