From Floods to Skimo: Gun Rights Clash & Email Fails!

The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics will feature ski mountaineering, also known as skimo, as its only new sport, according to Time. The sport combines ascending a snowy mountain on skis with the speed and technical skill required to ski back down.

Ski mountaineering is an emerging sport with competitions primarily held throughout Europe, according to Time. The sport requires athletes to be able to ascend and descend mountains on skis faster than their opponents.

In other news, the National Rifle Association (NRA) issued a statement defending the Second Amendment after President Donald Trump commented on the death of Alex Pretti, the VA nurse killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, according to Time. Trump stated that Pretti should not have been carrying a gun. The NRA stated that all law-abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms anywhere they have a legal right to be, according to Time. Police described Pretti, 37, as a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, and videos of his final moments do not show him holding the gun during the encounter with officers, according to Time.

Meanwhile, in South Africa, unusually severe floods struck Limpopo in mid-January, a region home to 6.6 million people, several large mines, and the Kruger National Park, according to Phys.org. Ephias Mugari, writing for The Conversation, reported that the floods turned deadly because Limpopo was not prepared.

In Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman returned to his homeland on December 25 after 17 years in exile, greeted by hundreds of thousands of supporters, according to Time. Rahman, the de facto opposition leader, had his speeches banned from local media for a decade by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to Time. "My body is getting adjusted to this local weather," Rahman told TIME in his first interview since returning. "The thing is that I'm not very good at talking anyway, but if you ask me to do something, I try my best."

Naomi Baron, a professor emerita of linguistics at American University, expressed her displeasure with the email opener "I hope this email finds you well," according to Time. Baron stated, "What business is it of a stranger to ask about my health?"