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China’s official manufacturing activity returned to expansion in December, marking the first month above the 50 threshold since March. Official data released on Wednesday show the manufacturing PMI rose to 50.1, beating Reuters’ forecast of 49.2 and improving from November’s 49.2. The broader composite PMI climbed to 50.7, while the non-manufacturing index moved to 50.2, … Read more

Lead Isiah Whitlock Jr., the character actor celebrated for his scene-stealing turn as a corrupt Maryland state senator on HBO’s The Wire, died on Dec. 30, 2025, in New York City at age 71. His manager, Brian Liebman, announced the actor’s death on Instagram, saying Whitlock died in a hospital after a short illness; no … Read more

Israel announced on Tuesday that it will suspend the operations of several international aid organizations in Gaza starting Thursday for failing to comply with new registration rules that require personal details for staff. The decision affects a number of major humanitarian actors, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and comes as foreign ministers from 10 countries … Read more

On Dec. 30, 2025, CME Group said it will raise margin requirements for futures tied to gold, silver, platinum and palladium after the close of business on Wednesday, following a volatile stretch that pushed prices sharply higher and then lower. The move, announced in a Dec. 30 statement and reported Dec. 31, is the second … Read more

Lead Luke Altmyer engineered one final winning drive to cap his Illinois career, leading a 13-play, 64-yard march in the final 4:58 that set up David Olano’s 29-yard walk-off field goal as Illinois edged Tennessee 30-28 on Tuesday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The victory gave Illinois a 9-4 record, the program’s first back-to-back 9+ … Read more

Lead On December 29, 2025, President Donald J. Trump returned H.R. 504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, to the House without his signature. The bill would have directed the Interior Department, working with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, to take measures to protect structures at the Osceola Camp inside Everglades National Park … Read more

In recent months, two separate civil lawsuits have accused Tyler Perry of using his industry power to sexually exploit men who worked near him in Los Angeles and on his productions. The first suit was filed in June and a second followed on Dec. 26; Perry’s lawyer has called the claims a $77 million extortion … Read more

Lead Jon Callaghan, co-founder of True Ventures, told TechCrunch on December 30, 2025, that the smartphone as we use it today is likely to be eclipsed within five to ten years. True Ventures — a Bay Area firm managing roughly $6 billion across 12 core seed funds and four select funds — is backing that … Read more

Actor and activist George Clooney, in a Variety cover story published Tuesday, criticized CBS and ABC for settling lawsuits brought by President Donald Trump and his administration. Clooney said the networks’ decisions — including Paramount’s settlement over a “60 Minutes” suit and ABC News’s December defamation settlement — represent a missed chance to resist legal … Read more

Lead On Dec. 30, 2025, two passenger trains collided head-on on the single-track line serving Machu Picchu, killing one crew member and injuring at least 40 people, Peruvian authorities said. The fatality was identified by the Cusco prosecutor’s office as the conductor of one train. The crash occurred around midday on the route between Ollantaytambo … Read more

Lead: Over the quiet Christmas period, unknown thieves drilled through a concrete wall into the vault of a Sparkasse branch in Gelsenkirchen and broke into safe deposit boxes, police said. The break-in was discovered after a fire alarm triggered early on Monday, 29 December. Authorities estimate the loss at least €10 million, with some statements … Read more

Lead On Dec. 30, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee, Illinois edged Tennessee 30-28 in the Music City Bowl. The result—reported and later noted in a corrected ESPN item—left both programs concluding the 2025 season with a close postseason finish. ESPN posted and then corrected a recap originally datelined in Nashville; the corrected label directs readers to … Read more

Lead Isiah Whitlock Jr., the character actor best known for portraying corrupt state senator Clay Davis on HBO’s The Wire, died on Tuesday in New York, Variety confirmed. He was 71. His manager, Brian Liebman, announced the death on Instagram, calling Whitlock a brilliant actor and a beloved friend. The news has prompted widespread remembrance … Read more

Lead The Biden-era Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it is pausing the flow of federal child care aid to Minnesota after multiple alleged fraud schemes surfaced in recent years. Officials said the action responds to what they described as widespread abuse tied to state-administered, federally funded … Read more

Israel has announced it will revoke the licenses of 37 international and local aid organisations operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, saying they failed to comply with newly introduced registration rules. The suspensions are set to begin on 1 January, with the organisations given 60 days to cease operations. Israeli officials cite incomplete … Read more