I always enjoyed playing badminton when growing up. It however completely vanished from my life as I started working, traveling, and moving from one country to another. I picked up the racket at the end of last year to keep the game interesting for my son, who loves the sport. It has since then become our family sport and we plan to keep it that way for years to come.

Shanghai Badminton Open will take place on Dec 20-21, 2025. Just for fun, I registered for myself and my wife under the mixed double category, thinking the lottery odds would be too low for us to take this seriously.

But surprise! We won the lottery. We’re listed as one of the 50 teams for mixed double, along with many professional players and even Olympic silver medalists. Massive public humiliation awaits us next week.

The Sunday Blender will take a break for next week as a result. I will be busy collecting shuttlecocks on the floor. Can’t wait!

ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, recently made a significant move into the hardware space by launching an AI-powered smartphone prototype in China that integrates their operating-system-level AI assistant, Doubao Mobile Assistant. Designed to be a seamless, unified interface, the Doubao assistant utilizes ByteDance’s Doubao large language model to execute complex, cross-application tasks—like finding a dinner reservation while cross-referencing user schedules and reviewing social media—all through natural voice commands. While the phone quickly sold out, its aggressive integration prompted major rivals like Tencent (WeChat) and Alibaba (Alipay) to immediately restrict Doubao’s access to their apps. The controversy centers on security and the threat to established business models that rely on controlling user traffic, forcing ByteDance to temporarily disable some of the assistant’s advanced, cross-platform capabilities.

The recent OpenRouter State of AI report, based on analysis of over 100 trillion tokens, reveals several key shifts in AI usage. Contrary to the productivity narrative, creative role-playing accounts for over 50% of open-source model usage, surpassing coding and other tasks, due to fewer content filters. Furthermore, the report highlights the “rise of agents,” noting that models with multi-step reasoning and tool-use capabilities now dominate traffic, transforming AI from a text generator into a task executor. Chinese models are rapidly gaining open-source market share, and a “Cinderella’s Glass Slipper Effect” suggests that models that solve a high-value problem perfectly retain users much better than models that are only generically superior on benchmarks.

The recent OpenAI State of Enterprise AI report reveals that enterprise adoption is deepening significantly, though still in its “early innings.” The volume of custom, complex workflows, such as specialized Custom GPTs and reasoning token consumption, has surged by over 300% year-to-date, indicating a shift from casual querying to integrated, production-level tasks. While most workers report modest daily productivity gains of 40–60 minutes, a widening gap exists, with “frontier” users achieving dramatic increases (over 10 hours per week) by deeply integrating AI into processes. Crucially, the report finds that organizational readiness, not model performance, is now the primary constraint for enterprises looking to fully capture AI’s value.

President Trump reversed Biden-era export controls on December 8, approving Nvidia’s H200 AI chip sales to “approved customers” in China, with the US government taking 25% of revenues. The decision sparked bipartisan congressional opposition and national security concerns, as H200s power advanced AI systems including military applications. The move marks a shift from security-focused restrictions to transactional trade policy. Beijing held emergency meetings with Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent to assess demand but may cap purchases or restrict H200 use in strategic sectors to favor domestic alternatives like Huawei’s Ascend chips. Nvidia’s CEO expressed uncertainty whether China would accept the offer given Beijing’s self-sufficiency drive.

Australia enacted the world’s first social media minimum age law on December 10, 2025, requiring platforms to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts. Major services including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Snapchat must implement “reasonable steps” to block underage users or face penalties up to $50 million. The legislation places responsibility on platforms rather than parents or children, mandating age verification systems while protecting user privacy. The controversial law passed despite opposition from digital rights advocates and mental health experts concerned about privacy invasion and cutting off support channels. Australia’s move signals potential global regulatory momentum on youth social media access.

In Indonesia, at least 961 people were killed in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, with 293 still missing and over 5,000 injured. More than 1.1 million people were affected, with 570,000 displaced, making it Indonesia’s deadliest natural disaster since the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami. Over 156,000 homes were damaged and 975,075 people are in temporary shelters. Flash floods carried logs that smashed houses, while contaminated wells and shattered pipes forced survivors to boil floodwater for drinking, causing children to fall ill. Aceh’s governor reported people dying from starvation rather than flooding, with critical shortages of medical personnel.

A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s northeastern regions, including Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures, on Monday night, December 8, 2025. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed early reports of at least 30 injuries and one residential fire. The strong tremor triggered tsunami warnings and advisories, prompting the evacuation of about 90,000 coastal residents to higher ground. Tsunami waves up to 70 centimeters were observed, though the warnings were later lifted. The Japan Meteorological Agency has cautioned that there is an increased risk of another large quake in the same area in the coming week, urging residents to remain vigilant.

Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) found itself at the heart of a massive takeover battle after falling into significant debt and putting its assets up for sale. Netflix first secured an agreement to acquire WBD’s studio and streaming businesses—a package including the DC Universe, HBO, and the Harry Potter franchises—valued at approximately $82.7 billion. Days later, rival Paramount Skydance launched an unsolicited, all-cash, $108.4 billion bid for the entire WBD company. This struggle has profound entertainment implications: the winning bidder will control one of Hollywood’s most valuable content libraries, dictating the theatrical future of films and, crucially, reshaping the theme park industry by gaining direct ownership or control over licensing for lucrative intellectual property like DC Comics and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions currently licensed to competitors.

HashKey Holdings operates Hong Kong’s largest licensed crypto exchange, offering trading, custody, staking services, and tokenization businesses. This IPO marks the first time a dedicated crypto exchange has sought a public listing in Hong Kong, distinguishing it from OSL Group, which entered crypto after its IPO. HashKey is one of 11 virtual asset trading platforms recognized by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission, part of the city’s 2022 push to position itself as a global hub for digital assets. If successful, the listing could serve as a reference point for future cryptocurrency exchange offerings in the city and influence how other digital-asset firms structure their fundraising plans. The IPO tests Hong Kong’s ambitions to become Asia’s regulated crypto center despite mainland China’s continued cryptocurrency ban.

Scientists warned that Indonesia’s deadly flooding was an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape, the Tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat. Only classified as a species in 2017, fewer than 800 Tapanulis remain in the wild, confined to Sumatra’s Batang Toru region. As many as 35 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans — 4% of the species’ total population - may have been wiped out, with one carcass already found. Over 9% of their West Block habitat was destroyed. Indonesia’s government acknowledged that industrial plantations, hydropower, and gold mining contributed significantly to environmental pressure, announcing suspension of operating permits pending review.

Nature Magazine’s 10 for 2025 spotlights individuals who shaped the year’s most significant science stories, from groundbreaking discoveries to political battles over scientific integrity. The list includes deep-sea explorer Mengran Du, who descended 9,000 meters beneath the ocean to discover strange new ecosystems, and physicist Tony Tyson, whose decades-long work enabled the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile. Chinese financier Liang Wenfeng disrupted AI development with DeepSeek, an open-weight model built with minimal resources that scientists can download free, while Brazilian researcher Luciano Moreira opened the first factory producing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes for disease control. Toddler KJ Muldoon flashed a chubby-cheeked smile seen around the world after receiving innovative gene-editing therapy that cured his ultra-rare metabolic disorder. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) director Susan Monarez was fired after refusing to compromise scientific integrity under political pressure. The list also features researchers advancing Huntington’s disease treatment, pandemic negotiations, and research integrity watchdogs who exposed publication fraud.

Kiran Desai’s “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” achieved rare distinction as the only book appearing on all three major year-end lists: The New York Times Best Books of 2025, Amazon Best Books of the Year, and Barnes & Noble Books of the Year. The novel, a Booker Prize and Kirkus Prize finalist, tells a sweeping story about two young people whose fates intersect across continents and years. It’s an epic exploring love, family, India and America, tradition and modernity by the Booker Prize-winning author of “The Inheritance of Loss”. Readers praised it as “unforgettable,” cementing its status as 2025’s standout literary achievement across diverse critical perspectives.

The original painting that introduced Star Wars to the public sold for $3.875 million at auction, setting a record as the most expensive Star Wars memorabilia ever. Created by artist Tom Jung in acrylic and airbrush, the artwork first appeared in newspaper ads on May 13, 1977, giving Americans their first glimpse of the galaxy far, far away. Producer Gary Kurtz kept the painting on his office wall before passing it to his daughter, who put it up for auction at Heritage Auctions with bidding starting at $1 million. The sale surpassed the previous record holder - Darth Vader’s lightsaber at $3.6 million.

The 83rd Annual Golden Globe nominations were announced on December 8, 2025, with the ceremony airing January 11, 2026 on CBS. “One Battle After Another” leads film categories with nine nominations, including best musical/comedy and best director, while “The White Lotus” leads television with six nominations. Major surprises included nominations for Dwayne Johnson and Julia Roberts, while “Wicked: For Good” was notably snubbed from the best musical/comedy category. For the first time, the Golden Globes will honor podcasting with a new category featuring nominees like Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” and “Call Her Daddy”. Comedian Nikki Glaser returns as host.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” leaped to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, securing its 19th week atop the chart and seventh consecutive holiday season dominance. In the UK, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” displaced Taylor Swift to claim the top spot as the official Christmas Number 1 race kicked off December 12. Thirteen of Billboard’s current top 20 songs are classic holiday tracks, with six released between 1946 and 1963. Contenders for the UK Christmas No. 1 include Netflix phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters’ “Golden,” Kylie Minogue’s “XMAS,” and RAYE’s “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” Christmas classics continue their annual chart domination.

[Soccer] The week’s soccer headlines are dominated by the global phenomenon of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both securing their futures while creating massive World Cup buzz. Messi extended his contract with Inter Miami through the 2028 MLS season, reaffirming his commitment to the league after capping the recent season by leading his club to the MLS Cup. Meanwhile, the seemingly ageless Ronaldo, who recently turned 40, extended his lucrative contract with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia until 2027, inspiring younger stars with his exceptional longevity. Crucially, the looming 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to be the final international tournament for both legends, leading to unprecedented fan frenzy; the latest phase of ticket sales saw prices for matches featuring Argentina and Portugal soar to record highs, driven by the chance to witness the final chapter of the epic rivalry.

[Soccer] FIFA revealed 2026 World Cup ticket prices this week, sparking outrage among supporters, with the cheapest final ticket costing over $4,185. Football Supporters Europe described FIFA’s approach as a “monumental betrayal” of fans and called for immediate halt to ticket sales. Premium final tickets at MetLife Stadium in New York are priced at $8,680, compared with roughly $1,600 for equivalent category in Qatar 2022. FIFA implemented dynamic pricing at a World Cup for the first time, with prices fluctuating based on demand. The pricing dramatically departs from FIFA’s 2018 bid document projecting group stage tickets starting at $21. Despite backlash, FIFA received 5 million ticket requests in 24 hours.

[F1 Racing] Lando Norris captured his maiden Formula 1 World Championship in 2025, defeating Max Verstappen by just two points (423-421) in a dramatic Abu Dhabi finale. Oscar Piastri finished third with 410 points, making it McLaren’s first constructors’ title since 1998. Lewis Hamilton’s debut Ferrari season proved challenging—finishing sixth with 156 points and no podiums, marking a stark contrast to his Mercedes glory years. The seven-time champion struggled to adapt to Ferrari machinery while teammate Charles Leclerc secured fifth place. McLaren dominated the constructors’ championship, clinching their tenth title in Singapore and ending Red Bull’s recent dominance.

[Cycling] Tadej Pogačar was snubbed from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 nominations despite his staggering season featuring 20 victories, including three monuments, the Tour de France, and both European and World Road Race titles. This marks the second consecutive year the Slovenian cyclist missed the shortlist. The six nominees announced were Mariona Caldentey (football), Terence Crawford (boxing), Armand Duplantis (pole vault), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (athletics), Shohei Ohtani (baseball), and Mohamed Salah (football). The omission sparked outrage, with fans calling it “an absolute joke”. Critics highlighted the frustrating double standard in recognizing cycling greatness compared to other sports, despite modern cycling having some of the most rigorous anti-doping measures in all sport. Even sports fans outside cycling expressed surprise at overlooking Pogačar’s dominant achievements. The snub underscores cycling’s ongoing struggle for mainstream recognition in major sporting awards.

[NBA] The Oklahoma City Thunder started the 2025-26 season with a historic 24-1 record, tying the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history. The defending NBA champions are beating opponents by an average of 17.4 points per game, putting them on pace to challenge the 73-9 regular season record. Across their last 82 games, they’ve outscored opponents by 1,189 points—the largest point differential in any 82-game stretch in league history. The Thunder destroyed the Phoenix Suns 138-89, Phoenix’s most lopsided loss in franchise history. Led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 32.6 points, the Thunder have seven players averaging double figures.

On December 13, 1577, Sir Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, aboard the Pelican ship, commencing a secret, state-sponsored mission to circumnavigate the globe and raid Spanish holdings. This expedition, lasting nearly three years, was of profound historical significance as it directly challenged Spain’s claim to global dominance. Drake returned in 1580, having successfully completed the first English circumnavigation, bringing back immense wealth that greatly enriched the English crown and cemented Drake’s status as a national hero. This act of privateering severely heightened Anglo-Spanish tensions, accelerating the path toward war and establishing England as a formidable maritime power.

Before 1931, there were many different depictions of Santa Claus around the world, including a tall gaunt man and an elf. While Coca-Cola didn’t create Santa Claus, its advertising played a major role in standardizing his image. In 1931, Coca-Cola commissioned illustrator Haddon Sundblom to paint Santa for Christmas advertisements. From 1931 to 1964, Sundblom created images showing Santa as a plump, cheerful man with rosy cheeks, white beard, and twinkling eyes, dressed in red and white—colors matching Coca-Cola’s branding. Coca-Cola turned to Santa hoping the popular figure would help boost winter sales. Sundblom’s paintings appeared on magazines, billboards, and store displays worldwide, cementing the modern Santa image we recognize today.

December 06, 2025, Humans Are No Longer the Only Species to Use Fiber Optics

November 29, 2025, Who Will Lead Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, Neymar or Estevao?

November 22, 2025, The Most Intelligent AI Model Yet?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

A few days ago, while driving to a badminton court, my wife and I were listening to the podcast episode of the Nov 29 issue of The Sunday Blender from Spotify. The 15-minute show is moderated by a duo of male and female cohosts.

They speak native English and are very eloquent. They finish each other’s sentences, delivering a spirited and snappy dialogue. It would be hard to distinguish them from Anderson Cooper and Megyn Kelly. They identified quite a number of patterns in the 20+ stories, for similarities and contrasts.

I planted some of those hidden cues when selecting the stories. It was satisfying to see that the podcast cohosts were actually able to detect them and weave them into a holistic and engaging narrative. They even re-arranged the order of the stories from the original issue to align news with common themes together. That is very smart and a pleasant surprise.

What’s more impressive is that they are AI-generated voices, by this AI tool NotebookLM from Google. All I had to do, was to feed the PDF version to Google, and it generated the mp3 file of this dynamic podcast show in 5 minutes.

Try it out yourself on Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sunday-blender-podcast/id1853996806).

President Trump signed an executive order launching the “Genesis Mission”, described as “comparable in urgency and ambition to the Manhattan Project”. Like its nuclear predecessor, the initiative mobilizes America’s national laboratories - the same facilities that once developed nuclear weapons - to pivot entirely to AI research. Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the secret city vital for uranium enrichment in the original Manhattan Project, has been reborn as the hub of AI development, housing the world’s leading supercomputer, Frontier. Both projects consumed approximately 0.4% of US GDP annually - equivalent to $100 billion today. The Genesis Mission marshals federal datasets, computational infrastructure, and public-private partnerships to accelerate transformative scientific breakthroughs in energy, defense, and manufacturing.

Moore Threads, dubbed “China’s Nvidia,” made a spectacular stock market debut on December 5, 2025, surging over 400% on Shanghai’s STAR Market. Shares closed at 600.5 yuan, over five times the IPO price of 114.28 yuan, following a $1.1 billion listing. Founded in 2020 by Zhang Jianzhong, a former Nvidia executive, the GPU startup represents Beijing’s push for semiconductor self-reliance amid US sanctions. The IPO gained approval in a record 88 days. Despite being unprofitable with cumulative losses of 4.6 billion RMB, early investors saw returns exceeding 6,262 times their initial investment. The company develops AI chips, graphics processors, and aims to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in China’s booming AI market.

Samsung unveiled its first multi-folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z TriFold, marking a major expansion in foldable technology. Built on a decade of foldable category innovation, the device uses an inward-folding design that reveals an immersive 10-inch display when unfolded twice. At just 3.9mm thick at its thinnest point, the device features Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a 200MP camera, and a 5,600mAh three-cell battery. Priced at $2,450, it launches in South Korea on December 12 with US availability in Q1 2026. The Galaxy Z TriFold is the first mobile device to feature standalone Samsung DeX, enabling desktop-like productivity from anywhere.

Anthropic recently released alarming research showing AI agents can autonomously hack blockchain smart contracts and steal cryptocurrency with terrifying efficiency. Testing advanced models on 34 smart contracts deployed after March 2025—beyond the AI’s training data—the systems successfully exploited 19 contracts, generating $4.6 million in simulated theft. The AI discovered previously unknown “zero-day” vulnerabilities, scanning 2,849 new contracts for just $3,476 in under 48 hours—averaging $1.22 per exploit attempt. Profits exceeded costs, making automated AI hacking economically viable. Anthropic warns that AI may already be behind half of 2025’s cryptocurrency hacks, signaling a dangerous new era where anyone can deploy autonomous hacking agents.

ElevenLabs, a voice AI startup founded in 2022, has raised over $300 million in total funding, reaching a $6.6 billion valuation in September 2025, making it one of Europe’s most valuable startups. The company initiated a $100 million employee tender offer led by Sequoia Capital and ICONIQ Growth, doubling its valuation from January’s $3.3 billion Series C round. ElevenLabs has seen its annual recurring revenue surpass $200 million this year and is aiming to reach $300 million by the end of 2025. The startup’s voice synthesis technology serves over 60% of Fortune 500 companies, with enterprise revenue growing over 200% year-over-year.

Chinese smart electric vehicle company Xpeng held its 2025 AI Day on November 5 in Guangzhou, themed “Emergence”, unveiling breakthrough “Physical AI” technologies. The company launched VLA 2.0, a 72-billion-parameter vision-language-action model that revolutionizes autonomous driving by eliminating traditional language translation steps. Xpeng announced three purpose-built robotaxi vehicles launching in 2026 with 3,000 TOPS computing power using vision-only systems. The next-generation IRON humanoid robot was also showcased. Volkswagen became the first automaker partner to adopt VLA 2.0 technology. CEO He Xiaopeng positioned Xpeng’s transition from mobility company to Physical AI leader, with pilot testing beginning late December 2025 for select users.

Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka in late November 2025, unleashing the country’s deadliest natural disaster since 2017. The cyclone killed at least 607 people, damaged more than 50,000 homes and pushed 170,000 people into relief centers, with 214 people still missing. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called it the most difficult rescue operation the country has ever seen, stating “this is the first time the entire country has been struck by such a disaster”. The cyclone triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides across nearly the entire island, with some neighborhoods completely buried under mud. Economic losses are estimated at $6-7 billion.

Chinese tourists are rapidly redirecting travel plans from Japan to South Korea and Thailand following Beijing’s November 14 travel warning. Around 30% of 1.44 million scheduled Chinese trips to Japan have been cancelled, threatening to wipe out $1.2 billion in revenue by year-end. South Korea emerged as the top destination for Chinese travelers over the November 15-16 weekend, surpassing Japan for the first time in months. Thailand became the top destination for winter vacation bookings (January 15-February 10, 2026), while Russia saw flight bookings surge 1.5 times year-on-year. Singapore and South Korea saw up to 15% jumps in new bookings, while Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam saw increases up to 11%. Airlines swiftly expanded routes to capitalize on the shift.

Hong Kong’s government ordered the immediate removal of scaffolding nets from over 200 buildings by Saturday, December 6, following the devastating Tai Po fire at Wang Fuk Court that killed 159 people. The deadline came after suspected false safety certificates for mesh were found at two building sites, with authorities discovering that contractors had installed cheaper, non-fire-resistant netting to deceive inspectors, accelerating the fire’s spread. A Shandong manufacturer allegedly falsified documents. Construction firms scrambled to meet the three-day deadline while repair work ceased. Seven out of 20 samples from Wang Fuk Court failed fire safety tests. Police arrested 15 people for suspected manslaughter.

Nicolas Puech, an 81-year-old Hermès heir, lost a staggering $15 billion fortune through what can only be described as astonishing negligence. For years, he signed blank documents that his wealth manager Eric Freymond filled in later, maintaining a completely hands-off approach to his billions. Puech remained unaware his shares were being sold for nearly 20 years. The wake-up call came in 2022 when he casually asked why household staff hadn’t thanked him for a million-dollar gift—only to discover the money never arrived. A Swiss judge ruled Puech had “blind trust” in his advisor and willingly allowed complete control. At 82, he’s now reportedly penniless, having lost one of history’s largest personal fortunes to financial mismanagement.

Ukrainian soldiers from the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” discovered an abandoned bird’s nest constructed almost entirely from fiber optic cables near Toretsk in Donetsk Region. These non-biodegradable cables are debris from FPV drones used extensively in the war, left scattered across battlefields after missions. The birds have adapted by incorporating this artificial material alongside natural elements in their nest-building. The brigade described it as “nature’s adaptation to war,” noting that birds were among the first to repurpose the fiber optic remains for their own needs. This discovery highlights an unexpected consequence of modern warfare technology, showing how wildlife adapts to survive amid ongoing conflict and environmental changes.

The Cold Moon, December’s full moon, appeared on December 4, 2025, marking the final supermoon of the year. Named after frigid winter temperatures, it’s also called the “Long Night Moon” because it rises during the year’s longest nights near the winter solstice. As a supermoon, it occurred when the moon reached perigee—approximately 222,000 miles from Earth, about 17,000 miles closer than average—making it appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than typical full moons. This Cold Moon was the highest-rising full moon of 2025, climbing higher in the night sky than any other because it occurs opposite the sun’s lowest winter position.

A 14-foot male thresher shark died on December 3, 2025, after becoming stranded in shallow water at Mayo Beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance received multiple calls about the distressed shark but arrived moments after it died. Thresher shark strandings are common during fall migration season along Cape Cod shores, as the animals attempt to navigate south toward warmer waters. The shark became trapped in Wellfleet’s inner harbor after taking a wrong turn. Unable to tolerate prolonged cold exposure with bay temperatures below 50 degrees, the shark became cold-stunned and died. A necropsy was conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

During Thanksgiving weekend in Ashland, Virginia, a raccoon broke into a local liquor store and threw itself quite the party. The ambitious creature managed to open multiple bottles and drank until passing out in the bathroom. Store staff discovered the chaos on Saturday morning—shelves ransacked and their uninvited guest unconscious among the bottles. Hanover County Animal Control safely transported the intoxicated raccoon to their shelter, where it slept off its hangover for several hours. After confirming the party animal suffered no injuries from its wild night, officials released it back into the wilderness - hopefully having learned a valuable lesson about breaking and drinking.

MIT Media Lab completed the first brain-scan study tracking ChatGPT users over four months, revealing concerning cognitive costs. Researchers monitored 54 participants writing essays with ChatGPT, Google Search, or no tools while measuring brain activity through EEG scans. The findings were stark: 83.3% of ChatGPT users couldn’t quote from their own essays minutes after writing them, compared to just 11% of non-AI users. Brain connectivity patterns showed significant under-engagement in alpha and beta neural networks. Most troubling was the “cognitive debt” - participants who stopped using ChatGPT continued showing impaired brain activity and weaker neural connectivity than those who never relied on AI. While essays were technically sound, educators described them as “robotic” and “soulless.” The paradox: AI delivers speed but offloads the cognitive effort essential for learning and memory formation. The best performers? Those who started without AI, then added it strategically as an enhancement tool rather than a mental replacement.

Spotify unveiled its 2025 year-end charts, revealing Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With A Smile” as the top global song with over 1.7 billion streams. Billie Eilish’s “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” climbed from third to second place, demonstrating remarkable longevity, while ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” secured third position. Bad Bunny claimed the #1 global artist spot for the fourth time in his career with 19.8 billion streams, also securing the top album. Taylor Swift dominated in the U.S. but ranked second globally. Bruno Mars notably appeared on both the #1 and #3 songs. Morgan Wallen led all artists with 12 tracks in the top 100. The 2025 Wrapped redeemed itself after 2024’s heavily criticized AI-driven version.

The Jonas Brothers — Kevin, Joe, and Nick - cemented their Hollywood legacy on December 3, 2025, with a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre, marking their 20th anniversary. The New Jersey natives became a defining pop-culture phenomenon of the late 2000s, selling over 17 million albums worldwide and becoming the youngest band to grace Rolling Stone’s cover in 2008. Through Disney Channel’s Camp Rock movies, which drew over 8 million viewers, and their own series Jonas, they became tween idols compared to The Beatles and The Monkees by industry executives. After splitting in 2013, their 2019 reunion proved their enduring appeal when “Sucker” became their first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, demonstrating how they successfully bridged Disney Channel nostalgia with mainstream pop success.

The Game Awards 2025 announced its Game of the Year nominees in November, featuring six contenders: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Clair Obscur leads all games with a record-breaking 12 nominations, the most in Game Awards history. Game auteur Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach earned eight total nominations across multiple categories, tied with PlayStation’s Ghost of Yōtei for second-most nominations. Death Stranding 2 has demonstrated exceptional player engagement, with 33% of players logging over 20 hours and 4% exceeding 50 hours of gameplay. Meanwhile, Ghost of Yōtei boasts an impressive 93% return rate, meaning nearly all Ghost of Tsushima players purchased the sequel. The ceremony will be livestreamed globally on December 11, 2025.

The 2025 Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel went to different works. The Hugo honored Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup, a fantasy mystery where a detective investigates murders in which trees erupt from victims’ bodies. The Nebula went to debut author John Wiswell’s Someone You Can Build a Nest In, described as a “creepy, charming” fantasy romance told entirely from the monster’s perspective as the creature seeks love and connection. This divergence is notable, as these two prestigious awards often recognize the same work. Both selections showcase innovative storytelling that pushes genre boundaries and challenges traditional narrative perspectives.

The Powerball jackpot surged to $820 million for Saturday’s December 6 drawing after no one won Wednesday’s $775 million prize. Winners can choose between the jackpot amount paid in 30 annual payments or a one-time cash option of about $383.5 million. This marks the second-largest Powerball prize of 2025, following the $1.787 billion jackpot split between two winners in Missouri and Texas on September 6. Wednesday’s winning numbers were 1-14-20-46-51, Powerball 26. The jackpot ranks among the top 10 largest Powerball prizes in history, with odds of winning at 1 in 292 million. This marks the third time Powerball has crossed $800 million in 2025, showing unprecedented lottery excitement this year.

The Transportation Security Administration issued warnings urging airport travelers to avoid public USB charging stations and unsecured WiFi networks due to cybersecurity threats. The TSA warns about “juice jacking,” where hackers install malicious software in public USB ports that infects or steals data from plugged-in devices. The agency recommends travelers bring their own TSA-compliant power adapters or battery packs instead. Additionally, the TSA warned against using public Wi-Fi in airports, with an added warning to never make online purchases while using it. Cybercriminals create “evil twin” networks that mimic legitimate airport WiFi to capture banking credentials and private messages, making travelers vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.

[NBA] Chris Paul, one of the NBA’s greatest point guards, was abruptly cut by the LA Clippers on December 3, 2025, just four months into what was meant to be a celebratory retirement season. The 40-year-old legend is a 12-time All-Star, second on the all-time assists list with over 12,500, and known as “The Point God”. He led the league in assists five times and steals six times. Paul is a five-time All-NBA First Teamer, member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, and a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. He transformed the Clippers during his 2011-2017 tenure, becoming the franchise leader in assists and steals. Despite averaging just 2.9 points in 16 games this season, the abrupt split shocked the basketball world and ended an otherwise legendary career unceremoniously.

[Soccer] French football legend Zinedine Zidane visited China in late November 2025 for a 7-day promotional tour, his first trip in seven years. The 53-year-old traveled to Shanghai, Beijing, and Hangzhou for World Cup promotional events and gave a masterclass to young players at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The trip’s viral moment came when Zidane spontaneously joined local residents on Shanghai’s Bund to play Chinese street sport shuttlecock. Videos of him skillfully kicking the shuttlecock with Chinese aunties went viral on social media, delighting fans. Zidane also appeared on CCTV’s football program and expressed genuine interest in Chinese culture, including mahjong, demonstrating his approachable nature beyond football.

[Snooker] Chinese players dominated the 2025 UK Championship at York’s Barbican Centre, with a record-breaking 12 reaching the last 32—matching England’s total for the first time. This smashed the previous record of nine set in 2020. Five Chinese players were seeded in the world’s top 16, another record. The surge reflects the combined impact of pioneer Ding Junhui’s 2005 UK Championship victory and Zhao Xintong becoming Asia’s first World Snooker Champion in May 2025. However, by the semifinals on December 6, all Chinese players had been eliminated. The final four are Judd Trump versus Neil Robertson, and Mark Selby versus Shaun Murphy, with the final scheduled for December 7.

[American Football] The New England Patriots’ turnaround is one of the NFL’s most remarkable stories. After consecutive 4-13 seasons in 2023-24, New England sits at 11-2 with a 10-game winning streak in 2025—the best record in football. They’re the first team since 1999 to win 10 straight after losing 13+ games the previous season. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye is leading the charge, emerging as the MVP favorite with 3,412 passing yards while completing 71.5% of passes. Under coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have transformed from worst-to-first, clinching their division hopes and positioning themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

On December 6, 1877, Thomas Edison achieved a breakthrough at his Menlo Park laboratory by successfully recording and playing back sound for the first time. Edison spoke the nursery rhyme “Mary had a little lamb” into his newly invented phonograph, creating the first known audio recording in history. The device used a tinfoil-wrapped cylinder to capture sound vibrations, which could then be reproduced. This invention fundamentally transformed how humans could preserve and share audio, establishing the groundwork for the entire recording industry. Edison’s phonograph made it possible to capture moments in time through sound, launching decades of innovation in music, broadcasting, and communications technology. Later Edison founded General Electric, one of the most iconic American industrial conglomerate companies.

“Clearing Snow Along the Riverbank” (江干雪霁图) is attributed to Wang Wei (699-761), the legendary Tang Dynasty poet-painter known as the “Poet Buddha.” This silk handscroll depicts a serene post-snowfall riverscape using ink wash and white space techniques to convey the ethereal quality of snow. The composition shows snow-laden houses, conversing figures, and distant mountains shrouded in mist, embodying Wang Wei’s Buddhist-influenced aesthetic. It pioneered monochrome snow landscape painting and exemplifies Su Shi’s famous description: “poetry within painting, painting within poetry.” Though authentication remains debated, this work profoundly influenced Chinese landscape painting traditions and currently resides in Japan’s Kotoin Temple in Kyoto.

“How is Spotify supposed to know who I am, when I’ve played ‘Wheels on the Bus’ five hundred times for our son?”

– Cartoon by Chris Gural, December 4, 2025, The New Yorker

November 29, 2025, Who Will Lead Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, Neymar or Estevao?

November 22, 2025, The Most Intelligent AI Model Yet?

November 15, 2025, The Return of Chinese Rock in Kuala Lumpur

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

South Korea is making an aggressive push for AI sovereignty. The country has emerged as a magnet for major US tech companies, with Nvidia, OpenAI, and AWS pouring billions into investments — including Nvidia’s ~$10 billion deal to supply 260,000 Blackwell GPUs and AWS committing $9 billion for AI data centers. Domestically, Seoul committed ~$390 million to fund five “AI champions” — LG, SK Telecom, Naver, NC AI, and Upstage — competing to build Korean-language foundation models, with underperformers eliminated every six months. The goal is a “full-stack” sovereign AI industry combining Korea’s memory chip dominance with indigenous AI development, positioning itself as an alternative to US and Chinese dependence.

Alibaba launched its Quark AI Glasses on November 27, marking its first consumer smart glasses. The lineup includes the flagship S1 starting at ¥3,799 (~$536) with dual micro-OLED displays and swappable 24-hour batteries, plus the lighter G1 at ¥1,899. Powered by Alibaba’s Qwen AI models, they offer real-time translation, AI-generated meeting notes, voice commands via “Hello Qwen,” image-based Q&A, and navigation. The glasses integrate with Alibaba’s ecosystem including Alipay, Taobao, and QQ Music. They’re positioned to compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses at roughly 30% lower price. Currently, it’s only available in China.

Jeff Bezos is returning to an operational role for the first time since stepping down as Amazon CEO in 2021, taking the co-CEO position at Project Prometheus, a new AI startup that has raised $6.2 billion in funding. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore, growing it into one of the world’s most valuable companies spanning e-commerce, cloud computing, and streaming. He’s currently the world’s second-richest person after Elon Musk. Project Prometheus is building “AI for the physical economy,” focusing on engineering and manufacturing in aerospace, automobiles, and computers—work that could tie closely to Bezos’s space company Blue Origin. The startup has hired about 100 employees from OpenAI, DeepMind, and Meta.

A devastating fire engulfed the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, killing at least 94 people—making it the city’s deadliest blaze in over a century. Hundreds remain missing as rescue operations continue. The fire spread rapidly through bamboo scaffolding and highly flammable styrofoam materials used during ongoing renovations. Authorities upgraded it to a Level 5 alarm—the first since 2008. Three individuals connected to the renovation contractor have been arrested on manslaughter charges. Chief Executive John Lee called it a “massive catastrophe,” and President Xi Jinping pledged emergency relief funds and urged “all-out efforts” in rescue work.

Devastating floods across southern Thailand have killed at least 145 people, with Songkhla province alone accounting for 110 deaths. More than 1.2 million households and 3.6 million people have been affected by floods triggered by heavy rains in 12 southern provinces. Hat Yai, the region’s commercial hub, received a record 630mm of rain over three days—the highest in 300 years—submerging hospitals and stranding thousands. Prime Minister Anutin declared a state of emergency citing “unprecedented severity.” As waters recede, rescuers are recovering more bodies while widespread damage to roads, power lines, and buildings is being revealed.

Afghanistan’s ancient sport Buzkashi — imagine polo, but replace the ball with a headless goat carcass — roared back in November 2025 with over 450 riders competing across five provinces. Dating back to Genghis Khan’s era as training for mounted warfare, the brutal game sees horsemen wrestle for a 50kg carcass while galloping at full speed. Champion horses, imported from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, cost up to $200,000 — and can play for 20 years. A skilled rider (chapandaz) typically peaks in his forties, as the sport demands decades of physical training and observation. Thousands of spectators called the matches “a symbol of pride and unity.”

McGill University, one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious institutions, recently announced the elimination of 25 varsity and competitive teams across 15 sports starting in 2026–27. The cuts include long-running programs such as men’s and women’s track and field, badminton, fencing, rowing, rugby, tennis, and more. For an institution founded in 1821 and celebrated for producing 156 Olympians, the move cuts deep. Longstanding teams—some with more than a century of tradition—will vanish, taking with them the rituals, rivalries, and community that helped define life on campus. Beyond the immediate shock, the cuts threaten McGill’s identity as a place where academic excellence and athletic ambition thrived together, leaving students and alumni questioning what will remain of the university’s rich sporting legacy.

The 3rd Budapest Ballet Grand Prix wrapped up November 21 at Hungary’s National Dance Theatre and Palace of Arts. Over 80 dancers aged 14-24 from 22 countries competed for scholarships and career opportunities—organizers note a single invitation can launch an entire ballet career. The jury included New York City Ballet principal Megan Fairchild and Semperoper Ballet artistic director Kinsun Chan. Why Budapest? Hungary has been a ballet powerhouse since 1884, when the Hungarian National Ballet was founded alongside the ornate State Opera House. Hungarian choreographers pioneered fusing folk dance with classical technique, creating a distinctive national style that influenced European dance for over a century.

Chinese conglomerate Xiaomi has seen its stock plunge over 30% from its June highs, erasing tens of billions in market value. Multiple factors converged: a fatal SU7 crash in Chengdu in October wiped out ~$10 billion in a single day, while warnings about rising chip costs and reduced EV tax breaks spooked investors about 2026 margins. CEO Lei Jun’s public relations missteps worsened matters — his deflection to “paid trolls” after the crash, rather than addressing safety concerns directly, sparked public backlash and triggered mass order cancellations. The company went from “market darling to worst-performing Chinese tech stock” in just months.

The ghost silverfish, a 1cm-long paper-eating insect first identified in Sri Lanka in 1910, is rapidly spreading across Japan and threatening the country’s priceless cultural treasures, historic records, and delicate scrolls. Discovered in Japan in 2022, the pest has now crawled into institutions across 19 prefectures after reportedly arriving in a shipment of documents or artwork. The insect reproduces parthenogenetically — females lay eggs without fertilization — allowing populations to explode quickly; one silverfish can become 20,000 in three years. Museums and libraries, with their climate-controlled environments ideal for preserving artifacts, ironically create perfect conditions for the pest to thrive.

Terence Tao — widely considered the world’s greatest living mathematician, Fields Medal winner, and UCLA professor known for his work across virtually every mathematical subfield — has published results from testing Google DeepMind’s AlphaEvolve AI tool on 67 unsolved math problems. The tool evolves Python code rather than raw numbers, letting it discover structured solutions humans might miss. Highlights: it rediscovered the optimal “Gerver sofa” for the famous moving sofa problem and cracked this year’s IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad) Problem 6. However, Tao notes AlphaEvolve excels at finding solutions “within reach” of current math, but can’t generate the deep insights needed for truly hard problems.

The 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place on November 27, bringing joy, nostalgia, and style to Manhattan. Cynthia Erivo opened the show with a breathtaking performance of “Feeling Good.” The parade featured 32 giant character balloons, 27 floats, 11 marching bands, and over 600 clowns. New balloon debuts included Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Shrek’s Onion Carriage, and Mario. Performers included Ciara, Busta Rhymes, Lil Jon, and Lainey Wilson. HUNTR/X from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters performed their hit “Golden.” Millions gathered along the route from the Upper West Side to Herald Square.

Stranger Things Season 5 premiered November 26, 2025, bringing the beloved saga to its epic conclusion, and has already made history—it’s the first Netflix series to have all four previous seasons charting in the streamer’s Top 10 English-language series simultaneously as fans rewatched ahead of the finale. Season 4 remains Netflix’s third most-watched English-language series ever with 1.8 billion hours viewed. Set in the 1980s, the series follows a group of teenage friends in Hawkins, Indiana, as they battle supernatural forces. At its heart, the show celebrates the power of friendship, loyalty, and courage in the face of unimaginable darkness. Through five seasons, we’ve watched this tight-knit group grow up together, learning that trust and unity are their greatest weapons against evil.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang spoke at the University of Cambridge, where he received the 2025 Professor Stephen Hawking Fellowship Award. He told students that being a CEO is far from glamorous: “Most people think it’s about leading and being in command and being on top. None of that is true. You’re in service of the company.” Huang described leadership as “a lifetime of sacrifice,” involving painful decisions during difficult times. He credited his immigrant upbringing and his mother, who always told him he was “special,” for instilling the resilience needed for leadership. When asked what matters most as intelligence becomes cheap, Huang answered: “courage, intellectual honesty, letting go of one’s ego, and the ability to show vulnerability.”

[Badminton] Legendary Chinese mixed doubles pair “YaSi” Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong won the 15th National Games mixed doubles gold with a dominant 21-11, 21-12 victory over Wei Yaxin/Zhou Zhihong. This was their “last dance”—the final competitive match of their eight-year partnership. The gold completed their “Super Grand Slam,” as they had won every major title (Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, All England) but Huang Yaqiong had twice finished with National Games silver. With 43 international titles, they surpassed Korea’s Kim Dong-moon/Ra Kyung-min as the most decorated mixed doubles pair in badminton history.

[Soccer] Chelsea’s 18-year-old Estevao became just the third teenager in history to score in each of his first three Champions League starts, joining an elite list occupied only by Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. Against Barcelona, he cut inside, glided past his marker, and rifled the ball into the top corner from a tight angle. BBC noted that Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal “found himself overshadowed” by the Brazilian, with Yamal recording just 64 touches—the fewest in a single match this season. South American football expert Tim Vickery declared Estevao “the most talented player out of Brazil since Neymar.”

[Soccer] Kylian Mbappé scored the second-fastest hat-trick in Champions League history and four goals in total as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Olympiacos 4-3 in Piraeus. After trailing to Chiquinho’s early strike, the France superstar launched a one-man mission, scoring in the 22nd, 24th, 29th, and 60th minutes. Only Mohamed Salah’s six-minute treble against Rangers in 2022 was faster. The haul took Mbappé to nine goals in five Champions League games, making him the competition’s top scorer. It was a magical pass from Vinícius Junior—who was at times impossible to contain—that changed the match, with the Brazilian becoming the joint second-highest assist provider for Madrid in UCL history.

[Soccer] Neymar has suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee—his fourth injury of 2025—and will miss the rest of the year, requiring arthroscopic surgery. Since 2013/14, he’s endured 45 different injuries, missing 1,429 days and 265 matches. Carlo Ancelotti hasn’t called him up once since becoming Brazil coach, demanding “continuity, minutes, and physical condition—talent alone isn’t enough.” With the Brazilian season not resuming until late March, Neymar has almost no runway to prove fitness before the World Cup. As 18-year-old Estevao dazzles in the Champions League, the torch may have already passed.

[NBA] James Harden scored a Clippers franchise record 55 points, including a franchise record 27 first-quarter points, while tying his career high with 10 three-pointers in a 131–116 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The 36-year-old broke the previous franchise record held by Bob McAdoo (52 points) from the 1970s. Harden also holds the Houston Rockets’ single-game record with 61 points in 2019—making him the only player in NBA history to hold the single-game scoring record for two different franchises. This was his 25th career 50-point game, tying Kobe Bryant and trailing only Michael Jordan (31) and Wilt Chamberlain (118).

[Sprinting] On November 20, 2025, 36-year-old Chinese sprint legend Su Bingtian ran his final race at the 15th National Games, competing as the first leg in the men’s 4×100m relay for his home province Guangdong. As the classic Cantonese song “Can’t Say Goodbye” (by Alan Tam) played, he walked around the track bowing to the crowd in an emotional moment. Su became the first Asian-born athlete to break 10 seconds in 2015 with 9.99. His crowning achievement: a 9.83-second Asian record at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, making him the first Chinese sprinter in an Olympic 100m final. Beyond raw speed, Su’s legacy lies in proving that with scientific training and relentless determination, Asian sprinters could compete at the highest level globally.

[Snooker] Zhao Xintong defeated Neil Robertson 5-2 in the final to win the 2025 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, claiming his first title since his World Championship victory in May. The 28-year-old Chinese star pocketed £250,000 and compiled back-to-back century breaks of 131 and 134 to pull away in the final. En route to the title, Zhao defeated Shaun Murphy and world number one Judd Trump, compiling a tournament-high break of 138. “I really needed it at this moment—a good title run to prove myself,” Zhao said. This caps a remarkable comeback for the player who returned from a 20-month match-fixing ban to become China’s first World Champion.

[F1 Racing] In a twist rivaling scenes from Brad Pitt’s blockbuster F1, both McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after post-race inspections found their cars’ skid blocks worn below the minimum 9mm thickness. Norris’s breach was just 0.12mm—thinner than a human hair. Team boss Andrea Stella blamed unexpected “extensive porpoising” that caused excessive ground contact, not aggressive setup choices. The disqualification erased Norris’s second-place finish, cutting his championship lead to 24 points with two races remaining. The FIA ruled it unintentional.

[NCAA Football] Michigan is chasing history in their rivalry with Ohio State, aiming for a fifth consecutive victory—something not achieved in 99 years since the 1920s. Despite entering as 10.5-point underdogs, the Wolverines’ recent dominance includes last year’s stunning 13-10 upset that sparked chaos when Michigan planted their flag at midfield. The stakes couldn’t be higher: Michigan’s playoff hopes hang in the balance while Ohio State seeks to protect their undefeated record. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, despite winning last season’s national championship, faces mounting pressure with his 1-4 record against Michigan. This rivalry has evolved from competitive to combustible, fueled by sign-stealing scandals and on-field confrontations.

On November 29, 1972, Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell installed Pong at Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California, marking a pivotal moment in gaming history. The simple tennis-style arcade game, designed by Allan Alcorn, featured two paddles and a bouncing ball with the instruction “Avoid missing ball for high score.” Within days, the machine broke down—not from malfunction, but because the coin box overflowed with quarters. Pong’s instant popularity demonstrated video games could be commercially viable, launching the arcade era and establishing Atari as an industry pioneer. This tavern test proved gaming had mass-market appeal.

Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night (1889) is one of the most iconic paintings in Western art, created during his stay at the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence asylum. The swirling sky, luminous stars, and bold, rhythmic brushstrokes capture an emotional, dreamlike vision rather than a realistic night scene. Van Gogh painted it from memory, blending observation with imagination to express turbulence, longing, and awe for the natural world. The quiet village below contrasts with the sky’s movement, emphasizing inner turmoil versus peace. Though uncelebrated in his lifetime, Starry Night later became a symbol of artistic genius, emotional depth, and the expressive power of post-Impressionism.

Teacher: “If I gave you 3 dogs today and 5 dogs tomorrow, how many dogs would you have?”

Student: “Nine.”

Teacher: “No, listen carefully. If I gave you 3 dogs today and 5 dogs tomorrow, how many would you have?”

Student: “Nine!”

Teacher: “How?!”

Student: “Because I already have one dog at home!”

November 22, 2025, The Most Intelligent AI Model Yet?

November 15, 2025, The Return of Chinese Rock in Kuala Lumpur

November 08, 2025, Who Wins In This AI Bonanza?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

I listen to many podcasts and toyed with creating my own half-heartedly a few times in the past. Couldn’t really get one going though. The setup is intimidating. I don’t have the chops of Stephen Fry. It is very time-consuming to convert a transcript into audio form.

Well, Google proved me wrong. One of its AI killer apps, NotebookLM, transformed the PDF version of the Nov 15 issue into a podcast episode in just five minutes, with two AI-generated hosts that would give Jake Tapper a run of his money. It was a magical moment.

Boys and girls, you can now listen to “The Sunday Blender Podcast” on Apple, Spotify, and Xiaoyuzhou, while brushing your teeth in the morning.

What do you think of the male and female hosts? They seem to know what they are doing. Leave your comments at the end of the article (on the web).

On November 18, 2025, Cloudflare experienced a major global outage that knocked numerous high-profile websites offline. Roughly one-fifth of webpages and a third of the world’s 10,000 most popular websites were affected, including X, ChatGPT, Spotify, Zoom, and Coinbase. The root cause was an automatically generated configuration file for managing threat traffic that grew beyond expected size, triggering crashes in traffic-handling software. The incident highlighted the fragility of internet infrastructure, where a single point of failure at one company can cascade across vast portions of the web, disrupting businesses and services worldwide.

Google released Gemini 3 on November 18, 2025, after weeks of social media hype, with early leaked benchmarks sparking excitement among developers. Testing shows it outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-5.1 and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.5 on key benchmarks. Gemini 3 introduces “generative interfaces” that create visual layouts and dynamic views instead of plain text responses, with developers praising its ability to intuitively understand coding intent and fill in gaps without explicit instructions. In head-to-head coding tests, Gemini excelled at rapid prototyping, adding features like keyboard controls unprompted. The release came just six days after OpenAI’s GPT-5.1 update, intensifying AI competition. However, Claude 4.5 maintains advantages in code debugging, while GPT-5.1 offers better cost efficiency. The rapid-fire releases have created “integration fatigue” among developers.

Elon Musk and Jensen Huang spoke at the US-Saudi Investment Forum on November 19, 2025, at Washington’s Kennedy Center, discussing AI’s future and announcing plans to build a 500-megawatt AI factory in the Saudi desert equipped with Nvidia GPUs. Musk predicted work would become “optional” within 10-20 years, claiming AI and humanoid robots would eliminate poverty, while he also suggested money would eventually become irrelevant. Huang countered that AI would actually make people busier in the near term, citing radiologists who became more productive rather than unemployed. Musk also proposed space-based AI computing using solar power and zero-gravity cooling as the future solution to energy constraints. Huang jokingly asked Musk for advance warning before currency becomes irrelevant.

The November 2025 TIOBE index shows Python maintaining dominance at 23.37%, representing a 9.3% annual growth that earned it 2024’s “Programming Language of the Year” award. Python’s lead stems from its central role in AI, machine learning, data science, and automation, powered by frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch. TIOBE CEO Paul Jansen notes Python has plateaued recently after years of unprecedented growth. Meanwhile, Rust sits at eighth place with 1.98%, gaining recognition as the top secure language adopted by Microsoft, Google, and AWS, with government agencies like NSA and CISA pushing memory-safe languages including Rust for critical infrastructure. Rust has been rising through 2024 and could reach the top 10 soon.

Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station achieved a first by using a new hot air oven to cook food in orbit in early November 2025. The Shenzhou-21 crew cooked marinated chicken wings and black pepper steaks, with the wings taking approximately 28 minutes to bake. The upgraded oven reaches 190 degrees Celsius, enabling genuine cooking with chemical reactions rather than just reheating, using high-temperature catalysis and multi-layer filtration for smoke-free, oil-free baking. Experts note hot meals help keep crews psychologically grounded during long missions. The device is rated for 500 uses, significantly exceeding earlier ISS demonstrations, marking an important advancement for sustaining astronauts on extended deep-space missions where fresh food preparation becomes crucial for crew morale and nutrition.

Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket on November 13, 2025, marking its second flight, carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE mission—twin spacecraft that will study how Mars lost its atmosphere. The 320-foot-tall rocket is powered by seven BE-4 engines generating over 3.8 million pounds of thrust. Crucially, Blue Origin successfully landed the first-stage booster on its seafaring platform Jacklyn for the first time, after the booster exploded during the inaugural launch attempt in January. This achievement makes Blue Origin only the second company in history to recover a rocket during an operational flight, positioning the company to compete with SpaceX’s dominant market position. Even SpaceX CEO Gwynne Shotwell congratulated Blue Origin, calling it “Magnificent”.

Beijing’s Yitu School, founded in 2016 by former McKinsey partner and Gates Foundation China head Li Yinuo, recently “imploded” amid financial crisis. In November 2025, Li revealed the school couldn’t pay teachers’ salaries starting October, with her co-founder borrowing personally to cover half of October’s wages. Li blamed their partner school Zhizhi for borrowing over 50 million yuan using the school’s cash flow as collateral, then diverting funds to related companies. Li admitted “poor management capability” led to the crisis and acknowledged pursuing legal action to recover misappropriated funds. Once dubbed the “pioneer of innovative schools”, Yitu attracted elite families with its slogan of cultivating “children with fulfilled hearts”, but faced teacher layoffs, management chaos, and enrollment losses.

Europe’s first rare-earth magnet plant officially opened September 19, 2025, in Narva, Estonia, built by Canadian company Neo Performance Materials with a $75 million investment. Supported by €14.5 million from the EU’s Just Transition Fund, the facility has an annual capacity of 2,000 metric tonnes—enough to supply magnets for over one million electric vehicles or 1,000 offshore wind turbines. This addresses Europe’s critical dependence on China, which currently supplies 90% of EU permanent magnet demand. The plant is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs in Narva, a city transitioning from oil shale extraction, marking a significant step toward European strategic autonomy in green technology supply chains.

A French court ruled November 19 that Perrier can continue marketing as “natural mineral water” despite an ongoing scandal over Nestlé’s use of banned water treatments. The controversy erupted in 2024 when media revealed Nestlé Waters had illegally used ultraviolet treatment and activated carbon filters on multiple brands including Perrier, Vittel, and Contrex. A Senate inquiry found French government officials had concealed these unauthorized treatments for years. The ruling allows one of France’s most iconic beverage exports to remain on shelves, though Nestlé now acknowledges on its website that “Perrier water carries the designation ’natural mineral water,’ even though it may not fully qualify as such”. The decision raises questions about consumer trust in “natural” labeling standards and European water quality regulations.

Google DeepMind announced November 19, 2025, the opening of a new AI research lab in Singapore, its first built entirely from the ground up in Southeast Asia. The expansion follows Google DeepMind more than doubling its Asia-Pacific team over the past year. The lab will focus on advancing Gemini AI capabilities with emphasis on linguistic and cultural inclusivity for the region’s diverse populations. The facility aims to position Asia-Pacific as an AI creator rather than merely a consumer, working with governments, businesses, and academic institutions. Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0 and Smart Nation 2.0 initiatives, along with openness to global talent, made it an ideal location. The lab will collaborate on applications spanning healthcare, cybersecurity, and public services.

The US Mint stamped its final penny on November 12, 2025, in Philadelphia after 230 years of production, following President Trump’s February directive to halt production due to mounting losses. Each penny cost 3.69 cents to produce, resulting in an $85.3 million loss in 2024. This marks the first US coin elimination since the half-cent in 1857. While existing pennies remain legal tender, the abrupt cessation without federal guidance has created shortages nationwide, forcing retailers to round cash transactions. The government expects to save $56 million annually, though cash transactions now comprise only 14% of all US transactions.

The Leonid meteor shower is an annual event occurring from November 3 through December 2, peaking this year on November 17-18 with 10-15 meteors per hour visible under dark skies. The shower occurs when Earth passes through debris left by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. With favorable viewing conditions this year—a waning crescent moon providing minimal light interference—the best viewing window is between midnight and dawn on November 17-18. While the comet takes 33 years to orbit the sun, occasionally producing spectacular meteor storms with thousands per hour, the last major storm occurred in 2002. The shower’s name comes from meteors appearing to radiate from the constellation Leo.

At Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal this month, Théau Peronnin, CEO of Alice & Bob (Nvidia’s quantum computing partner), warned that quantum computers will be powerful enough to crack Bitcoin’s encryption shortly after 2030. Google’s 105-qubit Willow chip demonstrated in January 2025 showed significant error reduction, making quantum threats feel increasingly practical. A Federal Reserve study warned about “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, where adversaries collect encrypted blockchain data today for future decryption. Approximately 6.51 million Bitcoin—worth over $700 billion—remains quantum vulnerable in older address formats. Peronnin stated Bitcoin “needs to fork by 2030, basically”, though implementing quantum-safe transitions could take seven years.

Tom Cruise received his first Oscar - an honorary Academy Award—at the Governors Awards on November 16, 2025, recognizing his unwavering commitment to filmmaking, vital support of the theatrical experience, and unmatched body of work. Cruise’s films have grossed over $11 billion worldwide as lead actor, with box office hits spanning four decades since the late 1980s, making him one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. From his 1986 breakthrough with Top Gun—the year’s highest-grossing film—through the Mission: Impossible franchise he’s led since 1996, to 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick earning over $1.4 billion, Cruise remains Hollywood’s last true action superstar. Presenter director Alejandro González Iñárritu declared “Tom Cruise doesn’t just make movies, he is movies”. In his emotional speech, Cruise humbly celebrated fellow honorees before paying tribute to cinema’s unifying power.

Nintendo released the first official set photos from the live-action Legend of Zelda movie on November 17, 2025, showing Link and Zelda in full costume against New Zealand’s lush landscapes. The images sparked an overwhelming fan frenzy, with reaction videos, comment threads, and social posts filled with excitement as longtime fans said seeing the characters in live action made the project “feel real for the first time”. Fans praised the costume accuracy and applauded details like the pointed Hylian ears, relieved Hollywood wouldn’t tone down fantasy elements. Social media immediately lit up with reactions about how faithful the adaptation appears, with fans expressing they’re “already hyped” while questioning whether it can capture the games’ magic without feeling “too Hollywood”. The hashtag #ZeldaMovieCasting trended for hours, with some fans declaring they’d “been waiting 20 years for a Zelda movie”, though cautious viewers remain nervous about Hollywood’s involvement with the beloved franchise.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 sparked controversy at launch over AI-generated calling cards featuring Studio Ghibli-style artwork that players deemed “AI slop”. Activision confirmed via Steam disclosure that it uses “generative AI tools to help develop some in-game assets,” after players spotted telltale signs like a zombie Santa with six fingers. The backlash was severe enough that some players secured Steam refunds, with one completing the entire campaign before citing undisclosed AI content. Reddit users expressed frustration at being fed AI content in a full-price AAA title already packed with microtransactions. The controversy drew political attention when US Congressman Ro Khanna called for regulations preventing companies from using AI to eliminate creative jobs. Black Ops 7 plummeted to a 1.7/10 Metacritic user score, the lowest in franchise history.

Collins Dictionary named “vibe coding” as its Word of the Year 2025, a term describing software development that uses AI and natural language to write computer code. The term was coined by AI pioneer Andrej Karpathy, former Tesla AI director and OpenAI founding engineer, to describe creating apps while being able to “forget that the code even exists”. Lexicographers monitored the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus and noted a large uptick in usage since the term’s first appearance in February 2025. Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said the selection “perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology” and signals “a major shift in software development, where AI is making coding more accessible”. The shortlist reflected society grappling with authenticity in an increasingly AI-dominated, performative world.

A silver titanium Speedwell bicycle ridden by German electronic band Kraftwerk’s Florian Schneider in the 1984 “Tour de France” music video recently sold at auction for $57,600—over 14 times its initial estimate. The 1983 electronic anthem became synonymous with cycling culture, serving as Channel 4’s theme music for UK Tour de France broadcasts, cementing its status as the race’s unofficial soundtrack. The innovative track used sampled cycling sounds like chain rattles and gear shifts, becoming a blueprint for later techno and house genres while positioning itself as a timeless electronic sports anthem. Kraftwerk’s celebration captured the race’s spirit through hypnotic rhythms mirroring cycling’s mechanical nature, with references to mountains, valleys, and the coveted yellow jersey. The band released a full album for the race’s 100th anniversary in 2003, which became their first number-one album in Germany.

David Szalay won the 2025 Booker Prize on November 10 for his sixth novel, Flesh, becoming the first Hungarian-British author to win the award. The Booker Prize is regarded as one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, with winners receiving £50,000 and international publicity that usually leads to significant sales boosts. The spare, propulsive novel follows protagonist István from adolescence to old age through events beyond his control. Judging panel chair Roddy Doyle said judges kept returning to Flesh “because of its singularity,” noting they’d “never read anything quite like it”. Szalay wanted to explore Europe’s cultural divides while writing “about life as a physical experience, about what it’s like to be a living body”. This was his second Booker nomination.

Thanksgiving 2025 falls on Thursday, November 27, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, a tradition established by US Congress in 1941. The holiday traces back to 1621 when Pilgrims and Wampanoag people shared a harvest feast after the Native Americans helped colonists survive a harsh winter. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday in 1863 to unite Americans during the Civil War. Traditional celebrations include family gatherings with roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, while parades like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade mark the festivities. This year’s late Thanksgiving date creates a shorter holiday season with less than four weeks until Christmas, making it one of the busiest travel periods.

Koroshigaki(枯露柿) is a premium Japanese dried persimmon specialty from Yamanashi Prefecture, particularly the Matsuri district of Kōshū. Made from large Kōshū Hyakume persimmons weighing 350-400 grams each, production begins in early November when the fruit is carefully peeled and hung to sun-dry for approximately 40 days. Premium koroshigaki develops a beautiful amber color adorned with white crystallized sugar coating called “ko,” creating an appearance like a delicate veil. The tradition dates back 500 years to warlord Takeda Shingen, who promoted dried persimmon as portable provisions. During autumn, strings of orange persimmons hanging from eaves create iconic curtains throughout the region, symbolizing Japanese patience and artisanal craftsmanship in preserving seasonal bounty.

Table tennis star Fan Zhendong successfully defended his men’s singles title at China’s 15th National Games on November 16, 2025, defeating Hainan’s Lin Shidong 4-1 in the final held in Macau. With this victory, Fan became the second player after Ma Long to win consecutive National Games men’s singles titles. The win brought his National Games gold medal total to six, making him the active table tennis player with the most National Games gold medals. In the dramatic first game, Fan rallied from a 4-9 deficit by scoring seven consecutive points to win 11-9. Following his Paris Olympics gold medal, Fan had spent time playing for German Bundesliga club Saarbrücken before returning for the National Games after a 469-day absence from competition.

LeBron James made his highly anticipated 2025-26 season debut on November 18, 2025, becoming the first player in NBA history to appear in 23 seasons, surpassing Vince Carter’s previous record of 22 consecutive seasons. The 40-year-old returned after missing the opening 14 games with sciatica and posted 11 points and 12 assists in the Lakers’ 140-126 victory over the Utah Jazz. James made two three-pointers to surpass Reggie Miller with 2,561 career triples, moving into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list. He also extended his remarkable streak of consecutive games with double-digit scoring to 1,293, dating back to January 2007. When told seven Jazz players hadn’t even been born when he made his NBA debut, James joked: “That just made my back hurt”.

Curaçao became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup on November 18, 2025, with a population of just 156,000, securing their spot after a 0-0 draw with Jamaica. Haiti qualified for the first time in 52 years, sparking jubilant celebrations in Port-au-Prince. Scotland qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 after a dramatic 4-2 victory over Denmark, with two stoppage-time goals sealing their historic return. Panama also booked their spot on the same night. Among European qualifiers, the 12 nations that secured automatic qualification as group winners are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland. Major shock eliminations include Nigeria, Greece, Cameroon, and Serbia. The 2026 tournament will be the first expanded 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Roger Federer was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, announced November 19, 2025. He will be inducted in Newport, Rhode Island in August 2026. Federer became the first man to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles, including eight Wimbledon championships, six Australian Opens, five US Opens, and one French Open. He held the world No. 1 ranking for 310 weeks total, including a record 237 consecutive weeks, and won 103 tour-level titles. At his peak, Federer reached a record 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals from 2005-07, winning eight, part of an unprecedented era alongside rivals Nadal and Djokovic.

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, sending shockwaves across America and the world. The nation entered a period of profound mourning as television networks broadcast continuous coverage of the tragedy. Kennedy’s state funeral drew leaders from over 90 countries, reflecting his global stature. His death marked the end of an era characterized by youthful optimism and the promise of a “New Frontier.” Kennedy’s legacy endures through his vision for civil rights advancement, the space program that would land Americans on the moon, and the Peace Corps. His eloquent calls for public service—“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”—continue to inspire generations, cementing his place as an iconic figure in American history.

“Freedom from Want”, painted by Norman Rockwell in 1943, depicts an idealized Thanksgiving dinner scene featuring a grandmother presenting a golden turkey to a multigenerational family gathered around a table. Part of Rockwell’s “Four Freedoms” series inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, the painting became one of America’s most recognizable images. Published in The Saturday Evening Post, it resonated deeply during World War II, symbolizing American abundance and domestic harmony. The warm, detailed portrayal of middle-class prosperity embodied what Americans were fighting to preserve. Though sometimes criticized for its sentimentalized vision, the painting remains a powerful cultural touchstone representing American values of family, gratitude, and plenty.

November 15, 2025, The Return of Chinese Rock in Kuala Lumpur

November 08, 2025, Who Wins In This AI Bonanza?

November 01, 2025, When Yang Meets Yang: Celebrating Life at the Peak of Autumn

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Rock is not really a thing anymore in China. But when I see thousands of people jumping up and down on the arena floor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Nov 12, I know the spirit is still there, just brewing in some unlikely corners.

Not just in China. Does anyone still rock in America? The last three rock bands I listened to were Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, and X-Japan. Music is not the same anymore after that.

Many things have changed: music, the web, and news.

Sometimes, they are still better in the old-fashioned way.

AI coding startup Cursor raised a landmark $2.3 billion Series D funding round that propelled the company to a $29.3 billion valuation. The funding round was among the largest venture capital raises in recent tech history and highlights the massive investor interest in AI-powered development tools. Cursor has been gaining significant traction as developers increasingly adopt AI assistance for coding tasks. The enormous valuation reflects growing confidence in AI’s ability to transform software development and the competitive race among tech companies to dominate the AI coding assistant market. The funding will enable Cursor to accelerate product development and expand its engineering capabilities.

Google announced a massive $40 billion investment in Texas through 2027, marking its largest commitment to any U.S. state. This funding is primarily aimed at building new Cloud and AI infrastructure, including three new data center campuses in Armstrong and Haskell Counties. The investment will create thousands of jobs and fund workforce development programs for electrical workers and apprentices, strengthening the state’s technical talent. Furthermore, Google is expanding its energy initiatives, including adding renewable energy capacity to the Texas grid and establishing a $30 million Energy Impact Fund. This move solidifies Texas’s role as a major hub in the global AI race.

Chiang Mai, Thailand’s enchanting Yi Peng and Loy Krathong festivals took place on November 5-6, 2025, coinciding with the full moon of the 12th lunar month. Yi Peng featured thousands of glowing sky lanterns (khom loi) released into the night sky to symbolize letting go of misfortune and welcoming blessings, while Loy Krathong involved floating decorated baskets (krathongs) made of banana leaves and flowers on rivers to honor the water goddess. Due to safety regulations, sky lanterns were banned in the city center, so organized ticketed events were held outside the city at venues like CAD Cultural Center and I Love Ban Thi, featuring ceremonies, cultural performances, traditional buffets, and fireworks. Free celebrations occurred throughout Chiang Mai at the Ping River, Tha Phae Gate, and temples decorated with colorful lanterns, parades, and traditional Lanna dance performances.

Christmas at Kew, London’s original festive light trail, has been a beloved seasonal tradition since 2013, pioneering illuminated winter events across the UK. Now in its twelfth year, the event attracts over 2.5 million annual visits to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 2025 edition runs November 14 to January 4, featuring eight world premiere installations including the first-ever illumination of the historic 18th-century Great Pagoda. The 3km trail showcases new interactive displays, the stunning Temperate House finale, and returning favorites like the Fire Garden and Christmas Cathedral. Visitors enjoy festive food, Father Christmas visits, and botanical beauty transformed by dazzling lights.

In November 2025, a Czech shepherd led his flock of sheep and goats on a four-day trek from summer pastures in the Brdy Hills to their winter grazing grounds in Čížkov, a village near Plzeň, Czechia. Traveling entirely on foot — without vehicles — the journey honors an ancient transhumance tradition. Along the route, shepherds crossed streams, rested with their animals, and helped preserve the biodiversity of the protected Brdy area.

Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 secured the #1 and #2 positions as the world’s best-selling electric vehicles in September 2025, with the Model Y selling 140,904 units and the Model 3 selling 67,374 units globally. CEO Elon Musk highlighted this achievement on X after tech watcher @XFreeze posted the global sales data. The ranking is particularly impressive considering both are premium-priced models and the list includes both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Tesla’s strong September performance likely benefited from its end-of-quarter delivery push and the expiration of the $7,500 U.S. federal EV tax credit on September 30. The Model Y also reclaimed its title as Europe’s best-selling car overall in September, regardless of fuel type. Chinese cars, especially BYD, dominated the rest of the chart.

This week’s spectacular northern lights were triggered by an X5.1 solar flare—2025’s strongest—that sent charged particles hurtling toward Earth. When these particles collided with atmospheric gases, they created breathtaking displays of green, pink, purple, and red dancing across the night sky Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The auroras were so intense they reached unusually far south to Florida and Texas, stunning residents unaccustomed to seeing this typically Arctic phenomenon. Even urban skygazers in Chicago, Boston, and Denver witnessed glowing skies from downtown locations. Social media exploded with breathtaking photos showing shimmering curtains of color, while smartphone cameras revealed delicate hues invisible to the naked eye.

Scientists discovered the world’s largest spider web spanning 106 square meters in Sulfur Cave on the Albania-Greece border, home to approximately 111,000 spiders—69,000 Tegenaria domestica (domestic house spiders) and 42,000 Prinerigone vagans. The Czech Speleological Society first spotted the web in 2022 during an expedition. This marks the first documented case of colonial web formation in both typically solitary species. The entire ecosystem is powered by sulfur-oxidizing microbes consumed by midges, which the spiders eat. Genetic analysis revealed the cave spiders are becoming genetically distinct from outside populations, with an abundant food supply possibly driving this unprecedented colonial behavior.

Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai ran from April 13 to October 13, 2025, on Yumeshima Island under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”. The centerpiece was the Grand Ring, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest wooden structure—a 2-kilometer circular walkway designed by Sou Fujimoto. Over 150 pavilions from nations worldwide showcased innovations in sustainability and technology, including standout designs by renowned architects like Kengo Kuma, Lina Ghotmeh, and Shigeru Ban. Popular attractions included the GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE Pavilion, Japan’s Better Co-Being pavilion, and the Future City pavilion featuring interactive experiences. Kura Sushi opened its largest restaurant ever, serving dishes from 70 participating countries on the longest conveyor belt in company history.

The World Press Photo 2025 exhibition—the most renowned exhibition in the field of photojournalism worldwide runs November 7-December 14 at Barcelona’s CCCB, marking its 21st consecutive year in the city. Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf won Photo of the Year for “Mahmoud Ajjour, Nine Years Old,” showing a nine-year-old Gaza boy who lost both arms in a March 2024 Israeli attack. Both photographer and subject were evacuated to Doha, Qatar, where Abu Elouf captured this powerful image for The New York Times. Selected from nearly 60,000 entries by 3,778 photographers across 140+ countries, the exhibition features 42 winning photographers addressing urgent issues including conflict, migration, and climate crisis.

World number one Shi Yuqi delivered an epic comeback against Sun Chao (ranked 171 in the world) at the National Games men’s badminton team final on November 14, battling for 94 minutes and saving four match points to win 16-21, 21-17, 25-23. After losing the first game, Shi fell behind again in the second but rallied to level the match. In the decisive third game, Sun Chao surged from behind with a 6:0 run to lead 20-18 with match point. Shi saved four consecutive match points in a heart-stopping finish, finally prevailing 25-23 to give Jiangsu a 1-0 lead. The world champion threw down his racket and roared in celebration after this grueling victory, showcasing incredible mental toughness under extreme pressure.

Stephen Curry delivered a spectacular 49-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday during NBA Cup play, shooting 16-of-26 from the field. The historic night saw Curry tie Michael Jordan for the most 40-point games after turning 30, marking his 44th such performance. The Warriors star came alive down the stretch after San Antonio held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, leading Golden State’s comeback victory. Only one other Warrior, Jimmy Butler, scored more than 10 points in the game, making Curry’s performance even more crucial to the win.

The 2025 FORUM8 Rally Japan, held November 6-9 as the WRC’s 13th round, was contested over twenty special stages covering 305.34 km in the Aichi and Gifu prefectures. Based in Toyota City, the event featured narrow, twisty asphalt stages lined by barriers and dense trees. Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais won for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, claiming his sixth victory of the year with maximum points and moving to just three points behind championship leader Elfyn Evans. Kalle Rovanperä’s title hopes faded after a mistake cost him five minutes, leaving him 24 points behind heading into the Saudi Arabia finale.

Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France Saitama Criterium on November 9, 2025, completing 17 laps of a 3.5 km circuit through Saitama, Japan. The Danish cyclist crashed with 16 kilometers remaining but was helped back by UAE Team Emirates rider Davide Stella. Vingegaard joined a breakaway with Primoz Roglic, Tim Wellens, and Jonas Abrahamsen, then dropped his former teammate Roglic on the final lap for a solo victory, with Jonathan Milan second and Kaden Groves third. Vingegaard called himself “finally back to his best” after recovering from a 2024 crash that caused a punctured lung and broken bones.

Aston Villa’s 2-0 Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 6, 2025, unfolded against an extraordinarily tense backdrop in Birmingham, UK. Birmingham’s demographics played a crucial role in the match atmosphere—with 30% of the city’s population identifying as Muslim according to the 2021 census, representing the highest Muslim population of any UK local authority. Over 700 police officers were deployed as pro-Palestinian protests erupted outside Villa Park, resulting in 11 arrests. Maccabi fans were banned from attending due to safety concerns following violent clashes in Amsterdam, where antisemitic riots had targeted Israeli supporters the previous year. Maccabi Tel Aviv declined their ticket allocation, citing safety concerns amid what they called a “toxic atmosphere.” On the pitch, Ian Maatsen and Donyell Malen scored for Villa, but the football was completely overshadowed by the intense security operation and community tensions surrounding this politically charged encounter.

German astronomer Johannes Kepler died on Nov 15, 1630, in Regensburg. Kepler transformed astronomy through his three revolutionary laws of planetary motion. His First Law revealed that planets orbit in ellipses, not circles, challenging centuries of assumptions. The Second Law showed planets move faster when nearer the Sun, sweeping equal areas in equal times. The Third Law mathematically linked orbital periods to distances from the Sun. Kepler’s meticulous analysis of Tycho Brahe’s observations demonstrated that mathematics could describe celestial mechanics, paving the way for Isaac Newton’s gravitational theory. His work exemplified the Scientific Revolution’s empirical approach, proving that natural phenomena follow discoverable mathematical laws rather than philosophical speculation.

French painter Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise” (1872) is the seminal work that gave Impressionism its name. Monet captured this scene at Le Havre harbor in Normandy, northern France, depicting an orange sun rising through morning mist over water during what appears to be early winter or late autumn. His loose brushstrokes captured fleeting atmospheric effects rather than precise details. When exhibited in 1874, critic Louis Leroy mockingly called the artists “Impressionists” based on this painting’s title—a label the movement proudly adopted. The work revolutionized art by prioritizing the artist’s immediate visual impression over academic realism. Its emphasis on light, color, and momentary perception broke from traditional painting conventions, launching one of art history’s most influential movements and fundamentally changing how artists approached their craft.

“There are few things more romantic than the sun setting early enough to watch it from the office.”

Cartoon by Lindsey Budde for The New Yorker

November 08, 2025, Who Wins In This AI Bonanza?

November 01, 2025, When Yang Meets Yang: Celebrating Life at the Peak of Autumn

October 25, 2025, The Greatest Performance in Baseball History

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Just now, my son successfully beat a Lynel in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, his first Lynel kill in a Zelda game. Lynel is a lion-centaur hybrid monster in Zelda. It drops epic monster parts that are essential for the final boss fight. It’s a very difficult fight that requires a lot of patience and careful planning. I have been struggling with Lynel for weeks, but my son just beat me to it.

Kids of today are so lucky. If they want to play a good game, they have Switch 2 and Zelda. If they want to play badminton, they get a coach of national-first-class. If they want to learn programming, they have a plethora of AI tools to goof around with.

If they want to read up on current affairs and aspire for a bigger world in the future, they have The Sunday Blender.

OpenAI signed a seven-year, $38 billion cloud computing agreement with Amazon Web Services, marking its first major partnership with a leading cloud provider. The deal gives OpenAI extensive access to NVIDIA GPUs to power training for future AI models and secure the compute needed to sustain global demand. The collaboration represents a major strategic move for Amazon as it expands deeper into the AI infrastructure stack, positioning AWS as a direct rival to Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. This partnership addresses OpenAI’s massive computational needs while strengthening Amazon’s position in the competitive AI cloud services market.

Amazon announced 14,000 corporate job cuts, potentially reaching 30,000—the largest in company history, affecting cloud computing, logistics, and human resources. This marks a watershed moment: AI is hitting white-collar workers and middle management first, not factory floors. When the world’s second-largest employer declares AI will shrink its workforce, it normalizes a transformation others will replicate. Experts call it a “wake-up call.” Yet 60% of firms see “minimal returns despite substantial AI investment,” raising questions whether AI provides cover for traditional cost-cutting amid economic uncertainty.

The Alpha Arena AI trading competition concluded November 3, 2025, with Alibaba’s Qwen 3 Max claiming first place. The event pitted six leading LLMs—Qwen 3 Max, DeepSeek, GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude 4.5 Sonnet, and Grok 4—against each other in real cryptocurrency trading on Hyperliquid exchange. Each model started with $10,000 to trade autonomously with no human intervention. Only two models finished profitable: Qwen 3 Max and DeepSeek, with Chinese models dominating the competition. Qwen’s success stemmed from disciplined execution with just 43 trades over 17 days, while U.S.-based models all ended with losses, revealing that specialist design and risk management trump general intelligence in trading environments.

OpenAI updated its ChatGPT usage policy on October 29, prohibiting the AI from providing medical, legal, or other professional advice requiring certification. Instead of personal recommendations, ChatGPT now “only explains principles, outlines general mechanisms and tells you to talk to a doctor, lawyer or financial professional.” The policy prohibits naming medications, giving dosages, providing lawsuit templates, or offering investment tips. However, OpenAI’s head of Health AI clarified this isn’t a new change and model behavior remains unchanged—ChatGPT continues offering health and legal information as an educational resource. Testing confirmed ChatGPT still provides extensive legal help including drafting employment contracts and explaining legal procedures, though it now includes disclaimers about consulting licensed professionals.

China completed the world’s first commercial wind-powered underwater data center off Shanghai’s coast in October 2025, investing $226 million in the 24-megawatt facility located in the Lin-gang Special Area. The underwater pods use ocean currents for natural cooling instead of energy-intensive air conditioning, with the company claiming 90% energy savings for cooling and 30% less total electricity consumption compared to land-based centers. Over 95% of the facility’s power comes from nearby offshore wind farms, reducing water use by 100% and land use by over 90%. China had previously launched its first commercial underwater data center in Hainan, with plans to build 100 underwater cabins to support its expanding digital economy and AI computing needs.

Zohran Mamdani, 34, emerged from obscurity as a little-known Queens assemblyman to become New York City’s first Muslim mayor. Born in Uganda, he was raised across three continents before settling in New York at age seven. After working as a foreclosure prevention counselor, he won his Assembly seat in 2020. His meteoric rise stemmed from personal magnetism, digital savvy, and a populist platform focused on affordability—free childcare, rent freezes, and free buses—that mobilized young voters and built a formidable grassroots movement. New York’s mayor is often the second-most recognized political figure in the United States after the president. The position oversees over 300,000 staff, $120 billion budget, and a GDP of $1.3 trillion - bigger than many countries and top 10 globally.

The World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2025 Global Innovation Index ranked Switzerland first for the 15th consecutive year, followed by Sweden, the United States, South Korea, and Singapore in the top five. China broke into the top 10 for the first time, ranking 10th and replacing Germany, which fell to 11th place. The UK, Finland, Netherlands, and Denmark round out the top 10. The index evaluates 139 economies using 78 indicators including R&D spending, venture capital deals, high-tech exports, and intellectual property filings. China contributed about a quarter of international patent applications in 2024, remaining the biggest source, while the report noted slowing growth in innovation investments globally.

Typhoon Kalmaegi (locally named Tino) killed at least 114 people with over 100 missing in the Philippines, making it the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year. The storm battered central provinces on November 4-5, 2025, with Cebu province suffering the most casualties—71 deaths from drowning in flash floods. The typhoon dumped one-and-a-half months’ worth of rainfall in just one day, engulfing residential communities and forcing residents onto rooftops. Six air force personnel died when their rescue helicopter crashed during humanitarian operations. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of national emergency to expedite emergency funding, while forecasters warned another tropical cyclone could strengthen into a super typhoon and hit northern Philippines.

Shanghai is launching the Shanghai Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone near Pudong Airport, approved by China’s State Council in February 2024. The 880,000-square-meter zone (equivalent to 120 football pitches) will connect Pudong Airport and the under-construction Shanghai East Railway Station. Foreign visitors arriving through Pudong Airport can enter the zone without a standard Chinese visa if invited by a registered business, with visa-free stays lasting 30 days and extendable. On-site port visa services are available for those wishing to explore more of China. Construction of the first phase is set to finish by ** late 2025**, coinciding with Pudong’s 35th development anniversary, with full operations expected by 2030. The zone will feature meeting spaces, exhibition halls, legal and financial services, international-standard medical services, and support for foreign payment methods.

Starbucks announced Monday it will sell controlling stake of its China operations to investment firm Boyu Capital in a $4 billion deal, one of the most valuable divestments of a China unit by a global consumer company in recent years. Boyu will hold up to 60% while Starbucks retains 40% and continues to own the brand and intellectual property. The move comes as Starbucks’ China market share plummeted to 14% in 2024 from 34% in 2019 due to fierce competition from cheaper local chains like Luckin Coffee amid China’s economic slowdown. The deal marks a dramatic shift for a company that once opened a new store every 15 hours in China, signaling challenges Western brands face in the world’s second-largest economy.

China’s baijiu industry faces its worst decline in a decade, with industry champion Kweichow Moutai posting its slowest profit growth since 2015. Moutai’s Q3 2025 revenue grew just 0.56% year-on-year to RMB 39.1 billion, with net profit up only 0.48%—a dramatic slowdown. The sector’s crisis stems from China’s 2012 anti-corruption crackdown that killed lavish official banquets, now compounded by economic weakness. The real estate collapse—sales down 50% since 2021—devastated key consumption scenes. Traditional pillars like gifting and business entertainment are disappearing as younger Chinese consumers reject baijiu’s old drinking culture. Feitian Moutai’s official retail price is 1,499 yuan ($208), but wholesale prices crashed from speculation peaks of 3,400-3,500 yuan down to around 1,860-2,000 yuan recently—a dramatic 40% plunge reflecting collapsing demand in China’s struggling luxury baijiu market.

November 11 Festival, known as Singles’ Day or “Guanggun Jie,” originated at Nanjing University in 1993 when four single male students chose 11/11—the four “1"s representing single people resembling “bare sticks” in Chinese slang—to celebrate being unattached. In 2009, Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang transformed it into a 24-hour shopping festival offering massive online discounts. Today, Singles’ Day generates over $150 billion in annual sales, exceeding Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day combined, making it the world’s largest shopping event. For 2025, the festival has expanded to five weeks, with major platforms launching promotions in mid-October, as retailers combat China’s economic slowdown and integrate AI-powered shopping experiences for the first time at scale.

November’s full “Beaver Moon” reached peak illumination on November 5, 2025, at 8:19 AM EST, appearing as the largest and brightest supermoon of the year. At its nearest point, the Beaver Moon was 221,817 miles (356,980 kilometers) from Earth, making it the closest supermoon of 2025. A supermoon occurs when a full moon happens at or near its closest point to Earth in its 27-day orbit, appearing up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual. The name “Beaver Moon” references the time when beavers retreat to their lodges with stored food for winter. Skywatchers worldwide captured spectacular photos of this celestial phenomenon.

Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar object ever observed, discovered July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile. It comes from outside our solar system, billions of years old, traveling at over 137,000 miles per hour. The comet has surprised scientists by turning distinctly blue near the Sun and brightening rapidly—behavior far exceeding typical comets, which usually appear reddish. NASA detected unusual acceleration not caused by gravity alone, and the comet appears to have lost significant mass, yet post-perihelion (closest point to the Sun) images show no expected debris plume or tail. It passed closest to the Sun on October 29, 2025, and will approach Earth at 167 million miles on December 19, posing no threat, before exiting our solar system toward Jupiter in March 2026.

Tesla introduced “Tron Mode” in October 2025 as a tie-in with the Tron: Ares movie premiere. The feature, accessed through the Toybox menu, transforms the vehicle’s on-screen avatar into a glowing Light Cycle from the Tron franchise. The update changes the driving visualization on Tesla’s center display, showing the car as a Tron digital motorcycle in a cyberpunk-style interface. Vehicles with RGB ambient lighting extend the immersive theme throughout the cabin. The feature is part of Tesla’s software update 2025.38 and is available on newer Tesla models with AMD Ryzen processors. Tesla describes it as an optional Easter egg hidden in the Toybox, following the company’s tradition of fun in-car features alongside serious technology development.

Valve’s October 23, 2025 CS2 (Counter Strike 2) update triggered a $272 million market crash, plunging from $609M to $337M in hours. The new trade-up contract lets players craft knives from five Covert skins, democratizing access. Butterfly Knife prices crashed 28%. Those iconic high-end knives that traded at $20,000 saw dramatic devaluation as accessibility replaced exclusivity. In the meanwhile, Covert “crafting fuel” skins exploded—P90 Asiimov surged 1,400%. Buy volume on red-tier skins spiked 400% overnight as traders rushed to stockpile inputs, creating an entirely new market dynamic. The CS2 market became “more alive than ever” in a “digital gold rush,” though investor confidence shattered as casual players celebrated while collectors watched fortunes evaporate.

A modern California gold rush has emerged as gold prices doubled over two years, reaching an all-time high of over $4,380 per ounce in October 2025. YouTuber Matt James, who runs the “Mountaineer Matt” channel, has been collecting gold nuggets from northern California’s hills and riverbeds using metal detectors. His social media channels saw a surge in traffic, generating income through product commissions and sales. Fellow prospector Cody Blanchard, a sanitation worker who runs Heritage Gold Rush, tripled his yearly finds from one to three ounces using high-tech metal detectors costing thousands of dollars, while organizing paid gold-digging tours amid renewed prospecting interest.

Mexico’s Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is celebrated from October 31 through November 2, blending Mesoamerican ritual, European religion, and Spanish culture. According to tradition, heaven’s gates open at midnight on October 31, allowing children’s spirits to rejoin their families for 24 hours, with adult spirits following on November 2. This multi-day festival involves families gathering to honor deceased loved ones through vibrant celebrations featuring colorful altars called ofrendas, decorated with marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, photographs, and the deceased’s favorite foods. Unlike Halloween, it celebrates death as a natural part of life, treating the departed as honored guests in a joyful reunion.

On November 1, 2025, participants wearing historical attire gathered in Prague, Czech Republic, for the traditional “Prague Mile” high-wheel bicycle race. The event was organized by the Czech high-wheel bicycle club, which was founded in 1880, and members met for their annual race. The competition, also called the “One Mile Race,” took place at Letná Park, where enthusiasts rode penny-farthing bicycles—vintage cycles featuring one large front wheel and one small rear wheel. This tradition became popular in 1993 when Prague first hosted the annual “Mile of Prague” penny-farthing festival, with bicycle enthusiasts gathering every autumn to resurrect the spirit of the Victorian age.

The 2025 TCS New York City Marathon was held on November 2, with more than 55,000 athletes from nearly 150 countries traversing the five boroughs. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won the women’s race in a course record time of 2:19:51, shattering Margaret Okayo’s 22-year-old record of 2:22:31. Benson Kipruto won the men’s race in a photo finish, edging Alexander Mutiso by just three-hundredths of a second, both finishing in 2:08:09—the closest finish in race history. Legendary runner Eliud Kipchoge, turning 41, finished 17th in his New York City Marathon debut, completing his quest for the Seven Star Hall of Fame.

Luka Dončić scored 200 points through his first five games, becoming only the third player in NBA history to reach this milestone, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s records of 264 (1962) and 256 (1961) points. He surpassed Michael Jordan, who previously held third place with 197 points. Through five appearances, Dončić is averaging 40.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.2 assists. He became the first player ever to record 200+ points, 25+ rebounds, and 25+ assists through five games. He joined Wilt Chamberlain as only the second player to start a season with three consecutive 40-point games. What makes this run even more remarkable is the context: LeBron James remains sidelined with an uncertain return date, forcing Dončić to carry the offensive load. The Slovenian superstar has risen to the challenge spectacularly, leading the Lakers to a strong start while rewriting NBA history books.

LaLiga leaders Real Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory over Valencia, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and Jude Bellingham netting for the third successive game. Real Madrid led 2-0 through Mbappé’s double when Bellingham struck just before half-time, with Vinícius Júnior having a penalty saved earlier. Álvaro Carreras added a fourth with an 82nd-minute piledriver to complete the rout. The victory put Madrid seven points clear of second-placed Villarreal and eight ahead of Barcelona, ahead of their Champions League trip to Liverpool on November 4.

Bayern Munich won their opening 16 competitive fixtures of 2025-26, setting a new record for the start of a season by a team in Europe’s top five leagues. This surpassed AC Milan’s historic mark of 13 consecutive wins from 1992-93, with no team in Europe’s big five leagues ever winning more to start a season. Their +29 goal difference after nine Bundesliga matches represents the best start in German top-flight history. English striker Harry Kane has been phenomenal with 22 goals from 16 matches, helping Bayern score 56 goals across all competitions. Kane reached 100 Bayern goals in just 104 games, faster than Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland in Europe’s top leagues. Under Vincent Kompany, Bayern dominate both Bundesliga and Champions League tables.

John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon on November 8, 1960, becoming America’s youngest elected president and first Catholic commander-in-chief. The 43-year-old Massachusetts senator and decorated World War II veteran would profoundly shape America’s future despite serving less than three years before his 1963 assassination. Kennedy’s boldest vision came in his iconic 1962 speech declaring, “We choose to go to the Moon,” launching the Apollo program that achieved lunar landing in 1969. His legacy includes advancing civil rights, navigating the Cuban Missile Crisis, establishing the Peace Corps, and inspiring a generation with his call to public service: “Ask not, what your country can do for you. Ask, what you can do for your country”.

November 01, 2025, When Yang Meets Yang: Celebrating Life at the Peak of Autumn

October 25, 2025, The Greatest Performance in Baseball History

October 11, 2025, Djokovic Falls to Vacherot at 2025 Shanghai Masters

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DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup initially part of the hedge fund High-Flyer, has released an open-source model, DeepSeek-R1, that outperforms leading AI models from Western companies like OpenAI on several benchmarks, despite limited resources. DeepSeek refined their AI using software-driven resource optimization and innovative model architecture rather than relying on extensive hardware. By open-sourcing their model, DeepSeek fosters collaborative innovation crucial for their advancements, potentially challenging current US AI export limitations.

Rubin Observatory is a new telescope under construction in Chile, atop a mountain that is 2,682-meters (8,800-feet) tall. The telescope will catalogue billions of new objects and produce a new map of the entire night sky every three days with the largest digital camera ever made. By the end of the survey, this 3.2-gigapixel camera will have catalogued 20 billion galaxies and collected up to 60 petabytes of data—roughly three times the amount currently stored by the US Library of Congress.

OpenAI and SoftBank have announced a significant AI infrastructure project in the U.S. called Stargate, set to cost $100 billion initially, potentially increasing to $500 billion. This venture aims to build extensive data centers and virtual infrastructure to support the next generation of AI advancements, creating around 100,000 jobs immediately. It marks a close collaboration between SoftBank, OpenAI, and other tech giants like Microsoft and Nvidia.

ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, is planning to invest over $12 billion in AI infrastructure in 2025. This move comes as ByteDance faces pressure from Washington to sell TikTok’s US operations and amidst new US export controls limiting the availability of advanced AI chips to China. ByteDance aims to buy 60% of its domestic AI chips from Chinese suppliers like Huawei and Cambricon. This substantial investment aims to bolster ByteDance’s AI capabilities, especially for its chatbot Doubao, amid strong competition from Chinese tech giants like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent.

OpenAI released Operator, an AI agent designed to automate web-based tasks such as booking flights, filling forms, and managing expenses through a browser. Currently in a U.S.-only research preview for ChatGPT Pro users, Operator leverages GPT-4o’s vision and reasoning capabilities to interact with apps like Uber and Instacart. While promising efficiency gains, early reviews note its reliance on human oversight for complex tasks. Critics warn of potential job displacement in sectors like customer service and administrative roles.

Google is investing an additional $1 billion in Anthropic, an OpenAI competitor known for its Claude family of AI models. This increases Google’s total investment in Anthropic to $3 billion as part of its strategy to enhance its position in the AI sector and compete with major companies such as Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon. Anthropic, which reached $1 billion in annual revenue in December, is also expected to secure $2 billion from other investors. Founded in 2021 by ex-OpenAI employees, Anthropic distinguishes itself with a focus on AI safety and innovative AI capabilities, such as computer control.

Startup Stegra began constructing the world’s first industrial-scale green steel plant in Sweden, using hydrogen produced via renewable energy. This initiative aims to cut CO₂ emissions from steel production, which currently surpasses India’s total output. The project aligns with EU mandates for carbon-neutral heavy industries by 2030.

Samsung launched its latest AI-powered smartphone, the S25, in an attempt to challenge Apple’s dominance in the US market. Despite a market share of 23% compared to Apple’s 53%, Samsung is aiming to leverage its AI advancements to capture more market share. The S25 boasts improved performance with a 40% boost in neural processing, and enhanced integration with third-party apps like WhatsApp and Spotify. Samsung’s S25 introduces a shift from traditional touchscreens to an AI voice assistant-driven experience.

TikTok resumed U.S. operations following a one-day ban after President Trump signed an order granting a 75-day reprieve. However, ByteDance-owned apps like CapCut and Marvel Snap faced disruptions, prompting competitors like Instagram to launch rival services (e.g., Edits). Legal uncertainty persists, with lawmakers debating forced divestiture or permanent bans. Analysts predict further volatility as Trump’s administration weighs national security risks against economic interests.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin must not win the war in Ukraine. Global leaders discussed various topics, including financial deregulation under President Trump and cryptocurrency regulation.

The Trump administration is discussing imposing a 10% punitive duty on Chinese imports, citing concerns over trade imbalances and fentanyl trafficking. The EU is also scrutinized for its trade surpluses with the U.S.

A Seoul court approved a detention order for President Yoon Suk Yeol over alleged abuse of power and constitutional violations, marking Korea’s first sitting president to face criminal investigation. Protests erupted, deepening political turmoil.

Germany’s Scholz faces a no-confidence vote ahead of February elections, while France’s Macron struggles with a fragmented parliament. The EU’s competitiveness plan, led by Mario Draghi, seeks $800B annually to counter U.S. and China.

The WEF 2025 in Davos addressed global issues, including Middle Eastern peace progress, efforts to end the Ukraine war, U.S. deregulation under President Trump, the integration of cryptocurrency into mainstream finance, AI’s impact on the workforce, and shifts in the energy sector due to U.S. policy changes.

The U.S. has increased its share of global foreign direct investment projects to a record 14.3%, driven by strong consumer demand and government incentives under President Trump’s administration. In contrast, China and Europe’s shares have declined due to geopolitical tensions and rising energy costs.

China’s economy grew by 5% last year, matching government targets. However, the growth was uneven, with many citizens reporting worsening living standards as industrial and export gains have not fully translated to consumer benefits.

The return of President Trump has prompted EU ministers to call for urgent economic improvements to enhance competitiveness. Concerns include lagging behind the U.S. and China in key technologies and the need to reduce regulatory burdens and energy costs.

Towana Looney from Alabama has become the longest-living recipient of a pig organ transplant, thriving with a pig kidney for 61 days. This success marks a significant advancement in xenotransplantation, offering hope amid the shortage of human organs for transplant.

Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander, Blue Ghost, launched on January 15, has sent back spectacular images of Earth as it journeys to the moon. Carrying NASA experiments, the spacecraft is expected to land on the lunar surface on March 2.

President Donald Trump has suspended $300 billion in federal loans designated for clean energy projects, affecting manufacturing and renewable energy initiatives across the U.S. This move has raised concerns within the clean energy sector about the future of such projects.

On his inauguration day, Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and WHO, citing sovereignty concerns. Following his announcement to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, leaders from the EU, UK, Canada, and China have reiterated their dedication to the accord. Concerns arise over meeting the 1.5°C temperature cap, already breached last year, as the U.S. abolishes measures limiting fossil fuel use.

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed 2024 as the first calendar year where global temperatures surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. While not a permanent breach, it signals accelerating climate risks, with extreme weather costs exceeding $229 billion globally.

Temperatures above 40°C (104°F) triggered fire bans in Victoria and NSW. Australia’s 2024 was its second-hottest year, with 40% of years since 2000 exceeding historical averages, stressing climate-driven extremes.

Historic wildfires fueled by Santa Ana winds (80–100 mph) ravaged drought-stricken LA, displacing 70,000 residents. Scientists linked the fires to prolonged dryness from back-to-back wet winters, highlighting climate-driven disaster patterns.

Thailand enforced a plastic import ban to curb environmental and health risks, addressing its role as a dumping ground for Western waste since China’s 2018 ban. Critics question enforcement capacity amid rising global plastic trade.

Brazil reported 6,068 dengue deaths in 2024, driven by climate-worsened mosquito breeding. The government allocated $50 million for containment, but 2025 cases are projected to rise, stressing global health-climate linkages.

Amid concerns over a potential TikTok ban in the U.S., millions of American users migrated to RedNote, a Chinese social media app known domestically as Xiaohongshu. This surge saw RedNote’s U.S. daily active users skyrocket from fewer than 700,000 to approximately 3.4 million within days. RedNote, originally focused on lifestyle and shopping content, became a platform for cross-cultural exchange. American users shared various content from their daily lives, which sometimes clashed with Chinese cultural norms and created numerous LOL moments. In response to the influx, RedNote recruited American influencers to promote the app, aiming to highlight its user-friendly design and international appeal.

The 2025 Oscar nominations, announced on January 23, highlight a significant international presence. Leading with 13 nominations, “Emilia Pérez” has set a record for non-English-language films. Following closely, “The Brutalist” and “Wicked” each received 10 nominations. Sebastian Stan earned a Best Actor nod for portraying Donald Trump in “The Apprentice.” The nominations reflect a shift towards global cinema and diverse storytelling in Hollywood.

As of November 20, 2024, China’s film sector reported a total box office revenue of 39.54 billion yuan ($5.42 billion), marking a 28% year-on-year decrease. The decline reflects challenges faced by the industry amid changing market dynamics.

Lewis Hamilton completed his first official laps as a Ferrari driver at Fiorano, Italy, on February 19, ahead of pre-season testing. Fans and media dissected his transition from Mercedes, with Ferrari confirming a hybrid livery reveal at their Maranello event.

The FIA announced the 2025 Formula 1 calendar, featuring 24 races starting in Melbourne, Australia (March 14–16) for the first time since 2019. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were moved to April due to Ramadan, with six Sprint weekends confirmed in China, Miami, Belgium, Austin, Brazil, and Qatar. Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut and pre-season testing in Bahrain (Feb 26–28) are major talking points.

Chinese racer Shi Wei, also known as Tie Dou, has been announced as a Wild Card entry for the 2025 F1 Academy season opener in Shanghai. Shi Wei’s participation marks the first time a Chinese driver will compete in the F1 Academy, aiming to inspire future generations in motorsport.

Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 3–0 victory over Valladolid, cementing their position atop La Liga. The French forward’s performance reignited debates about his Ballon d’Or candidacy.

China’s Zheng Qinwen defeated Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling semifinal to reach her second consecutive Australian Open final. Her aggressive baseline play and improved serve have made her a global tennis sensation, with over 200 million Chinese viewers tuning in.

The Lakers vs. Warriors game on January 25 drew 12.4 million viewers, the highest regular-season audience since 2018. Stephen Curry’s 45-point performance led Golden State to a 128–122 win, reigniting MVP debates.\

Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills secured spots in the AFC Championship after defeating the Texans (34–10) and Ravens (31–23), respectively. The Chiefs aim for a historic Super Bowl three-peat.

Freestyle skiing star Gu Ailing (Eileen Gu) will headline China’s 170-athlete delegation at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin. The event highlights China’s growing influence in winter sports.

Chinese mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping reached the Indonesia Masters final, showcasing China’s dominance in badminton ahead of the Paris Olympics.

A botanic garden in New York attracted numerous visitors eager to experience the rare blooming of the “corpse flower,” known for its pungent odor resembling rotting flesh. The event drew crowds despite the unpleasant smell, highlighting people’s curiosity about unusual natural phenomena.

A British choir with an average age of 94 was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest choir. The group’s achievement celebrates longevity and the joy of communal singing among the elderly.

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