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Lead On December 23, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule that replaces the random H-1B lottery with a weighted selection designed to favor higher-skilled, higher-paid applicants. The change is intended to protect U.S. wages, working conditions and job opportunities by increasing the likelihood that available visas go to workers with advanced … Read more

NASA’s Perseverance rover, which has been exploring Jezero Crater since landing in February 2021, identified an unusual rock in September 2025 that initial instrument scans indicate is a meteorite. The object, nicknamed Phippsaksla, measures roughly 2.5 feet across and shows elevated nickel and iron in SuperCam laser readings—elements typical of asteroid-derived meteorites. The find was … Read more

The 2026 Pro Bowl rosters for the AFC and NFC were announced Dec. 23, 2025, setting the field for the Feb. 3 skills competition and 7-on-7 flag football games at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Baltimore, Denver, San Francisco and Seattle led the league with six players apiece, while the selections reinforced standout campaigns — … Read more

Lead: In the first 11 months of President Trump’s current term, more than 1.6 million people lost legal authorization to remain in the United States as the new administration moved to rescind a range of visas, parole programs and temporary protections. Actions taken since the inauguration in January 2025 include ending a Biden-era humanitarian parole … Read more

Lead This morning I asked my Alexa-enabled Bosch coffee maker to brew a cup. After upgrading to Alexa Plus — Amazon’s generative-AI voice assistant released in early 2025 — the device repeatedly refuses or returns new excuses instead of running my routine. The promise that large language models would simplify smart-home setup and operation has … Read more

Lead: Dan Elkayam, 27, a Paris-born amateur footballer and IT engineer, was killed on Bondi Beach during a December attack that struck Sydney’s Jewish community as people gathered to celebrate Hanukkah. Friends, teammates and family say he was a warm, football-obsessed traveler who turned up to play wherever a game started — from favela streets … Read more

Readers from around the English-speaking world named their favourite albums of 2025 in a year that blended breakthrough debuts with established superstars. Submissions collected by The Guardian highlight everything from baroque art‑rock and maximalist R&B to intimate singer‑songwriters and experimental electronic palettes. Contributors cited specific tracks, live performances and lyrical moments as reasons for their … Read more

Who: The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). When: Third quarter 2025 (July–September), initial estimate released after an October–November federal shutdown delay. Where: United States national accounts. What and result: Real gross domestic product (GDP) rose at a 4.3 percent annual rate in Q3 2025, up from 3.8 percent in Q2, with notable contributions from … Read more

New analyses of sky surveys suggest the cosmos may be directionally uneven, a finding that would undercut a core assumption of modern cosmology. Researchers report a mismatch between the temperature dipole in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the dipole measured in the distribution of distant matter, a discrepancy visible across radio and mid-infrared catalogs. … Read more

The Commerce Department on Tuesday released an advance estimate showing the U.S. economy grew at an inflation-adjusted annualized rate of 4.3% in the third quarter, up from 3.8% in Q2. The stronger-than-expected reading was driven principally by a jump in consumer spending and a sizeable rebound in exports. The release was delayed by the recent … Read more

This season U.S. holiday retail payments increased 4.2% year‑over‑year, according to preliminary data from Visa Consulting & Analytics released on Dec. 23, 2025, tracking a seven‑week period beginning Nov. 1. The analysis—based on a subset of Visa network transactions and excluding automotive, gasoline and restaurant spending—shows in‑store payments accounted for 73% of volume while online … Read more

Lead On Dec. 22, 2025, as thousands gathered at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to mark the winter solstice, a black cat nicknamed Moon became the most talked-about attendee. Per a viral clip, Moon sat atop one of the monument’s large sarsen stones and calmly watched the crowd celebrate the shortest day of the year. Organizers later … Read more

Lead The Arovia Splay, a crowdfunded device first backed in 2021, attempts to combine a collapsible fabric monitor with an ultra-short-throw projector. In hands-on testing it costs $1,300, folds into a 4×4‑inch, 2.5‑pound package and expands into either a 24.5‑ or 34.5‑inch monitor or an 80‑inch projected image. As a monitor it struggles with text … Read more

In its 11th month as of Dec. 23, 2025, a nationwide measles surge approaching 2,000 confirmed cases has put a West Texas household at the center of the crisis. The Timmons family, five of whom required hospital care during the spring wave, recovered after prolonged illness and lingering symptoms. The cluster traces to a Mennonite … Read more

Lead On Dec. 23, 2025, Russia launched an overnight barrage of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky described a U.S.-backed peace proposal as “quite solid.” The strikes—Ukrainian officials said more than 650 drones plus dozens of missiles—hit energy infrastructure and civilian buildings, prompting countrywide power cuts and at least three … Read more