World News Roundup: Execution of those convicted would conceal truth, Khashoggi's fiancee; India, outrage against new law and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Khashoggi's fiancee says execution of those convicted would conceal truth

The fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi described the sentencing of five people to death in relation to the killing as unfair and invalid, adding that their execution would further conceal the truth. Khashoggi disappeared after going to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, to obtain documents for his planned wedding. His body was reportedly dismembered and removed from the building and his remains have not been found.

India beefs up security amid outrage against new law, anger with police

Indian authorities stepped up security and shut down the internet in various places on Tuesday while members of the ruling party planned marches backing a new citizenship law even though nationwide protests against it are escalating. An interior ministry official said the government expected all state security officials to be on duty on Christmas Eve and through the holiday week.

Tijuana bus serves as school for children of asylum seekers

On a cold rainy day in Tijuana, 30 children of families awaiting possible asylum in the United States piled into a bus for a morning of coloring, storytelling and some holiday cheer before Christmas eve. The Yes We Can World Foundation mobile classroom provides bilingual education and emotional help as the children's families wait for their asylum cases to be heard - a process that can last months.

Kong police fire tear gas to break up Christmas Eve protest chaos

Hong Kong riot police fired rounds of tear gas at thousands of protesters, many wearing masks and reindeer horns, after scuffles in shopping malls and in a prime tourist district as pro-democracy rallies escalated into Christmas Eve chaos. Protesters inside the malls threw umbrellas and other objects at police who responded by beating some demonstrators with batons, with one pointing his gun at the crowd, but not firing. Don't let

Church failings distance you from God, Pope says on Christmas Eve

Pope Francis led the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas on Tuesday, urging them not to let the Church's failings lead them away from accepting God's love. Francis celebrated a solemn Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for thousands of people as hundreds of others watched on large screens outside.

Thirty-five civilians killed in Burkina Faso after army repels militant attack

Burkina Faso insurgents killed 35 mostly female civilians on Tuesday after attacking a military outpost in northern Soum Province, and about 87 militants and local security forces were killed in the clash, authorities said. President Roch Marc Kabore declared two days of national mourning in the West African country in response to the attack.

Exclusive: Malware broker behind U.S. hacks is now teaching computer skills in China

A Chinese malware broker who was sentenced in the United States this year for dealing in malicious software linked to major hacks is back at his old workplace: teaching high-school computer courses, including one on internet security. Yu Pingan, who spent 18 months in a San Diego federal detention center, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer hacking. A high school instructor, he had been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in August 2017 upon arriving with a group of teachers to observe a U.S. university. A Reuters reporter found him teaching at his old school here last month.

U.S. ready to deal with any North Korean 'Christmas gift': Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday brushed off North Korea's warning of a "Christmas gift," saying the United States would "deal with it very successfully," amid U.S. concerns that Pyongyang might be preparing a long-range missile test. China, North Korea's most important backer, meanwhile, urged Washington to take "concrete steps" as soon as possible to implement agreements reached during last year's summit between Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

British father, two children drown in Spanish pool on Christmas eve

Three members of the same British family - the father and two children - were found dead on Tuesday in a swimming pool of a Costa del Sol resort in southern Spain where they were staying, local authorities said. The Andalusia regional government said on Twitter police arrived at the scene in Mijas, near Malaga, in the early afternoon after receiving a telephone call and found the bodies of a 53-year-old man, a nine-year-old and a 16-year-old floating in the pool.

Paris Opera ballerinas, who retire at 42, kick up a fuss over Macron pension plans

Ballerinas in white tutus danced scenes from Swan Lake on the forecourt of the Paris Opera on Tuesday to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to scrap their special pension benefits. Backed by musicians from the Paris Symphony Orchestra, the dancers performed their impromptu 20-minute rendition before hundreds of onlookers. Behind them were banners reading "Culture in danger."