Author: Aurora Lane

Possible black box label marks major policy shift The US Food and Drug Administration is considering adding its strongest safety warning, known as a black box warning, to Covid vaccines, according to reports first published on Friday. If implemented, the move would represent a significant shift in federal vaccine oversight and could further affect public confidence in the shots, whose uptake has already been declining. The plan, which has not been finalized or officially confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services, is reportedly being driven by Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer and head…

Detention during memorial in Mashhad sparks concern Iranian security forces have arrested Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi during a memorial ceremony in the eastern city of Mashhad, raising fresh concerns about her health and safety. Mohammadi, 53, was detained alongside several other human rights activists while attending a gathering for Khosro Alikordi, a lawyer and rights defender who was found dead in his office last week. Mohammadi had been temporarily released from prison in December 2024 on medical grounds. Her brother Mehdi, who attended the ceremony, confirmed her arrest, according to her foundation. There was no immediate clarification from…

A case at the center of a national immigration fight A federal court in Maryland has ordered the release of Kilmar Ábrego García from ICE custody, marking the latest development in a legal battle that has become a symbol of the broader conflict over President Donald Trump’s immigration and deportation agenda. Ábrego, a Salvadorian national and former construction worker living in Maryland, will now receive guidance on his release conditions in a separate criminal case pending in Tennessee. The Trump administration has repeatedly described Ábrego as a gang member, particularly linking him to MS-13, despite the absence of any criminal…

A winter wonderland in the Ore Mountains Seiffen, known locally as Spielzeugdorf (The Toy Village), feels like stepping into a real life Christmas storybook. The streets glow with fairy lights, candlelit shop windows display thousands of handmade wooden figurines, train sets and nutcrackers, and towering wooden pyramids line the lanes. For centuries, craftspeople here have carved and turned wood into iconic Christmas toys sent around the world. Located near the Czech border in the Ore Mountains and about 90 minutes south of Dresden, Seiffen remains largely unknown to English speaking travelers. Public transport access is limited, so many visitors arrive…

Major investment and new licensing deal The Walt Disney Co. announced a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI on Thursday, marking one of the entertainment giant’s most significant moves into generative AI to date. As part of a new three year licensing agreement, Disney will allow OpenAI’s Sora app to use more than 200 copyrighted characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars beginning next year. Sora, launched in September, lets users create short videos through simple text prompts and quickly rose to the top of Apple’s App Store. Disney CEO Bob Iger said the partnership aims to expand storytelling…

The New York Yankees have spent much of the offseason expecting to make a serious push for Cody Bellinger. That plan now looks less certain after a major shift in the market that followed Pete Alonso’s move to Baltimore. The Orioles added a powerful middle order bat with Alonso’s five year 155 million dollar agreement, strengthening an already competitive American League East. His departure from Queens has also changed the landscape across town. With their franchise slugger heading south, the New York Mets suddenly have both the need and the financial room to pursue Bellinger, a player long viewed as…

Adobe has introduced a major expansion of its creative ecosystem by launching Photoshop, Adobe Express and Adobe Acrobat directly inside ChatGPT. The move opens its most recognizable creative and productivity tools to the platform’s 800 million weekly users, enabling photo editing, design work and PDF management through simple conversational prompts. The company announced the integration on December 10, describing it as a step forward in its strategy around agentic AI and its Model Context Protocol. With the rollout, anyone can now perform tasks such as enhancing travel photos, generating invitations or editing documents without leaving the ChatGPT interface. “We’re thrilled…

Officials warn of elevated short-term risk but urge calm Japan issued a megaquake advisory on Tuesday after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori, near Hokkaido. The quake caused 34 mostly mild injuries and some structural damage, but officials emphasized the alert is not a prediction. The probability of a magnitude 8 or larger quake in the coming week is estimated at only about 1%. Even so, authorities hope the advisory will prompt residents to prepare for the possibility of a major event similar to the 2011 disaster that killed nearly 20,000 people and triggered the…

Brussels launches formal probe into AI summaries and training data The European Commission has opened an investigation into Google over its artificial intelligence summaries that appear above search results, examining whether the company used publisher content without offering appropriate compensation. Regulators will also assess whether YouTube videos were incorporated into Google’s broader AI training systems and if creators were given a meaningful way to opt out. A Google spokesperson warned the probe “risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever,” adding that the company intends to work with news and creative industries as they adapt to…

The overlooked areas your routine is missing When we picture a full-body workout, most of us think about training the core, glutes, legs and arms. But experts say that true well-being requires paying attention to far more than those major muscle groups. Several crucial parts of the body rarely get the “exercise” they need, even though they play a key role in long-term health. Your brain We often separate mental and physical health, but the brain benefits from regular training just like the rest of the body. Cognitive function naturally declines with age, and while genetics play a part, neurologist…