2025 was one of the Three Hottest Years on Record, Scientists Say Deccan Chronicle
EXTRAORDINARY HISTORIC
Record pulverized allover Africa
40.6 Garoua
CAMEROON HOTTEST DECEMBER DAY IN HISTORY40C in Ghana,Chad,Niger,Nigeria
All days of the month records smashed allover the region.
It’s BY FAR the most extreme event ever seen in the tropics and will get worse pic.twitter.com/VpwlFFESfG— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) December 29, 2025
The December US heatwave is ending. It was absurd. Last 7 days: 4700 heat records broken (mins & maxs) vs only 55 cold records.
7 day anomalies as much as +25° F. Dozens of monthly records smashed.
The heat dome was forced by a very blocky global pattern, but the intensity is… pic.twitter.com/pp94OzRC1S— Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) December 29, 2025
Historic dry rainy season triggers alarm for deepening food insecurity in the Horn of Africa FEWS Net
Cape Town is currently experiencing an intense heatwave, with temperatures soaring across the city as residents and tourists cope with the scorching sun Sierra Express
Extreme weather events are ‘new normal’ for UK wildlife The Times
Great white sharks face extinction in Mediterranean, say researchers BBC
Sunflower oil pollution could persist at the bottom of the Black Sea for more than 6 years Greenpeace
Will India’s wheat imports lead to global food crisis? Down to Earth
When you plant something, it dies’: Brazil’s first arid zone is a stark warning for the whole country Guardian
Bach Ma National Park in Vietnam Closes to Tourists Following Historic Floods and Landslides Travel and Tour World
Mapped: 16 times extreme weather drove higher food prices since 2022 Carbon Brief
Water
India’s domination of global rice trade stokes looming water crisis Reuters
The metropolitan region of Sao Paulo, the most populated urban area in Brazil, is facing an emergency in its drinking water supply, authorities said Monday Xinhua
A childhood carried in water pitchers: Climate change and lost girlhoods in coastal Bangladesh The Business Standard
Tehran at risk: The looming water catastrophe Daily Sabah
China?
China Unveils Initial $9 Billion in 2026 Consumer Subsidies Bloomberg
China expands housing voucher program amid rising inventories Nikkei
China’s cash-strapped local governments drive record sales of asset-backed securities Financial Times<
Xi renews call to boost grain output after trade war sharpens China’s food security push South China Morning Post
China fires rockets into waters off Taiwan in second day of military drills Sky
Japan
Dangerous new equilibrium awaits Japan-China ties in 2026 Japan Times
Benchmark Japan bond yields extend steepest annual surge since 1994 Channel News Asia
Japanese births set to fall below lowest official forecasts in 2025 Financial Times
Koreas
North Korea fires missiles into the sea in latest nuclear weapons warning Independent
India
Foreigners Dump Record Indian Bonds as Weak Rupee Erodes Returns Bloomberg
Southeast Asia
Why Myanmar’s junta election cannot hide a collapsing economy South China Morning Post
Thailand delays return of Cambodian soldiers Bangkok Post
Africa
Niger’s military rulers order ‘general mobilisation’ against armed groups Aljazeera
Ghana reinforces northern border as Sahel violence encroaches DefenceWeb
Sudan’s El-Fasher: 1 Million Former Residents Face Famine and Mass Killings Novinite
South of the Border
Exclusive: CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast CNN
Crew Paints Russian Flag on Tanker Pursued by the U.S. Coast Guard New York Times (resilc)
Venezuela’s medicine prices soar to unaffordable level amid US blockades PressTV
U.S. Pressures Mexico Over Fuel Supply to Crisis-Hit Cuba OilPrice
European Disunion
Germany’s job market slows as employment prospects hit record low Xinhua
German business groups expect job cuts in 2026 as economic crisis drags on Reuters
Polish farmers stage nationwide protests over EU–Mercosur trade agreement EuroNews
Farmers’ Road Blockades Split Greece Ahead of New Year Tovima
Athens is bracing for renewed strain in Greek-Turkish relations in 2026, as Ankara appears to be moving into a phase of broader mobilization across multiple fronts ekathimerini
Bulgaria adopts euro as fear and uncertainty loom Agence France-Presse
Old Blighty
Majority of Brits think economy is getting worse City AM
Maggots, rats and growing despair – a year of the Birmingham bin strike Guardian
Israel v. The Resistance
Israel to suspend operations of several aid groups in Gaza as countries warn of renewed ‘catastrophic’ humanitarian crisis CNN
Israel to ban dozens of aid agencies from Gaza as 10 nations warn about suffering Guardian (Kevin W)
Anti-Israel group demands lawmakers visiting Israel resign Vermont Daily Chronicle (resilc). More of this, please.
Tehran shopkeepers protest currency plunge as rial hits all-time low Iran International
Saudis v. UAE
Saudi Arabia bombs UAE shipment in Yemen and calls out Emirati role Middle East Eye (resilc)
New Not-So-Cold War
Russia deploys hypersonic Oreshnik missiles in Belarus amid Europe tensions Aljazeera
BREAKING: Drone attack on Putin residence directed at a Russian nuclear command and control center Steven Starr
Stanislav Krapivnik: Massive Escalation – Attack on Putin’s Residence Glenn Diesen, YouTube. Useful commentary on sentiment in Russia.
Larry Johnson: Russia Will Retaliate After Attack on Putin’s Residence Glenn Diesen, YouTube
Poland announces €2 billion anti-drone wall along eastern border Turkiye Today
Imperial Collapse Watch
CIA loses nuclear-powered gadget in the Himalayas, shrugs BoingBoing
Trump 2.0
Five restraint successes — and five absolute fails — in 2025 Responsible Statecraft (resilc)
Kennedy Center renaming prompts a new round of cancellations Associated Press (Kevin W)
How RFK Jr. upended the public health system Washington Post
Mr. Market is Edgy
Markets are witnessing history:
The US stock market cap-to-GDP ratio is up to a record 218%.
This comes as the stock market’s value jumped to an all-time high of $68 trillion, far exceeding the ~$31 trillion size of the US economy.
This ratio has surged +56 percentage points… pic.twitter.com/voiQ98u314
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) December 30, 2025
FTSE 100 poised to end 2025 at record levels The Times
Banks tap Fed liquidity tool amid year-end pressures Reuters. Note liquidity is thin at year end and the Fed has been extremely inept in managing it in the era of managing interest rates via paying interest on reserves than in the old days of intervening via its NY Fed money markets desk. So is this warranted or a Powell put lite? I thought the Fed over-reacted in December 2007 with its interest rate cuts and launch of new facilities. Dropping interest rates below 2% set up the ZIRP-super low rates era, which stoked leveraged speculation and further increased already serious wealth inequality.
Federal Reserve minutes highlight deep fissures at US central bank Financial Times
AI
China to crack down on AI firms to protect kids BBC (Kevin W)
Class Warfare
Middle class households overwhelmed as US cost of living crisis spirals Telegraph
Antidote du jour (via):
And a bonus:
Returning the marmoset babies to mother after a medical check
pic.twitter.com/z9m9WpdnxQ— Science girl (@sciencegirl) December 20, 2025
A second bonus:
We all need a hug sometimes.. 😊 pic.twitter.com/zGyGOqnXk2
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) December 31, 2025
And a third. Happy New Year!
New Zealand welcomes 2026 with a fireworks display from the Auckland Sky Tower. pic.twitter.com/14NaAjxEzH
— Chris Lynch (@chrislynchmedia) December 31, 2025
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
