Econ 101: The US economy added 257,000 jobs in December, a healthy number, according to the Labor Department. The job market appears to be maintaining its momentum from 2014, the best year of job growth since 1999. Wages are rising …

Missing Jet: Investigators have no idea what happened to the missing AirAsia jetliner with 162 people on board. Some unidentified debris has been spotted. The head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said at a news conference in Jakarta, “Based …

Christmas: In his traditional Christmas address Pope Francis denounced the “brutal persecution” of religious and ethnic minorities. “May Christmas bring them hope, as indeed also to the many displaced persons, exiles and refugees, children, adults and elderly, from this region …

Econ 101: The Dow Jones closed above 18,000 for the first time in its history yesterday, lifted by lower gasoline prices, increased jobs, and growing confidence. The economy grew at a rapid-paced 5 percent last quarter, according to the government, …

The Kimche Hack: President Obama said Sony Pictures made a mistake cancelling its movie The Interview because of anonymous terror threats by computer hackers. “I wish they’d spoken to me first,” the president said yesterday before departing for his Christmas …

Cuban Surprise: President Obama shocked the world and his Republican opponents announcing yesterday that 50 years of shunning Cuba is a failure and that the US is re-establishing diplomatic relations with the island country just 90 miles off the coast …

Down Under: Police in Sydney have locked down the central business district of Australia’s largest city as they negotiate with a gunman who’s taken hostages in a café. Five people are reported to have escaped but more are inside. The …

Congress Passes a Bill!!!!!: Working instead of attending Christmas parties, the Senate last night passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill that will keep the government running. Some Republicans were angry with their own Ted Cruz from Texas whose procedural maneuver …

Econ 101: US stocks took a slide yesterday greased by the falling price of oil. The Dow Jones dropped 268 points as oil headed toward $60 a barrel, the lowest in five years. US oil production, among other factors, is …

The Greenhouse: Diplomats from all over the world are gathering in Lima, Peru to make yet another attempt to hammer out a global agreement to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. But scientists warn that even drastic reductions …