1.
US approves $2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine amid delayed missile deliveries
The US State Department said on Friday it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion, in what would be one of the most significant steps to supply defensive weapons to Kyiv since the start of the second Trump administration. Ukraine will pay for the interceptor missiles with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway routed through a program called US JUMPSTART, along with national funds financed by the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan, the State Department said in a statement.
2.
Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta shuts under Kremlin pressure
- Novaya Gazeta said it is closing after years of Kremlin pressure, calling the shutdown a result of state repression and a wider campaign against dissent. - The paper was one of Russia’s last open critics of the Ukraine war. It lost its media licence, faced searches, detentions and the “foreign agent” label. - Rights groups and the Nobel Prize Committee condemned the move. They warned it is a major blow to free speech, independent media and the public’s right to know.
3.
GM to Pay $220 Million in Settlement After Alleged Privacy Violations
General Motors is facing a hefty $220 million settlement after allegations that it sold drivers' location and behavior data without their consent. This stems from their Smart Driver program, which was designed to monitor driving habits from 2016 to 2024. The program tracked things like hard braking and speeding, and GM sold this data to brokers for use in insurance products, which drivers weren’t informed about.
At its peak, millions of drivers were enrolled in Smart Driver, but many had no idea their driving data was being tracked. The program was quietly canceled in 2024 after privacy concerns were raised. The settlement requires GM to limit its data collection practices and to get explicit consent from drivers before sharing any of their information. This follows a previous agreement with the FTC, which prevents GM from disclosing such data to consumer reporting agencies for five years.
The situation has sparked outrage, with some drivers experiencing increased insurance premiums as a direct result of the data sold. Many customers signed up for the program under the impression that they were simply getting added benefits when purchasing their vehicles, not realizing they were essentially opting into a tracking system.
The settlement will benefit consumers across 35 states and D.C., with GM previously settling a separate investigation in California for $12.75 million over similar issues. The message from officials is clear: people expect privacy when they buy a car, not to be treated like a tracking device.
4.
US Approves $2.1 Billion in Patriot Missiles For Ukraine
5.
The $6.3 Billion Binance Hack: What North Korea's TraderTraitor Stole, What Was Frozen, and What Comes Next
Attackers allegedly drained an estimated $6.3 billion from Binance across ten blockchains in about 20 minutes. Investigators linked the breach to North Korea's TraderTraitor hacking unit, while industry partners froze nearly $3 billion.
6.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend Review
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is in theaters beginning Nov. 5. Hindi cinema has long looked to Hollywood as a benchmark for big-screen action; much of its 21st century style, for instance, was inspired by Mission: Impossible 2. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend re-imagines the resplendent Hindu epic as a CGI-laden blockbuster at a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the de facto touchstone for big-budget adaptations. In that vein, Nitesh Tiwari’s undertaking does, in fact, resemble a Marvel movie.
7.
The $6.3 billion Binance hack has been linked to North Korean hackers
It took about 20 minutes for hackers to move billions of dollars out of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Now, investigators are pointing to a group linked to another record-breaking crypto theft. Blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs has attributed the $6.3 billion attack to TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking unit blamed for last year's $1.5 billion Bybit heist, with "high confidence. Chainalysis and Elliptic also linked the theft to North Korea, though Binance has not yet confirmed who was responsible.
8.
GM to Pay $220 Million After Betraying Their Own Drivers’ Privacy
Jonathan Stempel, reporting for Reuters: General Motors will pay $220 million to settle allegations that it illegally sold drivers’ private behavior and location data to brokers, who then sold the information to insurers that used it to set and sometimes increase rates. The settlement, announced on Thursday, resolves claims by the attorneys general of 35 US states and the District of Columbia over the automaker’s Smart Driver program, which enrolled millions of drivers between 2016 and its discontinuation in 2024. Other regulators have also reviewed GM’s handling of driver data.
9.
Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta shuts under Kremlin pressure
The closure of Novaya Gazeta — one of the last outlets to openly criticise Russia's offensive — marks a new low in Moscow's campaign against dissenting voices that gained speed after the Kremlin sent troops into its neighbour in 2022
10.
Binance's $6.3 Billion Hack: Is Its Promise to Cover the Losses Enough?
Binance estimates its losses from the hack at about $6.3 billion, making it the largest hack on record and more than four times the $1.46 billion stolen from Bybit. The attacker entered Binance's internal systems through an employee's laptop and, instead of submitting a withdrawal request, obtained a signature on an EIP-7702 authorization that handed over control of the wallet. TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking group that has relied mainly on social engineering, has been named as the likely perpetrator. FTX collapsed after misusing customer funds.