What are the 10 biggest news stories from today?

Based on current reports, here are 10 major news stories making headlines today, October 4, 2026:

1. Brazil's Presidential Election – First Round Voting
Brazilians are voting today in a tightly contested presidential race. The first round of voting in the Brazilian presidential election is taking place on October 4 from 8am to 5pm Brasilia time, and if no candidate wins outright, the top two candidates will proceed to a run-off. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking a record fourth term, which would bring his total time in office to 16 years, while he is being challenged by Flávio Bolsonaro, who hopes to follow his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, into Brazil's highest office. The two candidates face off in a deeply polarized nation, locked in a closely fought race that polls show remains too tight to call.

2. Escalating US-Iran Military Tensions
Internationally, tensions involving the United States and Iran remain an important area of coverage, with reports that the United States is deploying additional military forces, including a third aircraft carrier to the region.

3. Israeli Strikes in Gaza Continue
The IDF confirmed carrying out a strike targeting senior Hamas official Ali al-Amoudi overnight, while acknowledging that the results of the strike are still under review. Five people, including a girl, were killed in an Israeli strike on an apartment in western Gaza City, according to the city's Shifa Hospital and Hamas's civil defense agency.

4. Dual UK-Iranian National Released on Bail Over Alleged Plot
A dual UK-Iranian national has been released on bail over a suspected plot against a US-run base.

5. Yemen's Army Targets Houthis in Major Offensive
Yemen's army says it has targeted Houthis in hundreds of strikes, killing 700.

6. Asian Games 2026 Closing Ceremony
The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games reach their scheduled conclusion on October 4, following a strong run of performances by Indian athletes, as the Games opened on September 19 with the closing ceremony scheduled for October 4.

7. Apple Pay Officially Launches in India
Apple Pay became available in India on September 30, 2026, through eligible Axis Bank-issued Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Users with eligible cards can add them to Apple Wallet and make payments using compatible iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches, with Mac support said to follow.

8. Deadly Transportation Accidents Abroad
Multiple fatal crashes were reported internationally: a road crash killed 20 people in Nigeria's Plateau state, and at least 17, mostly Catholic pilgrims, were killed in a crash on a highway in Kenya.

9. Delhi Launches AI-Based Pollution Monitoring System
The Delhi government launched an Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee at the DMRC IT Park in Shastri Park on October 2.

10. flydubai Pilot Praised After Mid-Air Incident
In the aviation world, the Dubai crown prince visited a flydubai pilot in the hospital, hailing him for "embodying the highest degrees of courage" following a dramatic incident described elsewhere as a passenger seizing the controls.

Note: News is constantly developing, and search aggregation tools returned significant amounts of low-quality or template content today, so this list reflects the most substantive, verifiable stories I could confirm. For the very latest updates, I'd recommend checking a live news source directly.