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Computer equipment and communications were seized in Brazil’s largest city as part of a new Brazilian investigation announced Sunday into “possible external interference by the United States” in the nation’s presidential election, Agencia EFE reported.On Sunday, Brazil held its first-round presidential election, which pitted Flávio Bolsonaro — a far-right politician supported by President Donald Trump — against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s progressive incumbent president and frequent Trump critic. Bolsonaro “outperformed expectations” Sunday after receiving 47% of the vote to Lula’s 45.1%, forcing the two into a runoff.Brazil’s Federal Police, however, launched an investigation into whether the United States had unlawfully interfered in Brazil’s election, executing two search and seizure warrants in São Paulo on Friday.At the heart of the investigation is a report from The Guardian that revealed the Trump administration planned to divert taxpayer dollars to fund groups opposing what it called “judicial overreach and censorship” by Brazil’s judicial system. Brazil’s Federal Police argued the Trump administration’s plan was designed to "destabilize and undermine the institutionality of the Brazilian Judiciary," Agencia EFE reported.“Brazil's Federal Police is now officially investigating the US intervention in the election,” wrote journalist and analyst Benjamin Norton in response to Agencia EFE’s report. “The Trump admin openly supported far-right US puppet candidate Bolsonaro.”Fears mounted ahead of Brazil’s first-round presidential election on Sunday after the Trump administration suspended all U.S. consular services in Brazil just two days before the election, a move critics described as “unprecedented.”Bolsonaro is a lawyer, politician, and son of Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president who’s currently serving a 27-year sentence on charges related to an attempted coup after his election loss in 2022. Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil last year in response to Jair Bolsonaro’s prosecution, which he called a “Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY.”“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace,” Trump wrote in a July 2025 letter to Lula. “This Trial should not be taking place.”

In what NBC News described Sunday morning as a “rushed withdrawal,” the Trump administration appears to have ended a U.S.-British military partnership that dates back to 1950 after authorities foiled a suspected terror plot.Last month, local residents near Royal Air Force Fairford — a British air base used by the United States for more than 75 years — were evacuated after a “major incident” initially believed to involve explosives was declared by local law enforcement. Five men were arrested in connection with the incident and remain under investigation.On Sunday, the Trump administration confirmed that “all U.S. bombers” deployed to RAF Fairford “have been re-deployed to their home stations in the United States” in what NBC News called a “hasty” process, a development that left countless journalists in shock.“B1, B2 and B52 bombers will now operate from the USA while airmen and their families have returned home to America,” wrote British journalist Ben Leo in a social media post on X.“The United States has basically said ‘enough’ in a damning indictment of its military alliance with Britain. This is big.”In a follow-up post, Leo added, “What’s interesting (and damning) about this is the Americans likely feel the UK can’t guarantee the safety of its aircraft and personnel at a MILITARY BASE.”Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump who’s suggested dogs were superior to Muslims, suggested the U.S. withdrawal was due to Britain’s Muslim population, despite Muslims making up around 6% of England and Wales’ population. Fine has frequently referred to Muslim migration as an “invasion.”“Britain has fallen. The United Islamic Kingdom is no longer a reliable ally of the United States,” Fine wrote in a social media post on X.BREAKING: US Air Force bails from RAF Fairford following security concerns at the British base B1, B2 and B52 bombers will now operate from the USA while airmen and their families have returned home to America The United States has basically said “enough” in a damning indictment of its military alliance with Britain This is big.— Ben Leo (@Benleo) October 4, 2026

President Donald Trump launched yet another attack on how elections are conducted in the US by insisting in a midnight tirade that they should not be trusted.With his eye on Brazil's first-round presidential election on Sunday, which is headed to an Oct. 25 runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, he ramped up the familiar grievance."125 Million People voted today in the first round of Brazil's Presidential Election. The results came out shortly after the vote closed, on the SAME DAY!" Trump wrote. "In Detroit, Philadelphia, California, and numerous other U.S. Cities and States, the results, with much smaller numbers, will often take weeks to Rig, I mean, calculate. Voting in America is CORRUPT!!!"The post was not without its own hiccup. Newsweek reported that screenshots showed the original version referred to "India's Presidential Election" before it was changed to Brazil. Newsweek also noted that Brazil runs a fully electronic voting system that allows results to come in quickly.The outburst is the latest in a string of late-night election complaints from the president, who has spent months pushing to sharply restrict mail-in voting ahead of November's midterms. He signed the message "President DJT."

Study of remains taken from royal cemetery at Umm el-Qa’ab appears to confirm early Egyptologist’s theoryCourt officials and craftspeople serving early Egyptian kings may have been sacrificed when their ruler died, according to research that found fractures in several ancient skulls.The royal cemetery of Umm el-Qa’ab near Abydos features the tombs and enclosures of the First Dynasty rulers of Egypt, and dates as far back as 3,000BC. Continue reading...

Thousands gather in Mumbai with heavy police presence as concerns mount that millions will be denied voting rightsIndia’s youth-led Cockroach movement kicked off more nationwide protests on Friday as thousands of people gathered in Mumbai, amid mounting concerns that millions of citizens are being unfairly stripped of their vote.The movement, which calls itself the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) and has massive support among the country’s gen Zs, returned to the streets to demand the resignation of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump's hands-off approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and the tech billionaires behind it are running into unexpected resistance from one of his own staunch allies in the Senate, according to Politico.Sen. Josh Hawley's (R-MO) "populist push" against AI is exposing a schism in the GOP as lawmakers try to balance backing Trump's preference for voluntary industry standards against mounting voter anxiety over the technology's risks. Hawley's "call for AI safety legislation this week" — including imposing corporate liability when AI causes harm — stands in direct contrast to Trump's approach of letting the industry police itself."I think everyone kind of feels like the impact that this is going to have — not just on our economy but on how we live our lives — is reason to be concerned," GOP strategist Jason Roe told Politico. "I think the politicians that seize on it are going to probably reach beyond their base, to voters outside of their respective parties that care about where we're going on this."Republicans remain divided on how to respond. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has said at least "light touch" regulation will eventually be needed, even while broadly praising Trump's approach, while House Speaker Mike Johnson prefers a voluntary framework that matches Trump's own instincts.Hawley's skepticism of Big Tech isn't new — he's gone after social media companies over alleged censorship of conservatives, battled Flock's traffic-camera surveillance network, and raised alarms about chatbots endangering children."Hawley used a hearing this week on rogue AI to call for companies to be liable for the harm their AI models cause. His comments drew praise from Democrats, highlighting the bipartisan role Hawley could play in crafting legislation next year regardless of who wins the midterms," Politico reported, adding, "That collegial atmosphere was the latest sign that Hawley has rekindled tech-minded alliances across the aisle, which had frayed in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol given his vote against certifying the 2020 election."

The Trump administration has “quietly” set the stage in recent weeks to potentially “resume major combat operations against Iran,” Axios’ Barak Ravid reported on Thursday night, citing multiple U.S. officials.On Sunday, the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and an accompanying strike group "quietly" left California toward the Middle East region, one U.S. official told Ravid. And, within the past few weeks, the Trump administration sent Patriot missile batteries to U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which Ravid noted carried major implications.“The U.S. will need Saudi Arabia to allow it to use the country's airspace if major combat operations resume,” Ravid wrote. “But the Saudis are unlikely to grant permission if they feel oil facilities won't be protected.”In late July, President Donald Trump was “seriously considering” launching a “massive attack” on Iranian energy targets, but ultimately decided against it after being pressed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who feared retaliatory strikes on Saudi energy sites. As suggested by Ravid, the Trump administration’s shipment of Patriot missile batteries “to protect oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar” could be a sign that Trump is preparing to finally move forward with those plans. U.S. officials further supported the suggestion, telling Ravid that bin Salman’s pleas were a key reason for Trump opting for an economic pressure campaign against Iran over military strikes.On the departure of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, one U.S. official told Ravid that the U.S. military would be well equipped should hostilities resume.“This means the Middle East region could potentially have up to three aircraft carrier strike groups. This is much more firepower,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Up to 300mm of rain could fall in places, while extreme downpours bring landslides and deaths in NepalTorrential rain and potentially damaging flooding are forecast in eastern Spain over the coming days, as cold upper air moves over the warm, humid surface air of the Mediterranean Sea, fuelling violent, slow-moving thunderstorms near Spain’s east coast. The weather pattern, known as a Dana, occurs most often in autumn.Models show more than 100mm of rain could fall across the region on Friday, with 200-300mm possible in some areas. Cities including Valencia and Castelló de la Plana, are most at risk. Valencia has experienced several damaging floods in recent years. Catalonia has now put three towns under lockdown and Valencia has shut schools for nearly half a million children. Continue reading...