Flight officer Rayan Gharazeddine scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on March 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)wld2025-12-31T11:57:42Z HANOI, Vietnam (AP) A deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 began in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, reviving efforts to solve one of aviations greatest mysteries more than a decade after the jet vanished with 239 people on board.Malaysias Transport Ministry said Wednesday that a search vessel, the Armada 86 05, arrived at a designated search area with two autonomous underwater vehicles. The location of the search area was not disclosed in the statement. It said the vessel had prepared for the search in Fremantle Port in Western Australia.The government did not specifically mention Ocean Infinity, the company that helmed a previous search and had long been slated to lead the new one. But the craft that the government specified by number has been widely identified by maritime and aviation websites as belonging to Ocean Infinity. Earlier in December, the Malaysian government said that the Texas-based marine robotics firm would begin searching targeted areas of the seabed under a renewed no-find, no-fee agreement. Ocean Infinity has confirmed it was resuming the search for MH370 but refused to comment further, citing the important and sensitive nature of the operation. Ocean Infinity previously searched the seabed in 2018, under a similar contract but found no trace of the plane. The company has said it has since upgraded its technology and refined its analysis. Its CEO Oliver Plunkett said last year the firm was working with multiple experts and had narrowed the search zone to what it believes is the most probable crash site. Earlier this year, Ocean Infinity briefly restarted seabed search operations in a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) area of the southern Indian Ocean after receiving approval from Malaysia, but the effort was suspended in April because of poor weather. The Malaysia Airlines plane disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on March 8, 2014. Satellite data later showed the aircraft veered from its planned route and flew south toward the remote southern Indian Ocean, where investigators believe it crashed. There has never been an explanation for the course change. A costly and protracted multinational search effort failed to locate the aircraft, though pieces of debris believed to be from the plane later washed up along the East Africa coast and on Indian Ocean islands. No main wreckage or bodies have ever been recovered.___Nuga reported from Bangkok. 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

Travellers wait for Eurostar services at St Pancras International station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)2025-12-31T09:07:04Z PARIS (AP) Trains were running again Wednesday in both directions through the Channel Tunnel between continental Europe and the United Kingdom but problems remained after a day of travel chaos caused by power malfunctions.The tunnel operator, Eurotunnel, said the 50-kilometer (32-mile) undersea link was back to full capacity after a power fault inside it was fixed overnight Tuesday. The short statement didnt detail the cause of the power failure. But Eurostar, which runs passenger trains through the tunnel, warned of continued possible delays and cancellations because of knock-on impacts from the severe disruptions on Tuesday. Its website showed delays Wednesday to London-Paris, London-Brussels and London-Amsterdam trains in both directions and early morning cancellations.Tuesdays hours-long interruption of cross-Channel train services and a resulting cascade of cancellations upended travelers end-of-year getaway plans and provoked scrambles for flights and buses. Another power malfunction Tuesday on the U.K. side that Eurostar said was related to the electrical fault inside the tunnel also caused severe delays for passengers aboard three trains, Eurostar said. It said an overhead power cable fell onto a Eurostar train from London to Paris, near the tunnel entrance, and that an effort to move the train with its passengers inside proved very complex. The power failure also caused severe delays to two trains to Brussels, Eurostar said. Passenger Ghislain Planque told French broadcaster BFMTV that his Eurostar journey Tuesday evening from London to France was meant to take just under 90 minutes but instead took around 11 hours, with passengers stuck overnight in the train that had only intermittent power.We were left without electricity, so with no heating, no air-conditioning, no possibility to charge phones, he said. We were in total darkness for some of the time.

Nature, Published online: 31 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09860-9Modulation of random heteropolymers results in globular polymer clusters with catalytic activity mimicking proteins.

Nature, Published online: 31 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04021-4Stacking light-generating layers in tandem light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can enhance performance, but achieving efficient and stable tandem LEDs made with perovskite materials has remained a challenge. A tandem perovskite-based device that seems to benefit from recycling of photons between stacked layers demonstrates highly efficient performance, surpassing the combined emissions of two single-unit devices.

Nature, Published online: 31 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03982-wA model quantifies the environmental footprint of wearable health-care electronics and identifies strategies to reduce their environmental toll.

Nature, Published online: 31 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04007-2To map the biodiversity of sub-Saharan Africa, 200 specialists in African plants and animals were asked to estimate local species abundances. This approach integrates contextual, place-based knowledge into a multi-scale, comparative biodiversity assessment that can be used to support policy decisions at national, regional and global scales.

Nature, Published online: 31 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03833-8A meta-analysis of 168 studies covering more than 11 million people found no reliable link between economic inequality and well-being or mental health. In other words, living in a place that has large gaps between the rich and poor does not affect these outcomes, with implications for policy.

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Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers said he chose the NFL over lucrative offers for a final college season in order to preserve his relationships at Texas.

President Donald Trump signed into law this month a measure that prohibits anyone based in China and other adversarial countries from accessing the Pentagons cloud computing systems.The ban, which is tucked inside the $900 billion defense policy law, was enacted in response to a ProPublica investigation this year that exposed how Microsoft used China-based engineers to service the Defense Departments computer systems for nearly a decade a practice that left some of the countrys most sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from its leading cyber adversary.U.S.-based supervisors, known as digital escorts, were supposed to serve as a check on these foreign employees, but we found they often lacked the expertise needed to effectively supervise engineers with far more advanced technical skills.In the wake of the reporting, leading members of Congress called on the Defense Department to strengthen its security requirements while blasting Microsoft for what some Republicans called a national betrayal. Cybersecurity and intelligence experts have told ProPublica that the arrangement posed major risks to national security, given that laws in China grant the countrys officials broad authority to collect data.Microsoft pledged in July to stop using China-based engineers to service Pentagon cloud systems after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly condemned the practice. Foreign engineers from any country, including of course China should NEVER be allowed to maintain or access DoD systems, Hegseth wrote on X.In September, the Pentagon updated its cybersecurity requirements for tech contractors, banning IT vendors from using China-based personnel to work on Defense Department computer systems. The new law effectively codifies that change, requiring Hegseth to prohibit individuals from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from having direct or indirect access to Defense Department cloud computing systems.Microsoft declined to comment on the new law. Following the earlier changes, a spokesperson said the company would work with our national security partners to evaluate and adjust our security protocols in light of the new directives.Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican who serves on the House Armed Service Committee, celebrated the development, saying it closes contractor loopholes following the discovery that companies like Microsoft exploited them. Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence who has been critical of the tech giant, also heralded the legislation, saying it includes much-needed efforts to protect our nations critical infrastructure, which is threatened by Communist China and other foreign adversaries.The legislation also bolsters congressional oversight of the Pentagons cybersecurity practices, mandating that the secretary brief the congressional defense committees on the changes no later than June 1, 2026. After that, such briefings will take place annually for the next three years, including updates on the effectiveness of controls, security incidents, and recommendations for legislative or administrative action.Read MoreA Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Chinese HackersAs ProPublica reported, Microsoft initially developed the digital escort program as a work-around to a Defense Department requirement that people handling sensitive data be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.The company has maintained that it disclosed the program to the Pentagon and that escorts were provided specific training on protecting sensitive data and preventing harm. But top Pentagon officials have said they were unaware of Microsofts program until ProPublicas reporting.A copy of the security plan that the company submitted to the Defense Department in 2025 showed Microsoft left out key details of the escort program, making no reference to its China-based operations or foreign engineers at all.This summer, Hegseth announced that the department had opened an investigation into whether any of Microsofts China-based engineers had compromised national security. He also ordered a new third-party audit of the companys digital-escort program. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment on the status of those inquiries.The post Trump Signs Defense Bill Prohibiting China-Based Engineers in Pentagon IT Work appeared first on ProPublica.

Mayor Eric Adams had one public appearance on his schedule, but that didnt stop him from naming a third charter commission in the last hours of his administration.

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Two Times journalists joined Miles Taylor, a YouTuber and transport enthusiast, on a daylong journey across New York City area buses and trains before sale of the card ends on Dec. 31.

The mayor-elects turnaround came as he selected Kamar Samuels to lead New York Citys school system at a precarious moment.

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In this image from video released by the House Judiciary Committee, former special counsel Jack Smith speaks during a deposition Dec. 17, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (House Judiciary Committee via AP)2025-12-31T21:43:48Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Jan. 6., 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol does not happen without Donald Trump, former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers earlier this month in characterizing the Republican president as the most culpable and most responsible person in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election.The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee released on Wednesday a transcript and video of a closed-door interview Smith gave about two investigations of Trump. The document shows how Smith during the course of a daylong deposition repeatedly defended the basis for pursuing indictments against Trump and vigorously rejected Republican suggestions that his investigations were politically motivated.The evidence here made clear that President Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit. The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him. The other co-conspirators were doing this for his benefit, Smith said, bristling at a question about whether his investigations were meant to prevent Trump from reclaiming the presidency in 2024. So in terms of why we would pursue a case against him, I entirely disagree with any characterization that our work was in any way meant to hamper him in the presidential election, he added. The Dec. 17 deposition was conducted privately despite Smiths request to testify publicly. The release of the transcript and video of the interview, so far Smiths only appearance on Capitol Hill since leaving his special counsel position last January, adds to the public understanding of the decision-making behind two of the most consequential Justice Department investigations in recent history. Trump was indicted on charges of conspiring to undo the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and of willfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Both cases were abandoned after Trumps 2024 election win, with Smith citing Justice Department policy against the indictment of a sitting president. Smith repeatedly made clear his belief that the evidence gathered against Trump was strong enough to sustain a conviction. Part of the strength of the Jan. 6 case, Smith said, was the extent to which it relied on the testimony of Trump allies and supporters who cooperated with the investigation.We had an elector in Pennsylvania who is a former congressman, who was going to be an elector for President Trump, who said that what they were trying to do was an attempt to overthrow the government and illegal, Smith said. Our case was built on, frankly, Republicans who put their allegiance to the country before the party.Accounts from Republicans willing to stand up against the falsehood that the election had been stolen even though it could mean trouble for them created what Smith described as the most powerful evidence against Trump.When it came to the Capitol riot itself, Smith said, the evidence showed that Trump caused it and that he exploited it and that it was foreseeable to him. Asked whether there was evidence that Trump had instructed supporters to riot at the Capitol, Smith said that Trump in the weeks leading to the insurrection got people to believe fraud claims that werent true.He made false statements to state legislatures, to his supporters in all sorts of contexts and was aware in the days leading up to Jan. 6th that his supporters were angry when he invited them and then he directed them to the Capitol, Smith said. Now, once they were at the Capitol and once the attack on the Capitol happened, he refused to stop it. He instead issued a tweet that without question in my mind endangered the life of his own vice president, he added. And when the violence was going on, he had to be pushed repeatedly by his staff members to do anything to quell it.Some of the deposition focused on Republican anger at revelations that the Smith team had obtained, and analyzed, phone records of GOP lawmakers who were in contact with Trump on Jan. 6. Smith defended the maneuver as lawful and by-the-book, and suggested that outrage over the tactic should be directed at Trump and not his team of prosecutors. Well, I think who should be accountable for this is Donald Trump. These records are people, in the case of the senators, Donald Trump directed his co-conspirators to call these people to further delay the proceedings. He chose to do that, Smith said. If Donald Trump had chosen to call a number of Democratic senators, we would have gotten toll records for Democratic senators.The communications between Trump and Republican supporters in Congress were an important component of the case, Smith said. He cited an interview his office did with Mark Meadows in which Trumps former chief of staff referenced that Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and current chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, had been in touch with the White House on the afternoon of the riot. And what I recall was Meadows stating that Ive never seen Jim Jordan scared of anything, and the fact that we were in this different situation now where people were scared really made it clear that what was going on at the Capitol could not be mistaken for anything other than what it was, Smith said.Smith was also asked whether his team evaluated former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinsons explosive claim that Trump that grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol after a rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021. Smith told lawmakers that investigators interviewed the officer who was in the car, who said that President Trump was very angry and wanted to go to the Capitol, but the officers version of events was not the same as what Cassidy Hutchinson said she heard from somebody secondhand.___Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto

With the Supreme Court Building under renovations, the justices hear oral arguments on President Donald Trump's push to expand control over independent federal agencies, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-12-31T23:03:49Z WASHINGTON (AP) Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday that the Constitution remains a sturdy pillar for the country, a message that comes after a tumultuous year in the nations judicial system with pivotal Supreme Court decisions on the horizon.Roberts said the nations founding documents remain firm and unshaken, a reference to a century-old quote from President Calvin Coolidge. True then; true now, Roberts wrote in his annual letter to the judiciary.The letter comes after a year in which legal scholars and Democrats raised fears of a possible constitutional crisis as Republican President Donald Trumps supporters pushed back against rulings that slowed his far-reaching conservative agenda.Roberts weighed in at one point in March, issuing a rare rebuke after Trump called for the impeachment of a judge who had ruled against him in a case over the deportation of Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members. The chief justices Wednesday letter was largely focused on the nations history, including an early 19th-century case establishing the principle that Congress shouldnt remove judges over contentious rulings.He also called on judges to continue to decide the cases before us according to our oath, doing equal right to the poor and to the rich, and performing all of our duties faithfully and impartially under the Constitution and laws of the United States. While the Trump administration faced pushback in the lower courts, it has scored a series of some two dozen wins on the Supreme Courts emergency docket. The courts conservative majority has allowed Trump to move ahead for now with banning transgender people from the military, clawing back billions of dollars of congressionally approved federal spending, moving aggressively on immigration and firing the Senate-confirmed leaders of independent federal agencies. The court also handed Trump a few defeats over the last year, including in his push to deploy the National Guard to U.S. cities.Other pivotal issues are ahead for the high court in 2026, including arguments over Trumps push to end birthright citizenship and a ruling on whether he can unilaterally impose tariffs on hundreds of countries.Roberts letter contained few references to those issues. It opened with a history of the seminal 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, a recent immigrant to Britains North American colonies, and closed with Coolidges encouragement to turn for solace to the Constitution and Declaration of Independence amid all the welter of partisan politics. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court and legal affairs for The Associated Press. Shes won multiple journalism awards in a career thats spanned two decades. twitter mailto

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, center, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., appear on stage during a rally, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa, File)2025-12-31T05:03:21Z Zohran Mamdani will become mayor of New York City as the clock ticks over into 2026 but the celebrations are set to last through New Years Day.The Democrats team is planning two separate swearing-in ceremonies Thursday a small, private one with his family in an old subway station around midnight, followed by a large event in the afternoon that will include a public block party outside City Hall. As a new mayors term begins immediately with the new year, it has been customary for the citys incoming leaders to hold two events. Outgoing mayor Eric Adams held his initial swearing-in at Times Square shortly after the famous ball drop, while Adams predecessor, Bill de Blasio, took his first oath at home in Brooklyn.For his part, Mamdani will take his initial oath at the former City Hall subway station in Manhattan one of the citys original stops on its subterranean transit system, known for its tiled arches and vaulted ceilings. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a political ally and notable foe of President Donald Trump, will administer the oath of office.The old City Hall stop was designed as the flagship station of the citys first subway line, but was decommissioned in 1945. These days, outside of occasional guided historical tours, locals can usually only catch a glimpse of it by staying on the 6 train after its last stop downtown when it turns around to head north. In a statement, Mamdanis office said the choice to be sworn in at the station reflected his commitment to the working people who keep our city running every day. When Old City Hall Station first opened in 1904 one of New Yorks 28 original subway stations it was a physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples lives, Mamdani said. That ambition need not be a memory confined only to our past, nor must it be isolated only to the tunnels beneath City Hall: it will be the purpose of the administration fortunate enough to serve New Yorkers from the building above, he said. On Thursday afternoon, Mamdani will be sworn in again, this time by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of his political heroes, on the steps of City Hall in a ceremony scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another political ally, will deliver opening remarks. Mamdanis transition formed an inaugural committee that includes actor John Turturro, playwright Cole Escola and writer Colson Whitehead, as well as advocates, small business owners and campaign workers who the incoming mayors office says have provided perspective, guidance, and cultural sensibility for the ceremony. The public swearing-in will be accompanied by a block party along a stretch of Broadway leading up to City Hall. Mamdanis office expects thousands of people to attend and says there will be performances, music and interfaith elements.

A man walking on Bourbon Street holds a flag reading "Love" as an armored vehicle sits parked on a street in the French Quarter as part of a National Guard deployment for New Year's celebrations in New Orleans, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025.2025-12-30T22:20:59Z NEW ORLEANS (AP) National Guard members arrived in New Orleans Tuesday to help with safety measures ahead of New Years celebrations as city officials are still seeking permanent security solutions nearly a year after a truck attack on Bourbon Street left 14 dead. The rampage, in which a man drove around a police blockade in the early hours of Jan. 1, revealed security vulnerabilities surrounding the citys famous street filled with boisterous bars, brass bands playing on cobblestone corners and a steady stream of partygoers carrying cocktails. While Louisiana officials say the popular tourist destination is safe and that theyve implemented additional measures to crack down on potential threats, families of deceased victims say not enough has been done to prevent similar tragedies. Searching for answersThe attack happened when Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck down Bourbon Street, plowing into crowds celebrating New Years Day, killing 14 people and injuring dozens of others. Police shot and killed Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group on social media.In the wake of the rampage, city officials, state agencies and law firms representing victims families launched investigations into whether the attack could have been prevented. The investigations focused on the streets bollard system of steel columns designed to block cars from entering the thoroughfare. The bollards were being replaced at the time. Among the victims were Nikyra Dedeaux, an 18-year-old about to start college who was on Bourbon Street with friends. Her mother, Melissa Dedeaux, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that while many will ring in 2026 with fireworks and merriment, she will be grieving. She has been haunted by her daughters final moments, captured in graphic video that circulated on social media. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Im a parent that had to wake up, log on my Facebook account and see my daughters last days my daughters last time. I didnt get to see her on Bourbon the night it happened. I saw her on a video, she told the AP.I saw no safety, Dedeaux said. I saw that my daughter could still be here. Proposing permanent solutionsQuestions still swirl around the streets barricade system, which is a patchwork of bollards, strategically parked police vehicles and 32 large steel barriers that officers push into place every night to form pedestrian zones. They are not meant to be utilized in the fashion they are, Samuel Palumbo, the 8th District New Orleans Police Department Captain, said of the barriers that can withstand only low-speed collisions. He stressed to the New Orleans Governmental Affairs Committee this month that the system is a temporary solution to a permanent problem.We need to learn from what happened, Morris Bart, whose law firm is representing victims and their families, told reporters Tuesday. Its kind of ridiculous ... that a year after this tragedy nothing has been done to resolve this situation.Palumbo urged the city to install permanent security gates that can withstand crashes up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour). The committee opted to hold off on a vote until incoming Mayor Helena Moreno enters office in January. A consulting firm, hired by the city to conduct a security assessment, made another suggestion: Make Bourbon Street a pedestrian only area.While much of the street is limited to pedestrians at night, the recommendation which victims families have supported was largely ignored after French Quarter residents and business owners raised concerns about accessing their homes and businesses. National Guards arrivalAs the city prepares for round-the-clock revelry, 350 National Guard members deployed by President Donald Trumps administration arrived to New Orleans.A couple dozen members wearing army fatigues, with guns in their holsters, could be seen Tuesday night throughout the citys historic French Quarter, home to Bourbon Street. They stood near barricades, sipping cups of coffee and even chatting or taking pictures with passersby.Troops will stay through Carnival season, when tourists descend on the Big Easy to partake in costumed celebrations and parades that snake through city streets before ending with Mardi Gras in mid-February. Holding Republicans and Democrats have supported the additional resources which also include state police troopers and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries officers. Mayor-elect Moreno said she appreciates the troops presence and that it increases the visibility of security assets during major events.Longtime French Quarter worker Miguel Thornton said hes happy to see armed troops a year after the attack.A lot of the service industry professionals that were out here were affected they saw the carnage, they had to step over bodies and so people were definitely changed, Thornton said. As far as the National Guard, theyve been here before. Honestly, theyre welcome. Remembering 2025Louisiana has a famous Cajun French phrase, Laissez les bon temps rouler, or Let the good times roll. In New Orleans, a city that heavily relies on tourism, the show always goes on in the entertainment district even in the face of tragedy. After the Bourbon Street attack, the strip was closed down as emergency crews tended to the injured, bodies were removed and blood was washed from the streets. By the next day, before all the victims had even been identified by the coroner, the street was reopened. Within a few months, handwritten tributes at the site of the attack had been painted over.As the anniversary nears, tourists again flock to Bourbon Street for New Years celebrations. This time, suspended above them are hundreds of handcrafted flags honoring the victims. Buck Harley, who manages a Bourbon Street cigar shop, said he has had to explain the memorial to patrons. We seem to as a society forget. And I dont think its because of a lack of empathy but because theres another big story taking its place, Harley said. I have to tell the tourists what the flags are up there for, because its forgotten already.___Cline reported from Baton Rouge.___Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. JACK BROOK Brook covers Louisiana government, infrastructure and environmental issues from New Orleans. He is a Report for America corps member. twitter mailto

In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian soldiers, center, arrive after being captured and held by the Thai army, at Prum border gate, in Pailin province, Cambodia, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AKP via AP)2025-12-31T05:58:33Z PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian prisoners of war held for five months, fulfilling the terms of a ceasefire agreement the two countries signed to end bitter fighting along their border.The release was stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, signed Saturday by the defense ministers of the two countries at the same border checkpoint between Thailands Chanthaburi province and Cambodias Pailin province where the soldiers were released.The repatriation of the 18 Cambodian soldiers was undertaken as a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building, as well as in adherence to international humanitarian principles, Thailands Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Cambodias Defense Ministry said the release creates an environment conducive to peace, stability, and the full normalization of relations for the benefit of both nations and their people in the near future. The soldiers release removes a major impediment toward that goal after two rounds of destructive combat over competing territorial claims.Thailand insisted it was allowed to hold the men under the Geneva Conventions rules of war, which say prisoners can be detained until the end of hostilities. The prisoners were allowed visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross and other rights covered under international humanitarian law, Thai authorities said. Their continued detention was used effectively by Cambodias government to rally nationalist sentiment in the conflict against Thailand. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Wednesdays statement from Cambodias defense ministry said the government has remained steadfast in the promise made to the families of the 18 soldiers and the Cambodian people: that no soldier would be left behind. The former prisoners were flown in the afternoon from western Cambodia to the capital, Phnom Penh, where they were greeted with hugs and visible emotion by their families as they stepped off a helicopter at the citys old airport. They and their families were then taken by buses for what was reported to be a planned private meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet. Crowds outside the airport gates cheered and waved small flags as their motorcade passed. The freed men acknowledged the welcome by waving or displaying the traditional Asian greeting of clasping hands in prayer-like fashion in front of oness face or chest.The ceasefire agreement said the soldiers would be freed if the end of combat was sustained for 72 hours after it came into effect at noon on Saturday. The 72 hours passed on Tuesday, but Thai authorities said they needed to evaluate the situation, claiming that 250 Cambodian drones had been active along the border.The two countries had given differing accounts of the circumstances of the mens capture, which took place on the same day the initial ceasefire came into effect at the end of July.Cambodian officials say their soldiers approached the Thai position with friendly intentions to offer post-fighting greetings, while Thai officials said the Cambodians appeared to have hostile intent and entered what Thailand considers its territory and subsequently were taken prisoner. There were originally 20 Cambodia soldiers taken captive, but two were repatriated within days for what were said to be medical reasons.The original July ceasefire was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.Despite those deals, the countries carried on a bitter propaganda war and minor cross-border violence continued, escalating in early December to widespread heavy fighting.Thailand lost 26 soldiers and one civilian as a direct result of the combat since Dec. 7, according to officials. Thailand also reported 44 civilian deaths.___Wasamon Audjarint reported from Bangkok. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Nature, Published online: 31 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04102-4A tiny population of cells that are passed across the placenta between mother and baby challenge basic tenets of human immunology.

Nature, Published online: 31 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09819-wAn integrated systems engineering framework based on life-cycle inventories is used to quantify the global eco-footprint of wearable healthcare electronics and identify effective mitigation strategies.

Nature, Published online: 31 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09864-5Fermionic currents of opposing chirality can be spatially filtered without the need for a magnetic field using the quantum geometry of topological bands in single-crystal PdGa.

With the Bengals again missing the playoffs, quarterback Joe Burrow said "something's got to change" heading into next season.

The Ravens are "very optimistic" about quarterback Lamar Jackson playing against the Steelers with the AFC North title on the line, coach John Harbaugh said.

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The listing could make it more challenging for U.S. forces to board the ship, which an arm of the Kremlins maritime authority says is now flying the Russian flag.

The actress, who died this week at 91, was an icon of 1960s cinema. She was also a hero to the French far right.

The attacker likely had links to the Islamic State and was possibly targeting a Christian church in the center of Aleppo, according to a government spokesman.

The New Years Eve celebration drew spectators from around the world, despite cold and blustery weather.

Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect, announced several key appointments who could help implement central promises of his agenda, including universal child care.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)2025-12-31T10:11:43Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.Four apartment buildings were damaged in the bombardment, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. Power company DTEK said two of its energy facilities suffered significant damage. The company said that 10 substations that distribute electricity in the Odesa region were damaged in December alone.Russia has this year escalated its long-range attacks on urban areas of Ukraine. In recent months, as Russias invasion of its neighbor approaches its four-year milestone in February, it has also intensified its targeting of energy infrastructure, seeking to deny Ukrainians heat and running water in the bitter winter months. From January to November this year, more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 were injured, the United Nations said earlier this month. That was 26% higher than in the same period in 2024 and 70% higher than in 2023, it said. Russias sustained drone and missile attacks have taken place against backdrop of renewed diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting.U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday and announced that a settlement is closer than ever before. The Ukrainian leader is due to hold talks next week with the heads of European governments supporting his efforts to secure acceptable terms. The ongoing attacks, meantime, are inflaming tensions.The overnight Odesa strikes are further evidence of the enemys terror tactics, which deliberately target civilian infrastructure, Kiper, the regional head, said. Russia insists Putins residence was attackedMoscow has alleged that Ukraine attempted to attack Russian President Vladimir Putins residence in northwestern Russia with 91 long-range drones late Sunday and early Monday. Ukrainian officials deny the claim and say its a ruse to derail progress in the peace negotiations.Maj. Gen. Alexander Romanenkov of the Russian air force claimed Wednesday that the drones took off from Ukraines Sumy and Chernihiv regions.At a briefing where no questions were allowed, he presented a map showing the drone flight routes before they were downed by Russian air defenses over the Bryansk, Tver, Smolensk and Novgorod regions.It was not possible to independently verify the reports.The European Unions foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, on Wednesday called the Russian allegations a deliberate distraction from the peace talks.No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraines infrastructure and civilians since the start of the war, Kallas posted on X. Ukraine weapons fund receives billions of dollarsZelenskyy said Wednesday that Romania and Croatia are the latest countries to join a fund that buys weapons for Ukraine from the United States. The financial arrangement, known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, pools contributions from NATO members, except the United States, to purchase American weapons, munitions and equipment.Since it was established in August, 24 countries are now contributing to the fund, according to Zelenskyy. The fund has so far received $4.3 billion, with almost $1.5 billion coming in December alone, he said on social media.Ukraines air force said Wednesday that Russia fired 127 drones at the country during the night, with 101 of them intercepted by air defenses.Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 86 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russian regions, the Black Sea and the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula.The Ukrainian attack started a fire at an oil refinery in Russias southern Krasnodar region, but it was quickly put out, local authorities said.___This story has corrected the day of the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian presidents residence to late Sunday and early Monday.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine ILLIA NOVIKOV Novikov is an Associated Press reporter covering news in Ukraine since 2022. He is based in Kyiv. instagram mailto

President Donald Trump talks to the media as he walks to Marine One from the White House, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)2025-12-31T06:10:51Z NEW YORK (AP) By nearly any measure, 2025 has been a rough year for anyone concerned about freedom of the press.Its likely to be the deadliest year on record for journalists and media workers. The number of assaults on reporters in the U.S. nearly equals the last three years combined. The president of the United States berates many who ask him questions, calling one woman piggy. And the ranks of those doing the job continues to thin.Its hard to think of a darker time for journalists. So say many, including Tim Richardson, a former Washington Post reporter and now program director for journalism and disinformation at PEN America. Its safe to say this assault on the press over the past year has probably been the most aggressive that weve seen in modern times.Tracking killings and assaults against journalistsWorldwide, the 126 media industry people killed in 2025 by early December matched the number of deaths in all of 2024, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and last year was a record-setter. Israels bombing of Gaza accounted for 85 of those deaths, 82 of them Palestinians.Its extremely concerning, said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Unfortunately, its not just, of course, about the sheer numbers of journalists and media workers killed, its also about the failure to obtain justice or get accountability for those killings.What we know from decades of doing this work is that impunity breeds impunity, she said. So a failure to tackle journalists killings creates an environment where those killings continue. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on The committee estimates there are at least 323 journalists imprisoned worldwide. None of those killed this year were from the United States. But the work on American soil has still been dangerous. There have been 170 reports of assaults on journalists in the United States this year, 160 of them at the hands of law enforcement, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Many of those reports came from coverage of immigration enforcement efforts. Its impossible to look past the influence of President Donald Trump, who frequently seethes with anger at the press while simultaneously interacting with journalists more than any president in memory frequently answering their cell phone calls.Trump has always attacked the press, Richardson said. But during the second term, hes turned that into government action to restrict and punish and intimidate journalists. Journalists learn quickly they have a fight on their handsThe Associated Press learned that quickly, when Trump limited the outlets access to cover him after it refused to follow his lead to rename the Gulf of Mexico. It launched a court fight that has remained unresolved. Trump has also extracted settlements from ABC and CBS News in lawsuits over stories that displeased him, and is suing The New York Times and Wall Street Journal.Long angry about a perceived bias against conservatives on PBS and NPR newscasts, Trump and his allies in Congress successfully cut funding for public broadcasting as a whole. The president has also moved to shut down government-run organizations that beam news to all parts of the world.The U.S. is a major investor in media development, in independent media outlets in countries that have little or no independent media, or as a source of information for people in countries where there is no free media, Ginsberg said. The evisceration of Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia and the Voice of America is another blow to press freedom globally.Others in his administration take Trumps lead, like when his press office chose the day after Thanksgiving to launch a web portal to complain about outlets or journalists being unfair.Its part of this overall strategy that were seeing from certain governments, notably the United States, to paint all journalists who dont simply (repeat) the narrative put out by the government as fake news, as dubious, as dodgy, as criminal, Ginsberg said.Trumps defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has portrayed journalists as dark figures skulking around Pentagon halls to uncover classified secrets as his rationale for putting in restrictive rules for coverage. Thats led to the most notable example of journalists fighting back: most mainstream news outlets gave up their credentials to work in the Pentagon rather than agree to these rules, and are still breaking stories while working off site. The New York Times has sued to overturn the rules. The newspaper also publicly defends itself when attacked by the president, such as when he complained about its coverage of his health.Despite the more organized effort against the press, the public has taken little notice. The Pew Research Center said that 36% of Americans reported earlier this year hearing about the Trump administrations relationship with the press, compared to 72% who said that at the same point in his first term. Polls consistently show that journalists have never been popular, and are likely to elicit little sympathy when their work becomes harder.Really the harm falls on the public with so much of this because the public depends on this independent reporting to understand and scrutinize the decisions that are being made by the most powerful office in the world, Richardson said.Some reasons for optimismThe news industry as a whole is more than two decades in to a retrenchment caused largely by a collapse in the advertising market, and every year brings more reports of journalists laid off as a result. One of the years most sobering statistics came in a report by the organizations Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News: in 2002, there were 40 journalists for every 100,000 people in the United States and by this year, it was down to just over eight.Asked if they could find reasons for optimism, both Ginsberg and Richardson pointed to the rise of some independent local news organizations, shoots of growth of growth in a barren landscape, places like the Baltimore Banner, Charlottesville Tomorrow in Virginia and Outlier Media in Michigan.As much as they are derided in Trumps America, influential Axios CEO Jim VandeHei noted in a column recently that reporters at mainstream media outlets are still working hard and able to set the nations agenda with their reporting.As he told the AP: Over time, people will hopefully come to their senses and say, Hey, the media like anything else is imperfect but, man, its a nice thing to have a free press.___David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The fault falls to college sports' leaders who spent decades defending amateurism with dated legal arguments.

Anthony Edwards made an unplanned and unapproved exit Wednesday, leaving the court and the bench during a timeout late in Minnesota's loss at Atlanta.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning wrapped up Citrus Bowl MVP honors with a 60-yard scoring run in a 41-27 victory over No. 14 Michigan.

Devin Culp and Payne Durham went full Hallmark mode in their Christmas card photos.

The Golden State Warriors guard was recognized by his alma mater with an exit in his name.

Syracuse, N.Y., has received nearly twice its usual monthly amount of snow in December.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. did not directly address the tensions between the Trump administration and federal judges who have blocked the presidents agenda.