President Donald Trump announced that his administration would end Biden-era methane rules for oil and gas companies. The EPA says its proposed changes could save consumers and businesses $45 billion and increase oil and gas production, while the 2024 rules required operators to limit leaks, flaring and venting.
Key Facts
Trump made the announcement at a rally in Lubbock, Texas.
The EPA estimates the changes could add 210 million barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
The 2024 rule required oil and gas operators to reduce methane leaks, flaring and venting, and included a program for investigating major leaks detected with approved remote-sensing technology.
The 2024 rule set nationwide requirements for methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities.
The EPA announced in March 2025 that it was reconsidering the Biden-era regulations.
Records obtained by the watchdog group Fieldnotes show that oil and gas companies and trade groups met with the EPA about methane rules at least 38 times during the administration’s first year.
The article says the United States emitted more methane from its oil and gas sector last year than any other country.
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Naveed Akram’s case over his alleged role in the Bondi Beach attack has been adjourned until 24 February. Prosecutors say they need more time to consult victims and their families and complete the formal process of confirming which charges will proceed to trial.
Key Facts
Akram, 24, faces 78 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.
He has not entered a plea.
The attack at a Hanukah festival on 14 December killed 15 people and injured 40, according to the article.
Akram’s father, Sajid Akram, was shot and killed by police at the scene.
Prosecutor Danielle New said the case brief includes thousands of witness statements, medical and financial records, purchase records, and video footage.
The judge granted the adjournment after the defence did not oppose the prosecution’s request.
Prosecutors allege the attack may have been inspired by Isis; police also alleged the pair planned it for months and visited Bondi two days beforehand.
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Thick fog is forecast in parts of the UK, with poor visibility likely to disrupt Thursday morning commutes. High pressure and lighter winds are expected to bring further mist and fog into next week, while rain will be limited in many areas.
Key Facts
Wednesday will bring showers mainly to southern Scotland, northern England and north Wales before drier weather and sunny spells develop.
Temperatures on Wednesday are forecast to reach 12 to 16C, slightly above average.
Fog is expected to develop overnight into Thursday, especially in east Wales and central and southern England.
The fog could be dense and may persist in some places until lunchtime Thursday.
Rain is likely on Friday and Saturday across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern parts of England and Wales.
Mist and fog may also form in eastern and southern England on Friday and Saturday.
High pressure is expected to bring light winds and further morning fog through much of the first week of November.
The article says some reservoirs remain exceptionally low despite England and Wales receiving around average October rainfall.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson said there will be a peaceful transfer of power when newly elected members join the House on Jan. 3. He said Republicans expect to retain their majority.
Key Facts
Johnson made the remarks on Tuesday.
New House members are scheduled to join the chamber on Jan. 3.
Johnson said the transfer of power would be peaceful.
Johnson said Republicans expect to keep their House majority.
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AI is increasingly used in scientific research, but a dispute over OpenAI’s claimed solution to a major maths problem has raised questions about whether AI tools could compromise research and trust. Researchers and science publishers also face concerns about AI-generated errors and how to verify scientific work.
Key Facts
Basecamp Research is collecting DNA data to develop AI systems trained on biological information.
OpenAI said its AI agents solved a longstanding problem involving the Navier–Stokes equations in 88 hours.
The organization that oversees a prize for solving the problem said it appeared to have been settled but would take time to review the work.
Mathematicians Tristan Buckmaster and Levent Alpöge questioned whether research they stored in OpenAI’s Codex tool could have influenced the company’s work.
OpenAI said no one at the company saw the other team’s work before publication and later said the team’s Codex prompts could not have influenced its system.
The article says AI chatbots can produce false information and raises concerns that similar errors could enter scientific research.
Science journalist Dalmeet Singh Chawla said scientific publishers may need to greatly expand efforts to screen research for accuracy and reliability.
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Alex Pretti’s parents asked the Justice Department to release evidence about the January 24 shooting and provide more accountability. The department said it generally does not communicate with families while an investigation is underway; no one has been charged in the case.
Key Facts
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs nurse, was shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minnesota on January 24, 2026.
His parents, Susan and Michael Pretti, made their appeal at a Minneapolis news conference on October 27.
The parents said they had received no updates, information, or support from the federal government.
The Justice Department said family communications typically come later in a case, such as after an indictment or during court proceedings.
No charges have been filed in connection with Pretti’s killing.
Videos reviewed by ABC News show Pretti recording a confrontation, appearing to help a woman, and being wrestled to the ground.
The videos show an officer removing Pretti’s legally permitted firearm while he was on the ground, before about 10 shots were fired.
Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Pretti a domestic terrorist hours after the shooting and later said she did not have all the information at the time.
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Election forecaster Nate Silver said the November 2026 midterms could signal a shift away from President Donald Trump’s political dominance if Republicans perform poorly. He also said the results may offer an early sign of voter opposition to AI, including data center projects, and could shape debates over Democratic candidates ahead of 2028.
Key Facts
Silver discussed his predictions on the Ezra Klein podcast.
He said a poor Republican showing could shift attention toward the 2028 presidential race and make Trump a “super lame duck” in his final two years.
Silver cited Trump’s falling approval ratings, the Iran war, economic concerns, higher gas prices, and voter fatigue as factors in the political climate.
Silver said Democrats could still lose close Senate races, including contests in Texas and Maine.
He identified the performance of moderate and progressive Democratic candidates as a major question for the midterms.
Silver said results in areas with proposed or active data center projects could help analysts assess a possible backlash against AI.
Silver suggested AI could become a defining issue in the 2028 presidential election.
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Exceptionally high king tides flooded homes and nearby communities along the coasts of South Florida and California. The flooding also prompted water rescues.
Key Facts
The flooding affected communities in South Florida and California.
The tides were among the highest ever recorded in the affected areas.
Seawater surged into towns near the coasts.
Homes were flooded on both coasts.
The flooding triggered water rescues.
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A federal judge disqualified Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Southern California, from overseeing several cases over a dispute about whether he remained in a temporary role longer than the law allows. The order is automatically paused while the Trump administration appeals, so it will not take immediate effect.
Key Facts
The ruling came on Tuesday.
Bill Essayli is the top federal prosecutor in Southern California.
The judge disqualified Essayli from overseeing several cases.
The dispute concerns whether Essayli stayed in a temporary role longer than the law allows.
The order is automatically stayed pending an appeal by the Trump administration.
Essayli said he disagrees with the court’s order and believes the president and attorney general can select Justice Department supervisors.
Essayli said he expects the question to be decided by the Supreme Court.
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Exit polls projected that Arab-led parties would win 18 seats in Israel’s 120-seat Knesset, while voter turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel reached a reported record. The two largest blocs, led by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, were each projected to win 51 seats, leaving government formation uncertain.
Key Facts
Exit polls projected 18 seats for the Joint List and Ra’am, a record total for Arab-led parties.
The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party and the bloc led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud were each projected to win 51 seats.
The reported turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel was about 80 percent, higher than the previous record set in 1999.
Overall turnout reached 77.7 percent, the highest level since 1999, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee.
Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas said his party hoped the final results would help the anti-Netanyahu bloc reach the 61 seats needed to form a government.
Abbas said both main political blocs had contacted Ra’am before and after the election.
Palestinian citizens of Israel make up about 21 percent of the country’s population of 10 million.
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Exit poll projections in Israel showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot tied at 51 seats each in the 120-seat Knesset. Neither bloc was projected to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority, while Arab parties were expected to hold 18 seats and could influence coalition talks.
Key Facts
Israel’s Channel 13 updated exit poll projections put both major blocs at 51 seats.
The Knesset has 120 seats, and a governing majority requires 61.
Opposition leaders called the projections a defeat for Netanyahu’s government.
Netanyahu allies said opposition claims were premature and noted that Likud remained the largest single party.
Arab parties were projected to hold 18 seats and highlighted their potential role in coalition negotiations.
The Central Elections Committee reported voter turnout of 77.7 percent.
Formal coalition talks were expected to begin in the coming days, with smaller parties likely to matter.
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A senior U.S. State Department official told CBS News that the United States will issue visas to Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family. The report says Bolsonaro faces corruption charges in Brazil; it does not provide details about the charges or the visas.
Key Facts
A senior State Department official said the United States will issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro.
The visas will also be issued to Bolsonaro’s family.
Flávio Bolsonaro is a Brazilian senator.
The report says Bolsonaro faces corruption charges in Brazil.
CBS News reported the information from a senior State Department official.
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UK newspapers focus on Chancellor John Healey’s upcoming Budget, which reports say may include help with energy bills and funding for infrastructure and other projects. Other front-page stories cover Israel’s election, King Charles’s remarks about slavery in the Bahamas, and several domestic and sports stories.
Key Facts
The Budget is scheduled to be delivered at lunchtime on Wednesday.
The Guardian reports that Healey is expected to make limited changes and postpone major tax and spending decisions until next year.
The Times says the Budget will scrap green levies on energy bills.
The Financial Times reports that £20.4 billion in additional capital will support the state’s business lender and infrastructure bank over five years.
The i Paper says lower-income households are expected to receive extra help with energy bills.
The Daily Mail reports that £5.5 billion has been set aside to support a 3.5% increase in benefits for about 10 million people.
The Independent reports that Israel held a record-turnout election, the first since the October 7 attacks, and says Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future is uncertain.
The Daily Telegraph reports that King Charles described slavery as a source of great suffering during his visit to the Bahamas.
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New South Wales will abandon rules requiring cafes to offer mugs or glasses to dine-in customers and take part in a reusable-cup scheme. The government reversed course after criticism from businesses and media, but other rules on reusable cups and recyclable takeaway cups will remain.
Key Facts
The rules would have required cafes to offer mugs or glasses to dine-in customers from 2028.
Businesses that did not join a reusable-cup scheme could have faced fines of up to $110,000.
Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the government would repeal the mug-and-glass rules and the potential fine.
Customers will still be able to bring their own clean reusable cups, and businesses must accept them.
A requirement for single-use takeaway cups to be recyclable by 2028 will remain.
The government has asked the NSW Environment Protection Authority to clarify that it will not proceed with the rules being dropped.
The legislation will not be repealed until after the March 2027 election.
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Australia’s annual headline inflation rate rose to 4.3% in the year to September, while underlying inflation reached 3.6%. The figures have strengthened expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia will raise its cash rate at its next meeting on 3 November.
Key Facts
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the inflation figures on Wednesday.
Headline inflation reached 4.3% annually to September.
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s preferred underlying inflation measure was 3.6%.
The RBA’s inflation target is 2.5%.
The cash rate is 4.6%, its highest level in 15 years.
Most economists expect the RBA to raise the cash rate at its 3 November meeting.
The article says everyday costs are rising while unemployment is also increasing.
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President Donald Trump announced a proposal to loosen methane rules for the oil and gas sector at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday night. The rally was his second campaign stop in Texas that day, where he sought to support Republican Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign.
Key Facts
Trump announced plans to loosen methane regulations affecting oil and gas production.
He made the announcement at a rally in Lubbock, Texas.
The rally was his second campaign stop in Texas that day.
Trump aimed to support Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign.
Paxton is the Texas attorney general and a Republican.
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Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said millions of Israelis had voted for change and were tired of what he called Benjamin Netanyahu’s lies. In his first public comments after polls closed, Eisenkot warned Netanyahu against using Israel’s security for political interests.
Key Facts
Gadi Eisenkot is an Israeli opposition leader.
Eisenkot said millions of Israelis voted for change.
He said voters were tired of what he called Netanyahu’s lies.
Eisenkot made the comments after polls closed.
He warned Benjamin Netanyahu not to use Israel’s security for political interests.
Netanyahu is described in the article as Eisenkot’s rival.
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U.S. envoy Mike Waltz clashed with Cuba’s delegation at UN headquarters in New York during a vote on the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. Waltz repeatedly told the Cuban team, “This is America.”
Key Facts
The confrontation took place at UN headquarters in New York.
The clash occurred during a vote on the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba.
U.S. envoy Mike Waltz repeatedly told Cuba’s UN team, “This is America.”
The article says the United States has imposed a fuel blockade on Cuba since January.
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A California appeals court upheld Danny Masterson’s rape convictions and 30-year prison sentence, rejecting his arguments that the trial judge was biased against Scientology and that other trial rulings were improper. His lawyers said they plan to appeal to the California Supreme Court.
Key Facts
Masterson was convicted in 2023 of raping two women in 2003.
A separate charge involving a third woman and an alleged 2001 rape was quashed.
A three-judge appeals panel found no evidence that the trial judge showed bias against Scientology.
The panel said evidence about Scientology was admitted to address the case and did not violate the First Amendment.
The panel also rejected Masterson’s arguments about the statute of limitations, evidence and adequacy of his defense.
Prosecutors argued that the women delayed reporting the assaults because they feared consequences under Scientology rules.
Masterson’s lawyers called the ruling unfortunate and said they would appeal to the California Supreme Court.
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