By Simon Jessop and Katy Daigle

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazil on Monday opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming. That may be tough in a year marked by economic upheaval and cancelled U.S. commitments.

Business leaders meeting in Sao Paulo are pushing for stronger policies for financing the energy transition, with an open letter on Monday asking governments “urgently” for incentives to adopt renewable energy in lieu of fossil fuels.

“It’s a recognition from the business groups of the importance of multilateralism and the importance of raising ambition,” said CEO Maria Mendiluce of the We Mean Business Coalition, which coordinated the letter from 35 groups representing 100,000 companies.

In Rio de Janeiro on Monday, mayors, governors and other subnational leaders will attend a Local Leaders summit, which threatens to be overshadowed by protests against the city’s bloody crime crackdown a week earlier.

Separately, Britain’s Prince William will preside over a ceremony in Rio for his annual Earthshot Prize recognizing contributions to environmentalism over the last year.

However, countries and corporates may be hard-pressed to project the same optimism that has marked climate diplomacy in recent years.

Today, global cooperation is stagnating amid geopolitical tensions and multiple wars. An erratic series of U.S. tariffs has upended economic stability worldwide, while U.S. reversals on clean energy policy and climate science have rattled investors. And while costs for renewable energy have plummeted to below fossil fuels, many countries are juggling competing goals such as food security or developing AI.

Business leaders still hope to press clean energy policies as a priority. “It makes strong business sense and ensures energy security and competitiveness,” said Gonzalo Sáenz de Miera, chairman of the Spanish Green Growth Group.

RAINFOREST SUMMIT

Brazil’s turn as this year’s host marks 33 years since the Rio Earth Summit, where countries first signed the United Nations treaty committing to tackling climate change.

The summit has since developed into a major multilateral forum, bringing rich and poor countries together with scientists and civil society to address the climate threat. But it has so far failed to halt the rise in carbon emissions, though the pace has slowed. About 40% of industrial-era emissions in the atmosphere have been released since the treaty was signed.

In attending the annual summit, leaders typically aim to confirm their country’s commitment and to hold one another accountable. But COP30 is likely to see the lowest attendance by world leaders since 2019, when about 50 heads of state went to Madrid for COP25.

For the November 6-7 leaders’ summit in the Amazon city of Belem, “fewer than 60” leaders had confirmed with the Brazilian presidency as of Saturday. More than 80 attended last year’s COP29 in Baku, following more than 100 at the previous three summits in Dubai, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and Glasgow.

The main November 10-21 summit in Belem has also seen fewer people register than for COPs in the recent past. With limited hotel capacity and high room prices in Belem, only about 12,200 people had signed up as of October 8, according to preliminary data from the U.N. climate agency.

Last year’s COP29 in Baku had more than 54,000 attendees, while Dubai’s COP28 drew almost 84,000. Brazil had said it expects more than 45,000.

The planning for COP30 has caused months of anxiety among countries that struggled to find affordable accommodation, with some ultimately planning to cut their delegations.

That’s also driven more people to either the finance-focused events this week in Sao Paulo or to the local leaders summit in Rio.

“It’s great to see so many business leaders and mayors converge in Brazil on the eve of COP30, showcasing their climate action, and seeking opportunities to collaborate and go further faster,” said Dan Ioschpe, the board chairman at Brazil-based autoparts manufacturer Ioschpe-Maxion who is leading COP30 efforts to accelerate action by businesses and other non-state actors.

Brazil has said the Belem location was meant to shake things up by putting indigenous communities at the center of talks.

A flotilla carrying indigenous leaders and activists is making its way down the Amazon River to Belem, where the groups plan to deliver a list of conservation demands to world leaders later this week. During the conference, many indigenous groups plan to camp in the rainforest around the city.

(Reporting by Simon Jessop in Sao Paulo and Katy Daigle in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Sonali Paul)

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck northern Afghanistan in the early hours of Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring around 150 others, according to Reuters, which quoted official sources. The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said the quake occurred at a depth of 23km. The epicenter was near Mazar-i-Sharif and Khulm towns, with tremors felt across Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.

Casualty forecast USGS predicts significant casualties, widespread damage The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has predicted “significant casualties” and “potentially widespread” disaster due to the quake. “Several provinces of the country were once again shaken by a strong earthquake at around 1 am (3:30 p.m. ET Sunday),” the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority told CNN. Mazar-e Sharif, a city with over 500,000 residents, saw many people rushing into the streets for safety.

Official statement Taliban spokesman confirms deaths, injuries Earlier, Haji Zaid, a Taliban spokesman in Balkh province, confirmed four deaths and many injuries in Sholgara district on X. A health official in Samangan province said seven people died and 150 were injured. Zaid also mentioned “minor injuries and superficial damages” across other districts of the province. He said that most injuries were due to people falling from tall buildings during the quake.

Damage assessment Video shows debris at Mazar-e Sharif’s Blue Mosque Zaid also shared a video on X showing debris at the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e Sharif. The religious complex is believed to contain the tomb of the first Shia Imam and is a pilgrimage site. Khalid Zadran, another Taliban spokesman, said police teams are monitoring the situation closely. The earthquake comes after a deadly 6.0-magnitude quake hit Afghanistan’s eastern region in late August, killing over 1,000 people.

PTC News Desk: A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif early Monday, leaving at least seven people dead and around 150 injured, provincial officials said.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e-Sharif, home to about 523,000 residents.

“As of this morning, seven people have been confirmed dead and 150 injured, all of whom have been taken to health centres,” said Samim Joyanda, spokesperson for the Samangan provincial health department, which borders Mazar-e-Sharif. He noted that the figures were based on hospital reports collected by Monday morning.

The USGS issued an orange alert through its PAGER system—used to estimate earthquake impacts—warning that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.”

CCTV footage shows the moment a strong M6.3 earthquake struck Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, a short while ago. pic.twitter.com/NX0o04Ggi5 — Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) November 2, 2025

Part of the revered Blue Mosque, or the holy shrine of Mazar-i-Sharif, was damaged in the quake, according to Haji Zaid, spokesperson for Balkh province.

Afghanistan’s national disaster management authority said detailed reports on the casualties and destruction would be released later. Reuters was unable to immediately confirm the full extent of the damage.

Videos circulating on social media platform X showed rescuers working to pull victims from beneath the rubble and scenes of collapsed buildings, with one clip appearing to show bodies being recovered from the debris.

– With inputs from agencies

Powerful earthquake hits Afghanistan killing 7, over 100 injured

Kabul, Nov 3 : A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 jolted northern Afghanistan early on Monday morning, causing at least seven people dead and over 100 injured, according to media reports.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) issued an orange alert through its PAGER system—an automated tool that assesses the potential impact of earthquakes—warning that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.”

The quake struck at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e Sharif, a city of about 523,000 people, according to the USGS.

Videos showing rescue operations to free people trapped under rubble, along with images of collapsed buildings and scattered debris, circulated widely on the social media platform X.

Earlier on September 23, a 4.9-magnitude earthquake had struck southeastern Afghanistan, according to the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. The quake’s epicentre was pinpointed at a shallow depth of 10 km, with coordinates at 34.48 degrees north latitude and 70.71 degrees east longitude.

Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban government has faced several devastating earthquakes, including one in 2023 in the western Herat region near the Iranian border that killed over 1,500 people and destroyed more than 63,000 homes.

Another major quake—a shallow magnitude 6 tremor—struck the country’s east on August 31 this year, killing more than 2,200 people, making it the deadliest in recent Afghan history.

Afghanistan lies along the collision zone between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, with additional influence from the Arabian plate to the south—making it one of the most seismically active regions in the world.

The country is simultaneously grappling with multiple crises after decades of war, including widespread poverty, severe drought, and the forced return of millions of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran.

According to seismologist Brian Baptie of the British Geological Survey, northeastern Afghanistan has experienced 12 earthquakes above magnitude 7 since 1900. Studies further show that more than 355 quakes exceeding magnitude 5.0 have occurred across the country since 1990.

Eastern and northeastern Afghanistan—particularly areas bordering Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan—remain the most earthquake-prone regions.

By Steve Holland and Jasper Ward

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that, for now, he is not considering a deal that would allow Ukraine to obtain long-range Tomahawk missiles for use against Russia.

Trump has been cool to a plan for the United States to sell Tomahawks to NATO nations that would transfer them to Ukraine, saying he does not want to escalate the war.

His latest comments to reporters aboard Air Force One indicate that he remains reluctant.

“No, not really,” Trump told reporters as he flew to Washington from Palm Beach, Florida, when asked whether he was considering a deal to sell the missiles. He added, however, that he could change his mind.

Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed the Tomahawk idea when they met at the White House on October 22. Rutte said on Friday that the issue was under review and that it was up to the United States to decide.

Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), long enough to strike deep inside Russia, including Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has requested the missiles, but the Kremlin has warned against any provision of Tomahawks to Ukraine.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Jasper Ward and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Edmund Klamann, Sergio Non and Michael Perry)