Twitter/X Trends in New Zealand - Real-Time Analytics & Trending Hashtags

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Frank McCormick, a former teacher and constitutional conservative, posted on X early Thursday asking if people enjoy Christmas aesthetics like lights, music, and decorations. Over 50 Jewish respondents largely expressed delight in the holiday's vibe and mood-boosting elements amid winter, noting cultural participation such as eating Chinese food on Christmas or decorating neighbors' trees. Many highlighted the irony that iconic songs like 'White Christmas' and 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' were written by Jewish composers including Irving Berlin and Johnny Marks. While a minority opts out, the thread with over 4,000 views reflects American pluralism and shared seasonal goodwill transcending faith.

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A simple question on X about enjoying the Christmas season sparked dozens of positive replies from Jewish users, who praised its twinkling lights, festive music, and communal joy without embracing its religious core.

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The figures, from the Current Population Survey, prompted the department to pledge reversing these trends and prioritizing American workers over globalism. Recent BLS data from September 2024 to 2025 shows a shift, with native-born employment rising by 2.5 million and foreign-born dropping by 670,000. Officials aim to protect U.S. jobs amid ongoing debates on immigration and labor policy.

Key Takeaway

The U.S. Labor Department shared striking BLS data this weekend, showing native-born Americans lost over 1.3 million jobs from August 2023 to 2024 while foreign-born employment grew by 1.24 million.

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Japan's near-universal cremation rate stems from scarce land, earthquakes, and health worries like groundwater risks. For Muslims, whose numbers are rising with workers and students, burial honors the body for Judgment Day and is a religious must. Lawmaker Mizuho Umemura holds firm to tradition, suggesting remains go home, as space stays tight and talks on accommodations stall.

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A bearded man spoke outdoors, subtitles clear: cremation is a sin in Islam, and he wants burial no matter what. His words highlight a deep clash in a country where over 99% choose cremation.

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Tether launched Bitcoin mining in Uruguay in 2023, attracted by cheap renewable energy, and invested millions in hardware and infrastructure while employing 38 people in the Florida region. The operation paused due to unsustainable electricity costs after negotiations failed with state utility UTE, which claims Tether owes $4.8 million including unpaid bills. The company is laying off 30 workers but remains committed to other Latin American projects amid mining's constant hunt for low power rates.

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Tether's team in Uruguay built an eco-friendly mining operation with big dreams and local jobs. Now, rising power bills and stalled talks have forced a tough shutdown.

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Yoo 'Zinie' Baek-jin, the 19-year-old Korean midlaner who dominated the LCK Challengers League with MVPs in 2024 and 2025 and a triple crown in 2025, has reached a verbal agreement to join North America's Shopify Rebellion for the 2026 LCS season. The move follows the end of his contract with KT Rolster, making him a free agent despite interest from top LCK, LPL, and LEC teams. Zinie will fill the midlane position vacated by Palafox, potentially strengthening Shopify's roster for Worlds contention amid broader LCS changes.

Key Takeaway

In a stunning twist for League of Legends esports, 19-year-old Korean sensation Zinie has verbally committed to Shopify Rebellion, bypassing elite Asian leagues for the LCS spotlight.

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The video, which first appeared online in June 2024, shows the pastor in a dark suit speaking Portuguese amid the crowd at Judaism's holiest accessible site, treated like an open-air synagogue. White-shirted schoolboys clapped, chanted, and pressed close, jostling him until he backed away unharmed, while nearby rabbis observed without intervening. The exchange highlights tensions between pro-Israel evangelicals and Orthodox Jews wary of missionary efforts invoking Jesus as Messiah, with some viewing preaching there as disrespectful to sacred space.

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A Brazilian evangelical pastor stood near Jerusalem's Western Wall, Bible in hand, sharing his love for Israel and reading about Jesus. Soon, a group of yeshiva students surrounded him, singing 'Am Yisrael Chai' loudly to drown him out.

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The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.), heard from experts like Eugene Kontorovich, Morton A. Klein, and Jon B. Alterman on the territory's legal status, biblical ties, and implications for U.S.-Israel relations. Republicans stressed strategic interests and Israel's claims, while Democrats dismissed ancient borders as impractical. Protests erupted inside from CODEPINK over missing Palestinian witnesses and outside with clashes involving Israeli leaders, highlighting deep divides with no clear path forward on annexation or a two-state solution.

Key Takeaway

On December 10, tensions rose in a House subcommittee as witnesses debated the West Bank's history and future, while activists interrupted demanding Palestinian voices.

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Gerzig, who lives in Spain with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, shared in a recent interview that the cancellation stemmed solely from her Israeli background. She described a sharp rise in judgment, exclusion, and antisemitism toward Israelis and Jews in Spain since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Her personal experience underscores growing tensions amid pro-Palestinian protests and public calls, like RTVE's stance to skip Eurovision 2026 if Israel joins.

Key Takeaway

Mishel Gerzig was getting ready for a local event in Madrid when the organizers suddenly revoked her invitation. They explained it was to 'not bother anyone,' leaving her devastated and her husband Thibaut Courtois furious.

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Greg Ip explains how targeted price jumps in eggs, beef, housing, and more outstrip income gains, leaving first-time homebuyers and renters strained—half now spend over 30% of income on housing alone. Quick policy ideas like tariffs, rent controls, or rate cuts carry risks of recession or renewed inflation, he warns. Leaders like President Trump and NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani highlight the issue, while many call for bold changes from market shifts to reforms ending the Fed or curbing investor home buys.

Key Takeaway

Families feel the pinch from higher housing, groceries, and everyday bills, even as wages slowly rise and inflation eases. A top economist asks if real relief is possible without bigger problems down the road.

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Peter Cardwell and former Labour MP Chris Williamson engaged in a heated debate on TalkTV about European countries boycotting the Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's inclusion. Williamson argued that no state has a right to exist, described Zionism as a racist and genocidal ideology, and refused to condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization, citing the right to armed resistance under international law for occupied peoples. Cardwell ended the interview abruptly after challenging Williamson's views on Israel's existence and Hamas.

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Alibaba Group unveiled its Qwen App in public beta on Monday, powered by the advanced Qwen3 large language model, offering free access in China across iOS, Android, web, and PC platforms with features including image generation, coding assistance, and integrations for maps, shopping, and delivery. The rebranded app, previously Tongyi, shifts from developer tools to consumer use, supported by over 600 million enterprise downloads and top global benchmark rankings. Alibaba's shares rose more than 5% in U.S. overnight trading amid investor enthusiasm, while the company denied recent U.S. allegations of military ties as baseless, amid growing Silicon Valley concerns over Chinese AI's cost advantages.

Key Takeaway

Alibaba's bold Qwen App beta launch catapults China's AI powerhouse into direct competition with ChatGPT, promising free, seamless tools for daily life amid surging stocks and U.S. tensions.

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Posted on December 27 by pro-Israel account VividProwess, the video gained over 15,000 likes and thousands of replies labeling the act unhinged, with jokes about stereotypes and mental health stats from Pew Research showing 40% of white liberal women aged 30-49 with prior diagnoses. The protest draws from 'cacerolazo' traditions—Latin American pot-banging to symbolize hunger—revived in 2025 for Gaza's famine warnings, seen in London, Philadelphia, and recent UK actions like a Manchester mall flag display. While critics call it performative, supporters frame it as solidarity amid the Israel-Hamas war's third year and aid-reported food shortages.

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A woman wrapped in a keffiyeh scarf bangs a frying pan while shouting 'Free Palestine,' capturing a moment that's now flooded with sharp online critiques.

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The assets, worth €183 billion and held mostly at Euroclear in Brussels, would fund Ukraine's defense and budget needs now, with repayment from future Russian reparations. De Wever demands EU-wide risk sharing and points to Belgium's ongoing aid via taxes on the assets' interest, expected to yield €1 billion next year. EU allies criticize Belgium's handling of those funds, while the standoff highlights strains in supporting Ukraine amid shifting U.S. policies. Diplomats hope for progress at December's summit.

Key Takeaway

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrote a firm letter this week, calling the EU's proposal to back €140 billion in loans with frozen Russian funds fundamentally wrong. He worries it breaks international law and risks Belgium's financial standing.

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The rally mourned Sharif Osman Hadi, the 32-year-old Inquilab Mancha leader shot in Dhaka on December 17 and who died in Singapore the next day. Crowds demanded accountability from Bangladesh's interim government under Muhammad Yunus, accusing it of shielding suspects who fled to India, but videos captured chants like 'We want Azadi in Kashmir' and 'Delhi or Dhaka?' answered with 'Dhaka.' Now in its third day, the protests spread to other cities as police arrested 10 suspects and pledged charges by January 7, amid frayed India-Bangladesh ties rooted in shared 1971 history.

Key Takeaway

Under bright lights in Shahbagh Square, thousands blocked traffic on December 28, their voices rising in calls for justice—and unexpectedly, freedom in Kashmir.

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In his Foreign Affairs essay, Stubb divides the world into the West's democracies, the East's authoritarians led by China, and the pivotal Global South swing states like India and Brazil. He proposes adding permanent UN Security Council seats for underrepresented regions, ending veto power, and rebalancing IMF and World Bank voting to match today's economic realities. Drawing from Finland's NATO entry amid Russia's Ukraine invasion, Stubb urges a 'values-based realism' to rebuild shared norms and prevent wider conflicts.

Key Takeaway

Alexander Stubb sees the post-World War II system cracking under multipolar strains. He warns the West has just five to ten years to adapt and avoid chaos.

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