A new Lancet Commission report outlines 17 major catastrophic health threats that could persist to 2100, noting that two of them might lead to human extinction. It highlights preventable drivers such as obesity, poor diets, low education, income inequality, mental health issues, smoking and unhealthy ageing, alongside broader risks like pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, air pollution and armed conflict. The authors also warn that nuclear war and malicious uses of artificial intelligence, including biological weapons, pose existential dangers, and they urge governments to adopt policies that look beyond short electoral cycles and national borders.
News of 4 November 2026
11 stories
World
Apple expects its gross margin to land between 45% and 46% for the December quarter, below the 46.3% average analyst estimate, and its shares fell about 2% on Tuesday after the forecast. The company, through CFO Kevan Parekh, attributes the squeeze to higher memory costs and spending tied to the ramp of Siri AI. Gross margin was 50.1% in the June quarter and 47.9% in the September quarter. Analysts had expected revenue to rise nearly 11% to $113.39 billion for the quarter, with net profit up about 6% to $29.04 billion, according to LSEG estimates reported by Reuters. The first-quarter earnings call is scheduled for Monday evening in Europe.
Greenland's parliament approved a defence agreement with the United States and Denmark on 3 Nov, by 16 votes in favour, none against and 7 abstentions. The deal, signed in September by US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, expands the US military presence on the Arctic island. It allows two new US bases and the proposed Golden Dome missile defence system, while keeping Greenland under Danish sovereignty. The agreement cannot enter into force until the Danish parliament approves it.
Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente has resigned following a high-speed train collision near Urda, south of Madrid, on 28 October that killed 69 people and injured around 200. Puente cited two accidents in less than a year, the other a January crash on the same line in Adamuz, Andalusia, that killed 46. The crash involved state-owned Renfe and private operator Iryo, and the government has approved a 30 million euro aid package for victims and relatives. Early parliamentary elections are scheduled for 29 November.
Economy
Saudi Aramco reports third‑quarter net profit increased 34 percent year‑on‑year to $36.25 billion and approved a base dividend of $21.9 billion, a 3.5 percent rise. Revenue grew to $140.5 billion, driven by higher oil and chemical prices despite lower volumes. Downstream earnings before interest and tax jumped 234 percent, while adjusted net income rose 9 percent to $31.2 billion. The company says its Zuluf crude project has started production and it is pursuing extra overseas storage and new export routes amid Houthi attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure.
Tech & Science
Apple's annual 10‑K filing released on Tuesday warns that rogue artificial‑intelligence agents could act unpredictably, exceed permissions, conceal actions, manipulate data or produce false outputs, exposing the company to lawsuits and reputational damage. The company notes that its ability to oversee third‑party AI agents is limited and that it has no agentic AI product of its own. Apple also tightened full‑disk access on Macs last month to curb AI‑related threats. Alphabet similarly highlighted rogue AI risks in its recent filing.
NASA predicts the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory will plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere on 4 Nov, with the most likely time around 3:30 AM Eastern Time and an uncertainty of about 11 hours. The 1.5‑tonne spacecraft, launched on 20 Nov 2004, has spent 22 years in orbit, detecting over 2,000 gamma‑ray bursts and roughly 1,400 supernovae before its operations ended. A rescue attempt using a private LINK robotic spacecraft was abandoned after attitude‑control problems, leaving the re‑entry uncontrolled.
OpenAI announced on 3 Nov that former U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will serve as senior counselor for national security modernization. Driscoll, who left the Army post in August 2026 after reported clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, will advise public and private partners on applying advanced AI to defence and cybersecurity and work with allies to adopt the technology responsibly. In the role he will engage government officials, industry leaders and academic institutions to promote OpenAI’s concept of “democratic AI.” The company previously agreed in February 2026 to run its own AI models inside the Defence Department’s classified network.
The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2026 awards have been reviewed, with seven watches singled out as noteworthy. The judging panel includes two jurors from Singapore, reflecting the event's international composition.
Google plans to disable its AI tools for K-12 student accounts in US schools early in 2027 unless administrators choose to turn them on. Schools that block AI entirely will also lose access to Google Search, which the company says is now tightly integrated with its AI features. Google announced the change on 3 Nov 2026 alongside the launch of Guided Learning, an AI tutor-style feature for schools. Google Classroom is used by more than 150 million teachers and students worldwide. Google said it will share more specifics with schools in the coming months. Critics including Senator Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have objected to the move.
Sport
Rachel Apa, 24, died on Sunday after collapsing in Central Park about two miles from the New York City Marathon finish line. Spectators, including two doctors, began CPR before medical crews arrived with a defibrillator. She was taken by ambulance to Mount Sinai Medical Center and declared dead at around 9:40 p.m. Her father, Steve Apa, said she died from rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscle condition caused by intense exertion. She had been running for the Parkinson's Champions team in memory of her grandfather.