On October 25, Serbia's student-led protest movement won a historic victory in parliamentary ⁠elections, defeating outgoing President Aleksandar Vucic's party. Supporters of the student list explained to FRANCE 24 how they mounted a massive mobilisation to fight electoral fraud and monitor the electoral process inside and outside the polling stations.

In tonight's edition: 15 military officials in Sudan are sanctioned by the UK over the brutality and abuse of civilians during the fall of El-Fasher. Also, ⁠Algeria is set to send in army units ​to ‌Niger ⁠to ‌protect energy ⁠and economic interests there. And days after a foreigner was beaten to death on the streets of Durban, the stalled asylum process has left many migrants in South Africa living in fear. 

US President Donald Trump on Monday pledged a $1 million reward for information on voter fraud leading to conviction ahead of the upcoming 2026 US midterms on November 3. The president gave no details of how the reward would be funded or administered. The comments follow his repeated false claims that he won the 2020 presidential election.

Emotions ran high in Belgrade on Monday after a student-led movement upset the right-wing populist Aleksandar Vucic's party in Serbia's snap election. A celebratory mood gripped the capital, with drivers honking their horns and passers-by holding up three fingers -- the winning list's ballot number and a Serbian greeting. Many wore badges and other symbols of the student movement, while a large group of residents spent the day cleaning up a park between parliament and the presidency after Vucic loyalists, who had camped there for more than a year, fled. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with researchers and political activist Aleksandar Matković.

Just two days shy of his 81st birthday, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has emerged as the comeback kid. Coming from behind in the polls after a bitter campaign where he often showed his age, Lula has become the first candidate since Brazil’s return to democracy in the 1980s to win the presidential run-off after trailing in the first round. How did the Workers' Party leader turn a 2.2 million vote deficit against the far right's Flavio Bolsonaro into a 4.4 million vote win? Just three short weeks ago, most races at the federal and state level broke the way of conservatives and the far right.

The United Nations on Monday raised "ethnic cleansing" concerns following Israel's operation to displace by force more than 3,000 Palestinians from their homes in Hebron in the West Bank after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near the city on Friday. UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that the "aggressive operation" must end, and that "collective punishment is a grave violation of international law".

The French government met student representatives on Monday (October 26) following weeks of unrest. Students who had been demanding a meeting for weeks hail progress. Nonetheless they are now calling for fresh demonstrations next Saturday (October 31) to press for further measures. Details by FRANCE 24’s French Politics Editor Marc Perelman.

Climate activists in Brazil are celebrating President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's election victory as good news for the Amazon rainforest. His last four years in power saw a record decrease in deforestation in the world's largest rainforest.

Israel's defence minister denied on Monday (October 26) reports of a rift between PM Netanyahu and the army over Iran, before the vote.  Netanyahu has campaigned heavily on his security credentials, insisting only he can "finish the job" in the US-Israeli war on Iran. His main rival, ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot, has accused him of playing up the Iran threat when it suits him politically, and of failing to accomplish his war goals. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani tells us more.

​President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election on Sunday (October 25), defeating right-wing ​Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff to secure a fourth non-consecutive term.

Israeli presidential candidate Gadi Eisenkot's pledge made Sunday to "heal" Israeli society after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's divisive tenure resonated with some voters attending his final campaign rally before polling begins Tuesday. Netanyahu meanwhile received fresh backing for re-election from US President Donald Trump and deemed Eisenkot "soft" on Iran. 

Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Christopher Sabatini, Director of Chatham House's Latin America Programme. Sabatini examines how Lula's campaign reinvention, youth mobilisation, and the changing dynamics of Bolsonarismo are reshaping Brazil's political landscape. By embracing social media, mobilising younger voters, and shifting attention from his historical achievements to the economic anxieties of ordinary Brazilians, Lula managed to transform the electoral contest. As Sabatini explains, voters were no longer satisfied with hearing about the past. They wanted an answer to a more immediate question: "What are you going to do for us now?

Israelis can’t vote from abroad, so tens of thousands of expats are expected to fly home for the election. At Tel Aviv airport, supporters of opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot are already waiting at arrivals. A “Fly and Vote” initiative helps expats organise their trip, despite a failed petition from Netanyahu’s Likud party to restrict it. With polls predicting a tight race, every vote could count, and the result will decide the Prime Minister’s fate.

In this arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim brings us a roundup of the big music releases and news of the week, from US rapper Macklemore's charity stadium shows to raise money for Palestine, to the return of R'n'B crooner John Legend with his 11th album "Muse" – his first collaboration with close friend Pharrell Williams. 

The French government sought to draw a line Monday under weeks of protests that have been marred by violence, with President Emmanuel Macron heading to Marseille. France has been rocked by widespread anger over the rising cost of living, with nationwide demonstrations on October 17 degenerating into some of the country's worst rioting in years.

Climate activists in Brazil and beyond are celebrating President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's election victory as good news for the Amazon rainforest. His last four years in power saw a record decrease in deforestation in the world's largest rainforest, appropriately nicknamed the planet's lungs. FRANCE 24's Environment Editor Valerie Dekimpe tells us more.

Jordanian authorities on Monday arrested three suspects over last week's terror attack that killed nine people in a church funeral procession in the village of Hammoud. Jordan's military later launched strikes on "terrorist organisations" in neighbouring Syria in retaliation for the attack by alleged Islamic extremists, killing at least eight civilians including women and children, a health official said. 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won an unprecedented fourth term on Sunday (October 25), the country's electoral court said, in a shock result that defied polls.

What does a salamander have to do with US elections? Dating back centuries, gerrymandering continues to play a role in American elections today. Used more often by Republicans in the modern era of voting, Democrats have also resorted to the tactic in the past decade. But what is gerrymandering, and why is it called that? FRANCE 24's Tanishk Saha explains.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the government would announce “concrete measures" on Monday (October 26) to address school students’ demands after weeks of unrest. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was scheduled to meet with students later Monday. FRANCE 24's Luke Shrago reports from the ground.