In the final days of 2025, The Los Angeles Times briefly resurrected Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida (also spelled Abu Ubaida) from the dead. A popular figure within the terror organization, Abu Obeida used his famed oratory skills to justify and call for the killing of Jews. The slain Hamas spokesman’s last speech on camera was in mid-July, not in September after his Aug. 30 death. A diligent terror mouthpiece to the very end, Abu Obeida issued his last written statement on Aug. 29, just one day before he was killed. The correction states:Gaza militias: An article in the Dec. 30 Section A said that Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida was last seen in a speech in September.

The United States has had a terrible history in Latin America, and no Washington insider should know this history better than Secretary of State Marco Rubio. By invading Venezuela, President Trump just lit America’s eternal exploding cigar. His message to the world: Venezuela is ours until we say so, just like the rest of Latin America. As one of Florida’s U.S. senators, Rubio represented millions of Latin American immigrants who had fled civil wars sparked by the U.S. in one way or another. Yet he’s Trumpworld’s biggest cheerleader for Latin American regime change, helping torpedo the president’s anti-interventionist campaign promise as if it were a narco boat off the South American coast.

Everything you need to solve 'Connections' #939. The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you're a social media addict. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

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AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementRead more: The Times' top 25 high school basketball rankingsTyler Lopez has been leading the way. Berger has been pleased with his players' growing experience and confidence after some early season struggles adjusting. "I was pleasantly surprised how my team responded and some of these young players have jelled," he said. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementSign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

John’s College, which has another campus in Annapolis, Md., is in some ways an ideal setting for such an exercise. Ms. Garrett was out of breath from racing around campus, trying to find a friend who had borrowed her car keys. For much of the school’s faculty, it had simply been the college experience.Sarah Davis, the dean of the Santa Fe campus of St. John’s College, remembered students gathering to watch “E.R.” in her freshman dorm at Harvard. St. John’s is always reviewing its security protocols, Ms. Carpenter wrote in an email afterward, “and the Brown event is on our minds. Frost, a sophomore.The students were also reckoning with the fact that smartphones were more necessary for some than others.

Pierce Cohalan, praises recent graduates of the Suffolk County Veterans Drug Court in November. His cases were picked up by the Suffolk County Veterans Treatment Court, which specializes in helping veterans overcome drug and alcohol addiction through rehabilitation courses and mental health treatment so veterans can avoid jail time. Pryer received a second chance after entering the treatment court in 2019 following his first brush with the law and, after his 2022 weapons violation, came back to the treatment court. Left with limited choices, she reluctantly accepted drug court treatment but had no intention of warming up to counselors. (Photo courtesy of Dayton Daily News)Camaraderie Key to SuccessKeeping with military tradition, Suffolk County treatment court volunteers know trust is earned through having another veteran’s back.

Flu is rising rapidly across the U.S., driven by a new variant of the virus — and cases are expected to keep growing as holiday travel plays out. That variant, known as “subclade K,” led to early outbreaks in the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada. AdvertisementWhat is subclade K flu? The flu virus is a shape-shifter, constantly mutating, and it comes in multiple forms. But Hopkins’ Pekosz cautioned it will take time to tease apart whether this subclade K version simply spreads more easily or also is more dangerous.

FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)SEOUL, South Korea -- Ahn Sung-ki, one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor,” died Monday.

"Red Panda" was originally one of six characters that had been due to perform in the Masked Singer's latest launch show Kieron McCarron/ITVThe Masked Singer bosses have opened up about the decision to pull a performance from Saturday night’s broadcast at the eleventh hour. AdvertisementHowever, mere hours before Saturday’s broadcast, it was reported that the show was being cut short by 10 minutes, and it was later revealed that one of the characters, known as “Red Panda”, would not be included as part of the episode after all. In a statement to TV Zone, a Masked Singer spokesperson said: “In light of the tragic events in Switzerland, we took the decision to remove Red Panda’s performance on The Masked Singer in tonight’s programme owing to potential insensitivities within the theme and lyrics of the song.”AdvertisementThey added that viewers would still “get to see Red Panda perform in the coming weeks”. The Masked Singer judges Mo Gilligan, Davina McCall, Maya Jama and Jonathan Ross Kieron McCarron/ITVIn their inaugural performance, Red Panda was seen in firefighter attire, while their performance of The Trammps’ Disco Inferno was still included in the version of The Masked Singer shown on the streaming service ITVX. AdvertisementMeanwhile, early speculation has suggested that the likes of Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan, reality star Sam Thompson and comedian Tom Allen are under some of the remaining disguises.

Meanwhile, Venezuelans are hunkering down as they wait for more information about what the Trump administration has in store for their country. Here’s what to know:What happened during the military operation? The Trump administration struck various parts of Caracas, Venezuela’s capital city, in the early hours of Saturday, January 3. Experts and members of Venezuela’s opposition say that the oil industry cannot be revitalized without political stability. Matias Delacroix/APHow are Venezuelans dealing with the fall out of the military operation?

Caracas, Venezuela —The morning after US forces bombed Caracas, dragged President Nicolás Maduro out of bed, carted him over the Caribbean and installed him in a Brooklyn jail, many Venezuelans hurried to the grocery store. Ledezma, who lives near one of the airbases hit by US airstrikes, told CNN the noise from the attack woke her up. CNNThe government in Caracas wants Venezuelans out and about, though the streets are quiet, apart from a few militia members mustering with their motorcycles. Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez gives a news conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 10, 2025. “The motorways are unfinished.”All told, Valdez said, he was unsurprised by Maduro’s abduction.

Trump declared Sunday evening that the US was running Venezuela through its pressure on Rodríguez, now the acting president. Jesus Vargas/Getty ImagesThe Trump administration is now wrestling with the complex aftermath of their boss’s headline-grabbing order of a daring military raid. As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS News on Saturday, “President Trump sets the terms. But she’s long been a key face of the Maduro regime and that of his predecessor Hugo Chávez. This Trump administration pragmatism is fueling anger on Capitol Hill.

Israel has emerged from yearslong conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran emboldened as the dominant military power in the Middle East and less interested in compromise when it believes its security interests are at stake. Its recognition of Somaliland, a rare instance in which it has signed such an agreement with a Muslim-majority entity without public U.S. assistance, cements its newfound confidence in the international arena.

Post on Facebook Post on Flipboard Share on LinkedIn Post on Reddit Share on Threads Share on X Send through WhatsappSurprise hits buyers as $449 Xreal 1S debuts January 4, 2026 at CES and undercuts premium AR buzz. What Xreal’s $449 1S means for buyers and rivals in 2026Xreal unveiled the 1S at January 4, 2026 CES; price is $449 . Why a $449 1S launch at CES 2026 shifts price expectationsThe CES reveal matters because Xreal packaged a measurable hardware upgrade with a clear retail price, turning a technology demo into a buyable product this quarter. If retailers and carriers begin stocking $449 AR eyewear, adoption barriers shrink and software ecosystems (streaming, gaming, productivity apps) face a much larger potential audience this year. How will a $449 AR headset shape your choices in 2026?