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On Dec. 20, 2025, four crew members for NASA’s Artemis 2 mission completed a full launch-day dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, practicing boarding and countdown procedures ahead of a planned circumlunar flight. The crew—NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—moved through … Read more

Lead Russia, Ukraine and the United States have signalled a tentative narrowing of differences over a deal to end nearly four years of full-scale war, but negotiators say a few deeply contentious issues remain unresolved. Key disputes include control of parts of Donetsk and the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, now held by Russian … Read more

Netflix and the Duffer Brothers released the final trailer for Stranger Things’ series finale ahead of the Dec. 31, 2025 premiere. The footage centers on a climactic confrontation in Hawkins and includes a charged plea from Jim Hopper to Eleven. The episode will debut in select theaters and on Netflix simultaneously at 5 p.m. PT … Read more

Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, was last seen on the morning of 24 December outside her San Antonio home during a routine walk, and authorities released new dashcam footage on Monday that they say may show her nearby. The search, now lasting nearly a week, has produced few confirmed leads and her parents say they are … Read more

Dec. 30, 2025 — Leaked images and a short video shared by OnLeaks show apparent dummy units of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with a noticeably raised camera island that mirrors the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s design. The units, which do not power on, display three primary lenses sitting on a small elevated platform on … Read more

GameSir this week unveiled the Swift Drive, a handheld controller that places a small, removable steering wheel in its center and pairs it with what the company calls the “world’s smallest direct drive motor” to deliver force-feedback effects for racing games. The announcement, revealed alongside a larger Turbo Drive wheel system, arrives with detailed specs … Read more

Lead: A man arrested in December 2025 in connection with pipe bombs placed outside the Democratic and Republican national committee headquarters on the night before the January 6, 2021, attack is due before a federal magistrate on Tuesday for a detention hearing. Federal filings say Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, allegedly confessed after … Read more

Lead New York City is in the midst of a severe flu surge as the season peaks, with more than 70,000 new cases recorded statewide the week before Christmas. If you fall ill in the five boroughs, testing, early antiviral treatment and careful home care can shorten illness and reduce spread. This guide explains how … Read more

Lead: U.S. equity markets traded with caution as investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s minutes, leaving the Dow Jones Industrial Average uneven while the Nasdaq showed relative resilience. Traders cited uncertainty about policy signals and several corporate headlines that moved individual stocks, most notably Ekso Bionics, which jumped after disclosing a new cloud-services agreement. Market participants … Read more

Shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar launched a strike on Sunday after the Iranian rial plunged to a record low on the open market, triggering a third day of protests and strikes that have spread from the capital to at least eight other cities. Verified video posted by BBC Persian shows demonstrations in Karaj, Hamedan, Qeshm, … Read more

Lead: In 2025 Nashville’s commercial country industry shifted markedly from the cautious, post-2016 posture of bipartisan escapism to visible alignment with Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. The change accelerated after the 2024 election and was visible in high-profile appearances, chart-topping conservative anthems in 2023, and label-level decisions that prioritized revenue and audience alignment over … Read more

Mortgage rates have fallen and selling prices have softened in many U.S. markets, creating mildly improved affordability for buyers as of late December 2025. Nationally, daily home-price measures show year-over-year gains of roughly 0.3%, while the 30-year mortgage averaged about 6.19%—down from above 7% earlier in the year. Those shifts reduced monthly payments for a … Read more

In 2025, dozens of national and international restaurant brands moved to shrink their footprints as a sustained sales slump and cautious consumers forced cost-cutting measures. From February through December, chains from fast-food operators to full-service groups announced hundreds of permanent closures, franchise disputes and restructuring plans across the U.S. and abroad. Industry tracking showed customer … Read more

In early January skies, the year’s first supermoon coincides with the Quadrantid meteor shower peak, creating a contest between lunar brightness and shooting stars. The American Meteor Society says the Quadrantids typically produce about 25 meteors per hour under dark conditions, but moonlight from the full supermoon will likely reduce visible rates to fewer than … Read more

Lead: Israel has stepped up diplomatic and security engagement across the Horn of Africa in recent months, prompting unease among several Arab and Muslim states. Reports indicate intensified outreach to governments around the Red Sea, including talks over logistics and maritime cooperation, and increased intelligence- and security-focused contact. The moves aim to secure trade routes … Read more