Brazil Elects First Right-Wing President in Two Decades

Jair Bolsonaro, a legislator from Rio De Janiero, defeated former mayor of Sau Paulo Fernando Haddad in Sunday’s presidential election in Brazil. His victory is the first for a right-wing candidate in over two decades. Bolsonaro appealed to anger at Haddad’s party, the Workers’ Party, under whose leadership Brazil had seen rising prosperity turn into a deep economic downturn. Two of its previous presidents have been investigated for corruption, with one, Dilma Rousseff, being impeached two years ago and her predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, currently serving a jail sentence.

Bolsonaro has promised to undertake free market reforms to make the economy more competitive. However, there are concerns over his previous controversial comments about women and minorities, as well as his previous economic positions not aligned with free market ideology.

Plane Crash off Indonesian Coast Believed to Have Killed 189

Lion Air Flight 610, a domestic Indonesian flight, crashed off the country’s coast on Monday, with 181 passengers and 8 crew on board. Officials do not believe any people on board survived the crash.

The crash is Indonesia’s deadliest aviation in two decades, with the country having a mixed record on aviation safety in the past. The cause of the crash is under investigation, with Boeing, the maker of the 737 jet involved in the crash, also involved to investigate whether a mechanical failure was to blame.

Tsunami Kills at Least 420 in Indonesia

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia Friday, causing a 5 foot tsunami to hit the island of Sulawesi. At least 420 were killed in the monster waves, with the death toll expected to rise over the next few days.

The tsunami, while not as powerful and destructive as the 2004 tsunami that ravaged coasts along the Indian Ocean, caused severe destruction across the island. Numerous buildings in cities such as Palu were destroyed, along with roads being made impassable. The tsunami also cut off power to many areas on the island.