The U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, maintaining a 3.75–4% range despite stronger-than-expected inflation, reflecting caution ahead of the midterms. A catastrophic train crash in Spain between Seville and Madrid killed at least 64 people and injured nearly 80 due to a signal failure, marking the second major rail disaster in the country this year. Flavio Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator, declared himself president-elect after defying a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, prompting accusations of legal violations and potential prosecution in Brazil. The U.S. has granted him a visa, raising concerns about political influence, particularly given Trump’s ambiguous support and the precedent set by former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 2022 exile. In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power after parliamentary elections, though he lacks a majority, with coalition negotiations underway and a potential return to voting looming. Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, health workers face deadly attacks fueled by misinformation about Ebola, while aid efforts struggle with community distrust. At the UN, U.S. and Cuban officials clashed over Cuba’s economic sanctions, with Waltz accusing the Cuban government of repression. BJ’s Wholesale Club promotes savings for families and athletes, offering up to 25% off groceries and fuel, with a limited-time offer for new members. These global events highlight political instability, public safety risks, and the growing impact of misinformation on health and governance.
Hi, I'm Kim Vinnell in Whanganui, New Zealand.
And I'm Christopher Walgesper in Chicago.
It's Wednesday, October 28th.
Today, the U.S. Federal Reserve holds rates steady one week out from the midterms.
Flavio Bolsonaro flees Brazil for the U.S.
And a deadly train crash in Spain leaves dozens dead.
This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, 7 days a week.
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The U.S. Federal Reserve has held interest rates steady, keeping the benchmark rate in the 3.75 to 4% range.
The widely expected decision comes just days before next week's midterms.
With inflation and cost of living at the center of the political debate.
Federal officials have signaled they're in little rush to raise rates again after last month's quarter point increase.
That's despite recent inflation data coming in stronger than forecast.
Investors still expect further rate hikes beginning in December, as inflation remains about a percentage point above the Fed's 2% target.
At least 64 people are dead and nearly 80 more hospitalized.
After two high-speed trains collided in Spain, between Seville and Madrid.
One train traveling at high speed struck a stationary train that had stopped on an elevated section of the track due to a signal fault.
Several cars were strewn across the embankment beneath the line, where at least three rail cars had fallen, leaving twisted metal, broken panels, and wreckage.
Hundreds of ambulances, funeral home vans.
And helicopters were on the scene, as rescue workers attended to more than 500 passengers and searched the wreckage.
It's Spain's second deadly crash this year.
A January accident on the same line killed 46 people.
The cause of Wednesday's collision is still under investigation.
Flavio Bolsonaro has declared himself the rightful president-elect of Brazil.
In an open letter, he claims that his victory has been denied by. without providing evidence.
He made the statement shortly after landing in Miami.
The Brazilian senator arrived with his wife and two daughters after refusing a Supreme Court order in Brazil to hand over his passports.
Bolsonaro traveled through Argentina and Ecuador before arriving in South Florida.
Brazil's newly re-elected leftist leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, called his departure shameful.
Okay, put any of these correctly.
Bolsonaro faces the threat of prosecution in Brazil.
Accused of being involved in money laundering, he denies wrongdoing.
The Supreme Court had ordered he surrender his passports.
While U.S. President Donald Trump didn't outright endorse Bolsonaro, he has said the elections looked rigged.
I mean, I was, I didn't take sides, but I didn't like, it didn't look too good.
Bolsonaro has yet to officially concede defeat.
Although his party said. it acknowledges Lula's victory.
Reuters' Graham Slattery in Washington, D.C. says a lot of questions remain unanswered.
While we know that the U.S. is issuing a visa for Bolsonaro and his family,
we don't know who precisely in the chain of command made that decision,
although it likely went very, very high, possibly all the way to the top.
Trump has told reporters he approves of Bolsonaro coming to the U.S.
Graham says there is precedent for this.
Flavio's brother. Eduardo is living in the U.S.
And their father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, also went to the U.S.
after refusing to concede to Lula in 2022, when President Biden was in office.
When Jair returned to Brazil, he was given a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup.
Trump has alleged that was judicial persecution, but in this election, he's played it straight.
And while he has said plenty of things that could be interpreted as. Well, you know, the U.S. is the only country in the world that has been able to do anything for Bolsonaro in the U.S.,
and the U.S. is the only country in the world that has been able to do anything for Bolsonaro in the U.S.
So there's no guarantee that a Trump endorsement would actually do anything for a Bolsonaro campaign.
But also, it's a huge economy.
It's one of the biggest democracies in the world.
And this will be Lula's fourth term in office.
So, you know, you don't want to put all your chips. On one side of the table.
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Benjamin Netanyahu will likely remain Israel's caretaker prime minister.
That's after his Likud party and aligned bloc of religious and far-right allies
pulled ahead in parliamentary elections,
though he lacks a clear majority that's needed to form a government.
The results could still change as counting continues,
but the main opposition bloc, made up of anti-Netanyahu parties
and led by former General Gadi Eisenkot,
seems to have fallen short of besting the prime minister.
Eisenkot told supporters at a rally on Tuesday that the country had voted for change,
while Netanyahu says he will form a strong right-wing government.
The Likud will be the first to leave Israel.
Voters turned out to be very angry at Netanyahu's decision to leave Israel.
,
numbers, the highest in at least 20 years. That helped make the big winners of the night the two
leading Arab parties. But both Netanyahu and Eisenkot have said that they won't work with
those parties. So what comes next? Our reporter Alexander Cornwell is in Tel Aviv.
So in the coming days, the Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial
role in the country, will meet with each leader of the political parties who've been elected to
the Knesset in this election. He will ask them to nominate a potential head, a potential prime
minister. That individual that's nominated, what they need to do is then enter coalition negotiations
with each party. And so there's a bit of horse trading going back and forth.
Now, it's possible that Eisenkot and Netanyahu could team up and form a unity government.
But if neither side is able to form a coalition, Israelis are probably headed back to the polls.
And that's nothing.
Israel has held six elections since 2019. This time, though, the Arab parties have
changed the dynamic.
One of the things that has happened under the Netanyahu, the current Netanyahu government,
is there has been a significant rise in violent crime within Arab communities of Israel.
And these are issues that they want addressed.
U.S. and Cuban officials had a heated exchange at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.
This is the United Nations. This isn't your communist dictatorship.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz was urging countries not to support an annual U.N. measure,
which criticized. Washington's decades-old economic embargo of Cuba.
Waltz accused Cuba's government of corruption and political repression,
which saw Cuban delegates bang on their desks, demanding a point of order. before Cuba's foreign minister approached the front of the chamber, calling Waltz a liar.
You are a liar!
Back up, Ambassador. Back away. This isn't Havana.
I'm suspending the meeting.
You're not going to intimidate me.
Healthcare workers battling Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo
are facing a wave of violent attacks driven by misinformation.
Last week, a machete-wielding mob attacked and killed a community health nurse
who was accused of spreading the virus through the water supply.
Reuters Western Central Africa chief correspondent Jessica Donati has more.
Health workers in eastern Congo have been battling these kinds of attacks since the beginning.
They've been dealing with attacks. on health facilities, on vehicles, on health workers who are trying to perform safe burials
which will prevent the deceased victims from spreading the illness to their relatives.
Misinformation spreading across social media is driving the violence.
And Jessica says the resources to combat it are dwindling.
In some cases, there are churches or megachurches seeking to increase their followings
or promoting treatments that they say can address the illness in question.
These communities have been dealing with conflict for a long time
with aid organizations that have come and gone and they are distrustful
and they don't necessarily believe that the Ebola virus is real.
So aid workers are combating not only shortages of health supplies and testing equipment
but also distrust in the local community.
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Podcast Summary
Key Points:
The U.S. Federal Reserve maintained its benchmark interest rate between 3.75% and 4% amid inflation concerns, signaling caution ahead of the midterms.
A deadly train collision in Spain between Seville and Madrid killed at least 64 people and injured nearly 80, caused by a signal fault leading to a high-speed train hitting a stationary one.
Flavio Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator, declared himself president-elect after refusing a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, sparking accusations of illegal conduct and facing potential prosecution.
The U.S. has granted Bolsonaro and his family a visa, raising questions about political influence and precedent, despite no official endorsement from President Trump.
In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister after a close election, but lacks a majority, with a potential coalition or return to voting still possible.
Misinformation and rising violence are endangering healthcare workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where attacks on health staff are linked to false beliefs about Ebola.
U.S. and Cuban officials clashed at the UN over Cuba’s economic embargo, with U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz accusing Cuban leaders of repression and facing strong backlash.
BJ’s Wholesale Club promotes savings with discounts on groceries and fuel, targeting customers like parents and athletes seeking cost-effective solutions.
Summary:
S. 75–4% range despite stronger-than-expected inflation, reflecting caution ahead of the midterms. A catastrophic train crash in Spain between Seville and Madrid killed at least 64 people and injured nearly 80 due to a signal failure, marking the second major rail disaster in the country this year.
Flavio Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator, declared himself president-elect after defying a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, prompting accusations of legal violations and potential prosecution in Brazil. S. has granted him a visa, raising concerns about political influence, particularly given Trump’s ambiguous support and the precedent set by former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 2022 exile.
In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power after parliamentary elections, though he lacks a majority, with coalition negotiations underway and a potential return to voting looming. Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, health workers face deadly attacks fueled by misinformation about Ebola, while aid efforts struggle with community distrust. S.
and Cuban officials clashed over Cuba’s economic sanctions, with Waltz accusing the Cuban government of repression. BJ’s Wholesale Club promotes savings for families and athletes, offering up to 25% off groceries and fuel, with a limited-time offer for new members. These global events highlight political instability, public safety risks, and the growing impact of misinformation on health and governance.
FAQs
The Federal Reserve kept rates steady at 3.75% to 4% despite stronger inflation data, as inflation remains above its 2% target and political pressures around cost of living are high.
A high-speed train collided with a stationary train on an elevated track due to a signal fault, resulting in at least 64 deaths and nearly 80 hospitalizations.
Flavio Bolsonaro claims he is the rightful president-elect of Brazil, despite lacking evidence, and has fled to the U.S. after refusing a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports.
Yes, he faces prosecution over money laundering allegations in Brazil, although he denies any wrongdoing.
Benjamin Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister after Likud won, but lacks a majority; coalition negotiations are underway, and a unity government between Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot is possible.
Misinformation on social media falsely claims health workers spread Ebola through water, leading to attacks, including the killing of a nurse last week.
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