By Terry Ward

(CNN) — When Brooke Black and her Danish husband first lived together in the United States, she doesn’t recall their different dining habits ever really being a thing.

It wasn’t until the 44-year-old mother of two moved to Denmark in 2020 that she became acutely aware that she didn’t use eating utensils like her husband — or pretty much any of the Europeans around her.

Growing up in Illinois, Black says her mother only set their family dinner table with forks, unless there was something being served, such as steak, that warranted a knife to cut it.

“I have not used a knife my whole life,” says Black, who shares cultural commentary about her daily life in Denmark on her Instagram account. While she jokes that she “stands by that a fork can also be a knife,” she never learned to eat in the “zigzagging” manner of many Americans who will cut meat with the knife in their dominant hand before switching the fork back into that one to eat.

But in Denmark at family gatherings, with her fork held in her right hand from the get-go — tines up — and her knife largely untouched beside the plate, Black soon realized she stuck out.

“I get made fun of constantly by my husband’s family. At the dinner table at my mother-in-law’s house, they’re all just like, ‘What are you doing?’ because they do all eat with the fork in their left hand, tines upside down, and the knife in their right,” she says.

Black says she has adapted, in public at least, to what’s widely called the Continental style of dining, digging into Danish foods like the dainty open-faced sandwiches called Smørrebrød with her fork in her left hand, turned down to eat, and the knife in her right to cut.

But even when dining like a Dane, she still often feels like the odd woman out.

“They all have their quiet, sensible ways of doing things. And I’m just a loud lady stabbing things,” she says.

The nuances of how silverware gets wielded on either side of the pond can be dizzying. While there are some obvious differences, the subtleties can be harder to master — and how those differences came to be is murky.

Continental and ‘labor-intensive’ American style

Tables may be set similarly across the Western world, but it’s clear that the two dominant styles of using silverware (or cutlery) — American and Continental — have some variations to navigate.

Jacqueline Whitmore , a business etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, Florida, offers her summary of the differences between the two main styles of dining with a fork and a knife.

“In the Continental style, you use both the knife and fork at the same time, bringing the fork to your mouth with the tines upside down, never putting the knife down while you’re eating,” she says. The knife remains in the dominant hand, poised to cut when necessary or push food that can’t be speared atop the fork’s overturned tines.

What’s considered American style takes a cut-and-switch approach. The knife is held in the dominant hand to cut, with the fork in the non-dominant hand pinning food in place, tines down. The knife is then placed into resting position on the plate so that the fork can be switched to the dominant hand, tines facing upward to eat.

“The American style is kind of like a zigzag style. You cut your meat, you put the knife down on the side of the plate, and you switch the fork from one hand to the next. So it’s a little more labor-intensive,” Whitmore says.

To make matters more confusing, British dining has its own style that differs, however subtly, from Continental, according to British etiquette coach and expert William Hanson, author of the book “Ju

By Lily Hautau, CNN

(CNN) — While everyone else’s stockings are hung with care, Mom’s is often the last to be filled — if it’s filled at all. Why? For many families, moms are the magic makers of the holidays, but so often their needs can be overlooked.

“The pressure to create ‘magical’ holiday experiences often falls squarely on mothers,” said Dr. Catherine Birndorf, cofounder, CEO and medical director of the Motherhood Center in New York City, a mental health care and support network for new and expecting mothers.

Appreciation isn’t a luxury, Birndorf noted. “It’s psychological necessity . It binds us together. Recognizing everyone’s contributions, big and small, creates connection.”

Showing your appreciation by stuffing your wife’s or mother’s stocking doesn’t have to break the bank.

One of Paige Connell’s most memorable stocking stuffers was receiving a pair of plain but cool socks from her husband that she had wanted. It was the effort behind the gift that made it meaningful. “That is what I think so many of us are looking for,” said Connell, a married mother of four children from Boston.

Modeling appreciation for the next generation

Liz Kihn, a stay-at-home mom from Pennsylvania, has seen videos of mothers waking up on Christmas morning to find their stockings empty while the rest of the family laughs it off.

“That is my nightmare,” Kihn said. “I personally don’t want to feel that way, but I don’t want my daughter to ever think it’s OK to treat anybody that way, let alone her own family.”

This year she’s made it clear to her husband that she wants her stocking filled. And as her daughter gets older, Kihn said she feels it’s important to model that everyone deserves to feel valued.

But you can’t expect people to know what your needs are unless you speak up. Whether it’s filling a stocking, scheduling doctor’s appointments or helping with grocery shopping, Kihn points out that these are things many moms think about constantly.

“Dads can’t help us if they don’t know,” she said. “You just need to be bold and speak up for yourself and what you want.”

Tips for finding the right gift

Finding gifts for stockings can be as simple as picking up new toiletries or her favorite treat.

Dr. Galena Rhoades, research professor and director of the Institute for Relationship Science at the University of Denver, highlights the value of “finding small things that are important or funny or meaningful or kind.”

Even everyday items can be special if they’re chosen thoughtfully: “If you’re getting them toothpaste, for example, which is a silly one, what toothpaste do they use?” Connell added.

If you’re out of ideas, don’t be afraid to ask. “It’s an opportunity to communicate needs and desires and respond to them,” Rhoades said, noting that open communication can help ensure that gifts are useful and appreciated.

Building new traditions together

This stocking stuffing responsibility doesn’t have to fall solely on spouses or partners. Including children in the process can make the gifts even more meaningful for the whole family.

“Empathy can be nurtured, and holidays, when done with intention, are one of the richest opportunities to enhance and teach it,” Birndorf said.

Even young children can benefit from “a role and a sense of agency to be able to do something that’s kind for someone else in their family,” Rhoades said.

For Connell, who posts videos about partners sharing a family’s mental load equally, one of the most exciting days of her childhood occurred while shopping for gifts for her siblings. They were each given $5 at a local card shop to spend.

After the shopping trip, she and her siblings would go home and wrap the gifts and give

By Ashley Strickland, CNN

(CNN) — The Ursid meteor shower, which marks the final celestial event of the year, will peak between Sunday night and early Monday morning.

Sky-gazers can expect to see five to 10 meteors per hour between midnight and 5 a.m. ET Monday, or between 9 p.m. PT Sunday and 2 a.m. PT Monday, said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society.

The meteor shower will peak around the time of the winter solstice, or the official beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, when it is the farthest from the sun.

The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year and coincides with a thin and faint crescent moon, creating perfectly dark skies for optimal meteor viewing.

The shower will only be visible to those in the Northern Hemisphere because the radiant, or the point from which meteors appear to come, never rises high enough in the sky to by visible for those in the Southern Hemisphere.

Enhanced meteor activity

The Ursids originate from the bowl of the Little Dipper, also known as the Ursa Minor constellation, near the bright orange star called Kochab, Lunsford said.

The meteor shower occurs as Earth encounters the stream of particles left behind by comet 8P/Tuttle, which sheds material as it orbits the sun, according to EarthSky.

This year’s shower activity could be enhanced by previous streams of debris from the comet, Lunsford said.

Each time comet 8P/Tuttle passes through the inner solar system during its orbit, the celestial object leaves behind a new trail of debris, he added. The trails are similar, but they aren’t exactly the same, meaning that Earth can pass through one trail and miss others.

“This year it is predicted that the Earth will pass through a particular trail which may give us a brief enhancement of activity,” Lunsford said via email.

How to see the Ursids

The shower is oft neglected because it delivers fewer meteors per hour when compared with the spectacular Geminids, which peaked a week ago, and it occurs close to the holidays when nights are often frigid and cloudy.

But it’s worth bundling up and finding a location away from city lights to observe the shower, Lunsford said.

“It is highly suggested that one try to view from the darkest location possible,” he added. “Folks viewing from closer to cities can only see less than 5 per hour.”

Face the northern half of the sky but avoid the temptation to look straight up, instead focusing about halfway upward, he advised.

Because the meteor rates per hour are lower for the Ursids than the Geminids, Lunsford recommends viewing for at least an hour for a chance to spot meteors streaking across the sky.

Celestial events kick off the new year

The new year will begin with a double celestial event.

January’s full moon, called the wolf moon, will peak on January 3 — which also coincides with the first meteor shower of the year, the Quadrantids.

While that shower is known for producing bright, slow-moving fireballs in the night sky, the brightness of the full moon is expected to dim the display of meteors.

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Por Gilles Salomone, CNN en Español

Los jugadores de Estudiantes de La Plata estaban en el campo de juego, alineados en pasillo, uno frente al otro, formando un corredor con sus cuerpos para recibir al campeón, Rosario Central. Pero cuando este entró al rectángulo, los once futbolistas rivales se dieron media vuelta y le dieron la espalda. Este gesto controversial fue una respuesta a la polémica decisión de la Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA) de otorgarle a Rosario Central un título de campeón que no estaba previsto en el reglamento. AFA aseguró que había sido aprobado por todos los clubes, pero Estudiantes lo desmintió en un comunicado.

Este título polémico, otorgado en noviembre, una vez finalizado el campeonato, y la llamativa demostración de inconformismo del club rival abrieron una caja de Pandora para la AFA, una de las asociaciones de fútbol más influyentes del mundo y hogar de la selección campeona del mundo.

Hinchas inconformes, allanamientos policiales por presuntas irregularidades, denuncias por supuesta apropiación indebida de fondos y el posicionamiento del presidente Javier Milei, que subió a sus redes una foto de la camiseta de Estudiantes: todo estalló cuando solo faltan seis meses para que la selección argentina viaje a defender su título de campeón en el Mundial de Estados Unidos, México y Canadá de 2026. ¿Pueden estos escándalos que van más allá del fútbol, afectar de alguna manera a la selección de Lionel Messi?

La polémica del título otorgado a Rosario Central y el pasillo de espaldas pusieron a la AFA y a su presidente, Claudio Tapia, en el centro de la escena. En paralelo, la justicia llevaba a cabo una investigación por presunto lavado de dinero de una financiera llamada Sur Finanzas, uno de los patrocinadores principales de AFA, auspiciante de varios equipos de la primera división del fútbol argentino.

Según una fuente con conocimiento de la causa, la investigación busca determinar si existen irregularidades entre los contratos de Sur Finanzas y la AFA. De acuerdo con esta fuente, la investigación comenzó luego de una sospecha por presuntas irregularidades en el contrato de la financiera con el Club Atlético Banfield, equipo de la primera división de Argentina.

Al allanar Banfield y Sur Finanzas, la Policía encontró documentación que vinculaba a la empresa con otros clubes y con la AFA. Por esto se decidió también realizar operativos en las sedes de 17 equipos del fútbol local, y la de la AFA para comprobar si hay irregularidades en los acuerdos con estos equipos. Entre los clubes allanados se encuentran Racing, San Lorenzo e Independiente, equipos importantes de la liga local. Y además, Barracas Central, club cercano a Tapia, presidente de la AFA. Todos los clubes aclararon que se pusieron a disposición de la justicia.

En un comunicado, el ente rector del fútbol argentino declaró que se puso a disposición de las autoridades “aportando toda la documentación física y digital solicitada por la medida”. Sur Finanzas también se pronunció a través de un comunicado, habló de “acusaci

Por Mostafa Salem y Ibrahim Dahman, CNN

Cuando el jeque Mohammed Abu Mustafa salió de su mezquita, en el sur de Gaza, después de dirigir las oraciones de la tarde, a principios de noviembre, un hombre armado en una motocicleta se acercó y lo mató a tiros.

Fue un asesinato selectivo que un grupo extremista islámico dijo que fue llevado a cabo por una milicia local respaldada por Israel.

Un grupo vinculado a Hamas afirmó posteriormente que el imán asesinado era un yihadista que había ocultado rehenes israelíes durante la guerra de Gaza, y acusó al sicario de pertenecer a una nueva milicia respaldada por Israel liderada por Hussam Al-Astal, un exprisionero en la Gaza gobernada por Hamas, que ahora trabaja abiertamente para derrocar al grupo extremista que ha gobernado el territorio con mano de hierro durante casi dos décadas.

En una entrevista telefónica con CNN, Al-Astal negó que sus hombres asesinaran al jeque Abu Mustafa, pero dijo que celebraba la muerte de cualquier miembro de Hamas.

Su grupo poco conocido, la autodenominada Fuerza de Ataque Antiterrorista, se ha hecho con el control de una aldea en la parte de Khan Younis, en el sur de Gaza, ocupada por Israel. Desde allí, lleva a cabo incursiones contra Hamas mientras intenta aumentar su pequeño apoyo local.

A medida que el polvo comienza a asentarse después de la brutal guerra de dos años, Gaza ha quedado dividida en dos. Hamas está reconsolidando su control en la mitad occidental del enclave, de la que Israel se retiró, y sigue siendo la fuerza dominante donde vive la gran mayoría de la población de Gaza. Al este de la llamada línea amarilla –un límite militar israelí– sin embargo, quedan relativamente pocos civiles. Es allí, en el territorio controlado por Israel, donde pequeños grupos armados intentan imponer su dominio y hacerse con influencia.

Bajo la estrecha vigilancia de Israel, al menos cinco facciones operan ahora dentro de la línea amarilla. Lo que comenzó como bandas dispersas y oportunistas que explotaban el caos del conflicto se ha convertido en una red coordinada de milicias armadas que abiertamente se posicionan para desempeñar un papel en Gaza después de la guerra, en caso de que Hamas sea apartado del poder.

“Hay coordinación entre nuestros grupos. Tenemos los mismos objetivos y la misma ideología… Tenemos el mismo fin”, dijo Al-Astal a CNN, refiriéndose a la derrota de Hamas.

Armadas con armas ligeras, unas pocas docenas de combatientes y un puñado de vehículos, las milicias operan desde bases separadas en áreas de Gaza controladas por Israel. En las redes sociales, sus líderes publican regularmente videos de propaganda que muestran a hombres enmascarados con uniformes negros improvisados, sosteniendo rifles, coreando torpemente al unísono y prometiendo “liberar” Gaza de Hamas.

Aunque son pequeñas y carecen de la habilidad y el apoyo para reemplazar plenamente a Hamas, estas milicias ya han sumido a Gaza en una mayor inestabilidad. Usando ataques relámpago, han intentado desafiar a Hamas mientras este consolidaba el poder en áreas que ya no están bajo el control de Israel desde el alto el fuego. Las milicias han librado una insurgencia dentro de otra insurgencia, atacando a Hamas en un momento crítico del proceso de establecimiento de un gobierno en la Gaza posterior a la guerra.

Hamas no se ha quedado de brazos cruzados.

Preocupado por su estatus en el enclave palestino, Hamas está ahora en misión de perseguirlos, mientras los palestinos comunes crecen cada vez más ansiosos de que el enclave devastado por la guerra pueda deslizarse hacia un conflicto civil abierto. Informes de violencia se han compartido ampliamente en las redes sociales, con un video particularmente espeluznante que fue difundido por canales afiliados a Hamas en octubre, mostrando a un grupo de combatientes enmascarados, algunos de ellos con cintas verdes de Hamas en la cabe