Farmers, a key Republican voting group, may pose a midterm challenge for the party as rising costs put pressure on the sector. The article links higher production, diesel, and fertilizer costs to the Iran war and President Trump’s tariff and trade policies, and says his administration has introduced financial assistance and projects for farmers.
Key Facts
Farmers are a key voting group for Republicans.
The article says farmers’ votes could be at risk in the midterms.
It links higher farm production costs to the Iran war and President Trump’s tariff and trade policies.
Diesel and fertilizer prices have risen, according to the article.
The Trump administration has rolled out financial assistance packages and projects for farmers.
The article says the administration’s efforts aim to shore up farmer support.
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UK and EU officials are expected to discuss future options for their relationship, including freedom of movement, before an EU summit on 20 November. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government has made no assumptions about the long-term relationship, while Downing Street says its immediate focus is deals on areas such as food and youth mobility.
Key Facts
Officials from the UK and EU are expected to discuss a range of future relationship options before the 20 November summit.
Reynolds said officials would discuss possible future options, but current talks focus on food and drink, electricity, and emissions trading.
Downing Street says the government's immediate priority is securing new agreements in areas including food and youth mobility.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said Labour will not return to freedom of movement, the EU single market, or the customs union during the current parliamentary session.
Freedom of movement allows EU citizens to travel, live, study, and work in any EU member country.
Andy Burnham has called for an honest discussion about returning to freedom of movement and has left open the possibility of a referendum.
Labour MP Melanie Onn warned that discussing changes beyond Labour's 2024 manifesto could undermine public trust.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Burnham has no mandate to negotiate with the EU and called for the prime minister to present proposals at a general election.
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UK officials have begun discussing possible long-term arrangements with the EU, which could include free movement, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said. The immediate focus is a November summit on trade changes and a youth mobility deal; Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he will explain longer-term options and trade-offs afterward, with voters having a say.
Key Facts
Reynolds said officials are discussing possible future options for the UK-EU relationship.
The November EU summit is expected to focus on easing some trading restrictions and agreeing a youth mobility deal.
Proposed summit measures include agreements on food and drink and emissions trading.
Burnham said he would set out the options for a long-term relationship after the summit and explain the trade-offs.
Reynolds said voters would decide on any future changes, but he did not specify whether they would vote in an election or referendum.
Labour MP Melanie Onn warned that reopening the debate could revive divisions over Brexit.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticized officials for discussing freedom of movement and said Burnham lacked a mandate for the debate.
Burnham has said that rejoining the single market and accepting free movement could be included in a Labour manifesto, while fully rejoining the EU would require another referendum.
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Former FBI officials Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides are due in federal court to challenge charges that they made false statements to Congress about their knowledge of FBI investigations involving Hunter Biden. Prosecutors say records and witness accounts contradict their 2023 testimony; both officials deny wrongdoing, and the allegations have not been proven.
Key Facts
Floris and Benavides each face one count of making a false statement in a matter within Congress’s jurisdiction.
Prosecutors allege Floris said she had not discussed Biden while serving on the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force.
Prosecutors allege Benavides said he learned the FBI had Hunter Biden’s laptop from Wikipedia while preparing for his interview.
The officials’ lawyers say the charges are baseless or politically motivated and plan to contest them.
The case began with a criminal complaint, not a grand jury indictment.
The scheduled preliminary hearing is to address whether probable cause exists to move the case forward, not whether the defendants are guilty.
Floris led the task force from mid-2019 to mid-2022, while Benavides served as a section chief from mid-2019 through the 2020 election.
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Severe rains flooded parts of Ecuador’s largest city after battering the country’s coast. The article describes the flooding as the latest storm to hit Ecuador amid a strengthening El Niño.
Key Facts
Severe rains battered Ecuador’s coast.
Parts of Ecuador’s largest city are underwater.
The article describes the flooding as the latest storm to hit the country.
The storm occurred amid a strengthening El Niño.
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ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming returned to the top of Hurun’s China rich list, with an estimated net worth of $100 billion, up 43% from last year. The list showed strong gains for people in AI and other technology fields, while wealth in consumer businesses and real estate fell.
Key Facts
Hurun counted 1,529 people with more than 5 billion yuan in wealth, a 6.6% increase from last year.
The list included 1,176 billionaires measured in U.S. dollars, 155 more than last year.
Hurun said 160 people on the list made their money from artificial intelligence.
Zhong Shanshan, a bottled-water entrepreneur, ranked second with an estimated $61 billion, down 23%.
Robin Zeng, chairman of electric-vehicle battery maker CATL, ranked third.
Human Rights for Sport says at least six Iranian athletes face execution after Iran’s Supreme Court upheld their death sentences. The group says athletes have been targeted amid political protests and reports that six athletes have already been executed in cases linked to protests or earlier political charges.
Key Facts
Mountaineer Ali-Sina Mostafavi was executed on 14 October, after his death sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court in late September.
Mostafavi was arrested in April and accused of firing on civilians in Kerman’s Azadi Square and taking part in January protests.
Human Rights for Sport says at least six other athletes face execution, including swimmer Ali Pishevarzadeh, footballer Ehsan Hosseinpour and boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.
The group also names MMA fighter Benyamin Naghdi, equestrian athlete Taraneh Rahimi and climber Maryam Siri among athletes sentenced to death this year.
Taekwondo athlete Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi was killed in early October, and MMA fighter Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was hanged in May, according to the article.
Human Rights for Sport says six athletes have already been executed in cases connected to January protests or earlier political charges.
The group reports that 217 Iranian athletes were killed by direct gunfire in January and more than 100 others were detained.
Human Rights for Sport says it is difficult to contact some athletes facing execution because security services are also targeting their families.
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The Democratic Socialists of America is divided over its Los Angeles chapter’s endorsement of mayoral candidate Nithya Raman, largely because she has not endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. National leaders found the local chapter violated endorsement rules but have not withdrawn its support, while polls cited in the article show Raman leading incumbent Karen Bass before the Nov. 3 election.
Key Facts
The Los Angeles DSA chapter endorsed Raman by a vote of 937 to 484, with 52 abstentions.
On Oct. 4, the DSA National Political Committee found the chapter violated endorsement rules by not asking Raman about BDS, but it did not invalidate the endorsement.
DSA endorsement rules say candidates must actively support BDS and avoid affiliations with the Israeli government or Zionist lobbying groups.
Vanity Fair reported that national DSA leaders have considered revoking Raman’s endorsement and barring the local chapter from using resources to campaign for her.
A September Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll showed Raman leading Bass 39% to 28%, with 33% undecided; a more recent Manhattan Institute poll showed Raman ahead 38% to 32%, with 30% undecided.
At a Jewish voter forum, Raman defended describing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide but declined to support BDS as part of her municipal platform; she said Israel has a right to exist.
The Los Angeles chapter censured Raman in 2024 for accepting an endorsement from Democrats for Israel-Los Angeles, but continued to back her.
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Two men have been charged in connection with an incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on 27 September. Mohmed Abdulkarim faces a charge of assisting a foreign intelligence service, while Nouman Essghir faces a charge of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Key Facts
The incident took place near RAF Fairford on 27 September.
Three suspicious vehicles were seen near the US-operated airbase.
The sighting led authorities to declare a major incident.
Mohmed Abdulkarim has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Nouman Essghir, 24, has been charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Both men are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
A 25-year-old UK-Iranian man was released without charge and remains on police bail after being re-arrested last week.
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Missouri voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to repeal the 2024 constitutional amendment protecting reproductive freedom. The proposed Amendment 3 would prohibit most abortions, allow exceptions under specified conditions, and permit lawmakers to regulate abortion care.
Key Facts
Missouri voters approved a 2024 constitutional amendment protecting reproductive freedom, including abortion through fetal viability, typically 24 to 26 weeks of pregnancy.
The 2026 ballot measure is also called Amendment 3.
The proposed amendment would prohibit abortion except in medical emergencies and cases involving fetal anomalies, rape, or incest.
For abortions involving rape or incest, the proposal sets a limit of 12 weeks' gestation.
If approved, the amendment would allow state lawmakers to regulate abortion and access to care, including through facility licensing requirements.
The proposal would also prohibit gender-affirming procedures, cross-sex hormones, and puberty-blocking drugs for minors.
Missouri already bars gender-affirming surgeries and medical treatments for minors under state law, according to the article.
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Israelis are voting in an election that could leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc short of a majority. Exit polls are expected after voting ends, but coalition talks may delay the formation of a government; official results are scheduled for publication on November 4.
Key Facts
Polling runs from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
About 7.3 million Israelis are eligible to vote, including 1.2 million Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Final polls published Friday put Netanyahu’s bloc at an average of 50 seats and the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot at 54 seats.
The Knesset has 120 seats, and a coalition needs at least 61 for a majority.
Israel uses proportional representation: voters choose a party, and parties need at least 3.25 percent of the vote to enter the Knesset.
The final vote tally is expected by Friday, while official results are scheduled to be published on November 4.
President Isaac Herzog will consult party leaders and nominate the candidate he believes can best form a government; that candidate can take up to 42 days to do so.
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Election officials across the United States are preparing for the 2026 midterms amid public distrust, legal disputes, threats against election workers, and tensions between federal and state officials. In Georgia’s Paulding County, election director Deidre Holden says her office welcomes public observation and has increased safety measures at polling places and ballot-processing facilities.
Key Facts
Early voting is underway in Georgia ahead of the midterm elections.
The article reports that the Trump administration has pursued lawsuits in California and Alaska and threatened to prosecute election workers, saying its actions aim to protect election integrity.
Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said trust between federal and state officials has broken down.
An ABC News, Washington Post, and Ipsos poll found about six in ten Americans were confident the midterms would be conducted fairly and accurately.
The same poll found nearly four in ten Americans and about three in ten voters were not confident the elections would be conducted fairly and accurately.
Paulding County election director Deidre Holden said her office allows people to observe the process.
Holden said a sheriff’s deputy is stationed at every polling location in Paulding County.
Holden said she has focused increasingly on the safety of election staff, poll workers, and voters.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Mumbai and Jamnagar on his second trip to India this year, but did not travel to New Delhi or meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Analyst Milan Vaishnav said the itinerary reflected the Trump administration’s focus on business deals and efforts to encourage India to process more Venezuelan crude, even as trade disputes and U.S. ties with Pakistan complicate relations.
Key Facts
Rubio met India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and business leaders in Mumbai.
Rubio visited Jamnagar, home to Reliance Industries’ large oil refinery complex, and met Reliance chair Mukesh Ambani.
The article says U.S.-India ties have faced strain over tariffs and India’s purchases of Russian oil.
Vaishnav said Mumbai was a fitting location for promoting business deals, though he noted that the choice of venues was intentional.
Vaishnav said the administration wanted to encourage Reliance and India to process more Venezuelan crude.
Vaishnav cited high U.S. petrol prices and the November 3 midterm elections as reasons the administration wanted to show it was working to lower fuel costs.
Vaishnav described the Trump administration’s embrace of Pakistan after the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict as a major shift.
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Israelis are voting in an election centered on Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, the October 7 security failures and the country’s direction after three years of war. Netanyahu campaigned on the threat from Iran, while opponents promised accountability and political changes; the article says the opposition entered the vote with stronger organization and voter motivation, though its parties faced late infighting.
Key Facts
The election is the first opportunity for voters to judge Netanyahu over the security failures before the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and his record during the subsequent war.
Netanyahu made Iran a central campaign issue and warned that Iran was moving closer to building a nuclear weapon.
Israeli officials said Netanyahu sought President Donald Trump’s approval for a strike on Iran before the election, but Trump did not agree.
The officials said IDF chief of staff General Eyal Zamir refused to prepare for a potential strike, warning it could trigger escalation and disrupt the election.
Netanyahu opponent Gadi Eisenkot called for accountability over October 7, a national commission of inquiry and drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the military.
Netanyahu’s opponents criticized claims that some of his advisers and his campaign manager received money from Qatar; Netanyahu said he did not know his advisers were paid.
The article described Netanyahu’s bloc as divided and unpopular, while the opposition had stronger organization and turnout efforts.
The article said more than 50,000 Israelis who had left the country returned to vote, and that Arab turnout was expected to be unusually high.
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Two London men, both 24, have been charged under the UK’s National Security Act 2023 following an investigation into a suspected plot near RAF Fairford. Police have said Iranian state involvement was highly likely; five other men arrested in the investigation remain on bail.
Key Facts
Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim is charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Nouman Essghir is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Both men are 24 and from London.
They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The incident took place near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on 27 September.
Five other men arrested during the investigation remain on police bail.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the charges followed a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation.
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Australia’s public broadcaster, the ABC, plans to send One Nation a cease-and-desist letter over the party’s use of Bluey in a political cartoon. ABC managing director Hugh Marks said the character was used without permission and that the broadcaster believes the video infringes its intellectual property. At a Senate hearing, Marks also discussed a former news director’s termination payout and changes to Four Corners after a review found flaws in some programs.
Key Facts
The 2024 One Nation video, titled “State of Melbourne,” has received about 1.3 million YouTube views.
The cartoon shows Bluey and political figures being struck by an SUV; some scenes depict characters putting bodies in the vehicle’s trunk.
Marks said the ABC had sought legal advice and contacted Bluey distributor BBC Studios and creator Ludo.
Marks said One Nation had not sought permission to use Bluey and that the ABC planned to issue a cease-and-desist letter.
The Senate hearing took place a week after an alleged attack outside independent MP Helen Haines’s electorate office that left her without both legs.
Former ABC news director Justin Stevens received a $353,230 termination payout after Marks decided he should not work out his notice period.
Marks said the ABC found substantial flaws in much of former Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal’s work and had replaced the program’s leadership.
The ABC said it was reviewing its editorial guidance on anonymous sources.
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UK prosecutors charged two men under the National Security Act over a September incident at RAF Fairford, an English airbase used by the United States. One is accused of assisting Iran’s intelligence service, while the other is accused of entering a prohibited place; both are due in court Tuesday.
Key Facts
Mohmed Abdulkarim, a 24-year-old British-Iranian dual national, is charged with assisting Iran’s intelligence service.
Nouman Essghir, a 24-year-old British citizen, is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Essghir was arrested outside RAF Fairford on September 27.
Police and army bomb-disposal experts searched the area, and dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes.
Abdulkarim was arrested in the week before the charges were announced.
Six other men have been arrested and released on bail while the investigation continues.
RAF Fairford, in Gloucestershire, was used by US bombers during the US-Israeli war on Iran this year.
UK counterterrorism police said they believed Iran was the country Abdulkarim was assisting; Iran’s ambassador to Britain denied that activity at the base was coordinated in Iran.
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Ahead of the UK budget, the government announced five cost-of-living measures it calls “everyday fixes,” including changes to mileage tax relief, parental pay and Carer’s Allowance rules. Unison welcomed the mileage change but said rising food and fuel costs require bolder, longer-term policies.
Key Facts
The government plans to make the 55p-per-mile tax-free rate permanent for the first 10,000 business miles and raise the rate for additional miles from 25p to 35p.
The Treasury says about three million employees and self-employed people who drive their own vehicles for work will benefit from the mileage changes.
The Treasury estimates the mileage changes will save a worker who drives 6,000 business miles £120 a year in tax, and someone who drives 15,000 miles up to £300.
The government plans to extend parental pay to more than 150,000 additional parents a year, including some self-employed fathers and partners, with eligible parents receiving two weeks of support.
The budget will scrap the Carer’s Allowance rule that can remove a carer’s entire allowance for earning just over the weekly limit.
Unison general secretary Andrea Egan welcomed permanent higher mileage rates but called for policies that make wealthier people pay more and improve working-class communities.
The measures were announced ahead of the UK budget, which is due the following day.
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BTG reported that 738,144 UK businesses were in significant financial distress in the third quarter, the highest level since its report began in 2004. Distress rose in hospitality and food and drug retail, while businesses owed HMRC £27.3bn in unpaid VAT, corporation tax and PAYE at the end of August.
Key Facts
The number of businesses in significant financial distress rose 1.6% year over year in the third quarter.
Support services had 118,695 businesses in significant distress, construction had 108,340, and real estate had 99,908.
The number of bars and restaurants in distress rose 5% to 18,866.
Distressed food and drug retailers increased by more than 7% to 19,269.
Businesses owed HMRC £27.3bn in VAT, corporation tax and PAYE arrears at the end of August.
About £24bn of tax arrears has been recovered since the pandemic-era peak of £51.3bn.
The article says the chancellor planned to present a budget on Wednesday and had pledged to give households and businesses more breathing space.
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A PBS News/NPR/Marist poll found Democrats leading Republicans by 8 points among likely voters in congressional races, one week before Election Day. Democratic voters reported greater enthusiasm for voting, and likely voters were twice as likely to say their ballot was against President Donald Trump as for him.
Key Facts
Fifty-two percent of likely voters said they would support the Democratic candidate in their district, compared with 44% who would support the Republican.
Independents favored Democrats by 13 points.
Seventy-one percent of Democrats said they were very enthusiastic about voting.
Among Republicans, 61% said they were very enthusiastic about voting.
Among independents, 48% said they were very enthusiastic about voting.
Likely voters said by a 2-to-1 margin that their midterm ballot was a vote against Trump rather than a vote for him.
The poll was conducted one week before Election Day, with control of Congress at stake.
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