Lead Story
Lula wins fourth term as Brazil president, beating Flávio Bolsonaro in runoff
Brazil's electoral court declared Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva the winner of the October 25 presidential runoff, with 51.8% of the vote to Senator Flavio Bolsonaro's 48.2% once all ballots were counted, a margin of roughly 4.4 million votes. The result is a comeback for the nearly 81-year-old Lula, who trailed Flavio by about 2.2 percentage points in the first round on October 4, marking the first time since Brazil's military dictatorship ended in 1985 that a second-place first-round finisher has gone on to win the presidency. Lula thanked voters for the victory, while Flavio Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, did not recognize the result, and AP reported chaos at some polling stations after officials extended voting by two hours. Lula takes office January 5 for a fourth term leading Latin America's largest economy.
Read more →Lead Story
Lula wins fourth term as Brazil president, beating Flávio Bolsonaro in runoff
Brazil's electoral court declared Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva the winner of the October 25 presidential runoff, with 51.8% of the vote to Senator Flavio Bolsonaro's 48.2% once all ballots were counted, a margin of roughly 4.4 million votes. The result is a comeback for the nearly 81-year-old Lula, who trailed Flavio by about 2.2 percentage points in the first round on October 4, marking the first time since Brazil's military dictatorship ended in 1985 that a second-place first-round finisher has gone on to win the presidency. Lula thanked voters for the victory, while Flavio Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, did not recognize the result, and AP reported chaos at some polling stations after officials extended voting by two hours. Lula takes office January 5 for a fourth term leading Latin America's largest economy.
Vucic concedes Serbian election defeat as student-led Student List wins parliamentary majority
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat on October 25 after snap parliamentary elections, acknowledging that the youth-backed Student List had won a majority in the 250-seat parliament. Based on a stratified sample, Vucic said the Student List would take roughly 135 to 140 seats to his Serbian Progressive Party's (SNS) approximately 105, with a CESID-IPSPS sample putting the split at 138 to 104; he said the SNS received about 1.72 million votes to the Student List's 2.2 million, though he cautioned that "we still do not have final results." The vote is the culmination of nearly two years of protests sparked by a railway station canopy collapse that killed 16 people in November 2024, which the student movement blamed on government corruption, and it ends the 14-year rule of Vucic's party. Euronews called the result "a political earthquake" for Serbia.
Read more →Vucic concedes Serbian election defeat as student-led Student List wins parliamentary majority
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat on October 25 after snap parliamentary elections, acknowledging that the youth-backed Student List had won a majority in the 250-seat parliament. Based on a stratified sample, Vucic said the Student List would take roughly 135 to 140 seats to his Serbian Progressive Party's (SNS) approximately 105, with a CESID-IPSPS sample putting the split at 138 to 104; he said the SNS received about 1.72 million votes to the Student List's 2.2 million, though he cautioned that "we still do not have final results." The vote is the culmination of nearly two years of protests sparked by a railway station canopy collapse that killed 16 people in November 2024, which the student movement blamed on government corruption, and it ends the 14-year rule of Vucic's party. Euronews called the result "a political earthquake" for Serbia.
Russia and Ukraine trade fresh strikes as Kremlin floats resuming talks after November 4
Russian attacks killed 8 people and injured 51 across Ukraine over a recent 24-hour period, including a drone strike on a residential building in Vinnytsia, while Ukraine struck a Russian titanium plant that produces components for missiles and drones, according to monitoring channels. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow would be ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States after November 4, a major Russian holiday, telling reporters "after that, we will be ready to resume negotiations." Al Jazeera reported that Vladimir Putin has signaled willingness in principle to restart negotiations following a visit from US envoy Steve Witkoff, even as both sides continue trading attacks. The renewed diplomatic signals follow weeks of tension over delayed US air-defense deliveries to Kyiv and disputes over Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite services.
Read more →Russia and Ukraine trade fresh strikes as Kremlin floats resuming talks after November 4
Russian attacks killed 8 people and injured 51 across Ukraine over a recent 24-hour period, including a drone strike on a residential building in Vinnytsia, while Ukraine struck a Russian titanium plant that produces components for missiles and drones, according to monitoring channels. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow would be ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States after November 4, a major Russian holiday, telling reporters "after that, we will be ready to resume negotiations." Al Jazeera reported that Vladimir Putin has signaled willingness in principle to restart negotiations following a visit from US envoy Steve Witkoff, even as both sides continue trading attacks. The renewed diplomatic signals follow weeks of tension over delayed US air-defense deliveries to Kyiv and disputes over Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite services.
France hit by mass protests and over 1,300 arrests as bans on 'illegitimate' rallies spark clashes
France's interior ministry estimated that more than 400,000 people joined protests nationwide on October 24 over the cost of living and the state of schools, while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported 1,314 arrests in further protests on October 25. Local authorities banned several rallies, including in Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, after President Emmanuel Macron said "illegitimate" demonstrations would not be permitted, and police used tear gas in Lyon against protesters who tried to block a road near the city center. In Paris, a march was rerouted at the last minute from Bastille to Porte d'Italie and stayed largely peaceful before clashes broke out later, following rioting and looting the previous weekend that prompted the bans. The unrest comes as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's government faces a self-imposed end-of-October deadline to unveil a response to weeks of student-led school protests.
Read more →France hit by mass protests and over 1,300 arrests as bans on 'illegitimate' rallies spark clashes
France's interior ministry estimated that more than 400,000 people joined protests nationwide on October 24 over the cost of living and the state of schools, while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported 1,314 arrests in further protests on October 25. Local authorities banned several rallies, including in Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, after President Emmanuel Macron said "illegitimate" demonstrations would not be permitted, and police used tear gas in Lyon against protesters who tried to block a road near the city center. In Paris, a march was rerouted at the last minute from Bastille to Porte d'Italie and stayed largely peaceful before clashes broke out later, following rioting and looting the previous weekend that prompted the bans. The unrest comes as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's government faces a self-imposed end-of-October deadline to unveil a response to weeks of student-led school protests.
US midterms enter final week with Democrats favored to retake the House, Senate in tossup
With Election Day on November 3 now eight days away, forecasters give Democrats an estimated 88% chance of winning control of the House, where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority, while the Senate remains closer: Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach 51, and one major forecaster puts their odds of control at 57%. Polling in top battlegrounds shows tight races, including Maine, where Democrat Troy Jackson and Republican Senator Susan Collins were tied at 49% in a Fox News survey, and Ohio, where Democrat Sherrod Brown led Republican Senator Jon Husted 52% to 47%. Georgia looked less competitive, with Democrat Jon Ossoff holding an 8-point lead over Republican Mike Collins in an AJC/University of Georgia poll. Both parties have ramped up spending in the campaign's closing days, with billions already spent on advertising across House and Senate battlegrounds.
Read more →US midterms enter final week with Democrats favored to retake the House, Senate in tossup
With Election Day on November 3 now eight days away, forecasters give Democrats an estimated 88% chance of winning control of the House, where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority, while the Senate remains closer: Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach 51, and one major forecaster puts their odds of control at 57%. Polling in top battlegrounds shows tight races, including Maine, where Democrat Troy Jackson and Republican Senator Susan Collins were tied at 49% in a Fox News survey, and Ohio, where Democrat Sherrod Brown led Republican Senator Jon Husted 52% to 47%. Georgia looked less competitive, with Democrat Jon Ossoff holding an 8-point lead over Republican Mike Collins in an AJC/University of Georgia poll. Both parties have ramped up spending in the campaign's closing days, with billions already spent on advertising across House and Senate battlegrounds.