10 things you need to know today: December 25, 2015

Pope Francis calls for unity in his Christmas address, former U.S. hostages in Iran get compensation, and more

Pope Francis
(Image credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

1. U.S. victims of 1979 Iran hostage crisis receive compensation

After more than 36 years, the Americans who were held hostage for 444 days at the U.S. Embassy in Iran will receive financial compensation for their suffering. Each of the 53 former victims and/or their families will receive up to $4.4 million — up to $10,000 per day for each day they were held hostage. "I had to pull over to the side of the road, and I basically cried," said Rodney V. Sickmann, a Marine sergeant who was working as a guard at the embassy in Tehran when a group of students took over during the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The provision was buried in the massive spending bill Congress passed last week.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Samantha Rollins

Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.