Category: Foreign

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the left-wing Workers’ Party has defeated incumbent  President Jair Bolsonaro to become the country’s next leader.

With 98.8% of the votes tallied, Brazil’s electoral authority said yesterday that da Silva had 50.8% and Bolsonaro 49.2%. The election authority said da Silva’s victory was a mathematical certainty.

Da Silva, the country’s president from 2003-2010, has promised to restore Brazil’s more prosperous past yet faces headwinds in a polarised society.

It is a stunning return to power for da Silva, 77, whose 2018 imprisonment over a corruption scandal sidelined him from that year’s election, paving the way for then-candidate Bolsonaro’s win and four years of far-right politics.

His victory marks the first time since Brazil’s 1985 return to democracy that the sitting president has failed to win re-election. His inauguration is scheduled to take place on January 1.

Bolsonaro had been leading throughout the first half of the count and, as soon as da Silva overtook him, cars in the streets of central Sao Paulo began honking their horns.

People in the streets of Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema neighbourhood could be heard shouting: “It turned!”

Da Silva’s headquarters in a central Sao Paulo hotel only erupted once the final result was announced, underscoring the tension that was a hallmark of this race.

“Four years waiting for this,” said Gabriela Souto, one of the few supporters allowed in due to heavy security.

Read Also: Brazil votes in polarising presidential election

Outside Bolsonaro’s home in Rio de Janeiro, ground-zero for his support base, a woman on a lorry delivered a prayer over a speaker, then sang excitedly, trying to generate some energy.

But supporters decked out in the green and yellow of the flag barely responded. Many perked up when the national anthem played, singing along loudly with hands over their hearts.

Most opinion polls before the election gave a lead to da Silva, universally known as Lula, though political analysts agreed the race grew increasingly tight in recent weeks.

For months, it appeared that da Silva was headed for easy victory as he kindled nostalgia for his presidency, when Brazil’s economy was booming and welfare helped tens of millions join the middle class.

But while da Silva topped the October 2 first-round elections with 48% of the vote, Bolsonaro was a strong second at 43%, showing opinion polls significantly underestimated his popularity.

Many Brazilians support Bolsonaro’s defence of conservative social values and he shored up support in an election year with vast government spending.

Bolsonaro’s administration has been marked by incendiary speech, his testing of democratic institutions, his widely criticised handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the worst deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years.

But he has built a devoted base by defending conservative values and presenting himself as protection from left-wing policies that he says infringe on personal liberties and produce economic turmoil.

Da Silva is credited with building an extensive social welfare programme during his 2003-2010 tenure that helped lift tens of millions into the middle class as well as presiding over an economic boom.

The man universally known as Lula left office with an approval rating above 80% – then-US president Barack Obama called him “the most popular politician on Earth”.

But he is also remembered for his administration’s involvement in vast corruption revealed by sprawling investigations.

Da Silva’s arrest in 2018 kept him out of that year’s race against Bolsonaro, a fringe politician at the time who was an outspoken fan of former US president Donald Trump.

Da Silva was jailed for 580 days for corruption and money laundering. His convictions were later annulled by Brazil’s top court, which ruled the presiding judge had been biased and colluded with prosecutors.

That enabled da Silva to run for the nation’s highest office for the sixth time.

Da Silva has pledged to boost spending on the poor, re-establish relationships with foreign governments and take bold action to eliminate illegal clear-cutting in the Amazon rainforest.

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, expressed Nigeria’s commiseration to the government and people South Korea, over the tragic loss of more than 150 persons in a stampede incident in Itaewon, Seoul District.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, President Buhari assured South Korean counterpart, President Yoon Suk-yeo that Nigeria stands with his people in their mourning period.

“President Muhammadu Buhari extends heartfelt condolences to President Yoon Suk-yeo, the Government and people of the Republic of South Korea, as well to families of victims of the tragic incident at Itaewon in Seoul district.

“The President sends prayerful wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured, healing and comfort to the entire nation as they grieve the heart-breaking loss of over 150 people, mostly teenagers and people in their twenties.

“President Buhari assures President Yoon that Nigeria stands with the people of Korea at this difficult and trying moment”, the statement said.

•Hundreds thrown into river

NO fewer than 68 people were killed and dozens critically injured when a suspension bridge in India’s western Gujarat state collapsed yesterday, a government minister said.

Gujarat Minister Brijesh Merja told Asian News International (ANI), an Indian news agency, that 60 people were killed in the bridge collapse.

Indian media reported that children were among those killed.

Rescue operations were on with the injured being rushed to nearby hospitals.

More than 400 people were on the bridge over the Machhu River in the town of Morbi at the time of the collapse, local TV channel Zee News said.

Indian news agency Press Trust of India, quoting unnamed officials, said the bridge collapsed as it could not bear the weight of the people standing on it.

Footage broadcast by the TV channel showed dozens of people clinging onto the cables of the collapsed bridge as emergency teams struggled to rescue them.

Broadcaster NDTV reported that people also swam to safety, with parts of the bridge partially submerged in the river.

“Many people came here in view of Diwali holidays and weekend; it’s a tourist-friendly place. When it collapsed, people fell over each other,” an eyewitness told ANI.

The 230m-long historic bridge was built during British rule in the 19th century. It had been closed for renovation for six months and was reopened to the public last week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in his home state Gujarat for a three-day visit, said he has directed the state chief minister to mobilise teams urgently for the rescue operation, Reuters reported.

President Droupadi Murmu tweeted: “The tragedy in Morbi, Gujarat, has left me worried. My thoughts and prayers are with the affected people. Relief and rescue efforts will bring succour to the victims.”

Families of those killed will each get 600,000 rupees (S$10,300) as compensation from the state and federal governments.

Brazilians yesterday voted in a polarising election that pits an incumbent vowing to safeguard conservative Christian values against a former president promising a more prosperous past.

The presidential runoff shaped up as a close contest between President Jair Bolsonaro and his political nemesis, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The vote will determine if the world’s fourth-largest democracy stays the same course of far-right politics or returns a leftist to the top job – and, in the latter case, whether Mr Bolsonaro will accept defeat.

Bolsonaro was first in line to cast his vote at a military complex in Rio de Janeiro. He sported the green and yellow colours of the Brazilian flag that always feature at his rallies.

“I’m expecting our victory, for the good of Brazil,” he told reporters afterwards. “God willing, we will be victorious this afternoon. Actually, Brazil will be victorious.”

Voting stations in the capital, Brasilia, were already crowded by morning and, at one of them, retired government worker Luiz Carlos Gomes said he would vote for da Silva.

“He’s the best for the poor, especially in the countryside,” said Mr Gomes, 65, who hails from Maranhao state in the poor northeast region. “We were always starving before him.”

More than 120 million Brazilians are expected to cast ballots, and because the vote is conducted electronically, the final result is usually available within hours after voting stations close in the late afternoon.

Most opinion polls gave a lead to da Silva, universally known as Lula, though political analysts agreed the race grew increasingly tight in recent weeks.

For months, it appeared that Mr da Silva was headed for easy victory as he kindled nostalgia for his 2003-2010 presidency, when Brazil’s economy was booming and welfare helped tens of millions join the middle class.

But while da Silva topped the October 2 first-round elections with 48% of the vote, Bolsonaro was a strong second at 43%, showing opinion polls significantly underestimated his popularity.

Many Brazilians support Bolsonaro’s defence of conservative social values and he has shored up support with vast government spending.

Da Silva voted yesterday morning in Sao Bernardo do Campo, a city outside Sao Paulo, where he lived for decades and started his political career as a union leader.

He wore white, as he often has during the campaign, rather than his party’s red.

“Today we are choosing the kind of Brazil we want, how we want our society to organise. People will decide what kind of life they want,” Mr da Silva told reporters.

“That’s why this is the most important day of my life. I am convinced that Brazilians will vote for a plan under which democracy wins.”

….UN body hails Nigeria, six others for HIV preventive treatment

The 2022 global tuberculosis (TB) report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that in 2021, not less than 1.6 million people died of tuberculosis infection globally, including 187,000 among HIV positive people.

The report also revealed that an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis last year, which is an increase of 4.5 per cent from 2020.

The WHO report stated that the continued challenges with providing and accessing essential TB services meant that many people with TB were not diagnosed and treated. “The reported number of people newly diagnosed with TB fell from 7.1 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020. There was a partial recovery to 6.4 million in 2021, but this was still well below pre-pandemic levels,” it said.

It further showed that this is the first time in many years that an increase has been reported in the number of people falling ill with TB and drug resistant TB, especially as TB services are among many others disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Also, ongoing conflicts across Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East have further exacerbated the situation for vulnerable populations.

Read Also: ‘Nigeria accounts for 34 per cent of global tuberculosis deaths’

The WHO, however, hailed the achievements in TB preventive treatment for people living with HIV in Nigeria and six other countries – South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, which collectively accounted for 82 per cent of those started on preventive treatment in 2021.

It noted that the preventive treatment has far surpassed the global target of 6 million in the period 2018 to 2022, reaching more than 10 million in only 4 years.

Stating that TB is the second (after COVID- 19) deadliest infectious killer, is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs, the report showed that most people who develop the disease in 2021 are adults.

While men accounted for 56.5 per cent of the TB burden, adult women accounted for 32.5 per cent and children for 11 per cent, many new cases of TB are attributable to five risk factors: undernutrition, HIV infection, alcohol use disorders, smoking and diabetes.

According to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that with solidarity, determination, innovation and the equitable use of tools, we can overcome severe health threats. Let’s apply those lessons to tuberculosis. It is time to put a stop to this long-time killer. Working together, we can end TB.”

John Zogby, Senior Partner, Zogby Strategies, is a public opinion pollster, author and public speaker and founder of the Zogby International Poll. He is the author of three books, his latestF published in 2016 is We Are Many, We Are One: Neo-Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America. His polling organisation has worked with governments, the United Nations (UN), fortune 500 companies, and political candidates, and has polled in 80 countries. Speaking at a briefing by the New York Foreign Press Centre attended byUnited States Bureau Chief OLUKOREDE YISHAU, Zogby gives insight into the battleground states and key races to watch in U.S. November 8 midterm elections. Excerpts:

 The mood of the country

Overall, the United States and its voters are in a very sour mood.  Recent polls, including my own, put the key question – is the country headed in the right direction, or the wrong track – at 24 percent right direction.  That is backed up by several other polls as well.  The flipside to that is that over 70 percent feel the country is headed in the wrong direction.  One might argue that that may be the only point of consensus between Democrats and Republicans, is the right direction, wrong track.

Now, there will be different folks blaming different folks, but suffice it to say that at least historically that right direction, wrong track number has its most serious impact on an incumbent president or CEO and on that incumbent’s party.  And so we check a box for a negative for Democrats on that one.  At the same time, a poll that I released on Forbes in conjunction with Forbes 10 days ago of 150 major business decision-makers in the United States put it at 74 percent of these business leaders who said that they expect a recession in 6 to 12 months.  Well, that in itself could at the very least produce a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the kind of behavior that indeed can enable a recession to occur.

 The – in terms of the mood of the country – as we’ll see, we’ll – we have two different sets of issues by the two different parties, but the fact is the Democrats had placed some hope in the fact that gas prices were heading downwards, and then we saw gas prices inching back up about 20 to 30 cents a gallon, and reports are that those gas prices may be going down again.  Now, there are plenty of public opinion polls to take between now and November 8th, and if – we will have to see if those voters who are concerned about the price at the pump are locked in already and they’re negative, or not.  We’ll have to see that.

 Democrats had placed some hope not on eliminating record high inflation, but that perhaps the growth of inflation had been stemmed.  And so it was 9.3 percent annualised a few months ago; 8.9, 8.3.  Fact of the matter is it’s at 8 percent annualized as we speak, and it is the number one issue on voters’ minds.

 And so, with that said, let’s just say there is a foul mood governing this election, and hyperpolarisation, which goes with our politics at least this century.

 Armageddon elections

 Now, with that said, I have referred to most of our national elections since the year 2000 as Armageddon elections.  Translated:  If my side wins, thank God; if their side wins, this is the end of the world as we know it.

 Well, this is another Armageddon election, but it’s Armageddon-plus.  Because in every election in the past, there is a common set of issues that everybody agrees on, and one party says, this is how we will attack these issues, and the other party says, no, this is how we will attack these issues.  The difference today: two different parties, two different sets of issues, two different realities, two different sets of facts to support those realities.  It is like two planets revolving around the sun and on separate orbits.

Read Also: Failure of democracy in Nigeria and the United States

And so, let’s take a look at that.  For the Democrats, not surprisingly – and obviously you follow this as closely as I do – they get a major boost from the abortion issue, pro-choice issue.  In fact, to a great degree it is the pro-choice issue, the Dobbs decisions that superseded or ended the Roe v. Wade right to abortion, it is that issue that scored major gains for Democrats among women, particularly younger women, mothers, suburban women, college-educated women, and not college-educated women, to varying degrees.  Why was that important?  Because as you know, Democrats had been doing badly in – in the Senate races and congressional races going into May and into June.  And this is when the prognosticators were suggesting that Democrats are going to – Republicans are going to make major, major gains.

 Going back to 2021, we had two key barometric reading elections – in Virginia and in New Jersey.  In Virginia, the Republican won – perhaps surprisingly.  In New Jersey, the Republican came within 3 points but had been projected to lose by 10 or 11 points.  And what was the factor in both women, those groups of women that I had mentioned, tilting over to Republican?  On the basis of education.  Elites’ control of what my children are taught, textbooks that are being used, critical race theory – you know that one, I’m sure – social and emotional learning.  They can’t tell me what my kid should be taught in school.  But with the Dobbs decision, we started to see women heading back to the Democratic camp.  And frankly, that was a major factor in bringing women back and bringing Democrats back into line with, at the very least, a better showing that had been projected, even possibly holding onto the Senate and an outside chance at least of securing victory in the House.

 The other issue that has done well for Democrats is the threat to democracy.  That has been a major issue in rallying the democratic base – rallying women as well, rallying blacks who were on the fence, and even some appeal among swing voters, voters who are undecided but fear that Republican victory, especially 178 Republicans running for Congress who deny the results of the 2020 election.

 So those two issues – January 6th in that mix – are issues that put Democrats back in the gain.

Issues that work for Republicans

 Now, on the flip side of that are the issues that work for Republicans.  There are three.  One, clearly, is inflation.  Inflation is in the category of runaway inflation.  It’s the major issue in national polls.  It’s a high-intensity issue, because frankly it affects everyone – not just a target or a segment; everybody gets hurt by inflation.  And it is back up in every poll as the number-one issue.  And frankly, the biggest advantage that Republicans have on the issue of inflation is they’re out of power.  So that’s a huge advantage.  You don’t want to be in charge when people are suffering from 8 percent, 9 percent, whatever, inflation.  That hurts Democrats, helps Republicans.

 The second issue – you’re hearing a lot about it and in fact, in many ways, since Republicans really don’t have much of a plan to deal with inflation except to reduce government spending, the issue that is really connecting for Republicans is crime and public safety.  So last time we saw crime as the number one issue in this country was in 1994, and it was during that election that, among other issues, Republicans won back control, first time in many years, of both houses of Congress.  They won 40-something seats, as I recall.

 This is an issue that plays well to Republicans where Republicans are able to portray Democrats soft on crime, soft on guns, defund the police, for Democrats a very unfortunate phrase that was coined during the George Floyd demonstrations.  In any event, you see Republicans hammering on crime and public safety.  And quite frankly, for those of you who are sitting in New York, it is an issue that once again is playing – may play in New York State, where the governor, Kathy Hochul, still favored to win, but had been in a runway victory and now it’s down to lower single digits against Republican Lee Zeldin.

 The third issue that Republicans are making hay on is immigration.  It is a cultural issue much more than it is even an economic issue, and as a cultural issue, it kind of breathes life into those Americans who feel that my world is going to hell – not just the economy, not just the stasis of government and government in action, but look at demographically.  I look outside my window and I don’t see, quote, “real Americans” anymore.  I see people that don’t look like you and me.  In any event, it is an issue that resonates with the Republican base.

 And so there you have it: two different worlds, two different issues, and let the battle begin.  So now, heading into previous elections, I was always able to look at things very simply demographically and say, if there is a higher turnout of Latinos, of blacks, and of women, particularly young women, younger voters in general, that spells Democratic victories or a good Democratic showing.  The problem is this year we have a number of variables, and so let’s go through them.

Latino vote

 Typically, in national elections, Democrats have been able to count on almost or even more than two-thirds of the Latino vote.  And it’s been a mainstay for Democrats, meaning as the Latino vote has increased in size, then if there is a good Latino turnout, Democrats have a very good base to draw from.  In fact, it was in 2010, 2014, when Democrats got pounded at the polls, a big reason – among the big reasons – was there was a low Latino voter turnout.  2018, the last congressional elections, there was a good size – not the size of a presidential year but good for an off-year election – a good size turnout of Latinos, and Democrats mopped up.  They did quite well.

 This time what polls are showing is that Latino voters are almost split between those who approve President Biden and those who disapprove President Biden’s job performance.  When it comes to who they will vote for in – for Congress, that generic ballot, what we’re seeing is that at the highest, barely over 50 percent of Latinos say they’ll vote Democrat, about 40 percent say that they’ll vote Republican, but the rest are undecided.  If Latino voters are undecided at this point, that’s trouble for Democrats.

 Let’s go to the black vote, typically a Democrat, with a few exceptions only.  A Democrat needs to count on 90 percent of the black vote.  When Hillary Clinton only got in the mid-80s among black voters, that was troublesome.  Donald Trump got low double digits among black voters, and that was enough to make Pennsylvania and Michigan, Wisconsin, and other centers competitive for him, even Georgia, even states that he lost, but it made it very competitive.

 This time around, we are seeing two things among black voters.  One is we’re seeing a higher than normal undecided vote.  Now, remember, if 90 percent of black voters typically vote Democrat, then every undecided voter may be a vote that doesn’t show up, and that means pretty much a Democratic vote that is lost.  The other problem that we’re seeing is that there are Republican candidates who are getting double digits, some as high as 15 to 18 percent, of the black vote.  And that’s particularly coming from younger black men, and if that is the case November 8th, that could also be trouble.

 The third issue is women, and what we’re watching very closely is where will women end up.  Will pro-choice be the defining issue, as it was in July and in August and September?  Or will women swing back on the basis – towards Republicans on the basis of inflation and education?  That’s what we’re watching very closely.

 Now, on the other side of the spectrum, there’s potential lurking shadows for Republicans, and that is, interestingly – because I didn’t expect it; I don’t think anybody else did – rural voters.  Twenty percent of typical voters, according to exit polls and according to national polls, define themselves as living in rural areas, heavily Republican.  What we’re starting to see, not only in our polls but in other national and statewide polls, is a small but growing number of rural voters who are saying they’re not sure, and they’re not sure or enthusiastic about voting.  When you probe these rural voters, many of them are saying I don’t have to vote.  We won on abortion, and now it’s pro-life.  My state will be pro-life, and all of the enthusiasm or necessity of voting isn’t there any longer.  Wow.

 So, we have a number of fascinating dynamics, so much so that that’s part one of why I hesitate to make any projections.  Now, if I could – and you tell me, please – I have about 10 or 11 Senate races, and I’m happy to go through them like in one or two sentences and then end, or we can just open this up to questions right now.

 Senate races to watch

 These are Senate races that I believe are too close to call right now.  Number one is New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan, Democrat, running for her first reelection against Don Bolduc, who is a MAGA candidate.  I’m going to use that term because they use that term.  That’s Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again.”  There were early stumbles by Bolduc.  I had taken New Hampshire off the list as a race to watch, but two new recent polls in New Hampshire now suggest that Maggie Hassan leads by low single digits’ momentum away from her.  I still think Maggie Hassan wins, but I only think that.  That’s one that is back on the watch list.

 Pennsylvania – you know this one.  I’m sure I’m going to get a bunch of questions about that.  That was an 11-point lead by John Fetterman.  As you know, right now one poll has it tied.  We haven’t seen anything, obviously, since the debate last night.  Most accounts, including my own, think that Fetterman probably did not do very well, although Pennsylvanians do not like Mehmet Oz.  So this is one of those cases where you may see people not voting, and, of course, that would probably tend to hurt the Democrat, but right now Fetterman leads on average by 1.8 percentage points.  That is very, very close, too close to call.

 So is North Carolina.  North Carolina right now – that features Ted Budd, 13th district congressman, a MAGA candidate endorsed by Donald Trump, against the former chief justice of the Supreme Court and a black woman by the name of Cheri Beasley.  Cheri Beasley has only led in one or two polls along the way.  That is trending towards Budd.  He leads by an average of 4 percentage points.  But again, there is a case where black turnout and Democratic turnout, especially on the abortion issue, could turn that race around.  But as of now, still on the watch list because Budd’s lead, though trending, is not secure.

 Wisconsin, wow.  At the beginning of this year and through much of the year, Ron Johnson, Republican, was on the most endangered list of Republicans in the Senate.  That was the target. Wisconsin Democrats nominated a progressive, a black candidate, the lieutenant governor by the name of Mandela Barnes.  Through much of this race, Barnes has had a 2 or 3-point lead.  Right now it’s trending back to Johnson.  The latest – well, the average, Johnson leads by 2.8.  But the latest poll – we really can’t go by one individual poll; I’ve got to see a trend – but the latest poll has Johnson up by 6.  We’ve got to see where that’s going to go.  I still say we’re gonna watch that one closely.

 Florida was on the list.  It looked like Val Demmings, former police chief of Orlando, three-term congresswoman, she was on the shortlist for Biden as a selection for vice president – she had gotten close to incumbent Marco Rubio.  But right now Rubio leads by an average of 5, and a new poll that’s out just this morning – I haven’t had a chance to evaluate it yet – has Rubio leading by 11.  I think that it’s safe to say that Rubio is probably in good shape.  But as we say in chess, I’m not taking my finger off the pawn yet.  I’m just gonna hold it and watch for a while.

 Ohio – fascinating race.  You have in Ohio J.D. Vance, who was kind of liberal icon – who loved his book about the middle class, Hillbilly Elegy – he’s from Ohio – Harvard Business School – but declared himself running for the United States Senate, and with Donald Trump’s endorsement and then lukewarm endorsement then hostile endorsement, and it’s crazy.  Now, he’s running against Tim Ryan, a moderate congressman.  They have – that’s a very nasty race.  Right now Vance leads on average by just two.  New poll out last night has Vance up by 4, but I’m gonna leave that wide open for now.  I think advantage Vance, but I wouldn’t call a 4point race with this many days to go.

 Now Arizona – Mark Kelly, the astronaut, he’s been in the Senate now for two years, running against Blake Masters, Stanford graduate and election denier, as many of these Republicans are, meaning he denies the Biden victory.  Kelly has been leading throughout.  He leads right now by an average of two and a half.  Poll out just this morning, however, has Kelly leading by just one, so that’s trending downward for Democrats.  But I mean, if it’s – if that changes leads, the downward spiral is not in Kelly’s favor, but we just have to see.  One poll alone is not going to turn the tide.  We have to see what the trendline is.

 Georgia – wow.  Georgia, for those of you who have been following American politics, Georgia is the new Florida.  That is the bellwether.  In fact, I will tell you on election night – because the polls will close at 8 o’clock in Pennsylvania and at 8 o’clock in Georgia – that we’ll have a pretty good sense of what’s going on.  Like Pennsylvania, voter – early voter turnout is high.  That should favor Democrats who tend to vote earlier, whereas Republicans vote election day, and their votes will not be counted completely until over the next few days.  Raphael Warnock has been leading, not by much, but he has been leading over the last two or three weeks.  The polls that have just come out in the last two days since the debate have Walker, Herschel Walker, the football star, leading by two percentage points.  That is much too close; it depends entirely on turnout.  And it depends particularly on black turnout, which is a substantial portion.

 Now, two races that were not even on the – oh wait, Nevada, I’m sorry, Nevada.  The first Latina ever elected to the Senate running for re-election is Catherine Cortez Masto.  She’s been leading, but her lead against an iconic name in the state of Nevada, Laxalt – Adam Laxalt – has now dissipated.  That one is tight; that’s too close to call.  She is regarded as probably the most endangered of the Democrats.  And that is just way too close to call, and it’s trending back and forth, back and forth.  She had counted on, Democrats had counted on a big Latino vote, especially Latina vote for her, and that just isn’t materializing yet.  So that – what I had described for you earlier as a problem for Democrats among Latinos, ground zero is the state of Nevada.

 Now, two races that were not on the radar screen. Okay.  Iowa – Iowa is traditionally a swing state, but of late it’s been pretty red.  It’s been pretty Republican.  Talk about icons: Chuck Grassley, 89 years old, is running for his eighth term in the Senate, and of late – he’s been leading by double digits – of late his lead is down to 3 points among a very respected poll, the Des Moines Register.  And we have to see if that’s a trend line or not.  I suspect, as per tradition, the Des Moines Register will have another poll the Sunday before the election.  I would have to say that’s a fascinating trend line to go from 11, 13 points down to 3 and to see if that can be sustained – running against Mike Franken, a businessman.

 The other interesting one is another red state, Utah.  Mike Lee has been around for a while.  Mike Lee reliably conservative, but running against a more moderate Mitt Romney kind of conservative, Evan McMullin.  Of the – as of the latest poll – now McMullin is a Republican, and of late the incumbent, Lee, is only leading 41 to 37 – the rest undecided.  McMullin is counting on not only the more moderate Republicans, but on Independents and on Democrats, because they’re not Democrat in the race.  If an incumbent is polling only 41 percent at this point and leading by low single digits at this point, that is not good for the incumbent candidate.  For the record, Evan McMullin has indicated that he will not caucus if he’s elected with either the Democrats or the Republicans, which will make things most interesting in the world that is already very interesting.

 Finally, that congressional generic that we all use, kind of imperfect – my role – my rule with the congressional generic is, given the way the seats are apportioned in the United States, Democrats needs to be ahead by 4 or 5 points in that national vote in order for them to secure their place.  Anything above that, they start to pick up seats.  Now on average as of last night, the Republicans lead that generic by 3, but there are two new polls out this morning by Axios and by Politico.  Axios has the Democrats leading by 5, and Politico has the Democrats leading by 3.  So, it’s complicated; it’s close.  The battle for the issues will continue.  It all depends on turnout.

•President hails contributions of Diaspora Nigerians

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has praised the contributions of the Diaspora in promoting Nigeria’s image abroad and acting as brand ambassadors of the country.

According to statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President spoke following the emergence of Ayo Owodunni as the first black person to become a City Councillor in Kitchener, London Ontario, Canada.

Owodunni won the Municipal elections for Ward 5 in a keenly contested race for the office.

Speaking on Owodunni’s historic victory, President Buhari said: “The record-setting election of the Nigerian, the first ever for a black person, highlighted the various initiatives undertaken by him as a consultant, facilitator, and trainer, supporting businesses in their efforts to promote learning and bring diversity, inclusion and cultural understanding in the workplace”.

The President urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to always promote the government’s development agenda wherever they lived and “never be afraid to dream big and never give up on your dreams”.

The President congratulated Owodunni and his spouse, Folake and their two children, on this very important election victory.

•NATO chief warns Moscow over ‘false pretexts’ use

Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at Washington’s support for Kiev, claiming Ukraine has lost its sovereignty and become a tool of the United States.

The U.S. is using Ukraine as a “battering ram’’ against Russia and other post-Soviet countries, Putin said yesterday.

Putin alleged that Washington was increasingly arming Ukraine with heavy weapons in its fight against Russian forces, while ignoring the fact that the country is seeking a nuclear bomb.

“It is also known that there are plans for a provocation to use such a so-called dirty bomb,’’ he said once again, a claim that has been slammed by Kiev and its allies in the West as “nonsense’’.

The Russian leadership has been saying for days that Ukraine is planning to use a dirty bomb, meaning a conventional explosive device that disperses radioactive materials without providing any evidence.

However, on the other hand, Washington and European capitals had said it was Moscow that could be planning such an attack on Ukraine.

But, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg yesterday said that “Russia must not use false pretexts for further escalation” in the Ukraine conflict.

“Russia now falsely claims Ukraine is preparing to use a radiological ‘dirty bomb’ on its own territory,” the NATO boss said.

“NATO allies reject this transparently false allegation.”

“Russia often accuses others of what they intend to do themselves.

“We have seen this pattern before. From Syria to Ukraine,” he added. “The world is watching closely.”

Moscow had previously alleged that Ukraine was planning to detonate a radioactive “dirty bomb” in a bid to discredit Russia.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu yesterday made phone calls to his counterparts in countries such as China and India.

This was to point out such a supposed threat after holding similar conversations with other capitals earlier in the week.

The Kremlin announced that Moscow was also in talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the subject.

Kiev had already invited experts from the UN nuclear watchdog to come to Ukraine to see for themselves the blamelessness of Russian accusations.

Burkina Faso has sworn-in a new government a month after soldiers staged another coup.

The newly appointed Prime Minister, Apollinaire Kyélem de Tambéla presented his cabinet in the capital Ouagadougou yesterday.

Two military officers who took over key ministries are the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Land Administration and Security.

Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, the new president of Burkina Faso, ousted his predecessor Lt.- Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in September, accusing him of not having acted enough on terrorism.

There were many active armed groups in the Sahel state of around 21 million inhabitants, some of whom belong to the terrorist group Islamic State or the terrorist network al-Qaeda.

However, long droughts and hunger crises also plague Burkina Faso, which is impoverished in spite of  rich gold deposits.

Burkina Faso has experienced seven major military coups since it became independent in 1960.

The new government had inaugurated a large-scale call for military applications in mid-October, aiming to recruit 3,000 junior military personnel for senior positions.

The government also aims to recruit 50,000 volunteers for the state-recognised citizen militia called the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland.

•Johnson greets new PM, urges party for support
•Truss stresses need to be ‘bold’ in farewell speech

BRITAIN’S new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to “fix the mistakes” made by the Liz Truss government and restore the country’s economic stability.

He, however, warned that there would be “difficult decisions to come,” adding that “right now, our country is facing a profound economic crisis”.

Sunak, in his first address to the nation outside 10 Downing Street, said he officially became the prime minister moments ago after King Charles III met him at Buckingham Palace and invited him to form a government.

Sunak said Truss was not wrong to want to improve growth, which was a “noble aim,” but “mistakes were made”.

Truss’s attempt of using debt-funded tax cuts to spur economic growth plunged the British pound to a 37-year low against the U.S. dollar, while pushing up the cost of government borrowing and mortgage rates.

According to Sunak, he was elected the prime minister to “fix” those mistakes.

“I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda. This will mean difficult decisions to come,” he said.

Read Also: Sunak becomes 5th UK PM in seven years

Sunak, 42, inherits an economy on the brink of recession, with an energy crisis, cost-of-living crisis and runaway inflation that defy any easy fix.

The prime minister also said he would deliver on the party’s manifesto, including a stronger National Health Service (NHS), better schools, safer streets, leveling up and building an economy that embraced the opportunities of Brexit.

But, Boris Johnson yesterday congratulated Sunak and urged fellow British Conservatives to give him “their full and wholehearted support.”

The former PM’s words came after he dropped out of the Tory leadership race, claiming he had the nominations needed to make it on to the ballot paper but admitting he could not unite the party.

His withdrawal meant the leadership contest ended on Monday, paving the way for Sunak to become head of the party and, therefore, prime minister.

Shortly after, Sunak’s first speech as prime minister yesterday, Johnson tweeted: “Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on this historic day, this is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support.”

However, his father-in-law, Indian billionaire N.R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of software giant, Infosys (INFY.NS), said the PM will do his best for Britain when he takes over.