Six In The Morning

On Sunday

Pope calls for worshipers to remember 'essence' of Christmas


By the CNN Wire Staff December 25, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI presided over Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, delivering a homily that focused on the "essence" of the holiday rather than the "commercial celebration" it has become."Today Christmas has become a commercial celebration, whose bright lights hide the mystery of God's humility, which in turn calls us to humility and simplicity," the pope said after recalling the story of Christmas. "Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light."

Sudan army 'kills' key Darfur rebel Khalil Ibrahim
The Sudanese army has killed the leader of Darfur's main rebel group, the military says.

It says Khalil Ibrahim was killed in fighting in the Wad Banda area in North Kordofan. The claim has not been independently verified. Khalil Ibrahim is known as the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement in conflict-torn Darfur. Earlier this year, he returned from exile in Libya after the fall of Col Gaddafi's regime. Sudanese army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Sa'd told the BBC Arabic Service that Mr Ibrahim was killed at dawn.

Iraqi VP refuses to face court in Baghdad
Accused by government of involvement in past violence, Hashimi says he is ready to stand trial in Kurdistan.

Last Modified: 25 Dec 2011 05:41
Tariq al-Hashimi, the Iraqi vice-president who has been named by the government as being involved in deadly violence in the country, has said that he will not face courts in Baghdad, alleging that they are not credible or transparent. Hashimi, speaking exclusively to Al Jazeera on Saturday from the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah, said that he was ready to present himself before a court in Kurdistan. He said that he was carrying out his duties as normal in Sulaymaniyah, and denied that he had fled to the Kurdish part of the country in order to escape prosecution. Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, said on Saturday that Hashimi would stand trial only if promises were made regarding its fairness.

New sign of rising power for new North Korean leader's uncle


By Sung-won Shim | Reuters
North Korean state TV footage on Sunday showed Jang Song-thaek, the power behind the communist state's throne, wearing a military uniform with the insignia of a general, another sign of his rising influence after the death of Kim Jong-il. The footage, which state TV said was taken on Saturday, showed Jang at the front of rows of top military officers who accompanied Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of Kim Jong-il and his anointed successor, paying their respects in front of Kim's body.

For politically aware songs, the '00s were all for naught
Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Grandmaster Flash and Rage Against the Machine produced era-defining political songs in earlier decades. The '00s gave us Britney Spears.

By Reed Johnson and Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times December 25, 2011
The '60s gave us "Blowin' in the Wind," folk-poet Bob Dylan's challenge to the brutal status quo. The '70s served up Neil Young's "Ohio," an anthem of generational rage against the military-industrial machine. The '80s laid down "The Message," Grandmaster Flash's hip-hop jeremiad about the vicious cycle of race-based poverty. The '90s broke loose with Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls on Parade," a rap-rock rant targeting corporate greed and cultural imperialism. And the '00s? It's produced some memorably sardonic screeds (Green Day's "American Idiot"), patriotic hell-yeah's out of Nashville like Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)," and dirges of quiet desperation emanating from "The Suburbs," courtesy of Arcade Fire.

Calif. Becomes Youngest To Climb 7 Summits


Associated Press
BIG BEAR, Calif. - A Southern California teenager became the youngest person to successfully climb to the summit of the seven tallest mountains on Earth's seven continents, according to his website. Jordan Romero, 15, called his mother Leigh Ann Drake on Saturday to confirm that he'd achieved his goal of reaching the top of Mt. Vinson Massif in Antarctica. The Big Bear, Calif.-native beat the record previously held by British climber George Atkinson, who completed the ascents at age 16 in May