Author: Aurora Lane

One Battle After Another dominates with nine nods Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest project, One Battle After Another, is entering Hollywood’s award season as a clear frontrunner after securing nine Golden Globe nominations. The film, centered on the kidnapping of a former revolutionary’s daughter, earned a spot in the best musical or comedy category. DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro and young breakout Chase Infiniti all received acting nominations, underscoring the film’s broad appeal across categories. Close behind is the multilingual family drama Sentimental Value, which collected eight nominations. The acting fields also feature contenders such as Dwayne Johnson, Timothee…

A pivotal challenge to a 90-year precedent The Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments on whether to dismantle a long-standing decision that limits a president’s authority to remove leaders of independent federal agencies. The precedent, known as Humphrey’s Executor, has shaped the balance between presidential oversight and agency independence since 1935. While the immediate case focuses on the attempted removal of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter, the broader implications could reshape how federal agencies operate. Over decades, the Court has gradually narrowed the scope of the original ruling, reflecting a growing embrace of the unitary executive theory —…

A historic run meets an unselfish finish LeBron James walked into Toronto on Thursday with one of the longest statistical streaks in NBA history still intact. Since Jan. 6, 2007, he had scored at least ten points in every regular season game he played — a run that spanned 1,297 games, 6,907 days, and nearly two decades of league evolution. But with the Los Angeles Lakers and Raptors tied at 120-120, and only three seconds remaining, James made the play that ultimately ended that streak. Instead of forcing a shot to reach ten points, he swung the ball to a…

A new way to look back on your 2025 activity Discord has introduced Discord Checkpoint, its own end of year recap that highlights how users spent their time on the platform throughout 2025. Rolling out over the next few days, the feature mirrors popular annual summaries like Spotify Wrapped and gives millions of Discord users a personalized look at their activity across servers, chats, voice channels and games. In a blog post announcing the feature, the company said this is the first time it has offered a detailed, personalized breakdown of user behavior across the year. The feature will appear…

Brussels Targets Possible Limits on Competition Meta is facing a new antitrust investigation in the European Union, this time over its rules governing AI features in WhatsApp. Regulators are examining whether Meta’s updated policy restricting AI providers’ access to WhatsApp’s business messaging tools may violate EU competition laws. The probe adds fresh pressure to US tech giants already under scrutiny across Europe. According to the European Commission, Meta’s October policy change prohibits AI-focused companies from using a WhatsApp API tool that allows businesses to communicate with customers. While firms can still use AI for limited functions such as customer support,…

Communities Step In as Floods Cut Off Thousands Sri Lankan actor and musician GK Reginold now spends his days steering a motorised fishing boat through flooded Colombo suburbs, delivering food and water to families stranded by Cyclone Ditwah. Many residents have gone days without aid, isolated by the South Asian nation’s worst weather disaster in years. The cyclone brought catastrophic floods and landslides, killing more than 460 people, leaving hundreds missing, and damaging some 30,000 homes. “I wanted to at least help them have one meal,” Reginold told the BBC. Volunteers like him have turned fishing boats into lifelines, ferrying…

New Policy Follows National Guard Shooting and Expands Earlier Travel Restrictions The Trump administration has halted all immigration decisions — including green card and naturalization requests — for people from 19 previously restricted countries, according to a new policy memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The directive significantly broadens the impact of the administration’s earlier travel bans by applying new scrutiny to individuals already living inside the United States. The memo states that immigration benefits for citizens of these countries will remain paused until USCIS Director Joseph Edlow lifts the freeze. It comes in the wake of the…

Global Highlights: Bad Bunny Leads, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars Dominate Songs Spotify Wrapped 2025 has arrived, giving users their yearly snapshot of favourite artists, songs and albums. This year, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny topped the world rankings with more than 19.8 billion streams, while his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the biggest album worldwide. His global success has also helped secure him the coveted Super Bowl halftime show next year. The world’s top song was Die With A Smile, the retro-inspired duet from Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. But the global charts didn’t always align with UK…

New Mouse Research Shows How Physical Activity Starves Cancer Cells A new study suggests that exercise may slow tumour growth by altering the body’s metabolism so that muscles, rather than cancer cells, absorb the glucose required for growth. The findings, observed in mice, offer fresh insight into why active individuals tend to have lower cancer risk and better survival rates. Researchers already know that exercise supports gut health and strengthens the immune system. Now, evidence points to a third pathway: metabolic competition between healthy tissue and tumours. Tumours Shrink When Muscles Take the Fuel The research, led by Rachel Perry…

Leadership Change After Years of Stumbles Apple confirmed Monday that John Giannandrea, who has overseen the company’s AI operations since 2018, is stepping down and will shift into an advisory role through spring. The departure follows a turbulent period for Apple’s artificial intelligence strategy and marks the most significant leadership shake-up since the launch of Apple Intelligence in late 2024. Giannandrea will be succeeded by Amar Subramanya, a prominent Microsoft executive who previously spent 16 years at Google and most recently led engineering for the Gemini Assistant. His move to Apple brings deep familiarity with the company’s toughest AI competitors,…