Someone just sent me 10 messages, each 1 word in length, and I got pretty upset about it. Yet at the same time, I got pro-active and decided to explain to that person why I don't allow such empty messages in my communication. She thankfully understood my position, so I kept her as a friend.

In an effort to reverse China's sagging birth rate, Beijing has removed a three-decade tax exemption on contraceptives starting Jan. 1, when condoms and contraceptive pills will now incur a value-added tax of 13%, the standard rate for most consumer goods. 

Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times,

As additional investigators surge to fraud-plagued Minnesota, federal agents have already arrested 500 illegal immigrants and probed 1,000 immigration-fraud cases during the past two months, a Homeland Security official estimated.

Via RealInvestmentAdvice.com,

Most Americans are paying higher electricity prices, and the pressure is unlikely to ease anytime soon.

Taharrush gamea (Arabic: التحرش الجماعي) refers to collective or mob sexual harassment/assault, typically occurring in crowded public spaces where a group surrounds and assaults a victim, often a woman.

Belarus has announced that Russia's Oreshnik intermediate-range nuclear capable ballistic missile system has been deployed on its territory, though details and specifications - including range - of the projectile remain secretive.

Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

Kamikaze drones, particularly FPV and loitering munitions, have introduced a new dimension to modern warfare, as demonstrated in the Russia-Ukraine war and other active conflict zones globally. These low-cost, off-the-shelf systems are increasingly assessed as a credible threat to civilian targets in the Western world, as highlighted by a recent U.S. government threat assessment warning of potential drone attack risks surrounding Chicago's upcoming New Year's Eve fireworks.