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Lead A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean on Friday at 11:44 a.m. Japan Standard Time, located about 71 miles (115 kilometers) northeast of Hachinohe, Japan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor followed a larger quake in the same region days earlier and occurred while parts of Japan’s coastline … Read more
Lead: Iranian authorities detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi on Friday in Mashhad, her Paris-based foundation said, citing her brother Mehdi and verified reports. The foundation said security and police forces removed her from a memorial for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was recently found dead in his office. Mohammadi, awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace … Read more
Lead María Corina Machado left Venezuela in a covert nighttime sea crossing, according to Bryan Stern, a US special forces veteran who says he led the extraction. Stern told CBS the voyage was a long, wet and “scary” 13–14 hour trip by boat under no lights, after Machado had been in hiding since August 2024 … Read more
On Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, families across Skagit County remained in emergency shelters after the Skagit River rose to a new near-record high late Thursday. Evacuations focused on upriver communities along Highway 20, while the downtown Mount Vernon flood wall held and water began to fall by Friday morning. Local organizers set up shelters at … Read more
Lead On August 14, a Japanese hiker was fatally attacked in Hokkaido; investigators later recovered his satellite-enabled GPS watch, which logged abrupt deviations from the trail and biometric data that pinpointed his likely time and place of death. The device recorded a night-long pause near dense brush and movement the following morning, suggesting a bear … Read more
Lead: On Dec. 11, 2025, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed to fresh highs as investors shifted out of high-flying technology names and into value- and cyclical-oriented stocks. The 30-stock Dow rose into record territory intraday, while the S&P 500 slipped modestly and the Nasdaq declined as several AI-linked names retreated. Broadcom fell sharply despite … Read more
Lead: On Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 12, 2025, the Atlanta Falcons completed a dramatic comeback to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29-28. Trailing by two touchdowns with under 10 minutes to play, Atlanta pulled even and then won on Zane Gonzalez’s 43-yard, game-ending field goal. Quarterback Kirk Cousins engineered the decisive … Read more
This week’s AP-NORC poll finds U.S. shoppers entering the holidays more constrained than a year ago: conducted Dec. 4–8, the survey of 1,146 adults shows large shares are dipping into savings, hunting bargains and saying the economy feels stuck under President Donald Trump. About half of respondents report it is harder than usual to afford … Read more
Lead Disney’s six-part documentary The End of an Era pulls back the curtain on Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Eras tour and, unexpectedly, on a near-tragedy that halted its European run. Filming began as the tour arrived in Vienna on 8 August 2023, shortly before three Austrian dates were cancelled after authorities uncovered an Islamic State terror … Read more
In December 2025, Ars Technica published a practical guide for viewers who want to avoid the ad-driven, data-collecting behavior of modern smart TVs. The piece outlines ways to keep a large-screen display while minimizing tracking and intrusive recommendations, and it highlights trade-offs in cost, picture quality, and convenience. The guide’s core advice: take the TV … Read more
American skiing icon Lindsey Vonn, 41, claimed a landmark victory in the downhill World Cup at St Moritz on Friday, becoming the oldest winner in the discipline’s history. Vonn, who retired in February 2019 because of knee problems, returned to competition in December 2024 and crossed the St Moritz finish in 1:29.63. That time was … Read more
Lead: In the first episode of Disney+’s six-part docuseries The End of an Era, released at 3 a.m. ET / midnight PT on Friday, Taylor Swift opens up about the fear and grief that shadowed the European leg of her 2024 Eras Tour. Footage and present-day reflections show how a foiled terrorist plot tied to … Read more
President Donald Trump has publicly promoted a string of diplomatic achievements in recent months, claiming to have helped resolve eight international disputes in eight months while accepting the FIFA Peace Prize on Dec. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Some agreements have held, but several have weakened or collapsed, and analysts say the president’s role and … Read more
In early September 2025, Paramount launched a hostile takeover bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery just days after Netflix reached a deal to buy major parts of the company. Paramount’s $108 billion proposal would offer Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders $30 per share — a 139% premium to the stock price on Sept. 10, 2025 — … Read more
Lead: US authorities seized the crude tanker Skipper off Venezuela this week; the vessel is now about 40 nautical miles east of Guadeloupe and moving north after switching on its transponder around 22:00 GMT on Wednesday. The White House says it intends to take the oil after completing legal steps, while the US Treasury announced … Read more
