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New York Times Games published the Connections Companion No. 919 on Dec. 15, 2025, providing hints and commentary for the Connections puzzle released for Dec. 16, 2025. The Companion summarized the four category reveals — Yellow: BOLERO; Green: FAMILY; Blue: SPELLBOUND; Purple: DRUMROLL — and noted the daily tester difficulty score of 2.7 out of … Read more
Lead On Sunday night in Dallas, Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy scored a one-yard rushing touchdown after a second-quarter fake handoff and a roll to his left, helping the Vikings to a 34-26 win. McCarthy began celebrating inside the final strides of the run with a dance move associated with teammate Justin Jefferson, drawing … Read more
Lead On Sunday, Dec. 14–15, 2025, a mass shooting near a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach, Sydney, left at least 15 people dead and dozens wounded, officials said. Authorities said a 50-year-old man was shot and killed by police at the scene and his 24-year-old son was wounded and remains hospitalized; at least 42 people … Read more
Lead: Spain’s government has imposed a €64m (£56m) penalty on Airbnb for advertising properties without valid rental licences, ordering the adverts removed and the fine to stand without appeal. Officials said 65,122 listings breached consumer rules, including promotion of homes banned from short-term letting. The move comes amid growing public concern that holiday lets are … Read more
Houses floated away in this Alaska Native village. Now residents want to move Lead: On the night of Oct. 11, the remnants of Typhoon Halong flooded the low-lying Yup’ik village of Kwigillingok on Alaska’s southwest coast, lifting houses off their foundations and forcing most residents to evacuate. Noah Andrew Sr., 74, says his home floated … Read more
As comet 3I/ATLAS approaches its closest point to Earth on Dec. 19, the United Nations’ International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) has coordinated a worldwide observing campaign to refine the object’s position and behavior. The interstellar visitor will pass roughly 167 million miles (270 million kilometers) from Earth and is being followed by more than 80 … Read more
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s weekend statement that Ukraine is prepared to forgo its long-term goal of NATO membership in exchange for separate Western security guarantees sent European defense shares lower on Monday. Markets reacted in London and across the continent as investors digested the potential policy shift and its implications for arms demand. Major defense manufacturers … Read more
Leaders and envoys met in Berlin on Monday, 15 December 2025, to pursue a negotiated end to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but no breakthrough was announced by evening. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held multiple bilateral sessions — including with US special envoy Steve Witkoff — while European officials discussed security guarantees, possible territorial compromises … Read more
Lead iRobot, maker of the Roomba robotic vacuum, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware on Sunday, December 14, 2025, and said it will go private after a planned acquisition by Picea Robotics, its principal manufacturer. The filing follows mounting pressure from lower-priced competitors and new U.S. tariffs that raised costs sharply in 2025. … Read more
Lead Samsung has begun rolling out the December 2025 security patch for the Galaxy S23 series, launching the update in South Korea on firmware S918NKSS6EYL1. The package addresses 57 security issues and arrives after the Galaxy S25 and S24 received the same patch. Users can install the update via Settings > Software update > Download … Read more
Lead: After years of a largely frozen market, economists and housing analysts say 2026 could mark the start of a new era for U.S. housing as affordability begins to improve. Compass chief economist Mike Simonsen and recent industry reports point to incomes rising faster than prices, more inventory returning and buyers seeing larger discounts. The … Read more
Lead Patrick Mahomes tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in the Kansas City Chiefs 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City on Sunday, and the two-time MVP is weighing surgical options. The injury is the most serious of Mahomes 9-year NFL career, which includes three Super Bowl titles, … Read more
Lead China’s fixed‑asset investment plunged in November, pushing the country toward its first annual drop in more than 30 years. The National Bureau of Statistics reported a 2.6% decline in investment from January through November, while research firm Capital Economics estimated an 11.1% year‑on‑year fall in November alone. The deterioration reflects a synchronized pullback across … Read more
Dec. 15, 2025 — Rob Reiner, the actor who gained fame in the 1970s television hit All in the Family before becoming a widely admired film director, died on Sunday at 78. The Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, announced his death and that of his wife, Michele, and the Los Angeles Police Department said it … Read more
Lead After 35 years in business, iRobot — the Massachusetts company best known for Roomba vacuum robots — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Sunday night and said its contract manufacturer, Chinese-based Picea Robotics, will acquire the company. iRobot said operations will continue with no expected interruption to app services, customer support, partner relationships … Read more
