Trending: * On January 9, 2025, Lebanon elected General Joseph Aoun as president, ending over two years without a leader. The presidency had been vacant since October 31, 2022, because Lebanon’s political system requires different religious and political groups to agree on key appointments, which often leads to long delays.
Trending: * Today, January 10, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments to decide the future of TikTok in the United States. The case focuses on the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which mandates that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, sell its U.S.
Trending: * California is under a state of emergency due to multiple wildfires burning across the state. Major fires like the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Woodley fires have collectively destroyed thousands of buildings, scorched tens of thousands of acres, and caused at least five deaths. The Palisades Fire, the largest, has
Trending: * Yesterday, January 7, 2025, Meta announced that it is replacing its third-party fact-checking system with a new feature called “Community Notes.” This system, similar to X (formerly Twitter), allows users to collaborate by adding context to posts rather than relying on professional fact-checkers. Alongside this change, Meta is simplifying
Economics & Markets: * Yesterday’s U.S. stock market: * Yesterday’s commodity market: * Yesterday’s crypto market: * The IRS has introduced new rules for decentralized finance (DeFi), a part of the crypto world where people can trade, borrow, lend, and exchange cryptocurrencies directly using apps and wallets, without traditional banks
Trending: * China is currently experiencing a rise in respiratory illnesses, causing increased hospitalizations and the temporary closure of schools in Wuhan. While the exact cause remains unclear, health experts suggest that human metapneumovirus (HMPV) or seasonal influenza may be contributing factors. HMPV, first identified in 2001, typically causes mild symptoms
Trending: * On January 3, 2025, a bridge in Corvallis, Oregon, collapsed, causing a Portland & Western Railroad train carrying fertilizer to derail into the Mary’s River. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, as the train crew was able to escape before the collapse. Investigators are currently examining the cause of
Trending: * In a recent legal case in Florida, Broward County Judge Andrew Siegel used virtual reality (VR) technology to assess evidence during a stand-your-ground hearing. The case involved Miguel Albisu, a wedding venue owner charged with aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a firearm at guests. The defense team presented a
Trending: * Starting January 14, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will enforce the “Click-to-Cancel” rule to make it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions and recurring payments. This rule ensures that businesses must provide a cancellation process that is as simple as the sign-up process. It applies to all kinds
Trending: * Yesterday, a truck drove into a large crowd celebrating New Year’s on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, leaving at least 15 people dead and over 30 injured. The driver, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar from Texas, had an ISIS flag displayed on the truck and was armed with guns during
Trending: * As of today, January 1, 2025, Switzerland’s nationwide ban on wearing face coverings in public, including burqas and niqabs, is officially in effect. The law makes it illegal to cover your face in most public places, but there are exceptions for health, safety, cultural events, and places of
Trending: * Yesterday, December 30th, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a cyberattack by APT31, a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group linked to China’s Ministry of State Security. The attack was discovered on December 8th and involved a vulnerability in third-party software provided by BeyondTrust. The hackers used this vulnerability to