FBI Director Kash Patel is refuting claims of misusing government jets for personal trips to see country singer Alexis Wilkins. He asserts flight logs were leaked for political reasons, stating all records are public and his travel is minimal. Patel also defends security details for Wilkins, attributing them to credible threats and standard protocols.

In Utqiagvik, Alask, the northernmost town in the United States, the Sun has set for the last time this year, ushering in roughly two months of Polar Night. As darkness settles in, residents navigate life under civil twilight, plunging temperatures and a winter sky dominated by artificial light and auroras. From cultural traditions to circadian disruption, Utqiagvik shows what living without sunlight truly means.

Scientists are observing a new ocean forming in Africa's Afar region, a unique geological hotspot. Early magnetic surveys from 1968, combined with recent data from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, reveal how continental crust is breaking apart and transforming into oceanic crust. These findings offer a rare, real-time glimpse into the birth of a new ocean basin.

Scientists are observing a new ocean forming in Africa's Afar region, a unique geological hotspot. Early magnetic surveys from 1968, combined with recent data from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, reveal how continental crust is breaking apart and transforming into oceanic crust. These findings offer a rare, real-time glimpse into the birth of a new ocean basin.

UAE Lottery has revamped its Lucky Day draw, shifting to weekly Saturday draws starting December 6th. The grand prize is now Dh30 million, with the second prize boosted to Dh5 million. This change aims to offer more frequent winning opportunities and sustained excitement for participants, concluding the era of the Dh100 million jackpot.

UAE motorists will see a slight increase in fuel prices for December 2025, with all petrol and diesel grades adjusted upwards. This change reverses the November dip and reflects global oil market movements. The new rates, effective December 1, 2025, bring Super 98 back to Dhs2.70 per litre.

In 2025, the UAE has streamlined its driving license system, allowing visitors from 52 countries to drive with their home licenses. Residents can also exchange their foreign licenses for a UAE one without tests. This move simplifies mobility, supporting the country’s ambition to attract global talent and enhance its reputation as a top business and tourism destination.

Switzerland votes Sunday on whether to replace the current men-only military conscription with a compulsory civic duty for men and women alike and on taxing the super-rich to fund the climate fight. - 'Tax the rich' - The second item on the ballot Sunday, known as the "initiative for a future", has also sparked controversy with its demand for a new climate tax on big inheritances.

The UAE has introduced significant tax procedure amendments effective January 1, 2026, establishing a clear five-year window for refund claims and empowering the Federal Tax Authority. These changes aim to enhance transparency, streamline dispute resolution, and introduce a new R&D tax credit to foster innovation.

Telecom giant du is showering UAE residents with a massive 54GB of free 5G data to celebrate the nation's 54th National Day. Post-paid users get it automatically for seven days, while prepaid Flexi Yearly subscribers enjoy a full year. This generous offer, starting December 1, 2025, ensures everyone stays connected during the festivities.

Over 300 migrants have died in Malaysian custody since 2020, raising concerns about detention conditions and treatment. Recent cases, like that of Ben Za Min from Myanmar, highlight alleged medical neglect. Authorities have intensified raids and declared 2025 a "year of enforcement" amid rising illegal entries.

A catastrophic event has shaken the community at Lake Maï-Ndombe, where a boat capsized, tragically taking the lives of at least 20 people, with others still feared missing. The incident occurred Thursday night when the vessel, overloaded and lacking proper safety equipment, sank, claiming victims including a local Catholic deacon.

NASA's James Webb Telescope has unveiled stunning new details of the Red Spider Nebula, NGC 6537. The image reveals the nebula's central star, previously faint, now glowing red due to hot dust. Scientists are also seeing the full extent of the nebula's 'legs' and a fast-moving jet carving its intricate structure, offering fresh insights into stellar death.

Many men eventually discover a seam-like line on their scrotum and wonder whether it’s a scar, or something abnormal. In fact, it’s completely normal and medically known as the scrotal raphe, a developmental remnant from early fetal life. Health experts explain how, during embryonic development, genital tissue fuses under the influence of hormones, leaving this visible line, a harmless anatomical marker we all began with.

Researchers are using Hollywood films in brain-scanning studies, revealing that viewers' brains synchronize during emotionally charged scenes. This approach captures genuine, immersive reactions, offering insights into empathy, anxiety, and how the brain constructs and predicts the world. The findings hold potential for personalized mental health treatments and understanding narrative impact.

NASA's Perseverance rover has detected 'mini-lightning' on Mars for the first time, capturing faint crackles from dust-driven electrical discharges during storms. These tiny, centimetre-scale sparks, unlike Earth's lightning, were recorded by the rover's microphone, offering compelling evidence of atmospheric electrical activity on the Red Planet. Researchers are eager for further confirmation.

India has added seven new names to the Martian geological map. Prominent Kerala locations like Periyar, Bekal, Varkala, Thumba, and Valiamala now represent features on Mars. Renowned geologist MS Krishnan is also honoured with a crater and plain designation. These recognitions highlight India's growing contribution to planetary science and international space research.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is the focus of the eighth official UN and IAWN planetary-defence exercise, running from November 27, 2025, to January 27, 2026. This live, coordinated global campaign allows experts to refine tracking methods and strengthen readiness against future Near-Earth Object threats, despite the comet posing no danger to Earth.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are set for a lavish Thanksgiving feast, a far cry from earlier, simpler meals. This year's menu boasts turkey, clams, oysters, crab, and quail, sent up in September. This culinary comfort aims to replicate home-cooked meals, providing a vital sense of humanity for the crew orbiting Earth.

The total solar eclipse on August 2, 2027, will be a spectacular, yet localized, event. While parts of Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe will witness totality, most of the world will see only a partial eclipse or no change at all. The Moon's shadow is too narrow to darken the entire planet simultaneously.

A newly discovered, faint radio emission, the Hectometric Continuum, emerges only after sunset and pulses through Earth's upper atmosphere for several hours. This natural radiation, undetectable from the ground, originates from plasma interactions within the magnetosphere and has surprised scientists due to its nighttime-only appearance and sensitivity to calm space weather.

New research suggests Earth's Moon formed from the catastrophic collision of our planet with its "sister" planet, Theia, born nearby. This "sibling" planet theory, supported by iron isotope evidence, explains the Moon's composition and Earth's stable tilt. The Moon is now seen as the last remnant of a lost world, offering insights into planetary formation.

Four volunteers are spending a year in NASA's 3D-printed Mars habitat, simulating life on the Red Planet. This mission, CHAPEA, tests how isolation, limited resources, and confined spaces affect human health and teamwork. Researchers are gathering crucial data on sleep, stress, and problem-solving to make future Mars missions safer and more achievable.

Scientists have uncovered massive, dense rock structures deep beneath the western Pacific, challenging long-held theories about Earth's mantle. Advanced seismic imaging reveals these anomalies, which don't fit current models of subducting tectonic plates. Their existence suggests a more complex and ancient Earth interior than previously understood, prompting a re-evaluation of geological processes.

An active underwater volcano off Canada's coast has revealed a vibrant deep-sea habitat, teeming with hundreds of thousands of Pacific white skate eggs. This geothermally active seamount provides a warm, mineral-rich environment, accelerating embryonic development and creating a crucial nursery. Researchers are studying this unique interaction between volcanic heat and reproduction, highlighting its importance for deep-sea life.

Saturn stunned skywatchers on 23 November when its iconic rings seemed to vanish, leaving the planet looking strangely bare. Astronomers confirmed nothing was wrong. Earth had passed directly through the ring plane, making the vast icy bands appear edge-on and nearly invisible. This rare alignment, occurring every 13 to 15 years, created a dramatic but temporary celestial illusion.

Astronomers have discovered a new, previously unnoticed concentration of icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt, dubbed the 'inner kernel.' This finding, made possible by advanced clustering algorithms, suggests the cold classical belt is more layered than previously thought. It offers crucial new insights into Neptune's complex migration and the early evolution of our Solar System, challenging existing models.

Antarctica's ozone hole is showing significant recovery, appearing smaller and breaking up earlier this year. Scientists attribute this positive trend to global efforts under the Montreal Protocol, which has reduced ozone-depleting chemicals. While weather plays a role, the long-term outlook for the ozone layer's full recovery by the late 2060s remains promising.

NASA has discovered CWISE J1249, a mysterious red celestial object moving at over one million miles per hour through the Milky Way. This object, with its extremely low mass and unique infrared signature, challenges current theories of stellar and planetary formation. Scientists are investigating if it's a supernova remnant or an ejected planet, as its characteristics defy conventional classification.