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Good evening. Here’s the latest.
1. Score one for the power of sports.
North and South Korea agreed to have their athletes march together under a “unified Korea” flag, seen above, at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics next month. The nations will also field a joint women’s ice hockey team.
The moves are “the most dramatic gesture of reconciliation between the two nations in a decade,” said our Korea correspondent.
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2. It’s being called one of the worst U.S. intelligence failures in years: More than a dozen C.I.A. informants in China have been killed or arrested since 2010, as Beijing dismantled American spying operations. We broke the story in May.
Now, an American is suspected of having helped Beijing by identifying the informants. Jerry Chun Shing Lee, who left the C.I.A. in 2007, was apprehended in New York this week.
Continue reading the main storyAbove, an honor guard outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last year.
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3. Stephen Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, has agreed to be interviewed by investigators working for the special counsel in the Russia investigation.
The deal allows Mr. Bannon to avoid testifying before a grand jury, a sign that he is cooperating with the investigation. Above, Mr. Bannon was on Capitol Hill to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.
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4. Independent cardiologists who looked at the results from President Trump’s recent physical said they were far from “excellent,” as his doctor had put it.
Mr. Trump’s levels of bad cholesterol are very high, which raises the risk of heart attack. His doctor is upping his dose of a cholesterol drug and has recommended a healthier diet and more exercise.
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5. Apple plans to bring back the majority of the $252 billion in cash that it has long held abroad, capitalizing on the Republican tax law.
The company has big plans for the money. It said it would create more than 20,000 new jobs in the U.S. and open a new campus in a location where it currently has no operations.
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6. Moscow got just six minutes of sunlight in December.
That’s the darkest December since the city began recording the data. The average for the month — 18 hours — was hardly anything to write home about.
Elsewhere in wintry Europe, Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain created a new position: minister for loneliness. Health experts warn that isolation can be dangerous, and the new minister will establish programs to alleviate it.
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7. Sexual abuse scandals are casting a pall over Pope Francis’ visit to Latin America.
He’s already apologized to victims in Chile. But in Peru, where he’s scheduled to arrive Thursday, some are asking why the Vatican is protecting a high-profile layman accused of abuse. Above, a poster welcoming Francis in Lima.
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8. Do public universities have to allow white supremacists to speak on campus?
That question is playing out across the country. Representatives of the far-right leader Richard Spencer are trying to book him at major universities — and are filing lawsuits when he’s denied the opportunity.
Campus administrators are grappling with how to balance freedom of expression and the safety of their students. Above, white supremacists marched through the University of Virginia campus in August.
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9. People across the northern U.S. and parts of Canada got a glimpse of a fireball that lit up the sky north of Detroit.
The fiery display came from a meteor — likely larger than most — and lasted just a few seconds. Videos, like the one above posted to YouTube, showed a bright flash of light, then a pop, almost like a light bulb burning out. Some people reported hearing a sonic boom.
Market Snapshot View Full Overview
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10. Finally, Trevor Noah was skeptical about President Trump’s health report.
“The only thing that looks healthy about Donald Trump is he’s shaped like a food pyramid,” he joked on “The Daily Show.”
The celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain will join Mr. Noah on Wednesday.
Have a great night.
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