International
Brazil’s Bolsonaro, silent after election loss, to skip G20
| By AFP |
Brazil’s outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro will not participate in the G20 summit in Indonesia, the foreign ministry said Monday, without explaining his unusual absence from the meeting.
Aside from a brief speech two days after his razor-thin election loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva late last month, the far-right Bolsonaro has all but disappeared from public view, and is unusually silent on social media, with his official agenda empty.
The Brazilian delegation to the meeting of the world’s 20 most developed nations “is being led by Foreign Minister Carlos Franca,” the ministry told AFP.
It is the first time since the start of his mandate in January 2019 that Bolsonaro — who remains in office until January 1, 2023 — will not be at the summit to represent Brazil.
With Bolsonaro out of sight and keeping mum, all eyes are on the politician known simply as Lula as he prepares his transition to a third term as president of the Latin American giant.
Lula was on Monday traveling to Egypt for the COP27 global climate summit, under the heavy weight of expectation that Brazil will signal a turnaround in the protection of the Amazon.
The rainforest has experienced rampant deforestation under Bolsonaro, who prioritized what he saw as economic development through mining and agriculture in the vast area.
Bolsonaro’s handling of the Amazon’s destruction contributed largely to Brazil’s international isolation.
At the G20 summit in Rome last year, Bolsonaro was spotted awkwardly meandering alone around a room, as other leaders chatted amiably.
Another leader who is shunning the G20 meeting is Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who is isolated due to the war he is pursuing in Ukraine.
International
Singer seriously injured after knife attack in Tokyo’s Akasaka District
A woman in her forties was stabbed on Sunday by a man in Tokyo’s busy Akasaka district, leaving her with serious injuries, according to local media reports.
At around 10:25 a.m. (local time), police received an emergency call reporting that a woman was bleeding after being attacked with a knife by a man wearing a black hood in the basement of a building in Akasaka, police sources told Kyodo News.
The woman sustained severe injuries to her abdomen and hand but was conscious when she was transported to a hospital, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said, adding that the suspected assailant fled the scene with what appeared to be a knife.
The victim, believed to be a singer, was reportedly attacked while waiting alone outside a live music club where she was scheduled to perform.
Police stated that they are searching for the suspect and noted that the woman did not know him.
International
Ombudsman confirms deaths of six minors in bombing targeting FARC dissidents
Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office reported on Saturday the deaths of six minors who had been recruited by guerrilla groups, killed during the deadliest airstrike ordered by President Gustavo Petro in an Amazonian region in the south of the country.
Amid pre-election criticism and pressure from the United States demanding stronger action against drug trafficking, Petro has intensified military operations against armed groups. Over the past week, a series of bombings have left 28 people dead.
The minors were killed in an airstrike announced on Tuesday against a camp belonging to dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC guerrilla in the department of Guaviare, resulting in 19 deaths—the largest operation of its kind under Petro’s administration.
“This is all deeply regrettable; it is war in its most painful and inhumane expression, harming the most vulnerable—minors recruited due to lack of protection and now turned into military targets,” said Ombudswoman Iris Marín in an audio message sent to the press, confirming the deaths of six minors without providing their ages.
Marín held the guerrilla group led by the country’s most-wanted man, alias Iván Mordisco, responsible for recruiting the children.
However, she also stressed that “the military forces must take every feasible precaution to protect children,” in accordance with international principles that require “careful evaluation of the means and methods of warfare to avoid disproportionate or unnecessary harm.”
International
Colombia reaches $4.5 billion deal to acquire 17 Gripen Fighter Jets from Saab
The Colombian government has finalized a negotiation agreement with the Swedish company Saab for the purchase of 17 SAP-39 Gripen fighter jets, valued at more than $4.5 billion, according to local media reports.
Colombian outlets indicated that payments are scheduled to begin in 2026, starting with an initial installment of 100 billion Colombian pesos. However, the aircraft will be delivered between 2027 and 2032, when the final jet is expected to arrive in Colombia.
This new contract represents the second-largest public purchase made by Colombia so far this century, surpassed only by the investment in the Bogotá metro system, local media noted.
The agreement is expected to be officially signed during the ceremony commemorating the 216th anniversary of the Colombian Aerospace Force, to be held in Cali on November 14 of this year.
-
Central America3 days agoArévalo warns of ‘Dark Interests’ targeting human rights defenders in Guatemala
-
International5 days agoVenezuela accuses U.S. of using Naval Deployment to pressure Maduro government
-
International3 days agoColombia reaches $4.5 billion deal to acquire 17 Gripen Fighter Jets from Saab
-
Central America4 days agoNewborn found in Costa Rican dump survives two days in unsanitary conditions
-
Sin categoría5 days agoConvicted gang member challenges Guatemala’s anti-gang law, citing Human Rights Violations
-
International2 days agoOmbudsman confirms deaths of six minors in bombing targeting FARC dissidents
-
International13 hours agoSinger seriously injured after knife attack in Tokyo’s Akasaka District



























