Catastrophic floods and landslides have swept across South and Southeast Asia, claiming over 1,000 lives and displacing hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia. Sri Lanka, particularly hard-hit by Cyclone Ditwah with 334 fatalities, declared a state of emergency amidst widespread devastation that experts attribute to the climate crisis.
UK doctors have announced a significant breakthrough in treating Huntington's disease with the new gene therapy AMT-130, which demonstrated an impressive 75 percent slowing of disease progression in early-stage clinical trials. This groundbreaking development offers substantial hope for patients by targeting the root cause of the devastating neurodegenerative disorder, potentially ushering in a new era of treatment.
The World Health Organization has officially recognized GLP-1 weight loss medications, including Mounjaro and Wegovy, as a significant breakthrough in combating the escalating global obesity crisis, marking a pivotal shift in how the international health body views treatment. Amidst projections that global obesity will affect two billion people by 2030, the WHO is now urging countries to enhance access to these therapies and calling on pharmaceutical companies to lower prices and increase production to ensure equitable availability worldwide.
The Independent Center has unveiled an ambitious plan to leverage artificial intelligence to elect independent candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 elections. This initiative aims to disrupt the entrenched two-party system by preventing either major party from achieving a majority, capitalizing on growing voter dissatisfaction with the current partisan divide.
"Rage bait" has been officially named the Oxford Word of the Year for 2025, a term describing online content deliberately designed to provoke anger or outrage to increase engagement and traffic. This selection highlights a concerning trend in digital communication, as its usage has tripled in the past year, signifying growing public awareness of online manipulation tactics and a shift from curiosity-driven clickbait to emotion-hijacking content.
Brazil's national football team achieved an unprecedented fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup title, triumphing over France with a dramatic 2-1 victory in the final. This monumental win solidifies their unparalleled dominance in international football, sparking immense national pride and cementing their legacy as one of the greatest teams in history.
A catastrophic apartment fire at Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court housing complex on November 26, 2025, has tragically claimed 146 lives, casting a profound shadow over the city. This devastating blaze, which rapidly spread from external scaffolding during renovations, has sparked urgent investigations into urban safety regulations and led to arrests on suspicion of manslaughter.
India's Parliament began its Winter Session on December 1, 2025, with the government prioritizing key bills on excise, health security, and GST, while immediately facing strong opposition demands for a structured debate on electoral reforms. This session, also marking Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan's first time presiding over the Rajya Sabha, is anticipated to be contentious, as opposition parties threaten disruption if discussions on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls are not permitted.
Europe is experiencing unprecedented December warmth, with temperatures 3 to 5 degrees Celsius above average, a phenomenon attributed to climate change, an erratic jet stream, and warm Atlantic winds. This unusual weather poses significant threats to the agricultural sector, disrupting crop cycles and increasing pest activity, while also highlighting Europe's status as the fastest-warming continent.
China's top economic planning agency is sounding the alarm over a potential investment bubble in its booming humanoid robotics industry, warning that a proliferation of over 150 companies producing "highly similar" models could stifle innovation. This rare caution from the National Development and Reform Commission, despite the sector's designation as a key growth driver, reflects historical patterns of over-investment in Chinese tech and aims to prevent detrimental market shakeouts.
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the scientific community, the Trump administration in 2025 froze or terminated over 5,300 research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), totaling more than $5 billion in unspent funds. These unprecedented cuts, impacting critical areas from cancer research to environmental protection, have left thousands of researchers in precarious positions and threaten the U.S.'s leadership in vital scientific fields.
A critical software vulnerability has triggered an unprecedented global recall of up to 6,000 Airbus A320 family aircraft, causing widespread flight disruptions and impacting millions of travelers worldwide. This massive recall, initiated on November 28-29, 2025, follows a serious in-flight incident and mandates urgent fixes to address a susceptibility where solar radiation could corrupt critical flight control data, as directed by aviation authorities.