WORLD

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who rose from poverty to Brazil's presidency before crashing into disgrace in a corruption scandal, made a spectacular comeback as leader of Latin America's biggest economy at the age of 77. Lula, as he is affectionately known, scraped ahead of far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro to win a third term at the helm, election authorities confirmed. Just 18 months ago, the bearded leftist hero with the trademark raspy voice was a political pariah, imprisoned in a corruption scandal that divided the nation. Disgust with his Workers' Party (PT) propelled Bolsonaro into office in 2018, however the vitriolic and divisive conservative quickly lost popularity as he oversaw Covid-19 carnage, environmental destruction, and made comments criticized as racist, sexist an...

Ukrainian armed forces early on Monday claimed to have recaptured more than 20 settlements in the regions of Donetsk and Kharkiv over the past 24 hours following a major counter-offensive against units of the Russian army. Moscow has issued no response to the Ukrainian claims. "In the past 24 hours, Ukrainian armed forces drove the enemy away from more than 20 settlements" and are regaining "full control over them", the Ukrainian army said in its daily briefing. "In their retreat, Russian troops are hastily abandoning their positions and fleeing," the army statement added. Over the weekend, Ukraine claimed sweeping successes against Russia in the south and the east, including the cities of Izyum, Kupiansk and Balakliya. On Sunday night, regions in eastern Ukraine saw wide...

French President Emmanuel Macron asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday to withdraw Russian weaponry from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant while Putin warned of the potential "catastrophic consequences" of what he said were Ukrainian attacks on the facility. According to the Elysee, Macron had told the Russian leader in a call that "the Russian occupation was the reason for the risks. According to the Kremlin's version of the call, Putin "drew attention to regular Ukrainian attacks on (Zaporizhzhia nuclear) facilities, including a radioactive waste storage facility, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences." The statement said that the call was made "at the initiative of the French side" and that the conversation comprised a "detailed and frank exchange of vi...

An historic Accession Council proclaimed Charles III as Britain's new king on Saturday morning following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II aged 96. The Queen's state funeral will take place on Monday 19 September, palace officials confirmed. Thank you for following our live blog. Read FRANCE 24’s live coverage of the day’s events.  The council, televised for the first time, is a centuries-old formality to recognise the new king's sovereignty even though he automatically became monarch after Queen Elizabeth II's passing.Several hundred privy councillors including current Prime Minister Liz Truss and all of her living predecessors, Charles's wife Camilla and his eldest son and heir William all attended the ceremony at St James's Palace, London.King Charl...

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late on Tuesday on a trip she said shows an unwavering American commitment to the Chinese-claimed self-ruled island, but China condemned the highest-level U.S. visit in 25 years as a threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Pelosi and the rest of her delegation disembarked from a U.S. Air Force transport plane at Songshan Airport in downtown Taipei after the nighttime landing on a flight from Malaysia to begin a visit that risks pushing U.S.-Chinese relations to a new low. They were greeted by Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu, and Sandra Oudkirk, the top U.S. representative in Taiwan. Her arrival prompted a furious response from China at a time when international tensions alrea...

Mali's military rulers announced on Monday they would delay until March 2024 a return to civilian rule following double coups that have been denounced by countries in the region and foreign powers. Junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita signed a decree read out on state television saying that "the duration of the transition is fixed at 24 months (from) March 26, 2022". Mali has undergone two military coups, the first in August 2020, when the army ousted elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. A second de-facto coup occurred in May 2021, when strongman Goita pushed out an interim civilian government and took over the presidency. He had pledged to return power to civilians by February 2022 but subsequently extended the timetable, incurring hard-hitting sanctions. Regional b...

A jury's finding that both Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, were defamed in a long-running public dispute capped a lurid six-week trial that also raised questions about whether the two actors can overcome tarnished reputations. The verdict handed down Wednesday in Virginia found that Depp had been defamed by three statements in an op-ed written by Heard in which she said she was an abuse victim. The jury awarded him more than $10 million. But jurors also concluded that Heard was defamed by a lawyer for Depp who accused her of creating a detailed hoax surrounding the abuse allegations. She was awarded $2 million. Depp had hoped the libel lawsuit would help restore his reputation. However, legal and entertainment experts said that both actors' reputations ...

Hungary's divisive leader has once again got his own way with the European Union - this time in tough negotiations on Russian oil at the recent summit in Brussels. "We have protected [the government's cap on household utility bills] and successfully staved off a proposal by the Commission that would have prohibited the use of Russian oil in Hungary," Orban said after his return from Brussels where EU member states discussed a ban on the import of Russian gas. “We have enough problems already," he was quoted by the Budapest Times as saying. "Energy prices are soaring, inflation is high, and all of Europe is teetering on the edge of a global economic crisis because of the sanctions. "Under these circumstances, it would have been unbearable for us if we h...

The United States said Monday it was looking for ways to represent the people of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in a summit next month following threats to boycott over their governments' exclusion. The United States is welcoming Latin American leaders to Los Angeles for the June 6-10 Summit of the Americas, part of President Joe Biden's efforts to promote democracy and tackle migration and climate change. US officials said that they reached out formally last week to other nations to attend and that further invitations could come. "We are still evaluating options on how to best incorporate the voices of the Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan people into the summit process," an administration official said. The State Department has previously voiced confidence at "robust" particip...

World leaders rushed to congratulate French President Emmanuel Macron for his re-election on Sunday in a second round marked by a rise in the far-right vote. The first political leaders to congratulate Emmanuel Macron for his election victory over his far-right rival Marine Le Pen were France's European partners.  "We can count on France for five more years," European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter. | SOURCE : RFI