Two conservative activists, James O’Keefe and Cam Higby, face felony charges over their conduct at Minnesota polling places during the August 11 primary. Prosecutors allege they used registered voters’ names without permission while seeking ballots, but say neither signed the required oath or received a ballot.
Key Facts
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the charges on October 28.
The charges include felony unlawful voting and identity theft.
Prosecutors allege O’Keefe and Higby identified themselves using names of registered voters without those voters’ knowledge or permission.
The activists were reportedly testing Minnesota’s voter-vouching process.
Moriarty said Minnesota law bars intentionally misrepresenting one’s identity when applying for a ballot.
According to prosecutors, neither man signed the required oath or cast a ballot.
The incidents allegedly occurred at polling places during Minnesota’s August 11 primary.
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Sanrio apologized and ended its commercial partnership with the Japanese spy drama Vivant after Chinese state media and social media users criticized its depiction of Chinese agents torturing Japanese intelligence officers. Sanrio said the show conflicted with its values and that it would strengthen reviews of future partnerships. The dispute comes as relations between China and Japan are strained and Sanrio relies on China as a major overseas market.
Key Facts
Sanrio announced the end of its association with Vivant in a post on Weibo.
The drama is produced by Japan’s TBS network and stars Masato Sakai.
In an episode aired on 4 October, a Chinese agent cuts off a Japanese officer’s fingers and stabs him in the abdomen.
Chinese state media said the torture scenes smeared China and resembled abuses committed by Japanese troops during the Second World War.
Sanrio said the show contained elements inconsistent with its core values and pledged to strengthen reviews of future collaborative projects.
Sanrio characters My Melody and Cinnamoroll appeared in Vivant-themed merchandise.
Chinese media reported that Sanrio earned 781 million yuan, or $117 million, in China during the first half of the year, up more than 40% from the same period a year earlier.
The article links the backlash to strained China-Japan relations, including a diplomatic dispute over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan.
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Shell reported adjusted profit of $10.8 billion for the July–September quarter, nearly twice its $5.432 billion profit in the same quarter of 2025 and above analyst expectations. Higher oil and gas prices and rising refinery margins lifted earnings, while damage to a key facility cut Shell’s gas production by about a third. Shell also plans to spend $5 billion on share buybacks over the next three months, up from $3 billion in the previous quarter.
Key Facts
Shell’s adjusted profit was $10.8 billion in the July–September quarter, compared with $5.432 billion a year earlier.
The result exceeded analysts’ average expectation of $10.33 billion.
Shell said it would return $5 billion to investors through share buybacks over the next three months.
The company expected refinery margins to reach $42 per barrel in the quarter, up from $24 per barrel in the second quarter.
Damage to a key gas processing facility during the Middle East conflict cut Shell’s gas production from 900,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by about one-third.
Europe’s benchmark gas price averaged almost €64 per megawatt-hour in the quarter, compared with more than €48 in the previous quarter.
The global oil benchmark averaged $94.90 per barrel, up from $69.10 in the same quarter a year earlier.
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A viral video showed a three-year-old Florida boy scoring repeatedly during a youth soccer game, followed by his parents speaking with police. Records and footage reviewed by the Guardian show that the organizer said the boy had pushed other children and that his parents had argued with families; the parents said their son was singled out for his ability. Officers treated the dispute as a civil matter, and no arrests were made.
Key Facts
The soccer game took place in the Orlando suburb of Winter Park.
The boy’s father filmed him scoring goals and cheering him on.
The parents said the boy was benched because he was too good at soccer.
The organizer told police he rotated players so everyone could participate.
The organizer also said the boy had pushed other children and his parents had argued with other families.
The organizer’s 911 call described a disruptive parent who followed him, called him names, and livestreamed the confrontation.
Police discussed arranging a refund and made no arrests.
The article says the video drew national attention and comments from public figures, including soccer player Alex Freeman and children’s entertainer Ms Rachel.
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Rapper Nicki Minaj criticized New York Governor Kathy Hochul in posts on X and urged Black people and Christians to vote for her Republican opponent, Bruce Blakeman. Hochul responded to Minaj’s comments, while White House communications director Steven Cheung jokingly suggested Minaj could become the White House press secretary.
Key Facts
Minaj called Hochul “an evil woman” in an X post on Wednesday.
Minaj urged Black people and Christians to vote for Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman.
Hochul told a journalist that Minaj needed to “get outside” and stop attending Trump rallies.
Minaj traveled with President Donald Trump to a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25.
White House communications director Steven Cheung shared a video of Minaj and joked that she could be the next White House press secretary.
The White House’s official X account responded to Cheung’s post with an eyeballs emoji.
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Twelve former U.S. officials who resigned over the Biden administration’s Gaza policy urged potential Democratic candidates for the 2028 presidential nomination to pledge not to hire officials they say enabled Israel’s military actions. They also called for candidates to acknowledge U.S. complicity in Israel’s actions and commit to other principles in a proposed three-part pledge.
Key Facts
The former officials published a joint statement titled “Gaza Resignees” on Wednesday.
The 12 officials said they resigned between late 2023 and 2024 over what they called the U.S.’s “illegal and unconditional support” for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The statement urged 2028 Democratic candidates not to hire officials directly responsible, in the former officials’ view, for enabling Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The proposed pledge calls for candidates to uphold the U.S. Constitution and pursue the U.S. national interest.
The officials also called for candidates to acknowledge U.S. complicity through arms, funding and diplomatic support; the statement describes Israel’s actions as genocide.
Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 74,564 Palestinians and injured at least 175,770 since October 2023.
Rights groups, experts, scholars and United Nations inquiries have assessed that Israel’s war on Gaza amounts to genocide.
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El Salvador plans to send more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to help search for four missing Salvadoran aviation technicians and fight armed gangs. Haiti postponed its first-round presidential and parliamentary elections to July 18, 2027, citing security challenges that have hindered preparations for voting.
Key Facts
Four Salvadoran technicians disappeared on October 18 after armed men ambushed their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, east of Port-au-Prince.
The technicians were serving with an international security mission that supports Haitian police.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele spoke with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, and the prime minister’s office said they agreed to strengthen cooperation on rescue efforts and security operations.
It is unclear whether the additional Salvadoran troops will join the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force or operate separately.
Haiti scheduled the second round of voting and local elections for October 4, 2027.
Fewer than 900,000 people had registered to vote by Wednesday, out of 6.5 million Haitians with the identification cards needed to enrol, according to the Miami Herald.
An international food security assessment found that 5.94 million Haitians face acute hunger, including 1.8 million in emergency conditions; it projected the total would reach 6.35 million by mid-2027.
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A court in the Philippines is expected to issue a warrant allowing police to examine materials taken from Thomas Markle’s home. The materials are alleged to include child pornography, which Markle has denied possessing. BBC reporter Jonathan Head is reporting from outside Markle’s former home in Cebu.
Key Facts
The court is expected to issue the warrant later today.
The warrant would authorise police to examine materials taken from Markle’s home.
The materials are alleged to include child pornography.
Markle has strongly denied possessing child abuse material.
Markle returned to the United States earlier this year.
BBC reporter Jonathan Head is in Cebu, outside Markle’s former residence.
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Chancellor John Healey said the government has a “moral duty” to help young people who are out of work and pledged to reduce welfare spending before the next general election. The OBR forecasts that welfare spending will rise from £353bn this year to £431bn in 2031/32.
Key Facts
Healey made the comments in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He pledged to reduce the welfare bill ahead of the next general election.
The OBR forecasts welfare spending of £353bn this year.
The OBR forecasts welfare spending of £431bn in 2031/32.
The Conservatives accused Labour of being “addicted to welfare.”
Reform UK said the Budget did not address what it called the “ballooning” benefits bill.
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Small business owners in Bilston and Wolverhampton said rising energy, fuel, wage and material costs are squeezing their businesses, and they criticized the Budget for offering too little help. The Budget includes a 3.9% rise in the legal minimum wage, a one-off £100 payment for eligible households in England, and changes to energy bills and import taxes.
Key Facts
Butcher Kevin Evans said electricity costs and higher prices for goods are putting pressure on his business.
Evans said he cannot afford to hire another worker as National Insurance and minimum wage costs rise.
Plasterer Glen Gandy said he spends about £350 a week on fuel and cannot afford to expand his workforce.
Chip shop owner Lutfu Efe said his electricity bill is nearly £800 a month and his gas bill is £600 a month.
The legal minimum wage is set to rise by 3.9% from April.
The Budget provides a one-off £100 payment for up to 20 million households in council tax bands A to D in England.
Standing charges are to be removed from gas bills in England, Scotland and Wales, and the electricity-bill VAT cut has been extended until July.
Import taxes will be removed on more than 100 food products, as well as kerosene and fertilisers.
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The article invites readers to submit questions about Chancellor John Healey’s first budget, which it says was announced the previous day. Guardian money editor Hilary Osborne and economics editor Heather Stewart were scheduled to answer questions from 3 p.m. GMT.
Key Facts
The article describes John Healey as Chancellor and says he presented his first budget under Andy Burnham’s leadership.
The article says the budget included measures to cut energy bills, funded by a windfall tax on banks.
Healey described the plan as built on fiscal discipline and intended to address global economic pressures, according to the article.
The article asks whether the budget marks a major change or limited adjustments constrained by fiscal rules.
Readers were invited to submit questions in the comments.
Hilary Osborne and Heather Stewart were scheduled to join the discussion at 3 p.m. GMT.
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Chancellor John Healey said the government would reduce welfare spending before the next election, while rejecting crude cuts and promising more support and conditions for young people who can work or train. He said the government would announce reforms after reviews of youth employment and disability benefits. The budget included energy-bill support, while a thinktank said its measures did not address major economic challenges.
Key Facts
The Office for Budget Responsibility projected total welfare spending would rise from £334 billion last year to £431 billion by 2030.
About half of projected welfare spending goes to pensioners and a quarter to sickness and disability benefits, according to the article.
Healey said young people would be expected to accept offers of support to find work or training.
The government is awaiting the Milburn review of young people and work and the Timms review of disability benefits before setting out welfare changes.
The budget included £100 energy payments for up to 20 million households in council tax bands A to D.
The budget also scrapped standing charges on gas bills, according to the article.
The Resolution Foundation said the budget’s household-cost measures would not stop energy bills from rising above levels seen during the previous energy shock.
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El Salvador has sent more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to search for four air force technicians who went missing nearly two weeks ago and to support efforts against gangs. El Salvador’s president rejected Haiti’s handover of four bodies as a match for the missing soldiers, while the UN says gang violence has killed more than 5,700 people in Haiti this year.
Key Facts
El Salvador’s foreign ministry said President Nayib Bukele informed Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime of the deployment earlier this week.
The four missing technicians were serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force.
They were travelling in an armoured vehicle when armed groups ambushed it in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area controlled by gangs.
No gang has claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Haiti handed four bodies to special forces, but Bukele said they were not the missing servicemen.
Bukele said one body was that of a child and another wore a military uniform from a different country.
The UN Security Council approved expanded powers for the Gang Suppression Force in October last year.
The UN says more than 5,700 people have been killed in gang-related violence in Haiti this year.
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Ofcom recommended four methods social media companies could use to check whether UK users meet the age limit under a planned ban on access for under-16s. The measures require government approval, and platforms must choose and implement checks that protect privacy and personal data.
Key Facts
The UK ban is due to take effect in March next year and would block under-16s from ten major platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
Ofcom named photo ID matching, bank-based checks, facial age estimation and digital ID services as methods it considers highly effective.
The regulator said social media companies remain responsible for carrying out age checks, even if app stores verify users’ ages at the device level.
Meta and other technology companies have advocated device-level checks, while Apple has already introduced age verification in the UK.
Ofcom said many adults may also have to show they are not under 16, but it has not estimated how many accounts would be affected.
The regulator acknowledged that age checks cannot prevent all circumvention and some children may bypass them.
Ofcom said its recommendations draw on its experience introducing age checks for pornographic websites.
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North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles from near Wonsan into the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s military said. The launch came amid rising tensions over a landmine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers and as Seoul seeks military talks with Pyongyang.
Key Facts
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles launched at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday from North Korea’s east coast.
Japan’s Defence Ministry confirmed a possible ballistic missile launch and said it fell outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, Kyodo News reported.
A landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean soldiers on September 21.
A South Korea–United Nations investigation concluded that North Korea planted the mines more than a year earlier; Pyongyang rejected the finding.
North Korea’s UN representative accused South Korea of fabricating the incident and warned that violations of North Korean sovereignty could prompt self-defence.
South Korea has invited North Korea to military talks about the border dispute and restoring communication channels.
North Korea has not indicated whether it will accept the talks, and leader Kim Jong Un has suspended most dialogue and cooperation with Seoul.
The missile launch followed President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he might meet Kim Jong Un this year.
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National polling averages show Democrats leading Republicans ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, but several Senate contests remain close. Democrats are seeking control of both chambers, while President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama and Vice President JD Vance campaigned in key states on Wednesday.
Key Facts
RealClearPolling’s national average puts Democrats ahead of Republicans 51.4% to 43.2%.
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton 48.5% to 46.7% in the RealClearPolling average.
A Mitchell Research poll for CBS Detroit found Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed leading Republican Mike Rogers 51% to 44%.
RealClearPolling showed a closer Michigan race, with El-Sayed at 48% and Rogers at 46%.
Democrats need a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to take control of both chambers, according to the article.
Republicans currently hold 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats; Democrats hold 47, including two independents who caucus with them.
The article reports that Trump, Obama and Vance campaigned in Ohio, Georgia and North Carolina on Wednesday.
Democratic and Republican campaigners were both seeking support from young voters in Michigan.
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Chancellor John Healey said the government will reduce the benefits bill before the next general election, but ruled out crude cuts and has not yet set out detailed reforms. Two reviews due in November will inform proposals that the government plans to publish by year-end, with legislation expected next year.
Key Facts
Welfare spending is forecast to rise by £19 billion this year to £353 billion.
The Office for Budget Responsibility projects welfare spending will reach £431 billion in 2031/32, driven mainly by health-related and pensioner benefits.
Healey said helping young people who are not in education, employment or training could reduce welfare spending over the long term.
A review of disability benefits and a review of young people not in education, employment or training are due to be published in November.
The government expects to respond to the reviews by the end of the year and publish legislation next year.
The government has pledged to reform the state pension triple lock from 2030.
Conservative and Reform UK politicians criticised the Budget for not setting out more detail on welfare reform.
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A Worcester haulage company says thieves stole about 400 litres of diesel from two lorries over the weekend, causing roughly £800 in fuel losses. West Mercia Police said it received a report of a burglary between 24 and 25 October and that inquiries are ongoing.
Key Facts
Martin Pinches, director of M Pinches & Sons Ltd, said the fuel was taken from two vehicles.
Pinches estimated the stolen diesel was worth about £800.
He said thieves damaged fuel-sending units and fuel caps, leaving the vehicles out of service for a day while repairs were made.
West Mercia Police said a large quantity of fuel was reported stolen from two lorries at the site.
Pinches linked the theft to rising fuel prices and said the company may wait until the morning of a trip to fill its lorries.
The article reports that diesel recently rose above £2 per litre and that filling a typical family car with diesel costs about £30 more than in late February.
The article says the 5p-per-litre fuel duty cut will continue until July, with the levy remaining at 52p per litre.
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The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s board passed a resolution requesting a review of the utility’s rates, rate structures and how charges are applied to customers. A UCLA School of Law analysis found LADWP rates rose 45% in the last year, compared with a 4% increase for Southern California Edison; the article says the increases have outpaced inflation.
Key Facts
LADWP’s Board of Commissioners approved a resolution requesting a review of rates and how they are applied to customers.
Tim O’Connor, head of the city’s Office of Public Accountability, said the review should address transparency and modernize rate structures.
CBS California Investigates found nine LADWP executives earn more than $700,000 a year and more than two dozen supervisors earn over $600,000.
O’Connor said major capital projects, operations and maintenance are among the main drivers of utility costs, rather than individual salaries.
LADWP said overtime makes up 5% of its $10.8 billion budget and total labor costs account for 18%.
LADWP reported overtime compensation rose from about $426 million in 2024 to more than $499 million in 2025, a 17% increase.
A UCLA School of Law analysis found LADWP rates rose 45% in the last year, compared with a 4% increase for Southern California Edison.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government is seeking budget savings but will not make major cuts to health, education or essential services. The comments came as inflation rose and expectations grew that the Reserve Bank of Australia could raise interest rates again, adding pressure on household budgets and the government.
Key Facts
Australia’s headline inflation rate reached 4.3%.
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate stood at 4.6% after four rate increases in 2026.
Markets and Labor MPs expected the Reserve Bank could raise rates again the following week.
Albanese said the government would look for savings ahead of its mid-December budget update.
The government proposed reducing the private health insurance rebate for people aged over 65, which it said would save about A$3 billion over four years for aged care.
The Coalition opposed the proposed rebate change.
Transport costs rose 8.7% over the previous year, food prices rose 3.2%, and housing costs increased 5.2%.
Former industry minister Ed Husic called for price caps on essential groceries, including bread, milk, meat and fresh produce.
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