International

Board of Brazil’s Petrobras elects Lula ally as new president

Photo: AFP

January 26 | By AFP |

The board of directors of Petrobras on Thursday appointed Jean Paul Prates, an ally of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as head of the state oil company.

Prates, a 54-year-old lawyer and economist, was previously a senator in northeastern Rio Grande do Norte state and a member of Lula’s Workers’ Party.

Lula described Prates as a specialist in the energy sector when nominating him for the job on Twitter last month.

In a statement confirming the appointment, the Petrobras board said Prates had been chosen unanimously.

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Prates has 30 years experience in the oil, natural gas, biofuels and renewable energy sectors.

“I have been given the mission of managing Petrobras in the coming years,” Prates said.

He added that he was “honored to lead a company that is the heritage of all Brazilians.”

Petrobras is the flagship of Brazilian industry. It is the largest company in the South American country but was at the center of the wide-ranging “Operation Car Wash” corruption scandal.

As part of the graft investigation, Lula was himself convicted of accepting a bribe and spent 18 months in jail before a judge annulled his conviction.

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Petrobras went through some turbulent years during the presidency of Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

The company went through four different CEOs during that period due major disagreements over Petrobras’s oil pricing policies.

Bolsonaro even went so far as to accuse Petrobras of theft over its price hikes.

The company sets prices based on the standard international rate for a barrel of oil.

The position of Petrobras chief executive is one that comes with great exposure to political pressure.

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In its 68 years of existence, the company has had 39 CEOs, meaning they have lasted on average less than two years.

The markets have expressed fears that Prates could change the company’s pricing policies and that under Lula’s socialist government there will be greater interference in the running of state companies.

The Brazilian state owns 50.26 percent of Petrobras’s capital and Lula has ruled out privatizing the company.

International

Missile attack hits Kharkiv homes, leaving 13 wounded

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that a Russian missile attack on residential buildings in the eastern city of Kharkiv has left at least 13 people injured, according to local authorities.

“A horrific Russian attack on Kharkiv,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, explaining that two missiles were fired, striking residential areas and causing “a number of casualties that is still being clarified.”

Local officials later confirmed that 13 people were injured in the attack, six of whom were hospitalized, including one woman in serious condition.

International

Sheinbaum evacuates National Palace after 6.5-magnitude earthquake hits Southern Mexico

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo evacuated the National Palace on Friday along with journalists and federal government staff after the seismic alert was activated during her morning press conference, triggered by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in the south of the country.

The alert sounded while the president was speaking from the Treasury Hall, forcing the immediate interruption of the event and the activation of established safety protocols.

“Oh, it’s shaking,” Sheinbaum said as she noticed the tremor, before urging those present to remain calm.

According to preliminary information, the earthquake struck the state of Guerrero, one of Mexico’s most seismically active regions. The National Seismological Service (SSN) reported that the quake occurred at 7:58 a.m. local time (13:58 GMT).

Sheinbaum led the orderly evacuation of the historic building, accompanied by reporters covering the briefing and federal government personnel. Images released afterward show the president waiting in the central courtyard of the National Palace as she awaited guidance from Civil Protection authorities on whether it was safe to resume activities.

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International

Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney to join Ukraine peace talks in Paris

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Friday that he will take part in peace negotiations on Ukrainescheduled to be held in Paris on January 5 and 6.

In a statement, the Canadian government said the meeting will bring together countries belonging to the so-called Coalition of the Willing, and aims to “accelerate efforts toward a negotiated peace” in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, supported by robust security guarantees.

Carney said Canada is working closely with its allies to achieve a “just and lasting peace,” stressing that the Coalition of the Willing must both deter further aggression and reinforce security guarantees, while ensuring that Ukraine is able to rebuild, recover and lay the foundations for genuine prosperity.

The Coalition of the Willing is made up of around 30 countries, the vast majority of them European, all of which are allies of Kyiv.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that a meeting of the Coalition, alongside other European leaders, will take place in Paris on January 6, focusing on security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a future peace agreement with Russia.