RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) -- Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected this week at the UN climate summit in Egypt to pledge to reverse the environmental policies of his right-wing predecessor and protect the Amazon rainforest. Lula’s trip Monday to the COP27 talks in Sharm el-Sheikh will be his first international visit since beating Brazil’s far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the October 30 runoff election. The 77-year-old, who promised on the campaign trail to work towards zero deforestation, will address the conference on Wednesday, his press team said. In a nod to Lula’s victory speech, in which he pledged to end Brazil’s “pariah” status, his team said he had wanted to hold “more talks with world leaders in a single day than Bolsonaro had in four years.

 

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SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) -- Beijing and several other major cities in China reported record COVID-19 infections on Monday, putting authorities under more pressure to quell outbreaks quickly while also trying to reduce the impact on people’s lives and on economic activity. Nationwide, 16,072 new locally transmitted cases were reported by the National Health Commission, up from 14,761 on Sunday and the highest in China since April 25, when Shanghai was battling with its most serious outbreak. Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Zhengzhou all recorded their worst day so far, though in the case of the capital the tally was few hundred cases, while the other cities were counting in thousands. The case load is very small compared with infection levels encountered in other countries, but China’s insistence on clearing outbreaks as soon as they emerge under its zero-COVID policy has increased the impact on communities and on the economy.

 

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HONG KONG (Guardian) -- Hong Kong’s government has strongly criticized a rugby sevens tournament after a song from the city’s protest movement was played in place of the Chinese national anthem during a match in South Korea. Hong Kong said it “strongly deplores and opposes” the playing of a song associated with “violent protests” and the pro-independence movement in 2019, when the Chinese national anthem, March of the Volunteers, should have been played. Authorities did not name the song but online footage from Sunday’s match suggests that Glory to Hong Kong, a song that rose to popularity during the 2019 protest movement, was played before the cup final match between Hong Kong and South Korea in Incheon. A statement from the government called for an investigation into the incident. Hong Kong authorities said Rugby Asia had apologized for the incident and explained that the mistake “was caused by human error of a junior staff” at the local organizer.

 

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SYDNEY (Reuters) -- Heavy rain triggered flash floods that cut off some inland towns in Australia’s southeast on Monday, with fresh evacuation warnings issued for thousands of rural residents. The country’s fourth major flooding this year saw wild weather pummel parts of southwest New South Wales (NSW) and northeast Victoria overnight, bursting river banks and piling on more pain for flood-weary residents. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Twitter the flash flooding was “creating dangerous conditions” and that the federal government was working closely with the states on rescue efforts. Australia’s east coast is suffering from a rare third straight year of the La Nina weather phenomenon which is associated with increased rainfall. There are currently more than 100 flood warnings in place across NSW and 84 in Victoria after weather bureau data showed some areas received more than a month’s worth of rain over 24 hours.

 

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KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) -- Thousands of people across Malaysia were evacuated into temporary shelters over the weekend, officials said as the seasonal monsoon’s heavy rain prompted turnout and safety concerns for the upcoming general election. Malaysia’s meteorological department has forecast thunderstorms and incessant rain right up until 21 million voters will be able to cast ballots Saturday, with more flooding expected.  The National Disaster Management Agency said in a statement over the weekend that six states in peninsular Malaysia had experienced flash flooding.”A total of 2,388 people have sought shelter in 25 relief centers,” it said. “I fear voters will not be able to cast their votes if their homes are flooded and roads become impassable,” Mahfuz Omar, an opposition MP from the northern Kedah state, told AFP. Last year, the Southeast Asian nation was battered by its worst floods in history. More than 50 people died and thousands were displaced in December 2021. 

 

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BERLIN (Reuters) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the European Union should expand its cooperation with Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN), saying it was crucial to deepen ties in the face of the war in Ukraine, addressing a meeting of business leaders in Singapore on Monday. He said he hopes to see quick progress in the EU’s trade negotiations with Australia, India and Indonesia and remains open to new agreements beyond that. “Deepening cooperation is crucial, because we all feel that the geopolitical ground beneath our feet is shifting,” Scholz, who visited Vietnam on Sunday and after his stop in Singapore will travel on to the G20 leaders’ summit in Indonesia, said. His trip, one week after a visit to China, comes within the context of Germany’s attempts to diversify trade in Asia, which has some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Germany wants to reduce its economic reliance on its top trade partner China, after the Ukraine war and reduction in energy supplies to Europe highlighted the risks of relying on one state.