Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declares at the opening of UN climate talks in the Amazon that “it is time to inflict a new defeat” on climate change deniers, and that “COP30 will be the COP of truth”.
Belém (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula poses for a group photo with COP 30 executives as the climate summit begins. IMAGES
Belém (Brazil) (AFP) – The head of last year’s COP29, Mukhtar Babayev, announces that Andre Correa do Lago is elected as president of this year’s COP30 in Brazil. The two men share a photo opportunity as a gavel is symbolically handed over. IMAGES
Belém (Brazil) (AFP) – Indigenous people perform dance at the COP30 opening ceremony in Brazil. IMAGES
Belém (Brazil) (AFP) – People arrive at the COP30 climate change conference in Belem, Brazil, on opening day. Starting on Monday, the 50,000 participants expected in the Amazonian city face the daunting task of keeping global climate cooperation from collapsing. IMAGES
Langkawi (Malaysia) (AFP) – Malaysian rescuers recover a body after a boat carrying migrants capsized near the Thai border. Officials believe the boat was carrying undocumented migrants who departed from Myanmar, part of a group of at least 300 people that had split between several vessels. At least seven bodies have been recovered so far. IMAGES
Langkawi (Malaysia) (AFP) – Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency rescues two people, with dozens more missing, after a boat capsized near the Thai border. Officials believe the boat was carrying undocumented migrants who departed from Myanmar, part of a group of at least 300 people that had split between several vessels.
Kilauea Volcano (United States) (AFP) – One of the most active volacanoes in the world has started erupting. Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, is spewing large columns of lava into the air. Kilauea is one of six active volcanoes located in the Hawaiian Islands.
Machala (Equateur) (AFP) – At least four people have been killed and over 30 injured in violence at a prison in Ecuador involving firearms and explosives, according to authorities. This is the latest spasm of prison unrest in the South American country plagued by drug-trafficking gangs. IMAGES
Santa Marta (Colombie) (AFP) – The Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavsky, states the need to invest in Ukraine’s defense to halt the Russian offensive and ensure Europe’s security. Following the victory of populist Andrej Babis in the Czech legislative elections, the outgoing government fears a shift in policy regarding Ukraine. “If we want to stop Russia, we have to pay for it,” Lipavsky says from the Colombian city of Santa Marta, where he is attending the summit between CELAC and the EU. SOUNDBITE
Outeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Two cruise ships tower imposingly over the otherwise unassuming Brazilian port of Outeiro in Belem, the Amazon city hosting some 50,000 people for a UN climate conference starting Monday. With capacity for 6,000 people, the floating hotels were brought in as additional housing for conference delegates in a city unable to provide sufficient lodgings of the more traditional kind.
Rio Bonito do Iguaçu (Brazil) (AFP) – Cleanup efforts are underway in Rio Bonito, where many residents have been left homeless overnight after a tornado packing winds of up to 260 km per hour tore through the small town in southern Brazil. “I got home and found myself homeless, at least for now, until I can rebuild,” says local resident Nereu Sabadini. At least six people lost their lives, and 750 have been injured.
