The United States space agency announced that its Voyager 1 spacecraft will reach a distance of one light-day from Earth on 18 November 2026.
That means a radio signal sent from Earth would take a full twenty-four hours to reach the spacecraft.
Voyager 1 is then more than 16 billion miles, or about 25.9 billion kilometres, from Earth.
The spacecraft was launched in 1977 and has long since left the planetary region of the solar system.
It is built and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Pasadena in California, which the California Institute of Technology manages for the agency.
The agency invited the public and the media to join activities marking the milestone.
No other human-made object has ever been so far from Earth.
Milestone date:18 November 2026Distance:More than 16 billion miles (25.9 billion km)Launched:1977Operated by:Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena
Why it matters for exams: Voyager 1, its 1977 launch, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the idea of a light-day are standard Science and Space questions.
Two studies led by astrophysicists at the United States space agency say a future gravitational-wave observatory could find a whole new population of planets.
The observatory is LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, which is led by the European Space Agency with the American agency as a partner.
It is planned for launch in the mid-2030s and will listen for ripples in space-time rather than collect light.
The studies say that in a binary system of two white dwarf stars, the gravity of an orbiting planet would add extra sideband signals to the gravitational waves.
Those extra signals could mark out planets across the Milky Way that telescopes cannot see.
The James Webb Space Telescope could then confirm such a planet by picking up its excess infrared glow.
Both papers were published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Mission:LISA, Laser Interferometer Space AntennaLead agency:European Space AgencyPlanned launch:Mid-2030sJournal:The Astrophysical Journal
Why it matters for exams: LISA, the European Space Agency, white dwarfs and gravitational waves are recurring Science and Technology questions.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics released The State of Education in ASEAN, prepared with the member states of the grouping.
It finds that access to schooling has improved sharply since 2000, but that being in school does not by itself produce skills or completion.
The out-of-school rate at primary level fell from about 14 per cent in 2000 to 5 per cent in 2023, and at lower secondary level from about 24 per cent to 11 per cent.
Even so, in 2023 nearly one in three adolescents of upper secondary age was out of school.
The median upper secondary completion rate in 2024 was about 55 per cent, against more than 95 per cent at primary level.
Tertiary gross enrolment rose from about 18 per cent in 2000 to more than 42 per cent in 2024, while fewer than 2 per cent of adults aged 25 to 54 take part in any formal or non-formal learning.
The report asks governments to strengthen foundational learning, prevent dropout at secondary level and make education financing more equitable.
Report:The State of Education in ASEANPublisher:UNESCO Institute for StatisticsPrimary out-of-school rate:5% in 2023, from about 14% in 2000Tertiary gross enrolment:More than 42% in 2024
Why it matters for exams: ASEAN, its members and secretariat, and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics as a data publisher are common International and Reports questions.
Government figures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo put confirmed Ebola cases at 11,042, with at least 5,387 deaths.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of the species of the Ebola virus, which kills about half of those it infects.
It is the second largest and second deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, after the West African outbreak of 2014 to 2016.
Eight of the country's twenty-six provinces have been affected.
Delayed detection, armed conflict and a strained health system have let the virus spread faster than in earlier outbreaks, and many deaths have occurred outside treatment centres.
No vaccine or treatment has been developed specifically for the Bundibugyo species.
The World Health Organization approved clinical trials of two new Ebola vaccines earlier this month, with results expected in early 2027.
Confirmed cases:11,042Deaths:At least 5,387Virus species:BundibugyoProvinces affected:8 of 26
Why it matters for exams: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, its capital, the Ebola virus species and the WHO's role are frequent Health and Geography questions.
The climate conference under way at Antalya in Türkiye is being co-hosted by Türkiye and Australia and runs until 20 November.
During the talks it was confirmed that the next conference, COP32, will be held at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in November 2027.
Antalya is a resort city on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast.
Youth campaigners at the venue pressed for more climate finance for poorer countries.
Both co-hosts promote renewable energy and rooftop solar at home while still depending heavily on fossil fuels, especially coal.
The Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg attended, her first UN climate conference since 2021.
The conference rotates among the five United Nations regional groups, and Addis Ababa's turn brings it back to Africa.
Current conference:COP31, Antalya, TürkiyeCo-hosts:Türkiye and AustraliaNext conference:COP32, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCOP31 ends:20 November 2026
Why it matters for exams: Which city hosts which COP, and the capitals of Ethiopia and Türkiye, are standard International and Geography questions.
The UNESCO Regional Office for the Gulf States and Yemen, based at Doha, reported on a series of regional webinars held in response to the escalation in the Middle East.
UN agencies, international organisations, policymakers, researchers and experts took part.
One strand dealt with children and education, covering disrupted schooling, displacement and the need to keep classes running and support teachers and learners.
A second strand addressed online misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, and stressed media and information literacy and responsible technology design for young users.
A third looked at artificial intelligence in education and humanitarian work, with emphasis on ethical safeguards, human oversight, accountability and data protection.
A fourth called for protecting researchers, academic freedom and research infrastructure, and for practical support to displaced and at-risk scientists.
Participants asked for stronger regional and international partnerships and for crisis responses that are inclusive and culturally sensitive.
Office:UNESCO Regional Office for the Gulf States and Yemen, DohaFormat:Series of regional webinarsThemes:Education, misinformation, artificial intelligence, science
Why it matters for exams: UNESCO's regional offices, its mandate over education, science and culture, and the idea of academic freedom are recurring International questions.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization released a new guide for teaching media and information literacy where artificial intelligence shapes what people see and read.
It is titled AI Answers. You Decide, and is a companion to UNESCO's existing media and information literacy curriculum.
The guide is organised in five areas: artificial intelligence in everyday life; artificial intelligence and the media; artificial intelligence, the human mind and knowledge; artificial intelligence, power and human rights; and artificial intelligence and the future.
Each section carries explanations, discussion questions and classroom activities that teachers can adapt.
Eight international experts wrote the guide and ten more specialists reviewed it.
The parent curriculum, Media and Information Literate Citizens, has been piloted and adapted in more than forty countries.
The publication was introduced during Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2026.
Title:AI Answers. You DecidePublisher:UNESCOSections:FiveParent curriculum used in:More than 40 countries
Why it matters for exams: UNESCO's full name, its headquarters at Paris and its media and information literacy programme are regular International and Education questions.
Iran said the Strait of Hormuz, which it has closed, will stay shut until its conditions for talks are met.
Iran says a two-day plan it has shared with the United States is the most practical roadmap for restoring security in the strait, and that the conflict will not be settled by military means or by tighter sanctions.
Tehran's security chief said Iran is still waiting for a clear response to the seven conditions it has set, and denied that any negotiations are under way.
The conditions made public include the lifting of sanctions and of a naval blockade, and an end to the fighting on all fronts.
Maritime monitoring firms counted at least 37 attacks on ships in and around the strait during November, the highest monthly figure since the war began.
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea passage between Iran and Oman that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Qatar has been acting as a mediator, and the conflict is now in its ninth month.
Attacks on ships in November:At least 37Mediator:QatarIran’s proposal:A two-day plan shared with the United States
Why it matters for exams: The Strait of Hormuz, the countries on either side of it and the water bodies it joins are classic Geography and International questions.
ITER is a magnetic fusion device being built in southern France to show whether fusion can work as a large-scale, carbon-free source of energy. Its name means "The Way" in Latin. 34 nations are collaborating on it, and its Members are the European Union, China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, the United States. The site is at Saint Paul-lez-Durance. The machine is designed to produce 500 MW of fusion power in its plasma from 50 MW of input heating power, a ten-fold return. The record for a magnetic confinement device is 16 MW, set by the European tokamak JET. The first aim is a deuterium-tritium plasma held hot mostly by the heat of its own fusion reactions, which is called a burning plasma. The idea of such an international joint experiment was launched in 1985, and the project will not convert the heat it makes into electricity.
Fusion power target:500 MWInput heating power:50 MWSite:Saint Paul-lez-DuranceMeaning of the name:The Way
Why it matters for exams: What ITER stands for, the kind of machine it is, its 500 MW design target and the country that hosts it are the facts science-and-technology papers ask about fusion.