Daily briefing · Friday, October 23

Supreme Court allows New Hampshire student-ID restriction

The Supreme Court on Thursday let New Hampshire enforce guidance barring student IDs as backup proof of identity for the November election. The state had already removed student cards from its list of expressly accepted identification. A lower court left that law intact but required changes to the state’s guidance. The justices paused the lower-court ruling, citing the principle against changing voting rules close to an election. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented. The emergency decision leaves the underlying legal dispute unresolved. Supreme Court allows New Hampshire to fully ban student IDs for voting in midterms

U.S. adds Ebola declarations for international air passengers

An order reported Thursday will require passengers boarding international flights to the United States to declare that they have not been in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the previous 21 days. The requirement takes effect November 3 and covers U.S. citizens as well as other travelers. Paper or digital declarations will add documentation to existing travel restrictions. Its scope makes it relevant beyond travelers with African itineraries. The CDC said no U.S. cases had been linked to this outbreak. US to tighten Ebola screening with new air passenger declarations

Japan’s core inflation rises above 2%

Japan’s annual inflation excluding fresh food reached 2.1% in September, up from 1.7% in August, figures released Friday showed. A second measure that also excludes energy increased to 2.4% from 1.9%, showing that the acceleration extended beyond fuel. Goods and services inflation also picked up. The release gives the Bank of Japan more information for its policy meeting ending October 30, when it will update growth and price forecasts. These annual rates compare prices with a year earlier; they do not describe September’s increase alone or determine when borrowing costs will next change. Japan core inflation exceeds BOJ target, cements near-term rate hike chance

Ukraine reports satellite limits despite restoration claim

Ukrainian officials said Friday that restrictions on SpaceX satellite communications remained despite President Donald Trump’s statement Thursday that access had been restored. Officials told CNN that connections still failed for fast-moving military equipment, disrupting coordination and some interceptor drones. Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said isolated faster connections did not demonstrate a general lifting of restrictions. One Ukrainian officer described connections dropping for 10 to 15 seconds at a time, illustrating how partial service can still interrupt coordination. Responsibility for imposing the limits remained disputed, and Ukraine was still seeking clarification from the United States. Ukrainian officials say Starshield restrictions still in place, despite Trump’s claims

Outside evaluators disclose gaps in OpenAI’s agent monitoring

Researchers from METR and Redwood Research disclosed Thursday that a July–August review found weaknesses in OpenAI’s internal system for monitoring AI agents. The exercise assessed an earlier system, rather than its current configuration. The researchers estimated that some activity intended for monitoring was missed, illustrating the difference between planned coverage and oversight actually carried out. OpenAI said all identified vulnerabilities affecting production safeguards had been patched; the evaluators said they had not checked that claim. The findings raise practical questions about accounting for monitored activity, while leaving the expanded system’s current coverage and the effectiveness of subsequent repairs unresolved. Red-Teaming OpenAI’s Internal Agent Monitoring Systems

Israel orders West Bank closure after checkpoint attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a closure of the occupied West Bank Friday after a shooting at an Israeli military checkpoint wounded at least five people, according to Israeli emergency responders. The military said both gunmen were killed and that it was imposing restrictions around Hebron. The timing, duration and practical extent of the wider closure remained unclear. Movement restrictions can affect Palestinians’ access to work and services. With hundreds of checkpoints, gates and barriers across the territory, the announcement alone did not establish which journeys would be blocked or for how long. Netanyahu orders closure of West Bank after five Israelis wounded in shooting attack

Bottle makers commit to clearer recycling claims

The European Commission on Thursday announced clearer recycling-label commitments from Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Danone after talks with consumer authorities. Wording about 100% recycled material will specify that caps and labels are excluded. Advertising must also avoid suggesting an assured bottle-to-bottle recycling loop. Some earlier commitments are already being implemented. For shoppers, two different questions are involved: recycled content describes the material used to make the package, while recyclability describes its potential treatment after disposal. Neither claim alone establishes what happens to a particular bottle once it enters the waste system. Anpassung der Recyclingangaben auf Kunststoffflaschen: EU-Kommission begrüßt Zusagen von Coca-Cola, Nestlé und Danone

NASA compares this El Niño with earlier powerful events

NASA published a satellite comparison Friday showing how the current El Niño resembles the powerful 1997–98 event. The October 12 observations show warm, elevated water extending across the equatorial Pacific toward South America. Less of that water reached the coast in the 2015 comparison. Satellites can track this pattern because warming water expands, raising the sea surface. The location of accumulated heat helps shape rainfall patterns far beyond the Pacific. The comparison offers context for seasonal outlooks, although similar ocean conditions do not guarantee a repeat of any region’s previous weather. El Niño Then and Now

Art Basel Paris cancels its weekend opening

Art Basel Paris told exhibitors Thursday that the fair would end Friday at 7 p.m. Paris time, canceling its planned Saturday and Sunday sessions. Organizers cited possible demonstrations and visitor safety in an email reviewed by Hyperallergic. The fair at the Grand Palais had been scheduled to continue through October 25. Galleries were asked to keep their displays intact until Friday’s close and await removal instructions. Organizers had initially proceeded with the original program after a temporary lockdown during installation on October 17. Art Basel Paris to Close Two Days Early, Citing Protests

Astronomers propose a July sky behind The Starry Night

A study reported Thursday proposes that the sky in Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night best matches dawn around July 22, 1889, a month later than the painting’s accepted June date. Researchers compared the crescent moon, Venus and nearby stars with reconstructed skies over Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, alongside historical records and weather analyses. An independent physicist described the July date as a hypothesis, noting that van Gogh worked from sketches and memory and may have combined several nights. The reconstruction offers a possible date for the observed sky while leaving the canvas’s painting and revision history open. New study traces van Gogh’s famed ‘Starry Night’ to an actual night sky from 1889