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World
President Trump has picked his deputy Stephen Miller to lead the White House staff, replacing Susie Wiles days after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress.
Miller starts on Monday 9 November. He is known as the main designer of the administration's deportation drive, so many read the choice as a sign Trump will keep his course. Democrats, who take over Congress in January, have promised to challenge Miller and investigate.
Paraguay's Senate removed President Santiago Peña over the collapse of Ueno Bank, and he was placed under house arrest while Vice President Pedro Alliana took office.
Ueno Bank was seized by regulators, leaving about three million customers cut off from their savings, including pension payments and public funds. Peña had business ties to the bank's parent group. Impeachment stripped him of the immunity he would have kept by resigning, and 27 people face charges.
Russia hit Kyiv and nearby areas overnight with missiles and drones, damaging a major bridge and energy sites, killing one person and injuring several others.
Power, heating and water supplies in the capital became very difficult. The attack came shortly after Zelenskyy warned of new strikes on energy sites and bridges, and days before US-led talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi.
Cornell's Faculty Senate voted 75-50 to declare no confidence in the university administration over its handling of sexual assault, after a former student's lawsuit.
The vote is largely symbolic and cannot remove President Michael Kotlikoff. The trustees say they still back him. The case involves an alleged gang rape in 2024; the seven accused deny wrongdoing, and New York state prosecutors are investigating.
New Zealand's general election was too close to call, with National and Labour both near 29 percent as the count continued.
Voters focused on the cost of living. Neither main party looks able to govern alone, and the centrist Opportunity Party may decide who forms a government. Final results are expected on 27 November.
Chilean film director Sebastián Lelio, who won an Oscar for A Fantastic Woman, has died aged 52.
His partner announced the death on Instagram without giving a cause. Lelio also directed Gloria, Disobedience and The Wonder, and his last film, The Wave, premiered at Cannes in 2025.
The US carried out another round of limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island, which Trump called minor, while Qatar-led mediation to end the war continues.
The strikes were the first since the US midterm elections. Iran is reviewing mediator proposals, but disputes over its nuclear programme remain the main obstacle. Trump says talks are making progress.
Carlos Alcaraz survived two match points to beat Taylor Fritz in three sets and reach his first Paris Masters semifinal.
The Spaniard lost a tight first set, then won the next two by 7-5 and 6-3. He faces Casper Ruud next. The results also settled who qualifies for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.
Also: A faculty no-confidence vote at Cornell; New Zealand's close general election; the death of a Chilean film director; new US strikes on Iran amid mediation; a tennis quarterfinal comeback at the Paris Masters.
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Economy
US intelligence reportedly told the Trump administration that a woman close to Nvidia chief Jensen Huang worked for Chinese intelligence, and one report says the tie was romantic.
Reports say Alice Huang, a manager at Megaspeed, sought details on US AI chips for China's security ministry. A House committee asked Huang for a closed briefing. Nvidia says its cloud partners do not seek policy changes and it holds no classified data.
A former OpenAI engineer charged with hiding a listening device in the company's San Francisco office pleaded not guilty in federal court.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national, is accused of one count of intercepting oral communications. He is held without bail after a judge saw him as a flight risk. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted, and his next hearing is on November 17.
President Trump named deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, who will move to his political operation.
Miller starts on Monday. The change comes three days after Democrats won the House and Senate in the midterms. Miller helped shape the mass-deportation policy, which incoming Democrats have vowed to investigate.
Film producer Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann says AI can cut production costs sharply and give Europe a chance to make new kinds of films.
She co-founded Dreamkite Studios in Bavaria to make AI-driven films. She claims savings of 70 to 80 percent, says European partners are reliable, and notes that US unions are a hurdle. A Munich film school has started an AI production course.
Pope Leo XIV visited Uruguay weeks after cancer surgery, praising its long democracy and warning about secularisation and low birth rates.
About 30,000 people greeted him in Montevideo. He had part of a lung removed on October 13 and doctors say no further treatment is needed. He travels on to Argentina and Peru.
Christian Freuding will become Germany's top military officer in February, replacing General Carsten Breuer.
Breuer is moving to chair the NATO Military Committee. Freuding, the army chief, coordinated German military aid to Ukraine. He must oversee fast expansion of the Bundeswehr to 260,000 soldiers while avoiding waste.
Ferrari has the fastest car in Formula 1 but has not won recently, as driver clashes and mistakes cost it results.
Ferrari leads in points over the last four races but has no win, only four podiums. Leclerc and Hamilton collided on track in Mexico and then criticised each other in public. Team boss Vasseur is under pressure to restore order.
Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the US midterms, and new senators and governors may shape the 2028 presidential race.
The win beat most forecasts and reached into Republican states. Voters worried about living costs, and many blamed Trump's tariffs and the Iran war. Democrats still have no clear 2028 leader, and presidential vetoes limit what they can pass.
Also: A producer on AI-made films in Europe; the pope's visit to Uruguay; a new head of Germany's armed forces; Ferrari's Formula 1 struggles despite a fast car.
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Politics
Trump has picked adviser Stephen Miller to run his White House staff from 9 November, moving Susie Wiles to his political team after a heavy Republican midterm loss.
Miller is known as the main designer of the administration's mass deportation drive. Democrats won both chambers of Congress, and Democratic leaders reacted to his promotion with sharp criticism. Several outlets read the move as a sign Trump will not soften his course.
New Zealand's general election was too close to call in early counting, with Labour and National almost level and neither able to govern alone.
The campaign focused on living costs and the economy. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's right-leaning coalition is seeking a second term against Labour under Chris Hipkins. A smaller centrist party, Opportunity, appeared set to enter parliament and could hold the balance.
A former health adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles of blocking health measures to protect donations from special interests.
Calley Means made the claims on a podcast, saying Wiles sought money from industries such as sugar and pesticides for the midterms. The Hill said it had asked the White House for comment. Kennedy said he and Trump would keep fighting against corporate influence on health policy.
Houston's mayor ordered city police to limit cooperation with federal immigration agents, days after Democrats won statewide offices in Texas.
Mayor John Whitmire said the order covers people accused of nonviolent offences, who will be cited and released without ICE being told. He said the new statewide officials do not treat the state law restricting such policies as a priority. Houston has seen several clashes with ICE this year.
US intelligence officials reportedly concluded that a woman close to Nvidia chief Jensen Huang was recruited by a Chinese spy agency to gather information on him.
According to the reporting, the woman, Alice Huang, was an asset of China's Ministry of State Security. US officials told the Trump administration of their assessment. The reports come from the New York Times, and only short summaries were available.
The Commons Speaker said he is frustrated by the lack of progress on restoring the Palace of Westminster, which could cost up to £40bn.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle said current law stops major repairs until the whole project is approved, and that fire-suppression systems are still missing in historic parts. A committee warned each year of delay costs taxpayers £420m. Government whips have discussed a vote by the new year.
Bundestag vice president Bodo Ramelow of Die Linke discusses cross-party work in parliament and the antisemitism debate within his own party.
In a podcast interview, he describes how the Bundestag presidium responds to AfD provocations. He says he rejects a loyalty test inside his party but sets clear limits on Israel's right to exist.
UK officials see the Republican midterm defeat as both an opportunity and a risk, mainly over the Iran war, tariffs and support for Ukraine.
The energy price shock and higher interest rates linked to the US war on Iran have hit economies worldwide. Officials hope a Democratic Congress will push for a negotiated end to the war and keep backing Ukraine. Others warn that Trump keeps wide powers over foreign policy and can still act unpredictably.
Also: Houston limiting police help to immigration agents; a reported Chinese spy link to Nvidia's chief; delays to repairing the Houses of Parliament; a German Bundestag vice president on his party's divisions; how the UK sees the US midterm results.
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Sport
Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porziņģis said he is stepping away from basketball to focus on his health, without saying whether he will return.
The 31-year-old has not played this season and has dealt with a long illness, including a POTS diagnosis. He remains under contract, and the Warriors are weighing a trade or buyout, since only $3 million of next year's pay is guaranteed.
Dallas Wings teammates Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd said on a podcast that they split up more than a year ago.
Bueckers said they were not together when Fudd was drafted first overall in April, and rejected claims that the relationship influenced the pick. They said they remain friends and played a full season together as professionals.
Everton came from a goal down to beat Coventry 3-1 in the Premier League, with Thierno Barry scoring twice, while several refereeing calls went against the visitors.
Barry's two headers and a late finish from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall turned the game after Coventry had led. Coventry's Frank Lampard criticised video review over a hair pull, a tight penalty claim and a possible handball. Everton moved up to fifth.
Former Australia batter Usman Khawaja says the whole team knew about the 2018 ball-tampering plan in Cape Town.
In extracts from his book, Khawaja said sandpaper was also used in the previous Test. Cricket Australia says only three players knew and stands by its findings, and the bowlers have long denied any knowledge.
The New York Knicks publicly backed Taylor Swift after two of their reserve guards suggested her support for the team was for show.
Tyler Kolek and a teammate made the remark in a video game stream, and the club responded by praising her long attachment to the team and Madison Square Garden. Swift has been seen at big Knicks games, and her wedding took place at the arena.
Ireland beat Argentina 42-12 in Dublin in the Nations Championship, with Hugo Keenan scoring a hat-trick in a six-try win.
Argentina had two players sin-binned and lost their captain to a head injury check. Ireland coach Andy Farrell said his side missed the chance to be more ruthless, and several Irish players picked up knocks.
Seven games between top-25 college football teams on Saturday carry big playoff consequences, including Miami at Notre Dame and Alabama at LSU.
Previews cover matchups such as BYU against Utah, Oregon at Ohio State and Georgia at Ole Miss. Several teams need wins to stay in the playoff race, and injuries to key players, including Miami receiver Malachi Toney, shape the outlook.
The WTA chair apologised to Jessica Pegula after her private remarks about Mirra Andreeva were broadcast from a practice court microphone.
Players had not been told that audio was being recorded at Indian Wells. The WTA has switched off practice-court audio, and Pegula said she hopes the case will push for more player privacy.
Also: A former Australian cricketer's ball-tampering claim; Knicks players' remark about Taylor Swift's fandom; Ireland beating Argentina in rugby's Nations Championship; a major weekend of top-25 college football games; a tennis player's private remarks broadcast by mistake.
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Tech
Google has bought an unfinished data center site in southeast Wyoming from developer Crusoe and will take over its development.
Crusoe finished pre-development work on approvals and power, then sold the site. Google plans to invest $17 billion in the campus, and the price paid was not disclosed. Crusoe still builds another Google data center near Amarillo, Texas.
OpenAI has reportedly secured a further $11 billion in a funding round that puts its worth at $1.25 trillion, though the round is still open.
The round may reach about $20 billion, below the $30 billion first sought. Weaker tech shares and public distrust of AI firms and data centers are cited as pressures. Rival Anthropic has filed for a stock market listing.
Twenty-five classic EA games from the 1990s, including Wing Commander and Ultima titles, have been re-released on Steam and GOG.
The lightly remastered set also includes Road Rash, Theme Hospital and Crusader games. An EA producer described how he found original video masters in an old archive and worked with community members to remaster several Wing Commander games.
Doctors in the UK removed a knife that had passed through a man's eye and brain, and he survived.
The blade missed key structures in the brain, and surgeons used a careful pull-and-see method after removing part of his skull. His right eye could not be saved. The case was published in BMJ Case Report.
Tankers and a fishing boat tied to Iran have been tracked lingering above undersea internet cables near the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of sabotage.
A maritime intelligence firm saw the vessels slow down and some switch off their location transponders. Several Gulf states rely fully on these cables, and India also routes much of its traffic through them. Analysts say the ships may be mapping routes or planting charges.
After the US midterms shifted power in Washington, big tech firms are trying to rebuild ties with Democrats who want tighter oversight of AI.
Companies are making hires and rebranding moves, which critics call image management. Data center moratoriums are gaining ground, and much AI regulation may come from states rather than Congress. A market sell-off after the vote added to the uncertainty.
Sequoia is closing its scout program and its London office as part of an overhaul, a move seen as a sign of changing venture investing.
Sequoia pioneered scouts, who invest on a firm's behalf, 17 years ago. Observers say the model has reached its limits, though other firms such as a16z have reduced rather than ended theirs. Former scouts say the programs helped build investing talent.
Chainalysis says attackers took login details and active tokens belonging to all of its users after breaking into its systems in October.
The firm's customers include government agencies and large companies. It says an attack on traffic between systems exposed some passwords, and the weakness has been fixed. It has not said where the compromise happened, and the wider risk to customers is unclear.
Also: A man surviving a knife through his eye and brain; Iran-linked ships near undersea internet cables; how US midterm results affect Big Tech; Sequoia ending its scout investor program; a data breach at a blockchain analysis firm.
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Science
Researchers found that conversations with a balance of stability and change, called pink noise, are more enjoyable and make people feel more connected.
A Dartmouth College team used an AI model to score more than 1,000 chats between strangers, plus talks between friends and speed-dating pairs. More pink noise went with greater enjoyment and a higher chance of a second date. An outside expert warned that enjoyment is not the only measure of a good talk.
A study in Science says disaster-hit countries such as Jamaica fall into a cycle of borrowing and debt that leaves them less able to prepare for the next storm.
After Hurricane Melissa, insurance covered only about 2% of Jamaica's losses, so it had to borrow more. The researchers propose four reforms, including changes to how the IMF judges debt and debt pauses written into loan deals. Some experts also call for debt cancellation.
A telescope image shows the De Gerlache-Kocher massif, a mountain near the Moon's south pole that is considered a possible Artemis landing site.
The massif rises about 4 kilometers and lies near the lunar south pole. The image was taken on October 31.
Telescopes at the South Pole study faint patterns in the cosmic microwave background to learn about the first moments of the universe.
Scientists use the South Pole Telescope and BICEP to look for a polarization signal that could show primordial gravitational waves. Detecting it would give strong support to the idea of cosmic inflation just after the Big Bang.
Experts advise people not to pick up fledgling birds found on the ground, because most are learning to fly and are still cared for by their parents.
In Australia, fledgling season runs from September to November. Taking a young bird can harm its development and spread disease, including bird flu. Only nestlings without feathers should be put back in a nest, and injured birds need a wildlife carer.
Researchers showed that the amino acid tryptophan protects the enzyme TDO2 from being broken down by binding to a second site on it.
When tryptophan runs low, it leaves that site and two proteins mark TDO2 for destruction. The finding could help in designing drugs, since TDO2 is raised in some cancers and brain disorders.
University of Stuttgart researchers made flat silicon surfaces with tiny air cavities that focus ultraviolet light like curved mirrors.
The design traps light in air-filled voids rather than in absorbing silicon. It focused 325 nm light to spots about 1 micrometer wide and is made in a single etching step. It could support compact UV imaging and sensing.
Researchers used a drone with a cyclone sampler to collect microplastics from the air at 100 meters, showing the method works.
The team flew the drone over a highway and a landfill area in Colorado in 2024 and found plastic mixed with other material. The approach could allow sampling in remote places such as the Arctic.
Also: Advice on helping baby birds found on the ground; how an amino acid controls the enzyme that uses it; flat silicon mirrors that focus ultraviolet light; a drone method for sampling airborne microplastics.
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