Elections are shaking up the political landscape worldwide, with Lula securing a fourth term in Brazil, Serbia's student-led movement claiming victory and Bulgaria heading for a runoff, as Israel and New Zealand prepare for crucial votes.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a historic fourth term, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro by more than four million votes. Bolsonaro has refused to concede and plans to seek an annulment of the result, although analysts believe it is unlikely to be overturned. Lula’s victory caught markets by surprise and interrupted a recent wave of right-wing gains across Latin America. But his next term will be challenging, with a conservative Congress, high public debt and mounting pressure to boost economic growth while managing public spending.
Aleksandar Vučić has conceded defeat after a student-backed list won Serbia’s parliamentary election, bringing more than a decade of political dominance to an end. The Student List party is projected to win between 135 and 140 seats, with turnout nearing a record 70 per cent. The historic result follows nearly two years of protests sparked by the 2024 Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse. The student movement has vowed to tackle corruption, strengthen the rule of law and improve education. The incoming government also faces difficult foreign policy decisions over Serbia’s relationships with the EU, Russia and China.
Bulgaria is heading for a presidential runoff on 1 November after no candidate won an outright majority. With 95 per cent of votes counted, acting President Iliana Iotova led with 34.6 per cent, narrowly ahead of former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov with 32 per cent. Turnout stood at just 22 per cent, despite growing security concerns following deadly drone attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea. Both candidates have condemned the strikes but remain divided over how Bulgaria should respond to the war in Ukraine.
Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv to demand an independent inquiry into the security failures linked to the 7 October 2023 attacks, with the national election just days away. Opposition leaders joined protesters calling for accountability and political change. Opinion polls indicate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition risks losing its majority, while centrist rival Gadi Eisenkot is trying to win over traditional Likud voters. With around 13 per cent of voters still undecided, Tuesday’s election remains uncertain.
Early voting is under way in New Zealand ahead of the 7 November general election, with neither major party establishing a clear lead in the polls. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expects economic concerns, particularly inflation and the cost of living, to dominate the campaign. Labour leader Chris Hipkins, meanwhile, is focusing on measures to ease the financial strain on households. Recent surveys put National and Labour neck and neck, leaving smaller parties poised to play a decisive role in forming the next government. More than 200 polling stations opened on Monday, with the number set to rise to more than 2,300 on election day.
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Iran’s Assembly of Experts has backed withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and overhauling the country’s defence doctrine, calling both steps essential to national security and deterrence.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday (13 November) after a communications failure at air traffic control centres caused chaos at airports and triggered the longest nationwide shutdown since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
More than 30 people have been taken to hospital after a cargo ship collided with a passenger cruise docked on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday (13 November).
Europe will send a team of diplomats to Ukraine peace talks rather than a single envoy, EU leaders agreed on Friday at the end of a summit in Dublin.
Türkiye and Qatar signed a mutual defence agreement on Friday, November 13, aimed at strengthening collective security and regional stability. The two countries pledged to take a united stance against any external armed attack on either nation.
The Philippines and Australia signed a new defence cooperation arrangement in Manila on Sunday, aimed at accelerating joint military activities and strengthening security ties amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.
Southeast Asian leaders opened the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila Sunday, with Myanmar's crisis, security and economic uncertainty dominating talks. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for continued engagement with Myanmar and urged a stronger response to conflict and energy disruptions.
U.S. air travel is not expected to return to normal schedules until late on Sunday (15 November), the head of the FAA said, as the aviation system gradually recovers from a nationwide flight shutdown that officials blamed on routine maintenance gone awry.
Irish army bomb disposal experts safely neutralised an explosive device discovered in central Dublin on Friday (13 November), close to where European leaders gathered for dinner the previous evening during a two-day summit. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Pope Leo visited a remote town in Peru's western Andes on Saturday (14 November), returning to a community he once served as bishop during a deeply personal stop on his 12-day South America tour.
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