A Shaolin kung fu master shows how it’s done.
— Science girl (@sciencegirl) January 3, 2026
U.S. Delta Force Captures Venezuelan President Maduro During Major Assault on Caracas: Defence Minister Vows Continued Fight Military Watch Magazine
The entangled brain Aeon
Anti-Aging Injection Regrows Knee Cartilage and Prevents Arthritis SciTech Daily
Looksmaxxing is the new trans Clavicular’s cybertruck smashes conservative hope UnHerd
COVID-19/Pandemics
Magical thinking will not prevent future pandemics or improve public health Science.org
Review of 200 novel human viruses over a century a reminder that pathogen emergence isn’t rare CIDRAP
Climate/Environment
Wildfire smoke is a national crisis, and it’s worse than you think Grist.org
In Lahore’s Smog Season, This Gen Z Doctor Is Centering Climate Change Inside Climate News
South of the Border
World reacts to US bombing of Venezuela, ‘capture’ of Maduro Al Jazeera
Report: US Attack on Venezuela Killed at Least 40 including military personnel and civilians Antiwar
The United States Captures Nicolás Maduro and his Wife Jonathan Turley
Trump admin sends tough private message to oil companies on Venezuela Politico
Why Capturing Maduro Solves Nothing Modern War Monitor
Decapitation Without Destruction: Why the Abduction of President Maduro Creates a Strategic Crisis for the United States Kautilya the Contemplator
Colombia sends armed forces to Venezuela border amid concern over refugee ‘influx The Guardian
Mexico condemns U.S. military action in Venezuela, capture of Maduro The Washington Times
China?
In this part of the Wuling factory in China, there are no human workers in sight!
Machines handle the tasks here, showing how far automation has come in manufacturing! pic.twitter.com/n306JjfHuq
— Dominic Lee 李梓敬 (@dominictsz) December 16, 2025
China’s robot sports craze could eventually put humanoids in homes CNN
Maduro received Chinese representative hours before Trump’s claim he’s been captured Andolu Agency
China’s Laser Leap: Beijing Is Quietly Winning the Next Arms Race The National Interest
India
The year angry men dominated Bollywood – and what it means for India BBC
The Great Divide: Why Bangladesh-India Relations Are At A Historic Breaking Point? – OpEd Eurasia Review
Why 2026 could be a testing year for India The Federal
Africa
Top 5 African countries with the best quality of life index at the start of 2026 Business Insider Africa
Gen Z’s struggle in South Africa, the most unequal country in the world El Pais
EAC warns Israel move to recognize Somaliland threatens stability of the Horn of Africa China Daily
European Disunion
France Plans 2026 Ban on Social Media for Under-15s, Advancing EU-Wide Digital ID Approach Reclaim the Net
EU urges ‘restraint’, respect for international law in Venezuela after Maduro capture RFI
Europe’s Split With Washington Is Growing — But Its Vulnerabilities in Brussels Are Deeper. Fair Observer
Old Blighty
Data shows rise in racial, religious hate crime on UK public transport Andolu Agency
Growing numbers of over-60s facing homelessness, charities warn The Guardian
Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran
🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 FINKELSTEIN: “GENOCIDE IN GAZA IS A NATIONAL PROJECT”
Jewish American political scientist Norman Finkelstein isn’t holding back.
In a scathing statement, he argued the destruction in Gaza isn’t just the result of Israeli government policy, as it also reflects widespread… pic.twitter.com/uV1fGpUsaF
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 1, 2026
Severe weather in Gaza hits vulnerable and wounded most in Israel’s war Al Jazeera
UN chief ‘deeply concerned’ by Israel targeting NGOs Andolu Agency
UN urges Israel to drop proposed death penalty bill against Palestinians Jurist News
Israel and the politics of fragmentation: The hidden hand behind secessionist projects in Yemen, Somalia, and Libya Middle East Monitor
New Not-So-Cold War
Russia makes largest territorial gains in Ukraine since 2022 invasion France 24
Erdoğan: Russia–Ukraine War Threatens Black Sea Trade The Caspian Post
Why a nuclear plant is a big sticking point in the Ukraine peace plan NY Times
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Google is tracking your digital fingerprints again Mashable
Modern Cars Collect Driver Data Without Consent, Raising Privacy Alarms WebPro News
Imperial Collapse Watch
An American works full time SAVING lives: $32 an hour.
After taxes and insurance, she brings home $3,200 a MONTH.
Rent, utilities, and childcare consume $2,800 — before food, gas, or basics.
This isn’t the cost of living — it’s a slow financial chokehold. pic.twitter.com/wJV8S1Y54Q
— MatrixMysteries (@MatrixMysteries) January 1, 2026
Homeless drivers off the hook in California as RV encampments spread in Los Angeles NY Post
Utah meth operation shows how cartel drugs reach streets KUTV News
Trump 2.0
Live updates: Trump says US will ‘run’ Venezuela after Maduro capture The Hill
Trump warns Colombian president after US ‘capture’ of Maduro Andolu Agency
Trump’s move to topple Maduro is fraught with risk – what happens next is unclear BBC
Musk Matters
Tesla annual sales decline 9% as it’s overtaken by BYD as global EV leader TechCrunch
What is the reality of Elon Musk’s pipe dream, Optimus Robot? Cryptopolitan
Did Elon Musk Just Confirm He Is Funding The GOP For Midterms? ‘America Is Toast If The…’ Yahoo Finance
Democrat Death Watch
Republicans overtake Democrats on NC voter rolls The Carolina Journal
Minnesota fraud scandal poses danger for Democrats in Senate race The Hill
Immigration
More than 100 detained in holiday immigration raids across Central Coast, sparking outrage Los Angeles Times
Blackwater Successor Hunts Immigrants for ICE The intercept
Our No Longer Free Speech
Israeli Billionaire’s Call to Limit Free Speech Sparks Conservative Fury Newsweek
Universities treated free speech as expendable in 2025 Blaze media
Mr. Market Is Moody
Why Donald Trump is toasting the fall of the dollar The Times
Oil Market May Absorb Maduro Shock as Global Supplies Swell Bloomberg
The 2025 Housing Affordability Crisis in Charts: What Changed and What Didn’t Investopedia
AI
Your Jaw Will Hit the Floor When You Find Out How Much the Average OpenAI Worker Makes Futurism
Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice The Guardian
New study shows how AI could transform drug prescriptions for heart diseases euro news
‘Remove the top’: Grok AI floods with sexualized images of women The American Bazaar
Are AI relationships misunderstood? BU News Service
The Bezzle
Bitcoin ATM fraud hits record $333 million, FBI reveals Cryptopolitan
Meta stock slides after hours as scam-ad ‘playbook’ report puts regulatory risk back in focus Techstock 2
Guillotine Watch
And… it was SOLD! 🥚
Hammer Price: £19.5 million ($25.7 M)
Final Price with Commission: £22.9 million ($30.2 M)
Fabergé’s Winter Egg, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913, was auctioned today in London, setting a record price for a Fabergé egg. https://t.co/iv2YgbWUiJ pic.twitter.com/4fRNdeu0f8
— Muse (@xmuse_) December 2, 2025
Fabergé eggs are exquisite jeweled eggs created by the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé, originally made for the Russian tsars pic.twitter.com/SxLElsYuWX
— Interesting As Fuck (@interesting_aIl) September 3, 2024
Antidote du jour (via)
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
