It was a busy week in the world. Here are five stories from October 19 to 26, 2026, explained simply and fairly, with a little wonder at the end.
1. Brazil chooses its president (October 25)
Brazilians voted on Sunday in a runoff for president. According to CBS News, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the sitting president, won with about 51.8% of the vote, nearly 4.4 million votes ahead of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. If confirmed, Lula begins a new term on January 5, 2027.
Flávio Bolsonaro did not concede and asked for the result to be annulled. His side pointed to the decision to extend voting by two hours, which came after requests from both campaigns. Lula’s team had cited bus problems in two cities, and Bolsonaro’s team had cited heavy rain in the south. PBS NewsHour reported that the decision to extend voting could lead to legal action, so the final word may still rest with the courts.
Whatever one thinks of the candidates, nearly 160 million Brazilians were registered to vote, and a peaceful vote count is worth a prayer.
2. An American teacher comes home from Russian custody (October 21)
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, was released by Russia. Al Jazeera reports that he had been sentenced to seven years after Russian prosecutors said he fought alongside Ukrainian forces. His family says he had lived in Ukraine since before the 2022 invasion. The United States had named him a wrongfully detained American.
He was freed during a visit to Russia by US envoy Steve Witkoff, who was there for talks with Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine. President Trump said on social media that the US gave nothing in return and that Hubbard was on his way home to his family. The details of the deal were not spelled out in the reports we read.
For one family, a long wait is over.
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
— Matthew 5:9 (KJV)
3. A new push for women’s health research (October 19)
At the White House, President Trump signed an executive order on women’s health research. According to a news report carried by WOWT, it creates a women’s health division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force, led by chief of staff Susie Wiles and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. First Lady Melania Trump championed the effort.
The order points research toward maternal health, mental health and endometriosis, and also mentions conditions such as Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke. It sets no specific funding amounts. The report did not quote critics, so how it works out will depend on what follows. Readers with health questions should check with their doctor.
4. The sky Van Gogh really saw (reported October 24)
Here is a story for dreamers. A study in the journal Scientific Reports, by researchers from the company SLLAB and Kyung Hee University in South Korea, suggests that the stars in Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night match the real pre-dawn sky over Saint-Rémy, France, around July 22, 1889. That sky held a waning crescent moon, Venus and the Hyades star cluster.
The painting is often linked to a June date from one of his letters, so the finding is a new interpretation, and the authors argue Van Gogh painted what he observed, not only what he imagined. Good News Network reported the study on October 24. We could not open the study itself, so we are relying on that report.
5. Three strangers and a wedding ring (reported October 23)
Patrick Mohr of Ireland lost his wedding ring in a fast-flowing stream while on holiday in Italy. His wife asked three nearby Italian friends for help. After two days with kayaks, the men tried again on day three, roped to boulders with snorkeling gear, and Nicola Malloggi spotted the ring in the river sand. Then they flew to Ireland to hand it back, and had dinner with the family. Good News Network shared the story from Mohr’s account to CBC.
It is a small story, but kindness to a stranger rarely feels small to the person receiving it.
Which of these stories stayed with you most this week, and who will you pray for because of it?
Sources: PBS NewsHour, “Lula beats Bolsonaro in Brazil runoff, securing fourth presidential term” (October 25, 2026); CBS News, “Lula wins fourth term as Brazil’s president, beating Flávio Bolsonaro in runoff, but Bolsonaro rejects results” (October 25, 2026); Al Jazeera, “Russia releases American Stephen Hubbard after four years in prison” (October 21, 2026); WOWT, “Trump signs an order aimed at boosting women’s health research, a plan backed by the first lady” (October 19, 2026); Good News Network, “Stars in Van Gogh’s Starry Night match sky in July 1889” (October 24, 2026); Good News Network, “3 Italian ‘Hobbits’ Searched for Irishman’s ‘Precious’ Wedding Ring” (October 23, 2026); King James Bible Online, Matthew 5:9.
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