Lula ahead in polls for Brazil’s first-round vote; runoff likely

Canadian airline WestJet has agreed to pay 4.5 million Canadian dollars to settle a decade-long class-action lawsuit brought by thousands of female flight attendants over workplace harassment. A British Columbia Supreme Court judge approved the final agreement on Monday, concluding negotiations that began in June. The settlement funds will be distributed among 3,452 current and former flight attendants after deducting legal fees and administrative costs. The lawsuit was initially filed in 2016 by former flight attendant Mandalena Lewis, who alleged that a pilot sexually assaulted her during a 2010 layover in Hawaii and that the company failed to take appropriate investigative action after she reported the incident. Lewis criticized the final terms, stating that the agreement failed to deliver complete justice for the victims. The settlement contains no admission of guilt by WestJet, nor does it mandate compulsory anti-harassment training for flight crews. However, the carrier agreed to commission an independent inquiry to review its reporting procedures, workplace culture, and underreporting issues, affirming its commitment to strengthening employee safety measures.

The United States has awarded Lockheed Martin a defence contract worth up to $58.6 billion to expand production of Patriot interceptor missiles, as ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine continue to put pressure on American weapons stockpiles. The agreement, announced by the Pentagon on Wednesday, is designed to strengthen the country’s air defence capabilities and ensure a steady supply of Patriot missiles over the coming years. The move comes after the United States supplied large quantities of military equipment to its allies while also using significant numbers of precision guided weapons during its own military operations against Iran. The new contract replaces an earlier one year agreement valued at $4.7 billion that was signed in April. It now establishes a seven year procurement framework covering the period from the 2026 to the 2032 fiscal years. According to the US Army, the longer term arrangement is expected to provide greater stability for production planning while helping manufacturers increase output to meet rising demand. The Pentagon has been urging defence companies to speed up production as global security challenges increase. Officials have been negotiating with major contractors throughout the year to secure higher manufacturing capacity for missiles and other critical military equipment. The administration of President Donald Trump has also increased pressure on defence firms to focus more heavily on fulfilling government contracts. Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order directing officials to identify companies that were failing to meet contract obligations while continuing to reward shareholders. The administration has argued that expanding production is essential as the US seeks to replenish military inventories. Industry leaders have welcomed the government’s long term procurement strategy, saying it gives manufacturers greater confidence to plan future investments. However, they have also noted that Congress must approve the necessary funding before companies can fully expand production facilities and hire additional workers. Many of the final details surrounding Pentagon weapons contracts, including delivery schedules and production targets, are still being negotiated. The Patriot missile agreement follows a similar initiative involving RTX, the parent company of Raytheon, aimed at increasing production of Tomahawk cruise missiles. Under that plan, annual output is expected to rise dramatically from around 60 missiles to as many as 1,000 each year once production reaches full capacity. Lockheed Martin said the latest contract will support its long term investment plans and help the company significantly expand manufacturing. The company expects to triple production capacity for its PAC 3 MSE interceptor missiles by the end of 2030. It also plans to increase its workforce at its Camden, Arkansas, facility by about 50 percent, raising employment from roughly 1,200 workers to around 1,850. The defence contractor has also announced plans to invest between $8 billion and $9 billion through 2030 to modernise more than 20 facilities across the United States. The investment includes the construction of new munitions production centres in Alabama and Arkansas to support increased manufacturing. The PAC 3 MSE interceptor is one of the most advanced missiles used within the Patriot air defence system. It is designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft through direct impact rather than carrying an explosive warhead. The system has become an important part of air defence operations in several regions facing growing missile threats. Concerns over US missile inventories have intensified in recent months. The Washington based Center for Strategic and International Studies recently estimated that the US military has fewer than 1,000 Patriot interceptors and fewer than 250 THAAD interceptors remaining in its stockpile. Both systems have been heavily used during recent military operations in the Middle East while the United States has also continued supplying advanced air defence equipment to partners facing ongoing security challenges.

The Pentagon has been criticised for delaying the public release of information about US military casualties during the ongoing conflict with Iran, with a CNN report claiming that injury figures have often been disclosed days or even weeks after incidents occurred. According to the report, US Central Command initially provided regular updates on troop injuries during the early stages of the conflict but has since stopped routinely announcing non fatal casualties. As a result, the Defence Casualty Analysis System has become the main official source for casualty information, although its updates have reportedly lagged behind events. A Pentagon official told CNN that documenting military injuries can take several days or even weeks because cases must go through medical evaluations and administrative reviews before being entered into official records. The official maintained that the casualty database is updated regularly despite the delays. The report said that since the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid June, the database initially recorded one new military death and 14 wounded personnel. The fatality was identified as Navy Commander Gabriel Edwards, a helicopter pilot who was lost at sea in the Arabian Sea on July 1. CNN reported that casualty figures appeared to be added in batches rather than immediately after incidents. One injured Air Force member was reportedly listed in a July 13 update, while another update on July 17 included 10 wounded soldiers and three injured sailors. After CNN published its report, the casualty database was updated again on July 20 with four additional military deaths and 20 more wounded service members. Despite those updates, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the official database still did not fully reflect the total number of injuries. In a statement posted on social media, he said nearly 100 US service members had been injured since July 7, adding that most suffered minor concussions. Parnell defended the Pentagon’s approach to releasing casualty information, arguing that providing immediate details about non fatal injuries could give valuable information to adversaries and potentially place more military personnel at risk. He also said the Pentagon and US Central Command have continued providing regular updates on military operations against Iran. According to Parnell, public statements by President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have also kept the public informed about the objectives and progress of the campaign. The report also highlighted several recent attacks involving US forces in the region. An Iranian missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan reportedly killed two American service members and left another missing. In a separate incident in northern Iraq, another US soldier died during the controlled destruction of a downed Iranian drone. US Central Command confirmed that one service member was injured during the Iraq operation. It also said four personnel who were treated in hospitals in Jordan following the airbase attack had been discharged after receiving medical care. Officials added that several other military personnel suffered minor injuries but were able to return to duty after medical evaluation. The latest report has renewed questions about the speed and transparency of casualty reporting during military operations, with critics arguing that delayed disclosures make it more difficult for the public to understand the human cost of the conflict.

An Angolan court has sentenced two Russian men, Lev Lakshtanov and Igor Ratchin, to eight and 11 years in prison respectively after convicting them of terrorism and espionage charges. Prosecutors alleged that the pair planned a coup and helped organise violent fuel price demonstrations in July 2025, which resulted in 22 deaths and more than 1,600 arrests. The court heard that the men sought to manipulate upcoming presidential elections by funding the main opposition party, UNITA, or instigating a leadership change within the ruling MPLA party. Prosecutors linked Lakshtanov and Ratchin to Africa Politology, a Russian disinformation network formerly tied to the Wagner mercenary group and now managed by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. Two Angolan co-defendants were tried alongside the Russians, resulting in a two-year suspended sentence for a local journalist and an acquittal for an opposition youth leader. Both Russian nationals denied the allegations, claiming their presence in Angola was purely for business and cultural activities, and remain in detention while appealing against their sentences.