Daily News Brief

October 28, 2022

Top of the Agenda

Brazilians will head to the polls (AP) on Sunday to vote in a presidential runoff between current President Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula. The candidates have vastly diverging stances on issues including environmental policy, gun control, and international cooperation (Americas Quarterly). The race has been marked by political violence and controversies over how social media platforms and election authorities should respond to online misinformation (NYT).

The candidates will face off in a final televised debate tonight. Polls suggest a tight race, and while Lula won the first round of voting, Bolsonaro outperformed expectations. Ahead of the runoff, Bolsonaro has spent billions of dollars on new benefits for the poor and repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims about the unreliability of Brazil’s voting machines, suggesting he could reject a possible loss. 

Analysis

“Bolsonaro is defiant in his desire to sacrifice the Amazon, its conservation reserves and Indigenous lands to agribusiness and ‘development.’ His challenger, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, promises to stop the destruction and proved that he can be tough on environmental crime and deliver results during two previous terms in office,” the New York Times’ Agnes Walton and Nossas’ Alessandra Orofino write.

“Although Lula placed first in the initial round of voting and remains a slight favorite to win, the election of [right-wing TikTok star and congressional candidate Nikolas] Ferreira and others like him suggests that Bolsonaro and his culturally conservative, antiglobalist allies will be a force in Brazil for many years to come,” Americas Quarterly’s Brian Winter writes for Foreign Affairs.

This In Brief looks at what’s at stake in Brazil’s election. 

Pacific Rim

The package aims to address inflation (Kyodo), particularly by reducing households’ utility bills, as the Bank of Japan maintains low interest rates (Kyodo) in the face of rising prices.

North Korea: The country fired two short-range ballistic missiles (Yonhap) into the waters off its east coast, South Korea’s military said.

South and Central Asia

Thousands of demonstrators in the capital, Colombo, voiced opposition (Al Jazeera) to high costs of living and police suppression of previous protests.

India/Russia: The countries’ foreign ministers will meet in Moscow (Indian Express) on November 8, Russia’s foreign ministry said. They last held in-person talks in April in India.

Middle East and North Africa

Iraqi lawmakers officially named (Reuters) Iran-aligned former labor and human rights minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister and approved his cabinet, ending a political deadlock that followed elections last October. 

This In Brief looks at Iran’s influence in Iraq.

Persian Gulf: Foreign workers on at least four U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf have experienced labor abuses including having their passports confiscated and being saddled with illegal recruitment fees, the Washington Post reported.

Sub-Saharan Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Washington should have consulted him (Daily Maverick) before its South African embassy warned that terrorists could attack a wealthy Johannesburg suburb this weekend.

Ethiopia: Two opposition groups in the Oromia region said the army killed hundreds (Reuters) of people in air strikes there in recent days. 

Europe

Negotiators from the European Union (EU) reached an agreement (AFP) on the ban, which also sets partial phase-out targets for 2025 and 2030. 

Russia/Ukraine: At a conference for international foreign policy experts, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there is “no need” (AP) to strike Ukraine with nuclear weapons. He also repeated unproven claims that Ukraine plans to frame Russia for a radioactive “dirty bomb” attack.

For Foreign Affairs, Samuel Charap and Miranda Priebe discuss how to de-escalate the war in Ukraine.

Americas

The mission will consult (CBC) with Haitians, regional partners, the United Nations, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) intergovernmental group about possible steps to address Haiti’s security crisis. 

United States

The world’s richest person, Elon Musk, fired three top Twitter executives (WaPo) after completing his purchase of the social media company. Musk has criticized Twitter’s content moderation policies in the past.

This In Brief looks at the controversies around how social media platforms regulate content.

Friday Editor’s Pick

The Wall Street Journal explains why American companies struggle with reshoring, or bringing business operations back from overseas, and looks at ways to bring more jobs to the United States.

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