Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva put his “roadmap” from fossil fuels back at the top of UN climate talks in Belem on Wednesday, despite the failure of a bold bid to seal an early deal.Lula flew into the Amazonian city to bring the weight of the presidency to the summit, in a rare late-stage visit by a head of state or government at the annual gathering.COP30 host Brazil released a draft pact on Tuesday and pushed negotiators to work through the night, hoping to get nations to agree on the most disputed points as soon as Wednesday — two days before the conference is scheduled to end.Lula, who has invested political capital into making what he dubbed the “COP of truth” a success, shuttled between rooms to meet with ministers of various negotiating groups.He burst jovially into the evening’s press conference two hours late, singing the praises of Belem and the state of Para, boasting: “From the beginning, I had no doubt that we were going to organize the best COP of all those held so far.”He then returned to his “roadmap” away from oil, coal and gas that he first floated earlier this month, lighting the fuse for the summit’s ambitious tone.”We need to show society that we want this without imposing anything on anyone, without setting deadlines for each country to decide what it can do within its own time, within its own possibilities,” he said. “But we are serious — we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We need to start thinking about how to live without fossil fuels.”- No more money -Lula “said clearly the roadmap is what he wants to see coming out of the conference,” Marcio Astrini of Brazil’s Climate Observatory told AFP.”We need to see all this optimism reflected in the final text,” added Greenpeace Brazil.Still, much work remains to reach consensus, not only on the roadmap away from fossil fuels — supported by a coalition of more than 80 countries but opposed by the oil-producing bloc — but also on trade measures and other divisive topics.Negotiators are notably at odds over pressure from the developing world for developed countries to provide more financing to help vulnerable nations adapt to climate change and deploy renewable energy.The COP29 summit in Baku last year concluded with developed nations agreeing to provide $300 billion a year in climate finance, a figure criticized by developing countries as woefully insufficient.The EU, where many countries are facing economic headwinds and soaring debt, has led the opposition to demands for more money.”We’re not looking at any increases in adaptation finance,” Irish climate minister Darragh O’Brien said.The EU is also fighting attempts led by China and major developing economies to have language against its tax on imports of carbon-intensive goods such as steel, aluminum, cement and fertilizers.- Grants, not loans -“There should be at least a mention (of trade measures), because they become a disabler instead of an enabler. So, I think they will be mentioned in some way,” Mexican environment minister Alicia Barcena told AFP.Aisha Humera Moriani, Pakistan’s head of delegation, told AFP that “it’s extremely important that we find something on the operationalization of that $300 billion.” She added that most of the funding should boost climate-vulnerable countries’ resilience to extreme weather and a larger share needs to come as grants, rather than loans that further burden poor nations with debt.A new text is expected to be published on Wednesday.COP30 is due to end on Friday, but climate summits regularly run into overtime.In a sign that Brazil wants to stay on schedule, delegates sleeping on two cruise ships serving as floating hotels have been told to vacate their cabins on Saturday morning.

Denton Loudermill Jr. watched every Kansas City Chiefs game at his sister’s house with his family. The Kansas native and his late father were diehard fans.So, when the 2024 Super Bowl champions’ victory parade coincided with the one-year anniversary of his dad’s death, Loudermill thought attending would be healing.He donned a Chiefs-red sweatshirt, matching sweatpants and Jordan sneakers that his sister, Reba Paul, said were the only “flashy” thing about him.By nightfall, images of Loudermill in that same sweatsuit were plastered across social media, with internet sleuths falsely accusing him of a shooting at the parade that killed one and injured 22 others.Many posts, including one amplified by now-Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and state senator Rick Brattin, misidentified Loudermill as “Sahil Omar” — a fictional “illegal immigrant” hoaxers have linked to multiple atrocities.The misinformation sent the father of three into a year-long spiral of paranoia. He lost weight. He developed post-traumatic stress disorder. At the car wash where he worked, he saw customers compare him to photos online.Eventually, Loudermill sought therapy, but he never made his third appointment in April. That morning, he was found unresponsive on his living-room floor. He was 49.An autopsy report said Loudermill died accidentally from cocaine, synthetic marijuana and alcohol. It mentioned PTSD and depression and that he was drinking in excess the previous two days, but said he did not have a history of suicidal thoughts.Loudermill’s sisters, however, trace his passing to the lies that derailed his “simple” life.”He would still be here today had it not been for that,” said Paul, who is pursuing a legal case against Hoskins and Brattin. “It took away his peace.”- ‘Living hell’ – Loudermill was alone at the rally when shots rang out. His brother Quincy and another sister, Stephanie Fairweather, left early.The violence emerged from a dispute, authorities said. Two men and two juveniles were charged.Amid the chaos, officers handcuffed Loudermill and sat him on a curb. Multiple news outlets, including AFP, took photos and videos as he was detained.It emerged that he was only briefly held for moving “too slow” under police direction and was not connected to the shooting.AFP swiftly updated its photo captions to reflect his release and within 24 hours published a fact-check debunking the misinformation about him that was spreading rapidly online.In an X post sharing Loudermill’s picture, US Congressman Tim Burchett announced that one of the shooters had been “identified as an illegal Alien.”Similar claims piled up. Threats followed.”It was just like wildfire,” LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, Loudermill’s attorney, told AFP. “It was a huge injustice to Denton.”Suddenly fearing for his safety, Loudermill told his sister, “They really think I’m out here killing people, killing kids.”He tried to clear his name, telling one interviewer that life was “a living hell” and calling for remorse from the politicians.Burchett deleted his post and clarified that the shooter was not an immigrant, but his correction failed to say Loudermill was not a suspect.Neither Burchett, Hoskins nor Brattin — who also deleted their posts — responded to AFP’s requests for comment.Loudermill also turned to the courts, but the dragging process tormented him.A lawsuit against Burchett collapsed over jurisdictional issues, while suits against Hoskins and Brattin remain ongoing in Missouri.Last month, a judge denied requests by the state lawmakers to dismiss their cases. Paul said the family intends “to fight for our brother until our dying day.”George Washington University’s Mary Anne Franks, a free speech and technology law expert, said social media has made full accountability elusive.”What depresses me about these cases is that even if they’re ultimately successful, the damage is really impossible to undo.”- ‘Is everything OK?’ -In the months after the false accusations started, Loudermill’s sisters agonized as their brother — who once made friends everywhere — grew scared of crowds.”He was always worried about somebody looking at him,” Fairweather said.The day before he died, Loudermill texted his lawyer Saunders: “Is everything OK?”It was their final correspondence.”Imagine having the false accusations you’re illegal, you’re a terrorist, you shot children,” Saunders said. “That’s a lot.”The loss remains heavy on Loudermill’s siblings. Fairweather took time off work due to depression. When they search the shooting online, the false claims about their brother still pop up.

Some of Jim Henson’s most memorable creations go under the hammer in California next week, with the first US auction of puppets and memorabilia from the late entertainer’s decades-long career.Highlights include a pair of shoes worn by the domineering Miss Piggy in a “Muppets” movie, as well as puppets from “Fraggle Rock” and characters from the Netflix series “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.”Fans will have the chance to bid on more than 400 items at the November 25 auction, which is also being held online on the Julien’s Auctions website.”This is the first time ever that you can buy an authorized, authentic piece of Jim Henson Company memorabilia,” said Roy Parker, pop culture specialist at the auction house. Henson, who died in 1990, revolutionized puppetry by making the rigid figures maneuverable, latterly through his Creature Shop, creating now-instantly recognizable characters like Kermit the Frog.He also imagined entire universes that came to life in films like “Labyrinth” (1986) and “The Dark Crystal” (1982). His creations are “very nostalgic, because they remind everybody of their childhood and when they first saw Kermit the Frog up on screen,” said Parker.The auction, which will be held in person in Los Angeles as well as online, commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Jim Henson Company and is expected to raise tens of thousands of dollars.

Fireworks and dancing erupted across Haiti in a reprieve from gang violence as people came together to celebrate their national team punching its ticket to the 2026 World Cup.Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas, will be making its first appearance on international football’s biggest stage in more than 50 years, and only its second overall, after qualifying for the tournament on Tuesday night.”We need a national holiday to celebrate it, with schools closed. We need pleasure and joy. Unlock the country and eradicate the gangs,” an ecstatic fan in Port-au-Prince told AFP.But even the gangs joined in on the celebrations that stretched into Wednesday in the capital and other cities such as Cap-Haitien and Miragoane. Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherisier, the UN-sanctioned leader of a gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm (Living Together), was seen in videos posted to social media partying with residents in his neighborhood.Just three days earlier, the gang boss had announced his intention to confront the police as he urged residents of Port-au-Prince to stay indoors. In Haiti’s main city, thousands of people celebrated in the streets to the rhythm of popular songs and chants performed by rara bands, the country’s festive music.Several fans paraded shirtless, waving national flags amid applause and fireworks.”I shouldn’t be out on the street at this hour, but since it’s for Haiti, I’m doing it anyway,” said supporter Widenie Bruno. Because of security concerns stemming from the gang threat in Port-au-Prince, the national team had to play all of its qualifying home matches in the Caribbean island nation of Curacao.It was there that Haiti, known as the Grenadiers, beat Nicaragua 2-0 to clinch their spot in the World Cup, which will be staged in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.  Haitian fans, however, may not be able to travel to the US to watch their team play because, in June, President Donald Trump’s administration included Haiti among 12 countries whose citizens are banned from entering the United States.- ‘So proud’ – Haiti’s qualification brings a moment of relief for a population strained and exhausted by the violence of organized gangs, which control 90 percent of the capital.Those groups, accused of murders, rapes, looting, and kidnappings, have contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis in Haiti, a small nation long burdened by political instability.The situation has worsened since early 2024, when gangs forced the then-prime minister Ariel Henry to resign.But on Tuesday night, everyone in the nation seemed focused on what was happening in Curacao.After the victory against Nicaragua, Haitian fans still had to wait for Costa Rica and Honduras to play to a scoreless draw before they could celebrate what had seemed impossible — Haiti’s first berth in the World Cup since 1974, when West Germany hosted the tournament. Another young fan of the Grenadiers said he planned to party all night long — whatever the cost.”I am so proud of Haiti that I will spend everything tonight,” he said. “I will wake up broke. We will spend the night in the streets.”