The year is 2016. Somehow it feels carefree, driven by internet culture. Everyone is wearing over-the-top makeup. At least, that’s how Maren Nævdal, 27, remembers it — and has seen it on her social feeds in recent days. For Njeri Allen, also 27, the year was defined by the artists topping the charts that year, from Beyonce to Drake to Rihanna’s last music releases. These days, a lot of people, particularly those in their 20s and 30s, are thinking about 2016. Over the past few weeks, millions have been sharing throwback photos to that time on social media, kicking off one of the first viral trends of the year — the year 2026, that is.

There's a lot more to The New York Times than its news stories, and that's by design. The success of ancillary products on its website — Games, the Wirecutter product recommendations, mounds of recipes in cooking and podcasts — have fueled the news company's success over the past decade. Digital subscriptions keep rising from people who can't kick their Wordle habits, and it has led to The Times more than doubling its staff of journalists over the past decade, particularly remarkable at a time of rapid contraction in the news industry. Wednesday's a big day at The Times' Games site, as it introduces its first competition designed for two players.

A cleric leading prayers in Iran's capital has demanded the death penalty for detained protesters, showing the hard-line rage gripping the Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami's sermon Friday was carried by Iranian state radio and sparked chants from those gathered for prayers. Executions and the killing of peaceful protesters are red lines laid down by Trump for possible military action against Iran. Khatami's remarks also offered the first nationwide counts of damage done during the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 over Iran's ailing economy. Iran cut off access to the internet Jan. 8 and intensified a bloody crackdown on all dissent. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Friday put the death toll from the crackdown at 2,797.

Iranian officials signaled that fast trials and executions lay ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests, while the Islamic Republic promised retaliation if the U.S. or Israel intervened in the domestic unrest. The threats emerged Wednesday as some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate even as President Donald Trump made a series of vague statements that left it unclear what American action, if any, would take place against Iran. The Islamic Republic also shut its airspace to commercial flights early Thursday morning for several hours, without explanation.

NEW YORK (AP) — AOL’s dial-up internet is finally taking its last bow.Yes, while perhaps a dinosaur by today’s digital standards, dial-up is s…