Updated

Brazil marked its Independence Day with the two leading presidential candidates holding separate public events, underscoring the high stakes of October's tightly contested election. Polls continue to show a close race between the frontrunners as the campaign intensifies nationwide. Adding to the political tension, a rift has deepened within Brazil's Supreme Court after one justice suspended the federal police chief amid allegations of misconduct between two justices. The dispute threatens to pull the judiciary into the political battle ahead of the election, raising concerns about institutional stability during an already polarized campaign season.