International

Lula to travel to Egypt for climate summit

Photo: Sergio Lima / AFP

| By AFP |

Brazil’s president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday he would travel to Egypt to take part in the COP27 global climate summit next week to meet international leaders.

“I will travel to Egypt on Monday. I will have more conversations with world leaders in a single day than (Jair) Bolsonaro did in four years,” Lula said during a meeting with legislators in Brasilia, in a dig at the current president, whom he beat in last month’s election.

The Workers’ Party (PT) leader did not specify which leaders he would meet with.

He was invited to the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh by Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

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“We will reposition Brazil at the center of international geopolitics,” added Lula, 77.

He said his re-election after two previous mandates from 2003-2010, was generating much “expectation” in the world after he defeated the far-right Bolsonaro in a tight run-off in October.

In the first three years under Bolsonaro, a climate change skeptic, average annual deforestation in the Amazon rainforest increased 75 percent on the previous decade.

Lula has made environmental protection a key part of his platform and has vowed to achieve “zero deforestation.”

He is due to assume the presidency for his third term on January 1.

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When COP27 ends on November 18, Lula will travel to Portugal to meet President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa, according to Brazilian media.

International

Missile attack hits Kharkiv homes, leaving 13 wounded

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that a Russian missile attack on residential buildings in the eastern city of Kharkiv has left at least 13 people injured, according to local authorities.

“A horrific Russian attack on Kharkiv,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, explaining that two missiles were fired, striking residential areas and causing “a number of casualties that is still being clarified.”

Local officials later confirmed that 13 people were injured in the attack, six of whom were hospitalized, including one woman in serious condition.

International

Sheinbaum evacuates National Palace after 6.5-magnitude earthquake hits Southern Mexico

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo evacuated the National Palace on Friday along with journalists and federal government staff after the seismic alert was activated during her morning press conference, triggered by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in the south of the country.

The alert sounded while the president was speaking from the Treasury Hall, forcing the immediate interruption of the event and the activation of established safety protocols.

“Oh, it’s shaking,” Sheinbaum said as she noticed the tremor, before urging those present to remain calm.

According to preliminary information, the earthquake struck the state of Guerrero, one of Mexico’s most seismically active regions. The National Seismological Service (SSN) reported that the quake occurred at 7:58 a.m. local time (13:58 GMT).

Sheinbaum led the orderly evacuation of the historic building, accompanied by reporters covering the briefing and federal government personnel. Images released afterward show the president waiting in the central courtyard of the National Palace as she awaited guidance from Civil Protection authorities on whether it was safe to resume activities.

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International

Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney to join Ukraine peace talks in Paris

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Friday that he will take part in peace negotiations on Ukrainescheduled to be held in Paris on January 5 and 6.

In a statement, the Canadian government said the meeting will bring together countries belonging to the so-called Coalition of the Willing, and aims to “accelerate efforts toward a negotiated peace” in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, supported by robust security guarantees.

Carney said Canada is working closely with its allies to achieve a “just and lasting peace,” stressing that the Coalition of the Willing must both deter further aggression and reinforce security guarantees, while ensuring that Ukraine is able to rebuild, recover and lay the foundations for genuine prosperity.

The Coalition of the Willing is made up of around 30 countries, the vast majority of them European, all of which are allies of Kyiv.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that a meeting of the Coalition, alongside other European leaders, will take place in Paris on January 6, focusing on security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a future peace agreement with Russia.