Search The Website!

At least 100 miners have died after getting trapped while illegally working in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, and hundreds of others are still stuck inside. The Buffelsfontein Gold Mine is one of the deepest mines in South Africa, located along the Vaal River as it passes the city of Klerksdorp. The mine was abandoned due to the fact that it was no longer a good source of materials, but many miners go inside abandoned mines to illegally search for any valuable materials that have been left behind. However, since this is illegal activity, the miners usually go in for several months, taking food, water, and other supplies with them in order to survive for a long period of time in the mines. Relatives of the miners have said that some of them have been inside since July -- over 6 months -- and police estimate that they are at a depth of around 1.5 miles. When authorities first found out about the issue, they began taking action that has been heavily criticized by human rights groups. In November, police cut off all food and water supplies to the miners, removed the ropes that they used to get down, and disconnected their pulley system for sending up supplies. They claimed that it was part of an attempt to force the miners out, but the they refused to exit the mine. The government also denied pleas to send help to the miners, claiming that they were criminals. While a court case was won in December to allow food and water supplies to be sent down to the miners, it was not nearly enough to provide for all of them. Authorities have stated that the miners are able to come out, but they refuse to do so because of their fear of being arrested-- although, human rights groups have strongly argued against that fact. Now, the miners are dying from starvation and dehydration, and many are too weak to make the steep climb out of the mine. Just hours ago, police finally began rescue operations, and they have rescued 60 bodies and extracted 132 miners who are still alive. While the operation is continuing, over 100 people are estimated to be dead, and hundreds more are still in the mine. The local community has called out the authorities for not beginning rescue efforts months ago, which they claim could have saved most or all of the miners killed by starvation and dehydration in the mine. Authorities have maintained, though, that any miners who are rescued will be charged with trespassing and illegal mining after they recover. Unfortunately, illegal mining is quite common in South Africa, as several wealthy companies maintain most of the market and prevent other miners from making money on their own. There is also a large racial gap due to the country's history with apartheid, which exploited Black people for many purposes, including in the mines. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The saltiest body of water in the world is actually in Antarctica-- the Don Juan Pond has a salinity level of over 40%. That's 6% higher than the Dead Sea and 36.5% higher than the average salinity of the oceans. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone. (Ronald Reagan) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Deus ex machina (noun, DAY-us-eks-MAH-kih-nuh) - A deus ex machina is a character or thing that suddenly enters the story in a novel, play, movie, etc., and solves a problem that had previously seemed impossible to solve. In a Sentence: The introduction of a new love interest in the final act was the perfect deus ex machina for the main character's happy ending.

Israel and Hamas seem to be inching closer to a ceasefire deal amid talks facilitated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, which could bring relief to millions of displaced citizens in Gaza while also bringing back the Israeli hostages taken in Hamas' 2023 attack. The Israel-Hamas War began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel and took hundreds of hostages. In retaliation, Israel has obliterated a large portion of Gaza with missiles and bombs, killing over 46,000 people-- although new studies estimate the number of deaths to be as high as 64,000. Now, both sides are searching for a ceasefire agreement, as Israel needs to bring their hostages home and Hamas need to end the devastating war. Egypt and Qatar are the primary mediators for the talks, ferrying messages between sides, while the United States is pressuring Israel to agree to a deal. The talks are taking place in the Qatari capital of Doha, a neutral zone where both countries have no influence. For the last several months, there has been a constant rising and falling of hope among the people of Gaza-- the two sides come close to reaching a deal, only for the idea to be struck down by a party due to a disagreement between the two sides. The current deal that they have been formulating consists of numerous crucial points, some of which have been confirmed and some of which are still in the works. However, the solution on the most crucial topic -- how long the ceasefire will last -- is still undecided. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that his government could be taken down by his opposition within Parliament if he puts a permanent end to the war, while Hamas has confirmed that the deal will not go through if Israel refuses to completely end the fighting. Another part of the current agreement reads that if the hostages are freed, Israel soldiers will be able to stay in the region until all of them cross the border to ensure their safety, but the logistics of Israeli occupation before, during, and after the ceasefire are being figured out. However, yet another extremely important piece of information is how many hostages are still alive-- dozens have been found dead in Gaza since the beginning of the war. Hamas confirmed a list of 34 hostages that they would release, but one of the hostages on the list was found dead by Israeli forces last Wednesday. Additional details regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners is also yet to be decided. Officials have stated that while they are getting closer to achieving a ceasefire deal, there is still a significant chance that it could easily collapse. Whether they agree to a deal or not will be seen in the coming days, as both sides have established that they want to reach a ceasefire agreement before Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, where he will be sworn in as the next President of the United States. Fact of the Day: The most expensive painting ever sold auctioned off for a staggering $450.3 million-- Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi from 1500 took home the coveted award of most valuable painting. Quote of the Day: Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim. (Vicki Harrison) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Secular (adj, SEK-yuh-ler) - Secular describes things that are not spiritual; that is, they relate more to the physical world than the spiritual world. The word also carries the closely related meaning of "not religious." In a Sentence: Each year, Ian directed his charitable giving toward secular concerns like affordable housing and arts programming for teens.

Tens of thousands of Romanians have taken to the streets to protest against the cancellation of the country's presidential election after allegations of a skewed election with Russian involvement. One month ago, on December 6, Romania's Constitutional Court decided to declare the election invalid after far-right candidate Calin Georgescu ended up with a lead in the first round on November 24. Since no candidate had achieved a majority in the first round, the second round was set to take place on December 8, but the Court annulled the election due to Russian interference in the election process. The Constitutional Court found that Georgescu had claimed that he had spent zero money on his campaign, which came as a surprise to many. The Court claimed afterwards that Georgescu had illegally used technology like artificial intelligence for election purposes and used undeclared funds, serving as the main grounds for their reelection decision. Georgescu's primary source of popularity was TikTok, with 646,000 followers and over 7.2 million likes, but people believe that the numbers may have been falsified or that TikTok may have been biased toward Georgescu. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that Russia had created thousands of social media accounts on platforms to promote Georgescu, making the waters murky as to how popular Georgescu actually was, while government intelligence found that TikTok users had been paying each other to promote Georgescu. Due to these factors, the election on December 8 was annulled. Georgescu strongly expressed his feelings for the decision online, saying "democracy is under attack," while the centrist-right candidate in second place denounced the attack as well. While the Court claimed that the cancellation of the election was necessary, it has sparked outrage among the people. Far-right parties have urged people to take to the streets to protest the reelection, and people have done so. Tens of thousands of people have lined streets across the capital city of Bucharest waving red, yellow, and blue Romanian flags, while others have held up signs calling for the restoration of democracy. Many protestors are calling for the Court to cancel the annulment of the December 8 election, while others have called out the government for skewing the election by preventing them from voting. The reelection, which will be a complete repeat of the election process, is scheduled for May 4, but if no party wins a majority, then the second round will take place on May 18. However, the Court has not confirmed whether Georgescu will be allowed to run in the election. Upcoming Events: Winter World University Games Begin (Monday, January 13) Fact of the Day: Researchers at Purdue University found that it takes exactly 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Quote of the Day: Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future . (Corrie Ten Boom) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Leitmotif (noun, LYTE-moh-teef) - A leitmotif is a dominant recurring theme—something (such as a melody, an idea, or a phrase) repeated many times throughout a book, story, opera, etc. In a Sentence: The overcoming of obstacles and a love of theater are the two leitmotifs of her autobiography.

Investigators have found that the black boxes aboard the Jeju Air plane that exploded in South Korea several weeks ago failed to record data for the last four minutes of the flight, adding to the mystery of the crash. Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800, was flying from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Muan International Airport, located in the South Jeolla province of South Korea, on December 29 when issues onboard caused the plane to attempt an emergency landing. The plane rapidly skidded across the runway upon landing without any landing gear, and it exploded upon impact with a concrete wall near the runway. 181 people were onboard the flight, 175 passengers and 6 crewmembers, but only two crewmembers survived the devastating incident. Investigations into the crash quickly ramped up, and the black boxes were found to be intact just days after the crash. The black boxes consist of the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, and they are crucial to any sort of investigation into a plane disaster. Due to this, officials were confident that the cause of the crash would be easier to determine because the black boxes had been found. However, this did not prove to be the case. First, the data confirmed that the pilot had radioed mayday for help and reported a bird strike, proving the potential cause for the crash. Bird strikes can be extremely dangerous to planes, leading to broken wings and engines, damaged brake lines, and holes in the fuselage of the plane--- bird strikes alone killed over 490 people worldwide between 1988 and 2023. Then, the pilot's voice can be heard stating that he would abort his first landing attempt and try again, but the black boxes fail to record any sort of data for the last four minutes of the flight. These last four minutes were crucial to the investigation, because the pilot makes several curious decisions that can only be determined with the voice recording. Due to the failed landing attempt, the pilot begins to circle around and try again, but he cuts off halfway through the circle and comes in a second time from the opposite direction. The plane touches down without any landing gear on, yet the pilot never indicated in his radio message that the landing gear had been damaged. The aircraft proceeds to slide off the runway due to its immense speed and smashes into the concrete barrier at high speed, causing an eruption of fire and smoke. Experts have confirmed that black boxes can be damaged in crashes, but it is highly unlikely-- black boxes are designed to withstand extremely strong airplane crashes, intense heat, and even long-term deep-sea pressure. The real question is, where did the data from the black box go? Additional studies and research is being done on the black box to see if it is holding that data somewhere inside or if there is another way to access it, but there is a chance that the data has somehow been lost forever. Now, investigators are being forced to solve the puzzle using the pieces of radio messages and other information that they have, but they will not be able to get as accurate of a recount of the incident as they could with the data. They believe that the plane could have lost an engine as the flight was circling, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing, and the landing gear could have also been damaged by the bird strike. Fact of the Day: It is not exactly true that no two snowflakes can be alike-- it is just extremely rare. In 1988, Nancy Knight, a scientist for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, found two identical snowflakes while studying snow crystals from a Wisconsin storm. Quote of the Day: One word spoken from the heart is worth a thousand clever remarks. (Marty Rubin) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Cozen (verb, KUZ-un) - To cozen someone is to deceive, win over, or induce them to do something by coaxing or trickery. In a Sentence: The organization cozened scores of people by persuading them to participate in a fraudulent investment scheme.

Firefighters have managed to make some progress on the smaller wildfires in Los Angeles, but the Palisades and Eaton Fires are still raging across the city with low containment rates. Seven wildfires are currently burning across Los Angeles, the worst of which is the Palisades Fire. The Palisades Fire began the catastrophe earlier this week, with a large area near Malibu being set ablaze due to an unknown cause. The fire quickly spread to the surrounding area, and it has since engulfed some of the most expensive real estate in the United States. The Palisades Fire has already reached a staggering 21,000 acres, and it is only 8% contained. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire is burning on the other side of LA, currently moving south into a densely populated area. The Eaton Fire reached 14,000 acres several hours ago, and it is only 3% contained. The Sunset Fire was burning in the Hollywood Hills on the same mountain as the Hollywood sign before it reached 100% containment by firefighters yesterday-- a rare win amid an extremely tough situation for firefighters. Farther north, the Lidia Fire began in a remote mountain area, but it has reached 98% containment after reaching 395 acres. The Hurst Fire is currently burning near the town of San Fernando in a nearby area, and it is 70% contained with a total spread of 771 acres. Unfortunately, high winds in the area have carried embers far and wide, and other fires have been starting up across the city. The Kenneth Fire, a newer fire, surpassed 1,000 acres yesterday after beginning west of Los Angeles, just north of the range of mountains where the Palisades Fire is burning. It is currently 50% contained. In addition, the Archer Fire also expanded yesterday, and it is now growing in the same area as the Hurst Fire with a 0% containment rate-- it has reached a size of over 20 acres so far. The causes of all of these fires is unknown, but officials' primary suspicion is blown down power lines that ignited the dry brush amid perfect weather conditions for a raging wildfire. In total, the wildfires have forced the evacuations of over 150,000 people and burned down over 13,000 buildings, most of which came from the Palisades and Eaton Fires. With more than 5,000 destroyed buildings each, the Palisades and Eaton Fires are already the third and fourth-most destructive wildfires to ever hit California, only behind the massive Camp Fire of 2018 and the Tubbs Fire of 2017. 11 people have been killed in the fires, and over 170,000 people are without power. The total area burned by all of the fires has exceeded 36,000 acres, which is larger than the city of San Francisco, and the fires are spreading at a rapid pace due to the high winds and dry conditions in the area. Unfortunately, as usual, some locals have tried to take advantage of the disaster by looting homes and businesses-- 18 people have been arrested on charges o f looting, identity theft, possession of narcotics and possession of burglary tools. Many firefighters have struggled to battle the blazes due to water issues, and an investigation has been launched into the issue by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Firefighters have attempted to access fire hydrants over the past few days, but many have found the hydrants to be empty of water. The Santa Ynez Reservoir, a crucial reservoir in the Palisades, was empty during the fires due to the ongoing repairs on the reservoir's cap, but Newsom has launched an investigation to see why the hydrants were completely dry and they the reservoir repairs had not been finished yet-- they began in February of last year. However, officials have confirmed that due to the large number of wildfires in the area, the fire hydrant water would not have lasted long anyway-- a full reservoir may have increased water pressure and possibly fed the hydrants with enough water to last an additional few hours. A few hours can save dozens of homes, though, and many citizens who lost their homes are extremely angry with California's government for not ensuring the safety of their people amid the severe fire danger. Some residents are returning to find just blackened, charred remains of their homes, while others are not returning at all out of fear from the flames. Others are simply not able to return home due to the ongoing blazes, which continue to devastate Los Angeles neighborhoods by the minute. Fact of the Day: Butterflies don't eat-- they only drink. As a caterpillar, they constantly eat, but once they become butterflies, they are only able to drink nectar, juice, and water through their proboscis. Quote of the Day: We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. (Martin Luther King Jr.) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Untenable (adj, un-TEN-uh-bul) - Something, such as a position, excuse, or situation, that is described as untenable cannot be defended against attack or criticism. In a Sentence: The scientists considered their colleague's theory to be bold but ultimately untenable .

2024 was officially the hottest year on record, according to a confirmed study, passing a crucial climate threshold that spells doom and danger for the planet in the coming decades. Global warming and climate change are primarily caused by greenhouse gases, a group of several gases in the atmosphere that trap heat. Unfortunately, human activities happen to release a large amount of these greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide from cars or methane from landfills, trapping more heat and therefore warming the world. Back in 2015, it became clear that the world was warming at an unprecendented pace, and it was beginning to have a serious effect on the planet as a whole. Due to this, countries passed the Paris Agreement that year, which promised to keep human-caused global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius-- scientists determined that if it crossed that tipping point, Earth would cross the threshold between reversible damage and irreversible damage. Unfortunately, that threshold was crossed in 2024 as the rise in global temperatures exceeded 1.6 degrees Celsius when compared to preindustrial levels. Every single one of the world's top ten hottest years has occurred in the last 10 years, with 2024 topping that list. In addition, each month of 2024 from January to June ranked as the hottest-ever for that month, while the record for the world's hottest day ever was broken on July 22. This is because countries have not done enough to stop climate change, and its effects are being seen all over the world. Natural disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts are all becoming more common, and more people die each year from these devastating consequences of burning fossil fuels. This can also be attributed to other factors, though, like the arrival of El Niño. El Niño is a global weather pattern that generally leads to a slightly warmer planet, but it only affects global temperatures by around 0.2 degrees Celsius-- the rest of the 1.6 degrees of warming can be attributed to human-related activities. Thankfully, 2025 is not expected to be as hot as 2024 due to the arrival of La Niña, another weather pattern that cools the planet instead of warming it. Also, the Paris Agreement threshold is measured over several years, not just one, so the world would need to average a rise of above 1.5 degrees Celsius over the next few years to have truly missed the mark on the agreement's goal. However, countries across the world continue to ramp up the usage of fossil fuels and refuse to shift away from resources, items, and processes that damage the environment. The necessary action is not being taken to stop this global disaster, and soon, it will be too late. Earth is currently projected for a staggering 2.7˚C of warming by 2100, and climate change shows no signs of slowing down. Fact of the Day: Octopi have 9 brains-- one central brain in their head and eight mini-brains in each tentacle. Quote of the Day: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. (Seneca the Younger) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Excursion (noun, ik-SKER-zhun) - Excursion refers to a trip, and especially to a short one made for pleasure. Excursion is also often used figuratively to refer to a deviation from a direct, definite, or proper course, and often in particular to a digression. In a Sentence: Some of Maya’s most cherished childhood memories are of fishing excursions with her grandpa.

The city of Los Angeles is in trouble as wildfires rage across the area, scorching thousands of buildings and forcing tens of thousands of evacuations. The fires have already burned a total of 27,000 acres and destroyed over 2,000 structures in some of the richest areas of Los Angeles, including the town of Malibu and the neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. The causes of the fires are currently unknown, but strong winds are helping to spread the embers around the Los Angeles area, increasing the danger of additional fires. The Palisades Fire is the largest of the fires, burning around 17,200 acres in the Malibu area. Evacuation orders are in place for one of the richest neighborhoods in the world, with the average house selling at a price of between three to five million dollars. The Palisades Fire alone has already destroyed over 1,000 structures and is the worst wildfire to ever hit Los Angeles. Nearby, the quickly-growing Sunset Fire is burning in the famous Hollywood Hills, home to famous landmarks such as the Hollywood Sign and Sunset Boulevard. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire has scorched over 10,000 acres on the northern side of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains, and it has done some of the most damage to structures. The Eaton Fire is located just north of the town of Pasadena, and it has already penetrated deep into the city. The Eaton Fire has also destroyed over 1,000 structures, and it is already the second-worst wildfire to ever hit LA. The Hurst and Lidia Fires are smaller fires located farther north from LA-- the Hurst Fire is just south of the town of Santa Clarita while the Lidia Fire is located in the mountains between Santa Clarita and Palmdale. Unfortunately, the Hurst Fire is also doing a great deal of damage, as it is currently spreading in a heavily populated area. Meanwhile, other fires continue to pop up across the city before being quickly extinguished, including one that began in the neighborhood of Studio City and destroyed multiple structures. Power has been shut down to a large portion of Los Angeles to avoid power lines from falling and starting new fires, and power companies have confirmed that they will not be restarting the power in those areas for several days. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place across several regions of Los Angeles, and thick smoke has enveloped the city as ominous scenes of fire and destruction occur just miles away. Firefighters have been rushing to the scene, but five of the six fires are still 0% contained. California Governor Gavin Newsom stated on X last night that over 7,500 personnel were fighting the fires, equipped with 1,162 fire trucks, 23 water tankers, 6 air tankers, 31 helicopters, and 53 bulldozers. He has also confirmed that up to 140 more water tankers will be on the way, as fire hydrants have been running dry. Sadly, the fires are still spreading uncontrollably. Santa Ana winds, a wind pattern where dry winds from the Mojave Desert sweep across Los Angeles, have been accelerating the growth of the fires, as gusts are hitting up to 80-90 mph. Unfortunately, the conditions are not expected to improve in the coming days, and a red flag warning for high fire danger will stay in place across Southern California. In addition to this, the LA area has faced dry conditions for months amid a large drought-- California is only getting drier as global warming progresses. This has limited the water supply of firefighters, preventing personnel from being able to fight the fires as they usually would. Fact of the Day: Most dolphins are right-handed, like humans-- they tend to primarily use the right sides of their bodies when searching for food. Quote of the Day: You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over. (Richard Branson) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Gelid (adj, JELL-id) - Something described as gelid, such as the weather or a person’s demeanor, is literally or figuratively extremely cold or icy. In a Sentence: She decided to move down south after experiencing Chicago’s gelid winters throughout college.

We apologize that there was an issue with yesterday's daily update due to a blog issue. The article has been updated and the issue has been fixed. You can view the updated article here . Over 126 people have been killed after a severe 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Tibet, and dozens of people are still trapped in the rubble. The earthquake struck yesterday at 9:05 am local time in Tibet's Tingri County at a depth of around 6.2 miles, caused by the convergent plate boundary of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate near the Himalayas. Shallow earthquakes usually have less ground to travel through, making them stronger and allowing them to do more damage than deeper earthquakes. The shaking was felt across the region, including various parts of Tibet and even into the neighboring Nepal and India. In addition, hundreds of small aftershocks have been reported, dozens of which have had a magnitude of over 3.0. At least 126 were killed and an additional 188 were injured in the quake, which destroyed cars, homes, businesses, and roads. Video footage showed residents sprinting out of their homes to escape the danger, Thankfully, most of Tibet is uninhabited due to the remote, mountainous terrain, so the worst-hit region was only home to approximately 6,900 people. However, the shaking was also felt in faraway areas like Kathmandu, Nepal; Shiagatse, a holy city in Tibet; and the base camp of Mount Everest, which was relatively close to the epicenter. Aid and supplies were quickly sent by China, along with tents and beds for citizens whose homes have been destroyed. Temperatures in the area are expected to drop below freezing over the course of this week, so residents will need to stay warm. Search and rescue operations are also in high gear, with over 14,000 rescue workers working with locals to dig through the extensive rubble to find any survivors. According to local media, they have already rescued hundreds of people. Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed soldiers to prioritize search and rescue and keep citizens safe and warm before moving onto other cleanup tasks. Fact of the Day: As human bodies decompose, the ligaments inside the body can shrivel up, causing the body to move up to one year after death. Quote of the Day: We must let go of the life we have planned, as to accept the one that is waiting for us. (Joseph Campbell) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Beleaguer (verb, bih-LEE-gur) - To beleaguer a person, bu siness, etc. is to cause them constant or repeated trouble. Beleaguer is also sometimes used as a synonym of besiege . In a Sentence: The coach, beleaguered by the media and fans for his poor decision-making during games, has been fired.

Justin Trudeau has resigned from his position as Canada's prime minister after widespread calls for him to step down. Trudeau is the leader of the Liberal Party, whose primary opponent is the right-wing Conservative Party. Trudeau has maintained his position as Canada's prime minister since he was first elected in 2015, and he was initially a very popular leader for the country. However, in recent times, countries across the world have witnessed the rise in popularity of more conservative, right-wing parties, and Canada is no exception. Canada's Conservative Party has been gaining ground in recent months, and the people have been losing faith in Trudeau's Liberal Party-- their support recently hit an all-time low of 16%. Citizens seem to be frustrated over a high cost of living and rising inflation, leading to the rise of the Conservative Party. Earlier last year, Trudeau balked at the idea of resigning when calls began, but as the year went on, it became more and more clear that he was losing popularity. The tipping point seemed to be when one of his most loyal ministers, Chrystia Freeland, stepped down from her position over concerns that Trudeau was not taking Trump's recent tariff threats strongly enough. After this, his coalition in Parliament quickly fell apart, and no party had a majority any more. This made it clear to him that it was time to resign, and he officially announced his resignation this week. Before resigning, though, Trudeau approved the prorogation of Parliament, effectively preventing them from doing anything until March 24. This will give his party time to choose a new leader before the next elections, which will take place before October 20, 2025. However, the Conservative Party could attempt to pass a no-confidence vote, which would immediately oust the Liberal Party and instantly lead to elections. The party has tried to do this several times in the past, but after Trudeau's coalition fell apart, the Liberal Party no longer maintains a majority in Parliament. This means that some other party needs to take their side if the Liberal Party wants to stay in power until the set elections take place later in the year. Fact of the Day: The slow loris monkey is the only venomous mammal. The slow loris contains patches of venom in its elbows, which it licks and then uses to poison other animals when it bites them. Quote of the Day: Take a deep breath. Get present in the moment and ask yourself what is important this very second. (Greg McKeown) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Tome (noun, TOHM) - Tome is a formal word for a book, and especially a very large, thick, often scholarly book. In a Sentence: We picked up a tome on the Ghana Empire for our history project.

Ukraine has launched another offensive into the Kursk, further growing their territory in a Russian region that suffered from another Ukrainian incursion last year. Back in August, Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Kursk, stunning an unprepared Russia. Russia had been focusing their resources in eastern Ukraine, working to maintain their control of the oblasts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, leading Ukraine to try a different approach. Ukrainian forces quickly gained over 500 square miles of territory and over 90 settlements in just a matter of days, forcing Russia to redirect their forces away from other areas. Since then, Russia has regained around half of the territory gained by Ukraine, but Ukraine has managed to prevent Russia's much larger army from taking back the entire Kursk region. Using their soldiers along with additional soldiers from North Korea, Russia has been slowly taking back their territory, mile by mile. Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that Ukraine would be kicked out of Kursk soon, but he did not give an exact date as to when this would happen. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that it is crucial for Ukraine to keep their control over the area in Kursk, as it could be a vital piece of leverage to use in peace talks. However, according to Ukraine, Russia has been struggling in Kursk. Zelenskyy stated that Russia had lost an entire battalion in Kursk over the past few days-- his claim could not be confirmed, though. The Pentagon also said that North Korean soldiers have suffered over 1,000 casualties in the region over the past few weeks. Meanwhile, Russia has stated that they have killed hundreds of additional Ukrainian soldiers, but this claim could also not be confirmed. Ukraine has now launched their second offensive in Kursk, consisting of multiple tanks and dozens of armored vehicles. Russia seemed to be unsure as to where to place their troops, as the incursion was spread out and traveled in multiple different directions. The fighting includes both heavy-duty artillery weapons and smaller infantry battles, which are resulting in losses for both sides. They are also equipped with a mine-clearing vehicle, helping to clear the way for Ukrainian soldiers to enter Russian territory on foot. Now, the world is watching to see if Ukraine will be able to maintain their territory in Kursk or if Russia will take it back-- there is sure to be some intense fighting in the area over the next few weeks. Upcoming Events: Australian Open Begins (Monday, January 6) Three Kings Day (Monday, January 6) Birth of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (Monday, January 6) Bodhi Day (Tuesday, January 7) Fact of the Day: Penguins weren't always this small. Scientists have found that giant penguins lived around 60 million years ago, averaging around 5 and a half feet tall and weighing around 250 pounds. The tallest specimen ever found was 6 and a half feet tall, while the heaviest specimen was over 350 pounds. Quote of the Day: It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. (Theodore Roosevelt) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Cerulean (adj, suh-ROO-lee-un) - Cerulean describes things whose blue color resembles the blue of a clear sky. In a Sentence: The painting depicts leafless trees bordering a cerulean lake.