Student loans are the biggest obstacle to home buying

NBC News
20 big cats die from bird flu at Washington wildlife sanctuary
Bird flu ripped through a Washington state wildlife sanctuary, killing 20 big cats, the center said in a Facebook post, calling the deaths a "significant loss."
CBS News
Is anything open on Christmas Day? Here's what's open and closed.
Last-minute grocery items and gifts can be found on Christmas Day, but many retailers and chains may be closed today.
CNN
Mozambique police commander says 33 dead, 1,500 escaped in Maputo prison riot
Mozambique is experiencing escalating civil unrest linked to October’s disputed election, which extended long-ruling party Frelimo’s stay in power. Opposition groups and their supporters claim the vote was rigged.
AFP
Syrians protest after video of attack on Alawite shrine
Angry protests broke out Wednesday in the heartland of deposed Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority, a war monitor and witnesses said, after a video circulated showing an attack on a shrine.- 'Calls for calm' - The Observatory said the protests erupted after a video began circulating earlier Wednesday showing "an attack by fighters" on an important Alawite shrine in the Maysaloon district of Syria's second city Aleppo.
AFP
Suriname ex-dictator and fugitive Desi Bouterse dead at 79
Desi Bouterse, the former dictator and later elected president of Suriname, who became a fugitive of justice for the killing of political opponents, has died at 79, the government said Wednesday.Bouterse left a year later, then was elected president of the former Dutch colony in 2010 and ruled for a decade.
USA TODAY
How Texas 'miracle baby' might have been saved by his twin brother in the womb
After a baby's amniotic sac ruptured at 13 weeks, Texas parents were told there was only a 3% chance their son would live.
CBS News
Will it snow on Christmas? Maps show holiday weather forecast
New York City woke up to its first white Christmas in 15 years. But only a few areas of the U.S. are likely to see snow in the weather forecast for Christmas 2024.
AFP
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: what to know 20 years on
Survivors and victims' relatives will this week mark the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 220,000 people across more than a dozen countries.At the time of the earthquake, there was no warning system in place in the Indian Ocean.
Reuters
Libya's eastern-based government agrees to proposal to end fuel subsidies
Libya's eastern-based government said in a statement on Wednesday that it had agreed on a proposal to end fuel subsidies and would prepare a mechanism to implement the agreement. The administration headed by Osama Hamad, a rival to the internationally recognised government based in Tripoli, did not disclose further details about the proposal. It is unclear if Hamad's government will be able to implement the proposal in the divided country, however.
CNN
Russian cargo ship sinks in Mediterranean after engine room explosion, Moscow says
An explosion sank a sanctioned Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday night, Russian authorities said, leaving two crew members missing.
AFP
Asia to mourn tsunami dead with ceremonies 20 years on
Emotional ceremonies were expected across Asia on Thursday to remember the 220,000 people who died two decades ago when a tsunami devastated coastal areas around the Indian Ocean, in one of the worst natural disasters in human history.A total of 226,408 people died as a result of the tsunami, according to EM-DAT, a recognised global disaster database.
CNN
Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue is caught in a battle between church and state
Perched high atop Corcovado Mountain, the Cristo Redentor, as Brazilians call it, is a postcard not only for the city of Rio de Janeiro but for the entire country. But now, its management and future are at the center of a growing debate over religion, conservation, and governance.
Reuters
Biden, Trump send different Christmas messages
The outgoing and incoming U.S. presidents had different messages for the Christmas holiday, with Democrat Joe Biden urging Americans to reflect and unite and Republican Donald Trump offering a holiday greeting and a flurry of politically focused social media posts. Biden narrated a video tour of the White House Christmas decorations that was published on YouTube late on Christmas Eve, in which he urges Americans to set aside "all the noise and everything that divides us." "We're here on this Earth to care for one another, to love one another," Biden says in a voiceover as a camera pans past adorned evergreen trees and bedecked fireplaces inside the White House.
CBS News
"Desperate" killer who escaped from Mississippi prison is recaptured
Authorities in Mississippi say a "desperate" and "very dangerous" convicted murderer, Drew Johnson, is back in custody after escaping from prison Tuesday.
CNN
Convicted murderer who escaped a Mississippi prison on Christmas Eve has been captured
A convicted murderer who escaped from a Mississippi state prison on Christmas Eve was captured Wednesday, according to a Mississippi Department of Corrections post on Facebook.
USA TODAY
Trial for suspect in second Trump assassination attempt delayed
A U.S. judge on Monday delayed a trial for the suspect in the second assassination attempt of President-elect Donald Trump until September 2025.
AccuWeather
New Year's Eve forecast: Storms may impact celebrations from NYC to Seattle
The flip of the calendar to 2025 is right around the corner, and AccuWeather meteorologists have released their New Year's Eve forecast to help revelers plan for whatever Mother Nature has in store. "We're going to be tracking multiple storms that will move across the eastern part of the United States during the final days of December and early part of January," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said. Depending on the exact timing of all the moving parts and pieces in the atmosphe
Associated Press
Clashes between Islamists now in power in Syria and Assad's supporters leave casualties
Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad's government killed two Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to interim officials. Interim officials in Syria said two fighters were killed from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led the stunning offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month. Syria’s transition has been surprisingly smooth but it’s only been a few weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces melted away.
AFP
Zelensky condemns Russian 'inhumane' Christmas attack on energy grid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Wednesday an "inhumane" attack from Russia, which launched over 170 missiles and drones on his war-torn country's power grid on Christmas Day, killing an energy worker."I pay tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people, and the leadership of President Zelensky, in the face of further drone and missile attacks from Putin's bloody and brutal war machine with no respite even at Christmas," Starmer said.
AFP
38 dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board, officials said.Azerbaijan Airlines reported that 67 people were on board -- 62 passengers and five crew members.

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