Clash in Yalova Kills 6 IS Militants, 3 Police, Interior Minister Says

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Lead Turkish officials said a police raid in Elmali district, Yalova province, on Monday resulted in the deaths of six Islamic State (IS) militants and three police officers. The operation, which began at about 2:00 a.m. local time and concluded at 9:40 a.m., also left eight other officers and a night guard wounded. Interior Minister … Read more

Thailand accuses Cambodia of breaking newly signed ceasefire – BBC

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Lead: Thailand’s armed forces accused Cambodia on Monday of violating a ceasefire that came into effect at noon local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, saying more than 250 unmanned aerial vehicles were observed launching from the Cambodian side late on Sunday. The allegation follows weeks of deadly border clashes that have displaced nearly one million … Read more

Earth’s Wild Revelations of 2025

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Lead: In 2025 a sequence of studies peeled back new layers of Earth’s deep past and surprising present, from rocks dated to the Hadean eon to ecosystems living deep below the sea and shifting behavior in the planet’s core and magnetic field. Researchers reported a 4.16-billion-year-old outcrop in northern Quebec, documented a methane-based community 5,800–9,500 … Read more

Electric vehicles faced a rocky 2025 — and one unexpected bright spot

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Lead In 2025 the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) industry experienced a sharp policy and product reversal that reshaped the market. The Trump administration moved to roll back federal rules that had supported EV adoption, including removal of a $7,500 federal tax credit and the end of California’s authority to require EV sales. Several high-profile models … Read more

Sam Altman and Alex Karp Are Learning to Hate Short Sellers

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Lead On December 29, 2025, two high-profile tech chiefs — Palantir CEO Alex Karp and OpenAI founder Sam Altman — publicly criticized short sellers who have been betting against their firms. Karp lashed out on CNBC about skeptics targeting Palantir’s stock, while Altman told the Bg2 Pod in October he sometimes wishes OpenAI were public … Read more

Purdy ‘playing as good as it gets’; 49ers eye 1-seed

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On Sunday night in Santa Clara, Brock Purdy carried the San Francisco 49ers’ playoff hopes with a five-touchdown performance as the Niners beat the Chicago Bears 42-38 on Sunday Night Football. The victory pushed San Francisco to 12-4 and sets up a decisive, winner-take-all regular-season finale at home vs. the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday for … Read more

French Girl Chic or Right‑Wing Pin‑Up? Brigitte Bardot’s Complicated Style Legacy

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Lead: Brigitte Bardot, the French actress who rose to global fame in the 1950s and 1960s, left a dual legacy: a fashion blueprint for the so‑called “French Girl” aesthetic and a politically contentious public record. Her casual silhouettes — tousled hair, off‑the‑shoulder tops and bikinis — helped popularize a relaxed, sexually liberated look from the … Read more

Interoceanic Train derails in southern Mexico, killing at least 13 and injuring dozens – AP News

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On Sunday a passenger service on Mexico’s Interoceanic Train derailed near a curve by the town of Nizanda in southern Mexico, killing at least 13 people and leaving dozens injured. Officials reported 241 passengers and nine crew were on board when the train came off the rails; the government later said 98 people were injured, … Read more

Six ISIL fighters, 3 police officers killed in northwest Turkiye raid

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On 29 December 2025, Turkish authorities said a pre-dawn raid on a house in Elmalık village, Yalova province, led to an exchange of gunfire that killed six alleged ISIL fighters and three police officers. The Interior Ministry said the operation was part of a wider series of overnight actions: 108 separate raids across 13 provinces. … Read more

Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted U.S. political parties, memo says

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Lead Federal prosecutors say Brian J. Cole Jr., 30, told FBI agents after his Dec. 4, 2025 arrest that he planted two pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington on the night of Jan. 5, 2021, because he was disillusioned with both parties and believed someone needed to “speak up.” … Read more

S&P 500 futures slip after benchmark hits fresh record

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Lead: On Monday in U.S. premarket trading, futures softened after the S&P 500 reached a fresh intraday high of 6,945.77 on Friday before closing just under breakeven. S&P 500 futures fell about 0.2%, Nasdaq-100 futures slid roughly 0.4%, and Dow futures were essentially flat as traders closed out a strong 2025. Technology names led weakness: … Read more

Feynman’s 1959 Caltech Talk That Envisioned Nanotechnology

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On Dec. 29, 1959, at Caltech in Pasadena, physicist Richard Feynman delivered a short, playful lecture that sketched a vision of manipulating matter at atomic scales and proposed concrete challenges to spur miniaturization. He contrasted trivial feats like writing the Lord’s Prayer on a pinhead with far bolder ideas such as inscribing a 24-volume encyclopedia … Read more

Winners and Losers: NFL Week 17

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Lead Week 17 delivered a string of decisive moments that reshaped playoff races and MVP conversations: the San Francisco 49ers edged the Chicago Bears 42-38 in an offensive classic, the Buffalo Bills fell 13-12 to the Philadelphia Eagles after a late two-point miss, and several contenders locked up or powered toward division-deciding Week 18 matchups. … Read more