in the world

Buildings in the center of the Iraqi capital came under rocket fire on Thursday morning. Among them: the headquarters of the American coalition forces, a hotel where Europeans now live, as well as a number of residential buildings. So far, two people are known to be injured. The US command warned the day before that the number of terrorist attacks in Iraq would increase during the Christmas holidays. Thus, in the northern part of Baghdad, an American soldier who took part in a special operation was blown up by a mine on Wednesday. Thus, the number of deaths in Iraq on the American side after the announcement of the end of hostilities reached 206 people.
The mission control center in Darmstadt did not receive a signal from Beagle 2, the European space probe that was supposed to reach the surface of the Red Planet last night. The so-called communication window lasted a quarter of an hour; the closest expected contact with Beagle 2 should take place using one of the British observatories, where its call signs are also expected.
Baby Beagle 2, weighing only 34 kilograms, flew to Mars for almost six months. Now the device must take soil samples, and also try to detect water and evidence of life, if it really existed on this planet. The duration of the first European expedition to Mars is designed for 6 months.
Solemn Christmas services were held in Catholic and Protestant churches around the world last night. Tens of thousands of believers gathered in Bethlehem, the city where, according to legend, Christ was born. However, the mass in the Church of the Nativity was again held without the head of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat. The chair intended for him has been empty for the third year: the Israeli authorities do not allow Arafat to leave his residence in Ramallah. The majority of Christians living in the West Bank of Jordan and the Gaza Strip, as reported by the Israeli side, had no problems with movement on Wednesday, as a number of restrictions were lifted. Palestinians report that due to fears of sabotage, many believers have abandoned the traditional trip to Bethlehem this year.