“Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthi group have reached an agreement to free detainees, according to the United Nations, with officials from both sides putting the number at thousands. In a statement on Tuesday, the UN envoy on Yemen Hans Grundberg said the prisoner swap deal came after nearly two weeks of talks in Muscat, the capital of Oman, a mediator in the conflict between the government and the Houthis that began in 2014. … The war in Yemen has been largely frozen since 2022, but tensions have risen in recent weeks as the separatist Southern Transitional Council made military advances in the country’s eastern governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra. Overall, the conflict has killed tens of thousands people and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.” (12/23/25)
“The U.S. economy expanded at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, the most rapid expansion in two years, as consumer and government spending, as well as exports, all grew. U.S. gross domestic product from July through September — the economy’s total output of goods and services — rose from its 3.8% growth rate in the April-June quarter, the Commerce Department said Tuesday in a report delayed by the government shutdown. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast growth of 3% in the period. However, inflation remains higher than the Federal Reserve would like. The Fed’s favored inflation gauge — called the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE — climbed to a 2.8% annual pace last quarter, up from 2.1% in the second quarter.” (12/23/25)
“Japan’s beloved former Emperor Akihito marked his 92nd birthday Tuesday as his heart condition stabilized, palace officials said, following health concerns earlier this year. Akihito, the father of Emperor Naruhito, was diagnosed in May with insufficient blood flow to the heart muscles but has been in stable condition since he started a new medication in July, the Imperial Household Agency said in a statement. … Akihito, who has held the title of emperor emeritus since his abdication in 2019, was to celebrate his birthday with his family and receive guests, including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Known for his efforts to make amends for Japan’s wartime past, Akihito repeatedly prayed this year for its victims and the survivors who faced hardships as he marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.” (12/23/25)
“The Trump administration will begin to garnish the pay of student loan borrowers in January, the Department of Education said, stepping up a repayment enforcement effort that began this year. Beginning the week of Jan. 7, roughly 1,000 borrowers who are in default will receive notices informing them of their status, according to an email from the department. The number of notices will increase on a monthly basis. The collection activities are ‘conducted only after student and parent borrowers have been provided sufficient notice and opportunity to repay their loans,’ according to the email, which was unsigned.” (12/23/25)
“Former GOP Sen. Ben Sasse revealed Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and does not have long to live. In a lengthy statement on X, the 53-year-old said bluntly: ‘Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.’ ‘Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all,’ the former senator from Nebraska added. ‘Still, I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad.'” (12/23/25)
“London police arrested Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday at a pro-Palestinian protest, UK-based campaign group Defend Our Juries said. Thunberg was arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding a sign that said she supported prisoners linked to Palestine Action, an organisation which the British government has proscribed as a terrorist group, Defend Our Juries said.” (12/23/25)
“Russell Brand has been charged with two further offences including one count of rape, the Metropolitan Police has said. In a new statement, the police force said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised an additional charge of rape and a charge of sexual assault relating to two further women. The broadcaster, comedian and actor previously pleaded not guilty to five charges including two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault in relation to four women. … A trial is set to start at Southwark Crown Court on 16 June 2026 for the five original charges which allegedly took place on dates spanning between 1999 and 2005 in central London and Bournemouth.” (12/23/25)
“The Kansas City Chiefs are moving to Kansas. The Chiefs, in conjunction with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, announced in a statement from owner and chairman Clark Hunt on Monday that the team will move to a domed stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. The announcement came after a meeting of the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council to discuss the Chiefs’ stadium plans. The new stadium is planned to be completed in time for the 2031 NFL season and Kelly said the project would cost $3 billion. … A tug-of-war has unfolded for months between the states of Kansas and Missouri. And the Chiefs are moving because Kansas is willing to foot more of the bill than Missouri.” (12/22/25)
“A potential veto of Chicago’s 2026 budget by Mayor Brandon Johnson could trigger the Windy City’s first-ever municipal shutdown. Johnson reportedly rebuked the budget passed by council over the weekend, which lacks the mayor’s favored per-employee ‘head tax’ on corporations, as ‘morally bankrupt.’ If Johnson were to veto the budget, it would place the onus back on city council to rehash a plan that could get signed before Dec. 30 – or plunge the city into shutdown. … Items in the council’s budget include legalized video-gambling machines at eateries and Chicago-Midway Airport, raising the shopping-bag tax and a nationally unique proposal to tax social media companies – levying $0.50-per active Chicago user beyond 100,000 users that a platform has – with an expected windfall of $31 million, if approved. While a shutdown would be a novel development, late-year budget vetoes in Chicago are not.” (12/23/25)
“Sudan’s prime minister has presented a plan to end the country’s nearly three-year war before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calling on members to stand ‘on the right side of history’ by backing the initiative, as fighting continued in Kordofan and North Kordofan states. Addressing the UNSC on Monday, Kamil Idris outlined the proposal that includes a ceasefire monitored by the UN, African Union and Arab League, and the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary from territory it controls. The plan would also see RSF forces, who have been engaged in fierce clashes with the Sudanese army since April 2023, being placed in camps and disarmed – a measure, Idris said, would be necessary for the truce to have any ‘chance for success.'” (12/23/25)
