Reuters World News Summary

The two met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco, and discussed the Belt and Road Initiative, China's infrastructure project aimed at linking the country with the rest of the world.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Brazil's Lula has favored candidate for attorney general, sources say

Paulo Gonet, Brazil's electoral attorney general, has emerged as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's leading candidate to be the country's next attorney general, four sources told Reuters. They said Gonet's appointment is not yet a certainty, with two other names still in the running. But Lula may name him as soon as this week to replace interim Attorney General Elizeta Ramos. Gonet has in recent days won key support from several supreme court justices and Justice Minister Flavio Dino, the sources said.

Police arrest anti-Israel protesters on San Francisco bridge

Dozens of the hundreds of police assembled moved car to car seeking and arresting anti-Israel protesters on Thursday as authorities slowly reopened the vital Bay Bridge heading into San Francisco as the city hosts the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. The demonstrators called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and hoisted signs saying "Stop The Genocide" and "No US Military Aid to Israel" as they blocked the key commuter route into the city.

Thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Belarus -Yale research

More than 2,400 children from Ukraine aged between six and 17 years old have been taken to 13 facilities across Belarus since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, research published by Yale University said on Thursday. Ukraine's prosecutor general said in May that he was investigating the alleged role of Belarus in the forced transfer of more than 19,000 identified children from Russian-occupied territories since the conflict broke out, including to Russia.

North Korean premier meets Russian minister visiting Pyongyang

North Korea's premier Kim Tok Hun met with Russia's natural resources minister Alexander Kozlov and held talks on Thursday, North Korean state media reported. The meeting took place in a "friendly atmosphere" with other senior officials on both sides present, according to the KCNA news agency, including Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin and North Korea's minister of external economic relations Yun Jong Ho.

Mexican journalist shot dead in his car, motive unclear

A Mexican photojournalist was killed in Ciudad Juarez in the early hours of Thursday while working as a ride-share driver, authorities and his employer said. Ismael Villagomez, a photographer for newspaper El Heraldo de Juarez, was shot and killed in his vehicle in the notoriously violent border city around 1:30 a.m., according to local authorities.

You can count on the US, Biden tells APEC, despite trade deal stumbles

President Joe Biden highlighted strong U.S. ties to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum economies on Thursday and called on CEOs there to treat workers fairly, even as a regional trade deal stumbled over workers' rights. Before a working lunch and speech to heads of the 21-member APEC governments at their annual summit, Biden spoke to an audience of CEOs, touting investments by U.S. companies in the region including Amazon, Delta Air Lines, PepsiCo, Apple and Boeing.

Hamas tunnel found at Gaza's Al Shifa hospital, says Israel; UN aid halted

Israeli soldiers found a tunnel shaft used by Hamas militants at Gaza's Al Shifa hospital, the army said, while the U.N. voiced concern no aid would be delivered to Palestinians on Friday via the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The army released a video it said showed a tunnel entrance in an outdoor area of Al Shifa, Gaza's biggest hospital.

TikTok to prohibit videos promoting bin Laden's 'Letter to America'

TikTok will prohibit content that promotes Osama bin Laden's 2002 letter detailing the former al Qaeda leader's justifications for attacks against Americans, the short-form video app said on Thursday. Discussions of the 20-year-old letter have spread on the platform this week in the context of debate over the Israel-Hamas war, with some users in the West praising its contents.

Colombia creates biodiversity fund aiming to manage nearly $1 billion

Colombia's government has launched a new Fund for Life and Biodiversity to help protect ecosystems in the country, the environment ministry said on Thursday, adding that it will manage close to $1 billion by 2026. The financial mechanism will allow environmental initiatives to receive monetary resources more than once, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the fund will be managed by a trust that will oversee greater efficiency in distributing resources.

Peru President Boluarte talks trade boost after meeting China's Xi

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte met with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday, discussing major infrastructure projects and possible investments, her office said on social media. The two met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco, and discussed the Belt and Road Initiative, China's infrastructure project aimed at linking the country with the rest of the world.