Headlines versus trend lines

December 24, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

By almost every measure, humanity is making progress. And more people are acknowledging that.

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The US economy grew at a sizzling 5 percent annual rate in the July-September period, the fastest in more than a decade, on the strength of higher consumer spending and business investment. The resurgence in growth last quarter provided the latest evidence that the US economy is steadily strengthening and outshining most others around the world. When the US stock market ended trading on Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 18,000 for the first time.

In a late night operation, Algeria's army killed the leader of an Islamic State splinter group blamed for the kidnapping and beheading of a French hiker, the Ministry of Defense said Tuesday. The militant, Abdelmalek Gouri, was killed together with two associates in the army ambush late Monday in the town of Isser near the city of Boumerdes, 25 miles east of Algiers, the ministry said in a statement. Two other militants also were killed Tuesday morning nearby, the ministry said.

Honduran immigrant Angela Navarro has lived in fear of being sent back to her native country for 10 years. Tired of running scared, Navarro sought sanctuary at a Philadelphia house of worship while she and her supporters work to gain legal status for her. Navarro is one of about a dozen US immigrants who have recently taken shelter in churches, where authorities generally won't pursue enforcement actions. The cases are unfolding as President Barack Obama seeks to curb deportations starting next year, an effort many Republicans oppose.

Nicaraguan officials and a Chinese company broke ground Monday on a $50 billion transoceanic waterway predicted to rival the Panama Canal, but which has been a source of anger and protests from citizens in recent weeks. President Daniel Ortega, with Wang Jing, president of the contracting firm HKND Group, said the canal will change the economy of Nicaragua, one of Latin America's poorest countries, as well as the rest of the hemisphere. In a televised address, he promised the project would have minimal impact on the environment and that farmers concerned about their land will receive a just price.

It's Christmas season and the little town of Bethlehem is jammed with a big-city problem: Traffic snarling streets everywhere, including around the church marking the spot where tradition says Jesus was born. The city is considering a dramatic solution to the problem — digging a tunnel under Manger Square. Traffic is a mess year-round. It may be the biblical town of grottos and shepherds' fields in the minds of many around the world, but Bethlehem is a modern densely populated town of 28,000 with a dizzying weave of small streets that practically guarantee traffic jams.

If you have children, or know someone who does, or just listened to one recently, the choice of Associated Press Entertainer of the Year won't come as much of a shock: It's "Frozen," and in 2014, we just couldn't let it go. Although the animated film opened late in 2013, the story of Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven easily outpaced other vote-getters like "Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch, TV guru Shonda Rimes, and musicians Beyonce and Pharrell Williams. In 47 ballots submitted by members and subscribers of the AP, "Frozen" won 12 votes. Taylor Swift had 8. Matthew McConaughey and Jimmy Fallon were tied for third with 7 votes each. Voters were asked to consider who had the most influence on entertainment and culture in 2014.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

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