Indigenous protesters storm COP30 venue in Brazil, demand protection of forests and land rights
Belem (Brazil): Demanding urgent climate action and protection of ancestral lands from deforestation and industrial encroachment, dozens of indigenous demonstrators stormed the COP30 climate summit venue in Belem, Brazil, on Tuesday.
Carrying flags and placards reading “Our land is not for sale,” the protesters, attempted to enter the United Nations compound where thousands of delegates were attending the global climate talks. Security personnel blocked their entry and used tables to reinforce the barriers.
“We can’t eat money,” said Nato, an Indigenous leader from the Tupinamba community. “We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers.”
According to witnesses, the conflict injured two security personnel. One guard was seen being removed in a wheelchair, holding his stomach. Another suffered a cut above his eye after being struck by a drumstick apparently thrown from the crowd. Authorities later seized several wooden sticks from demonstrators.
The confrontation ended after demonstrators dispersed peacefully, as reported by Reuters. Security briefly restricted delegates from leaving the venue before reopening the gates once the area was cleared.
“Earlier this evening, a group of protesters breached security barriers at the main entrance to the COP, causing minor injuries to two security staff and minor damage to the venue,” a UN spokesperson said. “The situation was brought under control, and COP negotiations continue as scheduled.”
While Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has acknowledged the importance of Indigenous communities in the 2025 climate negotiations, dozens of Indigenous leaders arrived by boat to participate in discussions about sustainable forest management and environmental protection.
Chief Raoni Metuktire, a veteran indigenous leader, told Reuters that native tribes are becoming increasingly frustrated with ongoing industrial operations in the Amazon. He urged the Brazilian government to grant Indigenous peoples greater authority in protecting the rainforest.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
