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China sanctions U.S. companies in retaliation for arms sale to Taiwan

People take photos of Christmas lights decoration at the street on the eve of Christmas in Taipei, Taiwan , Dec. 24. The Ministry of the Interior has deployed up to 17,000 police personnel, civil defense members, and volunteers to enhance security at 137 major events during the holiday season. On Friday, the Chinese government sanctioned U.S. businesses operating in China and their leadership in response the U.S. government selling arms to Taiwan. Photo by Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA Dec. 26 (UPI) -- China on Friday announced sanctions against U.S. companies in the arms industry after the United States revealed arms sales to Taiwan. "The United States recently announced its large-scale arms sales to China's Taiwan Region ," the announcement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "This seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. Joint Communiqués , interferes in China's internal affairs, and undermines China's sovereignty and terr...
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Pope Leo's first Christmas homily laments conditions in Gaza, urges peace in Ukraine

 Pope Leo XIV on Thursday condemned the "rubble and open wounds" left behind by wars, singling out the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza as he conducted his first Christmas homily.

"Fragile is the flesh of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds," the pope said at the mass in St Peter's Basilica.

"How ... can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold," he said.

Pope Leo XIV addresses the faithful as he performs the Christmas mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Dec. 25, 2025.

Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images

In Bethlehem, the Christian community celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years as the occupied West Bank city emerged from the shadow of the war in Gaza.

Heavy rains have battered Gaza in recent days, compounding the harsh conditions of the Palestinian territory's residents, nearly all of whom were displaced during the war. The U.N. has said an estimated 1.3 million people currently need shelter assistance in Gaza and has warned of the increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures dip.

Leo met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican last month. According to a Vatican statement, both leaders agreed on "the urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza" and to "end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution," which would see an independent Palestinian state created alongside Israel.

In a Christmas blessing Thursday, Leo also urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" for direct talks following weeks of intense international diplomacy to end their nearly four-year war.

"May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," Leo said.

In recent weeks, Russian and Ukrainian officials have spoken separately to U.S. negotiators about proposals to end the conflict started by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Speaking to a crowd of some 26,000 in St Peter's Square, the pope also called for "solidarity with and acceptance of those in need" in Europe, a possible reference to growing anti-immigration sentiment on the continent.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, was born in Chicago and became the first American pontiff in church history when he was chosen by his fellow cardinals at a Vatican conclave in May.

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