USA Update

President Vladimir Putin of Russia recently signed a bill into law that will fine anyone who is promoting “child-free propaganda.” Meant both to shore up “traditional values” and to increase Russia’s tanking birthrate, it stipulates that any individual found to be disseminating such “propaganda” may be subject to fines of up to about $4,000; considering […]

Apple’s fall overhaul of its Photos app — publicized by the company as its “biggest redesign ever” — gave the software a fresh look and new methods for managing your portable picture library on the iPhone and iPad. However, not everyone was a fan, as the new design retired familiar navigational icons in favor of […]

I go on an annual trip with a group of women I’ve known for 20 years. It’s a special getaway. But one of the women has become increasingly negative: She makes judgmental comments about the rest of us and browses social media during meals. In fairness, her life is very different from ours: She is […]

The first commercial flight in Syria since the toppling of longtime President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month has taken off from Damascus airport. The flight landed in Aleppo, in the country’s north, on Wednesday with 43 people on board including a group of journalists. Pro-Assad forces abandoned the airport in the capital on December 8 […]

LAS VEGAS — Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo stood side-by-side during the postgame celebration after the NBA Cup final. Antetokounmpo was holding the MVP trophy. Lillard was holding the bigger trophy. And it was a moment that Lillard had waited a long time to savor. He’s been a rookie of the year, a 3-point contest […]

In my early 40s, I did something revolutionary: I got a full-time job. I’d been self-employed for over a decade, but the siren song of paid benefits was too strong to ignore. Within hours of starting in my new position, it became clear that I was an anomaly. I was one of only two members […]

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through. What they sparred about: Trust in politics — and Labour penny-pinching. In the last PMQs of 2024, Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch avoided the Christmas spirit of goodwill and accused […]

The anticipated iPhone 17 Pro might not have a major camera redesign after all. After The Information said Apple was working on a module with an “elongated oval shape” — and after we saw leaked iPhone 17 Pro components that seemingly confirmed that report — it seems the company might stick with the current triangular […]

One of the most popular chants in Syria at the moment and among Syrians of the diaspora translates as “One, one, one, the Syrian people are one.” As people come to terms with the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime, there are hopes that peace and stability are coming to the divided country. It is impossible to get […]

The mother of Madison Mogen, one of the four students killed at an apartment near the University of Idaho two years ago, has opened up on grappling with the loss of her daughter, as she enshrines her legacy in a new foundation to help other students. The quadruple homicide in November 2022 shocked the nation […]