JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1267

As ballots land in Seattle mailboxes, the mayor’s race has narrowed to a generational and economic clash. Incumbent Bruce Harrell, 67, touts experience and endorsements but trailed in August, while 43-year-old organizer Katie Wilson led with 50 percent on a housing-first, social-media-savvy campaign. Their split over a new 5 percent "excess compensation" tax—backed by voters and opposed by business—opened a lane for Wilson. The contest has turned personal, with disputes over privilege, resume, and wealth, even as a city that needs more housing weighs who should manage a $9 billion government and its 13,000 employees.

Stranger Things 5’s finale will play on the big screen, with screenings in 350+ U.S. and Canadian theaters starting Dec. 31, 2025 at 5 p.m. PT—the exact moment the episode lands on Netflix—through Jan. 1, 2026. The unprecedented day-and-date TV episode release follows earlier short-window screenings for Season 4. After discussions, the Duffers thanked Netflix leaders Ted Sarandos and Bela Bajaria for making their long-held wish happen; the creators called the plan “bitchin’.” The streamer will roll out Season 5 in three batches, culminating with the finale; participating theaters are TBA.

Roberto Mosquera del Peral, a Cuban man deported by the United States to Eswatini, is on hunger strike in a maximum-security prison after more than three months held without charge or access to a lawyer, his U.S.-based attorney said. Eswatini officials call it religious fasting; his lawyer calls it desperation and protest. Lawyers and civic groups are challenging the detentions under the Trump administration’s third-country deportation program. Of five men flown in July, one was repatriated; others, plus new arrivals this month, remain jailed amid disputed details of Mosquera’s conviction and monitored calls.

At an EU summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed fresh US and EU sanctions as essential pressure on Moscow and pressed leaders for long‑range weapons, stronger air defenses, and funding. The US targeted Russia’s two biggest oil firms, and the EU approved a 19th package that bans Russian LNG imports. Ukraine reported five civilians shot by Russian soldiers in Donetsk and said two journalists from a state‑funded TV channel were killed by a Lancet drone in Kramatorsk. Off‑site power was restored to the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after a month‑long outage.

A metal detectorist says he unearthed up to 15,000 Roman coins in two clay pots in north Wales — a haul experts think could be the nation’s largest. David Moss, 36, from Cheshire, described “goosebumps” at the find and, fearing theft, slept with the coins in his car for three days before delivering them to National Museum Cardiff. The museum will analyze and date the hoard, with an assessment expected next year. Numismatist Anthony Halse believes the cache may be the biggest in Wales and possibly tied to Roman military wealth.

A family-run German manufacturer, Böcker, found its Agilo furniture lift thrust into the Louvre’s crown jewel heist, then flipped the moment into a cheeky ad campaign. Within a day, the firm posted the tagline When you need to move fast on Facebook and Instagram, featuring the same elevator used to enter a window and flee with about €88m in Napoleonic jewelry. Marketing chief Julia Scharwatz said reaction was overwhelming: Instagram reach jumped to 1.7 million, mostly positive, though some called the humor tasteless. The lift had been stolen from a Paris rental company.

Sweden, a new NATO member, signed a letter of understanding with Volodymyr Zelensky to potentially sell 100–150 Saab Gripen‑E jets to Ukraine—the first offer by a NATO member to supply significant numbers of jets to Kyiv. Exact terms and delivery dates remain undecided, but both Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called it a potential game changer for Ukraine and European security. The newly fielded Gripen‑E—praised for rugged operations, upgraded sensors and AI—aligns with Ukrainian pilot training on older models. Zelensky hopes deliveries could start next year, days after US President Donald Trump rejected a Tomahawk request.

In a Gizmodo interview, former CDC leader Demetre Daskalakis portrays the agency in crisis under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., citing mass firings, a reshaped vaccine advisory panel, and policy changes announced without scientific review. He and other senior officials resigned after director Susan Monarez was fired; he says staffing is down about a quarter. Daskalakis describes a deadly shooting that traumatized workers and alleges political interference by acting director Jim O’Neill and the administration. He argues federal public health is now compromised and urges rebuilding through state and local efforts rather than a damaged CDC.

Samsung unveiled the $1,800 Galaxy XR, the first Android XR headset, quickly likened to a 'Vision Pro Lite' at nearly half Vision Pro’s price. Despite sleek hardware and Apple-like gestures, the article says it’s essentially a polished developer kit amid a sparse app lineup beyond Google Maps, Photos, and routine YouTube 360. Samsung’s 'AI‑native' pitch leans on Gemini, but plans to elevate XR content remain unclear, while Apple pushes features like 8K Immersive Videos. With Meta’s $500 Quest 3 undercutting price, the piece argues XR’s bigger hurdles are purpose and Google’s shaky history in VR.

About 2,000 gold and silver coins worth around €90,000 were stolen from the Maison des Lumières, a Denis Diderot museum in Landres, hours after an audacious Louvre heist of crown jewels. Staff found a smashed case Tuesday; officials said the coins were chosen with "great expertise." The theft adds to a spate of raids, including €1.5m in gold nuggets taken from Paris’s Natural History Museum and €6.55m in porcelain missing from Limoges. After the €88m Louvre robbery, officials admitted aging CCTV, failed alarms and lax protocols, prompting national scrutiny.