South American presidents discuss regional cooperation in Brazil

This is part of an effort by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to reinvigorate the UNASUR block. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following South American presidents discuss regional cooperation in Brazil [Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro talks to the press next to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil on May 29, 2023.] Credit: Gustavo Moreno/AP Brazil Leaders of South American countries [gathered in Brasilia for the first time in nine years]( to discuss regional cooperation. This is part of an effort by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to reinvigorate the UNASUR block — Union of South American Nations — which was established 15 years ago during Lula’s second presidency to boost cultural, political and economic cooperation between these 12 nations. UNASUR lost strength with political changes in the region. Ahead of the meeting, the Brazilian president [met with his Venezuelan counterpart]( Nicolás Maduro on Monday, calling the visit a “new moment” in bilateral relations. Greece Greece’s Education Ministry says it has been the [target of a cyberattack]( aimed at its centralized, end-of-year high school examination platform, called Subject Bank, for the second day in a row. The attacks involved computers from 114 countries working to overwhelm the platform. Students waited in classrooms for hours to start their exams due to the disruption. The Greek minister of education said it has been the “most significant attack ever carried out against a Greek public or government organization.” The outages left students waiting in classrooms for hours for the exams to start. Uganda Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni [signed into law]( anti-gay legislation that is considered to be among the harshest in the world. While the new law doesn't criminalize people who identify as LGBTQ+, it includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as cases of sexual relations involving people who are HIV positive and minors. Ugandan advocacy groups have gone to the courts to strike down the legislation. UNAids, the Global Fund and Pepfar, some of the leading international health groups, warned in a joint statement against the possible stigma associated with the new law, which could prevent people to seach health treatment. "Uganda's progress on its HIV is now in grave jeopardy," the statement read. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [This Jerusalem tattoo studio is part of a centuries-old Christian tradition]( [Nizar Razzouk (left) is doing a tattoo for Debora Magina, a Christian pilgrim visiting Jerusalem from São Paulo, Brazil.]( Credit: Fuad AbuGosh/The World The Razzouks are Coptic Christians, originally from Egypt, who’ve been doing religious tattoos since the 14th century. They relocated to Jerusalem around 500 years ago, and the family has been [tattooing Christian pilgrims]( in the Holy Land ever since. [Is the fictional film 'The Kerala Story' cautionary or propaganda?]( [Bollywood actresses from left, Siddhi Idnani, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, Adah Sharma and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah during a press conference for the movie "The Kerala Story" in Mumbai, India, May 17, 2023.]( Credit: Rajanish Kakade/AP/File photo A film called “The Kerala Story,” released in India earlier this month, claims that thousands of Hindu and Christian women from the southern Indian state of Kerala are being tricked into converting to Islam and then being forced to join the terrorist group ISIS. The filmmakers have claimed that it is a “never-before-told true story — revealing a dangerous conspiracy that has been hatched against India.” But many have objected to this message, [saying it is divisive](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Calling all international students! School is out for the summer. ☀️📚🍎 But we have one more assignment for you! If you are a student or recent graduate of an American univerisity, we’d like to know why you chose to study in the US. - Was it all that you hoped for? What do you like, what do you not like? - When you graduate, will you return home? Record a voice memo with your story and email it to myworld@theworld.org. Remember to include your name and location. And we just might feature your story on the program! 🎙️ --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot ​​​​​​​In 1989, the Ukrainian punk rock band Vopli Vidopliassova released an album called “Tantsi” or “Dances.” In 2019, the original session tape was rediscovered, and in 2023, Tantsi was finally officially released. “Tantsi” is being called [a time capsule from late Soviet Kyiv](. It’s also about rebelling against repressive rule from the Kremlin, and imagining new possibilities. [Oleg Skrypka, lead singer of Vopli Vidopliassova.]( Credit: Anastasia Vlasova/The World In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.