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Lead On Jan. 4, 2026, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed Seoul Air Base in Seongnam for a four-day state visit to China, accompanied by his wife Kim Hea Kyung and a delegation of more than 200 business leaders. The trip, Lee’s first to Beijing since taking office in June, came hours after North … Read more

Lead: Researchers at the University of Houston and Rutgers University report a theoretical mechanism by which tiny, active ripples in the lipid membranes that surround cells could produce usable electrical voltages. Published in PNAS Nexus in 2025, the model couples known membrane fluctuations driven by protein activity and ATP consumption with the material property called … Read more

Lead Netflix’s January slate mixes one of its biggest returning tentpoles with experiments in appointment viewing and a wave of acquired catalog titles. Key premieres include Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 on January 29 and the live-style revival Star Search beginning January 20; several older network dramas land on the service across the month. The … Read more

Lead: A new multi-method study published in Science Advances presents strong anatomical evidence that Sahelanthropus tchadensis, a 7-million-year-old species unearthed in Chad’s Djurab Desert in the early 2000s, had adaptations for walking on two legs. Researchers used 3D geometric morphometrics and comparative trait analysis to identify a femoral tubercle and other features linked to upright … Read more

Lead: In Santa Clara on Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 at Levi’s Stadium to claim the NFC West title and the conference’s top playoff seed. The victory, Seattle’s 14th against three losses, also secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage deep into January. Players celebrated in the locker room but … Read more

Marin County experienced a second day of disruptive flooding on Saturday as exceptionally high king tides coincided with a winter storm surge and heavy rain, inundating roads and local businesses for hours. Floodwater rose rapidly at the Marin RV Park in Larkspur, cutting off the driveway in under 15 minutes and prompting hurried evacuations. Around … Read more

On Jan. 3, 2026, the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) named Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another its Best Picture at the group’s 60th annual awards voting meeting. The wide-ranging adventure drama, which has earned more than $205 million worldwide, also secured Best Director for Anderson and two supporting acting prizes for Teyana … Read more

Lead For Sunday, January 4, 2026, readers should note an early-morning moon alert in Chicago: avoid nonessential shopping and postpone major decisions between 6:30 and 8:00 a.m. CT. After 8:00 a.m., the Moon moves from Cancer into Leo, shifting attention from home and finances toward social life, creativity and romance. Many signs may find the … Read more

Swiss prosecutors in the canton of Valais opened a criminal investigation on 3 January 2026 into the managers of Le Constellation, a bar in the Crans‑Montana ski resort, after a New Year’s Eve blaze killed at least 40 people and injured 119. Authorities have accused the two managers of homicide by negligence, causing bodily harm … Read more

Lead: James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash cleared the $1 billion global threshold over the New Year’s weekend, paced by steady overseas receipts and continued domestic holdovers. Through New Year’s Day the film had amassed $935 million worldwide—$266 million in North America and $699 million internationally—with Friday’s returns pushing the domestic total to $280 million. … Read more

Lead: On January 3, 2026, the United States carried out an operation in Caracas that officials say resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The announcement prompted rapid, sharply divided reactions from foreign-policy analysts, investors, and business leaders. Some see the removal of Maduro as a near-term economic opening—particularly for … Read more

With one regular-season day remaining, 12 of the 14 playoff seeds are unresolved as teams across both conferences play for positioning and byes. Seattle clinched the NFC’s top seed Saturday night by beating San Francisco, but the AFC No. 1 spot and most of the bracket remain up for grabs. The AFC’s top seed could … Read more

Lead About 20 U.S. investors are organizing a March trip to Venezuela after reports that President Nicolás Maduro was taken into U.S. custody. Charles Myers, chairman of Signum Global Advisors, said he is preparing to visit the country in March and described investor sentiment as one of “cautious optimism.” Myers told Business Insider that foreign … Read more

Lead: In San Francisco on Jan. 3, 2026, Stephen Curry returned from a one-game absence and scored 31 points, including six 3-pointers, to power the Golden State Warriors to a 123-114 victory over the Utah Jazz. The Warriors, back to a fuller rotation after a 37-point loss the night before, overcame late-game discipline issues to … Read more

Lead: On Jan. 3, 2026, Delta Air Lines announced it will restart service to 13 Caribbean airports after the Federal Aviation Administration indicated a regional airspace-closure directive would expire early on Sunday, Jan. 4. Delta said it expects to operate its normal Caribbean schedule on Jan. 4, while noting some schedule adjustments may be required … Read more