JOHANNESBURG: Turkey&#39;s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday hailed a deal to share responsibility with Australia for next year&#39;s UN climate summit, which will see Ankara host while Canberra oversees the formal negotiations.&nbsp;&quot;We are pleased to host COP31 in Turkey next November,&quot; the Turkish president said in an address to leaders at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, hours after the two countries finalized a deal following a long-running standoff over the event.&nbsp;The unusual compromise was laid out in a document seen by AFP which is to be formally approved by consensus at the COP30 summit in Brazil.&nbsp;&quot;I believe the consensus we established together with Australia is of high importance,&quot; Erdogan said.&nbsp;Both countries sought to host COP31 in November 2026 and neither would back down, sparking a bidding war rarely seen for the annual climate talks.&nbsp;Australia enjoyed greater support than Turkey but the deadlock prevented a host from being chosen by consensus as required under United Nations rules.&nbsp;Under the compromise, Turkey will host the two-week summit in the southern resort city of Antalya and retain the formal COP31 presidency, while Australia would serve as vice president and chair the negotiations.&nbsp;The &quot;pre-COP&quot; -- technical consultations that usually occur about a month before the main summit -- are to take place in a Pacific Island nation, in a nod to Australia&#39;s original intention to co-host with its neighbors.

Asia

Turkey and Australia reached a compromise to jointly handle COP31 after a prolonged stalemate. Turkey will host the 2026 summit in Antalya and hold the presidency, while Australia will chair negotiations, with pre-COP talks set for a Pacific Island nation.

Erdogan 'pleased' Turkey to host COP31 summit, hails deal with Australia

RIO DE JANEIRO: Bodies piled up in poor neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday as police launched their biggest ever raids on the city&#39;s drug traffickers, leaving at least 64 dead in war-like scenes. As many as 2,500 heavily armed officers, backed by armored vehicles, helicopters, and drones, took part in the operation targeting Brazil&#39;s main drug-trafficking gang in two poor neighborhoods, or favelas, in northern Rio. Gunfire rang out in the area near Rio&#39;s international airport, and smoke billowed from several fires on Tuesday afternoon, several hours after the raids started. Residents scrambled for cover, and shops closed their doors amid police claims that the gangs were using drones to fight back. State Governor Claudio Castro described the operation in the Complexo da Penha and Complexo do Alemao favelas as the largest in the state&#39;s history. The central government said the raids aimed to stop a gang called Comando Vermelho (Red Command) from expanding. Castro reported a death toll of 60 suspected gang members. A source from his administration told AFP that four police officers were also killed. As of late Tuesday afternoon, the operation was still going on. &#39;Everyone is terrified&#39; AFP saw police in the Vila Cruzeiro neighborhood of Penha district guarding about 20 young people huddled together and sitting on the sidewalk, heads bowed, barefoot, and shirtless. &quot;This is the first time we&#39;ve seen drones (from criminals) dropping bombs in the community,&quot; said a Penha resident, speaking on condition of anonymity. &quot;Everyone is terrified because there&#39;s so much gunfire,&quot; she added. Raids in the favelas are common, but this was the deadliest one yet. Until now, the highest death toll came in a raid in 2021 that left 28 people dead. Tuesday&#39;s operation ground traffic on many of the seaside city&#39;s main streets to a halt. &quot;We&#39;re left without buses, without anything, in this chaos and not knowing what to do,&quot; said Regina Pinheiro, a 70-year-old retiree, who was trying to return home. Favelas ruled by gangs The police mobilized two helicopters, 32 armored vehicles, and 12 demolition vehicles used to destroy barricades erected by drug traffickers to prevent police from entering the narrow streets of the favelas. Major police operations are frequent in Rio, Brazil&#39;s main tourist destination, particularly in the favelas, poor and densely populated neighborhoods often ruled by criminal gangs. Castro posted a video on X of what he described as a gang-controlled drone launching a projectile from the cloudy sky. &quot;This is how the Rio police are treated by criminals: with bombs dropped by drones. This is the scale of the challenge we face. This is not ordinary crime, but narcoterrorism,&quot; he said. Congressman Henrique Vieira, an evangelical pastor, roundly condemned the police operation. The state government &quot;treats the favela as enemy territory, with a license to shoot and kill,&quot; he wrote on X. In Geneva, the UN human rights office said it was &quot;horrified&quot; by Tuesday&#39;s violence. &quot;This deadly operation furthers the trend of extreme lethal consequences of police operations in Brazil&#39;s marginalized communities,&quot; UN officials said in a statement. &quot;We remind authorities of their obligations under international human rights law, and urge prompt and effective investigations.&quot; Last year, approximately 700 people died during police operations in Rio, almost two a day. Experts and human rights organizations have criticized these types of security efforts in Brazil, deeming them ineffective against criminal organizations. The Human Rights Commission of the Rio State Legislative Assembly will demand &quot;explanations of the circumstances of the action, which has once again transformed Rio&#39;s favelas into a theater of war and barbarism,&quot; Dani Monteiro, a congresswoman who heads the commission, told AFP.

Americas

State governor describes operation as largest in state's history; central government says raids aimed to stop a gang from expanding; the UN human rights office says it was "horrified" by the violence.

At least 64 killed in war-like Rio drug raids

TOKYO: Japan beat Brazil for the first time on Tuesday, fighting from two goals down to win the friendly 3-2 in Ajinomoto Stadium.&nbsp;Ayase Ueda grabbed the winning goal with a header in the 71st minute, sending the sell-out crowd into celebration.&nbsp;It was Japan&#39;s historic first win over the South American powerhouse at its 14th attempt.&nbsp;Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti made several changes to the team that won 5-0 in South Korea four days ago, but the five-time world champion continued its strong form from Seoul with a dominant first half in the Japanese capital.&nbsp;Goals from Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli put the visitors seemingly in control at halftime, and a 12th win over Japan appeared likely.&nbsp;Seven minutes after the restart, however, Takumi Minamino capitalized on a mistake by Fabricio Bruno to score from inside the area. Just after the hour, Keito Nakamura&rsquo;s shot deflected off Bruno to bring Japan level.&nbsp;Both teams have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Football

Japan earned their first-ever win over Brazil, coming from two goals down to triumph 3-2 in Tokyo. Minamino, an own goal, and Ueda’s header sealed victory after Brazil’s early dominance in the friendly.

Articles tagged with "BRAZIL"

Erdogan 'pleased' Turkey to host COP31 summit, hails deal with Australia

At least 64 killed in war-like Rio drug raids

Japan beats Brazil for the first time in Tokyo comeback