World
Russian air attacks killed at least 38 civilians across Ukraine in 24 hours, including more than 30 people waiting for humanitarian aid in the village of Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia region. Nine aerial bombs, some weighing about 3,000kg, hit the distribution point and collapsed a shelter roof where residents had taken cover. A missile strike also damaged a hospital in Kharkiv and injured more than 70 people. Ukraine's president said Russia fired 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles in one night, cutting power in nine regions and stopping three thermal plants. Three days of mourning were declared in Zaporizhzhia as rescue teams kept searching for about 50 missing people.
BBC News
Politics
Voters across the United States cast ballots on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. Republicans entered the day holding the Senate 53-47 and the House 219-214, while the president's approval rating stood 22 points underwater in the latest NBC News poll, with inflation and living costs the top voter concerns. Democrats needed a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats. Campaign spending was projected to approach $12bn, the most expensive midterm cycle on record. Courts were still handling disputes over mail ballots in California and Alaska as polls closed.
NBC News
Business
DoorDash agreed to acquire grocery delivery company Instacart for about $17bn, paying $65.00 a share, a 26% premium to Instacart's closing price on October 22. The deal combines DoorDash's courier network with Instacart's grocery picking and fulfilment software, adds roughly 50,000 stores to Instacart's reach and merges DashPass with Instacart+ into a single membership. Instacart's board approved the transaction unanimously and DoorDash shares rose more than 9% in pre-market trading. The purchase follows DoorDash's acquisition of Deliveroo and continues a consolidation wave in a thin-margin delivery industry. Regulators are expected to examine overlapping market share in dense urban areas.
NBC News
Technology
Data centres built for AI workloads now consume an estimated 70% of the world's memory chip output, according to IDC, and the three companies that control more than 95% of DRAM production have shifted capacity toward high-bandwidth memory. HBM takes about 23% of DRAM wafers, leaving consumer-grade DRAM and NAND flash short. DRAM prices have roughly doubled since early 2025, and IDC expects PC, tablet and smartphone prices to rise 10% to 20% by the end of 2026. Smartphone shipments are projected to fall 12.9% and the PC market 11.3%. New wafer capacity takes years to build, so analysts expect tight supply into 2027.
IDC via Reuters
Science
Astronomers using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile have identified a large, bright object beyond Pluto that may be a new dwarf planet. Designated 2026 ED138, the body is estimated at 600 to 1,500 kilometres across, large enough that its own gravity may have made it round. It was found in data collected between March and July 2026 by Matthew Holman of the Center for Astrophysics, and the discovery was announced by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center. If confirmed, it would be among the largest trans-Neptunian objects known. Only Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake are currently recognised as dwarf planets.
Rubin Observatory
Sports
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will undergo surgery on his right thumb and be placed on injured reserve after he was hurt on the team's first offensive play in a 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Coach Jesse Minter said he could not confirm whether the injury will end Jackson's season. Injured reserve means at least four games out, though a throwing-hand injury usually takes longer. The Ravens are 4-4 after Jackson already missed three games with an ankle injury. Baltimore now turns back to backup Tyler Huntley and a heavier running game, while the AFC playoff picture shifts for teams chasing a wild card.
ESPN
Health
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted tentative approval to a generic version of lenacapavir, the twice-yearly injection used to prevent HIV. The decision clears a path toward low-cost supply in 120 low- and middle-income countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. Gilead Sciences had been the only supplier, and demand has outstripped supply despite royalty-free licences with six generic manufacturers. Tentative approval is the FDA's standard status while the original product remains under patent, and it can speed reviews in other countries. Donors estimate the generic could cost about $40 a person a year once volume production begins.
Associated Press
Environment
The World Meteorological Organization says its new seasonal outlook projects tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures up to 3.8°C above average between November 2026 and January 2027, far past the 0.5°C threshold that defines El Niño. The agency said the event could be unprecedented in strength and would go beyond the four decades of records used to describe past events, with a peak around December and effects lasting longer. The outlook points to heavier rain in East Africa, the northwest United States and parts of South America and Asia, and drought risk elsewhere. WMO and UN humanitarian officials called for money and supplies to be moved before the damage. COP31 opens in Antalya on November 9.
WMO