HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Monday, October 26, 2026.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Wins Historic Fourth Term as President
Oct 26, 2026
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won reelection, defeating far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. Lula won with nearly 51.8% of the ballot, a difference of more than 4 million votes. Bolsonaro quickly rejected the outcome, saying he would ask a court to annul the result. Lula’s victory marked a stunning reversal from a first round of voting three weeks ago, when he trailed Bolsonaro by over 2 million votes. President Lula spoke to supporters after polls closed Sunday evening.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: “This victory isn’t mine alone. This victory belongs to you. … I want you to know that everything I do, I do with you in mind. All public policies are designed with you in mind. And you have given me the distinction of being the first president of the republic to be elected four times through democratic means. This is a historic achievement that I owe to the Brazilian people.”
The results of Sunday’s election were delayed slightly, after a judge on Brazil’s electoral court ordered polls to remain open for two extra hours due to bad weather in some regions and disruptions to public transit that affected some voters. Flávio Bolsonaro lost despite winning the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump. He had been hoping to return his family to the presidency after his father, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was convicted for leading a failed military coup attempt against Lula four years ago. After headlines, we’ll go to Brazil for more on Lula’s reelection.
Longtime Serbian Leader Vučić Concedes Defeat to Student-Led Movement
Oct 26, 2026
In Serbia, longtime leader Aleksandar Vučić has conceded defeat, after an election that pitted him against a student-led movement calling for an end to corruption, mass surveillance, political violence and democratic backsliding. Vučić conceded after early results showed the opposition Student List poised to win more than 135 seats in the 250-member parliament, compared with 105 for Vučić’s list. It’s a historic victory for the student-led movement that rose up in November 2024 in response to the collapse of a roof at a train station in the city of Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. The disaster became a focal point for protests over government corruption and inefficiency. This is opposition candidate Radomir Saičić speaking after Sunday’s election.
Radomir Saičić: “This is a victory of courage over fear, a victory over unrest. Serbia can — and must — be different. Thank you for every step, every hour, every sacrifice and for every moment you chose not to give up. Thank you to everyone who raised their voice, stood by one another and showed that the future of this country does not belong to a select few, but to all its citizens.”
French Police Arrest More Than 1,300 People During Saturday Protests
Oct 26, 2026
In France, police arrested more than 1,300 people Saturday as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets for another day of protests demanding better schools and relief from the soaring cost of living. The protests came despite a decree by President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week that outlawed public demonstrations except those by recognized trade unions. Hundreds of people were jailed after fast-track court proceedings. This is a protester at Saturday’s rally in Paris, where organizers estimate a quarter of a million people marched.
Alec Viret Ramirez: “So, for me, it’s primarily about the students, who lack resources and teachers. We feel completely ignored, like we’re not being heard at all. So we’re here to demonstrate peacefully as much as possible, and we hope that we’ll be heard and that things will change, at least a little.”
Thousands of Protesters March in Italian Cities on Saturday
Oct 26, 2026
In Italy, thousands of youth-led protesters marched in cities including Milan, Rome and Turin on Saturday to oppose Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government, while demanding higher wages, job opportunities, affordable housing and relief from the high cost of living. Authorities responded by deploying large numbers of police and soldiers and imposing tough penalties on minors. At least 45 people were arrested, most of them children. This is a protester in Rome.
Protester: “But what future? What future? I’ll never see a pension myself. But if only that were the problem. The problem is that we are protesting for our parents, for our grandparents, because my grandmother, who like so many other grandmothers lived through the war, told me two days ago that she can’t find any food, that she has no food. That really angers me.”
Israeli Forces Exact Collective Punishment on Hebron in the Occupied West Bank
Oct 26, 2026
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces bulldozed large parts of the Hebron district where two Palestinians who attacked an Israeli military checkpoint on Friday allegedly lived. Two Israeli soldiers and both Palestinian gunmen were killed in Friday’s attack. Israel responded with a wide-scale military campaign of collective punishment on Palestinians in the area. Hebron municipal officials say about 86 acres of homes and buildings have been destroyed by Israel or marked for demolition. About 300 Palestinian families, roughly 1,500 people, have been forced from their homes, while Hebron’s population of 250,000 people have been sealed off by checkpoints. The demolition came just days before Israel’s national election. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “destroy this place,” while far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich filmed himself wearing body armor in front of a Palestinian building being demolished. This is Hebron’s Mayor.
Mayor Yousef al-Jabari: “These actions by the Israeli occupation are driven by the elections. We are days, or even hours, away from the Israeli elections. Netanyahu and the radical ministers in his government are trying to win as many votes as possible from the settlers. The Israeli response is disproportionate, and there is no justification for these actions. They have closed off the city of Hebron and ordered the evacuation of an entire neighborhood in a major Palestinian city. There is no justification for these measures.”
Eight Palestinians Killed in Israeli Attacks Across the Gaza Strip
Oct 26, 2026
At least eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, including three security guards at Islamic University in Gaza City on Sunday. According to UNESCO, 95% of Gaza’s higher education campuses have been destroyed or damaged since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023. Since last October’s so-called ceasefire, about 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. This is Alaa Baroud, whose brother was killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday.
Alaa Baroud: “The war is ongoing. Israel claims there is a truce, but on the ground, what truce? What ceasefire are they talking about? Every day there are martyrs. Every day there are attacks. Every day there is destruction.”
Spanish Court Hands Over Jailed U.S. Activist James “Fergie” Chamber’s Phone to FBI
Oct 26, 2026
Image Credit: Chedly Ben Ibrahim / NurPhoto
The Guardian is reporting that lawyers for jailed U.S. activist James “Fergie” Chambers say that a Spanish court secretly handed his cellphone to the FBI. Chambers is an heir to the Cox Communications fortune, and he is the first U.S. citizen the Trump administration is looking to extradite after being accused of supporting Hamas, in connection with his donations to Palestinians in Gaza and pro-Palestine advocacy. His attorney, Aitor Martínez, said, “I’ve never seen anything like this in an extradition case. Spanish judicial authorities can’t surrender control over the personal effects of a person sought in extradition just because a foreign government has asked for them.” A Spanish treaty bars the transfer of personal items before extradition is granted.
U.S. Military Grants SpaceX Access to Pentagon’s Most Secretive Satellite Tracking Data
Oct 26, 2026
The U.S. military has granted SpaceX access to some of the Pentagon’s most sensitive and confidential satellite tracking data. That’s according to The Guardian, which reports the new agreement between U.S. Space Force and Elon Musk gives SpaceX access to restricted information used to track satellites and debris on Earth’s orbit. This follows Musk’s efforts to privatize space traffic control. Last year, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, led by Musk, fired scores of employees at the Traffic Coordination System for Space, while the Trump administration has repeatedly attempted to gut funding to the program.
Meanwhile, officials in Ukraine report that Musk’s internet satellite services Starlink and Starshield are functioning normally again, after the service was altered to drop connections of fast-moving objects over Ukraine, disrupting military aircraft and drone flights. On Saturday, Musk acknowledged he had intentionally throttled service to Starlink, reversing his previous claim that the Trump administration was behind the move. Musk called Starlink’s use in drone attacks a violation of its terms of service.
Number of People on Food Stamps Falls by 13% After One Big Beautiful Bill
Oct 26, 2026
The number of people on food stamps in the U.S. has fallen by 13% from 41.6 million people in July 2025, before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act took effect, to 36.5 million in June 2026. Advocates say more people are seeking help from food banks or going hungry. Currently, 47 million people, including one in five children, are living in food-insecure households nationwide.
Appeals Court Rules Immigrants Jailed by ICE Have No Constitutional Right to Bond
Oct 26, 2026
A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s policy allowing the indefinite detention of thousands of immigrants without the right to be released on bond. The decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals would mean even immigrants who’ve lived in the United States for decades and have no criminal record could be detained for months — even years — while their cases are reviewed. Other U.S. courts have overwhelmingly opposed Trump’s indefinite detention policy, saying it violates immigrants’ constitutional and due process rights. The ruling centers on Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, with advocates warning the impacts will be felt nationwide. The American Immigration Council said in a statement, “When courts degrade the meaning of liberty for some, we all suffer the consequences.” The Supreme Court is set to hear a case challenging the policy during this term.
This comes as deaths in ICE custody continue to skyrocket under Trump’s second term. Over the weekend, it was confirmed a 48-year-old immigrant from El Salvador has died while jailed at the D. Ray James ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia. Luis Sandoval was reportedly found on Friday morning with a “ligature around his neck.” He was pronounced dead about an hour later. He’s at least the 60th immigrant to have died in ICE custody since Trump returned to office. Sandoval’s death came amid an ongoing hunger strike inside the Folkston facility denouncing inhumane conditions. Immigrants there have been reportedly threatened with force-feeding and other retaliatory actions. The ICE facility is run by the for-profit prison company GEO Group.
In more related news, a 79-year-old pastor from Uganda has been released from a for-profit ICE jail in Colorado after 13 months in custody. The Rev. Edward Nalwamba reportedly lost 35 pounds and the strength to walk after his confinement at the Aurora ICE Processing Center, which is operated by the GEO Group. He also suffered from pneumonia for three weeks and did not receive any medical treatment. On the day of his release, Nalwamba had to be carried out by three other detainees, as ICE provided no wheelchair.
Trump Orders DOJ Lawsuit Seeking to Block Results in Alaska Senate Election
Oct 26, 2026
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the results of the upcoming U.S. Senate election in Alaska if Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan loses. The lawsuit alleges the appearance of another Senate candidate, Dan J. Sullivan Jr., on Alaska’s ballot would mislead voters. While in Florida on Friday, President Trump confirmed he’d ordered the DOJ to file the lawsuit — less than two weeks ahead of the midterms — saying, “I’m the one that said do it.” Attorneys for Alaska’s Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, have filed a motion urging a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, which they denounced as “an unprecedented pre-emptive strike on democratic elections.”