As the calendar turns to a new year, New Year’s Day remains a federal holiday across the United States, bringing widespread closures for government offices, schools, banks and financial markets. At the same time, many major retailers and grocery chains plan to welcome customers on January 1, 2026, often with adjusted hours and post-holiday discounts aimed at clearing older inventory. Shoppers and consumers are encouraged to confirm local schedules in advance, as operating hours can vary by

Illinois is set to enter 2026 with sweeping changes to state policy as more than 200 new laws take effect at the start of the year, touching nearly every aspect of daily life. The legislation approved by lawmakers spans healthcare access, workplace protections, public safety, education standards, insurance coverage and the growing role of artificial intelligence, marking one of the most expansive legislative updates in recent years. Several of the most consequential measures focus o

Chinese President Xi Jinping used his annual New Year’s Eve address to reaffirm Beijing’s long-standing position on Taiwan, declaring that reunification with the self-governing island was inevitable. Speaking in Beijing on Wednesday, Xi said that bringing Taiwan under China’s control was “a trend of the times” that could not be stopped, reiterating a pledge that has become a central pillar of his leadership. The speech came just one day after the conclusion of large-scale

A century ago, the notion of restoring lost senses or detecting ancient life beyond Earth belonged firmly to science fiction. In 2025, such ideas moved decisively into reality as a series of scientific breakthroughs reshaped long-standing assumptions across medicine, space science, climate research, and artificial intelligence. These advances did not arrive as distant promises or speculative theories, but as working solutions that delivered measurable results and altered how science interacts

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on Wednesday temporarily suspended registration for the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage following an unprecedented surge of devotees during the New Year period. Officials said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure after crowd density reached critical levels at the Katra

A significant legal challenge to the steep increase in H-1B visa fees has suffered a major setback after a US District Court ruled that the federal government acted within its legal authority. The ruling has delivered a blow to business and employer groups that argued the move would restrict access to skilled foreign talent, even as the H-1B visa programme continues to face mounting pressure from stricter regulations and prolonged processing delays across the globe. The decision was i

Eurostar suspended all of its train services on Tuesday after a power supply failure in the Channel Tunnel forced operations to a halt during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The disruption came as thousands of passengers were travelling between Christmas and New Year, with services to and from London particularly affected. The sudden suspension triggered widespread delays and uncertainty for travellers relying on high-speed rail connections between the United Kingdom and mainla

Success stories in technology are often presented as clean narratives of vision, speed and inevitable triumph. An idea is born, a product is launched, and adoption follows. For students and young entrepreneurs trying to understand how innovation truly unfolds, these stories can feel motivating yet incomplete. The more useful insights frequently emerge not from success, but from missteps that expose the limits of confidence, timing and execution. That perspective was at the center of

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar is scheduled to attend the state funeral of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia in Dhaka on December 31, marking a significant diplomatic gesture at a time of strained relations between the two neighbouring countries. The decision comes amid heightened political uncertainty in Bangladesh and a broader reassessment of regional alignments in South Asia following last year’s dramatic change of government in Dhaka. Kha

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the country is effectively engaged in a full-scale conflict with the United States, Israel and Europe, describing Iran’s current diplomatic and strategic environment as increasingly complex and difficult. His remarks reflect heightened regional tensions following months of military confrontation, economic pressure and stalled diplomacy. In an

Residents across the Chicago metropolitan area awoke Monday morning to snow-covered roads, sharply colder temperatures and powerful winds following the rapid passage of a cold front through northeast Illinois overnight. Wind gusts climbed as high as 60 miles per hour in some locations, creating hazardous travel conditions and significantly reducing visibility during the morning commute. Weather officials issued a wind advisory for the entire Chicago area, while a winter weather advi

Federal regulators have announced a sweeping recall affecting hundreds of commonly purchased consumer products sold in small grocery stores and markets across parts of the Midwest, citing serious sanitation concerns that may pose a risk to public health. The action follows an inspection of a Minneapolis-based distribution facility that supplies food, medication, and household goods to retailers in Minnesota, Indiana, and neighboring states. According to the Food and Drug Administrat

Two young women from Telangana’s Mahabubabad district lost their lives in a tragic road accident in the United States after the car they were travelling in plunged into a gorge along a mountainous stretch of road in California. The incident occurred at a sharp curve on Alabama Hills Road, a scenic but challenging route known for its winding terrain. The deaths have sent shockwaves through their hometowns in Telangana, where families and residents are struggling to come to terms with the sud

Tensions in Bangladesh have escalated sharply following the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, triggering widespread protests and renewed anti-India sentiment across the country. A radical student outfit linked to Hadi, Inqilab Moncho, has issued a strong ultimatum to the interim Yunus administration, demanding sweeping action within strict deadlines, including the suspension of work permits issued to Indian nationals. The group announced its demands during a protest gathe

India on Monday strongly rejected Pakistan’s allegations of mistreatment of religious minorities, asserting that Islamabad lacks the moral authority to comment on such matters given its own record. Responding to remarks from Pakistan’s Foreign Office, New Delhi said attempts to highlight alleged incidents in India cannot mask Pakistan’s well-documented history of systemic discrimination and persecution of minorities. The response came after Pakistani Foreign Affairs spokespers

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence was meant to focus on diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Instead, public attention quickly shifted to an unexpected detail captured in photographs taken ahead of the talk

With just days left before the December 31, 2025 deadline, taxpayers across India are being urged to check whether their PAN is linked with Aadhaar. The warning comes from the Income Tax Department, which has made it clear that failure to complete the linking process on time could lead to serious financial and tax-related disruptions. PAN Aadhaar linking is the process of connecting an ind

Pakistan has, for the first time, publicly acknowledged that Indian drone strikes caused damage at the strategically sensitive Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi during Operation Sindoor, marking a significant shift from its earlier attempts to downplay or deny the impact of the attacks. The admission came during a year-end press briefing on December 27, when Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister