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Lula Slams Far-right 'Terrorism' as Brazil Clears Protest Camps

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (EPA)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (EPA)
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Lula Slams Far-right 'Terrorism' as Brazil Clears Protest Camps

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (EPA)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (EPA)

Brazilian security forces cleared protest camps Monday and arrested 1,500 people as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned "acts of terrorism" after a far-right mob stormed the seat of power, unleashing chaos on the capital.

Hundreds of soldiers and police mobilized to dismantle an improvised camp outside the army's headquarters in Brasilia, AFP said.

There, some 3,000 supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro had set up tents -- used as a base for the sea of protesters who ran riot inside the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court for around four hours Sunday.

Lula, who took office on January 1 after a bitterly divisive election win over Bolsonaro, returned to work in the pillaged presidential palace, where AFP reporters saw the wreckage that remained of the previous day's havoc: trashed artwork and offices, shattered windows and doors, broken glass strewn across the floor, and furniture dragged into a reflecting pool.

Lula, the 77-year-old veteran leftist who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, met with the leaders of both houses of Congress and the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and joined them in condemning what many called the South American country's version of the US Capitol riots in Washington two years ago.

"The three powers of the republic, the defenders of democracy and the constitution, reject the terrorist acts and criminal, coup-mongering vandalism that occurred," they said in a joint statement.

Lula accepted an invitation to meet with President Joe Biden next month in Washington, US officials said.

Bolsonaro, who narrowly lost the October elections, meanwhile said on Twitter that he had been hospitalized in Florida with abdominal pains stemming from a near-fatal knife attack when he was campaigning for the presidency in 2018.

Bolsonaro has alleged he is the victim of a conspiracy against him by Brazil's courts and electoral authorities.

The ex-president, dubbed the "Tropical Trump," traveled to Orlando on the second-to-last day of his term -- snubbing Lula's inauguration, in a break with tradition.

Bolsonaro, 67, took to Twitter Sunday night to condemn the "pillaging" in Brasilia, but rejected Lula's claim he incited the attacks, and defended the right to "peaceful protests."

- 'Traces of Trumpism' -
As the nation continued to come to grips with Sunday's stunning violence, hundreds of people gathered along a major avenue in downtown Sao Paulo to defend Brazilian democracy and demand punishment for the people who stormed the halls of power a day earlier.

"I have not endured what I have in this life to see what I saw yesterday -- my people, my country, divided in such a way," said Edi Valladares, a 61 year old teacher.

The demonstrators included young people, entire families, labor union activists, anti-racism advocates and others, with banners reading "We are with Lula and for democracy" and "Respect for the people's vote."

Earlier in the day, large contingents of riot police deployed to lock down the capital's Three Powers Square, home to the iconic modernist buildings that serve as the headquarters of the three branches of government.

Condemnation continued to pour in from around the world, with Pope Francis criticizing the unrest as a sign of "weakening of democracy" in the Americas.

In a joint statement ahead of summit talks in Mexico City, Biden, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the attacks and said they "stand with Brazil as it safeguards its democratic institutions."

In a show of firm support, Biden spoke with Lula by phone Monday and invited him to visit the White House in early February. The Brazilian leader accepted, the White House said.

Biden told Lula of his support for "the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in Brazil's recent presidential election, which President Lula won," the White House said in a statement.

Many drew the inevitable comparison to January 6, 2021, when supporters of then-US president Donald Trump invaded the Capitol in Washington in a violent, failed bid to stop Congress from certifying his election loss.

- Investigation begins -
Lula, who was in the southeastern city of Araraquara visiting a flood-hit region when the riot started, signed a decree Sunday declaring a federal intervention in Brasilia, giving his government special powers over the local police force to restore law and order in the capital.

His government vowed to find and arrest those who planned and financed the attacks.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes suspended Brasilia Governor Ibaneis Rocha, a Bolsonaro ally, from his post for 90 days, on grounds of "criminal negligence."

Moraes also ordered the security forces to disperse anti-government protests outside military bases nationwide.

Hardline Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting outside army barracks calling for a military intervention to keep Lula from power since his election win.

Following the ruling, soldiers and police broke up camps in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, as well as Brasilia.

Lula narrowly won the October 30 runoff election by a score of 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent.

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World

North Korea Condemns NATO Summit, Says Denuclearization Should Start with US Allies

This picture taken on July 10, 2026 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 11, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) attending a joint meeting of party, government and army of North Korea at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)
This picture taken on July 10, 2026 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 11, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) attending a joint meeting of party, government and army of North Korea at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)
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North Korea Condemns NATO Summit, Says Denuclearization Should Start with US Allies

This picture taken on July 10, 2026 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 11, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) attending a joint meeting of party, government and army of North Korea at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)
This picture taken on July 10, 2026 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 11, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) attending a joint meeting of party, government and army of North Korea at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)

North Korea condemned the United States and its allies on Saturday for what it called strengthening military blocs and accelerating arms buildups after a NATO summit this week.

Pyongyang accused NATO leaders of portraying North Korea's exercise of its legitimate sovereign rights as a threat, the foreign ministry said in a statement carried on state media KCNA.

The alliance demonstrated a stronger commitment to bloc-to-bloc confrontation through ‌increased arms spending ‌and closer military cooperation with allies in ‌the ⁠Asia-Pacific region, the ministry ⁠said.

At the NATO summit in Türkiye on Tuesday, officials announced more than $50 billion in military procurement and industrial agreements as European allies face continued pressure from US President Donald Trump to shoulder a greater share of the alliance's defense burden.

President Lee Jae Myung of Pyongyang's rival South Korea said on ⁠the sidelines of the summit that ‌he hoped Seoul would expand cooperation ‌with NATO allies in research and development, including in cutting-edge technologies, ‌and in production of weapons systems.

North Korea said the ‌summit showed that NATO was a body geared towards war and confrontation, pursuing what Pyongyang described as exclusive geopolitical interests at the expense of peace and security in Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

Pyongyang, which ‌says a push by the West for it to abandon nuclear weapons has been irreversibly ⁠terminated, ⁠believes instead that denuclearization efforts should focus first on what it described as attempts by South Korea and Japan to pursue their own nuclear weapons under US protection, as well as the nuclear ambitions of NATO members participating in the alliance's nuclear-sharing arrangements, the ministry said.

It said North Korea would safeguard its sovereignty and security interests, as well as regional peace, through the responsible exercise of its sovereign rights.

KCNA said on Friday that North Korea had decided on measures to strengthen its nuclear forces "quantitatively and qualitatively" as leader Kim Jong Un calls for modernizing its military.

World

US-Canada Bridge Threatened by Trump to Open July 27

The Gordie Howe International Bridge, under construction to link Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario, as seen in a drone image taken from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, February 10, 2026. (Reuters)
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, under construction to link Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario, as seen in a drone image taken from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, February 10, 2026. (Reuters)
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US-Canada Bridge Threatened by Trump to Open July 27

The Gordie Howe International Bridge, under construction to link Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario, as seen in a drone image taken from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, February 10, 2026. (Reuters)
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, under construction to link Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario, as seen in a drone image taken from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, February 10, 2026. (Reuters)

A long-awaited new bridge between Canada and the United States, threatened by President Donald Trump earlier this year, will open for public use in late July, officials said Friday.

"Today, Canada and Michigan have agreed to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge on July 27, with the support of the United States Government," Canada's Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement, adding the bridge " will be a vital economic link between Canada and the US -- generating billions of dollars in economic activity for decades to come."

The CAN$6.4 billion ($4.5 billion) bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, has been under construction since 2018.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said last month the bridge's inauguration had been delayed indefinitely at the request of the United States due to "technical issues."

In February, Trump threatened to fully block the bridge, insisting that the United States had been treated unfairly in its construction and that it should be "at least half" US-owned.

Trump on Saturday congratulated and thanked the Canadian government.

"I was able to cut a MUCH BETTER DEAL for America, and by so doing, will be allowing the new and spectacular Gordie Howe International Bridge, spanning Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, to open on July 27th, as scheduled," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"The original deal made was unacceptable to me! The new deal is great, and fair."

According to a fact sheet issued by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the bridge was financed entirely by Canada and will be jointly owned by Canada and the US state of Michigan.

It is named after late Canadian-born National Hockey League great and Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe, in what was meant to be a symbol of unity between Canada and the United States.

World

Wildfire Devastates an Expat Community in Southern Spain, Killing at Least 12 with 23 Missing

A wildfire burns in Los Gallardos, Almeria, Spain, July 10, 2026. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
A wildfire burns in Los Gallardos, Almeria, Spain, July 10, 2026. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
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Wildfire Devastates an Expat Community in Southern Spain, Killing at Least 12 with 23 Missing

A wildfire burns in Los Gallardos, Almeria, Spain, July 10, 2026. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
A wildfire burns in Los Gallardos, Almeria, Spain, July 10, 2026. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

A wildfire roared through a remote expat community in southern Spain overnight, killing at least 12 people as victims tried to flee the flames in cars and on foot, authorities said Friday. Eight people were injured and 23 missing, Andalusia’s regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno said.

The blaze, one of Spain's deadliest wildfires, broke out late Thursday in a semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains in Almeria province, as the country has been dealing with soaring temperatures, The Associated Press said.

Most of the victims died after ignoring shelter-in-place instructions, said Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia’s emergency services. Some tried to escape via a dry riverbed that “turned into a death trap,” he said.

Four victims were believed to be British nationals because the steering wheel of their burned-out car was on the right side, as with British vehicles, regional authorities said. Other unspecified nationals also were believed to be among the dead, and the death toll was expected to rise, authorities said.

Seven people died while on foot after abandoning their cars, Sanz said, adding that most of the deceased were believed to be foreign nationals.

Dean Taylor, a resident who divides his time between Spain and the UK, said he managed to just barely escape the neighborhood by using back roads to get out.

“It was quite terrifying,” Taylor said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It's a very sad day, isn’t it? It’s devastating, really."

The blaze is a challenge for firefighters

The fire was still burning as of Friday afternoon. Some 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit were battling the blaze, which had consumed more than 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres) of forest and farmland.

Moreno, the Andalusian regional leader, said containing the fire was difficult because of the steep, dry terrain.

“It consists mainly of scrubland and esparto grass,” Moreno said. “Everything is extremely dry due to the heat waves, making it the perfect fuel; combined with the wind, it’s a ticking time bomb.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences. “Immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almeria,” he wrote on X.

Europe battles intense heat again

Spain has battled frequent and severe heat waves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40 C (104 F). Wind, high temperatures and little rainfall help small wildfires grow into unchecked blazes.

In June, Spain experienced several days of record-setting heat, with over 1,000 excess deaths attributed to heat.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Parts of Western Europe are facing their third heat wave in six weeks. Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing several intense heat waves across Europe.

France also at risk of wildfires France is experiencing the peak of its third heat wave of the summer, with temperatures reaching 40 C (104 F) across western and central areas and around 37 C (98 F) in Paris.

French authorities have also warned of a very high wildfire risk, as large fires in the south have already scorched thousands of hectares this week, disrupting the Tour de France cycling race and stretching firefighting resources.

The largest wildfire, in the eastern Pyrenees near the Spanish border, had decreased in intensity by Friday, authorities said. But it has burned about 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) and forced the temporary evacuation of more than 10,000 people from nearly villages.

Last month was France’s hottest June on record, with deaths surging by nearly a third during the hottest week.

Scientists warn that climate change caused in part by the burning of fuels like gasoline, oil and coal is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making certain regions more vulnerable to wildfires.

Spain and Portugal have faced deadly fires before Spain is no stranger to wildfires, with last year's fire season burning more than 393,000 hectares (almost 1,520 square miles), according to the European Forest Fire Information System, an area twice as large as London. Four people died.

Spain's deadliest wildfire was in 1979 when 21 people perished in Lloret de Mar, a coastal town about an hour north of Barcelona.

In 2017, a wildfire in neighboring Portugal left 66 people dead in Pedrogao Grande, located 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Lisbon. In that blaze, 47 people died on one road while similarly attempting to flee in their cars.