Presidential transition starts in Brazil
BRASILIA, Brazil -- President Jair Bolsonaro met briefly on Thursday with the envoy coordinating the transfer of power to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, four days after Bolsonaro's tight election loss that sparked protests by his supporters amid his refusal to publicly concede.
The meeting between Brazil's far-right outgoing president and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin took place at the presidential palace, according to Alckmin, who heads da Silva's transition team. The team had earlier arrived in the capital of Brasilia, launching the process that will culminate with da Silva's Jan. 1 inauguration.
While Bolsonaro declined to publicly concede defeat in his first public comments Tuesday, his chief of staff Ciro Nogueira told reporters he had received authorization from the incumbent for the transition process to proceed.
"It was positive," Alckmin told journalists after Thursday's meeting with Bolsonaro. He refused to answer whether the incumbent had congratulated him for Sunday's victory.
Bolsonaro spoke about "the federal government's readiness to provide every information, help, so we have a transition that is guided by the public interest," the vice president-elect said.
Tigray peace deal signed, sources say
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Officials close to peace talks aimed at ending Ethiopia's deadly two-year war confirmed the full text of the signed accord on Thursday, but a key question remains: What led Tigray regional leaders to agree to terms that include rapid disarmament and full federal government control?
A day after the warring sides signed a "permanent cessation of hostilities" in a war that is believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of people, none of the negotiators were talking about how they arrived at it.
The complete agreement has not been made public, but the officials confirmed that a copy obtained by The Associated Press was the final document. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss it publicly.
At Wednesday's signing, the lead negotiator for Tigray described it as containing "painful concessions."
One of the pact's priorities is to swiftly disarm Tigray forces of heavy weapons, and take away their "light weapons" within 30 days. Senior commanders on both sides are to meet within five days.
Ethiopian security forces will take full control of "all federal facilities, installations, and major infrastructure ... within the Tigray region," and an interim regional administration will be established after dialogue between the parties, the accord says.
If implemented, the agreement should mark an end to the devastating conflict in Africa's second-most populous country.
4 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians in separate incidents on Thursday, including one who had stabbed a police officer in east Jerusalem and three others in Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank.
Early Friday, meanwhile, Israeli aircraft carried out several raids in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire Thursday evening from the Palestinian enclave. The rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes were the first cross-border violence since a cease-fire ended a blitz between Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group there in August.
Israeli troops operating in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, a militant stronghold, killed at least two Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Late Thursday, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip launched a rocket into southern Israel, setting off air-raid sirens in the area. The army said the rocket was intercepted, and that three other launch attempts failed and exploded inside Gaza. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but in the past, Islamic Jihad has fired rockets in response to the killings of its members.
In response, the Israeli military said it targeted an underground site used by Gaza's Hamas rulers as a rocket-making facility. The airstrikes "will significantly impede" Hamas' rocket capabilities, it said. It also blamed the militant group for attacks emanating from Gaza. There were no reports of casualties.
A supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro holds a Brazilian flag during a protest against his reelection defeat, outside a military base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Some supporters are calling on the military to keep Bolsonaro in power, even as his administration signaled a willingness to hand over the reins to his rival, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro protest against his defeat in the country's presidential runoff, outside a military base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Some supporters are calling on the military to keep Bolsonaro in power, even as his administration signaled a willingness to hand over the reins to his rival, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro prays during a protest against his defeat in the country's presidential runoff, outside a military base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Some supporters are calling on the military to keep Bolsonaro in power, even as his administration signaled a willingness to hand over the reins to his rival, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro protest against his defeat in the country's presidential runoff, outside a military base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Some supporters are calling on the military to keep Bolsonaro in power, even as his administration signaled a willingness to hand over the reins to his rival, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Economist Aloizio Mercadante, from left, Workers' Party President Gleisi Hoffmann and Brazil's Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, arrive for a press conference after meeting with Ciro Nogueira, outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro's chief of staff, at the Planalto Presidential Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s team arrived in Brazil’s capital Thursday to begin the process of transferring power. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
A supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro holds a crucifix during a protest against his defeat in the country's presidential runoff, outside a military base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Some supporters are calling on the military to keep Bolsonaro in power, even as his administration signaled a willingness to hand over the reins to his rival, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro walks past a giant national flag during a protest against his defeat in the country's presidential runoff, outside a military base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Some supporters are calling on the military to keep Bolsonaro in power, even as his administration signaled a willingness to hand over the reins to his rival, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stands wrapped in the national flag outside a military base during a protest against his reelection defeat in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Some supporters are calling on the military to keep Bolsonaro in power, even as his administration signaled a willingness to hand over the reins to his rival, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Israeli border police officers stand guard Thursday next to the scene of a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City. (AP/Mahmoud Illean)