Khalil

Physicist and broadcaster Jim Al-Khalili will present the 2026 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, taking on the mysteries of time. The announcement, reported by Laboratory News, signals another high-profile scientist delivering the annual lecture series, which has long aimed to bring complex science to young audiences and the wider public.

Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student who became a prominent figure in pro-Palestinian protests and in debates over free speech and deportation, has published a book that restates his anti-Zionist position. Coverage so far focuses on his reaffirmed opposition to Zionism and on what the memoir reveals about his activism and detention experience. Reactions are divided between supporters who see him as a free-speech cause and critics who dispute his views.

Bangladesh's National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman is drawing attention for his diplomatic balancing act at the United Nations, engaging simultaneously with China, Russia and India. Commentators in Dhaka see his outreach to three rival powers as a high-wire act for Bangladeshi foreign policy, testing how the country positions itself among competing global blocs.