Catamist News

China's New 'K Visa' Attracts Global STEM

Effective October 1, 2025, China has introduced a new "K Visa" category specifically designed to attract top foreign professionals in STEM fields, aiming to bolster its leadership in critical technological areas like AI and semiconductors. This strategic initiative waives the prior job offer requirement for recent graduates from recognized global universities, positioning China as a welcoming alternative amidst tightening visa restrictions in other nations.

4 min read

COP30 Amazon: Urgent Climate Finance Call

The 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) has officially commenced in Belém, Brazil, urging global leaders to translate climate pledges into concrete actions and substantially increase financial commitments. Hosted in the Amazon until November 21, the summit aims to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance by 2035, review national climate plans, and advance a just transition, all against the stark backdrop of the planet nearing the critical 1.5°C warming limit.

India SC Probes Women's Parliament Delay

India's Supreme Court, on November 10, 2025, expressed significant concern over the declining presence of women in Parliament, referring to them as the nation's "largest minority," during a pivotal hearing. The Court subsequently issued notice to the Central government, demanding a timeline for the implementation of the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,' a law granting 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies, which has been delayed by a contested condition.

Trump Pardons 2020 Election Overturn Allies

In a controversial move, President Donald Trump has issued sweeping and unconditional pardons to over 70 key allies, including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, who were accused of backing his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. While these pardons aim to cover all federal charges related to their actions, they are largely symbolic as no federal charges were pending, and they do not protect against ongoing state-level prosecutions in various jurisdictions.

FDA Lifts MHT Black Box Warning

In a landmark decision on November 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the removal of broad "black box" warnings from hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products for menopause, aiming to re-establish evidence-based science in women's health. This significant policy shift, overturning over two decades of fear and misinformation stemming from a flawed 2002 study, is expected to empower more women to access effective treatments and potentially reduce risks of various health issues, though the boxed warning for endometrial cancer will remain for systemic estrogen-alone products.

Nobel Physics 2025: Quantum Computing Boost

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their revolutionary discovery of "macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit," demonstrating quantum phenomena at a larger scale. This groundbreaking work, conducted in the mid-1980s, fundamentally reshaped our understanding of quantum physics and laid the essential foundation for modern superconducting quantum computing technologies.

Apple, Google AI in Siri: $1B Deal

Apple is reportedly finalizing a landmark $1 billion annual agreement to integrate Google's powerful Gemini AI into a revamped Siri, aiming to significantly enhance its capabilities and address its perceived lag behind competitors. This strategic move, codenamed "Linwood" and expected with an iOS 26.4 update in spring 2026, will see Gemini handle Siri's summarizer and planner functions while operating on Apple's Private Cloud Compute to maintain user privacy.

Senate Deal Nears End of US Govt Shutdown

After over 40 days, senators have reached a crucial stopgap deal, marking a significant step towards ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This bipartisan agreement aims to temporarily fund federal agencies, allowing for formal debate and offering relief to affected workers and disrupted programs.

New Pink Anemone Builds Crab Homes Off Japan

Scientists have unveiled *Paracalliactis tsukisome*, a remarkable new species of pale pink sea anemone discovered off Japan's Pacific coast, which uniquely constructs and expands shell-like homes for hermit crabs. This extraordinary deep-sea partnership offers significant advantages, providing the hermit crab with a permanent, growing abode while granting the anemone stability and mobility.

OpenAI Inks $38B Cloud Deal with AWS

OpenAI has finalized a monumental seven-year, $38 billion cloud computing agreement with Amazon Web Services, securing extensive access to critical Nvidia GPUs essential for training its next-generation AI models and powering services like ChatGPT. This landmark deal signifies OpenAI's strategic shift towards a multi-cloud approach, challenging Microsoft's dominance and positioning AWS as a formidable competitor in the rapidly evolving AI infrastructure market.

Quantinuum Unveils 98-Qubit Helios Quantum

Quantinuum has unveiled Helios, a groundbreaking 98-qubit quantum computer, which they assert is the most powerful and accurate system globally, marking a pivotal moment in quantum computing advancement. Announced around November 5, 2025, this new system has already delivered novel insights into superconducting physics by discovering previously unknown electron behavior, showcasing its unprecedented capabilities.

Typhoon Fung-wong Kills 2 in Philippines

Super Typhoon Fung-wong, locally named Uwan, made a devastating landfall in the Philippines on November 9, 2025, unleashing widespread destruction across Luzon, resulting in at least two confirmed fatalities and the pre-emptive evacuation of nearly 1.4 million people. This powerful Category 4-equivalent storm, packing fierce winds of 185 km/h, caused extensive damage including massive power outages, severe flooding, and significant storm surges, further straining the nation's disaster response capabilities just a week after Typhoon Kalmaegi.

5 min read

China's New 'K Visa' Attracts Global STEM