The World

JERUSALEM — Israelis vote on October 27, the first national election since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 and the upheaval that followed. International Crisis Group says the ruling coalition faces uncertain prospects. Its monthly tracker warns the government could escalate against Gaza, Iran, Lebanon or Yemen to improve its odds. Crisis Group reports that Israel has rejected a roadmap for Gaza announced by the Board of Peace and accepted by Hamas, which leaves about 2 million Palestinians in limbo. Direct talks with Lebanon on a June framework have stalled. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep a buffer zone in Syria. Another Crisis Group briefing counts 143 people killed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks between June 26 and October 13, according to Lebanese government figures. The result will shape Israeli policy toward Gaza, Lebanon, Iran and Syria.

BRASÍLIA — Brazil votes on October 25 in a runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. No candidate cleared 50 percent in the October 4 first round. Bolsonaro won about 56.1 million votes to Lula's 53.9 million. Quaest has Bolsonaro at 46 percent and Lula at 44. Datafolha has him at 47 to 45, down from a four-point lead a week earlier. A CNT/MDA survey has him at 46.8 to 45.9. Al Jazeera reports that Bolsonaro has gained less than expected from the elimination of other conservative candidates, and that many analysts call the race too close to call. First-round polls underestimated him, according to NBC News. A Lula win would keep Latin America's largest economy under a left-wing president. A Bolsonaro win would return the right to power.

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia's federal forces have taken all the major cities in Tigray and are advancing toward towns near the Eritrean border, according to International Crisis Group. The Tigray People's Liberation Front launched an offensive alongside other rebel groups. Seven armed groups had announced an Alliance for Survival on September 20, aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Federal forces and the Tigray Peace Force, a TPLF splinter group, captured the regional capital Mekelle on October 3 against limited resistance. On October 1, Ethiopia expelled Eritrean diplomats and Eritrea cut all ties. Reports said Eritrean troops crossed into Tigray to back the TPLF before pulling back toward the border. Ethiopia's army chief accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the rebels. Crisis Group lists Ethiopia and Eritrea among its October conflict-risk alerts. It urges the EU to push for restraint, humanitarian access and quiet diplomacy to prevent a war between the two states.

QUETTA — Pakistan has suspended commercial trade with Iran through the Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan border crossings. The Commerce Ministry withdrew an October 3 order that had governed the crossings. A Balochistan government spokesman said the closure is temporary and aimed at security, smuggling and border management. He said talks with Iranian officials are making progress and the border should reopen soon. Iran's foreign ministry blamed technical issues. The Quetta Chamber of Commerce says about 2,000 trucks and containers are stranded. It has told traders to stop placing new orders with Iran. Dawn reported that more than 4,000 tonnes of LPG a day had been entering through Gabd-Rimdan. Traders warn of shortages in Karachi and elsewhere. Arab News noted that the closure comes amid kidnappings in Balochistan, where separatist militants are active. No reopening date has been announced.

LOS ANGELES — Federal agents arrested Wanying "Heather" Zhang, 34, of Irvine, on Oct. 4 as she tried to board a flight to Shanghai. A one-count complaint charges her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China. The Justice Department says she surveilled relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese official in the United States. Al Jazeera reported that Zhang traveled to the Seattle area in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials. It said she sent photos, video and license-plate details of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's son and his family to China. The FBI did not name the target directly but later shared an article identifying him. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said she used tradecraft to avoid detection. He described Chinese espionage in the U.S. as "extremely pervasive." The case is in federal court in Los Angeles.

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told an Army conference on Oct. 14 that the Pentagon wants about $50 billion in reconciliation funding to scale up autonomous and robotic systems. He called it a one-time investment, and said the department would deal in hundreds of thousands of one-way attack systems this year. Defense News noted the figure is separate from the fiscal 2027 request, which includes $53.6 billion for the Drone Dominance initiative. Inside Defense reported Oct. 16 that lawmakers changed a June 29 omnibus reprogramming request that had proposed roughly $4.3 billion in offsets. The final package was scaled back to $3.3 billion. Army officials say the continuing resolution funding the government through Dec. 11 poses no immediate procurement risk, but a full-year stopgap would force a rethink of modernization priorities. The government is also taking a 40 percent stake in Anduril's planned Arsenal-2 submarine-component complex, backed by $6.6 billion.

MINNEAPOLIS — Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, of Richfield, Minnesota, is scheduled to appear today for a preliminary and detention hearing. He is accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America. The Justice Department says the FBI arrested him Oct. 6 after he paid about $600 in cash to an undercover employee for an AK-47-style rifle, magazines and ammunition. The FBI had made the rifle inert beforehand. The complaint says he exchanged hundreds of messages with an FBI informant starting in December 2024 and discussed joining a terrorist group in Somalia. Court filings cited by local media say he picked Oct. 24 as a target date and spoke of killing 30 to 60 people. He faces one count of receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism. A magistrate judge ordered him temporarily detained after his Oct. 7 appearance.