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As 2026 opened, China and Japan returned to a familiar cycle of diplomatic confrontation, centered on history, security and trade. Beijing publicly rebuked Tokyo after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan might respond if China used force against Taiwan, while Beijing simultaneously announced export controls and launched investigations into specific imports. Seoul’s leader visited Beijing … Read more

Lead Satellite imagery captured on December 26, 2025, shows the remains of iceberg A-23A in the South Atlantic developing widespread aquamarine melt ponds, a sign the decades-old berg may collapse within days to weeks. A-23A, which calved from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986 and once covered roughly 1,500 square miles (4,000 km2), now measures … Read more

Researchers at Texas A&M and collaborators worldwide are refining instruments and methods to probe dark matter and dark energy, which together make up about 95% of the cosmos. Led by experimental particle physicist Dr. Rupak Mahapatra, teams are developing cryogenic semiconductor detectors with quantum-grade sensors to capture extremely rare interactions that could reveal dark-matter particles. … Read more

Lead: In 2025 the United States suffered approximately $115 billion in disaster losses, according to data released Jan. 8, 2026, marking the fifth year above $100 billion in the last six years. A record 21 thunderstorm systems each produced at least $1 billion in damage, while wildfires that swept Los Angeles neighborhoods in January accounted … Read more

Lead Harvey Weinstein appeared in Manhattan on January 8, 2026, for a hearing that could affect requests over his criminal convictions and pending counts. A New York judge rejected his motion for a new trial after reviewing juror complaints about deliberation room decorum, while prosecutors say they will retry a separate 2013 rape count. Weinstein, … Read more

Lead U.S. filings for unemployment benefits ticked up in the final reported week around the turn of the year, rising by 8,000 to 208,000 for the week ending Jan. 3, 2026. The Labor Department released the data on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, and the print matched expectations from analysts surveyed by FactSet. Despite the weekly … Read more

Lead The Internal Revenue Service on Monday set Monday, January 26, 2026, as the start of the 2026 federal individual tax filing season, with the April 15, 2026 deadline to file 2025 returns and pay any tax due. The agency said roughly 164 million individual income tax returns are expected this year, with most filed … Read more

Lebanon’s military said on Monday that it has assumed security control of the country’s south, a region long dominated by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, following a November 2024 ceasefire that ended a year-long war with Israel. The move covers areas south of the Litani River—about 30km (20 miles) from the Israeli border—and was described by … Read more

CES 2026 in Las Vegas has produced not just concept demos but a sizable crop of retail-ready devices you can order today. From quieter yard tools and compact 45W chargers to AI voice recorders, privacy-focused phones and a $4,999 4K projector, manufacturers showed many items with firm pricing and buy-now buttons. This piece summarizes 19 … Read more

Lead: Eric and Wendy Schmidt announced funding for four new telescopes—one space observatory named Lazuli and three ground-based systems—intended to accelerate astronomy development and open data access. The Lazuli space telescope, with a 3.1-meter primary mirror, is planned to launch as early as late 2028 and begin operations in 2029. The ground projects include a … Read more

Dozens of French farmers drove tractors into Paris on Thursday to press the government over renewed European Union talks on a free-trade agreement with five South American countries. Demonstrators gathered near the National Assembly after convoys brought roughly a hundred tractors toward the capital, while the Interior Ministry reported about 20 machines reached central sites … Read more

Lead Spartanburg County, South Carolina, is at the center of a measles outbreak that was declared in early October 2025 and has since produced more than 200 reported cases across the region. Local and state health officials say the area’s falling MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine coverage — schoolshot rates have dropped from about 95% to 90% … Read more

California is losing residents not only among the very wealthy but also among ordinary renters and homeowners packing U-Haul trucks. In a near–real-time snapshot from last year, U-Haul’s one-way move data — covering more than 2.5 million U.S. trips — shows California had the largest gap between departures and arrivals, marking a sixth consecutive year … Read more

Xbox’s Developer_Direct returns on Thursday, January 22 with live studio presentations that include extended gameplay for Fable, the first gameplay reveal for Forza Horizon 6, and an in-depth look at Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation. The broadcast airs at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK and marks the series’ fourth installment as Xbox … Read more

Lead More than one million people in Dnipropetrovsk region were left without heating and water after Russian drone strikes damaged infrastructure, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said. The attack also caused power outages for thousands in neighbouring Zaporizhzhia, though power was later restored there. Ukrainian authorities and companies including DTEK are engaged in repairs amid a … Read more