Daily News Summary – 2025-12-17 – en

Paul Doyle, a 54-year-old former Royal Marine, has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison for deliberately driving his car into a crowd of Liverpool football fans during a victory parade, injuring over 130 people.

The European Union has initiated an emergency air bridge operation to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to the conflict-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan, addressing what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

A study reveals that Italy's Marsican brown bears have evolved to become significantly less aggressive through centuries of close coexistence with humans, with genetic changes resembling accidental domestication.

Google's DeepMind research shows that even the best AI chatbots are only 69% accurate on factual information, highlighting major flaws in multimodal understanding and persistent hallucination problems.

Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of acclaimed director Rob Reiner, has been charged with the murder of both his parents in a shocking Hollywood tragedy, with the couple found dead in their Brentwood home.

Naveed Akram, the alleged gunman in the deadly Bondi Beach shooting, has been charged with 59 offenses including 15 counts of murder, with dashcam footage revealing heroic attempts by an elderly couple to disarm him.

Major cities worldwide are implementing cooling centers and water restrictions to protect vulnerable populations during record-breaking heatwaves, with climate change intensifying extreme summer weather.

Retailers are adopting comprehensive packaging reduction strategies involving supply chain transformations, recycling partnerships, and consumer education to address environmental concerns and regulatory pressures.

Federal and state agencies are implementing relief programs and policy adjustments to support farmers affected by severe drought, including emergency livestock relief and tax extensions.

JPMorgan Chase has agreed to purchase 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide removal credits from 1PointFive, marking one of the largest commercial deals for Direct Air Capture technology.

A landmark electric bus procurement award signals a shift in public transportation, supported by federal funding and state policies aimed at reducing emissions and creating jobs.

A pilot program testing electric trucks for urban delivery has demonstrated substantial cost savings, improved fleet economics, and effective charging strategies, reshaping last-mile logistics.

The U.S. Department of Energy has launched a $400 million initiative to transform energy efficiency in buildings, targeting rural and remote communities with grants for retrofits.

Grid operators are reassessing coal plant retirement schedules due to reliability concerns, with emergency orders delaying closures amid surging electricity demand from AI data centers.

The Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program is expanding with new employer funding, aiming to provide flexible benefit systems for America's growing gig economy workforce.

Former President Donald Trump has announced a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers in Venezuelan waters, escalating pressure on the socialist government amid a military buildup in the Caribbean.

A global crackdown on illegal logging has resulted in thousands of timber seizures, with technological innovations like blockchain enhancing supply chain traceability to combat environmental crime.

The 2025 wildfire season has provided essential lessons on community preparedness, early warning systems, and recovery funding, influencing future evacuation planning and resilience efforts.

Hackers have stolen approximately 200 million records containing sensitive user data from Pornhub, with the group ShinyHunters demanding a ransom and threatening to publish the information.

The Louvre museum remains partially closed as staff extend their strike over deteriorating working conditions and security concerns, affecting visitors during the busy holiday season.