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Daily briefing

Santa tracker

attracts millions

Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online in nine languages, from English to Japanese.

On any other night, NORAD is scanning the heavens for potential threats, such as last year’s Chinese spy balloon. But on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs are fielding questions like, “When is Santa coming to my house?” and, “Am I on the naughty or nice list?”

NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War.

Minnesota

Airport with unusual runway to close

ROSEAU — The Piney-Pinecreek Border Airport has a unique claim to fame — its runway straddles the border of the U.S. and Canada. But after seven decades of operation, the small airport that sits near Roseau, Minnesota, and Piney, Manitoba in Canada, will close for good on Friday.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a news release earlier this month that the airport “had very low use and faced large maintenance expenses.”

Pope kicks off yearlong Jubilee

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis kicked off the 2025 Holy Year on Tuesday, inaugurating a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome in a test of the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them.

From his wheelchair, Francis knocked a few times and the great Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica swung open. He was wheeled across the threshold as bells tolled across Rome and the choir inside the basilica began Christmas Eve Mass.

“The steps we now take are the steps of the whole church,” the pope said. Children and parents from five continents followed him into the basilica.

Iran

Access to WhatsApp, Google Play restored

TEHRAN — Iran’s government on Tuesday said it had lifted a ban on access to WhatsApp and Google Play after more than two years, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The report said the country’s Supreme Council of Cyber Space made the decision in a meeting led by reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has vowed to remove restrictions on social media.

Iran’s telecommunication minister Sattar Heshemi in a post on X called the decision a “first step” in removing restrictions.

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