While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 26, 2026

Exiled opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returns to VenezuelaVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Caracas in a surprise move that could pose the biggest test yet to acting President Delcy Rodriguez’s political opening and the Trump administration’s strategy for post-Maduro Venezuela.“I’m here, with you,” Machado posted on X on Oct 25, confirming her return after months abroad. She gave no details on how she entered Venezuela, but her party shared photos and videos of her arriving at a church in Lara state, where emotional supporters embraced her and said, “She will be the next president of Venezuela.”Machado’s team earlier thanked President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their support, signaling an effort to underscore her ties with Washington even as her return risks complicating the administration’s Venezuela strategy.Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House, said he didn’t know about Machado’s return. Other US officials, including her longtime ally, Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, celebrated the move, with Salazar calling it “the beginning of a new chapter.”READ MORE HERESerbian longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic concedes defeat in parliamentary electionPHOTO: EPASerbian longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic surprisingly conceded defeat in a snap vote on Oct 25, saying the student-backed movement that challenged him won the election.Vucic, speaking to his supporters in Belgrade as results were trickling in, said the Student List won the ballot with the help of foreign aid, without providing evidence for his claims.The movement received more than 2 million votes in the Balkan country of 6.5 million, he said.READ MORE HEREStorms batter Europe hitting power supplies, flights and phonesPHOTO: AFPStorms battered northern Europe on Oct 25, cutting power to more than 150,000 homes, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and silencing phone networks.A runner in a marathon in northern France was seriously injured runner when a tree was felled by strong winds during the race.More than 82,000 homes in Britain, nearly 60,000 in France and at least 10,000 in Germany had power cuts inflicted by the passage of storms Boelo and Austen within 24 hours of each other, authorities in the countries said.READ MORE HERETrump has no designs on taking over state elections, US attorney-general saysPHOTO: EPAThe Justice Department’s bid to preemptively block the results of Alaska’s Senate race is not an attempt to give US President Donald Trump control of state elections, US Attorney-General Todd Blanche said on Oct 25.Blanche’s agency on Oct 23 sued to stop Alaska from certifying the results of its US Senate race if the Republican incumbent candidate loses narrowly. But the Justice Department is not setting the stage for overturning an election result if it’s unfavourable to Trump, Blanche said.“President Trump is not trying to take over a state election in any way, shape, or form,” Blanche told CNN’s State of the Union programme. “We’re not laying any groundwork for the president to do that.”READ MORE HEREKimi Antonelli wins US Grand Prix but must wait for titlePHOTO: REUTERSKimi Antonelli won the US Grand Prix for Mercedes on Oct 25 to stand on the brink of becoming Formula One’s youngest ever champion in Mexico next weekend.The 20-year-old Italian did all he could to put the championship out of reach of his rivals in Texas but Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes teammate George Russell did just enough to delay the inevitable with fourth and eighth.Antonelli now needs to score only two points – a ninth place – in Mexico to be sure of the title.READ MORE HERE