Global Pulse

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  • Indian police accused of sexually harassing journalists at protest

    Indian police accused of sexually harassing journalists at protest

    A growing political firestorm has erupted in India over a sweeping national voter roll revision, with escalating tensions spilling into the streets of New Delhi and Mumbai, and new explosive allegations of sexual harassment against Delhi police by three female journalists covering the protests. The accusations emerged Saturday, shortly after police detained dozens of young demonstrators who are demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the contentious electoral roll update, officially named the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

    In response to the formal complaints, Delhi Police said in a social media post that the allegations had been passed to its crime branch for what it promises will be a “fair and impartial” investigation. By Sunday, thousands of protesters regrouped in Delhi’s central protest hub Jantar Mantar and Mumbai for the third consecutive day of demonstrations, amplifying their calls for Kumar to step down. Viral videos circulating on social media platforms show uniformed officers physically dragging demonstrators away from the Jantar Mantar site, with multiple accounts of excessive use of force. The three female journalists’ claims center on reports of inappropriate touching by on-duty officers during the clearance operations.

    One student activist from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Aahna Singh, told Reuters that officers dragged her across the ground by her hair, condemning the response as open police brutality against peaceful protesters. “Police dragged me by my hair,” Singh told reporters on site. “This is nothing but brutality against people who are simply asking for free and fair elections.”

    Opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi waded into the controversy Friday, saying that women across the country now have legitimate reason to fear for their safety at the hands of law enforcement, and that the Union Home Ministry, which oversees Delhi Police, must be held accountable for the alleged abuse. The Press Club of India issued a strongly worded statement condemning the treatment of journalists, saying it was “shocked and dismayed” by the reported behavior. “Behaviour of this kind cannot be normalised in a democracy,” the statement read. “Journalists must be allowed to work freely, without fear, and document those who gather to raise various issues.” The organization called for immediate disciplinary action against any officers found responsible.

    At the core of the protests is the voter roll revision itself, which has already removed 130 million names from India’s national electoral rolls. The Election Commission has defended the exercise, arguing that it is a long-overdue cleanup effort designed to eliminate duplicate registrations, ineligible entries, and names of voters who have died, relocated internationally, or moved to new jurisdictions. The body notes the last full national revision was conducted nearly 25 years ago, making an update necessary to ensure electoral integrity.

    Critics, however, allege the revision is a deliberate partisan manipulation designed to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in upcoming elections. Both the BJP and the Election Commission have forcefully rejected all claims of partisan bias. The controversy deepened last month after Indian Express published a report revealing that Kumar’s two fellow senior election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had formally registered objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions they claimed were issued without their knowledge or input—most related to the SIR roll revision.

    The Election Commission has pushed back on claims of internal dysfunction, stating in an official release that “differing views” are a normal part of its internal decision-making process and that all final decisions have been reached unanimously. Even so, the revelation of internal rifts triggered widespread public outrage and gave new momentum to opposition demands for Kumar’s resignation.

    The current wave of protests has drawn support from a diverse range of groups, most notably the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an influential pressure group that began as a satirical online movement and has grown into a major force for grassroots mobilization in Indian politics. The CJP notched its first major national victory in July, when it forced then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign following weeks of sustained protests demanding broader education sector reforms. It was the CJP that called for the latest round of demonstrations in the wake of the Indian Express report on internal Election Commission divisions, galvanizing thousands of young people to join the street actions across India’s largest cities.

  • Saudi Arabia shelves $2.5bn Neom stadium planned for 2034 World Cup, report says

    Saudi Arabia shelves $2.5bn Neom stadium planned for 2034 World Cup, report says

    Saudi Arabia has quietly halted progress on a $2.5 billion cutting-edge stadium planned for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, multiple industry and news sources confirm, with delays to the kingdom’s signature Neom mega-development raising new questions about the future of its most ambitious infrastructure initiatives. According to MEED Projects, a leading construction sector intelligence platform, the high-profile stadium project has been formally categorized as “on hold” indefinitely, matching an earlier Reuters report on the suspension. What makes the planned venue unique is its design: it was slated to become one of the most futuristic sports facilities in the world, built 350 meters above ground inside The Line, the 160-kilometer linear car-free city that forms the core of Neom, and would have held 46,000 spectators for World Cup matches. When Saudi Arabia unveiled its official 2034 World Cup bid proposal in 2024, the Neom stadium was featured as one of 15 proposed match venues spread across five host cities, and FIFA officially selected Saudi Arabia as the 2034 tournament host in December 2024. This edition of the World Cup will make history as the first tournament with an expanded 48-team field held entirely within a single country. The suspension of the stadium project casts renewed uncertainty over The Line, the flagship development that sits at the center of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, a sweeping plan to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy and reshape the kingdom’s global image through a series of futuristic, large-scale infrastructure projects. Questions about The Line’s timeline are not new: in April, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) — the Saudi sovereign wealth fund that owns Neom — publicly noted that The Line is no longer a top priority and will not receive accelerated development before 2030, though he declined to confirm any outright project cancellations. In response to reports of the stadium suspension, Saudi Arabia’s World Cup 2034 Hosting Higher Authority stated that “substantial delivery” of tournament construction is already underway, and shared visual updates on other ongoing stadium projects to back this claim. The Neom stadium hold is not an isolated shift: it comes just months after construction was suspended on The Mukaab, a massive cube-shaped skyscraper planned as the centerpiece of Riyadh’s New Murabba downtown development project. Industry observers say PIF, the kingdom’s main investment vehicle for large-scale projects, has been gradually reorienting its strategy away from these high-cost giga-projects toward investments that can generate faster financial returns. This strategic shift comes as Saudi Arabia faces growing economic and security pressures on multiple fronts. The kingdom’s critical energy exports have faced disruptions tied to escalating regional tensions stemming from the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, and Yemeni Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks on Saudi infrastructure in recent months. Just this past Saturday, the group claimed responsibility for an attack near an Aramco facility in the Saudi capital Riyadh, with local witnesses reporting visible smoke and fire at the site, though Saudi government officials and Aramco have not yet issued an official confirmation of the incident. Economically, the kingdom is already facing headwinds: following a prolonged downturn in oil sector activity, Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry projects a national budget deficit for 2025, and forecasts a 3.6 percent contraction in real gross domestic product. For Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup has long been framed as a core pillar of his strategy to grow Saudi Arabia’s global influence and diversify its economy away from fossil fuels, and FIFA has publicly praised the kingdom’s bid proposal as “absolutely incredible.” It remains unclear whether the suspended Neom stadium will be relocated to another site within Saudi Arabia’s 2034 venue network, or if a replacement venue will be named ahead of the tournament.

  • Christa Pike’s prognosis still unclear after failed execution, lawyer says

    Christa Pike’s prognosis still unclear after failed execution, lawyer says

    Almost three decades after one of Tennessee’s most high-profile 1990s murder cases sent 19-year-old Christa Pike to death row, a botched execution attempt has thrown the state’s capital punishment system into chaos, leaving the convicted killer fighting for her life and reigniting fierce debate over the ethics of lethal injection protocols.

    Pike, now 50, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the brutal 1995 torture and killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow University of Tennessee student. The attack, carried out alongside Pike’s then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, sparked intense national media attention that secured Pike’s place as one of the few women on U.S. death row.

    Three decades after her conviction, state officials attempted to execute Pike by lethal injection on Wednesday this week. The attempt failed, and Pike was transferred to a Nashville hospital for emergency care. On Sunday, her lead defense attorney Stephen Ferrell confirmed to CNN that Pike remains in critical condition, with an uncertain long-term prognosis.

    According to Ferrell, medical teams are still working to clear two full doses of pentobarbital, the lethal injection drug, from her system. As of Sunday, she remains on a ventilator and has not regained consciousness at any point since the botched procedure. Ferrell, who has not been permitted to visit Pike in the hospital, said he has only received updates through her medical power of attorney, leaving key details about her condition still unknown.

    “She’s still in the hospital, on a ventilator, critically ill, we really don’t know the prognosis yet, and may not know for several days,” Ferrell said. “If she recovers — she may not fully recover — and there may be issues about her competence. I mean, we just don’t know any of this. We have had no discussions about this. The Tennessee attorney general’s office so far has not given us any indications of what their intentions will be.”

    Long before the execution attempt, Pike’s legal team warned state officials that her pre-existing medical conditions, including thrombocytosis (a blood clotting disorder) and small veins, put her at high risk of extreme suffering and a botched procedure. Those warnings went unheeded, and the execution moved forward despite last-minute legal challenges.

    In the wake of the failed attempt, top Tennessee officials have already stepped down or instituted sweeping changes to the state’s death penalty system. On Saturday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ordered a full suspension of all executions for the remainder of 2026. Hours before that announcement, the head of the state’s prison system announced he would resign from his post. State correctional authorities have so far declined to explain what went wrong during the execution attempt, and have not said whether they will attempt to execute Pike if she recovers.

    Ferrell has called on state leaders to intervene permanently, urging the governor to commute Pike’s death sentence to life in prison at a minimum. He noted that Pike has already served more than 30 years on death row, most of that time in solitary confinement, and endured what he described as unthinkable suffering during the botched procedure.

    “She has endured a torturous attempt at executing her,” Ferrell said. “We don’t know right now — and we may never know — what sort of torture she endured during [her failed execution].”

    For the family of victim Colleen Slemmer, the botched execution has brought renewed pain. Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, traveled to Nashville from out of state to witness the execution, only to leave when the attempt failed. In an interview with local outlet WJXX, Martinez said she broke down in tears after learning the procedure was unsuccessful, and argued that the state owed her an apology for the failed outcome.

    The Tennessee Department of Correction has stood by its lethal injection protocol, saying in a statement that its existing guidelines do not allow for additional medical procedures beyond those already carried out during the attempt.

  • Two people killed as floods hit Spain’s Catalonia region

    Two people killed as floods hit Spain’s Catalonia region

    Deadly flash flooding has swept across northeastern Spain’s Catalonia region, leaving at least two people dead and triggering a massive emergency response as authorities warn of ongoing risks to local communities.

    In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed reporters, confirming that the crisis remains in a critical phase. “The situation in Catalonia is still very complicated,” Sánchez stated, noting that ongoing rainfall and saturated river basins are preventing first responders from fully containing the hazard. Local emergency management agencies have deployed hundreds of firefighters, police officers, and civil defense personnel to carry out water rescues, evacuate at-risk neighborhoods, and clear roads blocked by mud and debris.

    The extreme weather event, driven by an unusually slow-moving storm system that dumped more than 200 millimeters of rain over a 24-hour period in parts of the region, has caused widespread infrastructure damage. Dozens of rural and suburban towns have lost access to clean drinking water, and key transport links including regional rail lines and major highways have been closed indefinitely. The Catalan regional government has declared a 15-day state of emergency for the worst-hit areas, unlocking immediate emergency funding for relief efforts and long-term recovery.

    Authorities have urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone zones to follow evacuation orders strictly, warning that residual flood risk remains high even as rainfall begins to taper off. Spanish officials have also begun preliminary assessments of the total economic damage, with early estimates suggesting losses could run into hundreds of millions of euros for agricultural operations, small businesses, and public infrastructure. As of the latest update, search operations are still ongoing to confirm no additional people are unaccounted for in the most severely affected areas.

  • US Marine arrested over murder of woman in Okinawa, Japan

    US Marine arrested over murder of woman in Okinawa, Japan

    A deadly alleged criminal incident involving an American service member has roiled U.S.-Japan relations and reignited long-simmering tensions over American military basing in Okinawa, after local Japanese authorities took a 20-year-old U.S. Marine into custody on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a local woman’s body in a Naha City hotel.

    The suspect, Devin Jacob Ballard, is assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, one of the largest American military installations on the Japanese southern prefecture. The victim has been identified by Japan’s national public broadcaster NHK as 39-year-old Anna Yagi, a local resident of Okinawa. Her body was found early Saturday morning in a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, according to Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

    Top Japanese leaders have issued sharp condemnation of the alleged crime, framing it as an unacceptable violation of local safety that deepens longstanding public anxiety over the presence of American troops. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi labeled the incident a “brutal and heinous” robbery-murder, confirming that she has formally called on the United States to implement far stricter discipline for all military personnel stationed across Japanese territory. Koizumi echoed that outrage in a social media statement, saying, “Such an incident is utterly inexcusable and fills me with strong indignation. Incidents and accidents involving U.S. military personnel cause significant anxiety to the local community and must never occur.”

    Okinawa’s regional leadership went further, arguing that the alleged killing proves that repeated U.S. promises to improve personnel conduct have failed. Okinawa Governor Genta Koja noted that his prefecture has repeatedly demanded action from Washington to prevent similar incidents, saying the killing demonstrates a fundamental lack of discipline among American forces. “The fact that this kind of event has happened again leaves us no choice but to conclude that the U.S. military’s efforts in maintaining discipline, educating personnel, and other such measures are completely ineffective,” Koja said.

    In response to the incident, U.S. officials have pledged full cooperation with Japanese investigative authorities. The U.S. Marine Corps released a statement on social media confirming it is working alongside Japanese law enforcement following the allegations of serious criminal conduct by one of its service members, and extended official condolences to Yagi’s family. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo also confirmed it is coordinating fully with the Japanese government and local police. On Sunday, Japan’s foreign ministry formally summoned U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass for talks about the incident, a step that underscores the diplomatic friction the killing has generated.

    Okinawa has hosted a heavy American military presence for decades, with tens of thousands of U.S. troops stationed across multiple bases in the prefecture. While the basing agreement is a core pillar of the U.S.-Japan security alliance, it has long been a source of discontent among local Okinawans, who have repeatedly protested crimes, environmental damage, and public nuisance linked to American military personnel.

  • Watch: What we know about Russian strikes on Kyiv bridges

    Watch: What we know about Russian strikes on Kyiv bridges

    A fresh wave of Russian attacks has once again struck a critical infrastructure link in the Ukrainian capital, marking the second straight day that strikes have targeted Kyiv’s Northern Bridge. Dan Johnson, the BBC’s senior Ukraine correspondent, is currently positioned in the immediate vicinity of the damaged crossing, providing on-the-ground reporting of the aftermath of the latest attack.

    The repeated targeting of the river crossing underscores the ongoing pressure Russian military operations are placing on key transportation networks in and around Kyiv, as the conflict in Ukraine enters another phase of intensified strikes on urban infrastructure. Local authorities have not yet released full details on casualties or the extent of structural damage to the bridge, which serves as a vital connection for residents and supply movements in the northern part of the capital region.

    Johnson’s presence near the site comes as international media continues to document the impact of daily strikes on Ukrainian cities, bringing first-hand perspective on how the attacks are disrupting civilian life and transport links across Kyiv.

  • Ethiopian rebel forces withdraw from Tigray regional capital

    Ethiopian rebel forces withdraw from Tigray regional capital

    After nearly two years of fragile peace following a brutal civil war, Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has once again become the center of escalating armed conflict, with a recent development marking a dramatic turning point in tensions between federal authorities and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

    The TPLF, the rebel group that governed Tigray prior to the 2020 civil war and retained de facto regional control after the 2022 peace deal, announced that it has ordered a tactical temporary withdrawal of its forces from Mekelle, Tigray’s capital, as pro-government troops advance on the city. Spokespeople for the group emphasized that the decision was driven primarily by humanitarian priorities, to avoid mass civilian casualties that would come from intense urban combat within Mekelle’s populated neighborhoods.

    Two local residents confirmed the shift in control to the BBC, stating that pro-government forces now hold full authority over the city, and TPLF fighters have fully withdrawn from key infrastructure and population centers. One resident also reported a limited restoration of mobile communications services in several districts of Mekelle, a small sign of returning normalcy after weeks of disrupted connectivity.

    Renewed hostilities broke out across northern Ethiopia in recent weeks, with clashes spreading beyond Tigray into the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions, pitting TPLF fighters against Ethiopia’s national army and its allied local militias. The collapse of the 2022 African Union-brokered Pretoria Agreement, which had been celebrated as a landmark step toward ending one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century, has been underway for six months, with both the federal government and the TPLF repeatedly trading accusations of violating the terms of the peace deal.

    Tensions escalated dramatically last month, when the TPLF announced it had formed a unified armed alliance with six other opposition militant groups across Ethiopia, including the Amhara-based Fano militia. The coalition openly declared its core goal to be the removal of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s sitting government from power.

    The original 2020-2022 Tigray conflict left a legacy of catastrophic harm: the African Union’s lead mediator for the peace talks estimated that roughly 600,000 people died from combat, famine, and preventable disease, pushing the entire region to the brink of mass starvation. Even after the peace deal was signed, Tigray residents have struggled to rebuild their lives and communities amid lingering political and economic instability.

    The TPLF’s withdrawal from Mekelle has shifted the trajectory of the conflict dramatically, and regional and global observers have sounded alarms over the risk of wider destabilization across the entire Horn of Africa. Many analysts warn that escalating conflict could draw neighboring states into open confrontation, worsening an already volatile security landscape.

    Diplomatic tensions have already spiked between Ethiopia and its border neighbors. On Friday, Ethiopia and Eritrea formally severed diplomatic ties after Addis Ababa accused Asmara of providing military and logistical support to the new rebel alliance — a claim Eritrean authorities have outright denied. Ethiopia has also levied similar accusations against Egypt, a longstanding regional rival of Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute. The tit-for-tat escalations led Ethiopia to expel a senior Egyptian diplomat, which Egypt reciprocated by ordering an Ethiopian embassy official to leave the country within the same timeframe.

    A diplomatic meeting focused on the Ethiopian conflict is scheduled to take place on Sunday in Egypt, bringing together leaders from several of Ethiopia’s neighboring countries. Ahead of the talks, the U.S. Department of State issued a statement calling for all warring parties to exercise maximum restraint and return to negotiations to resolve disputes through dialogue rather than force.

    The United Nations has also issued urgent warnings about the humanitarian impact of the renewed fighting, noting that the deteriorating security situation has severely disrupted life-saving aid operations across northern Ethiopia. The UN has called on all factions to guarantee safe, unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations to deliver food, medicine, and other critical supplies to vulnerable civilian populations trapped in conflict zones.

  • Kyiv bridge hit in further Russian drone attack as German chancellor makes surprise visit

    Kyiv bridge hit in further Russian drone attack as German chancellor makes surprise visit

    A fresh wave of Russian drone attacks has struck one of Kyiv’s key river crossings for the second straight day, unfolding just as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in the Ukrainian capital for an unannounced solidarity visit. The Sunday morning strike on Pivnichnyi, or Northern, Bridge came 24 hours after an initial drone assault that damaged the bridge’s roadway and snarled local cross-city traffic.\n\nKyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that the latest attack inflicted additional damage beyond the bridge itself: a critical heating main serving the capital’s northeastern Desnyanskyi district was hit, leaving thousands of local residents without temporary hot water access. In an immediate update posted to his Telegram channel, Klitschko wrote, “Hitting the roadway on the North Bridge. Emergency services are on their way to the scene.” Unverified amateur footage circulating online captures the chaos of the strike: civilian cars are seen traveling across the span moments before a drone slams into the structure, triggering a massive fireball that sends thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky above the Dnipro River.\n\nThis latest attack is part of an intensifying four-day campaign by Moscow to target major critical infrastructure across Kyiv. Over the past week, two of the capital’s key Dnipro River bridges — Pivnichnyi and Pivdennyi, or Southern, Bridge — have been repeatedly hit by Russian drones. Prior to Thursday, neither span had been targeted since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Both bridges play a vital logistical role, connecting the western and eastern halves of the capital.\n\nThe first strike on Pivnichnyi Bridge on Saturday left two people injured and damaged both the road surface and overhead trolleybus power lines, Klitschko said. Just days earlier, Pivdennyi Bridge endured multiple direct drone hits that damaged its structural cables. The repeated assaults prompted Kyiv’s defense council to convene an emergency crisis meeting on Friday to coordinate response efforts.\n\nRussia has publicly defended the targeting of the two bridges, claiming they are used by Ukrainian forces to transfer troops and military supplies across the capital. The Kremlin has also issued a repeated warning urging all foreign citizens, including diplomatic staff, to evacuate Kyiv immediately. Russian President Vladimir Putin has framed the recent wave of infrastructure attacks as a retaliatory measure against Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities, a claim that ignores the fact that Moscow launched its own large-scale attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure first.\n\nWhile military analysts note that modern reinforced concrete bridges such as those crossing the Dnipro are unlikely to collapse from individual drone strikes, repeated consecutive attacks carry significant risks. Experts explain that even if the spans do not fully collapse, frequent assaults will force prolonged closures to repair damage and gradually weaken the bridges’ structural integrity over time, rendering them unusable for both civilian and military traffic.\n\nKlitschko has sounded the alarm over the growing pressure on Kyiv, warning the city is facing a “very dramatic situation” as Russian forces batter critical infrastructure, logistics hubs, residential housing and other key city facilities.\n\nCoinciding with the latest strike, Merz’s surprise trip to Kyiv brought a fresh show of German support for Ukraine. Arriving in the capital by train, the German chancellor met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and paid respects to fallen Ukrainian defenders at a city memorial. During his visit, Merz reaffirmed Berlin’s longstanding commitment to Kyiv and pledged new additional assistance to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.\n\nIn a post on X outlining the purpose of his visit, Merz wrote: “Ukraine is facing decisive weeks. That is why I travelled to Kyiv today with the message: You can rely on us. Germany’s security also depends on the outcome of this war. That is why we are helping out of our own self-interest as well.”

  • Australia investigating Flydubai co-pilot’s links to country

    Australia investigating Flydubai co-pilot’s links to country

    On September 30, a routine commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv devolved into an unprecedented mid-air crisis that has now sparked multinational investigations spanning four continents. Flydubai Flight, carrying more than 170 passengers and crew, was two and a half hours into its journey when its Omani co-pilot, identified by major international outlets as Hamam al-Hammami, launched a violent attack on the lead captain using a crash axe. The assault sent the plane plummeting 17,000 feet (approximately 5,200 meters) before quick-thinking passengers and reserve pilots intervened to avert a catastrophic disaster.

    In the chaotic moments after the attack, injured captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, managed to drag himself to the cockpit door and force it open, letting passengers inside to overpower the co-pilot. Two off-duty reserve pilots traveling on the flight then stepped in to take control of the aircraft and divert it to a safe emergency landing in southern Saudi Arabia. Following the landing, Machchhar was transported for emergency medical care, first to a local hospital and later to Abu Dhabi, where medical officials confirm he remains in stable condition. The accused co-pilot was taken into custody by Saudi authorities immediately after landing and is currently undergoing questioning, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    In the wake of the incident, Australian law enforcement and security agencies have launched a formal investigation into any connections between Hammami and Australia. Multiple sources with knowledge of the case have confirmed to Australian media that Hammami was granted an Australian student visa in 2014, and resided in the country for academic study between 2015 and 2017 before departing. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports that his student visa was formally canceled in 2019, after he dropped out of his enrolled course and became ineligible to maintain the visa. Australian counter-terrorism officials have confirmed they will specifically examine whether Hammami underwent radicalization during his time in Australia, a key line of inquiry in the ongoing probe. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed in a statement to the BBC that the investigation involves collaboration with state police units and Australia’s national security agency, with updates to be released “at the appropriate time.”

    UAE authorities have already categorized the incident as an attempted terrorist act. UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi announced over the weekend that official investigations are ongoing to fully map out the circumstances of the attack, identify clear motives, and uncover any possible co-conspirations or related connections. Additional reporting from U.S. media outlets has revealed red flags in Hammami’s employment history long before the Flydubai incident: while enrolled in flight training at Oman Air, Oman’s national flag carrier, he was removed from the training program over explicit concerns about his radical ideological views, and reassigned to a non-flight role within the airline.

    Further public records show that between 2020 and 2023, Hammami completed a distance-learning degree in aviation management through Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom. University officials have confirmed he graduated with the degree in 2023, and clarified that he never enrolled in or received any pilot training through the institution. Netanyahu has confirmed the accused is an Omani national, and multiple nations are now cooperating to share intelligence and build a full picture of the plot that nearly claimed more than 170 lives.

  • What to know about Brazil’s election pitting Lula against Flávio Bolsonaro

    What to know about Brazil’s election pitting Lula against Flávio Bolsonaro

    On Sunday, nearly 160 million eligible Brazilian voters headed to the polls for a general election shaped by lingering political turmoil, familiar partisan divisions, and unexpected new controversies that have upended the race. As opinion polling has consistently shown, the contest has narrowed to just two leading candidates: incumbent left-wing president Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, and right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro, eldest son of former disgraced president Jair Bolsonaro.

    The echoes of the 2022 election still reverberate across Brazil’s political landscape. Four years ago, Lula won a narrow 1.8 percentage point victory over Jair Bolsonaro, a result that sparked mass unrest when thousands of the former president’s supporters stormed the Brazilian Congress. Jair Bolsonaro was later convicted of coup plotting for his role in the insurrection, and is now serving a 27-year criminal sentence. Due to ongoing health issues, the 71-year-old former army captain is serving his term under house arrest, with a ban on public statements and social media activity. His conviction also bars him from running for public office indefinitely — a barrier that cleared the path for his son to carry the Bolsonaro political banner into the 2026 race.

    Even from house arrest, Jair Bolsonaro has remained a central figure in the campaign. At Flávio Bolsonaro’s official campaign launch, an AI-generated deepfake avatar of the former president delivered a public endorsement of his son’s candidacy. While Jair Bolsonaro’s legal team later claimed he had not authorized the use of the image, political observers and Brazilian Supreme Court investigators have little doubt that the elder Bolsonaro remains the ideological backbone of his son’s campaign. Flávio Bolsonaro, a 45-year-old trained lawyer who has served as a senator since 2019, has centered his candidacy on continuing his father’s policy agenda, even as he adopts a slightly less confrontational political tone than his dad.

    Running on the Liberal Party ticket, Flávio Bolsonaro has built his platform around hardline crime policies: he has pushed for longer prison sentences, looser gun ownership laws, and successfully lobbied for the U.S. to designate two major Brazilian criminal organizations as foreign terrorist groups — a move the Lula administration strongly opposed. He has also actively courted evangelical voters and the powerful agricultural lobby, promising to roll back environmental regulations he claims stifle farm production. On climate, he has walked back earlier claims that climate change does not exist, but still argues that recent extreme weather events are merely natural cyclical patterns, not human-driven. Flávio Bolsonaro has also positioned himself as a close ally to U.S. President Donald Trump, and has promised to join the Trump administration’s newly launched “Shield of the Americas” anti-crime alliance if he wins the presidency.

    For the incumbent Lula, the 2026 race marks an unexpected fifth campaign for the presidency, and a bid for a fourth term. The 80-year-old former metalworker, who will turn 81 days after the first round of voting, first led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, where his signature Bolsa Família cash transfer program lifted more than 20 million Brazilians out of poverty and left him with record 80% approval ratings. After years of legal turmoil that saw his corruption convictions annulled in 2021, Lula reclaimed the presidency in 2022, and has positioned his third term as a return to democratic normality after Jair Bolsonaro’s tenure.

    Lula’s presidency has drawn both praise and criticism on environmental policy. Supporters hail his administration’s success in cutting Amazon deforestation to its lowest level in a decade for the first half of 2026, cementing his reputation as a global leader on climate action. However, his decision to approve exploratory offshore oil drilling near the mouth of the Amazon has drawn sharp rebuke from some environmental activists, a criticism Lula has pushed back on by arguing that oil revenues are critical to funding Brazil’s long-term transition to renewable energy, and that he remains committed to phasing out fossil fuels over time. On the international stage, Lula has repeatedly pushed back against the Trump administration’s “Monroe Doctrine” security policy, asserting Brazilian sovereignty and rejecting the idea that the country should be treated as an American sphere of influence, while warning against foreign and domestic interference in the democratic election process.

    Heading into election day, polling shows a razor-tight race: both leading candidates hover around 40% support in aggregated polling, with Lula holding a narrow single-digit lead over Flávio Bolsonaro. All other 10 candidates trail far behind, polling at 4% or less. Under Brazilian electoral rules, a candidate must win a majority of 50% of valid votes to win outright in the first round. Polling currently indicates a runoff between the top two contenders on October 25 is the most likely outcome, though around 9% of voters remain undecided or plan to spoil their ballots or abstain, leaving an outside chance of an upset first-round victory.

    The final weeks of the campaign were upended by a major corruption scandal linked to imprisoned banker Daniel Vorcaro, who stands accused of orchestrating one of the largest financial frauds in Brazilian history. When voice recordings emerged showing Flávio Bolsonaro asking Vorcaro for 134 million reais (approximately $25.9 million) to fund a biographical film about Jair Bolsonaro, the senator admitted to the request, and Brazilian police launched a formal investigation into Flávio Bolsonaro on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. The scandal quickly expanded, however, when investigators uncovered alleged ties between Vorcaro and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over Jair Bolsonaro’s 2023 coup trial and oversaw the terms of his house arrest. Police reports show hundreds of communications between Vorcaro and a phone linked to Moraes, in which the banker requested help avoiding arrest. Moraes has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, but Flávio Bolsonaro has seized on the revelations to attack Lula, claiming that a vote for the incumbent is a vote for the controversial justice, and framing the scandal as evidence of systemic corruption among the ruling left. Lula has attempted to distance himself from Moraes, affirming that “no one is above the law,” but polling suggests the scandal has dragged down support for both candidates in the final stretch of the campaign.

    Brazil’s electoral rules require compulsory voting for all literate citizens between the ages of 18 and 70, with non-voters facing financial fines. While polling has consistently pointed to a close race between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro, electoral observers note that pre-election surveys typically sample only thousands of voters from the 160 million-strong electorate, meaning the final result could diverge significantly from published polling numbers.