SAO PAULO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won an unprecedented fourth term on Sunday, the country's electoral court said, in a shock result that defied polls, precedent and global ​anti-incumbent sentiment to put the brakes on a wave of right-wing election victories across Latin America.

Earlier per Guardian

With nearly 75% of votes counted, It’s now 51% Lula and 48.9% Bolsonaro

Lula seems to be closing in on victory and the mood in his camp is increasingly excited.

This would be an absolutely sensational comeback from one of the biggest figures in the modern history of Latin American politics.

Edit: title was" Brazil's Lula overtakes Bolsonaro in runoff, with half of votes counted"

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) carried out Kyiv's deepest strike into Russia so far in the full-scale war, attacking a natural gas facility 3,200 kilometers (1,988 miles) from the Ukrainian border on Sept. 9, the military said.

Ukraine's General Staff announced a successful strike on the Novy Urengoy Gas Condensate Treatment Plant (GCTP) in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Russia is losing about 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit, western officials have said.

While Russia is still acquiring new battlefield recruits at speed, with an estimated rate of 1,000 a day, in the last two months even this has not been sufficient to replace those killed or injured.

Government borrowing costs in several advanced economies hit their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, or even earlier, on Monday as investors feared the Middle East crisis would keep inflation persistently high.

Concerns over rising prices and government spending pushed up the cost of debt issued by Paris, Berlin, Washington DC, Tokyo and London as investors fretted that rising prices would push up interest rates.

The yield, or interest rate, on 30-year French bonds rose to its highest level since September 2008 at 4.8558%, up one basis point (0.01 percentage point), LSEG data showed.

European nations have unanimously agreed to boycott all Fifa competitions until football’s global governing body drops plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup.

In an emergency meeting on Thursday, Uefa member associations voted 55-0 to boycott.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is going ahead with new double-digit tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners just as the clock runs out Friday on stopgap levies he imposed after a stinging defeat at the Supreme Court.

The United States will slap taxes of 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners accounting for 99% of U.S. imports, charging that they have inadequately enforced bans on goods produced by forced labor.

[ India] Tens of thousands of protesters have defied police orders and descended on Delhi to demand the resignation of India’s education minister in one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.

A huge crowd, largely made up of students and gen Z-ers, filled the streets in the heart of India’s capital from early Monday morning shouting anti-government slogans. Hundreds had already camped out overnight.

Delhi police, which are under the control of the central government, had denied permission for the march to take place. A ban was imposed on all public gatherings, roads across the city were barricaded and the internet was shut down in the centre. Attempts by protesters to move towards the parliament building were met with police brutality including the use of batons and teargas.

NEW DELHI, July 15 (Reuters) - India and Britain's trade pact took effect on Wednesday, cutting tariffs on thousands ‌of goods and expanding market access for services firms and professionals in both countries. The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement gives Indian exporters duty-free access to most British tariff lines, benefiting sectors such as textiles, leather, footwear, marine products, gems and jewellery, and processed foods.

• India-UK trade pact takes effect on Wednesday
• Deal cuts tariffs, expands services and mobility access
• Indian textiles, marine goods, leather and jewellery to gain
• UK sees openings in autos, services and procurement

Hungarian public media outlets close to Viktor Orbán have suspended broadcasting, the country’s prime minister said as he hailed efforts to dismantle the longtime nationalist leader’s control over information.

The Kossuth radio station and M1, Hungary’s main public television channel, had halted transmission by Tuesday afternoon, with the latter showing the message:

“Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so long.

"Public media now will be reformed so it will be independent and trustworthy. Our news programme is currently suspended. Stay tuned!” it added against a black screen.

Note: For details check this Hungarian link. It's quite a story.

Ukraine hopes to sign major defence deals with at least seven Nato countries by the end of the year, according to a top official, highlighting a new aspect of Kyiv’s foreign policy intended to show it can be a provider as well as a recipient of military hardware and expertise.(..)

The initiative is called the drone deal, but it actually covers way more than just drones … what’s even more important is the experience and knowledge, the access to all the components that form the system here in Ukraine,” said Davyd Aloian, the deputy secretary of Ukraine’s security council and one of those in charge of the deals.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia ‘s populist President Aleksandar Vucic said Saturday he will resign his post within weeks, paving the way for early elections following youth-led protests that shook his tight grip on power.

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Three International Criminal Court judges on Wednesday sued U.S. ​President Donald Trump and his administration over sanctions imposed on them last year, arguing the measures were unlawful.

Iran has announced plans to introduce a system of maritime fees in the strait of Hormuz in two months, after the 60-day period of negotiation that has been triggered by the signing of the memorandum of understanding.

Tehran, claiming a historic victory over the US, said the strait was under its control and a European plan for a naval mission to escort ships though the strait would not be welcome.

Turkish riot police forced their way into the headquarters of the country's main opposition party on Sunday, days after a court dismissed its leadership.

Clouds of tear gas billowed outside the Republican People's Party (CHP) building in Ankara, where party members had blocked the entrances with a makeshift barricade.

Footage from the scene showed those inside shouting and throwing objects towards the entrance, and police being sprayed with hoses. (..)

Human Rights Watch warned on Saturday that Erdoğan's government was undermining Turkish democracy with "abusive tactics" against the CHP.

EU member states on Wednesday gave a preliminary approval to unlock a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The decision comes after delays linked to an oil dispute over the Druzhba pipeline, with Hungary vetoing the funding.

EU member states on Wednesday gave a preliminary approval to unlock a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The decision comes after delays linked to an oil dispute over the Druzhba pipeline, with Hungary vetoing the funding.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s parliament voted Saturday to elect Nizar Amidi, a political official with one of the country’s two main Kurdish parties, as president, five months after a parliamentary election that didn’t produce a bloc with a decisive majority.

His election comes as Iraq is reeling from the fallout of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Iraq became caught in the middle of the conflict, with Iran-backed militias launching attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities as well as on critical energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Israel carried out airstrikes targeting the militias, some of which killed members of the Iraqi military.

The war and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz also largely halted the oil exports upon which Iraq’s economy depends.

The Great Recession in Europe, the economic downturn that began in 2008, resulted in job and income loss, which demonstrably contributed to a rise in poor mental health among those affected. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the measures put in place to contain the virus, similarly caused a spike in the prevalence of poor mental health due to job and income insecurity. Moreover, this crisis negatively impacted mental health through other factors, notably social isolation and the deterioration of working conditions in sectors such as care.

Question; these trends must somehow be worldwide anyone has a take on this from their region?

• Trump administration said in 2020 that he could leave treaties
• Congress passed law in 2023 barring unilateral NATO withdrawal
• No NATO member has ever withdrawn from the 77-year-old alliance
• As senator, Rubio helped lead effort to prevent unilateral withdrawal

WHAT DOES U.S. LAW SAY? In 2023, Congress passed, and then-President Joe Biden, a ​Democrat, signed into law, legislation barring any U.S. president from suspending, terminating, denouncing or withdrawing the United States from the treaty that established NATO unless the withdrawal is backed by a two-thirds majority in the 100-member Senate.

TL;DR; Per 2023 Congressional Law, not without a 2/3 US Congressional majority (and with a one year notice to NATO). But, experts said this lack of commitment, rather than any law, was the key point.

The European Parliament has backed legislation to implement an EU-US trade deal, following months of uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariff threats.

On Thursday, lawmakers moved to strengthen its safeguards, including a provision to suspend the agreement if the US imposes additional tariffs above 15% or introduces new duties on EU goods. Another would halt the deal if the US threatened the EU's territorial sovereignty.

MEPs also included a "sunrise clause" that means EU tariff reductions will only take effect if the US upholds its side of the bargain - including lowering tariffs to 15% on EU products that contain less than 50% steel and aluminium.

When the framework agreement was announced last summer, Trump said the 50% US tariff on global steel and aluminium would still apply to the EU.