Da Silva Defeats Bolsonaro in Brazil’s High-Stakes Presidential Runoff

Brazil’s right-wing president narrowly lost to his left-wing challenger in Brazil’s election runoff on Sunday night, with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva given 50.90 percent to President Jair Bolsonaro’s 49.10 percent after a campaign characterized by bruising rhetoric.  Read

Former US First Ladies Join Calls for Iran’s Expulsion From UN Women’s Rights Body

More than 18 months after U.N. member-states in a secret ballot election ushered Iran onto the U.N.’s top gender equality body, the ongoing protests over the regime’s treatment of women are fueling fresh calls for its expulsion, with some high-profile women joining in.  Read

Lebanon, Hezbollah Reject Israel’s View That US-Brokered Accord Amounts to Tacit Recognition

President Biden on Thursday welcomed the signing of an historic agreement setting a permanent maritime boundary between Israel and Lebanon, enemy nations that have tussled for years over disputed natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.  Read

UN-Appointed ‘Independent’ Israel Inquiry Rejects Accusations of Bias, Anti-Semitism

 The head of a U.N. Human Rights Council-appointed inquiry targeting Israel was on the defensive at a U.N. session on Thursday, as some member-states criticized the commission’s mandate, report, and members. Read

Saudi Minister: Using Emergency Oil Reserves ‘May Become Painful in the Months to Come’

As the Biden administration ponders the path ahead in its strained relationship with Riyadh over oil production cuts, the Saudi energy minister has warned that decisions by some to use emergency oil stocks “may become painful in the months to come.”  Read

Putin Tries to Rally Ex-Soviet Allies by Claiming US Aggression Threatens Them All

Seeking greater support from Moscow’s former Soviet allies in his standoff with the West, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday characterized U.S. support for Ukraine as a campaign of aggression targeting not just Russia but all members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).  Read

Rep. McCaul: Russia, China … ‘Yet This Administration is Focused On Funding Drag Shows in Ecuador?’

The senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee asked the State Department Tuesday to provide the panel with information on a $20,600 grant awarded to a non-profit organization in Ecuador to run “12 drag theater performances,” to promote “diversity and inclusion.”  Read

UK Health Service: Children Questioning Their Birth Gender ‘May Be a Transient Phase’

Newly drafted National Health Service (NHS) guidelines for dealing with minors in the U.K. questioning their birth gender say doctors should be “mindful that this may be a transient phase,” and that a “process of watchful waiting” may be appropriate.  Read

Vatican-Beijing Accord on Chinese Catholics Extended: ‘Mistake’ to Compromise Faith for Communists, Pompeo Says

The Vatican and Beijing at the weekend renewed a controversial and secretive agreement on the appointment of bishops that walks a fine line between the Holy See’s desire to protect Chinese Catholics and the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to co-opt and control religious faith.  Read

Russia Tells UN It Would View ‘Dirty Bomb’ Attack in Ukraine As ‘Nuclear Terrorism’

 Doubling down on allegations that Kyiv plans to detonate a “dirty bomb” and blame it on Russia, Moscow has requested a U.N. Security Council meeting on Tuesday. And in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Russia warned it would view the use of such a weapon as “an act of nuclear terrorism.” Read

DOJ Charges Chinese Security Agents With Criminal Activity in US; ‘Flagrant Violation of International Laws’

The Department of Justice on Monday announced charges against 13 Chinese nationals, including intelligence agents, accused of criminal activity in the U.S. linked in part to President Xi Jinping’s relentless “anti-corruption” drive.  Read

Xi Cements Grip on Power, and a Former President is Ushered Out

As the Chinese Communist Party’s five-yearly Congress handed President Xi Jinping a historic third term at the helm and boosted Xi loyalists into top positions, the unexpected removal of a former president struck a jarring note in what is usually a tightly-scripted event.  Read

Austin Rejects ‘Any Pretext For Russian Escalation’ After Moscow’s ‘Dirty Bomb’ Provocation Claim

In a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sunday, Defense Secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin “rejected any pretext for Russian escalation,” the Pentagon said. Moscow claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a “dirty bomb” and blame it on Russian forces.  Read

Record SW Border Encounters: 2,378,944 in FY 2022

The nearly 2.4 million migrant “encounters” along the southwestern border in fiscal year 2022 – the most ever recorded – included significant increases in September in the number of those from Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, when compared to the same month a year earlier.  Read

Bring Back Boris? Some in U.K. Push for Johnson’s Return After Truss Resigns

Boris Johnson was reported to be flying back to the U.K. amid a push by supporters on Thursday night for his return to No. 10 Downing Street, after Prime Minister Liz Truss announced an end to the shortest premiership in British history.  Read

US: Iranian Military Is Training Russians in Use of Deadly Drones in Ukraine

Iranian personnel are on the ground in Ukraine, helping Russian forces use Iranian-supplied combat drones to attack civilian and military targets, the U.S. government alleged on Thursday, ratcheting up accusations of collusion in the war that both Moscow and Tehran deny.  Read

Russian Diplomat Again Denies Use of Iranian Drones in Ukraine, But Won’t Allow UN Inspectors to Check

Russian and Iranian diplomats at the United Nations on Wednesday denied claims by Kyiv and its Western backers that the Kremlin is using Iranian-supplied combat drones in its war in Ukraine. But the Russian also ruled out calls for independent U.N. officials to be invited to the war zone to inspect the drones to ascertain their origin.  Read

Rubio: ‘Oil Reserves Do Not Exist to Win Midterms; They Exist to Help This Country in an Emergency’

President Biden on Wednesday announced the sale of another 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and dismissed Republican claims that the move was a politically motivated bid to lower gas prices as midterm elections loom.  Read

Iran Denies Russia is Using Its Drones to Target Ukrainian Civilians: ‘Unfounded’ ‘Propaganda’

 Despite evidence to the contrary and accusations by Ukraine and Western partners, the Iranian regime continues to deny having provided drones which Russia is using to deadly effect in Ukraine.  Read

Demings: Rubio ‘Can Play National Security Expert All He Wants’; Rubio: ‘It’s Actually My Job’

Democrat Rep. Val Demings on Tuesday night suggested her rival in the Florida Senate race was playing at being a “national security expert.” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) countered the barb by saying that as vice chairman and previous chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, “it’s actually my job.” Read

Australian Gov’t Drops Recognition of West Jerusalem, Reversing Predecessor’s 2018 Decision

 Four years after Australia followed the lead of President Trump’s historic recognition of Israel’s claim to Jerusalem, the country’s Labor government has reversed course.  Readew

Oil Dispute: Saudis’ OPEC Partners Side With Kingdom Against US Criticism

Several of Saudi Arabia’s partners in OPEC+ are lining up behind the kingdom in its dispute with the United States over the recent oil production cut, rejecting the U.S. contention that the decision amounted to siding with Russia, against U.S. interests. Read

Obama Says His Response to 2009 Iran Protests ‘In Retrospect…Was a Mistake’

As the world watches and reacts to anti-regime protests in Iran that entered a second month at the weekend, former President Barack Obama conceded that, in hindsight, decision-making in his White House on how to respond to an earlier protest movement was wrong.  Read

Chinese President Applauded for Pledging ‘Never to Renounce the Use of Force’ in Taking Taiwan

The Chinese Communist Party will never “renounce the use of force” in achieving its goal of bringing Taiwan under its control, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Sunday. The island democracy said in response it would never back down on its sovereignty, or compromise on freedom and democracy.  Read

Ayatollah: Foreign Foes Are Behind the Protests; Stand Against ‘Meddlesome Behavior of These Devils’

 Four weeks after the start of what has become the biggest demonstration of anti-regime sentiment in many years, protests in Iran are continuing, even as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tries to play them down as “sporadic” and foreign-instigated.  Read

Kirby Dismisses Saudi Defense of Oil Production Cut As 'Spin' and Deflection

 National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on Thursday dismissed as “spin” Saudi Arabia’s defense of the recent OPEC+ oil production cut – which included the potentially politically explosive claim that it had been asked to postpone the decision for one month.  Read

‘A Monumental Day’: In UN Vote on Ukraine, Support For Russia Shrinks, Number of Abstainers Falls

In a stunning repudiation of President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday passed by an overwhelming margin a resolution condemning his bid to seize four Ukrainian regions. Even some of Moscow’s traditional allies abstained rather than voting against the measure.  Read

Coast Guard Cutter Arrives in Haiti as US Mulls Gov’t Appeal for Foreign ‘Armed Force’ Intervention

The U.S. Coast Guard deployed a cutter to Haiti on Wednesday, as U.S. government agencies scrambled to deal with a deepening crisis that has prompted the Caribbean nation’s prime minister to appeal for foreign troops to help restore security.  Read

Biden Sees No ‘Rationale’ to Meet With Putin at G20 Summit

President Biden said on Tuesday he saw no “rationale” to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit both are expected to attend in Indonesia next month, although he did not rule out the possibility altogether.  Read

Next Year’s UN Human Rights Council: Fewer ‘Free’ Democracies Than Ever Before

An election Tuesday to fill 14 vacancies on the U.N. Human Rights Council brought both good and bad news for human rights advocates, with Venezuela’s Maduro regime failing to secure a seat but vacancies going to four other countries with poor human rights records.  Read

Putin Hails OPEC+ Move to Cut Oil Production in Meeting With Arab Leader

The president of the United Arab Emirates met Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who welcomed the recent move by OPEC+ to limit oil production, a decision that has rattled the United States and Western allies.  Read

Anti-Taliban Afghan Diplomats Vie for Seat on UN Human Rights Council

In an out of the ordinary situation at the United Nations, a member-state mission operated by diplomats who don’t represent the de facto government at home is standing for a seat in an important U.N. agency, the Human Rights Council, for the 2023-2025 period.  Read

As UN Prepares to Vote on Russian Aggression, Blinken Warns Against Abstentions, Claims of Neutrality

As the U.N. General Assembly debates Russia’s most recent annexation of Ukrainian territory, the ability of the U.S. and its allies to haul developing countries from the “abstain” to the “yes” column will test the effectiveness of their argument that the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine is a clear violation of the U.N. Charter. Read

Claiming Ukraine is Planning to Attack, Belarus Leader Is Forming a Joint Military Force With Russia

Amid signs that Belarus’s autocratic leader may be preparing to further abet Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the country’s exiled opposition leader is urging Belarusian soldiers not to follow “criminal orders.”  Read

With Islamic States’ Support, China Prevents UN Human Rights Council From Discussing Xinjiang

To the dismay of Uyghur advocates, the U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday voted down a U.S.-proposed resolution calling for a debate on the human rights situation in Xinjiang, where the Chinese Communist Party’s treatment of minority Muslims has been labeled “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.”  Read

Is Biden Exploring Venezuela Oil Option? ‘A Lot of Alternatives; We Haven’t Made Up Our Mind Yet’

The administration is exploring “alternatives” in response to the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by two million barrels a day, President Biden said on Thursday, but when asked if Venezuela was among those alternatives he added only, “there’s a lot of alternatives; we haven’t made up our mind yet.”  Read

Shedding Headscarves, Teenage Girls at the Forefront of Iranian Protests

With video clips posted online showing teenage girls among those protesting against the Iranian regime and its hijab regulations, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander has drawn attention to the fact that many of those taking part are youngsters.  Read

Ambassador: ‘As We Expected,’ Russia and China Say U.S. Provoked N. Korean Missile Launches

 For the second time in less than five months, Russia and China on Wednesday sided against most of the rest of the U.N. Security Council over holding North Korea accountable for ballistic missile launches that violate multiple previous council resolutions.  Read

White House OK With CIA Director’s Support for Iranian Protesters; 'We Will Continue to Stand With Them'

CIA Director William Burns has publicly expressed admiration for protesters in Iran and reiterated U.S. support for the “free flow of information” there. The White House on Tuesday played down concerns that the regime may seize on the comments as signaling interference by the U.S. intelligence community. Read

UN Watchdog Lodges Complaint With Guterres, Claiming Discrimination at Human Rights Council

One of the most outspoken and arguably most effective non-governmental organizations accredited to the United Nations says it is submitting a formal complaint to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, alleging a pattern of behavior from officials amounting to discrimination and censorship.  Read

Ayatollah Blames US, Israel, ‘Treasonous Iranians Abroad’ for Protests Roiling Iran

 In his first appearance and public statement in weeks, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday blamed 17 days of protests on the United States, Israel, and Iranian traitors, saying the death in custody of a young woman accused of breaching the regime’s hijab rules had merely been a pretext.  Read

US, Allies Condemn North Korea for Firing Missile Over Japan, First Time Since 2017

 The U.S., Japan and South Korea condemned Pyongyang on Tuesday for firing a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that overflew Japan – for the first time in five years – traveling further than any missile previously launched by the North Korean regime has done before splashing down in the ocean.  Read

US, NATO Apply Brakes on Ukraine’s Bid for Fast-Track Membership in the Alliance

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Defense Secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have all gently pushed back against the idea that Ukraine could be granted fast-track accession to the transatlantic alliance.  Read

Pope Francis Appeals to Putin: ‘Stop This Spiral of Violence and Death’

At a moment of grave peril in Europe, Pope Francis on Sunday issued a direct appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since he invaded Ukraine last February, “imploring him to stop this spiral of violence and death, also for the sake of his own people.”  Read

Iran Expects U.S. to Release $7B in Frozen Funds After Allowing U.S. Citizen to Leave the Country

The Iranian regime is expecting $7 billion in funds that were frozen because of U.S. sanctions to be released, after it granted a one-week furlough to an imprisoned American citizen and allowed his father, also a U.S. citizen, to leave the country.  Read