Bolsonaro takes Brazil to the right

BRAZIL: “This government will be a defender of the constitution, democracy, and of truth,” said incoming President Jair Bolsonaro after winning Sunday’s election. “This is a promise not of the party, a vain promise of man, it is a promise to God.” The former congressman’s victory marked a hard pivot right after the largest country in South America was overwhelmed by scandals on the left. To watch: how strong was evangelical support in Bolsonaro’s victory. Bolsonaro was baptized in the Jordan River in 2016—signaling an evangelical conversion many regarded as a political stunt. But Brazil’s rapidly growing evangelical population latched onto his stand against same-sex marriage and abortion, despite Bolsonaro’s reported temper and harsh language.

RUSSIA failed in a vote in the UN General Assembly Friday intended to strengthen the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) treaty after the United States announced Oct. 20 it was quitting the 30-year-old agreement.

GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel told party associates she will not continue to lead Christian Democrats after 18 years as the party head.

INDONESIA: All 189 passengers are presumed dead in a Lion Air crash between Jakarta and Sumatra.

PHILIPPINES: One year after ISIS invaded Marawi, 65,000 residents remain displaced—including at least 35,000 Christians targeted in the siege.

UNITED STATES: Robert Bowers, the suspect in Saturday’s synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that left 11 people dead, fingered the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, or HIAS, in an online post before the attack, writing, “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. …” HIAS began serving Jewish immigrants to New York City a century ago, helped Holocaust refugees resettle after World War II, and more recently has sponsored thousands of Christian and other non-Muslim refugees fleeing Iran and elsewhere, including those who continue to be indefinitely held up by the United States in Austria. HIAS also was party to a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s 2017 travel ban.

Next week, The Providence Journal hosts a Christianity and national security conference, with tickets available, along with $20 scholarships for students and young people. Contact Mark Tooley for more information about the scholarships.

SAUDI ARABIA and Iran are the worst places to be an atheist, while Belgium and the Netherlands rank the best in the latest report from the International Humanist and Ethical Union.

To have Globe Trot delivered to your email inbox, email Mindy at mbelz@wng.org.