English Listening Practice — October 4, 2026

🏛️ Voting in Brazil's 2026 presidential election has begun, with polls showing Lula and Bolsonaro nearly tied

Voting is officially underway in Brazil's 2026 presidential election.

Pre-election polling points to a dead heat between the two front-runners, Lula and Bolsonaro.

Neither candidate is projected to clear the 50 percent threshold needed to avert an October 25 runoff.

Both contenders concluded their campaigns on Saturday in the economic powerhouse state of São Paulo.

The 80-year-old Lula mobilized roughly 150,000 supporters at a major rally before casting his ballot on Sunday.

🏛️ Ethiopian government forces seize Tigray capital Mekelle as TPLF withdraws

Ethiopian federal troops and allied fighters have captured Mekelle, the regional capital of Tigray.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front confirmed late Saturday that its forces had withdrawn.

In an official statement, the group said it temporarily vacated the capital to operate elsewhere.

Government forces secured Mekelle’s main airport before advancing into the city center on Saturday afternoon.

Humanitarian personnel and local residents independently confirmed that federal troops and allied militia now maintain full control across the city.

🏛️ How the ‘G2’ effect of Trump-Xi summit is reverberating through Asia

Media narratives diverged sharply following the high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Chinese state media lauded the bilateral talks with effusive praise.

Outlets echoed the official stance, framing the meeting as charting a course for major power relations.

They declared that the leaders had forged a new chapter in diplomatic ties.

Coverage spotlighted President Trump extending the highest-level reception to his counterpart.

Consequently, audiences relying on respective domestic commentary walked away with starkly contrasting interpretations of the summit’s ultimate outcome.

⚡ OPEC+ agrees to keep November oil output targets steady

OPEC+ has agreed to hold its November oil production targets steady.

Seven core members ratified the decision during a brief virtual meeting on Sunday.

These key nations include Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Kazakhstan, and Oman.

The move aligns with market expectations that policy adjustments will remain on hold until next year.

However, ongoing regional export disruptions have severely hampered actual output.

Consequently, Gulf producers continue to pump well below their agreed quotas.

Exports have recently fluctuated between 60% and 80% of normal capacity.

📰 Tens of thousands protest across Spain over housing crisis

Tens of thousands of demonstrators mobilized across Spain on Saturday to demand decisive government intervention in the country's housing crisis.

Tensions escalated sharply overnight in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square.

Spanish police arrested three far-right agitators who attempted to confront encamped housing activists.

Officers subsequently discharged rubber bullets to quell the turmoil.

Volatility also erupted in the southeastern city of Valencia.

There, riot police deployed tear gas and rubber rounds to disperse crowds.

🤖 OpenAI safety leader quits, warning AI company’s culture is ‘broken’

A key safety leader at OpenAI has abruptly resigned from the company.

David Robinson stepped down while issuing a stark public warning.

He characterized the firm's internal culture as deeply "broken."

Furthermore, he cautioned that AI developers are not being nearly careful enough.

Robinson joins a growing cadre of industry insiders sounding the alarm.

Together, they are urging tech companies to exercise greater diligence as this technology advances at a breakneck pace.

📰 ESA’s Juice just used Earth as a slingshot to Jupiter

The European Space Agency’s Juice spacecraft recently executed a pivotal gravity assist past Earth.

On September 28, the probe skimmed just 8,640 kilometers above the Indian Ocean.

This flyby boosted its velocity by 3.5 kilometers per second and redirected its trajectory by 20 degrees toward Jupiter.

Mission controllers achieved this orbital maneuver with remarkable fuel efficiency.

They executed only a single minor course correction during the final four weeks.

Intensive tracking began in mid-August and was scheduled to run through October 10.

The probe captured images throughout the encounter.

📰 Chang’e-6 lunar soil contains a surprising magnetic time capsule

Scientists have uncovered a crucial clue to the Moon’s ancient magnetic past.

Researchers analyzing Chang’e-6 lunar soil identified a rare crystal structure, face-centered cubic gamma-iron, inside impact glass.

This marks the first time this metallic iron phase has been detected in natural lunar samples.

Led by Professor Haifeng Du of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the team detailed their findings in PNAS.

Advanced microscopy revealed that nanoscale gamma-iron particles were actually the predominant form of iron in the two samples studied.

These microscopic magnetic fossils offer a fresh window into lunar history.

🤖 California’s new laws target workers’ biggest fear of AI taking their jobs

California Governor Gavin Newsom has enacted a suite of landmark workplace laws targeting artificial intelligence.

The legislation prohibits employers from relying exclusively on automated systems to terminate staff.

It also outlaws workplace surveillance in restrooms, bans emotion-prediction algorithms, and restricts the collection of neural data.

Furthermore, companies must formally notify staff if artificial intelligence prompted layoffs.

These regulatory guardrails establish California as an early mover in worker protections.

They directly address escalating anxieties regarding unchecked surveillance, automated bias, and displacement.

🏎️ Verstappen wins in Malaysia after long delays as Russell retires

Max Verstappen secured his and Red Bull’s first victory of the season with a commanding drive in Malaysia.

He finished ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli capitalized on a late power unit failure that forced his teammate George Russell to retire from third place.

With that result, Antonelli extended his championship lead over Russell to 84 points with six or seven rounds remaining.

Lewis Hamilton mounted an extraordinary recovery from an early tire misstep.

He overtook Isack Hadjar in the closing stages to clinch the final podium spot.

📰 Marquez wins in Japan to cut Martin's MotoGP lead

Marc Marquez swept the Japanese Grand Prix, securing victories in both the sprint and Sunday’s main race.

Starting from pole position, Jorge Martin held the early advantage.

However, Marquez bided his time and overtook his rival on the 11th lap.

Martin crossed the line in second place, while Marco Bezzecchi rounded out the podium in third.

By taking maximum points at Motegi, Marquez advanced to 331 points.

The commanding double victory trims Martin’s championship lead to a razor-thin two points with six rounds remaining in the season.

📰 At this rave, the crowd is under 5 and home by 8 p.m

Australian DJ Lenny Pearce is selling out performance venues across North America with family-oriented techno dance events known as toddler raves.

The lively gatherings are designed to deliver electronic music fun for the entire household.

The core crowd consists of children under five years of age.

The schedule accommodates early bedtimes, ensuring attendees head home by eight in the evening.

Pearce's all-ages techno parties continue to sell out multiple venues across the continent.