New climate data shows 2025 has ranked among the three hottest years ever recorded, with global temperatures briefly pushing the three-year average beyond the 1.5°C threshold for the first time. Scientists say the heat arrived despite cooling effects from a La Niña pattern, a natural Pacific climate cycle marked by cooler-than-average ocean temperatures that typically dampen global heat, pointing to sustained background warming. The year also saw a sharp rise in extreme weather, with more than 150 severe events logged worldwide, including prolonged heatwaves in Europe, destructive wildfires, flooding across parts of Mexico, and deadly monsoon impacts in South Asia. Researchers also noted that storms intensified faster than expected, overwhelming emergency responses in several regions. Taken together, the findings suggest climate volatility is accelerating, with extreme conditions appearing more frequently and in wider geographic clusters.
True Spies
Operation Black Biscuit
How far would you go to convince a gang you belong?
Jay Dobyns didn’t ease into undercover work. Four days after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives hired him, someone shot him point-blank in the back, and the bullet tore through his lung. He stayed anyway, stacking hundreds of undercover operations until the assignment everyone called impossible landed on his desk: get close to the Hells Angels.
He couldn’t just join. The club scrutinized everything, how he rode, how he talked, who vouched for him, even whether he could keep up on a bike at 100 miles an hour. Jay leaned on street theater, staged scenes that let suspects “discover” what they already wanted to believe: that he moved guns, collected debts, and never blinked at violence.
Then came the real tests. The gang pushed “mud checks” and murder assignments, and Jay had to survive moments where walking away could expose him, and staying meant becoming someone he didn’t recognize.
Join Jay Dobyns in this week’s podcast selection, 'Operation Black Biscuit', on a mission riding with killers, dodging their tests, and trying to get out alive.
Take on immersive games and challenges at SPYGAMES!
Test your team's skills and strategy, compete to climb the leaderboards, and recharge with food and drink in your own private space hosted by a dedicated staff member.
Book your next team social.
Take on immersive games and challenges at SPYGAMES! Test your team's skills and strategy, compete to climb the leaderboards, and recharge with food and drink in your own private space hosted by a dedicated staff member.
As of January 1, Betty Boop officially entered the public domain, joining a growing list of once-locked-down cultural icons now free for anyone to remix, adapt, or reimagine. First introduced in a 1930 animated short called Dizzy Dishes, Betty began life as an anthropomorphic poodle before animator Max Fleischer quietly reshaped her into a human character inspired by jazz-age singers and flappers.
The dog ears became earrings. The squeaks and scatting turned into a name. And Betty quickly became one of animation’s first breakout stars, appearing in dozens of theatrical shorts and even starring in a surreal, pre-Disney take on Snow White. Her rubber-hose animation style, elastic limbs, dreamlike movement, and musical timing helped define early American cartoons.
US copyright law protects many works for up to 95 years, which means each January brings a small cultural unlock. This year’s additions include Betty Boop, along with familiar names like Nancy Drew and Dick and Jane.
Technology
China Takes The Wheel
Is the electric car race entering a new phase?
China’s BYD has overtaken Tesla as the world’s largest electric vehicle seller, marking a significant shift in the global EV market. Tesla reported deliveries of about 1.64 million vehicles last year, down roughly 9% from 2024. BYD, meanwhile, delivered around 2.26 million EVs in 2025, a nearly 28% year-over-year increase.
BYD’s rise has been years in the making. Founded in the 1990s as a rechargeable battery company, the Shenzhen-based firm quietly expanded into vehicles before surpassing Volkswagen as China’s best-selling car brand in 2023. More recently, it has pushed aggressively beyond China’s borders. The UK has emerged as its largest overseas market, with sales surging dramatically last autumn.
The US remains largely closed to BYD. Tariffs exceeding 100% keep its cars out, even as American EV sales slow. November sales fell more than 40% from a year earlier, following the September expiration of federal tax credits. Tesla briefly benefited from buyers rushing to beat the deadline, but its fourth-quarter sales still declined year over year. Tesla shares slipped after the figures were released, despite strong gains earlier in the year. The numbers suggest the EV race isn’t slowing; it’s just changing lanes.
Host your birthday at SPYSCAPE or SPYGAMES.
Give your party guests an unforgettable experience designed to engage, entertain, and inspire. Our dedicated staff will be on hand to help, and you'll even get your own private space to celebrate.
Host your birthday at SPYSCAPE or SPYGAMES.
Give your party guests an unforgettable experience designed to engage, entertain, and inspire. Our dedicated staff will be on hand to help, and you'll even get your own private space to celebrate.
How much noise, fizz, and spectacle does it take to flip the calendar?
More than 360 million glasses of sparkling wine were expected to be poured in the US as over half the country gathered to ring in the new year. In New York City, around one million people crowded into Times Square to watch the famous crystal ball descend, a tradition that dates back to 1907.
This year’s ball was the largest yet. It weighed more than 12,000 pounds, held 5,280 crystals, and dropped twice: once at midnight, and again a few minutes later to mark the countdown toward the US’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Elsewhere, the ritual was quirkier. Florida lowered a giant shrimp. Idaho dropped a potato. And across the world, Brazilians jumped seven waves for luck, while parts of Romania used onion skins to make predictions about the year to come.
Try brain-teasing challenges at SPYSCAPE and pulse-racing fun in SPYGAMES.
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