World
Russia launched 332 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, and Ukrainian officials said at least eight people were killed and about 60 injured. Strikes hit two shopping centres and energy infrastructure in ten regions, cutting power to more than a million people as winter approaches. Governors in Vinnytsia and Odesa reported injuries and damage to civilian and critical infrastructure. The attacks came in a week when relations between Kyiv and Washington deteriorated, after President Trump blamed Ukraine for high US diesel prices and announced a deal to buy Russian fuel.
Al Jazeera
Politics
President Trump issued an executive order late on Friday waiving implementation of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which he signed in September and which was due to take effect on Sunday. The law would have penalised Russia and countries buying its oil. Senior Republicans and Democrats condemned the move as irresponsible, and some lawmakers said the president's lame-duck agenda is now in doubt. The waiver followed Trump's deal to import more than 300,000 tons of Russian diesel to lower US fuel prices before the midterms.
Axios
Business
The US Treasury reported a fiscal 2026 budget deficit of $1.992 trillion, about 12% higher than a year earlier and the largest in five years. It is the third-highest deficit on record, behind only 2020 and 2021. Receipts set a record at $5.40 trillion while outlays reached $7.40 trillion, with defence spending up 6% to $917 billion and corporate tax receipts down about $70 billion after last year's tax cuts. Treasury estimated the deficit at 6.2% of GDP, against 5.8% in fiscal 2025.
Reuters
Technology
The memory shortage that started in AI data centres has reached consumer shelves. Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron have shifted production towards high-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators, and 32GB DDR5 kits that sold for under $100 now trade above $400 in many markets. Gartner forecast DRAM prices would rise 47% in 2026, and SK Hynix says its HBM, DRAM and NAND capacity is essentially sold out for the year. Graphics card prices have also climbed as AI buyers take cards in bulk.
Network World
Science
NASA says its Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is producing images nearly 30% sharper than predicted after engineers moved a mirror by about one-sixteenth the width of a human hair. The Wide Field Instrument, activated in September, was tested detector by detector, then calibrated with its own internal LEDs. The instrument is central to Roman's surveys of dark matter and dark energy. Engineers say the extra sharpness will make measurements of distant galaxy shapes more accurate.
NASA
Sports
Florida scored 24 unanswered points to beat No. 7 Texas 27-24 in Austin, handing the Longhorns their second straight loss. Jadan Baugh scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. won in his first career start. Arch Manning struggled for much of the game and fumbled on a potential winning drive. Texas also lost edge rusher Colin Simmons to a lower-leg injury after he added to his national-leading sack total.
Yahoo Sports
Health
Researchers at Michigan Medicine reversed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, in animal studies using an experimental compound called DT-109. The drug is a glycine-based tripeptide that reduces harmful gut bacteria, protects the intestinal lining and limits inflammatory substances reaching the liver. The work, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, explains a mechanism the team had previously observed but could not account for. MASH affects about 7% of the world's population and can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Michigan Medicine
Environment
A moderate-to-strong Santa Ana wind event brought several wildfires to Southern California this week, forcing evacuation warnings and closing roads. The Bryson Fire near Malibu grew to roughly 100 acres with no containment, the Henderson Fire at Camp Pendleton reached about 1,404 acres, and the Peak Fire near Azusa was 41% contained. A red flag warning covered most valleys and coasts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Saturday evening. No structures were reported threatened and no injuries were reported.
The Watchers