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A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake rattled the Anchorage metropolitan area on Thanksgiving morning, causing widespread shaking across south-central Alaska but fortunately resulting in no immediate reports of significant damage or casualties. Despite the tremor, officials quickly confirmed no tsunami threat and that key public infrastructure remained intact, though residents were reminded of Alaska's highly seismic nature and the potential for aftershocks.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a significant rule extending compliance deadlines for the oil and gas industry, reversing stringent mandates originally established by the Biden-Harris administration. Announced on November 26, 2025, this decision by the Trump EPA aims to provide an estimated $750 million in financial relief over 11 years, addressing industry concerns over "unrealistic regulations" and operational challenges.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, November 27, 2025, marking a significant moment for international space collaboration. Their arrival expands the orbiting laboratory's crew to ten members for the next two weeks, facilitating increased research and operational activities, with two of the trio embarking on their inaugural journey into space.
A devastating fire at Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court residential complex has claimed at least 83 lives and left hundreds missing, marking the city's deadliest blaze in decades. Fueled by external scaffolding during renovation, the inferno prompted a Level 5 alarm and a police investigation, leading to the arrest of three construction executives on manslaughter charges.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has commenced a 27-year prison sentence following his conviction for allegedly plotting a military coup and undermining democratic institutions, a landmark decision upheld by the Supreme Court with no further avenues for appeal. This historic imprisonment, stemming from his efforts to remain in power after the 2022 election, has deeply polarized public opinion across Brazil and garnered significant international attention.
Scientists led by Professor Tomonori Totani may have achieved the first direct observation of dark matter, nearly a century after its theoretical proposal, by analyzing gamma-ray patterns from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. This groundbreaking discovery involves a unique 20 GeV gamma-ray glow near the Milky Way's center that matches predictions for dark matter particle annihilation, representing a crucial step in understanding the universe's composition, pending further verification.
Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted on November 23, 2025, for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, sending massive ash plumes 45,000 feet high and causing significant disruptions to air travel across multiple continents. This rare sub-Plinian eruption raised concerns for local livestock herders due to ash-covered villages and prompted widespread monitoring of the ash cloud's international drift.
Groundbreaking research has uncovered concerning early indicators of brain stress in young adults with obesity, revealing higher inflammation, liver strain, and elevated neurofilament light chain (NfL) as key markers of neuronal injury. A critical discovery from the study highlights a strong correlation between these brain stress indicators and unusually low levels of choline, an essential nutrient, suggesting that metabolic disruptions could accelerate cognitive decline much earlier than previously understood.
Facing an alarming surge in mass kidnappings across Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency on November 26, 2025, following widespread abductions of hundreds, including schoolchildren and women. In response to this escalating crisis, which saw over 300 students and teachers taken from one school alone, the government is deploying significant security reinforcements, including 50,000 new police officers and forest guards, to restore order and secure the release of captives.
Ahmedabad, India, has been officially confirmed as the host city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, marking the centenary edition of the multi-sport event after its ratification by Commonwealth Sport on November 26, 2025. This significant decision, where Ahmedabad was chosen over Abuja, Nigeria, highlights India's commitment to a flawless execution and its strategic ambition to bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics.
A targeted shooting near the White House on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, left two U.S. National Guard soldiers critically wounded, prompting the Trump administration to deploy an additional 500 National Guard members to Washington D.C. The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, is now in custody with non-life-threatening injuries, while President Trump condemned the assailant and vowed a "very steep price," further intensifying debate over the use of military forces for domestic law enforcement.
The United States is contemplating a significant revision to its student visa framework, including the potential elimination of the long-standing "Intent to Leave" rule, to make U.S. education more accessible and attractive to global talent. This proposed change, championed by the DIGNITY Act of 2025, aims to address a noticeable decline in international student enrollments by preventing visa denials based solely on an applicant's perceived intent to remain in the U.S. post-graduation.