Brazil 'Strongly Condemns' Killing of Hamas Leader

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Hanieh. (Reuters)
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Hanieh. (Reuters)
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Brazil 'Strongly Condemns' Killing of Hamas Leader

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Hanieh. (Reuters)
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Hanieh. (Reuters)

Brazil said Wednesday it "strongly condemns the murder" of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and called for global efforts to prevent the Middle East from sinking into a wider conflict, AFP reported.

Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the G20, said it "rejects the flagrant violation of Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity, in clear violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter."

These acts of violence "further hinder the possibilities of a political solution to the conflict in Gaza," the foreign ministry said in a statement, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has said Haniyeh was killed by an Israeli strike. Israel has declined to comment on the attack in Tehran.

In another statement published earlier Wednesday, the Brazilian government also condemned "the air strike carried out by Israel on July 30 on a residential neighborhood in Beirut."

The Israeli army said it had "eliminated" a senior Hezbollah official on Tuesday evening in the strike on the stronghold of the powerful pro-Iranian group, in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

Brazil's foreign ministry said it was following escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah "with extreme concern".

The statement urged the international community to mobilize to "make every possible effort to promote dialogue and contain the escalation of hostilities."

Relations between the Brazilian and Israeli governments are very tense.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza and Israel has declared him "persona non grata".

 



France Opens Terror Probe after Guns Found in Car Near Synagogue

People picnic in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun during a heatwave by the Daumesnil Lake at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
People picnic in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun during a heatwave by the Daumesnil Lake at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
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France Opens Terror Probe after Guns Found in Car Near Synagogue

People picnic in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun during a heatwave by the Daumesnil Lake at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
People picnic in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun during a heatwave by the Daumesnil Lake at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)

French anti-terrorist prosecutors on Sunday opened an investigation after weapons were found in a car parked in a Paris suburb that is home to a large Jewish population.

Three hundred people were evacuated on Saturday evening from a neighborhood in Sarcelles, north of Paris, following reports of a suspicious vehicle, which was found to contain "a military-grade weapon", according to the interior minister.

An investigation has been launched "on charges of forming a terrorist criminal organization with a view to preparing crimes involving attacks on persons and the transport, possession and acquisition of weapons in connection with a terrorist enterprise," the prosecutors said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on BFMTV that the vehicle was found near one of the town's several synagogues.

"We do not yet know the motives," Nunez said, adding that "the individuals have not yet been identified."

A security cordon had been set up on Saturday evening around the car, which was parked in a busy neighborhood near a cinema and restaurants that were evacuated in the early evening.

Bomb disposal experts found no explosives, but according to a police source, the stolen car contained an assault-style rifle and a handgun.

Nunez stated that three attacks had been foiled since the start of the year, including a knife attack last February on a gendarme beneath the Arc de Triomphe during the ceremony to rekindle the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.


Driver in Chile Runs Over and Kills 6 People at Festival

This aerial view shows Punta de Lobos beach in the coastal city of Pichilemu, O'Higgins Region, Chile, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP)
This aerial view shows Punta de Lobos beach in the coastal city of Pichilemu, O'Higgins Region, Chile, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP)
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Driver in Chile Runs Over and Kills 6 People at Festival

This aerial view shows Punta de Lobos beach in the coastal city of Pichilemu, O'Higgins Region, Chile, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP)
This aerial view shows Punta de Lobos beach in the coastal city of Pichilemu, O'Higgins Region, Chile, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP)

A driver plowed into people at a street festival Sunday in Chile, killing at least six, police said.

The man reportedly lost control of the vehicle at the festival in the city of Vina del Mar, Jorge Guaita, a police official, told AFP.

Another seven people were injured but their lives are not in danger, he added.

Early reports said the driver was speeding on a road running alongside the festival site.

The driver was detained and will be tested for alcohol consumption, Guaita said.


Ukraine's PM Steps Down as Zelenskyy Announces Government Reshuffle

FILED - 12 June 2024, Berlin: FILE PHOTO - Yulia Svyrydenko speaks to journalists at the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference. Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa
FILED - 12 June 2024, Berlin: FILE PHOTO - Yulia Svyrydenko speaks to journalists at the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference. Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa
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Ukraine's PM Steps Down as Zelenskyy Announces Government Reshuffle

FILED - 12 June 2024, Berlin: FILE PHOTO - Yulia Svyrydenko speaks to journalists at the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference. Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa
FILED - 12 June 2024, Berlin: FILE PHOTO - Yulia Svyrydenko speaks to journalists at the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference. Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fresh changes to Ukraine's government, saying he had offered a new and important position to the former premier.

Zelenskyy, who has remained in office under martial law because wartime elections are prohibited, has periodically reshuffled his government in an effort to bring fresh momentum to his administration.

Svyrydenko, who has served as Ukraine’s economy minister, was named prime minister in July 2025 at the age of 39 after playing a lead role in securing a mineral agreement between Ukraine and the United States, seen as an important way of tying US interests to Ukraine’s security.

In a statement on social media, Svyrydenko said she was “proud to have had the honor of leading the government during one of the most difficult periods in Ukraine’s modern history.”

She also said she had discussed “next steps” with Zelenskyy, but did not provide further details.

“I remain ready to serve the Ukrainian state and carry out every task aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s position, defending our national interests and bringing a just peace closer,” she said.

Zelenskyy announced her resignation in a post saying that Ukraine was “changing its political strategy.”

According to The Associated Press, he also said he had offered Svyrydenko the opportunity to lead “a new, important area” in Ukraine’s relations with a key international partner.

“Each priority area of foreign policy will be assigned to a specific person with substantial experience who is capable of implementing what we agree on at the leaders’ level and what the Ukrainian people expect,” Zelenskyy said, describing the impending reshuffle.

The Ukrainian leader also said there would be changes among the top ranks of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies.

Zelenskyy met with a series of senior officials following the announcement, including Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

The overhaul, which Zelenskyy has yet to explain in detail, would be the fourth major reorganization of his government since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.