美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-12-27

 For NPR news in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst.Muslim majority Senegal is celebrating Christmas a day after marking the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Mohammed. From Dakar, NPR's AC reports that hawkers are selling Christmas and utensils 1 to both Christians 3 and Muslims as Senegal continues to promote tolerance 4 and diversity in a region often blighted 5 by sectarian and ethnic 6 strife 7. Muslims in Senegal celebrated 8 Mulid, Prophet Mohammed's birthday overnight Wednesday, spilling into Christmas Eve as Christians prepared to mount the birth of Christ. In this nation of 14 million, most Muslim people, both are holy days of public holidays. At Christmas time, Senegalese Muslims are invited into Christian 2 homes just as Christians joined Muslim festivals, marking out Senegal as a bright spot in western central Africa where countries like central African republic remained divided by religion and tribe. This 94 percent majority Muslim country's first president Léopold Sédar Senghor was a Christian. governed independent Senegal for 2o years. AC, NPR news, Dakar.

 
 
At least 30 people are hurt in Peshawar Pakistan after a powerful earthquake in Afghanistan near the border with Tajikistan and Pakistan today. The US geological survey put it at a preliminary magnitude of 6.3. It was felt in Kabul and also the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. Officials say those injuries happened as houses and walls collapsed 9. 
 
 
The Arable 10 is condemning 11 the kidnapping in southern Iraq of 26 men from Karter. NPR's Alice Fordham reports that incident could create tensions between the two countries. The man disappeared earlier this month while on a hunting trip. The south of Iraq is particularly popular with wealth Arabs from gulf 12 countries including Karter and Saudi Arabia for hunting birds of prey 13. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping although there are unconfirmed reports in Arabia media that the kidnappers 14 were Shiite armed group, calling for Karter and other Sunni countries to release Shiite prisoners and stop supporting Sunni groups in Iraq and Syria. The Arab League's Statement called on Iraq government to shoulder its legal responsibility and help to resolve the matter. Earlier in the year, a Shiite group kidnapped Turkish construction workers in Iraq. They were freed after negotiations 15. Alice Fordham, NPR news.
 
 
Fedex has problems delivering packages this holiday season. Companies officials have apologized to customers, saying it just wasn't able to make all its scheduled deliveries yesterday, blaming it on last minutes's surges of shopping coupled with bad weather in parts of the US. 
 
 
And the east coast is spending this Christmas with near-record warm in places along with rain and fog in cities including Washington DC. Parts of Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee are getting heavy rain and flooding. National Weather Services has issued flash flood warnings for several counties in those states. And Tornadoes 16 are possible in Alabama this afternoon. I'm Janine Herbst. NPR news in Washington.
 
 
The prime minister of India made a surprise trip to Pakistan today. It's Narendra Modi's first official visit to the Islamic nation. That has been his country's long-standing rival in the region. The unannounced visit is a possible sign of thawn relations between the two nuclear armed neighbors. 
 
 
New data from the federal government show a very strong start to the snow season in the parched 17 Pacific northwest. As Scott Graf, a Boise State Public Radio reports, the region is experiencing above-average snow pack. This part of the country relies heavily on winter snow accumulating and slowly melting in the spring to replenish 18 the water supply. So it's good news that federal hydrology say the amount of snow that has fallen is above average. In fact, all 44 the basins measured cross Idaho, Oregon and Washington have more snow than normal for late December. Last winter was very dry here and drought was prevalent over the summer. There has been some * over the need for a good snow  season this year. In far southwest in Idaho and southeastern Oregon, one of the driest sections of the area, snow pacts 19 right now are more than 220 percent of normal. For NPR news, I'm Scott Graf in Boise.
 
 
Former president Bill Clinton's childhood house was damaged by fire. And officials say they this it's arson 20. Firefighters in Hope, Arkansas see flames a feet high when they got to the home earlier today but it was put out quickly. Arson is suspected because an investigator 21 say they smelled an accelerant at the scene. Clinton lived in that home as a child before moving to Hot Springs Arkansas and it was designated as a national historic site in 2011. I'm Janine Herbst. NPR news in Washington.