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Pope calls for end to prejudice

Vatican City (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI called for an end to prejudice and harmful acts among all people Sunday in his Christmas Eve address at the Vatican.

Speaking in various languages to thousands in St. Peter's Square, the pope said it was time for people to "overcome preconceived ideas and prejudices, tear down barriers and eliminate contrasts that divide -- or worse -- set individuals and peoples against each other, so as to build together a world of justice and peace."

Thousands more people are expected to turn out Sunday night for Benedict's midnight mass, which will be watched on television by millions more around the world, Voice of America reported.

Following the mass, the pope will deliver the "Urbi et Orbi," or "To the city and the world" address to highlight Christian progress and problems.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International




Police search for suspect in fatal robbery

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (UPI) -- Police in Little Rock, Ark., Sunday sought a bank robber who fatally shot a teller and said "Merry Christmas" before fleeing the scene.

The robber escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash from a Metropolitan Bank branch Saturday, KATV, Little Rock, Ark., reported.

Police said the suspect entered the bank and fired a gun at James R. Garison, 25, fatally wounding him. The man moved to another teller, pointed his gun and demanded the money. Before leaving, the suspect reportedly said, "Merry Christmas."

At least two other employees and three customers were in the bank when the robbery occurred, police said.

Garison was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International




Seven dead in Iraq police station bombing

BAGHDAD (UPI) -- Seven Iraqi police officers were killed and 30 others wounded Sunday when a suicide bomber walked into a police station 55 miles northeast of Baghdad.

The attack happened in Muqdadiya, and destroyed much of the building in the mixed city of Sunni and Shiite Muslims, CNN reported. While not as violent as Baghdad, the city has seen a growing number of sectarian attacks in the past year.

Further north in Diyala province, Interior Ministry officials said two roadside bombs exploded in the town of Khaneqain, injuring 18 people.

The U.S. military said in a statement Sunday two of its soldiers were killed in separate roadside bombings on Saturday. The attacks occurred southeast and southwest of Baghdad, and four soldiers were injured in the blasts.

In December, 76 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, and 2,965 have died since the occupation began in March 2003.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International




Queen sends special message to troops

LONDON (UPI) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II Sunday acknowledged the risk they take and thanked the British military in Iraq and Afghanistan in a holiday message.

"In Iraq and Afghanistan you continue to make an enormous contribution in helping to rebuild those countries," the queen said. "And I know that yours is a job which often calls for great personal risk."

The pre-recorded Christmas Eve radio broadcast was played to armed forces personnel at home and abroad, the BBC reported Sunday. It is the second time recently the queen recorded a specific message to the military in addition to her annual Dec. 25 broadcast to the nation.

She said her thoughts and prayers went to the families of service personnel who were killed.

The queen mentioned her own ties with the military. She was a teenager when World War II began and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was at sea periodically during that time.

Prince Andrew served as a Sea King helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.

Her grandsons are Army officers. Prince William graduated from the military academy earlier this month, eight months after his younger brother Harry.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International




Indonesia flooding kills 29, 70,000 flee

JAKARTA (UPI) -- Flooding in the Indonesian region hit by a tsunami in 2004 has killed 29 people and displaced 70,000 others, government officials said Sunday.

The floods and associated landslides were affecting Aceh, North Sumatra and Riau Islands, cutting off many roads and narrowing escape options, the Jakarta Post said.

Some highways were under 3 feet of water, the Antara news agency reported.

Heavy rains began Friday, and in North Sumatra, waters spread to 12 districts in Langkat regency, where eight bodies were recovered Saturday and 12 people were missing.

Health Ministry official Rustam Pakaya told China's Xinhua state news agency that deforestation was the main cause of the crisis during the annual rainy season.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla echoed that in a speech Saturday.

"If the forests disappear and our rivers and seas are harmed, we will suffer the consequences, which are natural disasters," Kalla said. He also issued a plea for citizens to report illegal logging, the Post said.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International