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Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado made returned to her home country on Sunday after nearly a year abroad, re-entering a political landscape transformed by the U.S. ouster of Nicolás Maduro.

"I'm here. With you all," Machado wrote on social media, announcing her return for the first time since December. Her homecoming comes as Venezuela remains under the leadership of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally backed by the Trump administration, with no presidential election scheduled.

President Donald Trump, asked about Machado's return by reporters in Port Huron, Michigan, said he was unaware of the development but expressed hope for her safety.

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"I don't know anything about it, but I think she's a very nice woman," Trump said. "She gave me her Nobel Prize. So how can I say anything else? And I hope she's safe. She's a very nice woman. But we're doing really well in Venezuela."

Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her peaceful opposition to Maduro's government, did not disclose her exact location or provide details about how she returned.

Fellow opposition leader Edmundo González, who ran for president in 2024 after Machado was barred from seeking office, confirmed her arrival on social media and said he would join her "very soon."

"Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!" González wrote on X. "You know it, this is until the end."

Machado's return comes nearly 10 months after U.S. forces captured Maduro in January, removing the longtime leader from power.

Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president, has remained in power with the Trump administration's support, despite exceeding the period she was initially authorized to serve as acting president.

Trump has repeatedly praised his administration's relationship with Rodríguez, highlighting agreements involving Venezuelan oil production and other business ventures with American companies.

NICOLAS MADURO AND WIFE CILIA FLORES FACE NEW CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY TO TORTURE AMERICANS

In September, Trump said it was too soon to consider holding democratic elections in Venezuela, with U.S. officials prioritizing economic stabilization. Machado and her allies, meanwhile, have pushed for an election date, arguing that democratic governance is essential to the country's long-term stability.

Her return could complicate relations between the Venezuelan opposition, the interim government and Washington. Reuters reported in June that U.S. officials had asked Machado to delay her return.

Machado spent much of 2025 in hiding after being briefly detained following an opposition protest that January. She later secretly left Venezuela and resurfaced in Norway in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Meanwhile, a faction of the Venezuelan opposition and Rodríguez's government held another round of talks this month focused on reforms to the country's Supreme Court and electoral authorities ahead of eventual elections, Reuters reported.

Machado's political movement has not participated in those negotiations.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Polling ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election projects that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Party will win between seven and ten seats in the 120-member Knesset, potentially making any future government led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party contingent on his support and positioning him to secure senior ministerial portfolios.

His political rise mirrors a broader trend across Europe and the West, where parties such as Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella's National Rally in France, Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, Australia's One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Germany's Alice Weidel of the AfD have all gained ground on traditional conservative political parties.

The highly controversial Ben-Gvir, as national security minister, oversees the ministry responsible for internal security, including the Israel Police, Israel Prison Service and civilian firearms licensing.

"I always say that Minister Ben-Gvir, if he were in America, he would just be called a Texan," Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron and a candidate ranked No. 12 on the Otzma Yehudit list, told Fox News Digital.

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In a video interview with Fox News Digital, Fleisher continued, "Meaning law and order, the death penalty for murderers, tough conditions for jihadists in our prisons and gun rights for the average Jewish person to be able to defend themselves in our national state. That’s what Itamar Ben-Gvir stands for," he added.

Fleisher said that mass immigration had fueled Islamist extremism and unrest in parts of Europe, saying Israelis want to avoid similar developments.

"There is a jihadist takeover that has come in through immigration, and now the streets of Paris are burning, and the people of Belgium and the U.K. want their countries back," Fleisher said. "In Israel, we don’t want to see Tel Aviv burning," prompting politicians to embrace what are known in the United States as "law-and-order" and "tough-on-crime" candidates.

FORMER IDF CHIEF GADI EISENKOT EMERGES AS NETANYAHU’S LEADING ELECTION CHALLENGER
Former Israeli Ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon said that Ben-Gvir had missed an opportunity to change course despite his lack of military service and past conviction, arguing that his tenure had instead had a damaging impact, including on Israel’s diplomatic standing.

"Ben-Gvir spoke in a way that turned the entire world against Israel, portraying it as a racist country by making statements that made Israel a pariah state," Ayalon said.

Fleisher praised Ben-Gvir, who he said has cracked down on protection rackets in southern Israel and made significant progress toward what he described as greater equality for Jews on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest site.

"Minister Ben-Gvir was an activist from a very young age. He saw the dangers and evils of the Oslo process with the Palestinians and tried to stop it. He was arrested and stopped many times because of that, and he faced the court many times. It was then-Chief Justice Aharon Barak who once told him, ‘Why don’t you go study to be a lawyer?’" Fleisher said.

Ben-Gvir, who studied law, became active in public and political affairs and was first elected to the Knesset in 2021. Following the 2022 elections, he was appointed minister of national security by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

His many critics have taken issue with his firebrand style and what many view as a lack of political correctness.  Ambassador Ayalon, a former deputy foreign minister, told Fox News Digital that he also viewed Ben-Gvir’s performance as national security minister negatively.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO CONFRONT MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, 'ISLAMIST ENTRYISM' IN OVERWHELMING VOTE

"During his tenure, Israel has become less secure internally because crime is rising. Many young people believed in the last election that he would bring governability and authority to areas such as the Negev and the Galilee, on the outskirts of the country, where there is almost no law," Ayalon said.

In 2007, Ben-Gvir was convicted of supporting a terrorist organization and inciting racism.

His campaign told Fox News Digital that the conviction stemmed from displaying a sticker of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose Kach party was outlawed in 1994, and reflected his support for a Jewish nationalist movement.

"As a young man, Minister Ben-Gvir was an intense Jewish nationalist. He has said many times, publicly, that he has matured since then and moved on from those positions."

ABBAS DELAYS PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS AGAIN, MAKING MORE THAN TWO DECADES WITHOUT VOTE

Recent posts on Ben-Gvir’s social media accounts, along with statements issued through Netanyahu’s and Likud’s official channels, have raised questions about whether the two remain fully aligned.

On Oct. 15, Ben-Gvir shared a Hebrew-language media report quoting Netanyahu as saying that he would not serve again as national security minister. In response, Ben-Gvir wrote: "Dear Prime Minister, only the people will decide. Ben Gvir is strong, Israel is strong!"

TRUMP SAYS NETANYAHU NEEDS TO BE RE-ELECTED, OR ELSE US WILL HAVE TO 'FINISH THE JOB’ AGAINST IRAN ALONE

Last Wednesday, Netanyahu's Likud party appeared to reverse course, posting a message on its official WhatsApp channel stating: "Ben-Gvir is a senior minister in our government, and he will remain so in the next government — provided that the bloc consisting of the Left and Arab parties does not win."

Despite the public statements, Ayalon said Netanyahu could opt not to include Ben-Gvir in the next government, even if it meant forming an alliance with opposition parties such as Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar.

"Netanyahu is brilliant. He kept Ben-Gvir because it suited him. If he could, he would get rid of him in a minute. Bibi is capable of changing his mind on a dime," Ayalon said.

Fleisher credited Ben-Gvir with tripling the number of personal firearms and firearms licenses issued to Israelis over four years, establishing 1,000 rapid-response teams, overhauling the prison system and demolishing 9,000 illegally built homes, particularly in the Negev.

In March, the Knesset approved a death-penalty law sponsored by Otzma Yehudit and other lawmakers, a measure Ben-Gvir has strongly championed.

"No more hotel-like conditions in our prisons. You’ll know you are being punished for your crime, and these simple policies ultimately deter jihadism," Fleisher told Fox News Digital.

"They understand that he represents a full-throated pushback against the jihadist takeover of our land. Ben-Gvir also represents a strong Jewish identity, strong policies and strong laws to ensure that we don’t lose control of our country," he said.

The latest polls show Netanyahu’s bloc slightly behind the opposition, led by Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot, but neither side has a clear path to the 61 seats needed for a governing majority.

From mass arrests in France to troop deployments in Italy, European leaders are taking varied approaches to protests and clashes across the continent. The unrest began in France in mid-September with student demonstrations over school conditions, then spread to other countries, where protests have centered on local grievances.

President Donald Trump has used the unrest to press his hard-line immigration message, blaming France’s protests on immigration and urging the country to close its borders.

PHOTOS SHOW AFTERMATH OF RIOTS AS MASKED GROUPS CLASH WITH POLICE ACROSS FRANCE

French President Emmanuel Macron pushed back, calling foreign leaders' comments "unacceptable and even stupid" and accusing them of exploiting France’s crisis for political gain.

Here’s how leaders across Europe are responding.

Macron has vowed that those who loot or destroy property will be held accountable and made to pay for the damage. French authorities deployed 70,000 police officers nationwide Saturday as demonstrations took place in Paris and other cities.

Some clashes broke out in several cities, including Paris, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse and Nantes. Police used tear gas, sound grenades and water cannons, and the Interior Ministry reported more than 1,300 arrests.

VIOLENCE ERUPTS AT FRANCE PROTESTS AS MACRON WARNS UNREST IS BEING EXPLOITED

Most union-organized marches were peaceful, though clashes broke out later in Paris and several other cities. Separately, a French intelligence assessment reportedly identified Antifa and other far-left groups as instigators of some of the violence, according to a French outlet.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned what she called "gangs of thugs" who used demonstrations to "sow chaos," and voiced support for police facing violence in several Italian cities.

Meloni moved quickly after the previous weekend’s looting and clashes, sending 500 additional soldiers to Milan and approving tougher penalties for minors involved in vandalism. She said destroying and stealing was a crime and that the state's response would be firm.

The measures put Meloni among the European leaders taking the most visible steps to deter further violence.

While Greece has seen less unrest than France and other European countries, officials have been monitoring the risk of clashes as student and teacher demonstrations spread.

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said the right to protest must be respected as long as demonstrations remain lawful, while condemning violence, looting and occupations.

Police still kept a visible presence at demonstrations earlier in the week, which largely passed without major violence.

Belgium's demonstrations began over education reforms and budget cuts, with young protesters taking to the streets in Brussels and Liège. Earlier clashes injured police, damaged public areas and blocked roads. Nearly 200 people were arrested, according to Belgian officials.

Interior Minister Bernard Quintin accused far-left activists, including people linked to Antifa, of infiltrating demonstrations and encouraging young people to commit violence.

In Albania’s capital, Tirana, student-led protests have grown into a broader challenge to Prime Minister Edi Rama, with demonstrators demanding his resignation and accusing his government of corruption and neglecting schools and public services.

US LAWMAKERS SOUND ALARM AS VIOLENCE GRIPS NATO ALLY ALBANIA AMID ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS

Police used tear gas and water cannons as more than 2,500 officers were deployed. Rama placed chairs outside his government headquarters and invited protesters to talk, but they rejected the gesture.

He said his government would address their concerns and warned that people responsible for violence could face criminal and financial consequences.

In Spain, the unrest was largely concentrated in Barcelona, unlike France, where protests and clashes spread across multiple cities.

Police arrested 128 people in Barcelona after fires, vandalism and looting. Catalonia, the northeastern Spanish region that includes Barcelona, saw its regional president, Salvador Illa, condemn the violence and back the police response.

Meanwhile, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said the city would take legal action against those responsible and warned that parents or guardians could face consequences for damage caused by their children.

Brazil's estimated 158 million voters could advance Latin America's conservative wave in Sunday's election as the continent's most populous nation could elect conservative Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro as its next president.

The first round election three weeks ago saw a strong performance by Bolsonaro, proving the polls wrong. While incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) had been predicted to take the first round by single digits, Bolsonaro ended up winning 47% to Lula's 45%. As neither candidate won a majority, the election went to a second round.

Brazil's election follows a long string of victories for the Latin American right across Central and South America that started with the election of Libertarian outsider Javier Milei in Argentina in 2023.

BOLSONARO WINS FIRST ROUND OF BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, AS TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATES CONTINUE RED WAVE

2025 saw a right-wing sweep across the region, as Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras and Chile all voted for conservative heads of state.

In 2026, Keiko Fujimori narrowly defeated a left-wing candidate to win the Peruvian presidency, while most recently, in Colombia, conservative attorney Abelardo de la Espriella bested left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda.

Bolsonaro's slate of congressional candidates also fared well, ensuring that Brazil will have one of the most conservative congresses in years, and a legislative branch aligned with Bolsonaro's goals, or ready to thwart Lula's agenda.

The two candidates met Friday night for the final debate in Rio de Janeiro, which featured a series of questions organized around Brazil's five geographic regions. While the debate featured some heated personal exchanges, it appears unlikely to have moved the needle in either direction heading into a close race.

TRUMP'S WAR ON DRUG CARTELS COULD GAIN POWERFUL NEW ALLY AFTER PIVOTAL ELECTION

President Donald Trump has heralded these electoral results as vindication for his hardline approach to security, crime, and migration policies, as well as a stamp of approval for the new Shield of the Americas initiative. 

The Trump administration counts on considerably more close allies now than it did at the beginning of Trump's second term.

Yet, the question remains: why is the region resoundingly rejecting the left and progressivism?

Many of the elections have been won by narrow margins, with Brazil being a case in point: Lula bested Jair Bolsonaro in 2022 by just 1.8%. While many Latin American nations remain deeply polarized, there is no denying a right-wing resurgence.

Commentators appear to be expressing a rejection of progressive movements amid growing concerns over safety and security, giving approval to proposals to dramatically ramp up police and military presence to combat crime and drug trafficking.

Meanwhile, leftist parties seem unable to capitalize on recurring concerns over inflation and kitchen table economics, which have played into the hands of the Latin American right, as working class and middle class voters have felt the pinch of rising food, housing and energy costs.

In addition to social and economic concerns, the specter of Jair Bolsonaro also looms over the election.  Flavio Bolsonaro has pledged to free his father, who is currently serving a 27-year sentence on house arrest for allegedly plotting a coup in the wake of the 2022 election.

Lula was also sentenced to a 12-year prison sentence on corruption charges stemming from the infamous Operation Car Wash, until he was freed on a technicality by the Brazilian Supreme Court, and rose from the ashes to win the 2022 presidential election.

BRAZIL’S RAPID ELECTION COUNT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON VOTING SECURITY AHEAD OF US MIDTERMS

Bolsonaro has narrowly led in recent polls, and enters the second round with some structural advantages. Most importantly, he enjoys the backing of three of the four other major candidates in the race, who failed to advance to the second round. 

Self-help author Augusto Cury, former Goias Governor Ronaldo Caiado, and former Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema all officially backed Bolsonaro in the second round.

Entrepreneur Renan Santos, candidate for the Mission Party, declined to endorse either candidate. However, as his political movement is characterized as free-market and libertarian, these voters are also more likely to trend to Bolsonaro.

Thus, Lula needs to win a significant majority of first round voters who backed right-wing or center-right candidates. It's a daunting, but not impossible, proposition.

The entire election may hinge on voters who are voting against a candidate, as much as for a candidate.

Another question looming over the election: has Lula finally worn out his welcome with the Brazilian electorate?

This will be Lula's seventh time in 40 years appearing on a presidential ballot: he lost elections in 1989, 1994, 1998, won in 2002, 2006, and 2022.

Lula famously promised to serve only one term when he ran to oust Jair Bolsonaro in 2022. 

On October 25, 2022, just five days before the last second round presidential election, he posted on his official X account: "If elected, I will be a single-term president."

It was a promise that he did not keep.

Various polls have shown that voters are not happy with the course of Lula's third term, and even a sizable percentage of Lula backers in 2022 responded with pessimism on the prospect of an unprecedented fourth term.

However, a large percentage of the Brazilian electorate also consistently rejects the prospect of voting for another Bolsonaro for president.

Lula is unquestionably the dominant figure in Brazilian politics over the past half-century. But will his magnetism and charisma be enough to overcome the right-wing resurgence sweeping the continent?

JERUSALEM — Israel’s high-stakes election on Oct. 27 pits the longest serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, against the highly decorated retired Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot. While fairly new to politics, Eisenkot has an impressive resume that could help him become the Jewish state's next leader.

According to a number of polls, Eisenkot's centrist political party, Yashar, has a narrow lead over Netanyahu's Likud. To form a government, Yashar or Likud will need to cobble together a 61-seat majority of parties to be able to form a new coalition government.

TRUMP SAYS NETANYAHU NEEDS TO BE RE-ELECTED, OR ELSE US WILL HAVE TO 'FINISH THE JOB’ AGAINST IRAN ALONE

He was born in Tiberias in Israel’s north to a Jewish-Moroccan family who relocated to Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat, on the Red Sea when he was a toddler.

A career soldier, he opted to serve in the infantry. He was part of the elite Golani Brigade and reached the zenith of the military with his 2015 appointment to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff in 2015 until 2019.

Yossi Melman, one of Israel’s most respected journalists on intelligence and defense reporting, told Fox News Digital that Eisenkot, "Is 100% a soldier. He is very brave and humble. He is an officer and gentleman."

Melman noted that when Eisenkot was chosen to be the next IDF chief of staff, he declined because he felt that then General Benny Gantz should receive the appointment. Melman asked, "How many people would do that? He was selected after Gantz. It shows his traits of modesty, honesty and not arrogant."

Melman said, "It is a miracle he is leading in the polls. He is the antithesis of a what a politician should be. He is not a great orator when you compare him to Netanyahu. He radiates honesty."

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU'S LEGACY AND POLITICAL FUTURE ON THE LINE IN ISRAEL'S OCT 27 ELECTION

Eisenkot’s Mizrahi background — Jews who originate from North Africa and the Middle East — would mean, if he prevails, that he would be the first Israeli Prime Minister of Moroccan origin. The Prime Minister’s office has been held by Israelis of Eastern European descent (Ashkenazi) since the rebirth of the Jewish state in 1948.

After Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and slaughtered over 1,200 people, including more than 40 Americans, Eisenkot joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet as a minister without portfolio.

Melman said Eisenkot "did not set any political conditions" and "his presence in the cabinet saved Netanyahu." After eight months of serving in the war cabinet, Eisenkot resigned, blaming the prime minister for failing to implement a comprehensive strategy.

The war against the Iran-backed terrorist movement Hamas took an enormous toll on the battle-hardened General Eisenkot and his family. Hamas killed his son, 25-year-old Master Sergeant Gal Eisenkot, in Dec. 2023. The terrorist organization also killed two nephews of Eisenkot. Netanyahu and his wife Sara said at the time that they were devastated by Gal’s death and Eisenkot was a "true hero."

ZIONISM EXPLAINED FROM ITS BIBLICAL ORIGINS TO THE REBIRTH OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL

Danny Orbach, a military historian from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, gave his take on the leading contender to replace Netanyahu. "I think his military record and his prospects as a national leader have both significant strengths and serious weaknesses. He bears considerable responsibility for shaping the IDF that existed on Oct. 7, 2023. And that was, paradoxically, both the army that proved capable of defeating Hezbollah, striking Iran and achieving unprecedented military successes in the extraordinarily difficult, tunnel-ridden battlefield of Gaza and the army that failed so miserably on Oct. 7."

He continued that, "Like other chiefs of staff, Eisenkot bears responsibility for the decisions that reduced the army's size and for the infamous ‘conceptzia’ [Hebrew word for concept] regarding Hamas. In that respect, I consider him just as culpable as Netanyahu."

Israel’s military, intelligence and political establishments bought into the ‘conceptzia’ that Hamas could be housebroken with massive infusions of economic aid. Hamas, however, was wedded to its radical Islamist ideology —the destruction of the Jewish state — and used the funds to advance its war aims.

Orbach noted that "I don't think most of Eisenkot's support stems from his energy, enthusiasm or even his political platform. My impression is that Eisenkot has emerged as the default ‘non-Bibi’ candidate, the politician who currently channels much of the camp's hopes and expectations."

Orbach added that "I also doubt that Eisenkot would have had the political determination to stand up to the Biden administration on such matters."

Netanyahu and former President Biden repeatedly clashed over Biden’s attempts to rope in Israel’s efforts to defeat Iran’s seven-front war against the Jewish state.

The military historian, however, noted that "I believe an Eisenkot government could address several of Israel's most urgent problems. It would remove Ben Gvir from power, confront the growing problem of Jewish extremist violence and terrorism in the West Bank, and begin repairing Israel's severely damaged international legitimacy."

Itamar Ben-Gvir is a controversial right-wing firebrand politician and the current minister of national security since 2022, who has outraged many Western European and foreign leaders with his heated rhetoric against the Palestinians.

TIMELINE OF DECADES-LONG ISRAELI-ARAB, PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

Eisenkot’s wife, Hannah, comes from an American Jewish family. U.S. General Joseph Dunford awarded Eisenkot the Commander of the Legion of Merit because of his "exceptionally meritorious service as chief of the General Staff of the IDF" and his "contribution to the strategic cooperation between the United States and Israel [that] will have a lasting effect on both countries," according to the Washington Institute, where Eisenkot served as a military fellow in 2019.

Nadav Eyal, an Israeli analyst and journalist for the mass circulation Israeli paper Yedioth Aharonoth, told Fox News Digital, Gadi Eisenkot is widely considered one of the most successful Chiefs of Staff that Israel has had in the last thirty years."

He continued that "Chiefs of Staff in Israel, unlike in other countries, are really extremely capable, in general, to be prime minister. They are leading the country’s biggest organization, the IDF."

Eyal, who writes extensively about the IDF, credited Eisenkot’s military planning against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon and the significant defeats the Lebanese Shiite entity experienced, including the "discovery of tunnels that Hezbollah built" to enter Israel. Hezbollah immediately joined Hamas’s war against Israel in Oct. 2023.

Given the nature of Israel’s electoral system, an outright winner won’t likely be known for several days, since the leading party will need to form a coalition to get to the 61-seat mandate to run the country.

Nearly 1,000 people were arrested Saturday as nationwide protests resumed, France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters.

Earlier in the day, police officers preemptively searched protesters, and arrested people suspected of carrying potential weapons, including fireworks and ball bearings, Reuters reported.

Nuñez did not specify where the arrests were made. 

In Paris, where police estimated 110,000 people marched, officers conducted more than 3,000 checks and arrested 65 people, the BBC reported.

The French Interior Ministry said about 410,000 people participated in protests nationwide, while union organizers estimated attendance at 800,000. In Paris, union organizers put turnout at 250,000, compared with the police estimate of 110,000, according to CBS News.

AMERICANS WARNED ABOUT PARIS TRAVEL AFTER VIOLENCE, LOOTING AND TEAR GAS-FILLED STREETS

"Violent individuals have no place in the marches," the Paris Police Department said in a social media post. "The objective is clear: to prevent troublemakers from joining the procession, and to ensure the safety of the demonstrators."

Central Paris resembled a city under lockdown, as shopkeepers boarded up storefronts, museums closed and more than 20 metro stations suspended service.

In other cities — including Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lille and Nice — police have resorted to firing tear gas to break up unruly crowds, Reuters reported.

Also in Nice, police used a water cannon to disperse a group of demonstrators who refused to pull back. And in Marseille and Lyon, there have been clashes between police officers and hooded youths.

FRANCE’S TEEN RIOTS TAKE EXPLOSIVE NEW TURN AS GOVERNMENT POINTS FINGER AT HARD LEFT

Some 70,000 police officers have been deployed across France to clamp down on agitators and prevent the kind of unrest seen during recent demonstrations, when cars were torched and the city hall building in Limoges was set on fire.

Last weekend, more than 2,700 people were arrested during protests that later turned into riots and looting sprees.

The nationwide marches were meant to reflect broader dissatisfaction with the French government, with protesters taking to the streets to air a range of different grievances.

The protests began weeks earlier and were led by high school and university students. They were frustrated with teacher shortages and poor conditions at schools, including overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings.

The movement gained momentum when major labor unions joined the demonstrations, broadening the protests to include opposition to the government's austerity policies and concerns over wages, pensions and the overall cost of living.

French authorities have so far arrested 135 people Saturday as nationwide protests resumed, France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters.

Most of the arrests were prompted after police officers preemptively searched protesters, Reuters reported. Those taken into custody allegedly had items that could be used as weapons, including fireworks and ball bearings.

Nuñez did not specify where the arrests were made. In Paris, where tens of thousands of people are marching, police said they have conducted more than 3,000 checks and arrested 65 people, the BBC reported.

"Violent individuals have no place in the marches," the Paris Police Department said in a social media post. "The objective is clear: to prevent troublemakers from joining the procession, and to ensure the safety of the demonstrators."

AMERICANS WARNED ABOUT PARIS TRAVEL AFTER VIOLENCE, LOOTING AND TEAR GAS-FILLED STREETS

Central Paris resembled a city under lockdown, as shopkeepers boarded up storefronts, museums closed and more than 20 metro stations suspended service.

In other cities — including Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lille and Nice — police have resorted to firing tear gas to break up unruly crowds, Reuters reported.

Also in Nice, police used a water cannon to disperse a group of demonstrators who refused to pull back. And in Marseille and Lyon, there have been clashes between police officers and hooded youths.

FRANCE’S TEEN RIOTS TAKE EXPLOSIVE NEW TURN AS GOVERNMENT POINTS FINGER AT HARD LEFT

Some 70,000 police officers have been deployed across France to clamp down on agitators and prevent the kind of unrest seen during recent demonstrations, when cars were torched and the city hall building in Limoges was set on fire.

Last weekend, more than 2,700 people were arrested during protests that later turned into riots and looting sprees.

The nationwide marches were meant to reflect broader dissatisfaction with the French government, with protesters taking to the streets to air a range of different grievances.

The protests began weeks earlier and were led by high school and university students. They were frustrated with teacher shortages and poor conditions at schools, including overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings.

The movement gained momentum when major labor unions joined the demonstrations, broadening the protests to include opposition to the government's austerity policies and concerns over wages, pensions and the overall cost of living.

A group of gunmen stormed a Christian church in Jordan during a funeral on Friday, killing nine people and injuring more than two dozen, according to authorities.

The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 55 miles south of the capital, Amman.

Jordanian Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said Saturday that one critically injured patient remained hospitalized at Prince Ali Military Hospital in unstable condition.

Government spokesperson Mohammad Momani said Saturday that the attackers subscribed to "extremist takfiri ideology," which brands people who reject a strict interpretation of Islam as apostates or nonbelievers. Terrorist groups such as ISIS have invoked takfiri beliefs to justify killing Muslims, Christians and Jews.

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON: THE WAR ON CHRISTIANS IS REAL AND THE WORLD CAN NO LONGER STAY SILENT

Karak is home to a sizable Christian minority, and Momani sought to emphasize that Christians are "part of Jordan's national fabric."

It remains unclear whether the gunmen were affiliated with any terror group, and Jordanian authorities have not announced any arrests in connection with the attack.

Footage shown on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen armed with what appeared to be pistols approaching the church and opening fire, The Associated Press reported.

A third man carrying what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle joined them moments later, before all three rushed toward the church.

TWO SUSPECTED GUNMEN DEAD, TWO IDF SOLDIERS KILLED IN WEST BANK SHOOTING

Photos and videos from witnesses show broken glass and pools of blood inside the church. After the location was secured by police, two bodies covered with blankets were seen outside the church.

Dorgham Halasa told the AP that intense gunfire erupted in the church some 15 minutes after the funeral service began. People began running, he said.

Halasa said he didn't see the gunmen, but said others he spoke with reported seeing at least four of them. Jordanian authorities had not confirmed the number of attackers as of Saturday.

On Friday, King Abdullah II said Jordan will "confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties."

"Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will fail in his endeavor before our steadfastness and unity," he added. "Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded."

Jordan announced three days of national mourning following the attack, according to the state-run Petra News Agency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Cubans seeking political change Friday to discreetly cooperate with the CIA as President Donald Trump separately floated sending Rubio to the communist-run island to negotiate a deal.

"To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time," Rubio wrote in a post on X.

"The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA."

RUBIO WARNS CUBA HAS INFILTRATED US WITH SPIES, CALLS COMMUNIST REGIME AN 'ESPIONAGE SUPERPOWER'

Rubio's message explicitly encouraged Cubans to work with the U.S. intelligence agency but did not identify a specific operation or explain what such cooperation would involve.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has long advocated for a tougher U.S. approach toward the Cuban government. 

The former Florida senator has been a prominent critic of the communist leadership in Havana and opposed efforts to normalize relations without political reforms.

Trump, meanwhile, raised the possibility of U.S. ships stopping near Cuba while discussing Iran during a midterm rally in Fort Myers, Florida, Friday.

TRUMP EXPANDS CUBA SANCTIONS BEYOND US COMPANIES IN MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN ENABLERS

"Don't worry. We'll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran with it. We'll do a little stopover now. We'll do a little stopover," Trump told the crowd.

"Actually, what we're going to do with Cuba is we're going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands."

Trump then suggested Rubio could handle negotiations with the communist-run island.

IRANIAN NEGOTIATORS KICKED OUT OF US AS TALKS STALL, TRUMP LAYS OUT 'POSSIBLE' TIMELINE FOR MORE STRIKES

"And then we're going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal. We'll have Marco. Marco. We don't even have to stop. We could just put him in there and he'll figure it out. He's a great guy."

Trump did not provide details about any proposed agreement with Cuba or indicate whether his remarks reflected an actual military or diplomatic plan.

Fox News Digital reached out to the CIA, State Department, White House and Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment.

A suspected terrorist attack near Paris Friday added to tensions across France as the nation prepares for more potential violence Saturday.

Seventy thousand law enforcement officers, along with helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons, will be deployed across France as President Emmanuel Macron’s government tries to ward off another weekend of violent protests.

"The strategy adopted for the coming days is to ban protests requested by individuals or groups with no legitimate authority," Macron said ahead of the weekend after canceling his planned trip to Nigeria and Senegal originally scheduled for next week.

"The rules are simple, and I think they're just common sense," Macron added. "The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days."

FRANCE'S MACRON BLAMES PROTESTS ON 'ULTRA-LEFT GROUPS WHOSE AIM IS TO BRING DOWN THE REPUBLIC'

"Where trade unions submit requests to hold demonstrations, prefects will examine them in accordance with the law," he added, "but alternative routes will be proposed" to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings.

Adding to security concerns, a suspected terrorist attack occurred in the city of Trappes, west of Paris. A 39-year-old man was arrested by police after one person was killed and four others, including a 12-year-old girl, were wounded in what was originally said to be a "relatively random" shooting. 

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has since told local media, "The motive may be racist. The investigation is ongoing, but this is clearly a terrorist crime."

The AFP reported the suspect appeared to fire randomly from a vehicle, and the mayor told reporters the dead victim and at least one of the wounded were "of African origin." 

Macron said "the nation is standing with" the victims of this "terrible ordeal."

FRANCE COULD FACE EVEN WORSE DESTRUCTION WITH SECOND WEEKEND OF PLANNED RIOTS, STATE DEPT WARNS

Ahead of Saturday's protests and after acknowledging that police had "lost control" during last weekend's unrest, Nuñez, the interior minister, said his ministry is "ready for tomorrow. We will be extremely vigilant, extremely firm, and we will let absolutely nothing pass."

Reuters reports that the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France, or UNEF, one of the nation’s oldest student unions, has said its planned rallies will go on as scheduled despite police rejecting their permit requests. Police have so far only approved a union demonstration in Paris, Reuters reported, while denying requests from UNEF and the "Yellow Vest" movement, an anti-establishment force that first emerged in 2018.

Macron also took aim at those he says are behind the violence, saying, "Last Saturday, we had political and seditious acts by ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic."

Earlier this week, Fabian Vanhemelryck, secretary general of the Alliance Police Nationale union, said political figures deserved blame because of "those who excuse the inexcusable, justify violence and prefer to overwrite police officers rather than condemn those who attack them."

He also said the "state that abandons its police officers in the face of increasingly uninhibited violence, while demanding that they accept, remain(s) silent and continue(s) to hold the line."

Major French institutions, like the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, will be closed in anticipation of Saturday’s planned protests, and 24 Metro stations across Paris will be closed. A Ligue 1 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, scheduled for Sunday night at Parc des Princes in the capital, has also been postponed to Monday evening.

The NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Stade de France just north of central Paris, is still set to be played as scheduled, yet some weekend events around the game have been canceled.

The Stade de France is the same stadium that hosted an international soccer match between France and neighboring Germany during the Nov. 13, 2015 terror attacks. 

Explosions were heard outside the stadium during the game that night, with then-French President François Hollande in attendance. Fans were held inside the stadium for hours while authorities dealt with the attacks unfolding around Paris that night.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Fox News Digital's "Who's Who in Chaos Inc." is a living database mapping the organizations, local chapters, international networks and funders organizing or amplifying major protest movements.

The directory identifies each group's mission, ideology, organizational role and documented protest activity, distinguishing direct organizers and participants from supporters and amplifiers.

The database will be continuously updated and organized by country as new organizations, chapters, coalitions and connections emerge, providing a running picture of how local protest movements connect to broader national and transnational networks.

SAO PAULO, Brazil— About 125 million Brazilians voted Oct. 4 on machines that print no paper ballots. Less than four hours after polls closed, the country knew its presidential election was headed to a runoff between conservative challenger Flavio Bolsonaro and leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

That process has been in place for over three decades, and Brazilians have become accustomed to its speed, simplicity, accuracy and routine. The system is robustly audited, completely disconnected from the Internet, and is the largest digital voting system deployed on the planet.

Eleven days before the U.S. midterms, Brazil’s system, analysts say, could offer Americans a more secure way to vote. 

The system has been widely praised and was also mentioned in President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order on elections, where he cited Brazil’s biometric voter identification as an example. Yet Brazil’s count runs partially on the kind of paperless machines that the president has vowed to scrap.

STATE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERS SHARING PASSPORT RECORDS FOR VOTER CITIZENSHIP CHECKS

Over the years, Brazil merged federal, state and municipal databases into a digital voting record, whereby voter identity, eligibility and single ability to vote can (and usually must) be verified biometrically. Nearly 9 in 10 voters unlock the machines with a fingerprint.

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, or TSE, which designs the machines and oversees elections, says there has been no proven fraud since their 1996 debut. The 499,248 machines used on Oct. 4 never connected to the internet. Their software was open to inspection by parties, universities and watchdogs for 11 months before being digitally signed and sealed in public. Last December, the Brazilian government invited a record 149 outsiders to try to break the system; evaluators concluded nothing they found could alter results or reveal how anyone voted.

On election day, randomly drawn machines are fed paper ballots on camera as federal auditors and foreign observers watch and specifically track results. 

Meanwhile, at closing, every machine used at every polling station prints its tally, which is then posted in front of the polling place with a QR code, so anyone can check it against the national count. In an email to Fox News Digital, TSE said each file’s digital signature "confirms that the result was produced by the electronic voting machine registered for that polling station."

Karina Stange Calandrin, a political scientist and professor at Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais (IBMEC), says the system combines three traits rarely found together: voting is electronic, votes hashed to voter eligibility are stored locally in the machine and tallying is automated.

"It is an extremely secure and safe system. The machines never connect to the Internet and even the central database system used to transmit tallied votes to TSE must match results issued physically and locally by each individual machine without human interference," she said. Corrupting it, she added, would require breaking the seal of each machine and installing software that wouldn’t match the TSE’s version, automatically disqualifying its tally — a scale of collusion so large that it "simply could not pass undetected."

COLOMBIA'S 'EL TIGRE' SECURES PRESIDENCY AS LEFTIST RIVAL FINALLY CONCEDES DEFEAT

The machines passed their toughest political test in 2022, when former President Jair Bolsonaro, now serving a 27-year sentence for plotting to overturn his 2022 defeat, spent years attacking their credibility without evidence. Bolsonaro is presently serving time under house arrest.

This year, for the first time, a Bolsonaro appointee ran the TSE: Justice Kassio Nunes Marques. Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, finished first with 47% to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s 45%. The machines at the center of the senior Bolsonaro’s controversy may yet hand victory to his son.

Florencia Ferrer, CEO of e-stategiapublica, which has audited elections in 17 countries, has no doubt the Brazilian system is the most modern and secure in the world. "In India votes are electronic, but each voter gets a printed version of their vote to take home, which weakens voter safety and augments coercion rates," she says, adding that Estonia’s internet voting and the Philippines’ electronically tallied paper ballots carry their own risks.

An engineer from the University of São Paulo’s Polytechnic School who audited the machines in 2014, and declined to be named due to the sensitive nature of his work, agreed. "While no system is completely infallible... we have found no traces of tampering, wrong-doing or malicious intent," he told Fox News Digital.

Still, some defend higher scrutiny. Security researchers say a clean record is not proof enough, and the Carter Center said voters should at least see a printed version of their ballot deposited into a separate area of the machine; otherwise, results integrity rests on software alone. Germany’s top court ruled in 2009 that voters must be able to check their ballot without expert help, effectively barring a Brazilian-like system.

Brazil’s machine has traveled mostly on loan to countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Paraguay adopted it permanently in 2006, with machines that now print each individual vote.

"It’s obvious Washington and the remainder of the U.S. are way behind both technology as well as security when it comes to polling on voting day," Ferrer said. U.S. elections are run in thousands of local jurisdictions under 50 sets of state rules and about 30% of 2024 ballots came by mail, which is slower to process. Brazil has one national election authority, compulsory voting and no mail-in ballots.

Brazilians will vote this coming Sunday on Oct. 25. The winner is expected to be known and certified in under five hours.

"The question is not whether Brazil has invented a perfect voting machine. No voting system is perfect. It is whether democracies can combine the speed and consistency of digital tabulation with independent verification, public scrutiny and rules that citizens across the political spectrum have reason to trust," Ferrer said.

Fox News Digital's "Who's Who in Chaos Inc." is a living database mapping the organizations, local chapters, international networks and funders organizing or amplifying major protest movements.

The directory identifies each group's mission, ideology, organizational role and documented protest activity, distinguishing direct organizers and participants from supporters and amplifiers.

The database will be continuously updated and organized by country as new organizations, chapters, coalitions and connections emerge, providing a running picture of how local protest movements connect to broader national and transnational networks.

Multiple gunmen opened fire and killed at least seven people Friday at a church in Jordan in what the country's leader is calling a "terrorist attack."

The shooting, which also left 34 injured, erupted during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 110 miles south of the capital, Amman. Karak is home to a minority Christian population.

"The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation. Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity," King Abdullah II wrote on X.

"All Jordanians, from north to south, are partners in land and fate, and nothing stands between them. Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured," he added. "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation."

TWO SUSPECTED GUNMEN DEAD, TWO IDF SOLDIERS KILLED IN WEST BANK SHOOTING

Images broadcast on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen who appear to be holding pistols approaching the church and firing shots, according to The Associated Press.

A third man who appeared to be holding a semiautomatic rifle then appeared and opened fire, and all three then ran toward the church.

A government statement said that the attack was "carried out by unknown assailants" but didn't say whether any gunmen were captured or killed. It noted that "investigations are underway at full speed."

43 YEARS AFTER BEIRUT TERROR ATTACK KILLED 241 AMERICANS, RABBI RECALLS CHAPLAINS' EXTRAORDINARY RESPONSE

In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people, including seven officers, and wounding dozens. Jordanian security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff.

Jordan’s director of public security, Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, said at a news conference that 27 of the wounded in Friday’s shooting were still being treated.

In a statement, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said he called his Jordanian counterpart and "affirmed Iraq’s solidarity with Jordan in the face of terrorism."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The State Department told Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump's views on France are "spot on" after French President Emmanuel Macron criticized foreign leaders for making "unacceptable and stupid comments" about the protests rocking the European country.

Speaking at a midterms rally on Monday, Trump said that "the migrants have taken over France" and that the country should close its borders following a weekend of anti-government demonstrations that evolved into rioting and looting. He added that France, a "once great nation," is "being conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity" and "the Western civilization itself."

Macron then claimed Wednesday that "there was foreign manipulation of information" following the protests, including AI-generated images that showed scenes that never happened in France, which gave way to "unacceptable and stupid comments from many people including foreign leaders." Macron said he was referring to Trump, "among others," and also mentioned, "We’ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false," The Associated Press reported.

When asked for a reaction to Macron's remarks, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital that Trump "is on point as he is consistently on point."

"He has been clear about the dangers of mass migration for years, especially since the beginning of this administration, but certainly long beforehand as well. The president has secured the border on day one when it comes to the United States of America," Pigott said. "But we've also been clear from the State Department's perspective that we are going to oppose international institutions, for example, that seek to impose an agenda upon sovereign nations to encourage mass migration.

FRANCE'S MACRON BLAMES PROTESTS ON 'ULTRA-LEFT GROUPS WHOSE AIM IS TO BRING DOWN THE REPUBLIC'

"Mass migration is inherently destabilizing. It is inherently destabilizing. It is something that we don't believe solves problems, but actually creates problems. And this is something the president has raised time and time again. He's raised it in reaction to these recent protests," Pigott added.

"He's also raised it directly to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly. Two years in a row raising this issue, calling for an end to the destructive policies of illegal amassed migration. Illegal amassed migration that, by the way, only helps criminal cartel groups. That's something we see in our own hemisphere, for example," Pigott continued. "The fact that cartel groups have traveled along these migration pathways. So the president is spot on, he's bringing attention to this issue, he is taking action to address this issue and, from the State Department's perspective, we have also taken concrete action to end the era of mass migration."

FRANCE'S RIOT CHAOS FUELS FARAGE'S WARNING THAT MASS IMMIGRATION FAILURES COULD HAUNT ANOTHER COUNTRY NEXT

The Louvre and other major museums in Paris will be closed on Saturday as more protests are scheduled in the French capital, according to the AP. Reuters also reported that businesses in central Paris have started boarding up their windows over concerns of violence.

French officials said more than 3,000 shops were looted, and some 2,500 people were taken into police custody in connection to last weekend's nationwide protests.

"One of things that we really stress to Americans is that when they're traveling abroad, if they could please register for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). That program lets you tell us which countries you're going to so that we can provide real-time information to Americans in the country that have registered," Pigott told Fox News Digital.

"Speaking generally, when it comes to Americans that need assistance, we have personnel across the world at the State Department, at embassies and consulates that are working 24/7 to help the American people. If you have an issue when you're abroad, please contact the embassy or consulate," he added. "There are people that are there to help you that can provide information. Everything from a lost passport to responses to a security situation, that is something that is hugely important and a huge factor for the State Department."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned from the presidency in September and is running for prime minister in parliamentary elections considered to be one of the most competitive elections for Serbia in recent memory.

"I think this is certainly the biggest challenge for the former President in his 14-year rule," Helena Ivanov, associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

"The student protesters have been able to capture the hearts and minds of people and keep the momentum going in a way that the established opposition was never able to do," Ivanov added.

ANTI‑CORRUPTION PROTESTS HIT EUROPEAN NATION AS CALLS FOR NEW ELECTIONS GROW

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric told Fox News Digital that he believes the student opposition is highly unlikely to win.

"The people of Serbia have seen through them: years of criticism have not persuaded the public that they have a credible program or a serious plan for the country’s future," the foreign minister said.

Djuric touted Serbia’s economy under Vucic and the Strategic Dialogue with the U.S., which he said will foster greater cooperation and new opportunities for Serbs.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in June when he was still president, Vucic pointed to the country's economic growth as evidence of its transformation. "Our GDP was 32 billion (euros) when I became the prime minister," Vucic said. "This year it's going to be over 100 billion euros, which is $120 billion." Vucic first became prime minister in 2014 and president in 2017.

In that same interview, he said the improving relationship between Washington and Belgrade was increasingly centered on economics, investment and technological cooperation and mutual conservative values.

A bipartisan group of senators led by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced the Supporting the Rule of Law, Building Institutional Justice, and Accountability Act (SRBIJA) to address democratic backsliding in Serbia, promote the rule of law and accountability and improve the treatment of student-led civic protests.

Most importantly, the legislation would condition future aid on a presidential certification that Serbia made "significant and sustained" efforts toward judicial accountability, press freedom and alignment with the EU and NATO.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers, which also included Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., and Rep. William Keating, D-Mass., took aim at President Vucic and his time in power.

EXCLUSIVE: SERBIAN PRESIDENT VUČIĆ SAYS SUPPORT FOR US 'SURGED' UNDER TRUMP, INVITES HIM TO VISIT BELGRADE

There are growing concerns from Congress and observers that the election will take place in a hostile environment and efforts to discredit and undermine the election are already underway.

Others fear the current government might not respect the outcome of the election if the Student List were to win.

Vucic had served as president of Serbia since 2017 and previously as prime minister from 2014 to 2017, but was term limited under the constitution. His exit from the presidency created the opportunity for him to remain in power by returning as prime minister.

Vucic resigned from the presidency and dissolved parliament in September, setting the stage for the snap election on Oct. 25.

As president, analysts say he has always straddled the geopolitical line between East and West, seeking European legitimacy and launching EU accession talks in 2014 while also maintaining close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin even after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Unlike previous elections, the student-led opposition garnered significant attention to their cause and mobilized popular support, becoming a legitimate political contender out of a spontaneous protest movement.

Serbia has been roiled by student-led anti-corruption protests since November 2024, demanding justice and accountability after the deaths of 16 people following the collapse of a railway station in the town of Novi Sad. One of the largest protests in Serbia’s history took place on March 15, 2025, with nearly 350,000 people gathered in Slavija Square in central Belgrade.

ZELENSKYY WARNS RUSSIA WANTS TO CAUSE 'EXPLOSION' IN THE BALKANS

The protesters criticized the Vucic government for failing to hold anyone accountable for the canopy disaster as the government continued its heavy-handed crackdown on demonstrators. None of the original demands of the protesters were met, so the students turned to electoral politics to enact change the Serbian political opposition was never able to achieve.

The Student List, as the opposition is known, consists of a wide swath of civil society actors, many of whom come from the ranks of academia, but does not include anyone from Serbia’s traditional opposition parties that struggled to challenge Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party in the past.

The group operates in a decentralized manner and does not have an official leader. Their main priorities are to tackle corruption and promote transparency and the rule of law.

Filip Ubović, a student from the University of Belgrade and protest participant on the ground in Belgrade, has spoken with Fox News Digital over the course of the year-long protests.

SERBIA, CAUGHT BETWEEN EUROPE AND RUSSIA, COULD MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER TO NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH KOSOVO

Ubović said he joined the protests because he was fed up with the current state of his country. This was the first opportunity, Ubovic said, to do something tangible, instead of just complaining.

"People had enough for quite some time but decided to fully embrace us because we are ‘their kids’, we are young, we are not professional politicians, we do not have a single face representing us, and we are very professional and principled," Ubovic said.

Ivana Stradner of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital that corruption has held back democracy in the Balkans and progress for its people for a while.

"Corruption doesn’t just steal public money; it steals an entire generation’s future. Young people in Serbia and Albania are taking to the streets demanding accountability and a better future. The U.S. should pay attention, not out of charity, but strategic self-interest," Stradner said.

‘VOTERS GET TO CHOOSE — JUST NOT THE RESULT’: RUSSIA’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION REACHES OCCUPIED UKRAINE

The test will be whether the Student List can transition their popular mobilization in the streets into a viable political option that can win an election and govern a country that hasn’t undergone a political transition in over a decade.

It’s also unclear, if the Student List were to win, how they might reorient Serbia’s foreign policy and its relations with the U.S.

"So far, the students have been remarkably reluctant to define foreign policy goals that would depart from the current government’s course. For now, the most realistic expectation is continuity," Sinisa Vukovic, director of the Global Policy Program at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, told Fox News Digital.

Vuković said that Serbia’s foreign policy has remained mostly consistent dating back to Slobodan Milosevic, the former leader of Yugoslavia, and the Vucic government has left hot-button issues including the crisis over Kosovo and EU membership mostly unresolved.

While much might change in Serbia domestically, any resolution to the conflict with Kosovo or any substantial reorientation of foreign policy that shifts Serbia away from Russia and moves it much closer to the U.S. and EU remains unclear.

"Another period of pseudo-hedging is likely, with Russia keeping a deep presence in the most vital sectors and dominating most of them," Vukovic added.

FIRST ON FOX: Some 50 radical Antifa cells in a wider network of nearly 300 groups are mobilizing to ensure this weekend's demonstrations in France devolve into chaos and mayhem, Fox News Digital has learned.

Self-described Antifa groups are working with a sprawling network of communist, socialist, far-left and anti-Israel groups to mobilize on two fronts this weekend: an "anti-fascist village" against conservative leader Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the city of Orléans and nationwide protests called Acte II to replicate last week's violent riots.

A Fox News Digital investigation has mapped 287 groups in France's expanding protest ecosystem, including 50 explicitly Antifa organizations, 27 explicitly communist, socialist, Trotskyist or revolutionary-left organizations, 24 labor unions and an expanding coalition of far-left anti-Israel, migrant-rights, environmental, feminist, transgender and other activist organizations. The demonstrations, which claim to be about youth education, include just 27 student and youth organizations.

The coordination comes amid a wider transnational campaign of mayhem organized by communist, socialist and leftist groups in Greece, Italy, Spain, India and elsewhere.

Fox News Digital has compiled a running who's who of organizations in what has been dubbed "Chaos Inc." and will keep updating the directory.

The size of the mobilization represents a huge expansion from the original 54 organizations identified in last weekend's riots. The number of Acte II actions has also increased to 649 planned protests, as of early Friday morning in Paris, including at 21 train stations, three ports, two oil depots and one refinery.

Scores of pages of planning documents and social media posts analyzed by Fox News Digital reveal that agitators have laid the groundwork for a coordinated campaign with money, logistics and a communications infrastructure behind their efforts.

The fundraising, transportation, youth outreach, ready-made materials and centralized information hub reveal an organized mobilization operation in place days before protesters even reach the streets with expected hammer-and-sickle and Palestinian flags.

A French administrative court reportedly overturned a ban on street protests issued by Paris police, although the order was not made public and it was unclear if it would have applied to other cities which have imposed similar orders.

Already, organizers have begun planning a next-stage Acte III on Oct. 31, a broader strike and blockade mobilization on Nov. 5 and a Europe-wide action on Nov. 20.

In France, the numbers include signatories to two streams: a Ciao Fachos, or "Good-bye Fascists," coalition that will descend on Orléans and the Acte II, or "Action 2," campaign, led by a group called the Yellow Vests that organized last week's mayhem. Organizations have signed onto a roster and list headed to Orléans.

"Macron must leave and make way for the people!" the Acte II organizers declared, calling "Yellow vests, high school students, university students, workers" into "demonstrations, roundabouts and blockades, everywhere in France."

FRANCE'S MACRON BLAMES PROTESTS ON 'ULTRA-LEFT GROUPS WHOSE AIM IS TO BRING DOWN THE REPUBLIC'

Last September, after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk by an alleged leftist gunman, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Soon after, Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, targeting far-left groups. It said the "groups and entities that perpetuate this extremism have created a movement that embraces and elevates violence to achieve policy outcomes, including justifying additional assassinations."

Despite the clear global presence of groups with self-described names of Antifa, former FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress in 2020 that Antifa was "not a group or an organization" but rather "a movement or an ideology."

In the U.S., while they will wave flags that say "ANTIFASCIST," far-left activists don't typically operate under one formal national organization called "Antifa," leading to denials that any "Antifa" organization exists.

In Europe, it's a different story. Activists openly organize under the Antifa name, "antifascist" banners and Antifa flags with emblems of their local chapters, and a Fox News Digital investigation has found a sprawling network mobilizing activists for another weekend of protests.

Last November, the State Department designated four European groups linked to Antifa — Antifa Ost in Germany; the International Revolutionary Front, or Informal Anarchist Federation, in Italy; and Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self Defense in Greece — as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specifically Designated Global Terrorists, accusing them of organizing or carrying out bombings, shootings and other politically motivated attacks.

TRUMP CALLS ANTIFA ‘TERRORIST GROUP,’ FUELING FIGHT OVER FREE SPEECH AND LIMITS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

Worldwide, Antifa chapters have built their movement around a seemingly noble opposition to "fascism," but critics argue that they deploy tactics of threats, intimidation, harassment, violence, destruction and even murder that make them coercive, authoritarian, dangerous and deadly. What's more, parroting the propaganda language of Russia, China and the Islamic Republic of Iran, "fascism" has become a loaded catch-all phrase to describe Western democracies.

For example, late last year, Neville Roy Singham, an American-born communist tech tycoon living in China, took to the stage at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Shanghai for a "Global South" conference and critiqued the alleged "fascism" of the United States.

Days ago, Fox News Digital reported exclusively that an internal State Department assessment warns that antifascist groups could participate in a "potentially more confrontational protest" this weekend that could "expose further security shortcomings and deepen political tensions."

Now, the organizations themselves provide a look inside the infrastructure being assembled on the ground.

On Friday night, a bus is set to leave Marseille at about 9 p.m. local time for Orléans, in a journey organized by "La Riposte Antifasciste Marseille," established in October 2023 with a "strategy of massification of anti-fascism." In its promotion, the pilgrimage leaders tell followers, "Anti-fascism is everyone's business." It's joined by Marseille Unite Communiste Libertaire.

Other organizing materials advertise collective transportation from locations including Paris, Saint-Denis, Stains and Brest.

The logistical preparations provide a more concrete measure of organization than simply finding similar flags or slogans at demonstrations.

On Saturday morning, at 8 a.m., in the city of Bagnolet outside Paris, the Assemblée Antifasciste de Bagnolet, or "Bagnolet Antifascist Assembly" has plans in place to meet at the town hall, Mairie de Bagnolet, on Rue Hoche for a two-hour ride to Orléans. Its online sign-up sheet advertises 50 free seats.

La Marche des Solidarites, or "The March for Solidarity," an online hub, directs supporters in the Paris region to buses leaving from Saturday morning from Place de la République in Saint-Denis and Stains with #NousToutes and Carré Citoyen.

On Instagram, Saint-Denis Antifa, Carre Citoyen and Marche des Solidarites are sending people to a fundraising page on the Solidaire website, where organizers have raised about $13,300 for expenses for the Saturday action, including the "printing of mobilization materials: leaflets, posters, etc." and a "truck/sound system for a large procession of the solidarity march."

The Saint-Denis Antifa also made crêpes last week at the Saint-Denis Hip-Hop Festival to raise money for the protest.

And organizers have centralized the machinery for mobilization online. Adults are facilitating space for high-school students, telling them, "free places are for you."

The Marche des Solidarités online repository on antiracisme-solidarite.org describes itself as a place containing "all the information to mobilize," including "calls, signatories, visuals, etc."

Ciao Fachos has gone further. Its organizing documents call for "tractages, collages, réunions publiques, récoltes de fonds, transports collectifs" — distributing leaflets, putting up posters, holding public meetings, fundraising and organizing collective transportation.

The group also urges activists to prevent National Rally supporters from distributing literature at markets or putting posters on walls.

The network has also advertised Signal channels, much like far-left activists have done in the U.S., to swap information and coordinate logistics.

COULD FRANCE'S RIOTS HAPPEN HERE? EXPERTS SEE PARALLELS IN SOCIALISM, IMMIGRATION — AND KEY DIFFERENCES

The schedule is carefully organized with Antifa groups like Loiret Antifasciste, which is promoting a detailed program. The group's own declaration describes the objective as larger than opposing a single National Rally convention.

Building a "mouvement antifasciste," or "antifascist movement," is a "collective responsibility," the organization says, calling for a united political front.

For Saturday, organizers advertise:

On Sunday, Ciao Fachos advertised another demonstration toward CO'Met, the location of the National Rally gathering.

The Association France Palestine Solidarité says its members will participate in a Palestinian contingent during Saturday's demonstration and operate a stand at the antifascist village until 10 p.m. Protest leaders chose the last protest date of Oct. 17 to memorialize a protest on the same day in 1961 when a protest by Algerian "martyrs" turned deadly in Paris.

Organizations include Urgence Palestine Orléans, AGIR POUR LA PALESTINE, Union juive française pour la paix, migrant-rights organizations including FASTI, Droits Devant!!, Coordination Sans-Papiers 75, La Cimade Aix-en-Provence, Tous Réfugiés, GASPROM-ASTI Nantes, ASTI Orléans, the Association des Travailleurs Maghrébins de France and UJFP, the French Jewish Union for Peace, which is promoting the demonstration.

The CGT Paris, the Paris branch of one of France's largest labor confederations, is also organizing transportation to the demonstration and published the Loiret Antifaciste coalition's call for an antifascist movement.

Solidaires 37, the Indre-et-Loire branch of the left-wing labor federation, is organizing pay-what-you-can transportation from Tours.

The coalition lists demonstrate how explicitly antifascist organizations operate inside a considerably larger political coalition.

The Orléans demonstration isn't the only place explicit Antifa organizations are mobilizing Saturday.

Fox News Digital separately identified antifascist groups attached directly to local Acte II demonstrations.

In Angoulême, Action Antifasciste 16, also known as Action AntiFa16, appears as an official collaborator on an Oct. 24 Acte II announcement alongside NPA Charente, Révolution Permanente Angoulême, Maison des Peuples et de la Paix, Fanfare en lutte d'Angoulême and Organisation de Solidarité Trans Angoulême.

In the city of Caen, the "Caen Antifa Squad" appears as a collaborator on another announcement explicitly advertising "ACTE II — 24 OCTOBRE."

The presence of Antifa groups provides a connective point between the nationwide Yellow Vest mobilization and the antifascist ecosystem.

One of the figures attempting to bring the different grievances together is Benjamin Ball, editor of the website coordinating the Yellow Vest action map.

"Our role is to make sure that the social anger aggregates," Ball recently told French media, saying organizers want representatives of different sectors received at the Élysée.

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French Antifa activism substantially overlaps with anarchist, communist, anticapitalist and revolutionary-socialist networks whose organizations frequently cooperate in demonstrations and campaigns.

The Oct. 24 coalition illustrates those connections.

Union Communiste Libertaire, a libertarian-communist organization advocating revolutionary political change, has joined the mobilization.

The revolutionary socialist Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste, or NPA, is promoting the Orléans demonstration. Its publication "L'Anticapitaliste" reported that dozens of organizations were mobilizing against the RN congress.

La France Insoumise, the French Communist Party, Union pour la Reconstruction Communiste and Le Poing Levé appear in the wider local coalition.

The coalition also includes labor organizations, environmental activists and student groups, such as Fédération Syndicale Étudiante, a left-wing student union already involved in France's October student revolt, is joining the mobilization.

Extinction Rebellion France is represented through its Île-de-France organization. Its agitators rappelled the Marianne statue and hoisted a vest with an anti-police message, creating the iconic image used for the next phase of activation.

And the coalition includes feminist organizations such as NousToutes, whose current social-media material is promoting transportation to Orléans and mobilization resources.

Organized labor is providing another piece of the mobilization infrastructure.

Along with CGT Paris and Solidaires 37, the expanded roster includes CNT Fédération Éducation, CNT 49, CNT Education 93, SNETAP-FSU, Solidaires 44, Solidaires 35, SUD Protection Sociale 93 and CGT ArianeGroup Issac, among other labor organizations.

VISA 93, part of the Vigilance et Initiatives Syndicales Antifascistes labor-antifascist network, has promoted union transportation for the demonstration.

Meanwhile, as Antifa and other leftist agitators readied for the weekend, French authorities arrested a 34-year-old man, Hodei Docampo Ciarra, this week in the town of Val d'Issoire (Haute-Vienne). Police suspect him of being one of the rioters who devastated City Hall in Limoges, torching the building.

French police said he was allegedly involved in the "ultra-left."

They arrested the man, 34, at about 6:15 a.m. as he got out of bed at his parents' home.

Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff never intended to be in Beirut in Lebanon, on Oct. 23, 1983, when suicide bombers drove explosive-laden trucks into Marine Corps barracks, killing 241 American service members. But as Resnicoff told Fox News Digital, his presence during that event and advocacy thereafter would bring solace and support for a multitude of American service members, leading to his strong belief that "a coincidence is just God acting anonymously."

Tasked to the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, Resnicoff was part of a three-chaplain team supporting service members across 40 ships stationed in the Mediterranean. On Friday, Oct. 21, Resnicoff arrived in Beirut to perform a memorial service for a Jewish Marine who had been killed in the line of duty. Navy leadership wanted to send him back to the boat the following day, but as an observant Jew, he refused to travel on the Sabbath.

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Resnicoff woke early on the morning of Oct. 23 and was brushing his teeth at 6:22 a.m. when his building began to shake violently. As doors came off their hinges and windows exploded, Resnicoff and others took cover on the floor, believing their building had been hit by a rocket or mortars.

When the ruckus stopped, the men began to hear "these terrible, terrible screams" coming from the building 50 yards away from where Protestant minister Danny Wheeler lived with a host of Marines. 

Whenever Resnicoff visited Beirut, he alternated staying with a Catholic chaplain, George Pucciarelli, and Wheeler. Based on his schedule, Resnicoff ought to have stayed at Wheeler’s residence on Friday, but chose instead to stay with Pucciarelli, who had something to discuss with the rabbi. "Who knows what it was we talked about," Resnicoff reminisced. "But that probably saved my life."

As recognition dawned on those around him, Resnicoff watched Pucciarelli put his purple stole around his neck, "probably because he knew he was going to have to say many last rites." Pucciarelli looked at Resnicoff and said, "Follow me."

Outside, Resnicoff said that "the big, four-story building was gone with the smoke." Buried under the rubble were 241 American service members, including 220 Marines, 18 Navy sailors and three Army soldiers. The Navy casualties included "a complete medical detachment," leaving no one "trained medically to help those left alive."

Resnicoff, Pucciarelli and other first responders began working their way through the debris looking for survivors. He said, Pucciarelli "went to one body on the ground, I went to another. We just cradled these wounded men and said, ‘Help is coming.’" Each attended to the men as best they could, ripping apart their clothes to wipe the blood, dirt and dust from their faces. When Resnicoff had torn apart his shirt, he used his Jewish head covering, called a kippah, which soon "got bloody and dirty and lost."

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Eventually, ambulances and helicopters arrived on scene, allowing Pucciarelli and Resnicoff to catch their breaths. Pucciarelli remarked that he had never seen Resnicoff without his head covered. "I told him what happened to my kippah, so he tore a piece of his camouflage uniform and put it on my head."

Pucciarelli told Resnicoff that, "In this country where every religion is killing every other religion, I want everyone here to remember not only that you and I, the chaplains, were helping everyone regardless of whether they had a religion or what religion they had, but that you and I had different religions [and were] standing together."

Wheeler was the last living service member to be pulled from the wreckage five hours after the explosion. Resnicoff said that it took four days to dig out the hundreds of bodies buried in the rubble. "These tough Marines were crying, helping their fellow military personnel," Resnicoff said.

Resnicoff pulled from an element of his own Jewish tradition as he ministered to the Marines mourning and laboring in the wreckage. "After the death, we have a week of family gathering around and telling stories about the person who died," he explained. "The tradition is if you visit the family during that period, you don’t initiate the conversation, just show your concern and love through your presence, and if the mourners talk to you, then you have a conversation. So, when I would go from Marine to Marine, they were digging up the bodies of their comrades, I used that Jewish approach. I didn’t start the conversation, I just stood next to them to show them I was there, and then if they wanted to talk, I talked."

Resnicoff said that the tradition hearkened on the words of Catholic friar St. Francis of Assisi, who taught his followers to "preach the gospel everywhere. Use words only if absolutely necessary."

Before the Beirut bombing, Resnicoff reported that gaining permission to wear the kippah "was always a struggle" for Jewish service members.

In the early 1980s, Resnicoff says that Congress was debating the Religious Apparel Amendment, which would have allowed Jews serving in the military to cover their heads. "For two years, this amendment had failed. And then, in the Congressional Record, they told the story of this priest making this head covering for me," Resnicoff said. "The amendment passed. They understood that it was a matter of pride that we could work side by side from different religions. Then-Vice President George H. W. Bush asked Resnicoff to write a report on his experience. Former President Ronald Reagan would share that report with a group of 20,000 Baptists, "who evidently appreciated it," Resnicoff recalled.

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In chaplain school, Resnicoff said that chaplains were trained to attend to severely wounded personnel from different religious backgrounds than their own. "But it turned out none of the people I comforted in Beirut asked me a religious question. It was just ‘if I die, tell my mother I love her.’ Most of those Marines were too young to have their own children." He says that "I was reminded that the role of the chaplain is so much broader and bigger than just being a religious representative."

"I always used to believe that the military was ahead of the civilian world when it came to understanding and working together. And when you’re in a foxhole or a bunker, you don’t really care if the guy next to you is a Democrat or Republican or independent, you don’t really care what their religion is. You just care that they’re going to protect you like you’re going to protect them and we’re all in this together."

Resnicoff says that the Beirut bombing showed him that "if the world had more interfaith foxholes, we would have less need for foxholes and more room for faith."

Two Israeli Defense Forces soldiers were killed and three other people were wounded by two suspected gunmen, who were also killed, in a shooting Friday in the southern West Bank, officials said.

Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman, aged 23, from Ashkelon, a squad commander in the Ari Battalion (775), Search and Rescue Brigade and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, aged 20, from Hod Hasharon, a combat soldier in the Ari Battalion, Search and Rescue Brigade, both died as a result of the attack, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF reported that it responded to a shooting in the Judea Junction area Friday and killed two people it identified as "terrorists." 

Hours after the attack, Israel ordered the army to prepare for a full closure of the West Bank, according to the Associated Press. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency meeting of his Security Cabinet, claiming Hamas was "planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians."

Netanyahu also said a large scale operation in the West Bank is to begin soon.

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"Our brave soldiers thwarted this attack with courage and determination," Netanyahu said. 

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The identities of the suspected gunmen were not immediately released, but the Israeli army did identify them as Palestinians from Hebron armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun. 

Israeli intelligence groups and security forces conducted dozens of raids throughout the West Bank on Friday, apprehending dozens of people, including those who Israeli officials claimed were members of Hamas and affiliated with Islamic Jihad. 

The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said a "large quantity of ammunition was found" in a vehicle used by the perpetrators.

"This ammunition was intended to be used in a larger-scale attack," he said.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

Fox News' Yonat Frilling and Thomas Ferraro contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Five people were wounded, including two critically, and two suspected gunmen were killed in a shooting Friday in the southern West Bank, officials said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that it responded to a shooting in the Judea Junction area Friday and killed two people it identified as "terrorists." 

A blockade was established while the agency continued to search the area, the IDF said.

INSIDE ISRAEL'S MISSION TO TRAIN CIVILIANS TO STOP THE NEXT OCT 7-LIKE TERROR ATTACK

Five Israelis were wounded in the shooting, according to The Times of Israel.

Two people were critically wounded and three were in light-to-moderate condition, first responders told the outlet.

ISRAELI COMBAT MEDICINE SLASHES IDF DEATHS AFTER OCT 7, DRAWS US MILITARY INTEREST

Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical service, said it treated two people in critical condition at the scene of the attack.

The identities of the suspected gunmen were not immediately released.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.