<p>Leftwing incumbent becomes first candidate to reverse first-round defeat, but far-right son of former president rejects result. Plus, interviews with two legendary songwriters</p><p>Good morning. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has staged a dramatic election fightback, defeating his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/26/lula-wins-brazil-election">claim a historic fourth term as Brazil’s president</a>. Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat and asked for the results to be annulled.</p><p>Following in the footsteps of his father, the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who four years ago also refused to acknowledge his defeat to Lula – before attempting a coup and being convicted for it – Flávio Bolsonaro cited a supreme court justice’s decision to extend voting hours as the alleged reason for wanting to cancel the result.</p><p><strong>What does this result mean for Brazil now?</strong> My colleagues Libby Brooks in London and Tom Phillips and São Paulo <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/26/brazil-presidential-elections-luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva-flavio-bolsonaro">spoke overnight</a>. Phillips said: “The Bolsonaro response is exactly as I feared, but I don’t think it will mean very much. All these world leaders are now recognising Lula’s win, and I don’t think Bolsonaro has a hope of overturning this result. [For Lula] this is the crescendo of an incredible, if sometimes controversial, 50-year political career. The first elected working-class leader of Brazil, who has helped millions of people escape poverty.”</p><p><strong>You can find the full results of the election <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2026/oct/25/brazil-election-2026-live-second-round-results">here</a>, and our ongoing live coverage <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/25/brazil-election-runoff-live-updates-flavio-bolsonaro-lula">here</a>.</strong></p><p><strong>What has Hebron’s mayor said?</strong> Yousef al-Jabari accused the Israeli state of “collective punishment”, saying: “They have dragged people from their houses, and they have prevented the media from getting into the district … Netanyahu and his gang are using Palestinian land to displace Palestinian people, closing the city, closing the mosque, in order to achieve their political goals.”</p><p><strong>How has a 21-year-old photographer described being the target of an Israeli attack? </strong>Zeinab Faraj <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/oct/26/zeinab-faraj-journalist-surviving-israel-drone-attack">found herself buried under rubble</a> beside a dying colleague while reporting in Lebanon. “My heart stopped” as she heard a drone descending towards them, she said. “I’ve never heard anything like it in my life … It was terrifying.” The Israeli military later justified their attack, saying they had identified saboteurs violating the ceasefire. Human rights groups called it a war crime.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/26/first-thing-brazil-re-elects-lula-comeback-bolsonaro">Continue reading...</a>
World
First Thing: Brazil re-elects Lula in comeback rebuke for Bolsonaro and far right
<p>Leftwing incumbent becomes first candidate to reverse first-round defeat, but far-right son of former president rejects result. Plus, interviews with two legendary songwriters</p><p>Good morning. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has staged a dramatic election fightback, defeating his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/26/lula-wins-brazil-election">claim a historic fourth term as Brazil’s president</a>. Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat and asked for the results to be annulled.</p><p>Following in the footsteps of his father, the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who four years ago also refused to acknowledge his defeat to Lula – before attempting a coup and being convicted for it – Flávio Bolsonaro cited a supreme court justice’s decision to extend voting hours as the alleged reason for wanting to cancel the result.</p><p><strong>What does this result mean for Brazil now?</strong> My colleagues Libby Brooks in London and Tom Phillips and São Paulo <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/26/brazil-presidential-elections-luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva-flavio-bolsonaro">spoke overnight</a>. Phillips said: “The Bolsonaro response is exactly as I feared, but I don’t think it will mean very much. All these world leaders are now recognising Lula’s win, and I don’t think Bolsonaro has a hope of overturning this result. [For Lula] this is the crescendo of an incredible, if sometimes controversial, 50-year political career. The first elected working-class leader of Brazil, who has helped millions of people escape poverty.”</p><p><strong>You can find the full results of the election <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2026/oct/25/brazil-election-2026-live-second-round-results">here</a>, and our ongoing live coverage <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/25/brazil-election-runoff-live-updates-flavio-bolsonaro-lula">here</a>.</strong></p><p><strong>What has Hebron’s mayor said?</strong> Yousef al-Jabari accused the Israeli state of “collective punishment”, saying: “They have dragged people from their houses, and they have prevented the media from getting into the district … Netanyahu and his gang are using Palestinian land to displace Palestinian people, closing the city, closing the mosque, in order to achieve their political goals.”</p><p><strong>How has a 21-year-old photographer described being the target of an Israeli attack? </strong>Zeinab Faraj <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/oct/26/zeinab-faraj-journalist-surviving-israel-drone-attack">found herself buried under rubble</a> beside a dying colleague while reporting in Lebanon. “My heart stopped” as she heard a drone descending towards them, she said. “I’ve never heard anything like it in my life … It was terrifying.” The Israeli military later justified their attack, saying they had identified saboteurs violating the ceasefire. Human rights groups called it a war crime.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/26/first-thing-brazil-re-elects-lula-comeback-bolsonaro">Continue reading...</a>