WORLD Radio News - WORLD Radio News: 12-24-25 (2/3)

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

The latest headlines in three minutes from WORLD updated three times throughout the day.Sign-up for the daily Sift email at thesift.org.Support sound journalism, grounded in facts and Biblical truth at wng.org/donate.

With World Radio News, I'm Kent Covington. Russia launched a massive wave of drones and missiles at Ukraine ahead of Christmas, killing at least three people, including a four-year-old child. Ukrainian officials say the attack hit homes and power stations across 13 regions knocking out electricity. Air defenses shot down most of the incoming threats, but outages spread across large parts of the country. The strikes left many families without heat. or light and added new strain to an already battered power system during one of the coldest

weeks of the year. The U.S. economy picked up speed in the third quarter, going at a 4.3 percent annual rate, the fastest pace in two years. World's Kristen Flavin has more. That stronger growth blew past expectations. That came largely from Americans continuing to spend, even with stubbornly elevated inflation. The Commerce Department report was delayed due to the government shutdown. consumer spending rose at a pace of three and a half percent faster than earlier in the year.

That helped businesses post solid gains through the summer. Inflation cooled from earlier peaks but stayed above the Federal Reserve's comfort zone, which could keep interest rates higher for longer. For World, I'm Kristen Flavin. The death toll from a pub shooting in South Africa has climbed to 10 as police moved closer to suspects. The attack happened early Sunday morning in Ben, Beckers doll west of Johannesburg. Police say seven men and three women were killed and nine others remain hospitalized.

Investigators say they have identified two possible suspects based on tips from the community. Authorities also plan to charge the bar's owner with running an illegal liquor outlet and seized all alcohol from the scene. It is the second mass shooting at a township pub in three weeks, underscoring South Africa's ongoing struggle with violent crime. Amid a major U.S. Navy build-up in the Caribbean, reporters asked President Trump this week about his intentions toward Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maruro. We have a massive armada formed, the biggest we've ever had, by far the biggest we've ever had in South America. He could do whatever he wants. It's all right. Whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it'll be the last time he's ever able to play tough. It comes as the administration continues to target Venezuelan drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean

and the American seizure of multiple oil tankers linked to Venezuela. The president also announced plans this week for what he's calling the Golden Fleet, a proposed new class of U.S. warships that he said would be the largest, fastest, and most powerful ever built, but any new fleet would still need approval and funding from Congress, which controls defense spending. For World Radio, I'm Kent Covington. For more sound journalism grounded in front. facts and biblical truth, visit world radio.news. Additional support comes from MediShare, America's leading healthcare sharing community,

metashare.com slash world.