A bitter public dispute between former spouses Kimora Lee Simmons and Russell Simmons intensified Dec. 14–16, 2025 as both took to social media and interviews to advance clashing narratives about family, money and past conduct. Russell, writing from Bali where he has lived since sexual-assault allegations surfaced, said he paid Kimora $50,000 a month for 20 years, called himself the godfather to her other children and accused her of stealing millions in Celsius energy drink shares — a claim tied to litigation that federal authorities have flagged and a trial scheduled for January 2026. Kimora pushed back on Instagram, calling his claims lies, reminding him their daughters are adults and urging him to “answer your accusers,” while noting he was “typing from thousands of miles away in a non-extradition country.” The feud spawned related gossip on radio: Hot 97 personality Funkmaster Flex suggested a past sexual liaison between Kimora and rapper DaBaby, comments both Kimora and DaBaby vehemently denied; Flex later said he misspoke. The public sparring mixes family estrangement, high‑stakes civil claims over seized shares and lingering criminal allegations against Russell, playing out across traditional and social media.

Belarus released 123 political prisoners on Dec. 13-14, 2025, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and prominent opposition figures Maria Kalesnikava (Kolesnikova) and Viktar Babaryka, after talks brokered by a U.S. envoy, John Coale, representing the Trump administration. Most of those freed — 114 — were taken to Ukraine and nine to Lithuania, with others going to third countries. The move followed U.S. signals it would partially lift sanctions on Belarus’s potash sector, a key export, in return for the mass release. Survivors described harsh prison conditions; Bialiatski, in interviews in Vilnius, recounted solitary confinement, poor medical care and sudden blindfolded transfers. Rights groups warn more than 1,100 political prisoners remain inside Belarus. Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Dec. 15 said Berlin would offer refuge to Kalesnikava and Babaryka. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s concession is being framed by Minsk as a step toward rapprochement with the West even as critics say repression continues and new arrests persist.

The United States completed a four-game sweep of the Rivalry Series against Canada with a 4-1 victory in Edmonton on Dec. 13, 2025, the final meeting between the neighbours before the Milan Winter Olympics. Hilary Knight scored twice in the third period, including an empty-netter, while defenders Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards also scored and Taylor Heise recorded two assists. Goaltender Aerin Frankel made 23 saves. Canada’s lone goal came from Brianne Jenner and Ann‑Renée Desbiens stopped 28 shots. The Americans outscored Canada 24-7 across the series, which included earlier results of 4-1 (Cleveland), 6-1 (Buffalo) and a 10-4 game in Edmonton. The sweep — and a string of six consecutive U.S. wins when combined with recent world championship meetings — intensifies questions about Canada’s form ahead of the Olympics, where the teams will meet in the preliminary round on Feb. 10 in Milan. Hockey Canada is expected to name its 23-player Olympic roster in early January.

German authorities said they arrested five men suspected of planning a vehicle attack on a Christmas market in the Dingolfing-Landau area of Bavaria. The suspects — a 56-year-old Egyptian, three Moroccans aged 30, 28 and 22, and a 37-year-old Syrian — were detained on Dec. 12, with four placed in custody after magistrate hearings and one held in preventive detention. Prosecutors said the Egyptian, described in media reports as an imam, had urged followers at a mosque to use a vehicle to kill or injure people at a market; investigators said they currently assume an Islamist motive but have found no proven link to the Islamic State. Arrests were carried out by special operations forces near the Suben border crossing with Austria. Authorities said planning was at an early stage and stressed the threat had been stopped before it became imminent; technical searches, including mobile phone analysis, are under way. Bavaria’s interior minister credited rapid cooperation among security agencies. The announcement comes amid heightened security after past Christmas market attacks in Germany, notably Berlin in 2016 and Magdeburg in 2024.

The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Dec. 15 converted a civil suit concerning the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire into a Public Interest Litigation, saying “someone has to be held accountable.” The blaze on Dec. 6 killed 25 people. The petition was filed by landowners Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar; the court made advocate Rohit Bras de Sa amicus curiae and asked the state government to explain the process for granting licences and permissions for such establishments. The bench, led by Justices Sarang Kotwal and Prithviraj Chavan, flagged failures by the local panchayat and said commercial operations continued despite a demolition order; the next hearing was fixed for Jan. 8. In the aftermath, Goa authorities launched a statewide crackdown ahead of the festive season, sealing venues including Goya Club and Cafe CO2 Goa and revoking fire NOCs for other clubs. Investigations have questioned landowners and the sarpanch, detained the club’s co-owners in Thailand pending deportation proceedings, and led to arrests of club managers and staff. New safety directives and restrictions on fireworks and late-night liquor sales have also been ordered.

Republican Oversight Committee Chair James Comer has threatened to begin contempt of Congress proceedings against former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after they declined to give in-person depositions for the committee’s Jeffrey Epstein inquiry. The Clintons were subpoenaed in August; their lawyer, David Kendall, says they have repeatedly offered sworn written statements and have met with committee staff, but Comer has insisted on live testimony and set December 17-18 as a deadline or early January as an alternative. Comer has excused several other high-profile figures — including five former attorneys general and ex-FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller — who provided written statements or were excused; only former Attorney General William Barr has testified in person. Kendall has accused Comer of conducting a “weaponized” partisan investigation aimed at diverting attention from President Donald Trump’s own ties to Epstein. The clash comes as Congress and the Department of Justice move to release large batches of Epstein-related records later this week, and Comer signals a referral to DOJ if contempt is pursued. Criminal contempt can carry up to a year in prison and fines.

A mobile phone belonging to Belgian tourist Celine Cremer, who vanished in Tasmania’s wilderness in June 2023, was recovered in mid-December 2025 during a privately organised search near Philosopher Falls. Cremer, 31, was last seen on June 17, 2023 in Waratah; her vehicle was found the next day in the Philosopher Falls car park and she was reported missing on June 26. The phone was located on Saturday, Dec. 13, by volunteers and friends who had mounted a renewed search, and authorities said it was found in an area previously searched. Tasmania police have formally joined — but are not leading — the effort; the device will undergo forensic examination. Searchers say phone data and its findspot support a working theory that Cremer left the marked track to take a more direct route back to her car as daylight faded, dropped the phone and became disoriented in dense terrain. Searches have been paused at times because of severe weather; organising volunteers, a private investigator and several of Cremer’s friends from Belgium have taken part in the renewed push for answers.

Multiple news reports and December polls show U.S. shoppers and small businesses wrestling with higher prices and tighter budgets this holiday season as new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration ripple through supply chains. AP, Independent, Fortune and other outlets document retailers such as San Luis Obispo’s Ah Louis Store and independent toy shops reporting higher wholesale costs, delayed shipments and product shortages. Industry groups say toys and electronics — much of which are made in China — have seen notable price increases after tariffs that at times ranged from 10% to a peak cited in reporting of 145% before settling at lower rates. Major retailers and console makers have passed some increases to consumers (Sony raised PS5 prices, for example) while gold-driven jewelry price rises add pressure. Polling (AP‑NORC, CNBC All‑America, Gallup and others) finds large shares of Americans noticing higher grocery, electricity and gift costs, with many planning to spend less or dip into savings. The White House has pushed more positive messaging about the economy even as public confidence weakens and shoppers alter holiday buying plans.

John Cena brought down the curtain on his in‑ring WWE career on Dec. 13, 2025, losing by submission to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The 48‑year‑old, who completed a year‑long farewell tour after announcing his retirement plans in July 2024, was forced to tap out in a match that ran nearly a quarter‑hour and drew a mixed, emotional reaction from the announced crowd of about 19,232. Cena left his shoes and wristbands in the ring and received a tribute from current and past WWE stars; champions Cody Rhodes and CM Punk briefly draped their belts over his shoulders. The finish — a rare submission against Cena and the first time in roughly two decades he conceded that way — elevated Gunther while triggering loud boos and expletive chants aimed at WWE creative and chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Videos showed fans confronting and jeering Gunther as he left the venue; extra security reportedly escorted him to his bus. Cena, a 17‑time world champion and crossover movie star, signalled an end to a storied ring career while leaving open non‑wrestling roles such as mentoring.

The Met Office and Environment Agency issued multiple amber and yellow rain warnings across the United Kingdom on 14–15 December 2025 as a slow-moving weather front brought sustained, heavy rainfall. Amber ‘danger to life’ warnings covered parts of South Wales, Cumbria and southwest Scotland, with local forecasts of 50–100mm widely and up to 200mm-plus in parts of Cumbria over 48 hours. The Environment Agency placed around 80 flood alerts and several flood warnings across England, with clusters in Greater Manchester (four alerts covering Upper and Lower Irwell and the Middle River Mersey and Bollin catchments), the Lake District, Devon/Cornwall and river catchments nationwide. The downpours produced local transport disruption: flooded sections of the M62/M65, tram access inundation at Cornbrook, dozens of flight delays at Manchester Airport and rail suspensions and speed restrictions in Cumbria and Scotland. Emergency services and agency teams were deployed to support communities; officials urged people not to drive through floodwater, to follow flood plans and to prepare flood kits and essential supplies. Warnings remained in force as the system moved east, with further wet and unsettled conditions forecast into the following week.

Streaming data and reporting from December 2025 show Christmas music is arriving earlier and dominating charts well before the holiday season. Spotify analysis and third‑party chart trackers indicate the first major surge in holiday streaming begins on September 1, with a second lift in October; playlist creation in the U.S. rose about 60% year‑on‑year from October 2024 to October 2025. By early December, roughly 20 of Spotify’s top 25 tracks were festive songs. Comparative data show 30 holiday tracks in the U.S. top 50 on December 1, 2025, versus 14 on the same date in 2019. Reasons cited include nostalgia and collective comfort amid economic and geopolitical stress, platform playlisting dynamics, and clear commercial incentive for artists: legacy seasonal hits (Mariah Carey, Brenda Lee, Wham!) and newer holiday releases earn sustained streams, while artists use festive singles to experiment and generate reliable catalog revenue — examples include Sia’s holiday catalogue streaming strongly. The trend is visible in retail and public playlists as well as personal streaming behaviour, shifting how labels and artists plan releases and catalogue promotion.

GSC Game World will release a free story expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl on December 16, 2025, available to all owners on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. The “Stories Untold” update adds a new storyline with eight quests spread across seven locations, introduces six new characters, a new sub-region (the Burnt Forest) with a player-created hub, and a unique weapon — the GP37V2 rifle (suppressed, low‑mag scope, single and burst fire). The narrative centres on a mysterious radio signal near the Malachite/Red Forest area that causes headaches, nosebleeds and hallucinations, and player choices can shape outcomes and unlock the new hub. The patch accompanies ongoing technical and gameplay improvements following the game’s year‑long post‑launch support and PlayStation 5 debut; commentators note the drop comes after the game’s recent removal from Xbox Game Pass.

The European Commission, under heavy pressure from Germany, Italy and the continent’s automakers, is preparing to roll back the EU’s 2035 ban on sales of new combustion‑engine cars, officials and industry sources said in mid‑December 2025. Proposals unveiled around Dec. 16 would effectively soften the 2035 target — possibly allowing up to 10% non‑zero‑emission new vehicle sales or delaying the ban by several years — and recognise plug‑in hybrids, range‑extender designs and vehicles running on CO2‑neutral biofuels or synthetic (e‑)fuels. The Commission is also expected to propose measures to raise EV uptake in corporate fleets, create a new low‑tax category for small EVs and let manufacturers earn credits for low‑carbon production practices. Traditional automakers including Volkswagen and Stellantis welcomed movement; EV makers and environmental groups warned the shift could undermine investment in electrification and weaken Europe’s competitiveness against Chinese and U.S. EV producers. Any formal change will require approval by EU member governments and the European Parliament.

One year after Prime Minister Keir Starmer set out a December 2024 “plan for change”, BBC Verify assessed progress across housing, health, living standards, crime, education and clean power. Housing: the government aims to deliver 1.5 million new “safe and decent” homes in England by 2029 (an average of 300,000 a year); current net additions are just over 200,000 a year and remain below the late-Conservative government’s final years. Health: the pledge that 92% of patients in England will be seen within 18 weeks by 2029 shows only modest improvement — 61.7% in October 2025 versus 58.8% in July. Living standards: the OBR forecasts real household disposable income per person to rise by about 0.5% a year over the Parliament; GDP per head is projected to have risen 1% in 2025. Crime: a target of 13,000 additional neighbourhood officers/PCSOs/specials is pledged; there were 17,175 full-time-equivalent neighbourhood officers and PCSOs as of 31 March 2025 (up 214). Education: the 75% benchmark for five‑year‑olds’ “good level of development” sits below target at 68.3% (2024–25). Clean power: the government aims for at least 95% low-carbon electricity by 2030, with NESO providing system planning advice. Key data updates are scheduled across 2026–2028 to track progress.

A Norfolk County, Massachusetts jury on Dec. 15, 2025, found Brian Walshe guilty of first‑degree murder in the disappearance and death of his wife, Ana Walshe, who vanished from the couple’s Cohasset home on Jan. 1, 2023. The 12‑member panel deliberated roughly six hours before delivering a unanimous verdict; first‑degree murder in Massachusetts carries an automatic life sentence without parole. Prosecutors relied on digital and forensic evidence including extensive internet searches on Walshe’s devices about dismemberment and disposing of bodies, surveillance and receipts showing purchases of tools and protective gear, and DNA‑linked items recovered from dumpsters. Walshe had pleaded guilty shortly before trial to misleading police and improperly conveying a human body and admitted disposing of remains, though Ana’s body has never been recovered. The prosecution portrayed a motive tied to a strained marriage, an alleged affair and Walshe’s financial exposure; the defense argued Ana died suddenly and Walshe panicked, and presented no witnesses. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 17, 2025, when victim impact statements are expected to be read.

Hollywood actors who worked with Rob Reiner have issued public tributes following the death of the director and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. The couple were found dead at their Brentwood, Los Angeles home on Dec. 14; their 32‑year‑old son Nick Reiner was taken into custody and has been charged with two counts of murder, according to police and media reports. Cast members of Reiner’s 1987 film The Princess Bride — including Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Fred Savage and Chris Sarandon — recalled his direction, mentorship and the film’s enduring impact. Patinkin called the killings an “unthinkable tragedy,” sharing memories of Reiner’s coaching on set and urging people to “do more” to heal. Elwes posted a photo of his and Reiner’s director’s chairs with the caption “No words,” while Savage recalled being cast as a child and described Reiner’s work as a gift. Reiner, 78, was celebrated for a wide body of work including This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men. The story has prompted widespread industry tributes and ongoing criminal proceedings in Los Angeles.

Federal and congressional probes released in mid-December 2025 allege that Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department misclassified thousands of crime reports to make public crime statistics appear lower. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office reviewed nearly 6,000 reports and interviewed more than 50 witnesses, concluding a “significant number” were misclassified but finding no basis for criminal charges. A Republican-led House Oversight Committee interim report, drawing on interviews with the seven district commanders and a suspended commander, says Chief Pamela A. Smith pressured and at times instructed commanders to downgrade offenses, fostered a culture of fear and retaliation, and discouraged reporting of incidents that would appear on daily public tallies. Smith announced her resignation on Dec. 8 and denies ordering manipulation. Mayor Muriel Bowser defended MPD and cited declines in homicides and firearm injuries in 2025. The findings sharpen scrutiny of the August federal intervention ordered by President Donald Trump and increase pressure for internal reforms, independent audits and continued congressional oversight of D.C. crime reporting.

Steve Taneyhill, the record-setting quarterback for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks famed for his long mullet and trademark “home run” touchdown swing, has died at 52. The school’s athletic department confirmed he died overnight in his sleep; no cause of death has been released. Taneyhill starred at South Carolina from 1992-95, setting school career marks including 753 completions and 62 passing touchdowns and ranking second with 8,782 passing yards. He led the Gamecocks to the program’s first bowl victory, defeating West Virginia in the 1994 Carquest Bowl, and was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006. After college he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 1997 but did not play in the NFL. Taneyhill later coached high school football in South Carolina — guiding Chesterfield High to three straight state titles from 2007-09 — and operated businesses in Columbia and Spartanburg. The university and former teammates have begun issuing tributes.

Calgary city council voted 13-2 on Dec. 15–16 to begin the formal process to repeal the contentious citywide rezoning policy that made residential grade-oriented infill (R-CG) the default zoning across the city. The motion, co-sponsored by several councillors and supported by Mayor Jeromy Farkas, directs administration to revert the land-use bylaw to its pre‑rezoning state, while excluding properties with development permits already approved or under review. The repeal requires changes to the land‑use bylaw and must proceed through a spring public hearing — likely March 2026 after a 90‑day notification period. The R-CG change, approved in May 2024 after a prolonged public hearing, aimed to boost housing supply and affordability by enabling denser housing types without individual redesignation hearings. Opponents say it removed neighbour input, strained infrastructure and increased parking pressures; proponents argue it cuts red tape. City administration says about 478 development permit applications have been directly linked to the policy since August 2024. The debate has revived heated local disputes, illustrated by residents’ accounts of dense redevelopments in Bowness and costly appeals to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.

NRL clubs stepped up off-season recruitment in December 2025 as South Sydney reportedly looked to Leigh Leopards prop Robbie Mulhern as cover if Keaon Koloamatangi departs for lucrative offers. Reports say Koloamatangi is attracting interest from St George Illawarra and Parramatta on deals reportedly worth about A$1 million a season, sums Souths struggle to match. Mulhern, 31, has played more than 200 club games in the UK and seven international Tests for Ireland and England and is out of contract in the Super League. Meanwhile the Dolphins secured a retention win, announcing foundation forward Connelly Lemuelu has signed a one-year extension to remain at the club through 2027. The 27-year-old back-rower scored nine tries in 20 games in 2025 and has 85 NRL matches to his name. Perth’s expansion franchise, the Perth Bears, led by Mal Meninga, continued targeted recruitment of a spine for their 2027 inaugural season and have signed multiple players while stressing the logistical challenge of relocating 36 players and their families. The Dolphins have also added experienced recruits including Morgan Knowles, and the Roosters reportedly retained young forward Hugo Savala.