“The average nationwide price for regular gasoline Tuesday fell below $4 per gallon for the first time since July 20, according to data from motor club AAA. The drop comes as oil prices have plunged, with President Donald Trump repeatedly playing down the prospect of renewed strikes on Iran, and pushing for progress between Russia and Ukraine in new trilateral talks. Still, gas prices remain elevated by more than 30% since Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the Iran war Feb. 28, and around 40% since the beginning of the year.” (11/10/26)
“Gadi Eisenkot, the politician tasked with forming a new Israeli government, pledged on Tuesday to reverse many of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies as the new parliament was sworn in. The pledge sets the stage for a consequential month of legislative action and coalition negotiations. Eisenkot, a former military chief, has up to six weeks to form a government that would end the tenure of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. While it remains unclear whether Eisenkot will be able to forge a coalition government, the new Knesset can enact legislation in the meantime. Netanyahu’s opponents now control a solid majority in parliament. Eisenkot’s bloc introduced a series of bills at the start of the legislative session that target Netanyahu and his policies.” (11/10/26)
“Israeli forces have shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy and wounded two other teens during a raid on the village of Burqa in the occupied West Bank, according to officials. The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the victim on Tuesday as Moataz Iyad Daghlas and said Israeli authorities were withholding his body. … The Israeli military confirmed the shooting in Burqa, which is located near the city of Nablus. In a statement, the military said soldiers opened fire to prevent Palestinians from throwing stones at Israeli vehicles.” (11/10/26)
“Anthropic, the artificial intelligence (AI) company behind the Claude chatbot, could be valued at around $1.3 trillion (£1 trillion) when it lists its shares for sale on New York’s Nasdaq stock exchange. The loss-making company says it will offer its shares for between $70 and $78 each and will raise up to $64bn when it floats this month. It would value Anthropic at between $1.1tn and $1.3tn which, although large, is below the $2tn some backers of the firm predicted in summer, according to the Financial Times. The huge valuation comes despite the company warning last month that AI could pose ‘catastrophic or existential risks to humanity’. It is floating at a volatile time for big tech firms. After last week’s US midterm elections, the Nasdaq fell sharply on concerns a Democrat-led Congress could slow development of AI and the buildout of data centres.” (11/10/26)
“The United States will spurn a UN meeting on Tuesday where its human rights record under President Donald Trump was due to be examined, drawing criticism from rights groups who say violations have surged to levels not seen in decades. Washington disengaged from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council last year, citing an anti-Israel bias, and this is the second year in a row that it has skipped its own review — a process that even dictatorships take part in. The US no-show will likely mean the event is postponed until January, according to a draft UN document and diplomats. A US State Department spokesperson said participation would imply endorsement of the council’s work.” (11/10/26)
“Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived at U.N. climate talks on Tuesday, condemning the annual proceedings as hypocritical and urging leaders to put people and the planet ahead of profits and power. The COP31 conference is being held in the Turkish resort city of Antalya following a year of deadly climate-related disasters, including heat waves and floods, and another energy shock caused by the Iran war. ‘It’s a hypocrisy every year that the host countries are given an opportunity to whitewash themselves and we know that these negotiations are filled with lobbyists, paid by the very destructive industries which are benefiting from our extremely violent status quo,’ Thunberg said as she arrived. ‘Our political and economic systems that have become incompatible with human nature.’ COP31 co-hosts Turkey and Australia are promoting renewable energy and rooftop solar installations, but both still rely heavily on fossil fuels, especially coal, to generate electricity.” (11/10/26)
“Amnesty International on Monday urged El Salvador and Haiti to release the agreement governing the mass deployment of Salvadoran troops into the gang-plagued Caribbean nation, and for both countries to ensure that rights are respected. Some 2,000 troops have been sent by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to Haiti since the mid-October disappearance of four Salvadoran personnel. The vast majority of the Salvadoran soldiers are not participating in the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), raising concerns about their rules of engagement. … Bukele initially stated the deployment aimed at bringing home the missing personnel. However, he has subsequently hinted at a broader goal of eliminating Haiti’s powerful gangs, as he did in his own country with a campaign that has raised allegations of rights abuses.” (11/10/26)
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“The United States, Ukraine and Russia have started talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday aimed at ending the war in Ukraine that began in 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of his country’s neighbor. The two-day session is the first such meeting since February and will focus on security guarantees, a long-running demand from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. … Ukraine argues that an immediate ceasefire is the necessary first step toward negotiating a wider settlement and says a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is the only way territorial issues can be settled.” (11/10/26)
“California voters have rejected a first-in-the-nation tax on the net worth of billionaires following a contentious ballot fight that generated huge spending by some prominent tech leaders eager to stop their taxes from going up. The measure’s failure is a win for Democratic leaders who opposed it, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who may run for president in 2028. Critics of the tax, known as Proposition 40, said it would have prompted ultrawealthy taxpayers to leave the state. Most Californians vote by mail, and any ballot postmarked by Election Day that arrives within a week is counted, meaning it often takes days or even weeks for close races to be settled. The Associated Press determined Monday that ‘no’ had received enough votes to win.” (11/09/26)
