The alleged gunmen in the shooting, Sajid Akram, 50 and his son, Naveed Akram, 24, were from Bonnyrigg, a diverse, multilingual suburb miles from Sydneys Bondi Beach.

Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, and President Trumps name was rarely mentioned. The White House also sought to make political hay of the release of photos of Bill Clinton.

He was a foremost authority on the president, tracking his career, in unvarnished accounts, from his time as California governor through his years in the White House.

Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing UnitedHealthcares chief executive, say Attorney General Pam Bondi should have recused herself from the case.

A year of political pressure and partial disclosures preceded the release of long-sought records on Jeffrey Epstein.

Investigators said they were unsure of the attackers motives. But clues pointed to an isolated and increasingly troubled life, and no accomplices.

Last week, ProPublica published a five-part series that I wrote with senior research reporter Doris Burke about Albany, Georgia, and its only hospital, Phoebe Putney Memorial. We started working on the story five years ago, when COVID-19 was racing around the globe and Albany small, remote and barely touched by time had the worlds fourth-highest case rate.We initially set out to write a David-vs.-Goliath narrative about the towns response to the crisis. But, as I write in the series, there came a turning point at which we realized there were more enduring questions and challenges facing Albany than COVID-19. They were about race and power.In the weeks immediately following the outbreak, when the pandemic made it too risky for me to travel, I monitored the citys daily press briefings and the hospitals flood of social media posts on Facebook. That, I thought, was where the first draft of Albanys COVID-19 story was being written, and the narrative that was being pushed in them felt disturbingly familiar.Albany is a majority Black city of some 67,000 people. However, while Black residents were dying in disproportionate numbers, the officials leading the response were white: the mayor, the chair of the county government and the senior executives at Phoebe. At every briefing, officials announced the number of people who were sick with COVID-19 and the number of whod died.Then, in early April 2020, for the first time, they announced a name, not a number. The one person who merited personal recognition was Judge Nancy Stephenson. She was white.The chief medical officer at the hospital, Dr. Stephen Kitchen, choked up when he announced her death. Mayor Kermit Bo Dorough took to the podium to ask for a moment of silence to mark the moment, saying it brings many of the people in this community to the next phase of this battle because now we know someone who has been a victim of COVID.The chair of the county government at the time, Christopher Cohilas, proclaimed, We have lost a tremendous jewel of this community. A jewel to the people. Then he added, I think that her passing highlights exactly how lethal this disease can be.Im not going to lie. I cringed at what I was hearing. Some 38 people had died by then. The overwhelming majority were Black. There hadnt been any named mentions or moments of silence at the press briefings for them. How could it be, I thought to myself, that it wasnt until Stephensons death that the citys leaders understood how lethal the disease could be?The comments that came pouring into the live chat of the video briefing made clear I wasnt the only one asking that question.One read, Lets not forget all the others who have passed, and who are known by others in our community.Another read, So you extend condolences to the judge, but not your residents.And then there was this: So now it hits home.That moment resonated with me because two decades earlier Id written a piece as part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning series for The New York Times about how histories written by people in power most of them white tend to erase, minimize and misrepresent the experiences and contributions of those who are not.That story was also set in the South. The series, titled How Race Is Lived in America, was meant to show how the systemic divisions that shape our society and each individuals place in it are driven by day-to-day interactions at work, at school and in hospitals.What I was seeing play out in Albany and at Phoebe felt like the stuff of a new installment. Not only did it seem that city leaders had failed to recognize the magnitude of the crisis until one of their own had died, they had also made those bearing the brunt of the pandemic feel responsible for their own demise. According to the official narrative, the outbreak started at a Black funeral, and the reason Black people were so vulnerable to the virus was because they didnt take care of themselves.Read MoreInside the Free Clinic Caring for Those Who Cant Afford the Only Hospital in TownOn my first visit to Albany, I met Pastor Daniel Simmons, the leader of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. He made clear he was skeptical of the prevailing narrative and encouraged me not to fall for it either.If Albany, Georgia, had done things differently over the years, our community wouldnt have been as vulnerable as it was, he said. If the health care system was different, if it had a different relationship with poor people and people of color, the outcome would have been different.The main lesson that he hoped I and other people would take from Albanys COVID-19 crisis was: It didnt have to be this way.What he and others told me had been left out of that narrative was how hard it had been for African Americans in Albany, particularly those who are poor and uninsured, to get safe and affordable health care in a city whose dominant institution is a hospital. Phoebe Putney Health System is not only the largest provider of health care in southwest Georgia, it is also Albanys largest employer and property owner. The health systems CEO, Scott Steiner, said the hospitals mission is to provide care regardless of race, religion and ability to pay, but were always trying to balance that out with paying the bills.Doris and I spent the following four years exploring that part of Albanys story, interviewing more than 150 sources and poring over thousands of pages of records. We learned that Phoebe was the only hospital in town because it had worked hard even stealthily and spent millions of dollars to drive out its old competitor, before finally managing to acquire it. The cost of care went up and quality went down. Meanwhile the more Phoebe grew, the more economically dependent Albany became, and the harder it was for patients to hold the hospital to account.The CEO that oversaw Phoebe during the period of its most significant growth and the health systems former attorney did not respond to detailed lists of questions. When we asked Phoebes current leaders for responses to our findings, a hospital spokesperson accused us of intentionally excluding positive patient stories. Most patients have positive experiences at Phoebe, he said. Ignoring that fact is wrong.As for Doris and me, we were determined to focus on the people who tend to get left out of Albanys, and the nations, stories because we believed they would resonate with anyone who has struggled to get the health care they need. We hope youll spend time with the whole series. You can read it here. Or you can listen here to an audio version, produced in collaboration with actors from Theater of War.The post I Started Covering the COVID-19 Crisis in Albany, Georgia. This Moment Made Me Realize There Was a Bigger Story to Tell. appeared first on ProPublica.

The alleged gunmen in the shooting, Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24, were from Bonnyrigg, a diverse, multilingual suburb miles from Sydneys Bondi Beach.

Judges across Tennessee are now demanding greater accountability from people who have been ordered to give up their guns, a shift aimed at strengthening protections for domestic violence victims.The change is being adopted county by county, after state lawmakers bowed to opposition from the National Rifle Association over a bill that would have taken that reform statewide.The move follows reporting by WPLN and ProPublica over the past two years that found Tennessees lax gun laws and enforcement have allowed firearms to remain in dangerous hands. The state consistently has one of the highest rates of women killed by men, and most of those homicides are committed with guns. The news organizations analysis found that about 1 in 4 victims of domestic violence gun homicides were killed by someone who was barred from having a firearm.In Tennessee, when someone is convicted of a domestic violence charge or is subject to an order of protection, they are not allowed to possess a gun. A person ordered to relinquish their firearm can turn it over to a third party, like a friend or relative, for safekeeping. But the state doesnt require them to disclose whose hands the weapon ends up in. Advocates say that makes it hard to ensure that the guns were given up and that they were given to someone who is legally allowed to hold on to them.As part of its investigation, WPLN and ProPublica reported on an East Tennessee county that had transformed its justice system for domestic violence victims. Scott Countys reforms include a requirement that when a court is stripping domestic violence abusers of their guns, they must tell the court in a written affidavit who is going to take custody of their weapons. The county also asks for the address of that person, who is asked to sign an affidavit saying they are in receipt of the weapons. None of these extra measures of accountability, however, are required on the states standard gun-dispossession form.The [states] form is really incomplete, said Becky Bullard with Nashvilles Office of Family Safety. We cant have someone dispossess of their firearm lawfully if we dont know who theyre giving the gun to.At least nine counties, including Tennessees two largest, Davidson and Shelby, have amended the states gun dispossession affidavit to require information about who will be taking possession of the weapon. Other counties are also considering the change, advocates say.When I heard about what Scott County was doing, I was shocked, said Shelby County Judge Greg Gilbert, who adjusted that courts form when he found out that courts were able to do that themselves. It does make it a little more likely that people will take this seriously.Last year, two Republican lawmakers introduced legislation that would have made Scott Countys form the default for the rest of the state, but the bill was pushed to 2026 after opposition from the Tennessee Firearms Association and the NRA. Neither association responded to requests for comment at the time. One of the lawmakers who introduced the bill, Sen. Becky Massey, a Knox County Republican, said she would move forward with the bill again if her House counterpart, Rep. Kelly Keisling, did. But Keisling, a Republican whose district includes Scott County, said he is uncertain as to the future of this particular piece of legislation.This month, advocates for victims of domestic violence also pushed for a state council on domestic violence to recommend adoption of the amended form. That effort failed after a procedural mishap; the group plans to revisit the topic at its next meeting in March.We really do not have a minute to lose. This is a battle that we have been fighting around a form for years, said Bullard, who has advocated for this reform since a deadly shooting in 2018 at a Waffle House where the man traveled with a gun that he was ordered to give up. And it could affect someone in the next minute.The post A Countys Move to Protect Domestic Violence Victims Is Spreading Across Tennessee After Legislative Delay appeared first on ProPublica.

In immigration courts, U.S. lawyers have filed thousands of requests to dismiss asylum cases and force people to pursue asylum elsewhere.

Nuno Loureiro, 47, was killed by an old classmate who was on the run from a shooting at Brown University, the authorities said.

The huge sum shows that while the Koch network may not hold significant power at high levels of the Republican Party, it remains a financial juggernaut.

Both parties are now preparing for affordability to play a major role in the midterm elections next year. How did it emerge so quickly?

Economists say that a typical middle-class family today is richer than one in the 1960s. Americans in their 20s and 30s dont believe it.

Jamelle Bouie, Michelle Cottle and David French convene to discuss the year that was.

Major A.I. companies are competing to give their models the most appealing personality.

A body in the woods. A girl who had a crush on a boy. And a confession that led to the arrest of two teenagers on murder charges.

Military brinkmanship between President Trump and Nicols Maduro of Venezuela has led to an increase in electronic warfare in the region.

The Lebanese militant group has resisted calls to lay down all its arms, risking a return to war with Israel.

The Syrian government did not comment directly on the extensive American strikes targeting the Islamic State on Friday, but said it was intensifying its own efforts to fight the group.

Today, your highly personal, delightfully specific bests of 2025.

Republicans and Democrats who had been pressing for the disclosure accused officials of failing to comply with a law that requires all material to be released.

A rescue worker walks in front of a residential house damaged after a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)2025-12-20T08:03:20Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) A Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa in southern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded 27, Ukraines emergency service said Saturday, as a a Kremlin envoy was set to travel to Florida for talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war,The discussions are part of the Trump administrations monthslong push for peace that also included meetings with Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin earlier this week. Ukraines chief negotiator said late Friday that his delegation had completed separate meetings in the U.S. with American and European partners. Meanwhile, European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years.Some of those wounded in Odesa were on a bus at the center of the strike late Friday, the emergency service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot and cars were also damaged. The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region.Moscow did not immediately acknowledge reports of the attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that over the previous day, it had struck unspecified transport and storage infrastructure used by the Ukrainian armed forces, along with energy facilities and those supplying Kyivs war effort. Elsewhere, Ukrainian drones hit a Russian oil rig, the military patrol ship Okhotnik and other facilities, Ukraines General Staff said in a statement Saturday. It said the ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage was still being clarified, it said. The drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field as also hit. The facility is operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil. Ukrainian drones also struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. There was no immediate comment from the Russian government or Lukoil. The company is one of two Russian oil majors alongside state-owned Gazprom targeted by recent U.S. sanctions that aim to deprive Moscow of oil export revenue that helps it sustain the war. Kyiv has used similar arguments to justify months of long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, which it says both funds and directly fuels the Kremlins all-out invasion, soon to enter its fifth year. Trumps peace push set to continue SaturdayU.S. President Donald Trump has unleashed an extensive diplomatic push to end the war, but his efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently signaled he is digging in on his maximalist demands on Ukraine, as Moscows troops inch forward on the battlefield despite huge losses. On Friday, Putin voiced confidence that the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesnt agree to Russias conditions in peace talks.EU leaders agreed to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, although they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds. Instead, they were borrowed on capital markets. After almost four years of war, the International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine will need 137 billion euros ($161 billion) in 2026 and 2027. The government in Kyiv is on the verge of bankruptcy, and desperately needs the money by spring.Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russias sovereign wealth fund, is set to meet with Trumps envoy Steve Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami on Saturday, according to a U.S. official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview a meeting that hasnt yet been publicly announced.The official said Witkoff and Kushner will sit down with Dmitriev, after meetings with Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin for talks on U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv, territorial concessions and other aspects of the American-authored plan. Ukraines chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said late Friday that a Ukrainian delegation had met with American and European partners in the U.S. He gave few details, but said they agreed to continue joint work in the near future. Asked about the meeting in Miami, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Moscow was preparing for contacts with the U.S. to learn about the results of the meetings in Berlin, but he didnt give details. ___Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

A street scene in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Steven Sloan)2025-12-20T13:03:34Z ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) When Idalia Bisbal moved to this Pennsylvania city synonymous with Americas working class, she hoped for a cheaper, easier life than the one she was leaving behind in her hometown of New York City.About three years later, she is deeply disappointed. Its worse than ever, the 67-year-old retiree, who relies on Social Security, said when asked about the economy. The prices are high. Everything is going up. You cant afford food because you cant afford rent. Utilities are too high. Gas is too expensive. Everything is too expensive. Bisbal was sipping an afternoon coffee at the Hamilton Family Restaurant not long after Vice President JD Vance rallied Republicans in a nearby suburb. In the Trump administrations second high-profile trip to Pennsylvania in a week, Vance acknowledged the affordability crisis, blamed it on the Biden administration and insisted better times were ahead. He later served food to men experiencing homelessness in Allentown. The visit, on top of several recent speeches from President Donald Trump, reflects an increasingly urgent White House effort to respond to the economic anxiety that is gripping both parties. Those worries are a vulnerability for Republicans in competitive congressional districts like the one that includes Allentown, which could decide control of the U.S. House in next years midterms. But in confronting the challenge, there are risks of appearing out of touch. Only 31% of U.S. adults now approve of how Trump is handling the economy, down from 40% in March, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Yet Trump has called affordability concerns a hoax and gave the economy under his administration a grade of A+++++. Vance reiterated that assessment during his rally, prompting Bisbal to scoff.In his world, Bisbal, a self-described straight-up Democrat, responded. In the rich mans world. In our world, trust me, its not an A. To me, its an F, F, F, F, F, F. Agreement that prices are too highWith a population of roughly 125,000 people, Allentown anchors the Lehigh Valley, which is Pennsylvanias third-largest metro area. In a dozen interviews this week with local officials, business leaders and residents of both parties, there was agreement on one thing: Prices are too high. Some pointed to gas prices while others said they felt the shock more at the grocery store or in their cost of health care or housing. Few shared Trumps unbridled boosterism about the economy. Tony Iannelli, the president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, called Trumps grade a stretch, saying we have a strong economy but I think its not yet gone to the next stage of what I would call robust. Tom Groves, who started a health and benefits consulting firm more than two decades ago, said the economy was at a B+ as he blamed the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, for contributing to higher health costs and he noted stock and labor market volatility. Joe Vichot, the chairman of the Lehigh County Republican Committee, referred to Trumps grade as a colloquialism. Far removed from Washingtons political theater, there was little consensus on who was responsible for the high prices or what should be done about it. There was, however, an acute sense of exhaustion at the seemingly endless political combat. Pat Gallagher was finishing lunch a few booths down from Bisbal as she recalled meeting her late husband when they both worked at Bethlehem Steel, the manufacturing giant that closed in 2003. Now retired, she, too, relies on Social Security benefits and lives with her daughter, which helps keep costs down. She said she noticed the rising price of groceries and was becoming exasperated with the political climate. I get so frustrated with hearing about the politics, she said. Allentown has a front-row seat to politics That feeling is understandable in a place that often gets a front-row seat to the national debate, whether it wants the view or not. Singer Billy Joels 1982 song Allentown helped elevate the city into the national consciousness, articulating simultaneous feelings of disillusionment and hope as factories shuttered.In the decades since, Pennsylvania has become a must-win state in presidential politics and the backdrop for innumerable visits from candidates and the media. Trump and his Democratic rival in 2024, Kamala Harris, made several campaign swings through Allentown, with the then-vice president visiting the city on the eve of the election. Every race here, all the time, Allentowns mayor, Democrat Matt Tuerk, recalled of the frenzied race last year.The pace of those visits and the attention they garnered has not faded from many minds. Some businesses and residents declined to talk this week when approached with questions about the economy or politics, recalling blowback from speaking in the past. But as attention shifts to next years midterms, Allentown cannot escape its place as a political battleground.Trumps win last year helped lift other Republicans, like U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, to victory. Mackenzie, who unseated a three-term Democrat, is now one of the most vulnerable Republicans in Congress. To win again, he must turn out the Republicans who voted in 2024 many of whom were likely more energized by Trumps candidacy while appealing to independents.Mackenzies balancing act was on display when he spoke to the party faithful on Tuesday, bemoaning the failures of Bidenomics before Vance took the stage at the rally. A day later, the congressman was back in Washington, where he joined three other House Republicans to rebel against the partys leadership and force a vote on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.Vichot, the local GOP chairman, called Mackenzie an underdog in his reelection bid and said the health care move was a signal to voters that he is compassionate for the people who need those services.A swing to Trump in 2024Lehigh County, home to Allentown and the most populous county in the congressional district, swung toward Trump last year. Harris nearly 2.7 percentage point win in the county was the tightest margin for a Democratic presidential candidate since 2004. But Democrats are feeling confident after a strong performance in this falls elections when they handily won a race for county executive. Retaking the congressional seat is now a top priority for Democrats. Gov. Josh Shapiro, who faces reelection next year and is a potential presidential contender in 2028, endorsed firefighter union head Bob Brooks this week for the May primary.Democrats are just a few seats shy of regaining the House majority and the first midterm after a presidential election historically favors the party thats out of power. If the focus remains on the economy, Democrats are happy. The Uline supplies distribution factory where Vance spoke, owned by a family that has made large donations to GOP causes, is a few miles from the Mack Trucks facility where staff was cut by about 200 employees this year. The company said that decision was driven in part by tariffs imposed by Trump. Shapiro eagerly pointed that out in responding to Vances visit.But the image of Allentown as a purely manufacturing town is outdated. The downtown core is dotted by row homes, trendy hotels and a modern arena that is home to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey team and hosts concerts by major artists. In recent years, Latinos have become a majority of the citys population, driven by gains in the Puerto Rican, Mexican and Dominican communities. This is a place of rapid change, said Tuerk, the citys first Latino mayor. Its constantly changing and I think over the next three years until that next presidential election, were going to see a lot more change. Its going to be an interesting ride. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Christmas trees and Santa Clauses decorate the entrance to the beach in Haffkrug, northern Germany, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Photo/Michael Probst, File)2025-12-20T12:41:24Z Christmas is a Christian holiday that observes the birth of Jesus. But did you know that the earliest followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth? Or that Santa Claus is inspired by the acts of kindness of a fourth-century Christian saint? And have you heard about the modern-day Japanese tradition of eating Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas? Since the early 20th century, Christmas has evolved from a religious holiday to a hugely popular cultural holiday observed by Christian and secular people across the globe who gather with families, exchange gifts and cards and decorate Christmas trees.Heres a look at the history, beliefs and the evolution of Christmas: Origins and early history of ChristmasEarly followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth but instead focused on commemorating their belief in his resurrection at Easter.The story of the birth of Jesus appears only in two of the four Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew and Luke. They provide different details, though both say Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The exact day, month and even year of Jesuss birth are unknown, said Christine Shepardson, a professor at the University of Tennessee who studies early Christianity. The tradition of celebrating Jesus birth on Dec. 25, she said, only emerged in the fourth century.Its hard to overemphasize how important the fourth century is for constructing Christianity as we experience it in our world today, Shepardson said. It was then, under Emperor Constantine, that Christians began the practice of gathering at churches instead of meeting at homes. Some theories say the date coincides with existing pagan winter solstice festivals, including the Roman celebration of Sol Invictus, or the Unconquered Sun, on Dec 25.While most Christians celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, some Eastern Orthodox traditions celebrate the holy day on Jan. 7. Thats because they follow the ancient Julian calendar, which runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, used by Catholic and Protestant churches as well as by much of the secular world. Rowdy medieval celebrationsFor centuries, especially during the Middle Ages, Christmas was associated with rowdy street celebrations of feasting and drinking, and for many Christians, it was not in good standing as a holiday, said Thomas Ruys Smith, a professor of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia in England.Puritans, he said, were not fond of Christmas.But in the 19th century, he said, Christmas became respectable with the domestic celebration that we understand today one centered around the home, the family, children, gift-giving.The roots of modern-day Christmas can be traced back to Germany. In the late 19th century, there are accounts of Christmas trees and gift-giving that, according to Smith, later spread to Britain and America, helping to revitalize Christmas on both sides of the Atlantic.Christmas became further popularized with the publication of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens in 1843, and the writings of Washington Irving, who was a fan of St. Nicholas and helped popularize the celebration of Christmas in America.The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up by workers in 1931 to raise spirits during the Great Depression. The tradition stuck as the first tree-lighting ceremony was held in 1933 and remains one of New York Citys most popular holiday attractions. Americas secular Santa is inspired by a Christian saintSt. Nicholas was a fourth-century Christian bishop from the Mediterranean port city of Myra (in modern-day Turkey). His acts of generosity inspired the secular Santa Claus legend.The legends surrounding jolly old St. Nicholas celebrated annually on Dec. 6 go way beyond delivering candy and toys to children. He is believed to have interceded on behalf of wrongly condemned prisoners and miraculously saved sailors from storms.Devotion to St. Nicholas spread during the Middle Ages across Europe and he became a favorite subject for medieval artists and liturgical plays. He is the patron saint of sailors and children, as well as of Greece, Russia and New York. Devotion to St. Nicholas seems to have faded after the 16th century Protestant Reformation, except in the Netherlands, where his legend remained as Sinterklaas. In the 17th century, Dutch Protestants who settled in New York brought the Sinterklaas tradition with them.Eventually, St. Nicholas morphed into the secular Santa Claus.Its not just Santa who delivers the giftsIn the U.K., its Father Christmas; in Greece and Cyprus, St. Basil (who arrives on New Years Eve). In some parts of Italy, its St. Lucy (earlier in December) and in other Italian regions, Befana, a witch-like figure, who brings presents on the Epiphany on Jan. 6.Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers, called the Yule Lads. They come down from their mountain cave 13 days before Christmas, according to folklore. Christian traditions of ChristmasOne of the oldest traditions around Christmas is bringing greenery holly, ivy or evergreen trees into homes. But determining whether its a Christian tradition is harder. For many people, the evergreen can symbolize Christs promise of eternal life and his return from death, Smith said. So, you can interpret that evergreen tradition within the Christian concept.The decorating of evergreen trees is a German custom that began in the 16thcentury, said Maria Kennedy, a professor at Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswicks Department of American Studies. It was later popularized in England and America.Mistletoe, an evergreen shrub, was used in celebrations dating back to the ancient Druids Celtic religious leaders some 2,000 years ago, Kennedy writes in The Surprising History of Christmas Traditions.Mistletoe represented immortality because it continued to grow in the darkest time of the year and bore white berries when everything else had died.Other traditions include Christmas services and Nativity scenes at homes and churches. More recently, Nativity scenes when erected on public property in the U.S. have triggered legal battles over the question of the separation of church and state.Christmas caroling, Kennedy writes, can also be traced back to European traditions, where people would go from home to home during the darkest time of the year to renew relationships within their communities and give wishes for good luck, health and wealth for the forthcoming year.They would recite poetry, sing and sometimes perform a skit. The idea was that these acts would bring about good fortune to influence a future harvest, Kennedy writes.Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas in JapanAmong the many Christmas traditions that have been adopted and localized globally, theres one that involves KFC.In 1974, KFC launched a Christmas campaign where they began to sell fried chicken with a bottle of wine so it could be used for a Christmas party.KFC says the idea for the campaign came from an employee who overheard a foreign customer at one of its Tokyo restaurants saying that since he couldnt get turkey in Japan, hed have to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken.That really stuck, Smith said. And still today, you have to order your KFC months in advance to make sure that youre going to get it at Christmas Day.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. LUIS ANDRES HENAO Henao is a multimedia reporter on the APs Global Religion team. He focuses on features and has reported for the AP from Alaska, Antarctica and the Amazon. twitter instagram mailto

Pope Leo XIV greets faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's Square on the occasion of the last Jubilee audience, at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)2025-12-20T12:25:41Z VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Leo XIV has summoned the worlds cardinals for two days of meetings to help him govern the church, the Vatican said Saturday, in the clearest sign yet that the new year will signal the unofficial start of his pontificate.The consistory, as such gatherings are called, will be held Jan. 7-8, immediately following the Jan. 6 conclusion of the 2025 Holy Year, a once-every-quarter century celebration of Christianity.Leos first few months as pope have been dominated by fulfilling the weekly Holy Year obligations of meeting with pilgrimage groups and celebrating special Jubilee audiences and Masses. Additionally, much of his time has been spent wrapping up the outstanding matters of Pope Francis pontificate.As a result, the January consistory in many ways will mark the first time that Leo can look ahead to his own agenda following his May 8 election as the first American pope. It is significant that he has summoned all the worlds cardinals to Rome. Francis had largely eschewed the consistory tradition as a means of governance. He had instead relied on a small group of eight or nine hand-picked cardinal advisers to help him govern and make key decisions. The Vatican said Saturday that Leos first consistory will be oriented toward fostering common discernment and offering support and advice to the Holy Father in the exercise of his high and grave responsibility in the government of the universal Church.Other types of consistories include the formal installation of new cardinals. But no new cardinals will be made at this meeting, which is purely consultative. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, right, and Bushra Bibi, his wife, speak to the media before signing documents to submit surety bond over his bails in different cases, at an office of Lahore High Court in Lahore, Pakistan, on July 17, 2023. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)2025-12-20T10:02:19Z ISLAMABAD (AP) A Pakistani court convicted and sentenced imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Saturday to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of retaining and selling state gifts, officials and his party said.The couple pleaded not guilty when they were indicted last year. They were accused of selling the gifts, including jewelry from Saudi Arabias government, at prices far below their market value while he was in office. Prosecutors said Khan and his wife declared the value of the gifts at a little over $10,000, far below their actual market value of $285,521, allowing them to purchase the items at a reduced price.Khans lawyer, Salman Safdar, said he would appeal the ruling on behalf of the former premier and his wife. Under Pakistani law, for government officials and politicians to keep gifts received from foreign dignitaries, they must buy them at the assessed market value and declare any proceeds earned from selling them. Khans spokesperson, Zulfiquar Bukhari, said Saturdays sentencing ignored basic principles of justice. In a statement, he said that the criminal liability was imposed without proof of intent, gain, or loss, relying instead on a retrospective reinterpretation of rules. Bukhari said the court ruling raised serious questions about the fairness and impartiality of the process, turning justice into a tool for selective prosecution. Khans opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, denounced the ruling in a statement, calling it a black chapter in history, and said Khan was present in the court when the judge announced the verdict in the Adiala prison in the city of Rawalpindi.On its official X account, the party wrote Khans family was not allowed access to the court when the verdict was announced. A closed-door jail trial is neither free nor fair. It is, in fact, a military Trial. Omar Ayub, a PTI senior leader, said on X that there was no rule of law in Pakistan.Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Khan and his wife were convicted and sentenced after the court examined solid evidence. He said the couple indulged in corruption, and the court delivered a fair decision. Khan, 73, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and his party is in opposition in the parliament. However, he remains popular in Pakistan.His party made a strong showing in the Feb. 8, 2024, parliamentary election but did not win a majority of the seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of the parliament. The party claimed the vote was rigged. The government denies such claims. Khans main political rival, Shehbaz Sharif, is the countrys current prime minister. Since his ouster, Khan has repeatedly alleged that his removal was the result of a U.S.-backed conspiracy carried out with the support of Pakistans powerful military claims denied by Washington, the military and his opponents.The former prime minister has been serving multiple prison terms since 2023 on corruption convictions and other charges that the former cricket star and his supporters have alleged are aimed at blocking his political career.

President Trumps trade policy, inflation and climbing stock prices shaped business and the economy this year.

The smartest bathroom hack ever!READ MORE...

This image provided by Providence Police Dept. shows surveillance images of Claudio Neves Valente, a suspect in the mass shooting at Brown University. (Providence Police Dept. via AP)2025-12-20T05:07:06Z PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) More than a decade ago, a frenzied 5-day search for the Boston Marathon bombers left some lessons in its aftermath.One was that increasingly pervasive surveillance technology could help catch the culprits. Another was that amateur online sleuths on Reddit could not.But the intense search this week for a suspect in a Brown University shooting that killed two students and wounded nine other people turned the tables on those expectations. Sweeping surveillance, now found in doorbells, cars and a vast network of vehicle-tracking cameras, did eventually help track down the whereabouts of Claudio Neves Valente, the 48-year-old former Brown graduate student investigators believe was responsible for the Dec. 13 shooting and another killing two days later of an MIT professor in Brookline, Massachusetts.But the latest artificial intelligence-powered surveillance was of little use in the early search for a gunman who walked away from the Brown campus after the shooting and slipped unnoticed into the surrounding neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island. He evaded detection for days, using a hard-to-trace phone, avoiding facial recognition software by obscuring his face with a medical-type mask and switching the license plates on his rental cars. It wasnt until a local Reddit user blew this case right open with an old-fashioned tip first posted on the social media platform that police were able to connect a car to Neves Valente, said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. They finally found the suspect dead Thursday in Salem, New Hampshire, days after he likely killed himself. The Reddit tipster known only as John is no less than a hero, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley wrote Friday to FBI Director Kash Patel, asking for John to get the entirety of the FBIs $50,000 reward for information leading investigators to the suspect. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Strangers have invited him to Christmas dinner and suggested he get a key to the city and free coffee and doughnuts for life, according to fellow contributors to Reddits Providence forum. It was a stark turn from 2013 when commentators on Reddit and other online discussion boards falsely smeared a Brown University student as a potential suspect in the deadly attack at Bostons famed marathon, just an hour north of Providence, because of a supposed resemblance to a grainy suspect image. Hey Reddit, enough Boston bombing vigilantism, declared a headline in The Atlantic at the time.It definitely went sideways in the Boston Marathon situation, said Liza Potts, a professor at Michigan State University and director of a digital humanities lab that studied the online response. Thats why folks will jokingly refer to the Reddit Detective Agency or the Reddit Bureau of Investigations.The mistaken connection between the 2013 bombers and a missing Brown student who was later found dead of an apparent suicide is still remembered by many at the Ivy League school and its surrounding community.Brown officials this week sought to swiftly tamp down another smear campaign circulating on X and other social media platforms falsely tying a current Brown student to the campus shooting because of his ethnicity, perceived political views and supposed resemblance to a police video of a person of interest. The unimaginable nightmare of false accusations led to non-stop death threats and hate speech, the student said in a statement. Frustrated that tip lines could be jammed with nonsense, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat and former state attorney general, urged social media speculators to just shut up.There is simply no need from an investigative point of view for people who have no idea what theyre talking about to offer their stupid and ill-informed views about what happened all over the internet, Whitehouse said from Congress on Wednesday.But Potts said some social media has been working better than others, and of all the spaces that I study, Reddit seems to be getting it right more than not. Harmful accusations were largely absent from Reddits Providence forum, in part because volunteer moderators who manage Reddits subject matter forums known as subreddits are largely responsible for keeping the peace.Reddits chief moderator for the Providence subreddit said in an interview that hes been on the platform for about 15 years and remembers the trauma that false Boston Marathon report caused.The Providence subreddit is very sensitive about (not) trying to go on a witch hunt or the mob mentality, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid doxing and because of the platforms culture of anonymity. The Associated Press also reached out to the tipster on Tuesday, a day after he wrote on Reddit urging police to look into a Nissan sedan with Florida license plates. Fellow Redditors urged him to contact the FBI, and he said he did. He didnt respond to requests for comment and later posted that he doesnt plan to talk with media. When he finally met with police on Wednesday after approaching them on the street and identifying himself as the Reddit tipster his information gave new life to a stalled investigation. With a known vehicle, Providence police started looking through the footage from dozens of AI-powered cameras positioned around the city that can read license plates as well as other identifying details about a car, such as make, color, side damage or even bird droppings on the window. The cameras, run by surveillance company Flock Safety, spotted his vehicle at least 14 times starting nearly two weeks before the shooting, according to a police affidavit. Providence police could then ask Flock-using police agencies in nearby cities and states to look for the same car, although New Hampshire because of privacy restrictions on how long they can hold images doesnt have any. It was a breakthrough Flock was happy to boast about, especially as wariness remains in Providences immigrant communities about more aggressive federal immigration enforcement. Flock says each of its customers decides when to share camera data, and the city doesnt share it with federal immigration agents. Some still want more safeguards. Once you know what they are, you see them everywhere, said Madalyn McGunagle, a policy associate at the ACLU of Rhode Island. People notice because theyre distinct-looking a solar panel on top with a little oval camera underneath.But unlike the residential doorbell cameras that spotted him walking around Providence, had Neves Valente walked by a Flock camera, it wouldnt have detected him, said Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley.It is a technical impossibility. The camera does not have an ability for a user to search for people, Langley said in an interview Friday. Our cameras are focused on vehicles because if you look at America, people drive. It is very hard to get anywhere on foot.For the majority of our cities, they want to just know who is coming in and who is leaving, he said.Still, without John the tipster whom local Redditors dubbed Reddit Guy no one would have known how he left.Someone who is in the area and sees stuff all the time, theyre going to be better in a lot of ways than a random camera, said the Providence subreddits moderator. John saw this guy going back and forth, unlocking his car and all that, and he just thought it was kind of weird. MATT OBRIEN OBrien covers the business of technology and artificial intelligence for The Associated Press. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows a U.S. Airman preparing an A-10 Thunderbolt II for flight from a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike. (U.S. Air Force/DVIDS via AP)2025-12-20T14:08:20Z DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) Jordan confirmed Saturday that its air force took part in strikes launched by the United States on Islamic State group targets in Syria in retaliation for the killing of three U.S. citizens earlier this month.The U.S. launched military strikes Friday on multiple sites in in Syria to eliminate Islamic State group fighters and weapons in retaliation for an attack by a Syrian gunman that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter almost a week earlier.The Jordanian military said in a statement that its air force participated in precise airstrikes ... targeting several ISIS positions in southern Syria, using a different abbreviation for the Islamic State group. Jordan is one of 90 countries making up the global coalition against IS, which Syria recently joined.The U.S. military did not say how many had been killed in Fridays strikes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor, reported that at least five people were killed, including the leader and members of an IS cell. The Jordanian statement said the operation aimed to prevent extremist groups from exploiting these areas as launching pads to threaten the security of Syrias neighbors and the wider region, especially after ISIS regrouped and rebuilt its capabilities in southern Syria. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the region, said in a statement that its forces struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria with fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, with the Jordanian air force supporting with fighter aircraft. It said that since the Dec. 13 attack in Syria, U.S. and partner forces conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq resulting in the deaths or detention of 23 terrorist operatives, adding that the U.S. and partners have conducted more than 80 counterterrorism operation in Syria in the past six months. President Donald Trump had pledged very serious retaliation after the shooting in the Syrian desert, for which he blamed IS. Those killed were among hundreds of U.S. troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the militant group. On Friday Trump reiterated his backing for Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who Trump said was fully in support of the U.S. strikes against IS.IS has not taken responsibility for the attack on the U.S. service members, but the group has claimed two attacks on Syrian security forces since, one of which killed four Syrian soldiers in Idlib province. The group in its statements described al-Sharaas government and army as apostates. While al-Sharaa once led a group affiliated with al-Qaida, he has had a long-running enmity with IS.As well as killing three U.S. citizens, the shooting near Palmyra also wounded three other U.S. troops as well as members of Syrias security forces, and the gunman was killed. The assailant had joined Syrias internal security forces as a base security guard two months ago and recently was reassigned while he was under investigation on suspicions that he might be affiliated with IS, Syrian officials have said.The man stormed a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials who were having lunch together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards.

This photo provided by Blue Origin shows Michaela Benthaus, a German engineer aiming to become the first wheelchair user in space, sitting in a capsule mockup Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at Blue Origins rocket launch site in Van Horn, Texas. (Blue Origin via AP)2025-12-20T14:18:45Z A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers Saturday, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high.Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus became the first wheelchair user to launch to space, soaring from West Texas with Jeff Bezos company Blue Origin. She was accompanied by a retired SpaceX executive also born in Germany, Hans Koenigsmann, who helped organize and, along with Blue Origin, sponsored her trip. Their ticket prices were not divulged.The 10-minute space-skimming flight required only minor adjustments to accommodate Benthaus, according to the company. Thats because the autonomous New Shepard capsule was designed with accessibility in mind, making it more accessible to a wider range of people than traditional spaceflight, said Blue Origins Jake Mills, an engineer who trained the crew and assisted them on launch day. Among Blue Origins previous space tourists: those with limited mobility and impaired sight or hearing, and a pair of 90-year-olds. For Benthaus, Blue Origin added a patient transfer board so she could scoot between the capsules hatch and her seat. The recovery team also had a carpet to lay on the desert floor following touchdown, providing immediate access to her wheelchair, which she left behind at liftoff. She practiced in advance, with Koenigsmann taking part with the design and testing. An elevator was already in place at the launch pad to ascend the seven stories to the capsule perched atop the rocket. Benthaus, 33, part of the European Space Agencys graduate trainee program in the Netherlands, experienced snippets of weightlessness during a parabolic airplane flight out of Houston in 2022. Less than two years later, she took part in a two-week simulated space mission in Poland. I never really thought that going on a spaceflight would be a real option for me because even as like a super healthy person, its like so competitive, right? she told The Associated Press ahead of the flight. Her accident dashed whatever hope she had. There is like no history of people with disabilities flying to space, she said.When Koenigsmann approached her last year about the possibility of flying on Blue Origin and experiencing more than three minutes of weightlessness on a space hop, Benthaus thought there might be a misunderstanding. But there wasnt, and she immediately signed on.Its a private mission for Benthaus with no involvement by ESA, which this year cleared reserve astronaut John McFall, an amputee, for a future flight to the International Space Station. The former British Paralympian lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident when he was a teenager.An injured spinal cord means Benthaus cant walk at all, unlike McFall who uses a prosthetic leg and could evacuate a space capsule in an emergency at touchdown by himself. Koenigsmann was designated before flight as her emergency helper; he also was tapped to help her out of the capsule and down the short flight of steps at flights end. Benthaus was adamant about doing as much as she could by herself. Her goal is to make not only space accessible to the disabled, but to improve accessibility on Earth too. While getting lots of positive feedback within my space bubble, she said outsiders arent always as inclusive. I really hope its opening up for people like me, like I hope Im only the start, she said. Besides Koenigsmann, Benthaus shared the ride with business executives and investors, and a computer scientist. They raised Blue Origins list of space travelers to 86.Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, created Blue Origin in 2000 and launched on its first passenger spaceflight in 2021. The company has since delivered spacecraft to orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using the bigger and more powerful New Glenn rocket, and is working to send landers to the moon. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

An exam room at a medical clinic in Detroit on July 29, 2015. (Charles V. Tines/Detroit News via AP, File)2025-12-20T13:05:35Z WASHINGTON (AP) Its not unusual for a 20-something to text Mom in a panic from the doctors office, seeking help answering a question. And patients of any age can struggle to recall all their medicines or forget to mention a concern.Getting the most out of a doctors visit requires some advance preparation. Even the professionals plan ahead.It is really hard even for me as a doctor going to see my own family doctor to remember the things that I wanted to bring up, said Dr. Sarah Nosal, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. The worst is when youve had that moment with your doctor only to recall another problem after walking out, she said. Youve lost that time.Her top tip: Bring a list of symptoms and questions to show at the start of the visit. The first item should be your top concern, but seeing the full list helps your doctor prioritize whats most medically urgent.Im actually going to be able to see, is there a red flag? explained Nosal, who has some advice about prepping for a typical primary care visit. Your primary care doctor monitors your overall healthSome illnesses require specialists like a cardiologist or rheumatologist. But regardless of your age or how healthy you are, research has long shown that a relationship with a primary care provider is important for overall health. It might be a family physician like Nosal, who cares for all ages, or an internist. Some patients choose gynecologists, geriatricians, or have a primary care team that includes nurse practitioners or physician assistants.Primary care is more than preventive checkups to help avoid illness, such as vaccinations, cancer screenings or health advice. It also includes detecting and treating common problems like high blood pressure, and helping to find and coordinate specialty care.That ongoing relationship also helps me know your normal, Nosal explained. If somethings different or changes or you feel off, when you tell me that information and I also have known you over time, we can really figure out together whats going on. Quiz your family before the appointmentYoung adults navigating health care on their own for the first time may need help filling out forms with their personal medical history. Have you ever had general anesthesia? Is your tetanus shot up to date?If you still have access to the patient portal at your former pediatricians office, you can see records of vaccinations and prior illnesses, or you may have to request them or quiz parents.For all ages, family medical history is critical and needs regular updating. Ask what diseases your close relatives have had and how they fared. For example, if Type 2 diabetes runs in the family, or Grandma had a stroke, or someone had cancer at a young age, that information could help tailor your preventive care, Nosal said.Fill out your paperwork ahead of the visitFilling out paperwork from home makes it easier to check medicine bottles for the name and dose. Include both prescription and over-the-counter medicines, pills or creams and dont forget vitamins and supplements.Why are the latter important? Some can interact with prescription medicines. Nosal cited some patients whose longtime treatments quit working after they started taking turmeric, a spice also sold as a supplement. Also before your visit, check if the doctor received records of recent lab tests, hospitalizations or visits to other health providers, since electronic medical records arent always automatically shared. Keep a running list of questions before a doctor visitSome symptoms are bad enough to prompt an urgent visit. But if youve got a checkup coming, whether its routine or to follow up on health problems, start a list of questions in advance.Notice a pain when you move a certain way? Or chatting with a friend who just got a colonoscopy and wonder if youre due? Pop those on your list right away, before you forget and be specific in describing symptoms.Nosal keeps a running list on her phone and, ahead of visits with her own doctor, sends it as a heads-up through her patient portal. Patients also can include their list on visit check-in forms.The idea is to address the most urgent questions first, rather than patients running out of time before raising a key concern. Nosal said questions about mental or sexual health and wellness especially tend to come up at the last minute.Whatever the medium, please bring that list, she said. Thats the most critical of all pieces. Its OK to ask againPeople may know to ask questions about treatments, such as how well they work and what side effects to expect. But its also important to understand why a doctor makes a particular diagnosis or, conversely, isnt as worried about a symptom as you might be.Dont hesitate to say, Explain to me what else could be going on, Nosal advised. What would be the next step? How would you evaluate that for me, to know if its this or that?Most health advocacy groups also advise bringing along a friend or relative, especially if you have serious or multiple health problems. They can help ask questions and take notes. Whether you are 20 or you are 85, you will not remember everything from your medical visit, Nosal said.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. LAURAN NEERGAARD Neergaard is an Associated Press medical writer who covers research on brain health, infectious diseases, organ transplantation and more. She is based in Washington, D.C. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Welcome back to the Abstract! Here are the studies this week that defied expectations, broke barriers, made trash into shelter, and lived to swear another day.First, theres a giant, lemony, diamond-studded, black widow in space. Ill explain. Then: electrons get ready for a close-up, the ultimately tiny home, and why expletives are the hottest new workout hack.As always, for more of my work, check out my book First Contact: The Story of Our Obsession with Aliens or subscribe to my personal newsletter the BeX Files.LemonworldZhang, Michael et al. A Carbon-rich Atmosphere on a Windy Pulsar Planet. The Astrophysical Journal Letters.Astronomers have observed a Jupiter-sized planet more than 700 light years from Earth that is unlike anything spotted before and defies explanation.Known as PSR J2322-2650b, the exoplanet is shaped like a lemon, boasts baffling skies, and may have hidden troves of diamonds in its belly. The distant world closely orbits a pulsar, a type of hyper-dense dead star that is tugging on the gassy planet, giving it the distended shape.Pulsar companions are normally other stars. These are called black widow systems because winds from the pulsar weather down the stellar companion, eventually destroying it, similar to the deadly embrace of the namesake spider. It is very rare to see a black widow system with a planet as the pulsar companion.Curious about this unusual exoplanet, astronomers observed it with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), thereby unveiling a bizarre atmosphere that raises more questions than it answers, according to their new study.PSR J23222650b is different from other ultralight pulsar companions, being the only pulsar companion with a mass, a density, and a temperature similar to those of hot Jupiters, said researchers led by Michael Zhang of the University of Chicago. The atmosphere of such an object has never been observed.In stark contrast to every known exoplanet orbiting a main-sequence star, we find an atmosphere rich in molecular carbon (C3, C2) with strong westward winds, they said.Molecular carbon is unusual in planetary atmospheres because carbon atoms tend to bind to other elements, producing more familiar compounds like carbon dioxide. The atmosphere is so carbon-dominated, and so depleted in oxygen and nitrogen, that it doesnt neatly line up with any known planetary formation scenarios. In a sparkling twist, its dense carbon atmosphere may produce soot clouds that then solidify into diamonds, bedazzling its core.Is this a long-lived gas giant that survived the transformation of its star into a pulsar? Or was it born from the debris of the supernova that created the pulsar? And will this black widow system end as others do, with a slow death by pulsar winds? Nobody knows!Our findings pose a challenge to the current understanding of black-widow formation and it will take more observations of similar systems to determine whether PSR J23222650bs composition is unusual or representative of the class.In other newsAn attofirst for attosecondsArdana-Lamas, Fernando et al. Brilliant Source of 19.2-Attosecond Soft X-ray Pulses below the Atomic Unit of Time. Ultrafast Science.Scientists have created the shortest X-ray light pulse ever produced, a breakthrough that could resolve the previously hidden motions of electrons and other particles at subatomic scales.These newly-demonstrated soft X-ray pulses last for just 19.2 attoseconds, where an attosecond is equal to one quintillionth (1018) of a second. In other words, an attosecond is to a second as a second is to 31.69 billion years, more than twice the age of the universe.This is where the science happened. Image: ICFOExcitation, scattering, and electron relaxation are crucial processes that control how matter interacts with light, said researchers led by Fernando Ardana-Lamas of the Institute of Photonic Science (ICFO) in Spain. Their timing influences how chemical bonds form or break, how charge and energy move, and how properties of molecules and materials emerge. Understanding these dynamics requires attosecond resolution, as electronic excitations and dynamics occur on timescales of tens of attoseconds.We demonstrated the generation of coherent attosecond [short X-ray] pulses with a duration of 19.2 as, significantly shorter than the atomic unit of time, a milestone that offers exciting new opportunities to investigate atomic, molecular, and solid-state physics, the team concluded.This high pulse speed is necessary for the development of instruments that could capture the mysterious dynamics of particles on subatomic timescales. Other experimental technologies are still required to make these ultrafast cameras a reality, but for now, heres to shattering the shutter speed record.My other house is a tooth socketViola-Lpez, Lzaro W. et al Trace fossils within mammal remains reveal novel bee nesting behaviour. Royal Society Open Science.Heres a question for prospective home owners: have you ever considered living in a clump of regurgitated bones? This solution worked out well for Caribbean cave bees that lived some 20,000 years ago, according to a new study that reports the discovery of the first known fossilized bee nests built inside skeletal remains.Scientists found the honeycombed bones buried in a cave on the island of Hispaniola that was once also inhabited by owls. Since owls regularly barf up pelletsgnarly globs of half-digested preythe solitary bee species had a ready-made supply of skeletal remains, which were apparently a perfect place to raise offspring.A part of a fossilized mammal skull, with sediment in a tooth socket that turned out to be a nest built by a prehistoric bee. Image: Courtesy of Lazaro Viola Lpez.Isolated brood cellswere found inside cavities of vertebrate remains, including tooth sockets and the spinal canal, said researchers led by Lzaro Viola Lpez of the Field Museum in Chicago. The high abundance of nests throughout the deposit indicated that this cave was used for a long period as a nesting aggregation area by this solitary bee.Theres nothing like getting the skeleton keys to your new skeleton house.A prescription for profanityStephens, Richard et al. Dont Hold Back: Swearing Improves Strength Through State Disinhibition. American Psychologist.Cussing is discouraged in polite company, but it may actually be good for your health and performance, according to a new study that confirms swearing alleviates inhibitions and provides increased endurance during physical challenges.Psychologists recruited nearly 200 volunteers to hold themselves in a sustained chair pushup while repeating either a swear word of their choice, or a neutral word, every two seconds. The results revealed a consistent swearing advantage characterized by significant performance improvements in the swearing condition.These effects have potential implications for athletic performance, rehabilitation, and contexts requiring courage or assertiveness, said researchers led by Richard Stephens of Keele University. As such, swearing may represent a low-cost, widely accessible psychological intervention to help individuals not hold back when peak performance is needed.At long last, science has vindicated the foul-spoken, the pottymouths, the salty-tongued, and the vulgarians. So go forth, ye cursers, and f*ck that sh*t up! Its the doctors orders, after all.Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Theyre so festive!READ MORE...

See how real people cleverly used them in their homes. READ MORE...

Heather Sterling poses for a portrait during a hike, Aug. 11, 2025, near Daniel, Wyo. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler)2025-12-20T15:02:43Z Heather Sterling stepped into the ring at the Texas Game Warden Training Center, ready to face an ambush by instructors acting as violent assailants.The four-on-one drill is a rite of passage for those training to be game wardens, sworn officers who enforce state conservation laws. Nationwide, thousands of local and state police recruits are allowed into the profession only after passing similar drills simulated fights for their lives.The barrage of force against Sterling came rapidly, video obtained by The Associated Press shows. A surprise push from behind threw her to the floor. A right-handed punch to the back of the head knocked her down. Within two minutes, she was struck at least seven times in the head, the last blow knocking off her wrestling helmet. In this still image from video obtained by The Associated Press, Heather Sterling is hit in the head by one of her instructors, who is acting as a violent assailant, during a four-on-one training drill, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton, Texas. In this still image from video obtained by The Associated Press, Heather Sterling is hit in the head by one of her instructors, who is acting as a violent assailant, during a four-on-one training drill, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton, Texas. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Protect yourself! an instructor yelled.Sterling completed the drill but suffered a concussion. A dozen of her classmates a third in all were injured that day as they were repeatedly punched, tackled on a gym floor and thrown against padded walls, records show.While the drill was physically punishing, their experience was not unique. Since 2005, similar drills at law enforcement academies nationwide have been linked to at least a dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries, some resulting in disability, an AP investigation has found. ______ Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Editors note: This is the third installment of APs Dying to Serve series. Find the previous stories here and here.______The drills frequently referred to as RedMan training for the brand and color of protective gear worn by participants are intended to teach law enforcement recruits how to defend themselves against combative suspects. Theyre among the most challenging tests at police academies. Law enforcement experts say that when properly designed and supervised, they teach new officers critical skills for handling high-stress situations.But critics say they can put recruits at risk of physical and mental abuse that runs some promising officers out of the profession. Academies have wide latitude in running such exercises, given a lack of national standards governing police training. Sterling quit the academy after her drill. Shes now speaking out, hoping to spark change in training practices nationwide.Im worried that someone is going to get killed, said Sterling, whod previously worked as a senior game warden and defensive tactics instructor in Wyoming. This is a poorly disguised assault. This photo provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shows new graduates during the 67th Texas Game Warden and State Park Police Officer Commissioning Ceremony on May 30, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Sonja Sommerfeld/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department via AP) This photo provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shows new graduates during the 67th Texas Game Warden and State Park Police Officer Commissioning Ceremony on May 30, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Sonja Sommerfeld/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More An investigation by the agency that regulates law enforcement training found no wrongdoing in how the drill was conducted. An academy official told investigators the goal was to overwhelm the cadet physically and mentally to force them to think while physically exhausted. An expert who reviewed the case told AP injuries happen during volatile training environments nationwide, but the Texas drill stood out for its design recruits could not use force to defend themselves against the onslaught of assailants. He said the number of injuries was concerning.To teach cadets how and when to defend themselves, only to put them in a doomsday scenario with the instruction that theyre not allowed to fight back, does not match any training curriculum Ive seen, said David Jude, a retired Kentucky State Police academy commander. Heather Sterling hikes along the Green River, Aug. 11, 2025, near Daniel, Wyo. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) Heather Sterling hikes along the Green River, Aug. 11, 2025, near Daniel, Wyo. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A Wyoming game warden moves back to TexasIn October 2024, Sterling started the Texas Parks and Wildlife Departments eight-month academy in rural central Texas, which boasts of producing the best-trained conservation officers in the country.Game wardens called conservation officers or wildlife troopers in some states enforce hunting and fishing laws. They carry firearms, have arrest powers, are often among the first to respond to emergencies and rescue missions.Sterling said she loved serving as a game warden for nearly five years in Wyoming, where she sometimes shooed moose and mountain lions away from towns. Patrolling without backup, she said, she had some very tense conversations with suspects and had to restrain some in handcuffs.She said almost everyone she encountered during hunting season was armed and potentially dangerous, but she prided herself on responding alertly and calmly. She never had to fight a suspect, and none of the 40 wardens she taught self-defense had been in a significant use-of-force incident. Sterling applied in Texas to live closer to family, hoping for a similar law-enforcement role in her home state. She grew up as the daughter of a Dallas police officer and ran track and cross-country at Texas A&M.The academy scheduled the four-on-one drill for Dec. 13, 2024, after five weeks of arrest and control training.Instructors told cadets they couldnt defend themselves and were only to punch and kick a shield held by instructors, Sterling recalled. They discussed how some cadets had been seriously injured and terminated from previous academies for performing poorly. Sterling told AP she was confused by the drills purpose. Shed never been ambushed by one person, let alone four. If that happened, shed be able to use a firearm or other force to defend herself. As an instructor, she said, she would have never approved such a scenario or allowed punches to the head and neck.A female classmate who had previously worked as a police officer resigned rather than participate. She later told investigators she saw the drill as inappropriate and part of an academy culture of unprofessional training and hazing.But Sterling felt she had no choice if she wanted to stay in her profession. She completed a cardio exercise, and the drill began. In this still image from video obtained by The Associated Press, Heather Sterling is knocked to the ground by one of her instructors, who is acting as a violent assailant, during a four-on-one training drill, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton, Texas. (AP Photo) In this still image from video obtained by The Associated Press, Heather Sterling is knocked to the ground by one of her instructors, who is acting as a violent assailant, during a four-on-one training drill, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton, Texas. (AP Photo) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Combat drills take various forms nationwideAcademies have discretion to design training within state guidelines, and AP found the drills take many forms at local police, county sheriff and state departments. Theyre sometimes called combat training, Fight Day or stress reaction training.Recruits like Sterling must ward off several assailants at once. Others fight a series of instructors, one after another. Some academies intentionally use larger, more skilled instructors. In Kentucky, one scenario requires fighting a combative suspect in a pool.The stated goals are generally the same: to use skills learned in the academy to fend off or subdue assailants and to never give up.Recruits and instructors wear protective gear to cushion their heads from blows. But there are no uniform safety guidelines, including whether academies must have medical personnel on site.Lawyers for some Black and female former trainees have alleged that instructors targeted their clients with excessive force to try to run them out of the profession. Several of the deaths have been of Black men hoping to join disproportionately white police forces.Amid the deaths and criticism, experts are encouraging academy directors to retire or modify any problematic drills.The drills can quickly devolve into abusive rites of passage without appropriate focus and oversight, said Brian Baxter, who oversaw training at the Texas Department of Public Safety and now leads a group that studies the use of force. Some instructors want to win rather than allow recruits to practice their skills, he added.The idea that were just punching each other to see whos toughest ... thats when it becomes inappropriate, said Baxter, whose former agency overhauled its practices after a trooper died in 2005 from getting hit several times in the head. There needs to be a problem thats being solved by this training. And that problem needs to be directly related to public service. In this still image from video obtained by The Associated Press, Heather Sterling is hit by one of her instructors, who is acting as a violent assailant, during a four-on-one training drill, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton, Texas. In this still image from video obtained by The Associated Press, Heather Sterling is hit by one of her instructors, who is acting as a violent assailant, during a four-on-one training drill, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton, Texas. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More For this Texas academy class, injuries were widespreadFor Sterling, the drill came to an end when she simulated holding her assailants at gunpoint and put them in handcuffs.Later that day, she had a pounding headache. Her knee swelled, and shed skinned her elbow on the floor.At least 13 of 37 cadets reported injuries: concussion symptoms; a fractured wrist; a torn MCL; sprained wrists and knees; a bruised nose, records show.Two recruits needed surgery. Some were told the injuries were due to their lack of preparation and poor technique, and had to redo the drill.Sterling said she wasnt offered medical care. She recalled vomiting while driving herself for emergency treatment. A doctor found she suffered a concussion that resulted from an assault, a medical record provided by Sterling shows.Sterling had passed the drill, but turned in her resignation.I have a very high sense of what is right and what is wrong, she told AP. I did not want to be part of what was happening at the academy anymore.Deaths and injuries across the countryNationwide, deaths and injuries have been blamed on a mix of trauma from punches and other force, overexertion, heat stroke, dehydration, and organ failure.In August, 30-year-old Jon-Marques Psalms died two days after a training exercise at the San Francisco Police Academy. He suffered a head injury while fighting an instructor in a padded suit. This undated photo provided by Christina Psalms shows Jon-Marques Psalms, who died two days after a training exercise at the San Francisco Police Academy in August 2025. (Christina Psalms via AP) This undated photo provided by Christina Psalms shows Jon-Marques Psalms, who died two days after a training exercise at the San Francisco Police Academy in August 2025. (Christina Psalms via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More An autopsy found his death was an accident caused by complications of muscle and organ damage in the setting of a high-intensity training exercise. His family has filed a legal claim against the city and hired experts for a second autopsy.In November 2024, a 24-year-old Kentucky game warden recruit died after fighting an instructor in a pool to the point of collapse, video obtained by AP shows. William Baileys death was ruled an accidental drowning due to a sudden cardiac dysrhythmia during physical exertion.A year earlier, a Denver police recruit had both legs amputated after a training fight that his attorney called a barbaric hazing ritual. An Indiana recruit died of exertion after he was pummeled by a larger instructor, and a classmate was disabled after fighting the same man.Investigations of Austins police academy in Texas found that physical and psychological abuse from such exercises resulted in a significant number of cadets injured, ranging from dehydration to broken bones, and led to reforms. Black and female cadets represented a disproportionate number of those who were injured and quit.Macho Products Inc., which sells RedMan Training Gear nationwide, cautions in its warranty that such training always presents risks of accidental injury, disability, and death that must be assumed by all participants. The document says risks can be minimized through carefully planned scenarios conducted at appropriate levels of force. A company spokesperson didnt respond to APs request for comment on recent deaths and injuries. In this photo provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department a person holds up a game warden badge during the 67th Texas Game Warden and State Park Police Officer Commissioning Ceremony on May 30, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Sonja Sommerfeld/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department via AP) In this photo provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department a person holds up a game warden badge during the 67th Texas Game Warden and State Park Police Officer Commissioning Ceremony on May 30, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Sonja Sommerfeld/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Former cadet compares the drill to a gang initiation ritualAlarmed by the injuries to Sterling and others, a state lawmakers office contacted the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to seek an investigation.After reviewing videos, investigating the injuries, and interviewing instructors and some recruits, the investigation found the drill was conducted in a control and organized manner, with safety measures in place and training objectives clearly communicated. The videos did not show instructors acting overly aggressive to Sterling, or any other actions that were inappropriate or inconsistent with the established training guidelines, it found.While multiple cadets sustained minor to moderate injuries during the drill, the majority recovered without extended medical consequences or changes to their training status, the report said.The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department declined to comment and refused to release records, citing the potential for litigation.Sterling, who has returned to Wyoming and still works in law enforcement, was outraged by the states defense of the drill, which she compared to a gang initiation ritual.New members are physically beaten down by the gang membership, she said, which now considers you as its property. RYAN J. FOLEY Foley covers national news for The Associated Press and is based in Iowa City, Iowa. A 21-year AP veteran, he was part of the AP team honored as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting for the 2024 series, Lethal Restraint. twitter mailto

Yang has been part of the NBC sketch show since 2018, earning five Emmy nominations.

The secretary of state has somehow avoided becoming either a media fixation or a major player in the rights unfolding psychodrama.

Check the closet for one of these while youre home for the holidays!READ MORE...

This interior designer got to be her own client for a change.READ MORE...

Guests will love these adorable booze balls!READ MORE...

A cleaner that actually handles hair, stains, and everyday messes.READ MORE...

Floral tributes outside Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Markham)2025-12-20T15:03:40Z SYDNEY (AP) The Australian state of New South Wales is proposing to ban public displays of Islamic State group flags or extremist symbols after a mass shooting driven by antisemitism killed 15 people at Sydneys Bondi Beach.Under draft laws to be debated by the state Parliament, publicly displaying the IS flag or symbols from other extremist groups will be offenses punishable by up to two years in prison and fines.The states premier, Chris Minns, also said chants of globalize the intifada will be banned and police would be given greater powers to demand protesters remove face coverings at demonstrations.Hate speech or incitement of hatred has no place in our society, Minns said Saturday. The Arabic word intifada is generally translated as uprising.While pro-Palestinian demonstrators say the slogan describes the worldwide protests against the war in Gaza, Jewish leaders say it inflames tensions and encourages attacks on Jews. Horrific, recent events have shown that the chant globalize the intifada is hate speech and encourages violence in our community, Minns told reporters. Youre running a very risky racket if youre thinking of using that phrase. New South Wales politicians are expected to debate the reforms on Monday after the premier recalled parliament.Police said Sundays attack, targeting a Hanukkah celebration on Australias most famous beach, was a terrorist attack inspired by (the) Islamic State " group. Police said they found two homemade IS flags in the vehicle used by the two suspects. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to introduce measures to curb radicalization and hate, including broadening the definition of hate speech offenses for preachers and leaders who promote violence, and toughening punishments for such crimes. The proposals would also designate some groups as hateful, and allow judges to consider hate as an aggravating factor in cases of online threats and harassment. Albanese has also announced plans to tighten Australias already strict gun laws.The prime minister, who joined the Jewish community at Sydneys Great Synagogue on Friday, said the spirit of our Jewish Australian community is completely unbreakable. Australia will not allow these evil antisemitic terrorists to divide us, he told reporters. No matter how dark things were, and continue to be, light will triumph.Authorities said the country will hold a National Day of Reflection on Sunday, the final day of Hanukkah, in honor of the victims. Flags will be flown at half-mast from all official buildings, and Albanese will join others at Bondi on Sunday to observe a minute of silence at 6:47 p.m., the time when police received the first reports of gunfire. Police said one of the suspects, Sajid Akram, was shot dead on Sunday. His son, Naveed Akram, 24, remains in custody in a New South Wales hospital. He has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and committing a terrorist act, and police are reviewing the evidence against him. The attack has raised questions about whether Australian Jews are sufficiently protected from rising antisemitism. Australia has 28 million people, including about 117,000 who are Jewish. Antisemitic incidents, including assaults, vandalism, threats and intimidation, surged more than threefold in the country during the year after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel launched a war on Hamas in Gaza in response, the governments Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal reported in July.

Strikes on four vessels signal that Kyiv is willing to expand the maritime theater of the conflict in an effort to crimp Moscows military funding.

In trying to help grown children, parents can hurt their own retirement security. Heres how to stop the flow of money.

From a house in Sheepshead Bay, Ronald Spektor bilked about 100 people across the United States, prosecutors say. Then, he went online to brag.

Closely tied to Washington during much of the Cold War, Venezuela has gone through political upheavals over the years that now make it a major enemy in the eyes of the Trump administration.

A Tibetan living in exile pulls the curtain before he gives an interview in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)2025-12-20T05:01:29Z KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) The white dome of Boudhanath rises like a silent guardian over the chaotic sprawl of Nepals capital, Kathmandu, crowned by a golden spire that pierces the sky. Painted on each of the spires four sides are the benevolent eyes of the Buddha wide, calm, and unblinking said to see all that unfolds below.Those eyes have served as a symbol of sanctuary for generations of Tibetans fleeing the Chinese crackdown in their homeland. But today, Tibetan refugees are also watched by far more malevolent eyes: Thousands of CCTV cameras from China, perched on street corners and rooftops to monitor every movement below. This intense surveillance has stifled the once-vibrant Free Tibet movement that had resonated around the world. Nepal is just one of at least 150 countries to which Chinese companies are supplying surveillance technology, from cameras in Vietnam to censorship firewalls in Pakistan to citywide monitoring systems in Kenya. This technology is now a key part of Chinas push for global influence, as it provides cash-strapped governments cost-effective, if invasive, forms of policing turning algorithms and data into a force multiplier for control. Security cameras blanket Nepal, where Tibetan refugees feel under threat. (AP video Serginho Roosblad) The irony at the heart of this digital authoritarianism is that the surveillance tools China exports are based on technology developed in its greatest rival, the United States, despite warnings that Chinese firms would buy, copy or outright steal American designs, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on For decades, Silicon Valley firms often yielded to Beijings demands: Give us your technology and we will give you access to our market. Although tensions fester between Washington and Beijing, the links between American tech and Chinese surveillance continue today. For example, Amazon Web Services offers cloud services to Chinese tech giants like Hikvision and Dahua, assisting them in their overseas push. Both are on the U.S. Commerce Departments Entity List for national security and human-rights concerns, which means transactions with them are not illegal but subject to strict restrictions. AWS told AP it adheres to ethical codes of conduct, complies with U.S. law, and does not itself offer surveillance infrastructure. Dahua said they conduct due diligence to prevent abuse of their products. Hikvision said the same, and that they categorically reject any suggestion that the company is involved in or complicit in repression.Chinese technology firms now offer a complete suite of telecommunications, surveillance, and digital infrastructure, with few restrictions on who they sell to or how theyre used.China pitches itself as a global security model with low crime rates, contrasting its record with the United States, said Sheena Greitens, a political scientist at the University of Texas at Austin.Its got a set of solutions that its happy to share with the world that nobody else can offer, she said. (But) theyre certainly exporting the tools and techniques that are very important to authoritarian rule. The AP investigation was based on thousands of Nepali government procurement documents, corporate marketing material, leaked government and corporate documents, and interviews with more than 40 people, including Tibetan refugees and Nepali, American and Chinese engineers, executives, experts and officials.While thousands of Tibetans once fled to Nepal every year, the number is now down to the single digits, according to Tibetan officials in Nepal. In a statement to AP, the Tibetan government in exile cited tight border controls, Nepals warming ties with China and unprecedented surveillance as reasons for the drastic plunge. Also from APs investigation into the use of surveillance technology:U.S. tech firms to a large degree designed and built Chinas surveillance state, playing a far greater role in enabling rights abuses than known before.Across five Republican and Democratic administrations, the U.S. government has repeatedly allowed and even actively helped American firms to sell technology to Chinese police.The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.The Associated Press reports that China uses surveillance technology to track and intimidate officials and dissidents abroad. This technology, often originating from U.S. companies, has been used to monitor a retired Chinese official who fled to the U.S. seeking asylum, fearing persecution from the Chinese government. A 2021 internal Nepali government report, obtained by AP, revealed that China has even built surveillance systems within Nepal and in some areas of the border buffer zone where construction is banned by bilateral agreements. In a statement to AP, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied coercing Western companies to hand over technology or working with Nepal to surveil Tibetans, calling it a sheer fabrication driven by ulterior motives.Attempts to use Tibet-related issues to interfere in Chinas internal affairs, smear Chinas image, and poison the atmosphere of China-Nepal cooperation will never succeed, the statement said.The Nepali government and the Chinese-controlled Tibetan authorities did not respond to requests for comment. Sonam Tashi shouts slogans during a demonstration to commemorate the anniversary of the 1959 uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule, in New Delhi, India, March, 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Sonam Tashi shouts slogans during a demonstration to commemorate the anniversary of the 1959 uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule, in New Delhi, India, March, 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Under pressure, many Tibetans are responding the only way they can: Leaving. The Tibetan population in Nepal has plunged from over 20,000 to half that or less today.Former activist Sonam Tashi gave up protesting years ago. Now 49, today hes just a father trying to get his 10-year-old son out before the net pulls tighter. The boy was born in Nepal but has no document proving he is either a refugee or a citizen, a result of Chinese pressure. Tashi described how those considered likely to protest are picked up in advance around key dates like March 10, which marks the 1959 Tibetan uprising, or July 6, the Dalai Lamas birthday. In 2018, Nepals police magazine confirmed that it was building predictive policing, which allows officers to watch peoples movements, identify in advance who they think will protest and arrest them preemptively.There are cameras everywhere, Tashi said, sitting on a bus winding toward the Indian border. There is no future. Image recognition analysis overlaid on different places in Nepal. (AP video Marshall Ritzel) They gave us all the hardwareAfter China crushed a Tibetan uprising in 1959, thousands fled across the Himalayas to Nepal, carrying only what they could: Religious paintings, prayer wheels and the weight of families left behind.Their exodus, led by the charismatic Dalai Lama, captured the American imagination, with Hollywood films and actor Richard Geres congressional appeals putting Tibet in the spotlight. Washington trod a careful line, defending the rights and religious freedom of Tibetans without recognizing independence.Today, the future of the Free Tibet movement is in question. Without refugee cards that grant basic rights, Tibetans in Nepal can no longer open bank accounts, work legally or leave the country. Cameras are now everywhere in Kathmandu, perched on traffic lights and swiveling from temple eaves. Most link back to a four-story brick building just a few blocks down from the Chinese embassy, where officers watch the country in real time.The building hums with the low breath of cooling fans. Inside, a wall of monitors blinks with feeds from border towns, busy markets and clogged traffic crossings.Officers in crisp blue uniforms and red caps sit in the glow, scanning scenes. Beneath the screens, a photo published in a Nepali daily shows, a sign in English and Chinese reads: With the compliments of the Ministry of Public Security of China.Their reach is vast. Dahua surveillance cameras monitor the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) Dahua surveillance cameras monitor the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Operators can track a motorbike weaving through the capital, follow a protest as it forms, or patch an alert directly to patrol radios. Many cameras are equipped with night vision facial recognition and AI tracking able to pick a single face out of a festival crowd or lock onto a figure until it disappears indoors. The system not only sees but is learning to remember, storing patterns of movement, building a record of lives lived under its gaze.A 34-year-old Tibetan cafe owner in the city watched the city change in quiet horror. Now you can only be Tibetan in private, he said. He and other Tibetans in Nepal spoke to AP anonymously, fearing retaliation.The first cameras in Boudhanath were installed in 2012, officially to deter crime. But after a Tibetan monk doused himself in petrol and set himself ablaze in front of the stupa in 2013, police added 35 night vision cameras around it. Nepalese policemen rush as a Tibetan monk burns after he set himself on fire in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013. The Tibetan monk doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in Nepals capital Wednesday in what is believed to be the latest self-immolation to protest Chinese rule in Tibet. Nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people have set themselves on fire in various countries, mostly in ethnic Tibetan areas inside China, since 2009.( AP Photo) Nepalese policemen rush as a Tibetan monk burns after he set himself on fire in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013. The Tibetan monk doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in Nepals capital Wednesday in what is believed to be the latest self-immolation to protest Chinese rule in Tibet. Nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people have set themselves on fire in various countries, mostly in ethnic Tibetan areas inside China, since 2009.( AP Photo) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The Chinese embassy in Kathmandu worked closely with the police, said Rupak Shrestha, a professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada who studied surveillance in Nepal. He said the police received special training to use the new cameras, identify potential symbols associated with the Free Tibet movement and anticipate dissent.In 2013, a team of Nepal Police officers crossed the northern border into Tibet for a seemingly straightforward mission: Collect police radios from Chinese authorities in Zhangmu, a remote border town, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Kathmandu. A truck was loaded with equipment and a few handshakes later, they were driving back to Kathmandu. The radios made by the partly state-owned Chinese firm Hytera looked like walkie-talkies but ran on a digital trunking system, a scaled-down mobile network for police use. Officers could talk privately, coordinate across districts, even patch into public phone lines. The entire system radios, relay towers, software was a $5.5 million gift from China.They didnt give us the money, recalled a retired Nepali officer who made the trip. They gave all the hardware. All Chinese. A Tibetan living in exile pulls the curtain before he gives an interview in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) A Tibetan living in exile pulls the curtain before he gives an interview in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More He remembered not the border guards but the tech sleek, reliable, and far ahead of anything theyd used before. He spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive internal discussions.He said Nepal had initially considered buying the technology from the U.S. and only wanted to deploy the system in its two biggest cities. Hytera was a fraction of the cost and performed comparably, but China also wanted coverage near the border with Tibet. Nepal acquiesced.They installed the technology in Sindhupalchowk, a border district with a key road to China used by Tibetan refugees. We understood their mindset, the retired officer said. A secure border.A police envoy from the Chinese embassy began making regular visits to the Nepal Police headquarters. Hed chat over coffee, flip through brochures from Chinese companies. Hed say, You want anything? the retired officer recalled. China began donating tens of millions in police aid and surveillance equipment, including a new school for Nepals Armed Police Force. Hundreds of Nepali police traveled to China for training on policing and border control, according to Chinese government posts.Ahead of a summit of South Asian leaders in 2014, among the goods on offer were ones from Uniview, Chinas pitch for an all-seeing eye.The company was the Chinese surveillance business of what was then Hewlett Packard, or HP, before it was spun off in a 2011 deal. Since 2012, Uniview has been selling mass surveillance solutions to the Tibetan police, such as a command center, and developed cameras that track ethnicities such as Uyghurs and Tibetans.Uniview installed cameras in Kathmandu for Nepals first safe city project in 2016. It started with the citys roads, then went up across the capital in tourist areas, religious sites, high-security zones like Parliament and the prime ministers home.The cameras didnt just record. Some could follow people automatically as they moved. Others were designed to use less data, making it easier to store and review footage.Hewlett Packard Enterprise, or HPE, a successor company to HP that sells security solutions, has no ownership in Uniview and declined to comment. Hytera and Uniview did not respond to requests for comment.Nearly all the cameras installed in Nepal are now made by Chinese companies like Hikvision, Dahua and Uniview, and many come bundled with facial recognition and AI tracking software.Hikvisions website and marketing materials advertise camera systems in Nepal linked via Hik-Connect and HikCentral Connect, cloud products that rely on Amazon Web Services. Hikvision sells to the Nepali police and government, and a template for Nepali tenders indicates CCTV cameras procured for the government are required to support Hik-Connect.In return for Beijings support, top Nepali officials have thanked China repeatedly over the years, promising never to allow anti-China activities on Nepali territory.The Nepali police head offices arent far from the now-forlorn Tibetan reception center, which used to shelter tired, hungry Tibetans fleeing across the border. Namkyi, a Tibetan former political prisoner who was arrested at 15 and imprisoned for protesting Chinese rule, recounts her story during a meeting with staff at Vital Voices, a non-profit organization, Oct. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Namkyi, a Tibetan former political prisoner who was arrested at 15 and imprisoned for protesting Chinese rule, recounts her story during a meeting with staff at Vital Voices, a non-profit organization, Oct. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The building is nearly empty. The gates are locked. Those who do escape, like Namkyi, arrested at 15 for protesting Chinese rule, often have to wait for weeks confined indoors until theyre smuggled out again to the Tibetan capital in exile in India.Silence has become survival.They know they are being watched, she said. Even though we are free, the surveillance cameras mean were actually living in a big prison.From clients to competitorsFrom the start, U.S. companies eager for Chinas vast markets exchanged technology for entry.Many were required to start joint ventures and research operations in China as a precondition for being allowed in. Dozens, if not hundreds, complied, transferring valuable know-how and expertise even in sensitive areas like encryption or policing.Little by little, Chinese companies chipped away at the lead of American tech companies by luring talent, obtaining research, and sometimes plain copying their hardware and software. The flow of technology continued, even as U.S. officials openly accused China of economic espionage and pressuring American companies for their technology.China is by far the most egregious actor when it comes to forced technology transfer, Robert D. Atkinson, then-president of a think tank focused on innovation, warned Congress in a 2012 hearing.American tech resistance came to a final, definitive end later that year with Edward Snowdens revelations that U.S. intelligence was exploiting American technology to spy on Beijing. Spooked, the Chinese government told Western firms they risked being kicked out unless they handed over their technology and provided security guarantees.After companies like HP and IBM agreed, their former partners became their fiercest global competitors and unlike American firms, they faced few questions about the way their technology was being used. Companies like Huawei, Hikvision and Dahua have now become global behemoths that sell surveillance systems and gear all over the world. American technology was key to this:- Uniview, the Chinese AI-powered CCTV camera supplier, supplied the first phase of Nepals safe city project in 2016, installing cameras in Kathmandu. Uniview was carved out of California-based HPs China surveillance video business.- Hytera provided data infrastructure for the Nepali police, such as walkie-talkies and digital trunking technology, which enables real-time communication. Earlier this year, Hytera acknowledged stealing technology from U.S. company Motorola in a plea agreement, and had acquired German, British, Spanish, and American tech businesses in their growth phase.- Hikvision and Dahua, Chinas two largest surveillance camera suppliers, sell many of the cameras now in Nepal. They partnered with Intel and Nvidia to add AI capabilities to surveillance cameras. Those ties ended after U.S. sanctions in 2019, but AWS continues to sell cloud services to both companies, which remains legal under what some lawmakers call a loophole. AWS has advertised to Chinese companies expanding overseas, including at a policing expo in 2023.- Chinese tech giant Huawei has become one of the worlds leading sellers of surveillance systems, wiring more than 200 cities with sensors. In Nepal, they supplied telecom gear and high-capacity servers at an international airport. Over the years, the company benefited from partnerships with American companies like IBM, and has been dogged by allegations of theft including copying code from Cisco routers wholesale, a case which Huawei settled out of court in 2004. A Nepal Telecom cell tower wired with Chinese equipment stands near Sree Muktinath temple in the remote Himalayan town of Ranipauwa, Nepal, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) A Nepal Telecom cell tower wired with Chinese equipment stands near Sree Muktinath temple in the remote Himalayan town of Ranipauwa, Nepal, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Huawei said it provides general-purpose products based on recognized industry standards. Intel has said it adheres to all laws and regulations where it operates, and cannot control end use of its products. Nvidia has said it does not make surveillance systems or work with police in China at present.IBM and Cisco declined comment. Policing gear maker Motorola Solutions, a successor company to Motorola after it split, did not respond to requests for comment.U.S. technology transfer to Chinese firms has mostly stopped after growing controversy and a slew of sanctions in the past decade. But industry insiders say its too late: China, once a tech backwater, is now among the biggest exporters of surveillance technologies on earth.Few realized the U.S. shouldnt be selling the software to China because they might copy it, they might use it for these types of surveillance and bad stuff, said Charles Mok, a Hong Kong IT entrepreneur and former lawmaker now living in exile as a research scholar at Stanford. Nobody was quick enough to realize this could happen. A Buddhist monk walks in an alley as a CCTV camera mounted on a pole watches over the area in the ancient ethnic Tibetan city of Mustang, Nepal, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) A Buddhist monk walks in an alley as a CCTV camera mounted on a pole watches over the area in the ancient ethnic Tibetan city of Mustang, Nepal, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The great big eye in the skyInside a 15th-century monastery in Lo Manthang in Nepals Mustang district, light slants through wooden slats, catching motes of dust and the faded faces of bodhisattvas.Crumpled notes of Chinese currency lie at the feet of deities in the walled city along the Tibetan border. Here, shops stock Chinese instant noodles and cars with Chinese plates rumble down mountain roads.A gleaming white observation dome just inside Chinese territory looms over the city. Visible from 15 kilometers (9 miles) away, its trained on the district that has long been a refuge for Tibetans, including a guerrilla base in the 1960s.The dome is just one node in Chinas vast 1,389-kilometer (863-mile) border network with Nepal a Great Wall of Steel of fences, sensors and AI-powered drones.Chinese forces have barred ethnic Tibetans from accessing traditional pastures and performing sacred rites. They have pressured residents of Lo Manthang to remove photos of the Dalai Lama from shops. And a China-Nepal joint command mechanism meets several times a month on border patrols and repatriations, according to a post by the Chinese-run Tibetan government.The result is that the once-porous frontier is now effectively sealed, and Chinas digital dragnet reaches deep into the lives of those who live near it. PHOTO ESSAY: Under watch by Chinese tech, the Tibetan community in Nepal is slowly suffocating 19 Photos In April 2024, Rapke Lama was chatting with a friend across the border on WeChat when he received an invitation to meet. He set out from his village and crossed into Tibet only to be arrested almost immediately.Lama believes his WeChat exchange was monitored; Chinese police appeared with unsettling precision, as if they knew where to look. After accusing him wrongly, he maintains of helping Tibetans flee into Nepal, the police seized his phone, which had photos of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan music. Then came months in a Lhasa prison, where isolation and inadequate medical care hollowed him out.Lama did not return to Nepal until May 2025, gaunt and shaken. He later said he entered Tibet to harvest caterpillar fungus, valued in traditional Chinese medicine. Another friend who crossed the border remains in custody.Even now, Im scared, Lama says. He wears masks when wandering the streets, he says, because of that lingering fear.The Chinese observation dome is a giant symbol of the same fear, towering over the border.Its the great big eye in the sky, said a 73-year-old Tibetan hotel owner in Nepal, who spotted the installation during a trip near the border last year. For Tibetan refugees, Nepal has become a second China. Dotted Line with Center Square __Associated Press journalists Niranjan Shrestha and Binaj Gurubacharya in Kathmandu, Manish Swarup and Rishi Lekhi in New Delhi, Ashwini Bhatia in Dharamshala, India, and David Goldman in Washington contributed to this report.-Contact APs global investigative team at [emailprotected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/. ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Ghosal covers the intersection of business and climate change in southeast Asia for The Associated Press. He is based out of Hanoi in Vietnam. twitter mailto DAKE KANG Kang covers Chinese politics, technology and society from Beijing for The Associated Press. Hes reported across Central, South, and East Asia, and was a Pulitzer finalist for investigative reporting in China. twitter mailto

Im obsessed.READ MORE...