Politics & World Affairs — October 26, 2026

Machado returns to Venezuela. Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela after nearly a year in exile, greeted by thousands of cheering supporters in Caracas.

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Israel braces for high-stakes election. After three years of regional war, Israel votes Tuesday in a general election that could reshape its politics.

According to the BBC, the vote arrives with the country deeply divided after three years of regional conflict. Ahead of balloting, Israel closed West Bank crossings, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to be privately urging President Trump to offer stronger public support as the contest nears.

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Appeals court resists DOJ ballot bid. A Ninth Circuit panel appeared unlikely to grant the Trump administration's emergency bid to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots it claims are tied to likely noncitizen voters.

The panel's skepticism, voiced at a Sunday hearing, suggests the Justice Department may fall short in its effort to have the ballots segregated before counting proceeds. The dispute is part of a broader push by the department over election administration; the attorney general separately defended its lawsuit challenging certification in Alaska.

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Vučić loses Serbia election. Serbia's populist right-wing leader of 12 years said it is 'clear' his party lost a vote billed as a referendum on the country's future, setting off celebrations.

The concession came Sunday after parliamentary elections in which a student-led opposition movement prevailed, according to the BBC. The result ends 14 years of dominance by the ruling party and closes Aleksandar Vučić's 12-year run atop Serbian politics, in a contest both sides had framed as a referendum on the country's direction.

BBC World · Read more →