PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, November 6: The COP30 climate change conference begins with a summit of world leaders in Belem, Brazil. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva calls the summit the "COP of Truth" in an editorial for The Hindu and vows it will be different this year. Also: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will seek legal redress after a man sexually harassed her in public in an incident that reflects a reality for many women in Mexico. Plus: a man in France strikes gold – literally – while digging in his backyard.

The COP30 climate change conference in Brazil is dominating headlines. World leaders have gathered in the Amazonian city of Belem for a two-day diplomatic summit. The COP30 roadmap, as outlined by the Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo, makes some ambitious proposals: revising financial rules and taxing fortunes, private jets and specific assets like military or luxury goods as a means of reaching the whopping $1.3 trillion needed per year in climate finance. It also looks to new sources of low-cost financing, like growing the carbon market and facilitating debt swaps between countries for climate investment. Critics have derided COP conferences in the past as ineffectual. Despite the politico-social challenges facing today's turbulent world, however, La Croix says there's reason to hope.

One man who has hope is Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In The Hindu newspaper, he has penned an editorial calling the summit the "COP of truth." Lula says the choice to hold the summit in the Amazon aims to bring people face to face with the challenges that the Amazon River and the populations who live there face for their survival. One notable absence this year is Donald Trump. The US president withdrew the US again from the Paris climate accords and has derided climate change as a con job. His refusal to take part in COP30 will exclude the US from talks about climate finance goals and new emissions targets. Eco Business, an Asian business website, notes one silver lining: the absence of the US could give more weight to the voices of US local and state representatives. In any case, a lot is riding on this conference. Le Monde takes stock of the past 10 years since the Paris accords were signed. Back then, leaders pledged to limit carbon emissions to a 1.5°C rise, which is now impossible. The past decade has been the hottest on record. 

In Mexico, there's outrage after President Claudia Sheinbaum was sexually harassed in the streets of the capital, in a brazen incident caught on video. El Pais reports that a man approached the president, tried to kiss her and fondled her breast in front of a stunned crowd. Her security guard finally stepped in, but the late response has drawn concerns over her lack of adequate protective detail. The resident says she'll be taking legal action against the man, saying she was taking a stance on behalf of all Mexican women. Sexual harassment in all forms is a reality for many Mexican women. The website El Economista notes that at least 45 percent of women have been victims.

Here in France, the government is mulling an extraordinary proposal: suspending the Chinese retailer Shein's website. It comes after Shein's calamitous bricks and mortar opening at Paris's BHV department store, which drew furious reactions and protests from activists. The ultra-fast fashion retailer has been accused of pillaging the environment and flouting laws in a bid to sell cut-price items. The recent child-like sex doll sold on its platform and the discovery of certain weapons freely available for purchase in France have drawn outrage. The French government is now considering suspending Shein's online platform until the company can prove it complies with French laws and standards.

Finally, French local paper Le Progrès reports that a man has struck gold – literally! The man was digging in his garden to build a pool when he came across five gold bars in perfect shape. They were not stolen, nor do they have particular archaeological value, so authorities may allow him to keep the bars, which are worth around €700,000 after tax. You might want to forage around in your garden – you never know what lurks underneath!

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