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North America
The North America edition.
Thousands of Christians have been killed in Nigeria. Why the death tolls differ.
Open Doors counted 3,490 Christians killed in Nigeria from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 in cases it linked to Christian identity.
Leg bone fragment from Flores cave described as new megapode species
The bird, named Megapodius rokusi, weighed approximately 3.9 kg.
UNHCR report: three in four refugees live in countries highly exposed to climate hazards
UN News reported that UNHCR published the report, titled No Escape III, on Friday, ahead of the COP31 climate change conference opening next week in Antalya, Türkiye.
Crossed wiring of the mammalian brain began with early vertebrate vision
They don't see it as a survival advantage.
Darwin wasps rarely turn back once their host strategies change
That is the finding of an international team led by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, which reconstructed the evolutionary history of the insects' parasitic strategies from genetic data on 697 species.
Aid teams in Sudan appeal for more help as supplies are running out
Mohamed Refaat of IOM said the trucks that reached Darfur the day before the 6 November 2026 report were the last in the agency's stocks.
At least 30 civilians killed in Beni Territory; Ebola response disrupted
A health center was destroyed, and several patients inside were killed.
Altar Stone's mineralogy and chemistry fit poorly with northeastern Scotland
They stop short of ruling it out entirely.
Salt-loving archaeon grew in a chamber built to mimic Martian subsurface brine
It used nitrate or perchlorate in place of oxygen, according to a paper published online November 5, 2026, in Applied and Environmental Microbiology (doi:10.1128/aem.01749-26).
LOFAR image is the sharpest yet at low radio frequencies
It shows almost 63,000 radio sources, among them active galactic nuclei and star-forming galaxies, across an area about 25 times that of the full moon.
How to update your beliefs when new evidence arrives
A positive test result can raise our assessment of the probability of a disease without settling the diagnosis. Two results that agree can add less information than we expect. Bayesian reasoning shows how to weigh new evidence in diagnosis, in science, and when reading the news.
Pump prices were very uneven after war shut the Strait of Hormuz
UN News reported the findings on 4 November 2026. UNCTAD says the war that shut the Strait of Hormuz in February pushed oil prices up everywhere, but the cost at the pump has been very uneven.
WHO report: one in four adolescents reported no active days in a week, with activity unchanged since 2010
The figure amounts to some 240 million young people aged 11 to 17 who said they did not complete 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on a single day.
Many children born in Syria since 2011 have no legal identity because nationality passes through fathers
That is what a member of the independent UN commission investigating rights violations in the country said on Wednesday, according to UN News.
Fuel prices rose far more in Nigeria and Myanmar than in Ireland and Sweden after Hormuz closure
A new report from UNCTAD, the UN trade and development agency, says developing economies are paying the heaviest price at the pump, according to UN News, which reported on the findings on 4 November 2026.
Gas rising through Alba Mons fissures may be venting from hot magma
That is the proposal from an international team led by Alexander Trokhimovskiy, reported by the European Space Agency in a story carried by Phys.org.
Gunfire hit tents at displacement site in northern Rafah
It reportedly caused injuries and forced a humanitarian partner to leave the area, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) said, according to UN News.
UN peacekeeping chief warned of security vacuum as Blue Helmets leave Lebanon
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, spoke to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York.
A slow dopamine signal from the gut teaches mice to like foods
The findings were published online November 4, 2026, in the journal Nature, according to Sci.News.
Cooking is the largest local PM1 source at mealtimes in London and Beijing
The percentages are shares of particles released at those hours, not the mix in the air people breathe, and the same campaign recorded a different mix in Delhi.
UNICEF said Ukraine has sustained almost 2,000 attacks on education since 2022
The statement came a day after a strike on a school that was being used to distribute aid.
Haitian gang leader asks UN to mediate as El Salvador sends troops to find missing soldiers
Cité Soleil in downtown Port-au-Prince is one of the most dangerous places in the Haitian capital.
Yemen girl married to elderly man as Taiz maternal hospital could shut
Her mother died earlier this year, and she has no siblings.
Roughly one in 14 adults say someone made, shared or threatened to share AI-generated sexual images of them
The researchers, led by Professor Nicola Henry of RMIT University, surveyed 7,230 adults in July and August 2024. Their results appeared on September 8, 2026 in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.
Myanmar school airstrike kills three children as new strikes hit Rakhine state
The educational center, in Loikaw Township in Kayah state, was sheltering families displaced by the civil war that followed Myanmar's 2021 coup when it was hit.
Virginia Tech engineers tap buried rocks with vibrations to measure their depth
The method has so far been tested only on stone samples that Ph.D. candidate Yiyan Ruan buried in a large sandbox, not on an actual planetary surface.
IGTP and BST validate GMP-compliant platform for extracellular vesicle manufacturing
Extracellular vesicles are small particles that cells release into their surroundings.
Mineralized red blood cell remnants retain heme chemistry in Aratasaurus bone
The dinosaur lived during the Early Cretaceous epoch, some 115 million years ago, an age estimate given for this species in the Sci.News account of the work.
Toxicology traces psychoactive substances in Inca mountain sacrifice mummies
Those compounds leave durable traces in keratin in hair and nails, so preserved bodies from the capacocha can be read long after the rites ended.
Nitric oxide particles help infected wax moth larvae survive in University of Reading study
In the team’s 2026 survival measurement in infected wax moth larvae, tiny particles that release nitric oxide helped nine in 10 treated larvae survive, compared with around six in 10 that were not treated.
UNESCO is digitizing Radio Mogadishu's tape recordings
In Zambia, the same project is moving National Broadcasting Corporation film and tape onto formats that later equipment can still read.
Ice-sheet loss would remain after warming falls to 1.5 degrees
The Guardian account puts the report's current-policy path at 2.8 degrees, with less than 10 percent of glacier ice left in the Rockies, the Alps, Iceland, and Scandinavia, and about 20 to 35 percent left on a 1.5 degree path.
Global impunity for journalist killings rises for the first time in more than a decade
The accountability gap is tracked as a share of killings that never bring a conviction, a series UNESCO first began measuring in 2012, and that rate reached 86 percent in 2024-2025
Zorayda Gallegos tells UN News how sexual violence cases in the military end
She described a force in which an order from a superior is treated as binding, including an order that pulls a woman into an officer's private space.
WHO chief calls for civilian protection after northern Ethiopia drone strikes
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, writing on social media and reported by UN News, said children, including a newborn, were among the fatalities there.
WFP provides emergency food aid to more than 400 Oleshky evacuees after a Kherson ceasefire
In its late-Sunday account, carried by UN News on 2 November 2026, WFP gave a 2026 estimate of more than 400 people in that evacuated group as the caseload now receiving the aid.
When a result becomes knowledge
What settles its meaning is not the fact of publication, but the checking that follows: scrutiny of the methods, independent measurements, and a confrontation with other evidence.
Carbon reserves rise where Southern Hemisphere conifers outgrow native ranges
University of Mississippi ecologist Stephen Brewer was among more than two dozen researchers across multiple continents who tracked those contrasts.
UN mission in Western Sahara winds down after Security Council deadlock
Peacekeepers have served with the mission since it was established in 1991. In a statement delivered by his Spokesperson and reported by UN News
Countries agree Yerevan Pathway to accelerate biodiversity action toward 2030
The instrument that closed the session is the Yerevan Pathway, formalized as the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) ended in the Armenian capital on Saturday
Carrion crow neurons encode an upcoming motion choice about 70 milliseconds after onset
That early, evidence-weighted buildup is the mechanism the paper puts at the center of an unusually quick visuomotor decision loop.
New megaraptorid genus named from incomplete Late Cretaceous skeleton in northern Patagonia
The animal sits inside Megaraptoridae, a group of medium- to large-sized theropods known for slender hind limbs, strongly curved teeth, and large claws on their hands
Metabolic carbon dioxide from human bodies rose 74% worldwide between 1985 and 2015
The work, published in The Lancet Planetary Health under lead author professor Javier Gonzalez of the university’s Center for Exercise, Nutrition and Metabolism
UN political mission in Somalia ends after three decades
Raisedon Zenenga, the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia and Officer-in-Charge of UNTMIS
Samarkand’s Silk Road university renews its partnership with UN Tourism
Professor Muhsinjon Kholmukhamedov, the university’s rector, told UN News that for centuries Samarkand was a crossroads not only for trade, but for ideas, crafts and cultures
Sahara meteorite Teghaza 001 samples Mars's primordial crust from at least 4.1 billion years ago
The rock is a coarse-grained igneous body, a plagioclase-rich gabbro, whose texture records slow cooling, probably underground, before an impact lofted it into space and onto Earth.
MutexaGPT converts plain-English enzyme requests into physics-based mutation designs
The report from Vanderbilt University, carried by Phys.org, names Yang’s former doctoral student Qianzhen Shao, now a postdoc at Stanford, among the team members behind the tool
Algal virus carries a tandem potassium channel gene of apparent viral origin
The study, published in 2026 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Spora dataset posted on arXiv is a spatial proteomics corpus of multiplex images
The 15 October 2026 arXiv version counts 13,546 multiplex images from 5,477 patients.
How preterm birth leaves cerebellar cell lineages on clocks that no longer match
A 29 October 2026 Science paper describes the diversion in living infants and in postmortem tissue, and commentators say it is unknown whether the cellular differences last.
FDA proposes updates to eight infant formula nutrient requirements
The agency is accepting comments on the proposal until 120 days from the date it is published in the Federal Register.
Who Really Creates? AI, Copyright, and the Illusion of Easy Answers
As artificial intelligence transforms the creation of books, images, music and inventions, the line between directing a creative process and performing the work becomes increasingly difficult to draw. But does using a more autonomous tool make someone any less of a creator?
Poland's Constitutional Tribunal in crisis as rival leaders dispute authority
The fight is over who may direct the Constitutional Tribunal, and over whether judges sworn on 9 April without President Karol Nawrocki are serving. No court has decided whether the orders of 30 October took effect.
More than 300,000 remain displaced in Lebanon
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists on Friday, in remarks carried by UN News
IPC forecast points to rising Congo food insecurity
The DRC continues to confront a severe food security crisis due to persistent conflict in the east, widespread displacement, an expanding Ebola outbreak
OHCHR documented westward expansion in Gaza
In the 30 October 2026 account, the stated Israeli aim reported by OHCHR is military deployment across 70 percent of Gaza's territory.
The answer is not the skill: how AI is reshaping human thinking
Artificial intelligence can make us more productive without making us more capable: classroom and workplace experiments show why some AI systems strengthen independent thinking while others encourage dependence.
UN expert finds intentional harm to Myanmar civilians
In a new report covered by UN News, she set out a measurement of at least 8,384 civilians killed by the military from the coup through 15 September 2026, the cutoff date for that count.
UNICEF says five children were killed in Nyala
Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said on 29 October 2026 that the children reported killed were three boys and two girls, ages 7 to 14.
Rock's UN News interview says people hand over thinking
In the UN News interview of 29 October 2026, Rock estimates that perhaps 5 to 10 percent of the workers he sees offload routine tasks and keep harder thinking for themselves.
Immune gene variants act in specific cell types
A Nature paper published on 28 October 2026 reports that pattern in 5,438,679 immune cells from 1,925 adults.
Physical systems now set the pace of AI
The International Energy Agency's April 2026 review measured data-center electricity use at about 485 terawatt-hours in 2025, and that count includes ordinary internet services as well as artificial intelligence.
The dollar can weaken without a successor
As BRICS develops alternative payment channels and central banks diversify their reserves, the dollar's dominance is being challenged, but no single currency is positioned to replace it.
Rubin finds a dwarf planet candidate beyond Pluto
The object carries the provisional designation 2026 ED138, and only nine known trans-Neptunian objects are intrinsically brighter.
NIST reports a chip that spaces colors of light
Two lasers around a microresonator make an even comb of colors without the extra equipment a single-laser method needs.
WHO asks countries to count heat harm in pregnancy
The same release cites studies that link extreme heat with preterm birth and with many more heatwave days for infants.
NASA sets a January 2031 date for UVEX
The agency also set a lifecycle cost of $590 million after the telescope passed Key Decision Point C.
NASA's Swift observatory ends its science mission
The satellite is now below 275 kilometers, where drag keeps the telescopes from holding a steady gaze.
OpenAI posts Navier-Stokes and Yang-Mills claims
Clay's official statement C asks for some smooth starting velocity and some smooth force for which no smooth solution lasts forever, and statement D asks the same question inside a periodic box.
OpenAI says a logic shortcut leaves P versus NP open
The company has put both files on a public repository and asked complexity theorists outside the company to examine them.
Greenhouse gases climbed to new highs in 2025, locking in centuries of warming, UN agency says
The statement is an accounting of gases already in the air, not a forecast of how much higher concentrations might still climb.
Kenya releases 20 Ebola contacts from quarantine as monitoring period ends
That period is the standard window authorities use to clear anyone exposed to a confirmed patient before lifting restrictions.
UN says more than 250,000 have fled fighting in Yemen
UN News cited particular concern for people sheltering in Taiz and the wider governorate, where access is essentially blocked.
UNICEF cites child marriage on a Bangladesh visit
The visit included families in Korail, which UNICEF calls Dhaka's largest informal settlement, and Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox's Bazar.
UNESCO marks living heritage on 17 October
The UNESCO page says the day is celebrated every 17 October around the world.
US payroll growth stayed small in September
Payroll employment and the unemployment rate both changed little in September.
NIST releases two reports on open radio security
The notice says the reports examine security issues in RAN Intelligent Controllers and map that security to the Cybersecurity Framework.
NIST asks for comment on a SHA-3 draft
The notice is dated October 8, 2026, and comments are open through December 7, 2026.
Gifts to doctors track with heavier prescribing
The review combines randomized trial data with non-randomized, observational comparisons, a mixed design that lets Cochrane describe associations rather than proven cause and effect.
Chronic disease risk still splits by education
On 20 October 2026, the World Health Organization published a report examining how those factors divide the burden of noncommunicable disease across populations.
NASA satellites align water trends with human use
Measurements from NASA's GRACE and GRACE-FO missions reveal trends in terrestrial water storage from April 2002 to November 2025
Hamburg hears the Nord Stream sabotage charge
The court has not found that he committed those acts.
UN adopts a declaration on rising seas
That record says the text commits the international community to speed adaptation to rising seas, to legal certainty for maritime borders, and to continuity of the state for nations threatened with disappearance.
Australia's online duty of care goes to inquiry
The Herald says Sarah Henderson wants the inquiry to report by 24 November, and Sarah Hanson-Young says the Greens are open to an inquiry that reports before the end of the year and want penalties for platforms.
UN adopts a pandemic declaration without consensus
UN News names Argentina, Israel and the United States as the votes against, and New Zealand and Paraguay as the abstentions.
Webb places a fast radio burst at redshift 2.148
The paper reports radio observations of FRB 20240304B and near-infrared follow-up that identifies its host galaxy.
UK industry concentration is lower than in 2010
Average concentration in the non-financial business economy was lower in 2025 than in the early 2010s, the ONS says.
UK funds eight vaccine projects with £33.2 million
The department says the projects target Ebola, plague, Marburg, Lassa fever, Nipah virus, chikungunya, and Mayaro.
FDA approves a heart valve that can be widened
The agency says the device may reduce the need for repeat open-heart surgeries in children with heart defects.
NASA cargo ship lifts off for the station
NASA says the rocket carried more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and hardware for the International Space Station.
Griffin-1 finishes tests before Moon launch
It is expected to launch later this year on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
Spider Crater still shows an ancient impact
Landsat 9 recorded the crater on September 20, 2026, and the observatory used the image for its October puzzler.
UK urges an energy ceasefire for Ukraine
Days earlier, President Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed an energy ceasefire that was effective immediately, and the BBC reported that Moscow had not confirmed it.
UK backs quantum firms with £50 million
The named projects are a railway fault detector, a portable eye scanner, and navigation that works when GPS fails.
UK sets next steps on essential patents
The response covers transparency, dispute resolution, and licensing negotiations for patents that a technical standard requires.
NIST finalizes guidelines for identity tokens
The report is NIST IR 8587, written with CISA, and it follows public comments on a December 2025 draft.
SPHEREx studies 37 nearby brown dwarfs
The study, in The Astrophysical Journal, finds water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane in their atmospheres.
European Commission publishes its priorities for 2024-2029
The page names seven priorities, from prosperity and defense to democracy and the wider neighborhood.