Venezuelans brace for hardship as Trump threatens oil blockade

President Trump's threat to halt Venezuelan oil sales stirs fear, but for a country long battered by shortages, it's just another crisis.

How a Jon Hamm TikTok Meme Turned Kato’s 2009 EDM Track Into a Global Viral Hit

Kato's "Turn the Lights Off" made it to the top of a Spotify chart: "Never in a million years!"

Miller's Crossing at 35: The Coen Brothers' movie-nerd gangster fantasia

In between Goodfellas and Godfather III, the Coens' own gangster epic flopped with general audiences.

Dyson V11 Cordless Vacuum Is 44% Off and Now Costs Nearly the Same as Older Models

If you've been waiting to find the perfect cordless vacuum for you, consider this discounted Dyson model. The post Dyson V11 Cordless Vacuum Is 44% Off and Now Costs Nearly the Same as Older Models appeared first on Kotaku .

NYC’s Hudson Square is home to century-old buildings — and a new, thriving restaurant scene

“They deliberately targeted the kinds of chefs who generate buzz,” a source told The Post.

Oscar Predictions: Animated Feature — Is There Room for ‘Demon Slayer’ and Can ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Defy BAFTA-Oscar History?

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis.

Wounded Bangladesh youth leader dies in Singapore hospital

Mr Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was airlifted to S'pore after he was shot by masked gunmen a week ago.

Crunch time for former Malaysia PM Najib ahead of two crucial court rulings

Malaysia’s High Court will deliver two pivotal rulings in the coming days in the protracted legal battles of jailed former premier Najib Razak.

Commentary: Why Japan-China tensions won’t resolve anytime soon

Amid heated rhetoric and economic retaliation, there are three points about Taiwan and Japan we should not conflate, says NUS political scientist Chong Ja Ian.

As cultural confidence grows, Chinese brands highlight China’s heritage in storytelling

Younger Chinese people tend to prioritise emotional resonance when choosing how to spend their money, analysts say.

'Golden springboard': A decade-old Sino-Singapore project links western China with Southeast and Central Asia

As the Singapore-China Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) marks its 10th anniversary, CNA visits businesses on the ground to examine the gains - and the bottlenecks that remain.

Commentary: Philippines is in for a perilous year as ASEAN chair

Manila is likely to focus on managing China, but the string of problems it inherits will make its turn as ASEAN chair tricky, says former foreign correspondent Nirmal Ghosh.

Cortis, Ludacris, Shaboozey to Headline NBA All-Star Weekend Concert Series

“It’s a huge moment for us to be the first K-pop group to perform at NBA Crossover," Cortis says

Loudermilk looks to early 2026 for first Jan. 6 hearing

New EU draft text on Russian assets offers uncapped guarantees for Belgium

BRUSSELS, Dec 18 - A new draft text discussed by European Union leaders on Thursday offers Belgium ‍and ​other countries holding frozen ‍Russian assets unlimited guarantees for potential damages, should Moscow successfully ​sue ​them for an EU plan to lend them to Ukraine.

Marathon Art Director Leaves Bungie Just Months Before Launch

The departure comes after the extraction shooter was recently re-revealed The post Marathon Art Director Leaves Bungie Just Months Before Launch appeared first on Kotaku .

Ex-Nascar driver and family believed to be among seven killed in US aircrash

Officials confirm racer Greg Biffle was among those who boarded the small aircraft that crashed at a regional airport in North Carolina.

Barack Obama Was Listening to Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean, and Rosalía This Year, Too

The former president's annual rundown of his favorite music, movies, and books has arrived

Bill Ackman bets $2.1B on insurer in bid to turn Howard Hughes into mini-Berkshire

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. has agreed to buy Bermuda-based specialty insurer Vantage Group Holdings for $2.1 billion in cash and stock.

Jelly Roll Receives Full Pardon in Tennessee for Past Crimes

Country music star Jelly Roll has been granted a full pardon from Governor Bill Lee in Tennessee for his past crimes. The singer, whose real name is Jason DeFord, was among 33 people who received pardons from Lee on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. The 41-year-old

Where to find Tomo's lost cat in The Forge

Finding the feline ties into the Goblin King's quests.

Navarro’s bid to toss conviction gets frosty reception from appeals court

Peter Navarro’s bid to overturn his conviction for evading a congressional subpoena appeared to receive little backing from a federal appeals court Thursday. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit grilled Navarro lawyer Stanley Brand during an

How to start Act 3 in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Act 3 is a continuation of the story in Hollow Knight: Silksong, but it can be pretty tough to start. Here's how to unlock it.

Senate nears 'mini-bus' deal to largely fund government, thwarting shutdown threat

Senate leaders are nearing a deal to pass a package of five appropriations bills that would fund most of the federal government through fiscal year 2026, which has the potential to largely take the threat of a government shutdown off the table early next year. Senators were

The best deals in the 2025 Steam Winter Sale

All the cheap games in the Winter Sale that you won't want to miss, from lowest-ever prices to discounted new releases.

Debt Plagues Artists Regardless of Career Stage, Survey Finds

Data compiled by artist mentor Paddy Johnson from over 1,000 respondents indicates that “artists across all levels struggle with a lot of the same things.”

House passes major GOP-led permitting overhaul after late drama

Kristen Wiig on How That ‘Palm Royale’ Season 2 Twin Twist Was Inspired by ‘Bewitched’ and ‘I Dream of Jeannie’

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from “Palm Royale,” Episode 6, “Maxine Finds Herself,” now streaming on Apple TV. Just when we think that Kristen Wiig has done it all, the comedy gods at “Palm Royale” toss us a happy little surprise — they give her character of

Apple TV Orders Will Poulter Series ‘Beat the Reaper’

Apple TV has picked up the dramedy “Beat the Reaper,” based on the novel by Josh Bazell and starring Emmy nominee Will Poulter (“Black Mirror,” “The Bear”), who is also executive producer. Sam Catlin (“Sugar,” “Preacher,” “Breaking Bad”) is showrunner and executive producer,

Prepare to lose a few hours to these: Andy Baio’s top 10...

Prepare to lose a few hours to these: Andy Baio’s top 10 free browser games of 2025 . 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Research reinvents MXene synthesis at a fraction of the cost

MXenes (pronounced like the name "Maxine") are a class of two-dimensional materials, first identified just 14 years ago, with remarkable potential for energy storage, catalysts, ultrastrong lightweight composites, and a variety of other purposes ranging from electromagnetic

A short-lived kinase state that's essential for normal cell migration and T-cell function

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have characterized a hidden intermediate state at the center of Src kinase function. This hidden state allows the kinase to repeatedly modify its target, without needing to release and reattach to the target each time. The

'AI advisor' helps self-driving labs share control in creation of next-generation materials

"Self-driving" or "autonomous" labs are an emerging technology in which artificial intelligence guides the discovery process, helping design experiments or perfecting decision strategies.

Private donors pledge $1 billion for world's largest particle accelerator

Europe's physics lab CERN on Thursday said private donors had pledged $1 billion toward the construction of a new particle accelerator that would be by far the world's biggest.

Esports Gamer Reportedly Leaves Hotel Room A Horrible Mess After Two-Year Stay

An avid gamer in China left his hotel room in such a horrible state that it took staff three days to clean The post Esports Gamer Reportedly Leaves Hotel Room A Horrible Mess After Two-Year Stay appeared first on Kotaku .

Olivia Nuzzi shacked up in $3.5M Malibu compound — just 45 minutes from RFK Jr’s LA mansion

Sources told this outlet that the 32-year-old has been hiding from the glare of the paparazzi at the two-bedroom house owned by a Los Angeles restaurant magnate.

Noem says Coast Guard will remove divisive language on hate symbols from policy

The Coast Guard will remove divisive language from its new workplace harassment policy that downgraded the definition of swastikas and nooses from hate symbols to “potentially divisive,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday. Noem’s announcement, made over

Newly discovered microbes challenge assumptions about methane production in the environment

It's been known for nearly a century that swarms of single-celled organisms thrive by consuming chemicals from their environments and expelling methane gas as a byproduct. In 2024, researchers in the laboratory of Roland Hatzenpichler, associate professor in the Department of

Hybrid excitons: Combining the best of both worlds

Faster, more efficient, and more versatile—these are the expectations for the technology that will produce our energy and handle information in the future. But how can these expectations be met? A major breakthrough in physics has now been made by an international team of

Hogg slams DNC over not releasing 2024 analysis

Activist David Hogg blasted the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Thursday for choosing to not release its postmortem of Democrats’ 2024 election losses. “I ran for DNC vice chair after massive losses in 2024 because I believed we needed to change our party,” Hogg said in

All simple key locations in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Here's where to find all of the simple keys in Hollow Knight: Silksong and all of the doors that they can unlock.

UN elects former Iraqi President to lead UN refugee agency

UNITED NATIONS, Dec ​18 (Reuters) - The ​United Nations ⁠General Assembly on Thursday elected Barham ​Salih, a ‍former Iraqi ​president who fled persecution under Saddam Hussein, ⁠asthe next U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Salih was elected without a vote ​by the

Life on lava: How microbes colonize new habitats

Life has a way of bouncing back, even after catastrophic events like forest fires or volcanic eruptions. While nature's resilience to natural disasters has long been recognized, not much is known about how organisms colonize brand-new habitats for the first time. A new study

Kennedy family members slam move to rename Kennedy Center

Members of the Kennedy family publicly rebuked the decision to rename the Kennedy Center — a living tribute to former President John F. Kennedy — as the Trump-Kennedy Center. The center’s board — whose members President Trump hand-selected earlier this year —voted unanimously

How Trump's Venezuela embargo could put Taiwan at risk

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 - Donald Trump's decision to impose a partial blockade on Venezuela marks a dramatic escalation in U.S. pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but it also risks undermining a top U.S. policy goal: deterring a potential Chinese naval encirclement of

Yooka-Replaylee's Free Demo Is Now Available On Nintendo Switch 2

Yooka-Replayee's physical edition has been released, and a free demo is available now on Nintendo Switch 2.

Africa: African Sisters Network's Nyanzi Nominated for Prestigious Forty Under 40 Africa Awards 2026

[Nile Post] Ugandan consultant and women's empowerment advocate Victoria Ateenyi poprularly known as victoria Nyanzi was nominated for the Forty Under 40 Africa Awards 2026, a continental initiative that celebrates exceptional young achievers shaping Africa's future.

Science Says … Laughter Is Contagious

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha The post Science Says … Laughter Is Contagious appeared first on Nautilus .

LISTEN: Why YouTube’s Deal for Oscar TV Rights is Neal Mohan’s Master Stroke

On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, Variety’s Clayton Davis and Michael Schneider unpack Hollywood’s latest big surprise – the Oscar telecast’s move to YouTube starting in 2029. And Marc Malkin gets the details from “Heated Rivalry” star Connor Storrie about how his

Jelly Roll Pardoned By Tennessee Governor Over Criminal Past

In late April, the Tennessee Board of Parole held a nearly two-hour hearing to decide whether or not the artist's decades-old drug and robbery offenses could be excused