The incident at Binance could be the biggest theft of any kind in history. We answer some key questions

• North Korean group blamed for $6.3bn crypto heist

• Tell us: have you been affected?

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has been hit by a $6.3bn heist that, according to experts, is likely to be the work of North Korea.

This is not the first time a crypto market has been targeted by hackers, and the rogue state has a track record of this type of theft. Here we answer some key questions about what’s happened:

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© Photograph: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Rex

© Photograph: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Rex

© Photograph: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Rex

We’d like to hear from people who’ve been directly affected by the hack or now have concerns about crypto security

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has been hit by an industry-record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) hack.

Binance has scrambled to freeze the affected assets, with about $3bn located so far. Co-founder Yi He said the company would cover “all hacking losses”. Analysts have attributed the attack to North Korean state backed hackers.

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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Binance exchange says it will cover customer losses as it scrambles to freeze affected assets, with about $3bn located so far

• Q&A: How big a deal is the $6.3bn crypto heist?

• Tell us: have you been affected by the Binance hack?

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has been hit by a record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) hack described as the biggest heist in history, with experts identifying North Korea as the likely culprit.

Binance said it would cover all customer losses as it froze $3bn of the affected assets.

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© Photograph: Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters

© Photograph: Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters

© Photograph: Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters

More than 140 statewide ballot measures will go before voters during the midterms. Here are the races we’re watching.

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Thinktank says chancellor has given himself a mountain to climb after ducking big decisions in low-key speech

John Healey has paved the way for a “brutal” spending review next year after his budget failed to cover a £28bn shortfall in the public finances needed to avoid a return to austerity, according to Britain’s leading tax and spending experts.

A day after his address to the Commons, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the chancellor had left himself a mountain to climb by ducking several big decisions in his debut tax and spending statement.

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© Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

© Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

© Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

A “bad actor” tried to breach the system, according to a Federal Election Commission email, disrupting political finance disclosures for two days during the final week of campaigning.

© Nicole Craine for The New York Times

As soon as the midterms are over, presidential contenders are going to need to raise millions, quickly.

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As political fights over artificial intelligence accelerate, there is now a super PAC aligned with the data center industry. Its first bet is on Ms. Graham, a Republican in an unexpectedly tight race.

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It’s Oct. 26 — eight days from the midterms. Here’s the state of play.

Fueled by tens of millions from Elon Musk, President Trump’s super PAC, Michael Bloomberg and other big donors, both parties are pumping enormous amounts into the final days of the midterms.

© Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times

Regulators say removing ‘unnecessary burdens’ will save businesses about £2bn over 10 years

The UK is watering down rules introduced in the aftermath of the financial crisis that were designed to hold City bosses accountable for wrongdoing.

The plans, put forward by the financial industry’s two top regulators, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), include a reduction in reporting for “lower-level misconduct” and would also free 140,000 managers from extra checks.

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© Photograph: Gary Yeowell/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gary Yeowell/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gary Yeowell/Getty Images

The transfer came a day after the news that the pro-Israel lobby was planning to contribute as much as $9 million to defeat the Democratic nominee for Senate.

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Plus: The justices’ book deals mean the court can’t rule on cases involving a media conglomerate.

© Alex Kent/The New York Times

The enormous spending by the term-limited president’s super PAC has no parallel in American history, and could offer struggling Republican candidates a lifeline.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

The justice said during a discussion that recent Supreme Court decisions on voting rights, gerrymandering and campaign finance have deepened America’s divides.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

MAGA Inc. is now flooding the social media platforms with targeted ads as it seeks to turn out Republicans amid the president’s historically low approval ratings.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

The money from the former New York City mayor and megadonor, who is focused on ensuring a sizable Democratic House majority, will help cut into Republicans’ financial advantage.

© Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

The liberal pro-Israel advocacy group’s ads denouncing incumbents in Iowa and Pennsylvania put it at odds with the larger organization for the first time.

The party apparatus is taking advantage of its enormous war chest, as well as a Supreme Court campaign-finance ruling this year, to send tens of millions into congressional races.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

In 2022, I helped push through the international agreement to protect biodiversity. Wars and economic pressures can make nature seem like a ‘nice-to-have’. But it is a critical asset, and Cop17 must deliver real action

When I was five, property developers came to cut down the woods behind my home in La Tuque, Quebec. My mother encouraged me to climb one of the trees in protest, then told the developers, straight-faced, that there was nothing she could do when they asked her to get me down. A few days later, the tree was cut down anyway.

I thought about that tree in the early hours of a freezing Montreal morning in December 2022, as the gavel came down on a global agreement between nearly 200 countries to halt and reverse the loss of nature by 2030. I thought about how important nature is for our health, our food security and our economies, but also how much passion there is around protecting it, and how it has the power to inspire people all around the world.

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© Photograph: COP17

© Photograph: COP17

© Photograph: COP17