The Sunday Subject – November 6, 2022
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s presidential run-off with 50.9% of the vote.
Lula, as the leftist former president is known as, beat Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing incumbent, by a razor thin margin. Lula was president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010 before he was imprisoned on corruption charges in 2018. Bolsonaro did not concede for several days, while his supporters protested by enacting road blockades across the country.
Binyamin Netanyahu will reclaim his position as Israel’s prime minister.
Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious coalition will be one of the most right-wing coalitions in Israel’s history. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history, having served from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 until 2021, when he was forced from office amid corruption accusations. Netanyahu’s victory depended on a surge in nationalist voting and an alliance with the Religious Zionism list, which includes the Jewish Power party. Netanyahu and his far-right allies capitalized on perceived threats to Israel’s Jewish identity after sectarian unrest between Arabs and Jews last year and the inclusion of Arab lawmakers in the government.
American officials told reporters that Russian generals were discussing the use of tactical nukes in Ukraine.
Russia’s foreign ministry stated that avoiding nuclear war was its “highest priority,” though accused the West of “encouraging provocations.”
A North Korean missile landed 60 kilometers from South Korea’s coast, becoming the first launch to cross the countries’ maritime border.
Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s president, called it an “effective territorial invasion” and promised a “swift response.” America and South Korea responded by extending a joint drill of their air forces.
Elon Musk completed his purchase of Twitter for $44bn.
Musk, now CEO, dissolved Twitter’s board, making himself the sole director. Musk wants the firm to find new sources of revenue beyond advertisers, where most of the money currently comes from. He stated he is planning to launch an $8-a-month subscription for “verified” users, implying the platform’s blue verification check might be open to anyone willing to pay, not just confirmed celebrities, journalists, politicians and other public figures.
Xi Jingping, China’s president, began talks with Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor of Germany and the first Western leader to visit China since the pandemic.
Xi began talks by calling for greater cooperation between the countries amid “times of change and turmoil.” The leaders are expected to discuss trade, the war in Ukraine and climate change.
Protests erupted across Pakistan after Imran Khan, the former prime minister, was shot in the leg while at a rally.
Khan has been calling for snap elections since he was ousted from power in April. The gunman stated he acted alone, though leaders of Khan’s party suspect the attempted assassination is linked to Shehbaz Sherif’s government.
