Lula criticizes the United Nations and the Security Council, and refers to the Brazilian elections, while an Argentine judge accuses two Iranians and a Lebanese of the Amiya bombing, and Bachelet withdraws her candidacy for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations.

On Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva harshly criticized the United Nations and its Security Council, denouncing its failure in its main mission. Namely, eliminating “the scourge of war,” in his speech before the General Assembly at its annual session.

Lula said: “The United Nations failed in one of its most important tasks; It is to rid humanity of the scourge of war. Its credibility has never been this weak,” according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.

He added: "We have all become hostage to the UN Security Council's inaction and failure to fulfill its role."

In light of what he described as “the paralysis of the United Nations,” he called for “restoring the political initiative” so that the organization can return to being a edifice of “peace.”

The Brazilian President touched on the situation in his country, where presidential elections will be held in less than two weeks, amid growing fears of foreign interference, especially from “Trump circles (referring to US President Donald Trump)” that favor Bolsonaro Jr.; Lula's most prominent opponent in this entitlement.

The Brazilian President said: “On October 4, millions of Brazilians will go to the polls to shape their future. They will not only vote for the President of the Republic, state governors, and representatives in Congress... but they will also choose between democracy and denial of democracy.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to prevent “the enemies of democracy; “Whether they are from the homeland or abroad, from violating the people’s choice.”

He said: “We enjoy a modern and robust electoral system that is supervised by a pluralistic society and a free press.”

He pointed out that Brazilians must choose between “moving forward into the future or going backwards” with his opponent, Flavio Bolsonaro.

The Brazilian President acknowledged that the desire for change is “legitimate,” but “it should not lead to regression.”

He stated: “Change means progress towards a broader, participatory future... It requires creating effective public solutions to the challenges of development and sharing them, within a strong and effective democratic framework.”

Flavio Bolsonaro has; The son of former right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), with increasing support as the date of the first round approaches, next October 4, and now has equal voting power with the outgoing leftist president.

An Argentine judge on Monday filed formal charges against seven Iranians and a Lebanese man on suspicion of involvement in a bombing that targeted a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994.

The decision paves the way for the possibility of organizing a trial in absentia in the case of the attack that killed 85 people and injured 300 others on July 18, 1994. Investigations have not yet resulted in the arrest of any suspect in the bombing of the headquarters of the Argentine Jewish Association (AMIA), which is considered one of the worst attacks in the history of Argentina.

Judge Daniel Raficas said: “The decision to carry out the attack was made in August 1993 by the highest levels of the Iranian regime, and its implementation was entrusted to Hezbollah.” He pointed out that seven of the defendants held high-ranking positions in the Iranian state at the time of the attack, while the Lebanese defendant was a member of Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran.

Prosecutions against other defendants were dropped due to insufficient evidence. “There are still procedures that must be completed” before reaching the trial stage, Ravicas told Agence France-Presse.

For his part, Argentine President Javier Mele welcomed the decision, and wrote on the “X” platform: “Ethics as a state policy.”

Argentina and Israel continued to accuse Iran of being behind the attack, which Tehran constantly denies. Last year, the Argentine judiciary, with the support of Meli's government, allowed the possibility of holding trials in absentia.

The Amiya bombing came only two years after a bombing that targeted the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, killing 29 people, while the judicial ruling suggested that there was a link between the two attacks due to suspicion of Hezbollah’s involvement in both.

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced on Saturday that she was withdrawing her candidacy for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations, weeks after she ranked penultimate among eight candidates in an informal opinion poll.

“Today I announce my decision not to proceed with my candidacy for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations,” Bachelet, the first woman to assume the presidency of Chile, said in a video clip posted on her social media accounts.

She added, “Some may think that the time was not appropriate for a candidacy that represents the vision that I sought to present.” “I do not regret taking on this great challenge.”

Bachelet stressed that her candidacy for this high UN position contributed to raising discussion about the need for the next Secretary-General to be a woman from Latin America.

So far, in three rounds of voting in the informal process to choose a new UN Secretary-General, the 15-member Security Council has twice placed former Vice President of Costa Rica, Rebecca Greenspan, in the lead.

In the third round, the former Foreign Minister of Guyana, Caroline Rodriguez Burkett, topped the list of candidates.

The administration of former Chilean President Gabriel Boric nominated Bachelet last February, where he received the support of leftist leaders in both Mexico and Brazil.

But the candidacy of the 74-year-old politician, who is affiliated with the leftist movement, lost momentum after the new President of Chile, Jose Antonio Caste, who belongs to the extreme right, withdrew his support for her.

Earlier this month, during a university event, Bachelet expressed the slim chances of her assuming the presidency of the international organization.

No woman has ever headed the United Nations since its founding eight decades ago, and only one person from Latin America has held the position of Secretary-General, the Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuellar, who held the position from 1982 to 1991.

According to an unwritten custom, but not always adhered to, this high position is rotated between geographical regions, and this time it was supposed to go to Latin America.

With Bachelet's withdrawal, four women and three men remain in the race to succeed Portuguese António Guterres, who will conclude his second five-year term on December 31.