Brazil is also heading to the polls today for a run-off vote that will decide who leads the country. The race is on a knife edge between incumbent left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio scored a major upset in the first round earlier this month, taking the lead in the vote. The campaign has been dominated by corruption scandals, economic difficulties and allegations of US interference, which Washington has denied. France 24 correspondent Jan Onoszko reports the latest from Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and sight-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro faced off Friday in their second and final debate ahead of Sunday's presidential runoff election. The two candidates repeated their campaign proposals, focusing on the cost of living and security, while exchanging ⁠allegations of corruption. France 24 Jan Onoszko telles us the latest from Rio de Janeiro.

With less than two weeks to go before the US midterm elections, former President Barack Obama has hit the campaign trail, rallying support for Democratic candidates in the key states of Michigan and Ohio. He criticised the Trump administration, blaming the White House for rising living costs, a major concern for voters. Democrats are hoping to regain control of Congress, with polls showing several closely contested races. Ophelie Jacobson has more.

And now, in a rather surprising development, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is directly urging Cubans to cooperate with the CIA. Havana has responded by mocking what it calls the Trump administration’s “desperation”.

With the US midterm elections less than two weeks away, concerns are growing over whether President Donald Trump would accept a major Republican defeat. Trump has called for legal action to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses to his Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola, arguing that another candidate with the same name on the ballot could confuse voters. Our Washington correspondent Fraser Jackson has more.

The backlash over an Ohio campaign advertisement attacking Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, spread beyond the state's borders Thursday, causing fresh headaches for Republicans with less than two weeks until the midterm elections.

🗳️ On October 25, a runoff election in #Brazil could change the political landscape of #LatinAmerica. In the first round, #FlavioBolsonaro, son of ex-president Jair #Bolsonaro, beat incumbent President Luiz Inacio #Lula da Silva by a little over two million votes. 👉 But why should you care about who will win this second round? Our journalist Vitoria Barreto explains.

US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday defended an explosive attack ad by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign against his Democratic rival in the Ohio governor’s race, telling fellow Republicans to "stop whining" about it and go win the race. The ad features ​Democrat Amy Acton’s ‌estranged mother, Donna Arthur, disputing Acton’s account of a childhood she says involved a period of homelessness and sexual abuse. ⁠Arthur, whom Acton says she has not seen since 1978, urges Ohioans not to vote for her daughter. Acton has said she was sexually abused by her stepfather when she was 12. Her mother stayed with the ‌stepfather, who was charged with rape but fled the state and was never tried. He died in 2004. Acton said she ⁠and her brother were removed from her mother's custody for severe abuse, neglect and sexual abuse. Acton's brother has supported her account. FRANCE 24's Catherine Viette reports.

Jean-Emile Jammine is pleased to welcome Federico Donelli, Associate Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Trieste in Italy. Can another three days of military strikes achieve what eight months of confrontation have failed to deliver? Donelli challenges the assumption that a short, intensive offensive would necessarily produce a decisive political outcome. He argues, "the real question is whether military pressure is intended to constrain Iran's capacity, or to pressure Iran to sit on the table." And whether they can translate that capacity into a sustainable political outcome without provoking a wider regional crisis. Regardless, Donelli reminds us that "Iran still has leverage over the US."

In the first round of Brazil’s presidential elections, Flavio Bolsonaro got the most votes in 15 electoral districts in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, compared with 9 for Lula. This part of the city, long associated with the left and the social policies of Lula’s Workers’ Party, is now shifting towards former president Jair Bolsonaro’s son.

Angela Diffley is pleased to welcome Peter Zalmayev, Founder and Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, LIVE from Kyiv. And he warns, "I'm seeing, I'm smelling a Yalta II. I'm smelling another Munich (1938), where we're seeing appeasement of the aggressor." Ukraine faces the possibility that its sovereignty and security could become mere bargaining chips in an era Zalmayev describes as great-power "collusion". He delivers a forceful critique of the Trump administration's approach to Russia, arguing that Washington is weakening Ukraine's negotiating position while offering Vladimir Putin little incentive to abandon his maximalist demands. At stake, he suggests, are the cohesion of the transatlantic alliance, and the credibility of Western security commitments.

The midterm elections are just two weeks away in the United States and Donald Trump is stumping for candidates in states that he won by double digits in 2024. Polls showing support for the Republican Party is slipping drastically, even in some deep red states. Story by Monte Francis.

With the midterm elections fast approaching, US President Donald Trump is stumping for candidates in states that he won by double digits in 2024. Despite what he says, it’s a sign of what Trump and the Republican party are fearing: with polls showing GOP support slip drastically even in some deep red states. FRANCE 24's Monte Francis has more.

With US President Donald Trump’s approval rating falling to a record low of 31%, Republicans are facing mounting concerns ahead of November’s midterm elections. Republicans are at risk of losing control of the House of Representatives, but how big could the Democrats’ gains be? FRANCE 24’s International Affairs Editor Kethevane Gorjestani explains.

Four soldiers were killed and dozens injured in a fire at a military base in Alberta province, one of the worst peacetime tragedies to hit Canada's armed forces on home soil, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday.

Delano D'Souza is pleased to welcome Peter Zalmayev, Founder and Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, LIVE from Kyiv. As Zelensky declares Ukraine "done" with Trump's self-declared energy ceasefire and resumes strikes on Russian oil refineries, Zalmayev warns: "When you talk about the energy ceasefire, it presupposes two to be able to tango and to dance this dance." He challenges the legitimacy of Trump's unilateral announcement, made without agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, as Russia continues attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Yet he cautions that Zelensky may need tactical restraint to preserve vital US support. Zalmayev also examines Western sanctions, frozen Russian assets, and Washington's pursuit of economic normalization with Moscow without meaningful Russian concessions.

In Georgia, Democrat Jon Ossoff’s seat is one of the key contests in the US mid-term elections on 3 November. In this state, which was won by Donald Trump in 2024, the incumbent senator is facing Republican Mike Collins. Our reporter Leela Jacinto visited Manuel’s Tavern, a historic bar in Atlanta that has been frequented for decades by Democratic politicians. There, patrons watched the debate between the two candidates.

US President Donald Trump's administration has asked his ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, the White House said Tuesday, amid allegations that she sought money from a Trump supporter and accepted lavish hospitality from wealthy Greek businessmen. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.

Thousands of young Brazilians have taken to the streets to support President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and voice fears of a return to power for the Bolsonaro political movement, amid a closely watched presidential race. Many protesters say they are worried about their future, particularly the impact a far-right government could have on universities and education. FRANCE 24’s Jan Onoszko reports from Brazil.

Donald Trump’s plan to import Russian diesel despite Western sanctions has sparked fierce criticism in Washington, including from Republicans, as high fuel prices and the upcoming midterm elections put pressure on his administration. His approach to the Ukraine war has also drawn controversy, with calls for Kyiv to hold elections and claims of an energy ceasefire announced without clear agreement from the parties involved. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert has the analysis.