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College students return to campus in Gaza  December 3, 2025

 

What's up, everybody? Welcome to another edition of CNN 10. I'm Coy Wire with your news for Wednesday, December 3rd, which means it's Your Word Wednesday. So listen up to see if the vocabulary word you submitted helped expand our vocab today.

 

We begin in the Middle Easternnation of Lebanon, where Pope Leo has concluded an historic visit to the region. It was Leo's first trip abroad since becoming the first American leader of the Catholic Church back in May of this year.

 

The Pope brought a message of unity and hope to the country that's been heavily impacted by regional conflicts and instability.

 

He also met with more than 15,000 youngsters as part of an effort to address key issues affecting students and teens in the region. Our Christopher Lamb has more.

 

A warm welcome on the streets of Beirut for Pope Leo in Lebanon during his first overseas trip.

 

Beirut [beˋrut] n. 贝鲁特（黎巴嫩首都）

 

The first American pope in the heart of the Middle East with a message of peace.

 

In an age when coexistence can seem like a distant dream, the people of Lebanon, while embracing different religions, stand as a powerful reminder that fear, distrust and prejudice do not have the final word and that unity, reconciliation and peace are possible.

 

have the last word 有最后决定权, 有定论; to win an argument or make the final decision

reconciliation [rɛkən͵sɪlɪˋeʃən] n. 和解，和好; 调解

 

For a country which has been through so much, Leo's visit lifting their spirits.

 

But people here want more than nice words.

 

We need if you want practical things that the Pope will ask maybe to the church or to the maybe international community.

 

We know the Pope that he's not a political figure and he doesn't have arms but he has you know he's the Pope, people would listen to him.

 

The Pope in a country with a sizable Christian community, one as old as Christianity itself, excited to meet Leo, as were young people.

 

sizable [ˋsaɪzəb!] adj. 相當大的

 

But like thousands of Lebanese Christians, many have been leaving, Leo urging them to stay. The Pope's visit to Lebanon won't be able to resolve the country's problems, but it is offering a glimmer of hope.

 

glimmer [ˋglɪmɚ] n. 微光；少许[（+of）]   

 

Staying in the Middle East, an academic milestone is being celebrated in the war-torn enclave of Gaza. For the first time in more than two years, some students and teachers are returning to school, something that seemed impossible just months ago. Our Oren Lieberman heard from students at Gaza's Islamic University.

 

And although their campus shares the same streets as rubble and wreckage, they said they will not let the destruction be a hindrance to their education.

 

hindrance [ˋhɪndrəns] n. 妨碍，障碍

 

I had dreams, and I was surprised that they started to come true.

 

For two years, Gaza's students thought they would never return to school.

 

Since the war began, schools turned into shelters for the displaced. Amid the rubble wrought by Israeli airstrikes, Gaza's Islamic University is now reopening.

 

wrought [rɔt] adj. put together; created

 

My feeling is very sad, seeing the university like this. All its beauty, this architecture, this beautiful building, being destroyed like this.

 

More than 90 percent of the school and university buildings in Gaza were either damaged or destroyed by Israel's bombardment, drawing accusations of scholasticide.

 

scholasticide [skəˋlæstɪk͵saɪd] n. 校园杀戮

 

Education became virtually impossible. Israel has always maintained that Hamas embedded its military infrastructure within schools, an accusation the militant group has denied.

 

We tried to minimize the possibilities, because we have this desire to continue, and we want to be something in the future. I want to be a great architect, successful, and make all my dreams come true.

 

Honestly, I feel very, very, very good that we, as a people in Gaza, can return to our normal lives.

 

And the first thing that comes back to Gaza is education.

 

10-second trivia. Sri Lanka was known by another name during colonial times.

 

What was it? Ceylon, Malacca, Siam, or Burma?

 

If you said Ceylon, pinkies up! If you've ever tried a cup of Ceylon tea, it was most likely from Sri Lanka.

 

Ceylon [sɪˋlɑn] n. 锡兰（现称斯里兰卡）

 

The country was called Ceylon during British rule, which lasted until its independence in 1948.

 

The government of Sri Lanka is engagedin an overwhelming rescue and recovery mission right now, after a direct hit from Cyclone Ditwah.

 

The cyclone was part of a series of deadly storms that wreaked havoc across southern Asia earlier this week, leaving at least 1,100 people dead across four countries. Our Mike Valerio has more.

 

Across flood-ravaged Sri Lanka, the military called in to airlift fuel for families cut off from the rest of the country by Cyclone Ditwah.

 

Social media video from Sri Lanka's air force showing a child rescued, pulled up to safety, as neighboring India and Pakistan also send in aircraft to help.

 

In Indonesia's West Sumatra, signs of Cyclone Senyar's human toll are everywhere. Orange body bags carried by rescue and recovery teams.

 

This man lost both his mother and mother-in-law, saying they were sick and could not walk.

 

This building used to be my house. This was a mosque, and that was my parents' house, a rice mill, my younger brother's house, and my in-laws.

 

in-laws [ˋɪn͵lɔz] n. 姻親（尤指岳父母或公婆）

 

This is a before view of Songkhla province in Thailand from October, and this is a view from Sunday. A snapshot of West Sumatra from the summer, and one from over the weekend.

 

Sri Lanka's president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, emphasizing the scale of the catastrophe.

 

As a country, we are facing the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history. We also recognize that what we are undertaking is the most difficult rescue operation in our nation's history.

 

In Sri Lanka, more than 24,000 police, army and air force personnel are still trying to reach families stranded by floods, authorities said.

 

In the night, things were normal. By the next morning, everything was underwater, including our house. Seven of us, including children, took refuge on the top floor.

 

There are another 15 adults still there. Their houses are completely underwater.

 

Back in Indonesia, mud in some areas seen coming up to the top of door frames.

 

This woman says her child was the one who rescued her, and the flood was as high as the attic. She's gotten no food from the government yet, only from relatives. All as hundreds remain missing across the worst hit areas of Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

 

attic [ˋætɪk] n. 顶楼，阁楼；顶楼房间

 

All right, to the nation's capital now. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially at the White House. First Lady Melania Trump has unveiled this year's decor.

 

More than 150 volunteers helped decorate each room, following the theme of home is where the heart is.

 

home is where the heart is 心之所向即为家; 心在的地方就是家

 

The decorations feature a nod to America's 250th birthday, which is next year. There are traditional elements, including twinkling lights and velvet bows, as well as a toy-themed tree in the green room, which stands next to a 6,000-piece Lego portrait of President Donald Trump.

 

twinkling [ˋtwɪŋklɪŋ] adj. 闪烁的；闪亮的

velvet [ˋvɛlvɪt] n. 天鹅绒，丝绒

bow [bo] n. 蝴蝶结；蝴蝶领结

 

In the blue room, the official White House Christmas tree honors Gold Star families.

 

Gold Star 金星勋章（授予其成员在美国军队服役期间死亡的家庭）

 

From the White House to 151 gingerbread houses, today's story getting a 10 out of 10. This really takes home sweet home to a whole other level.

 

In Stockholm, the Swedish Center for Architecture and Design is celebrating the holidays with an entire neighborhood made of gingerbread. For 35 years, this annual contest has welcomed everyone from professional architects to young kids to show off their cookie construction skills. Now, some of these houses might not pass building inspection, but they definitely passed the taste test.

 

contest [ˋkɑntɛst] n. 比赛

 

The theme of this year is love, because love is for everyone, and we think it's really important to celebrate Christmas and the spirit of Christmas.

 

The theme may have been all sentimental, but contestants still came up with some pretty silly and creative interpretations, including the infamous Louvre jewelry heist. You can see some little gummy burglars in there.

 

sentimental [͵sɛntəˋmɛnt!] adj. 深情的

heist [haɪst] n. 抢劫，拦劫

burglar [ˋbɝglɚ] n. 夜贼，破门盗窃者

 

There is also a sinking Titanic, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, and of course...

 

Over here, Labubu is the spirit of the time.

 

It's 2025, you know somebody had to include a Labubu.

 

All right, congrats to Mr. Walsh's class at Thurman White Academy in Henderson, Nevada for submitting our Your Word Wednesday winner, Hindrance, which is a person or thing that creates difficulty or slows down progress, acting as an obstacle or obstruction.

 

Thank you for making us smarter today. Our shout out of the day goes to Mr. Lennox at Tolt Middle School in Carnation, Washington. Thank you for following along on Instagram and for commenting on our CNN10 YouTube channel.

 

Rise up! Speaking of Instagram, we are doing something special this month. 25 days of shout outs. There's no way we can get to all of the requests we get, but we still want you to know that we see you.

 

Check out our Instagram page each day. I'll be showing some love to some additional schools each and every day, and my team, we're going to put these shout outs on YouTube as well, so teachers, you can go up and put them up in front of your entire class. We appreciate all of you so much.

 

Best viewers in news. Go out, make it a wonderful Wednesday. Make someone smile today.

 

I'm Coy Wire, and we are CNN10.