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Australia has implemented a groundbreaking ban, effective December 10, 2025, preventing children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, marking a significant global precedent for digital regulation. This pioneering legislation aims to safeguard young people from online harms, drawing praise from parents and advocates while sparking international interest in similar age-based restrictions.
A newly released World Inequality Report 2026 reveals a stark and growing chasm, showing the wealthiest 10 percent of the global population now controls three-quarters of all personal wealth. This extreme concentration of resources leaves the poorest half with less than 10 percent of total income, contributing to stagnating living standards and posing significant challenges to global stability, particularly in nations like South Africa where the bottom 50 percent holds negative wealth.
The UN Environment Programme's new GEO-7 report, released on December 9, 2025, issues a dire warning that accelerating environmental decline poses an existential threat to global economies and human well-being, with climate change alone potentially cutting 4% off annual global GDP by 2050. Despite this grim outlook, the report offers a hopeful pathway, urging a shift beyond GDP and advocating for circular economy models and decarbonization, projecting that investments in planetary health could yield US$20 trillion annually by 2070 and significantly improve human lives.
Scientists at Fermilab's MicroBooNE experiment have definitively ruled out the existence of the sterile neutrino, a hypothetical particle once considered a leading explanation for puzzling neutrino behavior, thereby challenging a decades-old theory in particle physics. This groundbreaking finding, announced on December 3, 2025, now redirects researchers to explore other avenues in their quest to understand physics beyond the Standard Model.
Hamas has urgently called for international pressure on Israel to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, citing alleged Israeli violations that are hindering progress. For the truce to proceed, Hamas demands the full reopening of the Rafah border crossing, an end to Israeli strikes, and increased humanitarian aid, while Israel insists on the return of the last hostage's remains amidst ongoing fragile negotiations.
A devastating fire ripped through a seven-story office building in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, claiming the lives of at least 22 individuals, including a pregnant woman. The inferno, believed to have started from a drone battery, rapidly spread and caused most victims to succumb to toxic smoke inhalation, despite the efforts of hundreds of emergency personnel who rescued 19 trapped workers.
NTT has unveiled the world's first aluminum nitride (AlN)-based high-frequency transistor, a monumental achievement announced on December 9, 2025, that overcomes previous technical hurdles. This breakthrough promises to revolutionize post-5G wireless communication by enabling significantly faster speeds and expanded coverage through its superior high-power and high-frequency capabilities.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has urgently called on countries in the Americas to address critical vaccination gaps as whooping cough cases have dramatically surged, reaching nearly six times the 2023 numbers globally and over 66,000 in the Americas in 2024. This alarming resurgence, particularly affecting infants and vulnerable communities, is attributed to declining immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, which remains below PAHO's recommended 95% target.
In a landmark decision on November 12, 2025, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) formally prohibited gender-affirming care across its extensive network of over 650 Catholic hospitals, a move impacting one in six acute care hospitals in the U.S. This directive, overwhelmingly supported by bishops, has sparked immediate and strong reactions, drawing praise from conservative groups while facing severe criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates and medical organizations concerned about patient well-being and access to care for transgender individuals.
The Federal Reserve's policy committee commenced its two-day meeting on December 9, 2025, with widespread anticipation of a third consecutive interest rate cut, expected to lower the benchmark fed funds rate by 25 basis points to its lowest level since 2022. This highly anticipated decision, driven by recent weaker-than-expected economic reports and indicated by an 87-89% probability from the CME Group's FedWatch tool, comes amidst a "muddy economic picture," growing divisions among FOMC members, and incomplete economic data due to a recent government shutdown.
The U.S. Supreme Court appears ready to significantly expand presidential authority, signaling a likely ruling that would grant the President greater power to dismiss leaders of independent federal agencies without cause. This potential decision, emerging from oral arguments heard on December 8, 2025, in the case of Trump v. Slaughter, could fundamentally alter the balance of power by overturning a 90-year-old precedent protecting agency heads.
Australia is set to implement a world-first social media ban for children under 16, effective December 10, 2025, requiring major tech companies to deactivate existing accounts and prevent new sign-ups. This groundbreaking legislation, driven by escalating concerns over youth mental health, places the onus on platforms to enforce age restrictions and imposes substantial fines for non-compliance.