Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets over the weekend, protesting controversial parliamentary efforts that would see former leader Jair Bolsonaro pardoned for an unsuccessful coup attempt, as well as raise the bar for future criminal proceedings against politicians. These anti-corruption protests, which took place across all of Brazil, come as Bolsonaro and his allies work to negate a 27-year sentence for his role in the 2023 uprising that sought to overturn his electoral loss to current Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro is on house arrest while his legal team works through the appeals process.

Brazil ‘does not want impunity’
Long before the passage last week of a measure — dubbed the “bandit bill” by critics — to potentially grant some form of amnesty to Bolsonaro and his followers, the former president had “touted legislative amnesty” as one of his “political avenues to freedom,” said Reuters. The “legality of such a move,” however, “remains contentious.” 

Legislative amnesty is a shortcut to “achieving some form of justice,” said Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, to Reuters. Not so, said the current Brazilian president, commonly known as Lula. The weekend’s massive demonstrations “show that the population does not want impunity or amnesty,” Lula said on social media Sunday. He has also pledged to veto any amnesty bill. To Lula’s point, attendance at the anti-Bolsonaro protests in both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo was the “highest for a left-wing demonstration” since Lula’s 2022 victory rally, The Associated Press said. 

A ‘shielding bill’ or fighting ‘judicial overreach’?
Adding to the debate over Bolsonaro’s future is a parliamentary push to pass a constitutional amendment that would significantly raise the bar for future political prosecutions. Under the “so-called ‘shielding bill,’” legislators would be required to vote by secret ballot to “give the go-ahead for one of their own to be charged or arrested,” said Al Jazeera. Supporters have insisted the tightened criteria are necessary to combat “judicial overreach,” although both this and any potential amnesty for Bolsonaro will “face an uphill battle” in Brazil’s senate.

Cruises remain one of the most popular choices for an easy and cost-efficient vacation, but data shows that there is a drawback: Crime rates aboard cruise ships are continuing to rise and have reached an almost two-year high in 2025. Crime on these floating cities isn’t a new phenomenon, but experts say it is important to remain vigilant as statistics increase.

How bad is crime on cruise ships?
Crime has always been a problem on cruise ships due to the large number of people confined on board. Sexual assaults and rapes are particularly common. However, the issue appears to have reached new heights this year. From January to March 2025, there were 48 crimes on cruise ships reported to the FBI, according to data from the Department of Transportation. This marks the highest three-month period of crimes reported on cruise ships since April to June 2023, when the FBI counted 55 incidents. 

Of the reported incidents, at least 23 were “reported rapes, 10 were sexual assaults and seven were assaults, which all reportedly happened on cruise ships,” said Fox 9. As with all other ship incidents, the “crimes documented by the DOT are alleged and based on ship reporting, and do not reflect the outcome of any law enforcement investigation.”

How can you stay safe?
Experts say it often comes down to standard safety measures. Cruise ships are “generally safe environments, but as with anywhere, it’s smart to take some common-sense precautions,” said cruise content creator Jenni Fielding to The Independent. 

If you are on a cruise ship, you should “lock your cabin door at night, avoid leaving drinks unattended and never go into someone’s stateroom alone,” Fielding told The Independent. And while crime rates on ships may be rising, cruises remain “one of the safest vacation options in the world, with rates of serious crimes that are exceedingly lower than those on land due to multiple layers of security and the nature of cruising,” said Charles Syvia, the vice president of industry and trade relations for Cruise Lines International Association, to industry outlet TravelPulse.

Stephen Purvis kisses his prize onion after it won the title of “Heaviest Onion” at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show in Ripon, northern England. The 19.4-pound onion was one of many giant vegetables on display at the event, alongside a 55-pound cabbage and a 21-pound carrot.
Oli Scarff / Getty Images

Fall is the season that horror hounds spend the whole year dreaming about. It’s not just the incipient chill in the air but also the forward march toward Halloween — aka Christmas for scare addicts — that usually sees studios roll out their best horror films of the year. 

‘Bone Lake’
A couple, Diego (Marco Pigossi) and Sage (Maddie Hasson), arrive at their lakeside rental to reconnect only to find another pair, Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), have also booked it. Rather than waste a perfectly lovely vacation house, the four decide to split it, which results first in sexual tension and then madcap violence. (in theaters Oct. 3)

‘Frankenstein’
A Guillermo del Toro adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel starring Oscar Isaac (pictured above), Jacob Elordi and top-tier scream queen Mia Goth sounds like a score for horror fans. A movie that del Toro has “been dreaming of for decades,” the project “may be the culmination of del Toro’s artistic life,” said The Associated Press. (in theaters Oct. 17; Nov. 7, Netflix)

‘Keeper’
The latest from “Longlegs” director Osgood Perkins, “Keeper” is set in a remote cabin rented for the weekend by Liz (Tatiana Maslany) and Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland). When Malcolm has to leave abruptly, Liz is left alone to deal with some kind of supernatural menace. Horror fans are hoping for a return to form from Perkins, whose first 2025 release was the Stephen King adaptation “The Monkey.” (in theaters Nov. 14)