World

Goblin shark near Tonga Trench (2024). Credit: Minderoo-University of Western Australia Deep-Sea Research Center and Inkfish For the first time, scientists have filmed live goblin sharks swimming freely in their natural deep-sea habitat, giving researchers a glimpse of one of the world’s rarest and most mysterious sharks without removing it from the ocean. The discovery…

For people living across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, early July brought another reminder of how quickly conditions can change in the western Pacific. Super Typhoon Bavi arrived as an exceptionally powerful storm, crossing near the islands with destructive winds, heavy rain and dangerous coastal flooding. According to Nasa, the cyclone reached its greatest…

When a wildfire is tearing through a conifer forest, the assumption is usually that trees are simply fuel, more vegetation means a bigger, faster moving fire. Two recent studies, one covering the southwestern United States and another examining Canada’s entire boreal forest, suggest that assumption does not hold for every tree species. Aspen, a fast…

Turkey spent eight months and more than $120 million transforming a former military airport before one of the world’s largest passenger aircraft could touch down. The aircraft, a Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar to the United States and expected to be converted into an interim presidential aircraft while Boeing continues work on the delayed VC-25B…

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage Nigel Farage’s decision to resign as MP for Clacton and immediately seek re-election has triggered an extraordinary political row, with Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and several other parties refusing to contest what they have branded a “fake” by-election.The controversy has also disrupted Reform UK’s campaign in the high-stakes Greater…

The UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC) has passed a draft federal law aimed at strengthening the protection of the nation’s cultural heritage, imposing strict penalties that include fines of up to Dh10 million and prison sentences for offences such as damage, theft, and smuggling of heritage assets.The measure was approved during the council’s 13th session…

In March 1974, a gaunt, uniformed figure walked out of the jungle on Lubang Island in the Philippines and handed over his sword, ending a war that had, for him, never actually stopped. Hiroo Onoda was a Japanese army lieutenant who had been sent to Lubang late in the Second World War with orders never…

When roads, railways or new buildings are planned, centuries-old trees are often among the first casualties of development. In Japan, however, some of the country’s most valuable trees are given a second chance. Rather than cutting them down, arborists and horticultural experts sometimes relocate them using a painstaking process that can take months or even…

From luxury truffles to everyday chocolate bars, foil has long been one of the most recognisable forms of chocolate packaging. While its glossy metallic appearance adds a premium feel, its purpose goes far beyond aesthetics. Chocolate is highly sensitive to heat, moisture, oxygen and strong odours, all of which can affect its texture, flavour and…

Flight instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo (left) and a Cessna 150 training aircraft. A routine flight lesson in Argentina turned into an unimaginable emergency after a flight instructor told his 22-year-old student, “You know what to do,” before jumping from the aircraft without a parachute. Left alone in the cockpit, the trainee remained calm, contacted air…