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Energy · 6–8 minutes to readHow does a hydroelectric power plant work? From water to electricityFrom the potential energy of water through the turbine and generator to the electricity grid. And why can water also act as a giant battery?Read the article

4 November 2026

5 events

US elections

Democrats win the Senate; NBC also projects a House majority

Following the November 3 elections, AP declared Democrats the winners of the battle for the Senate; CBS also projects their victory. The party gained Republican seats in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, among others. NBC separately projects a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. At the morning check, AP had not yet called control of the House; the final seat count remains unsettled. The new Congress takes office in January 2027.

Impact: A Democratic Senate majority can constrain Trump's executive and judicial nominations. If a House majority is also confirmed, passing legislation and budgets will require agreement with the opposition. For Czechia, Slovakia and Ukraine, the next decisions on US foreign aid will be particularly important; the election result alone does not determine changes to that aid.

AP CBS News NBC News via WSAZ AP – vote-counting status

Ukraine

Zelenskyy raises death toll from attack on Komyshuvakha aid site to 33

Speaking in Berlin on November 3, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported 33 deaths after Russian attacks on November 2 on a school used for distributing humanitarian aid and as a shelter in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region. He said more than 50 people could still be under the rubble. An earlier UN human rights mission report cited a local toll of at least 31 deaths. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed it had struck military units in the settlement; the UN also describes the school's civilian use. Searches continued for a second night.

Impact: The attack struck a place where residents of a front-line settlement relied on food distribution and safe shelter. The number missing is not a confirmed additional death toll. The attack and renewed strikes on energy infrastructure worsen conditions for civilians ahead of winter; the announced Abu Dhabi talks have not yet produced a new ceasefire agreement.

President of Ukraine UN – human rights Reuters AP Ukrainska Pravda Reuters – Russian response

Czech society

Czech Television and Radio strike against a shift to state-budget funding

Czech Television and Czech Radio staff curtailed broadcasts during a one-day strike on November 3. Rallies supported them in Prague, Brno, Ostrava and other cities. The Babiš government wants to abolish fees paid by households and businesses and replace them with state funding, cutting resources by approximately 15%. The bill passed its first reading, with further parliamentary debate ahead. The broadcasters fear political pressure through the budget; the government denies their independence is at risk.

Impact: The change would move funding decisions into the state budget and, according to the broadcasters, require cuts to production and programming. Households would no longer pay a direct fee, but public funds would finance the services. This remains a proposal whose final wording has not been approved.

Reuters AP ČTK

Slovak economy

Slovak housing asking prices rise 10.9% year on year

On November 3, the National Bank of Slovakia published figures for the third quarter of 2026: housing asking prices rose 2.6% quarter on quarter and 10.9% year on year. The average reached €3,120 per square metre. One- and two-room apartments saw the largest increases; regional growth was strongest in the Banská Bystrica and Trnava regions, while prices in the Košice region fell slightly. According to NBS, households probably brought purchases forward before further interest-rate rises. These are asking prices, not the final prices of all completed transactions.

Impact: At the same financing ratio, a higher purchase price requires more savings and a larger loan. The nationwide average is therefore no substitute for comparing a specific location and apartment type. Price growth has continued despite rates on new mortgages rising from 3.8% in June to 3.9% in September.

National Bank of Slovakia TASR

Science

Scientists report chemical traces of blood in a 115-million-year-old dinosaur bone

In a study published online in PNAS on November 2, a team led by Curtin University found molecules related to heme, a component of the oxygen-carrying blood pigment, in a bone of the Brazilian dinosaur Aratasaurus. The team also described mineralized structures resembling red blood cells. The fossil is approximately 115 million years old; the bone itself was discovered in 2008, while the new development is the microscopic and chemical analysis. Independent experts quoted by ABC question the definitive identification of the structures as blood cells. The research did not demonstrate preserved dinosaur DNA.

Impact: Chemical traces could expand dinosaur research from bone shape to metabolism. The authors want to examine further fossils and environments to establish how widespread such preservation is. The image is an authentic archival photograph of a fossil of the species studied, not a microscopic image of the new findings.

PNAS Curtin University Reuters ABC – independent responses