December 24th, 2012
01:22 PM ET

Police officer, bystander killed after Houston car chase

A police officer and a bystander died from wounds suffered in a parking lot shootout after a car chase in a Houston suburb Monday, police said.

The pursuit started after a driver refused to stop when a Bellaire, Texas, police officer tried to pull over his vehicle, Houston police spokesman John Cannon said.

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Two firefighters dead after being shot while responding to house fire; suspect dead
December 24th, 2012
11:55 AM ET

Two firefighters dead after being shot while responding to house fire; suspect dead

[Updated at 11:55 a.m. ET]  The shooter who killed two firefighters in upstate New York on Monday is dead, Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering told reporters.

"The threat has been eliminated. The shooter is believed to be deceased at the scene," he said, adding that it appears the shooter set a trap for the firefighters.

[Updated at 9:48 a.m. ET] Two firefighters were killed when one or more shooters opened fire at the scene of house fire in upstate New York on Monday, police said.

[Posted at 8:39 a.m. ET] Firefighters who responded to a fire in Webster, New York, were shot at as they tried to put out flames that tore through a home, the town's fire marshal told CNN.

Gunfire erupted as firefighters responded to a call shortly before 6 a.m. Monday at a residence on Lake Road in the small town of Webster, Fire Marshal Rob Boutillier said. Webster is about 15 miles east of Rochester, New York, near Lake Ontario.

Two firefighters from the scene are now being treated at a hospital in Rochester, according to Strong Memorial Hospital public relations director Terry D'Agostino.

Boutillier said one of the firefighters was in satisfactory condition.

He also said the fire has spread to a second house in the neighborhood. Firefighters are currently not fighting the active fire, according to Boutillier, because of the gunfire.

WHAM: Fire, and shots fired in Webster

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Nelson Mandela to spend Christmas in hospital, government says
Nelson Mandela and his third wife, Graca Machel, arrive at the 2010 World Cup before the final match on July 11, 2010.
December 24th, 2012
11:52 AM ET

Nelson Mandela to spend Christmas in hospital, government says

Former South African President Nelson Mandela will remain in a Pretoria hospital through Christmas, the government said on Monday.

In a statement on his website, President Jacob Zuma said that Mandela is responding well to treatment.

"We also humbly invite all freedom loving people around the world to pray for him. He is an ardent fighter and will recover from this episode with all our support," said Zuma, who visited Mandela on Saturday.

Mandela, 94, has received round-the-clock care since an acute respiratory infection in 2011. He was hospitalized for a lung infection on December 8; and on December 15, he had successful endoscopic surgery to have gallstones removed.

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