Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets of Sao Paulo Thursday in "defense of democracy" after President Jair Bolsonaro's sustained attacks on democratic institutions, weeks ahead of elections.. At the university gathering, a video was shown of Brazilian artists reading out of a petition "in defense of the democratic state of law."
Iraq has agreed to renew a one-year deal to provide Lebanon with fuel for its power plants in exchange for in-kind services, Lebanon's Prime Minister said in a statement Thursday.. For the past year, Lebanon's power plants have depended on the deal with Iraq to produce one to two hours of electricity per day.
Peruvian prosecutors have opened a sixth criminal investigation into President Pedro Castillo for alleged corruption involving government tenders, officials said Thursday.. The group is accused of participating in a network of corruption and money laundering that prosecutors allege was headed by the Peruvian president.
Cuban authorities said Thursday a second firefighter has died battling a days-long blaze at a fuel depot that has also left nearly three dozen people missing or injured.. Four of the eight tanks at the depot -- each with the capacity to hold 50 million liters (13.2 million gallons) of fuel -- collapsed during the blaze that injured more than 100 people. cb/lp/ad/bc/mlm
Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday arrived in Bangkok after his visa ran out following a month-long stint in Singapore where he had taken refuge from protesters at home.. Sri Lankans arriving in Singapore normally receive a 30-day visa, but authorities said they had initially given Rajapaksa only two weeks and later extended the visa by another two weeks.
The UN rights chief voiced alarm Thursday at the number of Palestinian children killed and wounded this month and demanded those responsible be brought to account.. Her office said 19 Palestinian children had been killed in the Palestinian territories in the recent unrest, taking the total number this year to 37.
The Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet over the last 40 years, according to research published Thursday that suggests climate models are underestimating the rate of polar heating.. They found that on average the data showed the Arctic had warmed 0.75C per decade, nearly four times quicker than the rest of the planet.
An armed customer threatening to set himself ablaze held bank workers hostage throughout the day Thursday in Lebanon's capital, demanding to withdraw his trapped savings to pay hospital fees, security sources and a family member said.. He demanded savings worth more than $200,000, the source said.
McDonald's announced plans Thursday for a "phased" partial reopening of restaurants in Ukraine, where operations have been shuttered since February due to the Russian invasion.. McDonald's suspended its operations in Ukraine on February 24 following the Russian siege of the country.
Tens of thousands of people have braved a steep, rugged trail in Iceland to catch a rare glimpse of an active volcano after it erupted last week, spewing red-hot lava into the sky. . - 'Nature's power' - "It would be very easy for it to last as long as the previous one", vulcanologist Thorvaldur Thordarson told AFP. Last year, lava spewed from the nearby Mount Fagradalsfjall volcano for six months, the longest eruption in Iceland in more than 50 years.
