Brazilian voters living overseas showed sharply different political preferences in the first round of the country's presidential election , with support for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Bolsonaro camp varying across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa.

According to Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Lula received 157,387 votes, or 47.57% , among overseas voters in the October 4 election. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, received 143,900 votes, or 43.49%, leaving Lula ahead by 13,487 votes.

Lula led in 64 countries, while Bolsonaro came first in 37, according to a country-by-country compilation of election results.

The biggest differences appeared in countries with large Brazilian communities.

In the United States, Bolsonaro received 45,004 votes against Lula's 23,335. He also won comfortably in Japan, securing 24,601 votes compared with Lula's 5,234.

Portugal delivered Lula's largest overseas vote total, with 26,401 votes against Bolsonaro's 19,412. Lula also led in Germany, France , Spain, Canada and Australia.

South America was more divided. Lula won in Argentina and Uruguay, while Bolsonaro led in Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru.

Most registered overseas voters stayed home

Despite the political divisions shown on the map, turnout was relatively low. Of about 916,500 eligible voters in the overseas polling sections counted, only 341,766 cast ballots, representing a turnout of 37.31%. Abstention stood at 62.69%.

The overseas results also differed from the national outcome. Bolsonaro finished ahead in Brazil's first round with approximately 47% of valid votes, compared with Lula's 45%. Neither secured an outright majority, sending the two candidates into a presidential runoff scheduled for October 25, 2026.

China and Singapore have emerged as the strongest performers in the latest global education assessment, even as students across many developed countries struggle with declining reading and mathematics skills.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its PISA 2025 Results (Volume I): Future-Ready Students report on September 8, 2026. It assessed more than 760,000 15-year-olds across 91 countries and economies in science, reading, mathematics and computational problem-solving.

China and Singapore dominate global rankings

The Chinese regions of Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang recorded the highest scores in science and mathematics, with 597 and 612 points respectively. Singapore followed with 560 in science and 563 in mathematics, while leading reading with 535 points.

Singapore also scored 563 in computational problem-solving, behind Macao's 572 points. The Chinese regions scored 560.

Japan, Estonia and South Korea were among the other strong performers. Japan scored 538 in science, followed by Estonia with 527 and South Korea with 526. The United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand , Australia and Finland also performed well in science.

The results, highlighted in a World Visualized infographic, show that Asian education systems remain among the strongest internationally. However, the OECD measures student performance rather than producing a single overall ranking of the world's most competitive education systems.

Reading and mathematics skills decline

Despite strong results in several countries, the OECD warned that learning outcomes are worsening across much of the developed world.

Between 2015 and 2025, average reading scores across OECD countries fell by 28 points, while mathematics scores dropped by 22 points. Science performance declined more modestly.

The report also found that about one in five students across OECD countries performed below the basic proficiency level in all three core subjects, up from 16% in 2022.

The OECD said the findings highlight the need to strengthen basic learning skills, improve teaching and reduce digital distractions in classrooms as schools prepare students for an increasingly technology-driven world.

From Mexico to Kazakhstan, eight countries feature eagles on their national flags, using the bird to represent everything from independence and national identity to royal power and centuries-old traditions.

The countries are Mexico, Egypt, Albania, Serbia, Zambia, Montenegro, Moldova and Kazakhstan, according to a map published by The World in Maps.

Although the flags share the same bird, the meaning behind each eagle is different. Some symbols date back hundreds of years, while others were introduced after countries gained independence.

Eagles with two heads

Three Balkan countries — Albania, Serbia and Montenegro — feature double-headed eagles, a symbol historically associated with imperial authority and later adopted by royal families and national movements.

Albania's flag has a black double-headed eagle against a red background. The emblem is closely associated with national hero Skanderbeg, who led resistance against Ottoman rule in the 15th century.

Serbia also uses a double-headed eagle, displayed on its coat of arms alongside a shield and crown. Montenegro's flag features a golden double-headed eagle holding a sceptre and an orb, reflecting the country's royal history .

From ancient legends to independence

Mexico 's flag tells a different story. Its coat of arms shows an eagle holding a snake while standing on a cactus, an image linked to the Aztec account of the founding of Tenochtitlan, where Mexico City now stands.

Egypt's flag features the golden Eagle of Saladin, a symbol associated with the medieval Muslim leader and later adopted in modern Arab national emblems.

In Africa , Zambia's flag shows an African fish eagle flying above three vertical stripes. The bird represents freedom and the country's ability to rise above its challenges following independence in 1964.

Moldova's flag includes an eagle holding a cross, olive branch and sceptre as part of its coat of arms. Kazakhstan's sky-blue flag features a golden steppe eagle beneath the sun, symbolising freedom, strength and the country's aspirations.

Spain has the highest reported rate of male pattern baldness among 46 countries surveyed, while Indonesia has the lowest, according to figures published by World Population Review .

The figures, based on 2024 data and included in World Population Review's 2026 country rankings, show that 44.5% of men in Spain are bald or experiencing male pattern hair loss. Italy follows at 44.37%, with France close behind at 44.25%.

The United States ranks fourth at 42.68%, followed by Germany at 41.51% and Croatia at 41.32%. Canada, Czechia, Australia and Norway complete the top 10, each recording rates of about 41%.

Indonesia and Colombia record the lowest rates

At the other end of the ranking, Indonesia has the lowest reported rate at 26.96%, followed closely by Colombia at 27.04%.

The Philippines ranks third-lowest at 28%, while Malaysia and Argentina record 29.24% and 29.35%, respectively.

China, Ukraine and Thailand each have rates of around 31%, while Denmark and Poland are slightly higher at about 32%.

The figures show a clear regional difference among the countries covered, with European nations dominating the highest rates and several Asian and South American countries appearing near the bottom.

Why are some men more likely to go bald?

Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, is a common form of hair loss linked mainly to genetics and sensitivity to hormones.

World Population Review notes that inherited traits help explain why baldness rates differ between populations. Age also plays an important role, as male pattern hair loss generally becomes more common as men grow older.

The rankings cover 46 countries, and the figures do not establish whether differences in age, genetics or survey methods explain each country's position.

Also note that although the rankings are published on World Population Review's 2026 pages, the underlying figures are from 2024 rather than a new 2026 survey.

Russia has denied reports of a plague outbreak following the death of a laboratory worker in Siberia, as three Central Asian countries strengthen border health checks over concerns about a possible infectious disease.

The 28-year-old worker, identified as Darya Shipilova, died on October 2 after developing severe pneumonia. She worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, which studies dangerous infectious diseases.

Her death prompted Russian authorities to quarantine approximately 200 people who had been in contact with her. However, Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said laboratory tests had found no evidence of plague or other dangerous infections linked to her work.

Central Asian countries step up precautions

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have introduced additional preventive measures following reports of the suspected infection.

Kyrgyzstan's health ministry said sanitary controls had been strengthened at border crossings, including checks on travellers, vehicles and cargo.

Kazakhstan is also monitoring developments in Irkutsk and has assessed the risk of plague entering the country as low. No suspected infections had been identified at its border checkpoints.

WHO seeks answers from Russia

The World Health Organisation said on October 7 that Russia had reported no confirmed plague cases in the Irkutsk region.

However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency was seeking more information about the laboratory tests, the worker's illness and reports of another employee with pneumonia.

The organisation said it did not yet have enough information to complete a full risk assessment.

Russia has since reported that nearly 90% of those initially quarantined have been released following approximately 5,000 laboratory tests. Authorities have also rejected claims that the worker became infected through a laboratory accident.

Investing.com

What is pneumonic plague?

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and can affect humans in three main forms: bubonic, septicaemic and pneumonic plague.

Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and can spread between people through infectious respiratory droplets. It can be fatal without prompt antibiotic treatment.

Although the disease caused devastating historical outbreaks, including the Black Death, modern antibiotics can successfully treat it when administered early.

For now, no plague infection has been confirmed in connection with the Irkutsk death. The cause of the worker's pneumonia remains unexplained, while health authorities continue monitoring the situation.

From Barbie dolls and Nike shoes to polio vaccines and instant noodles, Indonesia manufactures products used by millions of people worldwide, highlighting the country's growing role in global supply chains.

Mattel's operations in Cikarang produced about 85 million Barbie dolls in 2021, according to Indonesian news agency ANTARA , which reported that the facility produced more Barbie dolls than any other Mattel factory at the time.

Footwear manufacturer Pou Chen, through its parent group Yue Yuen, is another major example. Its 2025 annual report shows that Indonesia accounted for 54% of the group's 252.2 million pairs of shoes shipped worldwide. That works out to approximately 136 million pairs, although the figure is based on the group's reported shipment share rather than a separate Indonesian factory production total.

Indonesia also plays a role in global healthcare. State-owned vaccine manufacturer Bio Farma has supplied polio vaccines internationally, including the newer oral polio vaccine known as nOPV2.

Bio Farma previously said it supplied 67% of the world 's polio vaccines, although that figure dates from an earlier company statement and should not be treated as a verified 2026 market share. In February 2026, the World Health Organisation confirmed that Bio Farma's vaccine technology had also supported production in India, expanding international supplies for outbreak response.

Heavy industry and food production

Indonesia's manufacturing strength also extends to fertiliser, metals and industrial materials.

State-owned Pupuk Indonesia reports an annual fertiliser production capacity of approximately 14.65 million tonnes, including urea and NPK fertilisers. The figure measures how much its facilities can produce, rather than how much they manufacture in a particular year.

In East Java, Freeport Indonesia's Manyar copper smelter is designed to process around 1.7 million tonnes of copper concentrate annually. But the facility's operations have faced disruptions linked to problems at the Grasberg mine. In August 2026, Freeport said it was working towards restarting production as concentrate supplies recovered. This means the plant's full design capacity should not be confused with its current output.

Other facilities featured in the graphics include the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, a major nickel and stainless-steel processing centre, and Bogasari's large flour mill in Jakarta. Indonesia also manufactures instant noodles under the Indomie brand, supplying both domestic consumers and international markets.

Valmet, which supplied equipment to the OKI pulp and paper mill in South Sumatra, says the facility has an annual pulp production capacity of about 2.8 million tonnes. Meanwhile, World Grain has reported that Bogasari's Jakarta flour mill can process 11,650 tonnes of wheat per day, equivalent to more than four million tonnes annually.

Indonesia's factories supply global car and motorcycle markets

The automotive industry provides another example of Indonesia's international manufacturing role.

Astra Honda Motor operates six factories with a combined annual production capacity of 5.8 million motorcycles, according to Astra. Daihatsu says its Indonesian operations can produce 530,000 vehicles annually, including 360,000 at its Karawang manufacturing complex.

Toyota Indonesia has also reached major production milestones. In October 2025, the company announced that it had manufactured a cumulative 10 million vehicles and exported three million vehicles since beginning overseas shipments in 1987. Those figures represent decades of production, not a single year's output.

The country's manufacturing reach includes cosmetics. L'Oréal says its Indonesian factory exports approximately 60% of its production to 20 countries, demonstrating how products made locally reach international consumers.

Manufacturing growth brings new challenges

Indonesia is seeking to increase the value of its exports by processing more raw materials domestically instead of shipping them overseas for further manufacturing.

However, building large factories does not guarantee that they will operate at full capacity. In June this year, Indonesia's nickel industry association reported that capacity utilisation at certain nickel smelters had fallen to 76% , from 84% the previous year, amid tighter ore supplies.

The government's broader industrial ambitions are reflected in efforts to attract manufacturers, expand local supply chains and encourage international companies to purchase Indonesian-made products.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kadin, has promoted these connections through its We Buy From Indonesia initiative, highlighting the country's role in supplying products and components to global businesses.

The figures across the factories show the scale of Indonesia's manufacturing sector, but they also reveal an important distinction. Some measure annual production, others describe maximum capacity, and several refer to cumulative achievements over many years.

Together, they show how Indonesia has become a production base for goods ranging from everyday household products to critical medicines and industrial materials, even as manufacturers face changing demand, supply constraints and competition in global markets.

China has moved from being one of the world's poorer economies in the mid-20th century to overtaking dozens of countries in economic output per person, according to historical data showing how dramatically its position has changed since 1950.

A map based on the Maddison Project Database, published by Brilliant Maps and reproduced by The World in Maps, compares countries' GDP per capita with China's over time.

It shows that China has moved ahead of many countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia that were once wealthier on a per-person basis. However, the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and much of Western Europe remain ahead.

The comparison is about GDP per person, not the total size of an economy. China has one of the world's largest economies, but dividing its output among its population produces a very different international ranking.

From near the bottom to a major economic power

In 1950, China's GDP per capita was estimated at just $799, adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs. That placed it among the world's poorest economies.

By 2020, the figure had risen to approximately $17,226 , more than 21 times its 1950 level, according to the Maddison-based figures compiled by Brilliant Maps.

China's transformation accelerated after economic reforms began in 1978, opening the country to more private enterprise, foreign investment and international trade. The World Bank estimates that China's economy subsequently grew by an average of more than 9% annually for several decades, helping lift nearly 800 million people out of extreme poverty.

Countries that China has overtaken

The map highlights how China's economic position has changed relative to other countries.

Much of Latin America , including Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, had higher GDP per person than China during earlier decades but had fallen behind it by 2020.

A similar pattern appears across parts of Africa and Asia, including South Africa , Egypt, India and Indonesia. These countries were ahead of China at some point in the historical comparison but were below it at the end of the period.

Meanwhile, countries such as the United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Australia remained richer per person.

The map also identifies countries that have consistently remained below China, including several economies in sub-Saharan Africa.

What the comparison actually measures

The historical figures use purchasing power parity (PPP), which adjusts for differences in prices between countries, as well as inflation. This makes them more useful for comparing economic output across different periods than simply converting national GDP into US dollars at market exchange rates.

However, GDP per capita is an average. It does not show how income is distributed, how much households earn or how living standards differ within a country.

There is also an important date distinction. Although the map says since 1950, the underlying Brilliant Maps comparison ends in 2020, not 2026. The Maddison Project's 2023 database provides a more recent historical series extending to 2022.

Governing parties have lost more than three-quarters of the presidential elections examined across Latin America since 2020, highlighting a wave of voter dissatisfaction that has affected governments across the political landscape.

An analysis attributed to El Atlas and economist Daniel Schteingart , using results from national electoral authorities, found that parties in power lost 19 of 25 presidential elections, or 76%, between 2020 and 2026.

The pattern was particularly strong in South America, where governing parties lost 13 of 15 elections. In Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, they lost six of 10.

South America records the most defeats

The trend has affected governments from both the left and right. In Brazil's 2022 election, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro. Argentina's governing coalition lost to Javier Milei in 2023, while Uruguay's centre-right coalition was defeated by Yamandú Orsi in 2024.

More recent government changes in Chile, Bolivia and Colombia have added to the pattern.

But not every governing party has lost. Paraguay's ruling Colorado Party retained the presidency in 2023, while Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa won re-election in 2025.

Mexico and El Salvador break the trend

Mexico's governing Morena party retained the presidency in 2024 when Claudia Sheinbaum succeeded Andrés Manuel López Obrador. El Salvador's Nayib Bukele and Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader also secured victories that year.

The distinction matters because a governing party losing power is not the same as an incumbent president losing re-election. In many of the contests examined, the sitting president was not a candidate.

Schteingart noted that three of the four sitting presidents who sought re-election during the period covered by his analysis won. Jair Bolsonaro was the exception in 2022.

Brazil faces another test

The regional pattern has gained attention following Brazil's October 4 first-round election, in which Flávio Bolsonaro received 47.03% of valid votes against Lula's 45.16%.

The two candidates will meet in a runoff on October 25 after neither secured an outright majority. The first-round result does not count as a defeat for the governing party because the election has not yet been decided.

The figures also need to be read in context. The 19 defeats in 25 elections refer to the particular contests selected by Schteingart, rather than every election held across the region. A separate Bloomberg Línea review of 30 presidential elections found that governing parties lost 22, supporting the broader pattern while using a different sample.

Economic pressures, security concerns and dissatisfaction with political leaders may help explain individual results, but the election figures alone do not establish why voters rejected governing parties.

What they show is that holding the presidency has offered little guarantee of keeping it in Latin America's recent elections, regardless of which political party or ideology was in power.

The Group of Seven remains substantially larger than the expanded BRICS group when their economies are measured in current US dollars, despite the growing economic weight of China, India and other emerging markets.

Figures from the IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026 , put the combined nominal GDP of the 11 BRICS members at roughly $35.2 trillion in 2026, compared with about $55.3 trillion for the G7 countries. The IMF estimates the entire world economy at about $126.3 trillion this year.

That means the G7 accounts for roughly 44% of global nominal GDP, compared with about 28% for BRICS, based on the figures in the IMF database.

China dominates the BRICS total

China is by far the largest BRICS economy, with nominal GDP projected at about $20.85 trillion in 2026. That represents nearly 60% of the group's combined output. India follows at about $4.15 trillion, with Russia and Brazil each at roughly $2.6 trillion.

The expanded BRICS also includes Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa , Egypt, Iran and Ethiopia. Indonesia formally joined in 2025, bringing the group to 11 members.

On the G7 side, the United States alone is projected at $32.38 trillion, making it considerably larger than China and accounting for close to three-fifths of the G7 total. Germany follows at about $5.45 trillion, ahead of Japan, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.

Nominal GDP tells only part of the story

The comparison changes significantly when economies are measured by purchasing power parity, which adjusts for differences in local prices. Emerging economies generally look larger under that measure, and China already exceeds the United States on a PPP basis.

The infographic specifically uses nominal GDP at current prices in US dollars, so exchange-rate movements can also cause countries to rise or fall sharply even when their domestic economies have not changed by the same amount.

The figures are also IMF projections for 2026 rather than final economic results and may be revised as new data become available.

Flávio Bolsonaro finished first in Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, narrowly ahead of incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but fell short of the majority required for an outright victory, sending Latin America's largest democracy to a second-round vote.

With 100% of polling sections counted, Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party (PL), received 56,104,503 votes, or 47.03% of valid ballots , while Lula, of the Workers' Party (PT), received 53,879,538, or 45.16%, according to final figures reported from Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE). The gap was about 2.22 million votes, or 1.87 percentage points.

Neither candidate crossed the 50% threshold required to win in the first round, setting up a Bolsonaro-Lula runoff on October 25.

Bolsonaro won 14 states plus the Federal District, taking much of the South, Southeast and Centre-West as well as Acre, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins in the North. Lula carried 12 states, including all nine states of the Northeast as well as Amazonas, Pará and Amapá.

The state results also show some commanding margins. Bolsonaro received about 66.7% in Santa Catarina, 67.5% in Rondônia and 71.1% in Roraima, according to the TSE figures represented in the graphic. Lula's strongest results included about 71% in Piauí, 66.1% in Bahia and more than 60% in several other northeastern states.

The split largely follows Brazil's established electoral geography, with Lula's strongest support concentrated in the Northeast and Bolsonaro performing better across much of the South and Centre-West.

Other candidates take nearly 8% of the vote

The remaining presidential candidates collectively received 7.81% of valid votes, making their voters an important part of the electorate ahead of the runoff.

Augusto Cury of Avante finished third with 2.89%, followed by Renan Santos of Missão with 2.24% and Ronaldo Caiado of the PSD with 2.18%. Romeu Zema of Novo received 0.27%.

The final count recorded about 119.3 million valid votes. Turnout reached 125.3 million voters, while roughly 33.5 million eligible Brazilians did not vote, producing an abstention rate of 21.08%.

The TSE said the counting process proceeded normally despite a temporary delay in the publication of results caused by congestion in the system used to display the data. The court said the problem did not affect the actual counting or totalisation of votes.

The first-round result now leaves Brazil with three weeks of campaigning before voters return to the polls. The October 25 vote will be a separate contest, and the first-round results do not determine how supporters of eliminated candidates or people who abstained will vote in the runoff.

Empires and political unions that once controlled vast territories across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas have disappeared, but many continue to influence modern borders, languages and political institutions centuries after their decline.

A historical series highlighting nine major powers that no longer exist includes the Holy Roman Empire and the Crown of Aragon, two European political systems whose territories once stretched across areas now divided among several modern states.

Holy Roman Empire survived for more than eight centuries

The Holy Roman Empire developed in medieval Europe and is conventionally dated from 962, when Otto I was crowned emperor. At various points, it included territories covering much of present-day Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and parts of Italy, France, Poland and Slovenia.

But it was not a single centralised country. It consisted of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, bishoprics and free cities whose rulers enjoyed varying degrees of autonomy.

The empire came to an end on August 6, 1806, when Emperor Francis II relinquished the imperial crown following Napoleon's military victories and the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine by German states that had left the empire.

That makes the 962–1806 dates shown in the graphic broadly accurate, though historians debate exactly when the entity later called the Holy Roman Empire should be considered to have begun.

Crown of Aragon became a Mediterranean power

The Crown of Aragon emerged in the 12th century from the dynastic union of Aragon and Barcelona. Over the following centuries, its rulers expanded their influence across the western Mediterranean, eventually controlling territories that included Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Mallorca, Sicily and Sardinia, as well as, at different times, other Mediterranean possessions.

Its union with Castile became much closer after the 1469 marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, but their realms initially retained separate laws and institutions.

The graphic gives the Crown of Aragon a lifespan of 1164 to 1715/16. That is a reasonable shorthand, but its ending was a process rather than a single event.

Following the War of the Spanish Succession, Philip V's Nueva Planta decrees abolished or reorganised many of the Crown's separate institutions and imposed a more centralised Bourbon administration. The first decrees affecting Aragon and Valencia came in 1707, while the decree for Catalonia was issued on January 16, 1716.

The Archive of the Crown of Aragon says the 1716 decree ended institutions including Catalonia's Courts and Generalitat and introduced a more centralised system modelled on Castilian government.

Indonesia has the world's highest reported rate of daily smiling or laughter, while Turkey has the lowest, according to Gallup data showing wide differences in positive experiences across countries.

Gallup asked adults whether they had smiled or laughed a lot during the previous day. In Indonesia, 92% said yes, followed by Senegal at 91%. Laos and Panama were tied at 90%, while Guatemala recorded 89%.

At the other end, 36% of adults in Türkiye reported smiling or laughing a lot, followed by Lebanon at 42%, Kazakhstan at 47%, Northern Cyprus at 48% and North Macedonia at 49%.

Most people still smile or laugh each day

Despite the large differences between countries, smiling and laughter remain common globally. Gallup's 2024 data show 73% of adults worldwide said they had smiled or laughed a lot the previous day, unchanged from 2023 and close to levels recorded over much of the past two decades.

Other positive experiences were also widespread. Some 88% said they had been treated with respect the previous day, 73% experienced enjoyment and 72% felt well-rested. Just over half, 52%, said they had learned or done something interesting.

The ranking should not be read as a list of the world's happiest or unhappiest countries. Gallup's question measures one specific experience, whether respondents smiled or laughed a lot on the previous day, rather than overall life satisfaction.

Culture can also influence the results. Gallup says people in some societies may be more comfortable openly expressing joy, while those in others may be more restrained. That means differences in reported smiling and laughter can reflect cultural norms as well as people's actual daily experiences.

Gallup's broader research is based on more than 145,000 interviews across 144 countries and areas, tracking positive and negative emotions including enjoyment, laughter, stress, anger, sadness and worry.

The findings nevertheless show a striking divide: in Indonesia and Senegal , more than nine in 10 respondents said they had smiled or laughed a lot the previous day, compared with little more than one in three in Turkey.

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro finished ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the first round of Brazil's presidential election , sending the two candidates into a runoff after neither secured the majority needed to win outright.

With 99.99% of ballot boxes counted , Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party received 56,104,268 votes, or 47.03% of valid votes, while Lula of the Workers' Party took 53,876,617 votes, or 45.16%, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) said.

The result put just over 2.2 million votes between the two candidates and set up a second round on October 25. Brazil requires a presidential candidate to win more than half of valid votes to avoid a runoff.

The results also revealed a strong geographical split.

Lula won most states across the Northeast and parts of the North, while Bolsonaro performed strongly across the South, Southeast and Centre-West, as well as several northern states.

Bolsonaro won the country's two biggest electoral prizes. In São Paulo, he received 51.93% against Lula's 38.20%, while in Rio de Janeiro he took 53.01% compared with Lula's 39.41%.

The outcome marked a turnaround from several opinion polls before the vote, which had generally put Lula numerically ahead. A Datafolha survey in mid-September, for example, had Lula at 39% and Bolsonaro at 36%, a statistical tie within the poll's margin of error.

Millions of votes remain outside the top two

Bolsonaro and Lula together accounted for just over 92% of valid votes, leaving roughly nine million votes cast for other presidential candidates. How those voters behave in the second round will be closely watched, although first-round results alone cannot predict where their support will go.

One detail in the infographic needs correction. The TSE reports 125,272,513 valid votes, rather than the 119,980,885 shown in the graphic. It recorded 2,300,781 blank votes and 3,674,149 null votes.

Nearly 158.8 million Brazilians were eligible to vote in the 2026 elections. The October 25 runoff will determine who leads Latin America's largest economy when the next presidential term begins in January 2027.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council have used their veto power hundreds of times since 1946, with the Soviet Union and Russia accounting for the largest number, UN records show.

The Security Council has 15 members, but only China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are permanent members with veto power over substantive decisions. A negative vote by any one of them can block a draft even when it has enough support from other Council members.

The veto dates to the creation of the United Nations after World War Two and remains one of the most powerful and debated features of the Security Council.

Using the UN's historical series, the Soviet Union and Russia have cast 163 vetoes combined — 120 by the Soviet Union and 43 by Russia. The United States follows with 95, while the United Kingdom has 32 and France 18. China has 23, when the historical veto cast while the Republic of China held China's UN seat is included.

The pattern has changed substantially over time. The Soviet Union used the veto frequently during the UN's early decades, including over applications for UN membership. The United States later became a frequent user, particularly on resolutions concerning Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Britain and France, by contrast, have not exercised their veto since 1989.

Latest veto centred on Iran sanctions monitoring

The latest veto came on September 17, 2026, when China and Russia blocked a US-backed draft resolution that would have extended the mandate of a panel of UN experts monitoring sanctions on Iran for one year. The proposal received 11 votes in favour, while China and Russia voted against it and Pakistan and Somalia abstained.

Russia and China argued that the sanctions framework lacked a valid legal basis after Security Council Resolution 2231 expired in October 2025. The United States and several European governments disputed that interpretation and said the expert panel was needed to monitor sanctions connected to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The veto triggered a UN General Assembly debate on October 1 under a 2022 rule requiring the Assembly to meet after a permanent Security Council member casts a veto. The measure does not overturn the veto but allows the wider UN membership to debate it.

Artificial intelligence is becoming a common tool for people seeking health information, with consumers in emerging markets adopting it at particularly high rates, according to a 2026 Boston Consulting Group survey .

BCG surveyed more than 13,000 internet-connected adults across 15 countries and found that 57% had used AI tools for their personal health. India recorded the highest rate among the countries highlighted, at 85%, followed by Brazil at 67% and China at 62%.

Usage was generally lower in several developed economies. The survey found 64% in Australia had used AI for health, compared with 50% in the United States , 44% in Germany, 43% in Britain and 34% in Japan.

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini are increasingly being used to ask health questions, understand symptoms and make sense of medical information.

AI chatbots were the most common type of health-related AI tool in the survey, used by 33% of respondents for general health advice. AI-enabled wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers followed at 19%, while other uses included nutrition and fitness coaching and tools for explaining medical results.

The findings do not mean most people are replacing doctors with AI. BCG found that much of the current use happens at the early stages of a person's healthcare journey, such as looking up symptoms or understanding information before deciding what to do next.

Younger adults are adopting AI faster

Age is another major dividing line. About 78% of Gen Z respondents and 71% of Millennials said they had used AI for health. That fell to 50% among Gen X and 31% among Baby Boomers.

Consumers, however, remain cautious about the accuracy of AI-generated health information, privacy and security , and many favour a system in which AI supports healthcare professionals rather than replaces them.

Brazil accounts for roughly half of South America’s economic output, highlighting the enormous difference in economic scale between the region’s largest country and its neighbours.

The infographic puts Brazil at 50.5% of South America’s nominal GDP , followed by Argentina at 15.3% and Colombia at 9.8%. Chile and Peru account for 7.8% and 7.1%, respectively.

Together, those five economies represent more than 90% of the total shown, leaving a much smaller share divided among the continent’s other countries.

Brazil is in a league of its own

The broad picture is consistent with IMF data, although the precise shares depend on the year and dataset used. The IMF’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook projects Brazil’s economy to grow by 1.9% in 2026, compared with 3.5% for Argentina and 2.3% for Colombia.

Brazil’s dominance is partly a matter of scale. It is South America ’s most populous country and has a large, diversified economy spanning agriculture, mining, manufacturing and services.

The IMF’s latest figures also show that nominal GDP rankings can shift substantially when currencies move. Because the map compares economies in current US dollars, a sharp rise or fall in a local currency can change a country’s share even without an equally dramatic change in actual production.

The graphic puts Guyana at just 0.6% of regional GDP, Paraguay at 1.1% and Bolivia at 1.3%. But a small share does not necessarily mean slow growth.

Guyana is the clearest example. Its oil boom has made it one of the world ’s fastest-growing economies, with the IMF forecasting 16.2% real GDP growth in 2026, far above Brazil and most of its South American neighbours.

South Africa is projected to have Africa’s largest economy in 2026, reclaiming a position that has shifted between the continent’s biggest economies over the past three decades.

The IMF’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook puts South Africa’s nominal GDP at about $480 billion, ahead of Egypt at roughly $430 billion and Nigeria at $377 billion. Algeria follows at about $317 billion, with Morocco fifth at $194 billion.

The figures measure nominal GDP in current US dollars, meaning exchange-rate movements can significantly change the rankings even when an economy is still growing in local currency terms.

South Africa returns to first place

The historical data show how often the top positions have changed.

South Africa was Africa’s largest economy in 1990, 2000 and 2010, according to World Bank figures. Its GDP increased from about $126 billion in 1990 to $417 billion in 2010.

Nigeria moved into first place by 2020, when its GDP reached nearly $599 billion, compared with Egypt’s $384 billion and South Africa’s $338 billion.

By 2026, the order has changed again. The infographic, using IMF projections, puts South Africa back on top, followed by Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco.

Nigeria’s ranking reflects a weaker currency

Nigeria provides one of the clearest examples of why dollar-based GDP rankings can change quickly.

World Bank data show Nigeria’s nominal GDP at about $647 billion in 2022, before falling to $487 billion in 2023 and $252 billion in 2024. The sharp decline in its dollar value came during major depreciation of the naira. World Bank data put the economy back at about $291 billion in 2025.

That does not mean Nigeria suddenly lost the same proportion of its actual economic activity. Converting GDP into US dollars makes the figure highly sensitive to exchange rates.

Africa’s top five have changed over time

The longer history also shows some consistency. Algeria has remained among the five largest economies throughout each year highlighted in the graphic, while Morocco has held fifth place since 2000.

Egypt has risen from fourth in 1990 to second in the 2026 projection. Nigeria moved from third in 1990 to first in 2020 before dropping back, while Sudan, fifth in 1990, is the only country shown to have fallen out of this group. World Bank figures support the historical values shown for the major economies.

The 2026 numbers should be read as IMF projections rather than final results. They also measure the overall size of each economy, not income or living standards per person. The IMF’s April outlook projects global growth of 3.1% in 2026 amid significant economic and geopolitical uncertainty.

Taken together, the figures show that South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria have increasingly traded places near the top, while exchange rates have become an important part of the story behind Africa’s changing economic rankings.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has 39% support in the first round of the presidential election, compared with 34% for Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, according to a Quaest poll released on September 28.

The five-point national gap is larger than the poll's overall margin of error of two percentage points. In the previous Quaest survey, Lula had 37% and Bolsonaro 33%, meaning both moved up within the margin of error.

The survey also shows a much wider geographical divide beneath the national numbers.

Lula records 56% in the Northeast, compared with 24% for Bolsonaro, according to the regional breakdown shown in the Quaest data. It is by far Lula's strongest region in the first-round scenario.

The Northeast has long been a major source of electoral support for Lula and his Workers' Party. The latest figures show that advantage continuing as Brazil approaches the first round on October 4.

The pattern reverses in the South, where Bolsonaro has 41% against Lula's 27%. Bolsonaro also records 41% across the combined Central-West and North, compared with 36% for Lula.

In the Southeast, home to a large share of Brazil's electorate, the contest is much closer: Bolsonaro has 35% and Lula 33%.

These regional differences need to be treated cautiously because their margins of error are larger than for the national poll. They stand at four percentage points in the Northeast, three in the Southeast, six in the South and five in the combined Central-West/North.

Other candidates remain well behind the two frontrunners. Quaest puts Augusto Cury and Ronaldo Caiado at 4% each, Renan Santos at 3% and Romeu Zema at 1%. Another 10% said they would vote blank or null or would not vote, while 5% were undecided.

The poll also found high rejection levels for both leading candidates. Some 56% said they would not vote for Flávio Bolsonaro, while 55% said the same about Lula.

The cost of filling up a car varies dramatically across Europe, with a litre of 95-octane petrol costing more than three times as much in Norway as in Russia , according to prices compiled as of September 23.

The map puts Norway at €2.76 per litre, the highest price shown, compared with €0.77 in Russia and €0.79 in Belarus. Independent weekly data put Norway at €2.74 on September 21, broadly confirming the figure used in the graphic.

Prices are also high across much of western and northern Europe. The map shows the Netherlands at €2.65, Denmark at €2.54, Germany at €2.29, Greece at €2.18, France at €2.17 and Italy at €2.16. Spain is lower at €1.93, while Britain stands at €2.00.

Why prices differ so much

The gap is not simply about whether a country produces oil . Norway is a major oil and gas producer but still has some of Europe's highest petrol prices. Taxes, government policy, exchange rates, refining costs and distribution all affect what motorists ultimately pay.

The European Commission's weekly oil bulletin confirms large price differences within the EU and publishes consumer prices both with and without taxes. Its September 24 update provides the closest official EU-wide comparison to the date used in the map.

Eastern and southeastern Europe are generally cheaper. The map puts Türkiye at €1.45, North Macedonia at €1.53, Bulgaria at €1.61 and Romania at €1.67. Poland, Ukraine and Estonia are each shown at €1.79.

European fuel markets remain under pressure

The figures are a snapshot rather than fixed prices. Petrol prices can change quickly as crude oil prices, exchange rates and taxes move.

European energy markets have faced additional volatility in 2026. The European Commission said in September that geopolitical uncertainty was causing significant swings in crude oil and petroleum-product markets. It said EU oil supplies remained stable, although market conditions were tight and some fuel prices remained high.

That volatility is particularly visible in Norway. Weekly data show petrol at about €2.74 a litre on September 21, up from around €1.99 in August.

Spain won the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after beating defending champions North Korea 4-3 on penalties following a goalless final in Lodz, securing their second title in four years.

Goalkeeper Laia Lopez was decisive in the September 27 final, saving two penalties as Spain regained the trophy they first won in 2022. North Korea entered the match seeking a record fourth title after winning in 2006, 2016 and 2024.

The result leaves the United States , Germany and North Korea tied on three titles each, while Spain now have two. Japan, champions in 2018, remain the only other country to have won the competition. Spain have also reached three consecutive finals, finishing runners-up to North Korea in 2024 between their two titles.

Spain complete strong tournament

Spain went unbeaten in Poland and conceded just once across seven matches. Their knockout run included victories over Portugal, Brazil and Italy before the final against North Korea.

The final remained goalless through normal and extra time despite chances at both ends. Lopez then saved spot kicks from Choe Yon-A and Pak Il-Sim, giving Spain the 4-3 shootout victory. North Korea still made history by becoming the first team to go through an entire FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup without conceding a goal during match play.

Spain also dominated the individual awards. Rosalia Dominguez won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, Pau Comendador took the Golden Boot after scoring six goals, and Lopez received the Golden Glove as the leading goalkeeper.

Colombia finished third after defeating Italy 4-3 on penalties in the bronze-medal match. Goalkeeper Luisa Agudelo saved two penalties as Colombia secured a historic medal after the game remained level through extra time.

The tournament produced 180 goals across 52 matches, while all six debuting teams scored at least once. Three of those newcomers also recorded a victory.

Four European countries are currently headed by openly gay national leaders, following recent political changes in the Netherlands and Serbia that have expanded a small group once dominated by a handful of European pioneers.

As of October 2026, the group includes Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Andorran Head of Government Xavier Espot Zamora and Serbia’s acting President Ana Brnabić.

The four hold different constitutional roles. Jetten and Espot are heads of government, Rinkēvičs is a president elected by Latvia's parliament, while Brnabić is temporarily performing presidential duties in Serbia.

Netherlands and Latvia mark firsts

Jetten became prime minister of the Netherlands on February 23, 2026, after King Willem-Alexander swore in his government. At 38, he became the country's youngest prime minister and its first openly gay person to hold the office.

Jetten has spoken publicly about LGBT rights since taking office. At Amsterdam's WorldPride Human Rights Conference in August, he discussed his own experience and said his government would invest €7.5 million a year for three years in measures aimed at improving safety for the queer community.

Latvia's Rinkēvičs has been president since July 2023. He publicly came out as gay in 2014 and became the first openly gay head of state of an EU member country when he took office.

Andorra and Serbia complete the current group

Espot has led Andorra's government since 2019 and publicly discussed his sexuality in 2023, saying, “I am gay” during an interview with Andorran public broadcaster RTVA. He said he hoped his experience would show young people that their sexual orientation did not prevent them from reaching the country's highest political offices.

Serbia is the newest addition. Ana Brnabić, who became Serbia's first female and openly gay prime minister in 2017, took over as acting president on September 28, 2026, after President Aleksandar Vučić resigned. Serbian law allows the speaker of parliament to carry out presidential duties for no more than three months when the presidency becomes vacant.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has 40% support against 36% for Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a first-round presidential election scenario, according to a Datafolha poll conducted on September 22 and 23.

The four-point gap puts the two candidates at the limit of the poll’s overall margin of error of two percentage points in either direction. Datafolha said the figures indicate a narrow advantage for Lula rather than a clear-cut lead.

Other candidates remain well behind. Writer Augusto Cury of Avante has 5%, Ronaldo Caiado of PSD 4% and Renan Santos of Missão 3%. Romeu Zema of Novo and Samara of UP each have 1%. Another 5% would cast a blank or null vote, while 2% are undecided.

Lula performs strongest in the Northeast, where 55% back him compared with 25% for Flávio Bolsonaro. In the South, the pattern reverses, with Bolsonaro at 47% and Lula at 31%.

The race is closer in Brazil's other regions. Bolsonaro records 37% to Lula's 35% in the Southeast, while he has 41% against Lula's 33% across the combined Central-West and North. Given the larger margins of error for these regional samples, Datafolha describes both differences as statistical ties.

Voting intentions differ substantially between Brazil's two largest Christian groups.

Among Catholic voters, Lula has 45% support compared with Bolsonaro's 33%. Among evangelicals, Bolsonaro has 47%, while Lula receives 27%.

Other demographic divisions are also visible. Lula leads 42% to 33% among women and 49% to 29% among voters with only primary education . Bolsonaro records stronger numbers among higher-income voters, although the smaller samples mean some of those differences fall within the relevant margins of error.

The survey interviewed 2,002 voters aged 16 and over in 125 municipalities on September 22 and 23. It has an overall margin of error of two percentage points at a 95% confidence level and is registered with Brazil's electoral authorities as BR-00304/2026.

With the first round approaching, the poll provides a snapshot of voting intentions rather than an election forecast. It also shows that Brazil's presidential contest remains strongly divided by region, religion, income and education.

Dozens of diplomats walked out of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address, in a protest against Israel's conduct in Gaza and its policies towards Palestinians.

Officials streamed out of the chamber as Netanyahu took the podium on September 24, during the General Assembly's 81st session. He responded by calling those leaving "moral cowards", while supporters remaining in the hall applauded and chanted.

The Palestinian delegation had encouraged other missions to join the protest . The walkout came amid continuing international divisions over the Gaza war, Palestinian statehood, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and wider regional tensions.

Did 77 countries actually walk out?

Reports widely cited a figure of 77 delegations, but there is an important distinction behind that number.

An Israeli count found that 77 countries were either already absent or left the chamber around the start of Netanyahu's address. That means the figure should not be interpreted as 77 delegations physically walking out in protest.

The group included countries across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America , Asia and Europe. Egypt and Jordan, for example, were among those counted as absent but did not participate in the staged walkout, according to the Israeli tally. Pakistan's delegation left its seats but reportedly continued listening from the sidelines. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates remained in the hall.

This makes the map's simple "walked out" and "stayed" categories somewhat misleading. It captures the broad geographical scale of the empty seats, but it does not distinguish countries that deliberately walked out from those that were simply not present.

Netanyahu defends Israel's actions

Netanyahu used his address to defend Israel's military actions and reject international criticism of his government. He criticised several governments, including Britain and France, and accused opponents of applying different standards to Israel.

His appearance came as Israel faced sustained criticism over the Gaza war and its treatment of Palestinians. Israel has rejected allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza, while international rights organisations and a UN commission of inquiry have accused it of doing so.

The walkout also echoed scenes during Netanyahu's 2025 General Assembly address, when scores of delegates left the chamber as he spoke.

The UN's 81st General Assembly general debate runs from September 22 to 28, 2026, bringing heads of state, heads of government and other senior representatives to New York.

The latest protest therefore showed the extent of diplomatic opposition visible during Netanyahu's appearance, but the most accurate description is that dozens of delegations walked out, while a broader group of 77 delegations were recorded as either leaving or absent.

Belief in God varies sharply across the United States, with some of the highest levels concentrated in the South and some of the lowest in New England, according to data from the Pew Research Centre .

The map shows Mississippi and Alabama at around 80%, while Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia are among a wider group of states where belief is particularly firm. Much of the Northeast and West records lower shares, with Vermont near the bottom at around 40%.

The broad pattern fits Pew's more recent 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study, which surveyed 36,908 US adults across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Pew found the South remained the country's most religious region across several measures, including belief in God, prayer and the importance people place on religion .

Despite the large differences between states, belief in a higher power remains common across the country.

Pew's latest national figures show 83% of US adults believe in God or a universal spirit. Some 86% believe humans have a soul or spirit, while 79% believe there is something spiritual beyond the natural world.

Those figures are broader than simply asking whether someone believes in “God”, however. Pew's questionnaire allows respondents to say they believe in God or a universal spirit, and it separately measures how certain they are about that belief. That distinction means the map should not be interpreted as a simple measure of membership in organised religion.

More than three decades after German reunification, the former East Germany still trails much of western Germany economically. But across Europe, the picture is more complicated: many regions in southern and eastern Europe record lower economic output per person.

A map based on Eurostat's 2023 regional data compares European regions with the former East German states , excluding Berlin. It puts their average GDP per capita at about 33,630 purchasing power standards (PPS), with regions below that level shown in red and those above it in green.

Large parts of Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Portugal and Türkiye fall below the benchmark. Several regions of Spain, France and Italy do as well. By contrast, much of western Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and the Nordic countries shown on the map sit above it.

The comparison illustrates how Europe's economic divide does not run neatly along the former Iron Curtain.

Berlin changes the East German picture

The map excludes Berlin for an important reason. Modern Berlin contains territory from both the former East and West Germany and has a substantially higher GDP per capita than the surrounding eastern regions.

Using the data behind the map, Berlin recorded 46,800 PPS per person, compared with 36,700 in Leipzig, 35,600 in Dresden and 34,200 in Brandenburg. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern stood at 33,200, Saxony-Anhalt at 32,600, Thuringia at 32,500 and Chemnitz at 31,800.

Including Berlin lifts the calculated East German average from 33,630 to 36,664 PPS per person. However, these averages are calculations used for the map rather than an official Eurostat statistical region called “East Germany”.

The divide within Germany nevertheless remains visible in official figures. European Commission data for 2023 put Berlin's GDP per capita at 123% of the EU average, while Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was at 87%, Saxony-Anhalt at 86%, Thuringia at 85% and Chemnitz at 83%.

Europe has large regional gaps

The comparison also highlights why national averages can hide substantial differences within individual countries.

Eurostat reported that regional GDP per capita across the EU in 2023 ranged from 27.6% of the EU average in Mayotte, France, to 244.7% in Ireland's Eastern and Midland region. Only 92 of 244 EU regions with available data were at or above the EU average.

Some capital regions stand far above the rest of their countries. Prague, for example, recorded 73,500 PPS per person, while Budapest stood at 64,100 and the Warsaw capital region at 59,300, all comfortably above the East German benchmark used by the map.

Dozens of delegations walked out of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, September 24, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address, in a coordinated protest over Israel’s conduct in Gaza and its policies towards Palestinians.

Delegates could be seen leaving the hall as Netanyahu approached the podium on September 24, during the 81st session of the General Assembly. The chamber erupted in a mixture of boos, applause and chants, prompting the session’s presiding officer to repeatedly call for order.

Netanyahu responded to those leaving by calling them “moral cowards” and invited anyone else who objected to his presence to leave. Supporters remaining in the hall applauded and chanted “Am Y israel Chai”, or “the people of Israel live”.

How many countries took part?

Several reports put the number of delegations that either walked out or were absent at 77. That distinction matters: the figure does not mean representatives of all 77 countries physically stood up and left during Netanyahu’s address. Some delegations had not been in their seats in the first place.

An Israeli count published after the speech included countries from across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East. Among those listed were Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain and Ireland.

The same reporting shows why the map should be read carefully. Egypt and Jordan, for example, were reportedly absent rather than participants in the staged walkout, while Pakistan’s delegation walked out but later listened from the sidelines. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates remained in the hall.

Palestinian mission encouraged the walkout

The Palestinian mission to the UN had encouraged other delegations to take part. A message reported by international media urged missions to fill the chamber and then collectively leave when Netanyahu was announced, presenting the action as a protest against Israel’s military campaign and occupation. Israel rejects accusations that it has committed genocide and war crimes.

The protest came a day after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the General Assembly by pre-recorded video. The United States had denied visas to Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials, preventing them from attending the gathering in New York in person.

Netanyahu used his address to defend Israel’s military actions, discuss the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack and Israel’s confrontation with Iran , and criticise several governments that have condemned Israeli policy. He said Israel would continue defending itself and argued that its military actions also protected countries whose representatives had left the chamber.

The General Assembly’s 81st session opened on September 8, with its annual general debate running from September 22 to 28.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered his government to accelerate plans for free education across the country's public school system, from kindergarten through senior high school, while officials work out whether and how tuition can also be removed at state universities.

The plan would cover about 164,000 public schools nationwide , including early childhood and kindergarten programmes, primary schools, junior high schools and senior high or vocational schools, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said after a meeting led by Prabowo on September 23.

Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti said Prabowo had specifically included kindergarten in the push, extending the government's free-education commitment beyond primary and secondary schooling. The policy would also apply to state-run Islamic schools under the Religious Affairs Ministry.

University tuition is not free yet

The government's ambitions extend to higher education, but that part of the plan is less settled.

Officials are studying how to eliminate tuition at public universities, including Indonesia's single tuition fee, known as UKT, and admission fees. The government said it expected to develop the proposal further within two to four weeks.

Higher Education Minister Brian Yuliarto said officials were calculating how much the programme would cost and considering whether it could be introduced at once or in stages during 2027, 2028 and 2029. The government is also assessing how universities could remain financially sustainable if student fees are removed.

That distinction is important: Indonesia has not yet approved blanket free tuition at public universities. The government is assessing the cost, funding model and implementation timetable.

Government looks to existing education budget

The expansion is expected to rely on Indonesia's existing education allocation rather than a separate new budget.

Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara said the 2027 draft state budget allocates roughly Rp820.9 trillion ($46 billion) to education , in line with the constitutional requirement to devote 20% of state spending to the sector. Officials are reviewing how that money is distributed across central and regional governments and state institutions.

Prabowo has since asked officials to prepare a broader plan for the roughly Rp824 trillion education budget, examining school participation, educational outcomes and existing government programmes to determine how the money can be used more effectively.

The proposal could significantly broaden state-funded education in the world's fourth-most-populous country. But while the government has clearly committed to expanding free public schooling from kindergarten through secondary education, the university component remains a plan under development rather than a finalised policy.

Geography sometimes produces shapes that look unexpectedly familiar. In the case of the Baltic Sea, its winding coastline can be traced into something resembling a crocodile with its jaws wrapped around southern Finland.

The resemblance is an example of pareidolia, the tendency to recognise familiar shapes in otherwise unrelated patterns. On the map, the Baltic Sea forms the crocodile's body, while the Gulf of Bothnia, stretching north between Sweden and Finland, resembles its long tail.

The illusion becomes particularly clear around Finland. The Gulf of Finland, which runs east between Finland and Estonia towards St. Petersburg, forms the lower jaw, while Finland's southern coastline completes the upper side of the mouth.

There is, of course, no geographical significance to the crocodile shape. It depends on how the coastline is outlined and how the viewer interprets it.

A sea almost enclosed by Europe

Beyond the visual joke, the Baltic has an unusual geography of its own. It covers roughly 420,000 square kilometres and is surrounded by nine countries : Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden.

It is also relatively shallow. HELCOM puts its average depth at about 52 metres, with its deepest point reaching 459 metres at the Landsort Deep. More than a third of the sea is less than 30 metres deep.

The Baltic is connected to the North Sea through narrow Danish water ways, which limit the movement of ocean water into and out of the basin. HELCOM estimates that a complete exchange of its water takes roughly 30 years.

That slow exchange, combined with freshwater flowing in from numerous rivers, makes the Baltic one of the world's largest brackish-water areas; its water is less salty than typical seawater but saltier than freshwater. Salinity generally falls as you travel north and east.

So the crocodile may exist only in the eye of the viewer, but the geography creating the illusion is real: a long Gulf of Bothnia for a tail, the central Baltic for a body and the Gulf of Finland forming a surprisingly convincing open mouth.

Nearly half of adults surveyed across six Western countries say the development of more advanced artificial intelligence should be paused, according to a new POLITICO poll that points to widespread public concern over AI's speed and potential risks.

The survey, conducted by Public First for POLITICO from September 13 to 15, 2026, questioned more than 2,000 adults each in Britain, Canada, France, the United States, Spain and Germany. The overall margin of error was about 2.2 percentage points.

In every country surveyed, more respondents favoured pausing advanced AI development than continuing it.

Support for a pause was highest in Britain at 50.8%, followed by Canada at 50.2%, France at 48.3%, the United States at 47.7%, Spain at 46.8% and Germany at 45.1%. Support for continuing development ranged from 30.6% in the United States to 39.8% in Spain.

The results do not mean that majorities in all six countries favour a pause. Only Britain and Canada cross 50%, while elsewhere a pause is the largest single response, with substantial numbers saying they do not know.

Safety concerns cross political lines

POLITICO found that concerns about rapid AI development cut across political divisions in Europe and Canada, although opinions were somewhat more partisan in the United States. Among Americans who voted for Donald Trump in 2024, 44% favoured a pause, and 40% wanted development to continue.

The poll also found that 53% of respondents in both Britain and Canada preferred accepting the possibility of falling behind other countries in AI development if that meant prioritising security .

The findings come as governments and technology companies debate how to balance the economic and scientific opportunities offered by increasingly capable AI with concerns ranging from job disruption and misinformation to cybersecurity and the possibility of losing control of future systems.

The fear of machines surpassing humans is not new

Those concerns have deep historical roots. In 1863, English writer Samuel Butler published Darwin Among the Machines , arguing that machines were developing far faster than biological life and imagining a future in which humanity could become subordinate to them.

A century later, British mathematician I. J. Good developed the idea further. In his influential 1965 paper on an “ultraintelligent machine”, Good proposed that a machine capable of designing a more intelligent successor could set off an “intelligence explosion”, rapidly leaving human intelligence behind.

Philosopher Nick Bostrom brought similar concerns into modern AI debate with his 2014 book Superintelligence. He argued that a sufficiently capable AI pursuing goals poorly aligned with human interests could pose an existential risk, even without being deliberately hostile.

Those concerns reached a wider audience in 2023 when the Centre for AI Safety published a statement saying the risk of extinction from AI should be treated as a global priority alongside threats such as pandemics and nuclear war .

France becomes An Fhrainc, Germany is An Ghearmáin and Spain is An Spáinn . A map of Europe labelled entirely in Irish shows how familiar country names can look and sound very different when viewed through another language.

Other examples include An Iodáil for Italy, An Pholainn for Poland, An Úcráin for Ukraine, An Rómáin for Romania, An Ghréig for Greece and An Rúis for Russia.

Some are much easier for English speakers to recognise. Portugal is An Phortaingéil, Finland is An Fhionlainn and Iceland is An Íoslainn. Others, including Éire for Ireland and An Eilvéis for Switzerland, look considerably different from their English equivalents.

Why so many names begin with ‘An’

One feature quickly stands out: a large number of Irish country names begin with “An”, the Irish definite article, broadly equivalent to “the” in English.

But it is not simply a matter of putting An before an English country name. Irish has its own established geographical vocabulary and grammatical rules. The article can also trigger changes to the beginning of the following word, helping explain forms such as An Fhrainc, An Ghearmáin and An Pholainn.

Not every country takes the article. Éire, Sasana for England and Albain for Scotland are examples that normally appear without it.

The map also uses Irish names for countries beyond the European Union , including An Tuirc for Türkiye and An Rúis for Russia. It is therefore a linguistic map of European countries rather than a map of EU members.

Irish is one of the EU’s 24 official languages

Irish is the first official language of Ireland under the Irish Constitution , while English is recognised as a second official language. At the European level, Irish became an official and working language of the European Union in 2007.

Its status initially came with a temporary exemption that meant EU institutions did not have to translate every document into Irish. That derogation ended on January 1, 2022, putting Irish on the same footing as the EU's other official languages. The bloc currently has 24 official languages.

The change means Irish is now used across EU legislation, translation and interpretation alongside languages spoken by much larger populations. Ireland's 2026 EU Council presidency is its first since Irish gained full official and working status, with the government arranging Irish interpretation for ministerial meetings and summits held during the presidency.

The map ultimately offers more than translations of familiar names. It shows how geography changes when viewed through a different language: France, Germany and Greece remain in exactly the same places, but in Irish they become An Fhrainc, An Ghearmáin and An Ghréig.

India has produced more immigrant founders of US billion-dollar startups than any other country, highlighting the large role foreign-born entrepreneurs play in America's technology and startup economy .

A June 2026 study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) found that Indian immigrants founded or co-founded 96 US startups valued at $1 billion or more. Israel ranked second with 60 companies, followed by the United Kingdom with 47 and China with 41. The data were collected as of April 2026.

Canada followed with 30 companies, ahead of Russia with 23, France with 21 and Germany with 18. Ukraine accounted for 16, Australia 14, Pakistan and Romania 10 each, while Brazil, Iran and Lebanon each had nine.

The figures count billion-dollar companies founded or co-founded by immigrants from each country, rather than the total number of individual founders. Because some startups have several immigrant founders, including founders from different countries, the country totals should not be added together to produce several companies.

Immigrants founded most US unicorns

The broader NFAP study found that immigrants founded or co-founded 455 of the 775 privately held US billion-dollar startups it examined, equal to 59% of the total. When the children of immigrants are included, the share rises to about 66%.

The founders themselves came from 76 countries, showing that America's immigrant startup sector extends far beyond the largest contributors shown on the map. Countries outside the top 15 include Nigeria, Italy, Poland and Türkiye with seven companies each, as well as Argentina, New Zealand and Taiwan with six each.

NFAP also found that international education has been an important route into US entrepreneurship. 183 of the 775 billion-dollar companies, or nearly one in four, had at least one founder who originally came to the United States as an international student. In total, the study identified 233 former international students who went on to become founders or co-founders of such companies.

The findings update earlier NFAP studies of immigrant entrepreneurship and show how heavily the US startup ecosystem draws on people born abroad. India stands well ahead of every other country in the 2026 data, with its 96 companies exceeding the combined total for Germany, France, Russia and Canada.

Mexico's six living former presidents have taken very different paths after leaving office, with some remaining in Mexico and others building lives and careers in the United States and Europe.

The map places Vicente Fox and Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico , Ernesto Zedillo in the United States, Carlos Salinas de Gortari in Britain, and Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto in Spain.

The broad picture is largely correct, although some of the locations require more qualification than the map suggests.

Fox and López Obrador remain in Mexico

Vicente Fox, who governed from 2000 to 2006 and ended the Institutional Revolutionary Party's 71-year hold on the presidency, lives on his ranch in Guanajuato. An August 2026 interview with El País was conducted at his home in San Francisco del Rincón, confirming that he remains based in the state.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president from 2018 to 2024, moved to his property near Palenque, Chiapas, after leaving office. He has largely withdrawn from day-to-day politics and has said he spends much of his retirement walking, reading and writing. Recent Mexican reporting continues to identify Palenque as his residence.

Former president Ernesto Zedillo, meanwhile, has been closely associated with New Haven, Connecticut, for more than two decades. He joined Yale University in 2002 and remains director of the Yale Centre for the Study of Globalisation and a professor of international economics and politics.

Spain has attracted several former presidents

Enrique Peña Nieto, who governed Mexico from 2012 to 2018, established legal residency in Spain after leaving office. He received a Spanish investor visa in 2020 and later bought a home outside Madrid. His residence permit was renewed through 2027, according to reporting by El País.

Felipe Calderón, president from 2006 to 2012, obtained permission to live and work in Spain in 2022. More recent reporting indicates that he divides his time between Mexico and Madrid, meaning the infographic's simple placement of him in Madrid leaves out some context.

The location of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, president from 1988 to 1994, is less clear-cut. He has lived outside Mexico for years and has been reported as spending substantial time in Britain and Spain. He also obtained Spanish citizenship in 2021. Older reporting supports his connection to the United Kingdom, but describing London as his definitive current residence in 2026 is harder to verify from reliable public records.

The six former leaders therefore do not fit neatly into a simple Mexico-versus-abroad split. Fox and López Obrador are clearly based in Mexico, Zedillo has a long-established academic career in the United States, and several others have established European residences or divide their time between countries.

Divide metropolitan France into three carefully drawn sections, and an unusual pattern appears: roughly the same number of people can be found in the west, a narrow central strip and the east, despite the three areas being dramatically different in size.

The map estimates 22.6 million people in the western section, 22.6 million in the centre and 22.3 million in the east, including Corsica. Together, that is about 67.5 million people, broadly consistent with the scale of France's metropolitan population .

France's national statistics agency INSEE estimates that metropolitan France had 66.8 million residents on January 1, 2026, while the entire country, including its overseas departments, had about 69.1 million.

The difference between the map's total and the latest official estimate means its figures should be treated as an illustration based on an earlier population dataset rather than a precise picture of France in 2026.

Paris makes the middle much more crowded

The striking part of the map is not that France can mathematically be divided into thirds, but how little land is needed to capture the middle third of its population.

A major reason is Paris and its surrounding urban region. Île-de-France alone had about 12.46 million residents in the 2023 census, nearly one-fifth of metropolitan France's population. The wider Paris urban area contained about 11 million people .

The concentration becomes clearer when density is considered. INSEE puts Île-de-France at about 1,038 people per square kilometre, compared with just 118 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, another of France's largest regions. Paris itself had almost 20,000 people per square kilometre in 2023.

This helps explain why the central section can reach roughly the same population as the much larger western and eastern sections.

France's population is far from evenly spread across its territory. Large urban areas such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux concentrate millions of residents, while extensive rural areas have much lower population densities.

The map therefore does not show France's administrative regions or propose a new division of the country. Instead, it visualises a demographic reality: equal numbers of people do not require equal amounts of land.

The United States now designates three countries, Cuba, Iran and North Korea, as state sponsors of terrorism, after formally removing Syria from the list in August 2026.

The designation is made by the US Secretary of State under American law for governments determined by Washington to have repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism. It can trigger restrictions on US foreign assistance, defence exports and sales, dual-use technology and some financial transactions.

The list has changed considerably since the programme began. Eight countries have been designated at some point: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, South Yemen, Sudan and Syria.

Syria removed after nearly 47 years

Syria had been on the list since December 29, 1979, making it the longest continuously designated country. That changed on August 24, 2026, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally rescinded the designation after a mandatory 45-day congressional notification period.

The Trump administration said the decision followed changes and counterterrorism commitments made by the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Reuters reported that the move also removed a significant obstacle for banks and companies considering investment in Syria as the country seeks to rebuild after years of war.

Syria's removal leaves Iran as the longest continuously designated country currently on the list. Washington added Iran on January 19, 1984 and has kept the designation in place since then. Cuba and North Korea returned to the list

Cuba and North Korea have each been removed and later redesignated.

Cuba was first listed in 1982 before its designation was rescinded in 2015. The United States placed it back on the list on January 12, 2021, saying the Cuban government had repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism, including by granting haven to individuals Washington considered terrorists.

North Korea was initially designated in 1988, primarily over its involvement in the 1987 bombing of Korean Air Flight 858. Washington removed it in 2008 but redesignated it on November 20, 2017, citing, among other issues, assassinations on foreign soil.

Other former members have remained off the list for years. Iraq was removed in 2004, Libya in 2006 and Sudan in 2020, while South Yemen ceased to exist as a separate state after unification with North Yemen in 1990. Sudan's designation, for example, was formally rescinded on December 14, 2020.

The history shows that the label is not necessarily permanent. US law provides a process for rescinding a designation when the required conditions are met.

The NBA's Most Valuable Player award was almost exclusively an American honour for much of its history. That has changed sharply, with players born outside the United States now winning the league's top individual award for eight consecutive seasons.

Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extended the streak in 2026, winning his second straight MVP after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a league-best 64-18 record. He averaged 31.1 points per game and became the 14th player in NBA history to win consecutive MVP awards.

His victory followed a run led by some of the league's biggest international stars. Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo won in 2019 and 2020, Serbia's Nikola Jokić in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and Cameroon-born Joel Embiid in 2023. Gilgeous-Alexander followed in 2025 and 2026.

From rare achievement to eight straight wins

International MVPs were once unusual.

Nigeria-born Hakeem Olajuwon became the first African-born player to win the award in 1994. Canada's Steve Nash won back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006, before Germany's Dirk Nowitzki became the first European winner in 2007.

US-born players then won every season from 2008 through 2018, ending with James Harden. No US-born player has won since.

The NBA says the 2026 result means players born outside the United States have now collected the award 14 times overall, across eight different players. That count includes Tim Duncan, who was born in the US Virgin Islands.

The change is also visible beyond the winners. FIBA reported that more than 85% of MVP voting points from 2021 through 2024 went to players born outside the United States.

In 2026, the top three were again international: Gilgeous-Alexander finished first, followed by Serbia's Jokić and France's Victor Wembanyama. A league with a growing international influence

The MVP streak reflects the NBA's wider international growth. FIBA reported a record-tying 125 international players from 43 countries across six continents on opening-night rosters for the 2024-25 season.

Andscape has linked the rise partly to international development systems that often expose young players to professional club environments, team concepts and multiple roles earlier in their careers. James Harden told Andscape that talent around the world was continuing to improve, describing today's NBA as more global than ever.

The transformation is particularly clear in the past decade. Before 2019, foreign-born MVPs appeared occasionally among long stretches of American winners. Since then, Greece, Serbia, Cameroon and Canada have accounted for every award.

Gilgeous-Alexander's second consecutive victory means that streak will reach at least eight seasons before the 2026-27 MVP is decided.

More than 6 billion people worldwide now use the internet, marking a dramatic transformation from the early 1990s, when fewer than one in 1,000 people were online.

DataReportal's Digital 2026 Global Overview Report estimated that 6.04 billion people were using the internet by October 2025, equivalent to 73.2% of the world's population. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) separately estimated internet use at about 74% in 2025, or roughly 6 billion people.

The growth has been rapid. DataReportal estimates that the global internet population has doubled in less than 11 years after passing 3 billion in 2014. When the first website appeared in 1991, only about 5 million people worldwide were using the internet.

Half the world was online by the late 2010s

The infographic shows global penetration crossing the halfway mark in 2018, at 50.8%. While historical estimates can change as organisations revise their datasets, the broader trend is clear: internet use moved from a small minority of the world's population in the 1990s to a majority within three decades.

Growth has continued since then. DataReportal says reported user numbers increased by 294 million, or 5.1%, over the 12 months to October 2025. However, it cautions that a significant part of that increase came from revisions to official estimates for countries including India, rather than hundreds of millions of people suddenly gaining access during the year.

Billions are still offline

The milestone also hides a large digital divide. Both DataReportal and the ITU estimate that about 2.2 billion people remained offline in 2025.

The divide is particularly sharp between richer and poorer economies. ITU data show that 94% of people in high-income countries used the internet in 2025, compared with only 23% in low-income countries. Regionally, internet use reached about 92% in Europe and 88% in the Americas, but only 36% in Africa.

Location also matters. Around 85% of urban residents were online compared with 58% of people in rural areas. Young people were more connected too, with 82% of 15- to 24-year-olds using the internet compared with 72% of the rest of the population.

The challenge is therefore shifting from simply expanding network coverage to making internet access affordable, reliable and useful. More than 96% of the world's population is already covered by a mobile broadband network, according to the ITU, but gaps in cost, devices, digital skills and connection quality continue to keep millions from fully benefiting from that infrastructure.

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address its annual gathering remotely after the United States denied him a visa to travel to New York for the second consecutive year.

The resolution passed on September 17 with 152 countries voting in favour , three against and four abstaining. The United States, Israel and Paraguay opposed the measure, while Colombia, Honduras, Panama and Peru abstained.

The decision allows Abbas to deliver a pre-recorded address during the General Assembly's 81st session. It also permits other senior Palestinian officials to participate remotely in certain UN meetings over the next year if they are prevented from travelling to the United States.

Nearly 130 world leaders are gathering in New York City this week for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, with the annual general debate beginning on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

US extends visa restrictions

Washington extended visa restrictions on officials from the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Palestinian Authority shortly before world leaders were due to gather in New York .

The US State Department said the restrictions were linked to what it described as Palestinian actions to “internationalise” the conflict with Israel, including pursuing cases at international courts. US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce also accused the Palestinian Authority of failing to meet commitments and urged countries to vote against allowing remote participation.

Palestinian officials rejected the US decision. Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the assembly that the Palestinian leadership condemned being prevented from attending and expressed hope that it would be the last time such restrictions were imposed.

The dispute also raises questions about the United States' responsibilities as host of UN headquarters. Under the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement, the US is generally required to allow representatives travelling on UN business access to the organisation's headquarters. Washington maintains that it can restrict entry on security, extremism and foreign-policy grounds.

Second remote appearance in two years

The latest vote follows a similar dispute in 2025, when the US also denied visas to Palestinian representatives.

That year, the General Assembly voted 145 to five, with six abstentions, to allow Palestine to participate virtually. Abbas subsequently addressed a high-level UN meeting remotely.

Palestine has held non-member observer state status at the UN since 2012. This allows its representatives to participate in much of the General Assembly's work, but Palestine does not have the same voting rights as the UN's 193 full member states.

Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) finished first in the state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , winning 38.2% of the party-list vote and more than doubling its support from the previous election, according to preliminary official results.

The Social Democrats (SPD) of state premier Manuela Schwesig finished close behind with 35.5%, down from 39.6% in 2021. The Left secured 6.5% and the Greens 5.7%, while the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received 4.9%, leaving it just below the threshold normally required to enter the state parliament. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) also fell short at 4.8%.

The result marks a major advance for the AfD in the northeastern state. Its 38.2% share was up 21.5 percentage points from 16.7% in 2021. Reuters reported that the party claimed a mandate to form a government after finishing first, although the other main parties have ruled out governing with it.

SPD remains a major force despite losing first place

The result also showed stronger support for the SPD than some earlier polling had suggested. Schwesig's party secured more than a third of the vote despite losing about four percentage points compared with 2021.

The existing SPD-Left coalition, however, no longer has enough support on its own to continue with the same two-party arrangement. Any new government will depend on coalition negotiations following the final allocation of seats. Reuters reported that Schwesig said she was ready to lead a stable government and rejected cooperation with the AfD.

The CDU suffered the sharpest setback. Its party-list vote dropped from 13.3% in 2021 to 4.9%, putting it outside the state parliament under the preliminary result. Reuters reported that it would be the first time the CDU had failed to enter a German state parliament.

Turnout rises sharply

Voter participation was also unusually high. The state's electoral authority said 1,024,251 of 1,311,294 eligible voters cast ballots, producing turnout of 78.1%. That was considerably higher than the 70.8% recorded at the 2021 state election .

The September 20 vote was Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's ninth state election since German reunification. The preliminary result leaves the AfD as the largest party by vote share, but finishing first does not automatically give a party control of the government under Germany's parliamentary system. A government must be able to command sufficient support in the state parliament.

Canada and the European Union are moving towards a broader strategic partnership spanning defence, energy, critical minerals, technology and trade, as both sides seek to reduce their exposure to increasingly uncertain global supply chains and security risks.

The relationship has accelerated since Canada and the EU signed a Security and Defence Partnership in June 2025. Canada became the first non-European country to participate in the EU's Security Action for Europe, or SAFE, after an agreement was signed in February 2026 and formally concluded by the EU Council in June.

SAFE provides up to €150 billion in loans to EU member states for defence investment and joint procurement. Canada cannot itself borrow from the fund, but the agreement allows Canadian companies and products greater participation in SAFE-funded contracts. That distinction is important: Canada has joined the procurement framework, not gained access to €150 billion for its own defence spending.

The cooperation comes as both sides increase defence investment and strengthen support for Ukraine. Their security partnership covers areas including military mobility, maritime and space security, cyber threats, critical infrastructure and emerging technologies. NATO remains the foundation of collective defence for Canada and the EU countries that belong to the alliance.

Energy and minerals add another layer

Canada's natural resources strengthen the economic case for closer cooperation.

It was the world's largest potash producer in 2024, accounting for 32.8% of global output, and the second-largest uranium producer, responsible for 24%. Canadian government data also rank the country as the world's fourth-largest crude oil producer.

Those resources have become more strategically important as Europe restructures its energy supplies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia supplied about 45% of EU gas imports in 2021, but its share had fallen to around 12% by 2025. Norway became the EU's largest gas supplier, while the United States sharply increased its role, particularly in liquefied natural gas .

Europe nevertheless remains heavily dependent on imported energy. Eurostat says net imports supplied 57% of the EU's energy needs in 2024. That leaves scope for deeper cooperation with Canada in uranium and critical minerals, although geography and infrastructure mean Canadian oil and LNG cannot automatically replace other suppliers.

Trade relationship is already growing

Closer ties are not starting from scratch.

The EU is Canada's second-largest trading partner, and bilateral goods trade grew 65% between 2017, when the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement provisionally took effect, and 2024, reaching €75.6 billion. Canadian merchandise exports to the EU then increased another 23.4% in 2025.

The two sides are now negotiating a digital trade agreement and exploring deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, quantum technology, research and critical minerals.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed the relationship further during a September 17 address to the European Parliament, proposing deeper cooperation in energy security, defence production, AI, computing, space and payments, as well as more seamless digital trade.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also floated the possibility of Canada becoming the EU's first “associate member”, but what that status would mean has not been defined. Reuters reported that the proposal faces questions from EU governments and Canadian officials, meaning it should be understood as an emerging political idea rather than an established form of EU membership.

Canadians increasingly look towards Europe

The shift also has considerable public support in Canada.

An Abacus Data survey conducted September 4-9 among 1,479 Canadian adults found 80% supported deeper strategic cooperation with the EU on foreign policy, defence and economic priorities. Another 81% supported closer integration while Canada remained outside the bloc.

The poll found 61% believed closer European ties would increase Canada's economic independence by giving it better access to markets and essential supplies without relying too heavily on one country. Thirty-nine percent were more concerned about continued dependence on the United States, compared with 16% who were more concerned that closer EU ties could damage Canada's relationship with Washington.

There are limits to how quickly the relationship can change. The United States remains deeply integrated with Canada's economy and defence system, while Europe is geographically farther away and has its own regulatory and political barriers. Reuters reported that the two sides still need to work through what substantially deeper integration would mean in practice.

For now, the clearest change is not Canadian membership in Europe but diversification. Canada offers resources, defence production and technology, while the EU offers a large market, investment, research capacity and an expanding defence procurement system. The next Canada-EU summit , scheduled for October 29-30 in Canada, is expected to provide the next test of how far that partnership can go.

Finland becomes Suomi, Germany is Deutschland, and China is Zhōngguó when their names are expressed in their own languages, showing how the familiar English names of countries can differ sharply from what people living there call them.

These differences are examples of exonyms and endonyms . An endonym is a name used locally for a place, while an exonym is a name used for it in another language. English “Germany”, for example, is an exonym, while German speakers call the country Deutschland.

The same pattern appears across Europe . Finland is Suomi in Finnish, Hungary is Magyarország in Hungarian, Croatia is Hrvatska, Montenegro is Crna Gora, Greece is Elláda or Hellas, and Georgia is Sakartvelo in Georgian.

The differences often reflect centuries of languages borrowing place names from different sources. As a result, the English version does not necessarily derive from the name currently used by the country's own population .

Asia has some of the clearest examples

China is Zhōngguó (中国) in Mandarin, a name commonly translated as “Middle Kingdom” or “Central State”. Japan is Nihon or Nippon (日本) in Japanese, while the English word “Japan” reached European languages through other Asian languages rather than directly from modern Japanese.

India requires more context than the graphic suggests. India and Bharat are both constitutionally recognised names. Article 1 of the country's constitution begins, “India, that is Bharat,” meaning Bharat is not simply an informal local alternative to an otherwise official English name.

Korea is another case where a simple English-to-local translation can hide important differences. South Korea's official Korean name is Daehan Minguk, while Hanguk is commonly used as a shorter name. North Korea uses Chosŏn in its official Korean name.

Bangladesh has the world's highest reported share of agricultural land under irrigation, with nearly nine in every 10 hectares receiving artificially supplied water, according to data published by Our World in Data .

The figures, originally compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and distributed through the World Bank, show 89.04% of Bangladesh's agricultural land is irrigated. Pakistan follows at 54.17%, with India at 44.41%.

The rest of the infographic's top 10 includes Malta at 33.87%, Nepal at 32.29%, Azerbaijan at 30.63%, the United Arab Emirates at 23.99%, Greece at 22.26%, the Netherlands at 21.58% and Ecuador at 21.12%.

Why irrigation matters

Irrigation means deliberately supplying agricultural land with water rather than relying entirely on rainfall. This can include diverting water from rivers and reservoirs, pumping groundwater, controlled flooding and sprinkler or drip systems.

It is particularly important in places where rainfall is seasonal, unreliable or too low to support intensive farming. Our World in Data notes that irrigation has played a major role in increasing agricultural output and making food production more stable.

South Asia stands out. Bangladesh, Pakistan and India all appear near the top, reflecting the importance of irrigation to crop production across the region. Bangladesh also has an unusually large share of its territory devoted to farming, with agricultural land accounting for about 72% of its land area in 2023.

But a high irrigation share does not necessarily mean a country uses more water overall. A smaller country can irrigate a large percentage of its farmland while using much less water than a larger agricultural producer.

Public schools in parts of the United States close for major Jewish holidays , with such closures particularly visible around New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as in a smaller number of communities elsewhere in the country.

The holidays most commonly involved are Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

New York City provides one of the largest examples. Its public schools closed for both days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur during the 2025-26 school year. For 2026-27, Rosh Hashanah falls on a weekend, so there is no additional weekday closure, while schools will close for Yom Kippur on September 21.

Philadelphia also closes its public schools for Yom Kippur. The district says its calendar is designed to recognise a range of cultural and religious observances; Rosh Hashanah falls on a weekend that year.

The pattern reflects the decentralised nature of American education. There is no nationwide rule requiring US public schools to close for Jewish holidays. Calendars are generally set by states and, more commonly, individual school districts, meaning policies can differ even between neighbouring communities.

It does not mean Jewish holidays are ignored in unshaded areas. Some states protect students who miss school for religious observances without requiring schools themselves to close. New Jersey, for example, publishes an extensive list of religious holidays on which students may have excused absences.

Singapore has the highest share of people who believe their country is heading in the right direction, while a majority across the countries surveyed remain pessimistic about where their nations are going, according to Ipsos polling.

The February 2026 Ipsos What Worries the World survey found that 86% of respondents in Singapore believed their country was heading in the right direction, compared with just 14% who thought it was on the wrong track. Malaysia ranked second at 74%, followed by India at 69%.

Thailand and Indonesia were tied at 62%, while South Korea stood at 58% and Argentina at 55%. These were the only seven countries in the graphic where more than half of respondents believed things were moving in the right direction.

The results show a particularly strong concentration of positive sentiment in Asia, with six of the seven countries above 50% coming from the region.

Most countries remain pessimistic

The broader picture was much less positive. Across the countries surveyed, the global country average was 41% saying their country was heading in the right direction and 59% saying it was on the wrong track.

Views were divided in several major economies. Canada recorded 45% positive sentiment, Australia 44%, Japan 41% and the United States 40%.

At the lower end of the ranking, just 10% of respondents in France said the country was heading in the right direction, meaning 90% believed it was on the wrong track. Peru was second-lowest at 15%, followed by Great Britain at 21%. Germany, Hungary and South Africa each recorded 23%.

The figures also move significantly from month to month. By July 2026, for example, Singapore still led the Ipsos survey, but its right-direction score had fallen to 80%, while the global country average had declined to 38%.

What does “right direction” actually mean?

The figures measure public sentiment rather than an objective assessment of how well a country is performing. Ipsos asks respondents whether they think things in their country are heading in the right direction or are off on the wrong track.

That means the results should not be interpreted as a ranking of the world's best- or worst-performing countries. People's answers can reflect their views about the economy, politics, public services, security and other national issues.

There is another important limitation. Ipsos notes that samples in countries including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and several others can be more urban, educated or affluent than their overall populations, meaning they more closely represent the views of their more connected populations. The global figure is also a simple country average and is not weighted according to each country's population.

Poland’s economy reached roughly $1.04 trillion in nominal GDP in 2025, putting its output close to the combined size of eight countries to its east and north, according to World Bank data .

The comparison brings together Ukraine , Romania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Moldova. The infographic puts their combined GDP at about $1.076 trillion, compared with $1.036 trillion for Poland.

That makes the headline slightly overstated. The eight economies were collectively about $40 billion larger than Poland, so it is more accurate to say Poland’s economy was almost as large as the eight combined, rather than exactly equal to them.

Poland has become a trillion-dollar economy

Poland has emerged as one of Europe’s largest economies after decades of economic expansion. In 2025, its nominal GDP was around $1.04 trillion, placing it among the continent’s 10 largest economies when measured at current US dollar exchange rates.

The comparison is striking partly because the eight countries together have a much larger population . The infographic estimates their combined population at about 77.5 million, compared with around 36.4 million in Poland.

That helps explain the difference in income per person. The graphic puts Poland’s nominal GDP per capita at roughly $27,600, almost twice the combined group's average of about $13,900.

Romania is by far the largest economy among the eight, at roughly $428 billion in 2025, followed by Ukraine at around $213 billion. Bulgaria was about $131 billion, Lithuania $95 billion and Belarus $93 billion.

The smaller Baltic economies also contribute to the total, with Latvia at around $48.6 billion and Estonia at $47 billion, while Moldova was about $20.3 billion.

Muslim-ruled states governed territories stretching from the Iberian Peninsula and West Africa to South and Central Asia at different points over the past 1,400 years , although their borders and periods of control varied considerably.

The expansion began in the seventh century and involved many different caliphates, sultanates, emirates and empires. Parts of the Middle East and North Africa experienced Muslim rule for more than 1,000 years, but this was not continuous rule by one empire or dynasty.

Using today's national borders can also make the history look simpler than it was. A modern country shaded on the map may contain regions that experienced Muslim rule for very different lengths of time.

India shows why modern borders can mislead

Muslim political rule reached the Indian subcontinent in the early eighth century when Arab forces established control in Sindh, most of which is now in Pakistan rather than India.

Muslim dynasties later controlled large parts of present-day India, particularly under the Delhi Sultanate from 1206 and the Mughal Empire from 1526. But their territory expanded and contracted, and other kingdoms continued to control different parts of the subcontinent.

It would therefore be misleading to say that all of modern India was under Muslim rule for more than 1,000 years. Different regions experienced Muslim-led governments at different times and for different periods.

Muslim rule in Iberia also changed dramatically

The Iberian Peninsula provides another example. Muslim forces entered in 711 and established control over most of the peninsula, but that territory gradually contracted as Christian kingdoms expanded.

By the 13th century, Muslim political control was largely confined to the Emirate of Granada, which survived until 1492.

So although Muslim-ruled states existed somewhere on the Iberian Peninsula for nearly eight centuries, not every part of modern Spain and Portugal was under Muslim rule for that entire period.

The same caution applies across the map. It is best understood as showing regions that experienced Muslim rule at some point in history, with the duration varying within today's national borders.

Movements seeking to redraw Europe’s borders range from established constitutional projects to small nationalist campaigns, meaning the continent’s various “unification movements” differ sharply in their political support, legal status and prospects.

The map includes proposals for a united Ireland, a Russia-Belarus union, Romania and Moldova reunification, a Greater Netherlands, Iberian unity, Greater Albania, Greater Serbia, France-Belgium “Rattachism” and Enosis involving Greece and Cyprus.

But grouping them can be misleading. Some have formal political or legal foundations, while others are mainly historical ideas or are promoted by relatively limited political movements.

Irish unity has a legal route

A united Ireland is one of the clearest examples of a territorial change for which an established democratic mechanism exists.

Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom unless a majority there votes to change its constitutional status. The agreement therefore provides a peaceful democratic route towards Irish reunification while equally protecting the right to remain in the UK unless voters decide otherwise.

If reunification took place under the agreement, the whole island would form part of the European Union because the Republic of Ireland is already an EU member.

Russia and Belarus are already formally linked

The Russia-Belarus case is different because the two countries already belong to the Union State, established by a treaty signed in December 1999 and in force since January 2000.

The arrangement has developed common programmes covering economic integration and coordination in areas including foreign and defence policy . Integration has continued, with the two governments working on hundreds of measures extending through 2026.

However, Russia and Belarus remain separate sovereign countries. Even official Russian descriptions of the Union State say the integration process preserves the sovereignty of both states.

Other movements are much less straightforward

The remaining ideas on the map should not be interpreted as equally active or likely political projects.

Greater Netherlands generally refers to proposals linking the Netherlands with Dutch-speaking Flanders. Iberianism has historically advocated closer political or cultural union between Spain and Portugal, while Rattachism refers to the idea of French-speaking Wallonia becoming part of France.

In southeastern Europe, ideas described as Greater Albania and Greater Serbia involve politically sensitive territorial claims crossing existing borders. Enosis, meaning union, is historically associated with the campaign for Cyprus to join Greece. These concepts have played very different roles at different points in European history and should not be presented as equivalent current government policies.

The same caution applies to possible Romanian-Moldovan reunification. The two countries share close linguistic, cultural and historical ties, and reunification has supporters, but Moldova remains an independent sovereign state.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has become the country’s longest-serving uninterrupted administration since World War Two, setting a new record in a political system known for frequent changes of government.

Meloni took office on October 22, 2022, becoming Italy’s first female prime minister. On September 4, 2026, her government reached 1,413 days in office, surpassing the 1,412-day record set by Silvio Berlusconi’s second government between 2001 and 2005.

The milestone is notable in Italy, which has had 68 governments since 1946. Reuters calculates that Italian governments have lasted about 14 months on average, although the figure varies depending on how caretaker periods are counted.

Berlusconi still holds another record

While Meloni now leads the longest-lasting single government, Berlusconi remains Italy’s longest-serving prime minister overall. He spent about nine years in office across four separate governments between 1994 and 2011.

Before Meloni, Berlusconi's second government was the longest at 1,412 days. His fourth government lasted 1,287 days, followed by Bettino Craxi's first government at 1,093 days and Matteo Renzi's government at 1,024 days, according to Reuters.

Italy's Senate records confirm that the Meloni government has been in office continuously since October 22, 2022.

Meloni has presented the longevity of her coalition as evidence of greater political stability. Speaking after reaching the milestone, she said stability allowed Italy to plan and make longer-term decisions. Critics, meanwhile, have disputed the government's broader record and argued that longevity alone is not a measure of policy success.

More than half of renters across nearly 30 countries say they do not believe they will ever be able to afford their own home, highlighting widespread anxiety over housing costs even as homeownership remains a goal for many.

The Ipsos Housing Monitor 2025 found that 56% of renters on average believed they would never be able to afford to buy a home. That contrasts with the 71% who said they would like to own one, showing a large gap between the desire for homeownership and expectations of achieving it.

Germany recorded the highest level of pessimism, with 70% of renters saying they did not believe they would ever be able to afford a home. Australia followed at 69% and Japan at 68%. The Netherlands and Türkiye were both at 65%, while Ireland stood at 64%.

The concern extends beyond those countries. The infographic, based on Ipsos data, shows 61% in Canada, 60% in Great Britain, 59% in South Korea and 58% in the United States saying they doubt they will ever be able to afford a home.

At the other end, renters were less pessimistic in Brazil, where the figure was 36%, followed by Colombia and South Africa at 38%. That does not necessarily mean homes are more affordable in those countries, however. The survey measures people's expectations about their ability to buy, rather than comparing house prices with incomes.

Housing costs have climbed

The pessimism comes after substantial increases in housing costs in many economies.

In the European Union, house prices rose 53% between 2010 and 2024, according to Eurostat. By the first quarter of 2026, prices were another 5.1% higher than a year earlier, while rents had risen 3%.

The pressure is also evident in the United States. Harvard University's Joint Centre for Housing Studies reported that the median existing-home price reached a record $412,500 in 2024, while the typical monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home reached $2,560. A record 22.6 million renter households were also spending more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities.

Data from the National Association of Realtors show how the difficulties are affecting entry into the US housing market. First-time buyers accounted for just 21% of home purchases in its 2025 survey, the lowest share since the organisation began tracking the figure in 1981. Their median age reached a record 40.

A global affordability problem

The Ipsos findings suggest that housing concerns go beyond current rent or mortgage payments. Seven in ten people across 30 countries said that even young people who work hard and secure good jobs will have difficulty getting the housing they need.

Housing markets differ sharply between countries, and factors such as wages, interest rates, housing supply, mortgage rules and government support all affect affordability. The OECD has similarly highlighted housing affordability as a challenge across many member countries, particularly for younger and lower-income households.

India withdraws more freshwater each year than any other country, with agriculture accounting for about nine-tenths of its total, according to data compiled from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s AQUASTAT database and the World Bank.

The data used in the graphic put India’s annual freshwater withdrawals at about 761 billion cubic metres, ahead of China at 581 billion and the United States at 444 billion. Indonesia ranks fourth at 223 billion cubic metres, followed by Pakistan at 183 billion.

FAO data support the 761 billion cubic metre figure for India, including about 688 billion cubic metres used by agriculture.

Agriculture dominates water demand

The figures show a sharp difference in how countries use freshwater. Agriculture accounts for 90.4% of withdrawals in India, while the graphic puts the share at 94.3% in Pakistan, 92.2% in Iran and 92.1% in Indonesia .

Vietnam has the highest agricultural share among the 10 countries shown, at 94.8%, with total withdrawals of about 82 billion cubic metres a year. FAO data similarly put Vietnam’s agricultural share at roughly 95%.

AQUASTAT defines agricultural withdrawals as water used for activities including irrigation and livestock production. Water withdrawal refers to water removed from rivers, lakes and aquifers for use; it is not the same as water permanently consumed, because some withdrawn water eventually returns to the environment.

US stands out for industrial use

The United States has a very different pattern. According to the graphic, 45.3% of US freshwater withdrawals go to industry, compared with 39.7% for agriculture and 15% for domestic use.

China sits between the two patterns, with agriculture accounting for 62.1% of its withdrawals, industry 20.1% and domestic use 17.8%.

Japan has the largest domestic share among the countries shown, at 18.9%, while agriculture still accounts for 68%.

The differences reflect how economies use water for farming, households, manufacturing and activities such as electricity generation. The World Bank's freshwater indicators are sourced from FAO AQUASTAT and separate withdrawals into agricultural, industrial and domestic uses.

Two of the Middle East’s most important shipping routes are under mounting pressure, while the shutdown of a major Saudi oil pipeline has reduced options for moving crude around the disrupted Strait of Hormuz .

Saudi Arabia temporarily shut its 1,200-km East-West pipeline after drone attacks damaged the route in September. The pipeline links oil-producing areas in the east with the Red Sea port of Yanbu and had become increasingly important as tanker traffic through Hormuz fell. Saudi Arabia said the closure was a precautionary measure.

The pipeline can carry as much as 7 million barrels of crude a day, although it had been transporting about 4 million to 5 million barrels a day earlier in the conflict before flows fell. Its closure removes one of Saudi Arabia’s main ways of bypassing Hormuz.

Hormuz remains a major pressure point

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, is one of the world's most important energy chokepoints.

Before the current disruption, more than 20 million barrels of oil a day regularly moved through the strait. US Energy Information Administration data show flows fell from 21.6 million barrels a day in the fourth quarter of 2025 to just 4.9 million barrels a day in the second quarter of 2026.

That matters because Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates rely on Gulf export routes, although some have pipelines that can bypass Hormuz.

Red Sea route also under pressure

Sending Saudi crude west through the East-West pipeline normally provides an alternative. Oil arriving at Yanbu can travel north towards the Suez Canal and Mediterranean or south through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait towards Asian markets.

But the southern route is also facing security problems. Houthi activity around Yemen and attacks on shipping have made parts of the Red Sea more dangerous, pushing some vessels onto the much longer journey around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

The pressure has increased in recent weeks. Ship traffic through Bab al-Mandeb fell sharply after Houthi forces expanded their control around strategically important areas near the strait, adding to concerns over shipping costs, insurance and the risk of further attacks.

The EIA said Saudi exports from Yanbu were already down by about half in August from July and that the kingdom had increased shipments north through the Suez Canal, a longer and more expensive option for oil destined for Asia .

Why the two chokepoints matter

Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb sit on opposite sides of the Arabian Peninsula, making them crucial to the movement of Middle Eastern energy. Disruption at one can sometimes be managed by redirecting oil through pipelines and alternative shipping routes. Pressure on both at the same time makes that much harder.

Saudi Arabia is not completely cut off from world markets, and the Suez Canal, existing inventories and routes around Africa provide alternatives. But those options can take longer and cost more, increasing the risk of higher freight, insurance and ultimately energy costs if disruptions persist.