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SYDNEY, Thu Jul 17, (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Pope Benedict praised the Australian government on Thursday for apologizing for past injustices to Aborigines, saying it was a courageous move to repair race relations and offered hope to the rest of the world. Aboriginal dancers with painted faces and dressed in animal fur swept the ground with gum leaves in a welcoming ceremony as the pope boarded a boat to cross Sydney Harbor to greet more than 100,000 Catholic pilgrims at World Youth Day. One woman aboriginal dancer knelt in front of the 81-year-old pontiff, handing him a branch of gum leaves, which he waved in the air as he boarded the ship to lead 13 boats up the Harbor. The pope said the ancient heritage of Aborigines, who have been in Australia for some 40,000 years, formed "an essential part of the cultural landscape of modern Australia". "Thanks to the Australian government's courageous decision to acknowledge the injustices committed against the indigenous peoples in the past, concrete steps are now being taken to achieve reconciliation based on mutual respect," said the pontiff in a welcoming speech with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. "This example of reconciliation offers hope to peoples all over the world who long to see their rights affirmed and their contribution to society acknowledged and promoted." Rudd officially apologized to Aborigines in February. Australia's 460,000 Aborigines make up about 2 percent of the country's 21 million population and have consistently higher rates of unemployment, substance abuse and domestic violence, as well as a life expectancy 17 years less than other Australians. ENVIRONMENT The pope also highlighted Australia's moves to combat climate change, with the government planning a carbon trading system aimed at cutting greenhouse gases by 60 percent of 2000 levels by 2050, and called on "responsible stewardship" of the earth. "It is appropriate to reflect upon the kind of world we are handing on to future generations," said the pope before his first appearance at World Youth Day celebrations, which are being held from July 15-20. "I note that Australia is making a serious commitment to address its responsibility to care for the natural environment." Australia, one of the world's highest per capita greenhouse emitters due to coal-fired power stations, is in the grip of the worst drought in 100 years and is struggling to save its major river system that feeds the nation's food belt. Australia plans to introduce a carbon trading system by 2010. The Catholic Church hopes World Youth Day, the brainchild of the late Pope John Paul II, will revitalize the world's young Catholics at a time when the cult of the individual and consumerism have become big distractions in their daily lives. Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has overshadowed the Pope's visit, with the church reopening a 25-year-old abuse case in Australia only days before the pontiff arrived. The Pope has said he will apologize to Australian victims of sexual abuse in the church. Broken Rites, which represents abuse victims, has a list of 107 convictions for church abuse, but says there may be thousands more victims as only a few go to court. The Pope confronted the issue of sexual abuse in the church during a visit to Washington in April, meeting victims and vowing to keep pedophiles out of the priesthood. Some sex abuse victims plan to protest against the papal visit in Sydney, along with a group called "No Pope" which opposes church teachings on sex and marriage. | 0 |
OSLO (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday. Here are some quotes from his acceptance speech. ON THE PRIZE I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. ...the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; ON TODAY'S CONFLICTS A decade into a new century, (the) old architecture is buckling under the weight of new threats. The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale. Moreover, wars between nations have increasingly given way to wars within nations. The resurgence of ethnic or sectarian conflicts; the growth of secessionist movements, insurgencies, and failed states; have increasingly trapped civilians in unending chaos. In today's wars, many more civilians are killed than soldiers; the seeds of future conflict are sewn, economies are wrecked, civil societies torn asunder, refugees amassed, and children scarred. IN JUSTIFICATION OF MILITARY ACTION I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. ...A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason. I raise this point because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence about military action today, no matter the cause. At times, this is joined by a reflexive suspicion of America, the world's sole military superpower. Yet the world must remember that it was not simply international institutions not just treaties and declarations that brought stability to a post-World War II world. Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: the United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. ...So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy. The soldier's courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause and to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such. ON RULES OF ENGAGEMENT I believe that all nations strong and weak alike must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. ...Furthermore, America cannot insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don't, our action can appear arbitrary, and undercut the legitimacy of future intervention no matter how justified. ...I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war. Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later. That is why all responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace. ON AMERICA'S ROLE AND NATO America's commitment to global security will never waiver. But in a world in which threats are more diffuse, and missions more complex, America cannot act alone. This is true in Afghanistan. This is true in failed states like Somalia, where terrorism and piracy is joined by famine and human suffering. And sadly, it will continue to be true in unstable regions for years to come. The leaders and soldiers of NATO countries and other friends and allies demonstrate this truth through the capacity and courage they have shown in Afghanistan. But in many countries, there is a disconnect between the efforts of those who serve and the ambivalence of the broader public. I understand why war is not popular. But I also know this: the belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it. Peace requires responsibility. Peace entails sacrifice. That is why NATO continues to be indispensable. That is why we must strengthen UN and regional peacekeeping, and not leave the task to a few countries. ON THE ROLE OF SANCTIONS Sanctions must exact a real price. Intransigence must be met with increased pressure and such pressure exists only when the world stands together as one. ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT I am committed to upholding this treaty. It is a centerpiece of my foreign policy. And I am working with President Medvedev to reduce America and Russia's nuclear stockpiles. ON IRAN AND NORTH KOREA it is also incumbent upon all of us to insist that nations like Iran and North Korea do not game the system. Those who claim to respect international law cannot avert their eyes when those laws are flouted. Those who care for their own security cannot ignore the danger of an arms race in the Middle East or East Asia. Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war. ON DARFUR, CONGO, MYANMAR The same principle applies to those who violate international law by brutalizing their own people. When there is genocide in Darfur; systematic rape in Congo; or repression in Burma there must be consequences. And the closer we stand together, the less likely we will be faced with the choice between armed intervention and complicity in oppression. ON HUMAN RIGHTS America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal. We will bear witness to the quiet dignity of reformers like Aung Sang Suu Kyi; to the bravery of Zimbabweans who cast their ballots in the face of beatings; to the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side ON THE ROLE OF DIPLOMACY ...the promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach and condemnation without discussion can carry forward a crippling status quo. No repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door. ON CLIMATE ...the world must come together to confront climate change. There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, famine and mass displacement that will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and activists who call for swift and forceful action it is military leaders in my country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance. ON DISTORTION OF RELIGION Most dangerously, we see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. ...Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but the purpose of faith for the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. | 0 |
Across large swaths of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, residents spent the day coping with water-logged basements, power outages, damaged roofs and calls for help from friends and family members stranded by flooding. At least 13 people lost their lives in New York City, along with three in suburban Westchester County, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a tweet at least 23 people from that state had perished in the storm. Among the fatalities, three people were found dead in a basement in the New York City borough of Queens, while four residents of Elizabeth, New Jersey, died at a public housing complex flooded by 8 feet (2.4 m) of water. Roadways were transformed into river-like torrents in minutes as the downpours struck on Wednesday night, trapping drivers in quickly rising floodwaters. Scores of vehicles were found abandoned on area roadways Thursday. In Somerset County, New Jersey, at least four motorists were killed, officials said. A victim in Maplewood Township, New Jersey, was swept away while he was apparently trying remove debris from storm drains in the area, police said. "Sadly, more than a few folks have passed as a result of this," Murphy said at a briefing in Mullica Hill in the southern part of the state, where a tornado ripped apart several homes. The National Weather Service confirmed two tree-snapping tornadoes also struck Maryland on Wednesday, one in Annapolis and another Baltimore. A 19-year-old was reported to have died after trying to rescue his mother from a flooded apartment in Rockville, Maryland, according to the Washington Post. The damage came three days after Ida, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the US Gulf Coast, made landfall on Sunday in Louisiana, destroying entire communities. But the loss of life in the Northeast dwarfed the confirmed storm-related death toll of nine in Louisiana.
Cars are stuck in flood waters in an underpass on Queens Boulevard in New York early on Thursday morning, Sept. 2, 2021. The New York area was under a state of emergency on Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida barrelled into the region with furious, wind-driven rain that led to at least eight deaths, all but halted subway service and destroyed homes in New Jersey. (Dakota Santiago/The New York Times)
In Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia, the Schuylkill River inundated hotels, warehouses and condominiums that line the river. Emergency squads were waiting for the waters to recede on Thursday before starting evacuations of possibly hundreds of people who live in nearby apartments, officials said. Cars are stuck in flood waters in an underpass on Queens Boulevard in New York early on Thursday morning, Sept. 2, 2021. The New York area was under a state of emergency on Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida barrelled into the region with furious, wind-driven rain that led to at least eight deaths, all but halted subway service and destroyed homes in New Jersey. (Dakota Santiago/The New York Times) Four people died in suburban Philadelphia as a result of the storm, according to county spokesperson Kelly Cofrancisco. And a Connecticut state trooper perished after his cruiser was swept away in floodwaters in the town of Woodbury early Thursday, state police said. Video footage on the Weather Channel showed flames billowing from a house in the riverfront town of Manville, New Jersey, where flooding prevented access by fire trucks. The house next door appeared to have burned down to the waterline on a street where parked cars were submerged. RECORD-BREAKING RAIN Ida's remnants brought 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) of rain to a swath of the Northeast from Philadelphia to Connecticut and set an hourly rainfall record of 3.15 inches for Manhattan, breaking one set by Tropical Storm Henri less than two weeks ago, the National Weather Service said. New York officials blamed much of flooding on the high volume of rainfall in a short span of time, rather than the daily total, which was within predictions. "Because of climate change, unfortunately, this is something we're going to have to deal with great regularity," said Kathy Hochul, New York's newly inaugurated governor. The number of disasters, such as floods and heat waves, driven by climate change has increased fivefold over the past 50 years, according to a report released earlier this week by the World Meteorological Organization, a UN agency. US President Joe Biden on Thursday said the federal government stood ready to provide "all the assistance that's needed." The governors of New York and New Jersey urged residents to stay home as crews worked to clear roadways and restore service to subways and commuter rail lines serving millions of residents. "Right now my street looks more like a lake," said Lucinda Mercer, 64, as she peered out her apartment window in Hoboken, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from New York. Subway service in New York City remained "extremely limited," transit officials said, and commuter rail services to the suburbs were largely suspended. About 370 flights were cancelled at New Jersey's Newark Liberty Airport. Mark Haley of Summit, New Jersey, said getting home after a 15-minute drive to a bowling alley to celebrate his daughter's sixth birthday on Wednesday night became a six-hour slog through floodwaters that frequently blocked his route. "When we got out, it was a war zone," said Haley, 50, a fitness trainer. When he made it home, he found almost 2 feet of water in his basement. Nearly 170,000 electricity customers were without power on Thursday in the four northeastern states that got the bulk of the rain overnight, mostly in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to PowerOutage.US, which gathers data from utility companies. | 0 |
Along with demands to end fossil fuel reliance, activist leaders unveiled an addition to the digital "climate clock" displayed on a building above the square since September. The clock now shows the amount of the world's energy supplied from renewable sources, currently at 12% and slowly rising. A timer counts down the years, days and seconds that scientists estimate are left to reach net zero carbon emissions and avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. "If we just have the deadline, that's really focused on doomsday, and it can make people feel hopeless. People need to be reminded there's so much they can do in terms of taking action," said Alexandria Villasenor, a leader in the youth climate movement and one of several speakers at Monday's event. The event was part of a week of civic action aiming to pressure world leaders ahead of President Joe Biden's virtual climate summit on Thursday and Friday. Masked and outdoors, speakers shared stories of how their own communities had been hurt by climate-induced disasters. "We're saying, 'get fossil fuel money out of your meetings, out of your politics.' We're saying, 'keep fossil fuels in the ground'," said Thanu Yakupitiyage of 350.org, one of the event organizers. "We're saying, 'listen to frontline communities and the communities hit worst by the climate crisis.' " Behind the podium, the deadline clock counted down with six years, 256 days remaining, then flashed a message: "We are in a climate emergency but we have a window of hope if we #ActInTime." NEW ADMINISTRATION After the event, Villasenor and her father began an electric car drive from New York to Washington to deliver a portable version of the climate clock to top Biden officials. Other handheld clocks will be given to campaigners and heads of state around the world. The thin, rectangular clocks are 2 feet (61 cm) long and display both lifeline and deadline numbers. A similar countdown will be projected on Scotland's Tolbooth Steeple, a landmark building in Glasgow. It will light up every night for the six months between Earth Day and the UN climate conference being held there in November. The clocks are meant to remind people of "the limited time we have to fix this global problem," said Jerome Ringo, goodwill ambassador for the Pan-African Parliament and former chairman of the National Wildlife Federation. Ringo plans to deliver portable clocks to leaders in Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso. Campaigners say they have been encouraged that upon taking office in January, Biden signed an order to rejoin the Paris Accord and revoked federal permits for the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Both actions were priorities for environmental activists. "This is a huge issue for my generation," said Xiye Bastida, another leader in the youth action movement. Bastida praised Biden's focus on equality and environmental justice. "We want to bring this element of urgency, but we don't want things done in an unjust way just for the sake of efficiency." But Bastida also urged even stronger action, and credited campaigners for progress made so far. "If Biden is the most environmentally friendly president, it's because we pushed him there," she said. And "we are going to keep pushing," she said. "This crisis is not something that is going to change if you ignore it." | 0 |
Poverty rate in Bangladesh has declined sharply from 49 per cent to 31 per cent as Bangladesh has progressed in various categories of human development, a new report by the United Nations has said. But the poverty reduction rate was not the same in vulnerable areas, according to the Human Development Report 2011. "There are some growth centres where it fell significantly but there are also some pockets like coastal or char areas where poverty is (still) rampant," said UNDP country director Stefan Priesner at the launch of the report on Thursday. The report, however, praised Bangladesh for maintaining a good track. The report said it is expected that Bangladesh would elevate to the medium human development index (HDI) category from the lower one. Bangladesh showed very strong longer term progress on the HDI but there is no room for complacency, said Priesner. Bangladesh improved its point from 0.497 to 0.5 at the index with a significant improvement in gender inequality issue, according to the report. The overall inequality HDI has dropped by seven percentage point from 29 per cent to 22 per cent showing a good performance of the country, it said. Bangladesh ranked just below Pakistan (0.504) while Delhi is ahead of Dhaka. The UN country director said Bangladesh needs to address the pressure of environmental degradation, adverse impact of climate change and risks of disaster to improve further. The four key messages of the report are sustainable urbanization, tackling climatic threat, providing clean energy to the poor and addressing environmental degradation issue, he said. He said current rate of urbanization is not sustainable while climatic threat does more harm to poor than the richer part of the society. Clean energy is pre-requisite for the development of the poor and if environmental degradation is not addressed, many poor who live on natural resources will be affected, he added. "Equity and sustainable development are two sides of one coin," he said. | 2 |
A remote-powered camera glides through the sunlit, turquoise waters of this corner of the western Indian Ocean, capturing rare footage of what scientists believe is the world’s largest seagrass meadow. Human activity is helping destroy the equivalent of a soccer field of these seagrasses every 30 minutes around the world, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). And scientists are now racing to take stock of what remains. "There are a lot of unknowns -- even things as simple as how much seagrass we have," said Oxford University earth observation scientist Gwilym Rowlands, who is helping the Seychelles government map the island nation’s seagrass and estimate how much carbon it stores. "If you look at the map data for seagrass, there are huge holes" in what we know. Seagrasses play a large role in regulating ocean environments, storing more than twice as much carbon from planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) per square mile as forests do on land, according to a 2012 study in the journal Nature Geoscience. Countries that hope to earn credit toward bringing down their CO2 emissions could tally their seagrasses and the carbon they store, a first step toward accrediting carbon offsets for eventual trading on an open market. The grasses also curb the acidity of surrounding waters -- an especially important function as the ocean absorbs more CO2 from the atmosphere and becomes more acidic. But seagrasses provide some buffer from acidification, which can damage animals’ shells and disrupt fish behaviours. In one study published March 31 in the journal Global Change Biology, scientists at the University of California, Davis, found that seagrasses dotted along the California coast could reduce local acidity by up to 30% for extended periods. The plants also help clean polluted water, support fisheries, protect coasts from erosion, and trap micro-plastics, said the study's lead author Aurora Ricart. "What is even cooler is that these habitats are present everywhere," she said. SEAGRASS AS CLIMATE ALLY While most seagrasses fringe coastlines around the world, the shallowness of Saya de Malha allows sunlight to filter to the seabed, creating an aquatic prairie in the Indian Ocean that provides shelter, nurseries and feeding grounds for thousands of marine species. The bank’s isolation has helped protect it from coastal threats, including pollution and dredging. But even such remote stretches of international waters face increasing incursions from shipping and industrial fishing. In March, scientists from institutions including Britain’s Exeter University travelled with Greenpeace on an expedition to collect some of the first field data on the area’s wildlife, including its little-studied beds of seagrass. With the boat bobbing for days above the plateau, the researchers gathered bits of grass floating in the water, tweezering them into bottles for analysis back on shore. Data on seagrass meadows are patchy, but research so far estimates the grasses cover over 300,000 square km (115,000 square miles), distributed across all continents apart from Antarctica, according to UNEP. That would be an area the size of Italy. It is not yet known how much carbon is locked into Saya de Malha, but globally the tangled roots of seagrasses are estimated to trap over 10% of the carbon buried in ocean sediment per year. "This has massive implications for the (world’s) climate change mitigation efforts," said Dimos Traganos, lead scientist on a German Aerospace Centre project developing software to improve seagrass tracking using satellite imagery and other data. That effort has been helped by recent advances in cloud computing and data storage, he said. "We are in such an exciting period." Seagrass meadows are believed to be retreating around 7% per year globally, according to the most recent seagrass census published in a 2009 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It notes the estimate was based on incomplete data available at the time. The more closely studied areas illustrate the harm human activity can cause. Pollution from mining and damage by fisheries may have helped to eliminate 92% of mainland Britain's seagrasses in over a century, according to a March 4 study in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. If still intact, these could have supported around 400 million fish and stored up to 11.5 million tonnes of carbon -- equivalent to 3% of Britain's CO2 emissions in 2017, the study said. This year, Seychelles began assessing its coastal seagrass carbon stock for the first time, and at least 10 countries have said seagrasses would play a part in their climate action plans, according to UNEP. Seychelles and Mauritius, which have joint jurisdiction over the Saya de Malha’s seabed, should count up and care for the wealth of seagrass on their shared doorstep, said James Michel, who served 12 years as president of the Seychelles until 2016. "Then we'll be in a better position to know how to not only preserve it, but also to manage it to ensure that it is protected for the future." | 0 |
BONN, Germany, Fri Jun 12, (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - A small reference on page 776 of a mammoth UN scientific report to cuts in greenhouse gases far deeper than those on offer by rich nations has become a main roadblock towards a new UN climate treaty. For developing nations at two-week UN talks in Bonn ending on Friday, the outlined emissions cuts by developed nations of 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 have become vital for a deal due to be agreed in Copenhagen in December. Many developed nations, however, say such curbs meant to avert the worst of climate change would cripple their economies. "The minus 25 to 40 range has become a sort of beacon," Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, told Reuters. "It is very much in the back of people's minds as something to measure the success of Copenhagen against." The 25-40 range was based on only a handful of studies and did not even make it to the "summary for policymakers" of the three-part report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), drawing on work of 2,500 experts. "Very little progress has been made on setting targets," Shyam Saran, special climate envoy to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said of the Bonn talks. Developing nations led by China and India say the rich should aim for cuts in emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, of at least 40 percent. They say that evidence of global warming, such as melting Arctic ice, has worsened since 2007. And small island states, who fear being washed off the map by rising sea levels, say the rich should cut by at least 45 percent below 1990 levels. "Forty percent by 2020 is a rather reasonable target" if the problem is as big as now widely believed, Saran said. De Boer noted the level was not an agreed target, merely a scenario for avoiding the worst of global warming. OBAMA CUTS Many developed nations led by the United States say the number is out of reach -- President Barack Obama wants to cut U.S. emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020, a 14 percent cut from 2007 levels, and by 80 percent below by 2050. And Japan set a 2020 target this week of just 8 percent below 1990 levels. "A level of minus 25 percent is still possible but it will be quite difficult," said Bill Hare of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research who was an author of the IPCC's final summary. He said that recent scientific findings had backed up the range. The 25-40 percent did not make it to the summary more for technical reasons than for doubts about its validity. The 25 to 40 percent gained wide political prominence when a reference to page 776 and other findings were included as a footnote to a document launching talks on a new treaty at a meeting of more than 190 nations in Bali in 2007. So far, offers on the table by rich nations total cuts of between 8 and 14 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, Hare said. The European Union is offering 20 percent cuts, or 30 if other developed nations join in. And the same page 776 says that developing nations should make a "substantial deviation" by 2020 to slow the rise of their emissions from business as usual. That judgment splits rich and poor into two starkly different camps rather than, for instance, setting a sliding scale of cuts with the richest making the deepest. "Both sides feel they are being asked to do too much," said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists. It was unclear how deadlock will be broken. The rich might offer deeper cuts or the poor could back down, perhaps in return for clean technologies and far more aid. Hare said that Russia, the main country which has yet to set a greenhouse gas goal and whose emissions are already about 30 percent below 1990 levels after the collapse of the Soviet Union, could make a big difference. A Russian 2020 goal maintaining current levels would deepen overall promised cuts to between 12 and 18 percent. But some countries suggest that cuts do not have to fall within the range, especially if later reductions are deeper. "There are other trends that are possible," Jonathan Pershing, head of the US delegation in Bonn and an IPCC author of the chapter that included the 25-40 percent range, said in a briefing late last month. | 1 |
Cuba has adopted a series of measures to improve the tourism industry's competitive position in the Caribbean and reverse a two-year slide in visitors, state-media reported on Wednesday. "Today the ministry is working on new investments and repairing hotels of historic interest in the cities," Minister Manuel Marrero told parliament deputies on Tuesday, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported. "Another main objective ... is to add new services and make our offer more competitive in general," he said. Landing fees were recently reduced 20 percent at airports and jet fuel set at market prices to bring the communist-run island in line with other Caribbean destinations. To reduce theft, local carrier Cubana Airlines is plastic wrapping all luggage, with the service optional for other airlines. "Better late than never. We suggested the measures two years ago," one foreign tour operator said of the changes. "But package and hotel rates remain 20 percent less in the Dominican Republic, and in Cancun they are similar but the service is far superior," he said. Like others interviewed, he asked not to be identified. Tourism grew at a lofty 20 percent rate in the 1990s, becoming the country's most important foreign exchange earner as the government restructured the economy to cope with the demise of benefactor the Soviet Union. But services and nickel exports brought in more revenues than tourism's $2.3 billion in 2006, and earn a much larger profit, Cuban economists report. Visitors fell to 2.2 million last year from 2.3 million in 2005. It was the first drop since the September 11 attacks on the United States hurt the travel industry worldwide in 2002. The number of tourists dropped 7 percent in January and 13 percent in February compared with the same period in 2006, the Tourism Ministry reported, before ending publication of monthly figures for the first time in years. Minister Marrero blamed the "complicated international scene" for his sector's woes, Granma said, in particular "high oil prices, wars, terrorism and climate change." Cuban and foreign hotel managers said US travel restrictions and the embargo had also hurt, but they insisted the government could do far more to compensate. "It still takes months to purchase a compressor for an air conditioner and there has been little money spent in recent years to maintain and improve service," one foreign hotel manager said. | 0 |
Rich countries should immediately mobilize billions of dollars in development aid to the poorest nations to win their trust in the run-up to global climate talks in Copenhagen, a draft EU report says. OECD countries should also fulfill their existing commitments on overseas aid, which would more than double those aid flows to poor nations to around $280 billion annually by 2015, it added. The recommendations are made in a draft report by the European Commission and Sweden, which holds the EU's rotating presidency and has convened the ministers in a Swedish mountain resort to prepare for climate talks in Copenhagen in December. Prospects of a deal have been boosted by fresh engagement by China and the United States. But the EU is worried they may fail to reach a deal due to a gap in trust between poor countries and the rich, industrialized states they blame for causing climate change in the first place. The Swedish report said clarifying and increasing the global contribution to adaptation funding between now and 2012 could contribute significantly to trust-building with least developed countries. "A specific EU commitment is desirable before Copenhagen," said the report, which will be finalized in coming weeks. Rich countries should immediately mobilize $1-2 billion to assist vulnerable, low-income countries, it added. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said he thought there was a role for short-term actions in the run-up to Copenhagen as a way to build confidence, but that it should in no way substitute efforts to secure longer-term financing. "It's not a substitute for the bigger prize," he told journalists at the end of meetings with his European counterparts. "Unless we come out of Copenhagen with a long-term financing arrangement, we're not going to get the steps we need from developing countries and we're not going to be able to say that this is the kind of agreement we need." "DISGRACE" Jean-Louis Borloo, the French ecology minister, told Reuters on Friday that rich nations would need to scale up their commitments, implying that poor nations would need around $200 billion annually by 2020. "It's an absolute disgrace to leave Africa in the greatest insecurity," he added. The Swedish report singled out Africa for help in cutting developing renewable energy. And it said OECD countries should live up to existing commitments of 0.7 percent of national income for overseas aid, compared to an average of 0.3 percent currently. "In absolute terms, this would mean moving from around $120 billion in 2008 to around $280 billion by 2015," it added. Any funds to help poor nations deal with climate change should come on top of current aid payments, said the report. But Oxfam International said climate funds should come on top of the $280 billion commitments, rather than the $120 billion that is actually paid. "The big flows of money after Copenhagen, should be on top of that 0.7 percent," said Oxfam climate campaigner Tim Gore. "We mustn't divert funds that would otherwise be spent on schools and hospitals." | 0 |
Police had sought the arrest of Nikita Jacob, a Mumbai-based lawyer, for allegedly working together with activist Disha Ravi on a "tool-kit" or a document that it said was used to foment violence during a mass protest by farmers in Delhi last month. Ravi, an activist linked to Swedish climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg, was arrested over the weekend on charges of sedition and remains in police custody. But Jacob petitioned a court in Mumbai to stop the police from carrying out her own arrest warrant. "The court has granted her three weeks interim relief," Sanjukta Dey, Jacob's lawyer, told reporters outside the court. "There is nothing in the tool kit about violence, it is only for creating awareness about farm laws, it's not for creating violence," Dey added. Dey said that Jacob had already been questioned by police on the document and she was ready to cooperate with them in their investigations into the events of Jan. 26, when farmers stormed the historic Red Fort in the old quarter of Delhi while the country was marking the Republic Day. Thunberg tweeted a link to the "tool-kit" in early February, drawing international attention to the farmers' campaign against the Indian government's move to deregulate agriculture produce markets and open them to private players. She later deleted that post. Politicians, students and activists have held protests against the arrest of Ravi, a founding member of the local arm of Thunberg's Fridays for Future climate change movement. On Wednesday, the student wing of the main opposition Congress party staged a protest in Delhi demanding her release. A lawyer for Ravi has declined to comment. Her arrest comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government faces allegations it is suppressing dissent. | 0 |
The White House said the studies, by the US space agency NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), showed climate change was happening now and that action was needed to cut rising world greenhouse gas emissions. The 10 warmest years since records began in the 19th century have all been since 1997, the data showed. Last year was the warmest, ahead of 2010, undermining claims by some sceptics that global warming has stopped in recent years. Record temperatures in 2014 were spread around the globe, including most of Europe stretching into northern Africa, the western United States, far eastern Russia into western Alaska, parts of interior South America, parts of eastern and western coastal Australia and elsewhere, NASA and NOAA said. "While the ranking of individual years can be affected by chaotic weather patterns, the long-term trends are attributable to drivers of climate change that right now are dominated by human emissions of greenhouse gases," said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies in New York. “The data shows quite clearly that it's the greenhouse gas trends that are responsible for the majority of the trends," he told reporters. Emissions were still rising “so we may anticipate further record highs in the years to come.” UN studies show there already are more extremes of heat and rainfall and project ever more disruptions to food and water supplies. Sea levels are rising, threatening millions of people living near coasts, as ice melts from Greenland to Antarctica. Paris meeting in December Next December, about 200 governments will meet in Paris to try to reach a deal to limit global warming, shifting to renewable energies. China and the United States, the top emitters of greenhouse gases, say they are cooperating more to achieve a UN accord. The new data "is another reminder that climate change is not a problem for the future - it's happening here and now and we can't wait to take action," a White House official said in a statement. Opponents of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would transport Canadian crude oil across the United States said the new data made it all the more pressing to prevent the construction of the pipeline. But US Senator James Inhofe, a Republican who is the Senate's leading climate change skeptic, said the temperature difference between 2014 and 2010 was so insignificant as to prove there was no need for more stringent regulations by the US Environmental Protection Agency. "Human activity is clearly not the driving cause for global warming, and is not leading our planet to the brink of devastation that many alarmists want us to believe,” he said. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says it is at least 95 percent probable that human activities, rather than natural variations in the climate caused by factors such as sunspots, are to blame for rising temperatures. Still, a Paris deal will be hard to achieve since curbs on fossil fuel use are unpopular in many nations. Low oil prices may also discourage a shift to cleaner wind and solar power. "The political challenges of organising countries to respond, particularly through the UN process, remain very high,” Michael Levi, a fellow on energy and environment at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, told Reuters. Rowan Sutton, director of climate research at Britain's National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, said a single year did not mean much because it might be a freak hot year. "But the fact that now 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since the turn of the century shows just how clear global warming has become," he said. Even so, temperatures have not risen as fast as they did in the 1980s or 1990s, taking an unusually warm 1998 as a starting point. The IPCC has described it as a hiatus in warming. No El Niño factor Since 1880, Earth’s average surface temperature has warmed by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), NASA said. The NASA and NOAA analyses showed that the world's oceans all warmed last year, offsetting somewhat more moderate temperatures over land. The average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.24 degrees F (0.69 degree C) above the 20th century average, NOAA said. The scientists noted that the record was set in a year that did not have the weather pattern known as El Niño, which can heat up the atmosphere and has been a factor in many past record-setting years, including 1998. The United Nations says it is already clear that promises for emissions curbs at the Paris summit will be too weak to get on track for a UN goal of limiting global warming to 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees C) above pre-industrial times. | 0 |
Indonesia plans to make ministers from around the world use bicycles to get about at the U.N. talks on climate change in Bali to help offset the event's carbon emissions, an environment ministry official said on Friday. Delegates from nearly 190 countries will gather on the resort island on Monday to launch a concentrated effort to hammer out a new deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, a pact to curb global warming that expires in 2012. To help offset an estimated 47,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide expected to be emitted during the 12-day event, the government will clear the conference site of cars and lay on about 200 bikes instead to help people move around the area, Agus Purnomo said. "We want people to leave their cars at the main gate and switch to bicycles," Purnomo, the meeting's executive chairman, told a news conference. "To prevent people from melting in the sun, we will ask everyone to wear light clothes and short sleeves." Purnomo said the estimated emissions figure included carbon dioxide emitted by flights to and from the island and by the use of electricity to power air conditioners. More than 10,000 people including official delegates, activists and journalists are expected to show up at hundreds of sessions sprawled across the island's Nusa Dua area. | 0 |
Big emerging economies including China looked set on Wednesday to clash with G8 rich countries over how to fight global warming. Papering over deep differences, the G8 said on Tuesday they would work toward a target of at least halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but emphasized they would not be able to do it alone. The Group of Eight industrial nations want the leaders of eight fast-growing countries to adopt a "shared vision" of tackling global warming in U.N. negotiations due to conclude in Copenhagen in December 2009. The U.N.-led talks aim to create a new framework for when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. "It's the stalemate we've had for a while," said Kim Carstensen, director of environmental group WWF's global climate initiative. "Given the lack of willingness to move forward, particularly by the U.S., it hasn't been possible to break that. Critics said the G8 agreement was a timid advance on last year's summit commitment in Heiligendamm, Germany, to seriously consider the 2050 goal of halving emissions by mid-century. "This is a complete failure of responsibility. They haven't moved forward at all. They've ducked the responsibility of adopting clear mid-term targets and even the 2050 target is not a single thing more than what we got in Heiligendamm," said Daniel Mittler, Greenpeace International's political adviser. WWF called the G8's stance "pathetic". The G8 summit on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido brings together the leaders of Japan, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Russia and the United States. China, India, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil called on rich nations on Tuesday to slash their carbon emissions by 80-95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, and make cuts of 25-40 percent by 2020. Leaders of these large emerging nations joined the G8 on the last day of its three-day summit in a so-called Major Economies Meeting that Australia, Indonesia and South Korea also attended. The stance of emerging nations is important. The G8 nations emit about 40 percent of mankind's greenhouse gas emissions. But China and India together emit about 25 percent of the total, a proportion that is rising as their coal-fueled economies boom. Washington in particular has said a global climate deal is impossible unless China and India make sacrifices. The big emerging nations said on Tuesday that it was up to the rich nations to do more. "It's not we who are not on board. We've got a more ambitious package. Now we need the U.S. to get on board. It's going to be two years of tough negotiations," said one diplomat from the emerging nations group, who declined to be identified. Negotiators from the Major Economies Meeting group who met in Seoul last month failed to agree on numerical targets for either a long-term global target to cut emissions, or specific mid-term goals for developed countries. The leaders were not expected to go beyond that agreement -- which said major developed economies would set mid-term goals -- in a statement to be issued on Wednesday. "We do not expect our final statement to touch on numerical targets that include the emerging economies," a Japanese official said late on Tuesday. Climate change is not the only bone of contention at Wednesday's talks. Emerging nations are suffering more than rich countries from soaring fuel and food prices and have bristled at the suggestion that their rising demand is to blame. "The emphasis was that rising food prices was hurting the poor and that it was important to increase food production to deal with this," a Japanese official said after a meeting of the big five emerging nations with G8 leaders. "There was concern about rising oil prices and many emerging countries stressed the factor of speculative trade." The 13 leaders also discussed the usefulness of their expanded dialogue amid calls that the G8 should expand to a larger group to better deal with problems that are increasingly global and complex. "The five countries said they expected the dialogue to evolve and progress going forward," the Japanese official said. | 0 |
The poll found that 5.6% of adults identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, rising from 4.5% in 2017, the last time Gallup reported an annual update. The poll also found that more than half of LGBT adults identified as bisexual. One in six adults in Generation Z, people born between 1997 and 2002, identify as LGBT, the poll found. The growth in Americans who identify as LGBTQ is likely to increase, Gallup’s senior editor, Jeffrey Jones, wrote in announcing the results. That is because those in younger generations are more likely than those in older generations to consider themselves LGBT, he said. Americans have been more supportive of equal rights for LGBTQ people, Jones said, prompting an increase in people who identify themselves as LGBT. “I think the findings prove that visibility and acceptance, when combined, will bust out closet doors,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and chief executive of GLAAD, an LGBTQ media organisation and advocacy group. The survey was based on more than 15,000 interviews conducted throughout 2020 with Americans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia who were 18 or older. Those surveyed were interviewed by both cellphone and landline. They were asked: “Which of the following do you consider yourself to be? You can select as many as apply: straight or heterosexual; lesbian; gay; bisexual; transgender.” Gallup said the poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 1 percentage point for all adults, and plus or minus 5 percentage points for LGBT adults. The identity question in the most recent poll was more detailed than in previous years, Jones said. Respondents answered their precise sexual orientation instead of answering “yes” or “no” to whether they identified as LGBT. The Supreme Court has made several landmark rulings in the past decade, adding to a more supportive climate for LGBTQ people. In 2013, the court ruled that married same-sex couples were entitled to federal benefits. In 2015, the court ruled that same-sex marriage was a nationwide right. Most recently, it ruled in June that civil rights law protected gay and transgender workers. But challenges continue for LGBTQ Americans. Although hundreds of religious leaders around the world signed a declaration demanding a global ban on conversion therapy, which seeks to change the sexual orientations of LGBTQ people, only about 20 states have some form of a ban on the disputed approach. During President Donald Trump’s administration, the rollback of rights for transgender people extended through the entire federal government. An annual report by GLAAD also found this year that LGBTQ representation on television had fallen for the first time in five years. The US House of Representatives is likely to vote this week on the Equality Act, a bill that would expand protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, NPR reported. While leading LGBTQ advocacy groups were encouraged that the Gallup results matched their independent polls, leaders said there was more to be done to make the estimates more inclusive for people who identify in other ways or are gender nonconforming. “You’re not just erasing their identity, but you’re missing an opportunity to understand the complexity of lived experiences,” said Amit Paley, the chief executive and executive director of the Trevor Project, an organisation that aims to prevent suicides in young LGBTQ people. For leaders, the poll also highlights a perpetual issue in gathering data on LGBTQ people that could influence new policies. “We don’t actually know how many LGBTQ people in this country die by suicide because death records don’t include data on gender identity or sexual orientation, which is erasing LGBTQ people in important ways,” Paley said. © 2021 New York Times News Service | 2 |
Bangladesh will have to speak out on its own at the UN climate summit in Cancún as there has been no strong voice from the poorest countries. A text, drafted by the chair of one of the negotiating groups, circulated here on Saturday afternoon, is considered to be toothless and tame by and large tame, as it fails to attach adequate preference for least developed countries, small island states and African countries, which are widely accepted to be the worst sufferers of climate change. The chair of long-term cooperative action under the UN climate convention issued a new working draft with few brackets but left most of the numbers to be dealt with later. This negotiating group is charged with exploring the means of arriving at a new comprehensive agreement. The other tracks include another ad hoc working group on Kyoto Protocol and other groups on scientific and technological advice, and implementation. Heading the delegation so far, environment secretary Mihir Kanti Majumder agreed that the text did not mention the preferential treatment the poorest groups of countries, including Bangladesh, are supposed to receive according to the UN climate convention. "We'll have to speak up and demand that these provisions are incorporated into the text." Majumder pointed out that this was not just a whimsical demand but the matter of preference for poor vulnerable countries is recognised by the UN convention. Texts have typically mentioned the all important figures of a ceiling for temperature increase — typically two degrees — by the turn of this century, peaking by 2015 and global emission reduction targets — 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by 90 percent by 2050. But the new text's section on 'shared vision', as it is called, has none of these figures only mentioning that the emissions must peak as soon as possible, although unanimous expert opinion is of the view that emissions must begin to fall after 2015. Greenhouse gases trap the sun's heat in the atmosphere leading to higher temperatures that in turn is said to be causing climate change through rising seas, more frequent floods, stronger cyclones and in general more erratic weather. Emissions over the last century have already pushed the global average temperature up by 0.8 degrees Celsius. Majumder referred to specific parts of the text that read, "Scaled up, new and additional, predictable and adequate funding shall be provided to developing country Parties" without specifying that it was the least developed countries that deserved more preference. Unlike the $100 billion long-term finance package, one of the provisions $30 billion quick funds read that this money will be given out through a "balanced allocation between adaptation and mitigation. Funding for the adaptation will be prioritised for the most vulnerable developing countries, such as the least developed countries, small Island developing states and Africa". Members have pointed out that dilution of the text and veering away from giving preference to the poor countries are also seen as machinations of large and advanced developing countries keen to have a share of the large funds. Majumder said that it was not just in section on finance, but poor countries have been ignored in other areas like adaptation and shared vision as well. "We will have to speak out and make our demands heard." Negotiators say that the current coordinator of the LDC group, Lesotho, is rather weak, but are hopeful with the new group leader Gambia. | 0 |
The United States last week accused China of raising
tensions in the South China Sea by its apparent deployment of surface-to-air
missiles on a disputed island, a move China has neither confirmed nor denied. Asked whether the South China Sea, and the missiles, would
come up when Wang is in the United States to meet Secretary of State John
Kerry, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Washington should not use
the issue of military facilities on the islands as a "pretext to make a
fuss". "The US is not involved in the South China Sea dispute,
and this is not and should not become a problem between China and the United
States," Hua told a daily news briefing. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United
States would "press China to deescalate and stop its militarization"
in the South China Sea. Toner said China's "militarisation activity" only
escalated tensions, and added: "There needs to be a diplomatic mechanism
in place that allows these territorial claims to be settled in a peaceful
way." Wang is due to meet Kerry on Tuesday. Their talks will also
include the international response to North Korea's recent nuclear test and
rocket launch, cyber security and climate change, Toner told a regular news
briefing. China hopes the US abides by its promises not to take sides
in the dispute and stop "hyping up" the issue and tensions,
especially over China's "limited" military positions there, she said. "China's deploying necessary, limited defensive
facilities on its own territory is not substantively different from the United
States defending Hawaii," Hua added. US ships and aircraft carrying out frequent, close-in
patrols and surveillance in recent years is what has increased regional
tensions, she said. "It's this that is the biggest cause of the
militarization of the South China Sea. We hope that the United States does not
confuse right and wrong on this issue or practise double standards." Australia operations
urged On Monday, a senior US naval officer was reported as saying
Australia and other countries should follow the US lead and conduct
"freedom-of-navigation" naval operations within 12 nautical miles (18
km) of contested islands in the South China Sea. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more
than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei,
the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Beijing has rattled nerves with construction and reclamation
activities on the islands it occupies, though it says these moves are mostly
for civilian purposes. The state-owned China Southern Power Grid Company will set
up a power grid management station in what China calls Sansha City, located on
Woody Island in the Paracels, which will be able to access microgrids in 16
other islands, according to China's top regulator of state-owned assets. In the long term, the station will be able to remotely
manage power for many islands there, the statement added, without specifying
which islands it was referring to. Wang is scheduled to be in the United States from Tuesday
until Thursday.
Hua said the minister
is also expected to discuss North Korea, and she repeated China's opposition to
the possible US deployment of an advanced US missile defence system following
North Korea's recent rocket launch. | 5 |
Without amending Canada’s Constitution, Charles will automatically succeed Queen Elizabeth II as Canada’s head of state just like every British monarch since the nation’s founding. Poll after poll shows that the 96-year-old queen who has battled some recent health issues is widely respected by Canadians. For the past several years, however, an ever-declining number of Canadians, polls show, want to swear allegiance to another British monarch, particularly Charles, who is disliked by many here and who represents an institution that many see as increasingly irrelevant to their lives. Much less clear, however, is what Canadians might do to prevent the rule of King Charles III. “Both sides in Canada are a bit at a truce,” said Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor at Carleton University and an expert on the role of the monarchy in Canada. “The monarchists get to keep the formal legal situation, they get the occasional royal tour and they get some symbolism. But the Republicans are able to say that the monarchical principle doesn’t really animate Canadian life in any significant way.” The visit by Charles and his wife, Camilla, which comes a year after the remains of hundreds of children were identified as buried on the grounds of a former residential school for Indigenous children in British Columbia, has something of an Indigenous theme. They will attend a reconciliation event in the province of Newfoundland, their first stop on the trip, and visit an Indigenous First Nation near Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories on the final day. In between, the royal couple will be in Ottawa, the capital. The trip will also feature climate-related discussions between Charles and business leaders as well as a visit to an ice road to discuss the effects of climate change in the far north. Perhaps the only mystery surrounding the visit is if handshaking, traditionally the major activity of Royal Tours, will be replaced by a more COVID-safe form of greeting. Late last month, a poll released by the Angus Reid Institute, a nonprofit public opinion research group, indicated that 55% of Canadians found the monarchy irrelevant and another 24% said it was becoming less relevant. A resounding 67% of Canadians who were questioned said they opposed the idea of Charles succeeding his mother. Large and enthusiastic crowds greeted Charles when he visited Canada with Diana, his first wife, three times. But public interest in him swiftly declined following their separation in 1992. His sometimes patronising manner does not work well in a country that values egalitarianism. The relationship between Charles’ brother Andrew and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who hanged himself in a Manhattan jail, have further eroded support among Canadian for the monarchy. Their standing was further damaged after Meghan Markle, Charles’ daughter-in-law who lived in Toronto and British Columbia, said in an interview that she was subjected to racially insensitive comments by royals Still, Charles and Camilla are likely to draw crowds, particularly in St John’s, Newfoundland, where their visit will be the dominant talk of the town. Geography plays a role in how the royals are viewed. In modern times, the monarchy has never enjoyed any significant support in largely French-speaking Quebec, the second-most populous province. And Canada’s changing demographics have contributed to the spread of that sentiment elsewhere. Many immigrants to Canada come from countries like China, giving them no real connection to Britain’s monarchy. Or they have roots in countries like India where the crown is still viewed by many as a symbol of occupation and repression. “There may well be a point at which Canadians say: ‘Huh, who’s this dude on my money?’” said Shachi Kurl, the president of Angus Reid. The lingering level of support for the monarchy is thanks, in large part, to respect for the queen, Kurl said, and is probably destined to fall even further following her death. “The lack of motivation around making a change really has to do with a genuine affection for her as much as anything,” she said. Barbados dropped the queen as its head of state and became a republic in November in a ceremony witnessed by Prince Charles and Rihanna. Six other Caribbean nations may follow suit. Separate tours of the Caribbean this year by Prince Edward, Charles’ brother, and Prince William, the future king’s son, were the subject of protests against the monarchy and Britain’s brutal history with slavery. The protests forced the cancellation of some stops. Rather than worrying about protests, the organisers of Charles’ trip to Canada seem to have made efforts to ensure that he simply has an audience. Aside from a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, there are no real opportunities for crowds in major cities to gather. Instead, he will visit Quidi Vidi, a neighbourhood and fishing village in St John’s, a city with a population of 114,000 people, where an appearance by any international celebrity, popular or not, is bound to be a major event. The system for amending Canada’s Constitution to remove the British monarch as head of state makes such a step extremely difficult, according to Lagassé and Kurl. Replacing the British monarch with a Canadian head of state would require the unanimous consent of the federal government and all 10 provinces. In a country where politics are driven by regionalism, attaining that consent might be impossible. “Any talk of constitutional change is political kryptonite to most politicians,” Kurl said. “They would prefer not to go there and just look at their shoes.” One workaround, Lagassé said, might be to accelerate a long-running process of simply diminishing the monarch’s presence in Canada. He said that since 1947 the Queen’s powers, which are mostly symbolic, have been assigned to the governor-general, her official representative in Canada. There are, Lagassé said, a number of steps the Canadian government can take without legislation, let alone meddling with the constitution. The queen once appeared on all of Canada’s bank notes. Removing her from the last remaining one, the 20 dollar bill, poses no legal issue, he said, nor would replacing the royal effigy on coins. No law requires the monarch’s portrait to hang in government offices or, for that matter, mandates royal tours. “There’s a whole bunch of these things, the soft underbelly of monarchical symbolism, that can be altered,” Lagassé said. “The general approach now in Canada is that the monarchy is there, it’s not broken. Don’t deal with it, but also don’t give it any more room than it actually needs.” © 2022 The New York Times Company | 0 |
The Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK, Mijarul Quayes, hosted the evening reception organised in partnership with BRAC and Oxfam on Thursday night (local time).Parliamentarians, diplomats, civil society representatives and members of the Bangladeshi diaspora attended the event, digital press officer of the Oxfam GB Rachel Cawood said in a press release.She said the High Commissioner, in his welcome speech, provided an overview of the commendable improvement made by Bangladesh in socio-economic indicators, including being on track on many of the MDGs.Mijarul Quayes highlighted the seminal role of the effective partnering between the civil society organisations and the state in this regard. In particular he lauded Oxfam's support during Bangladesh's Liberation War for which it has been awarded the Friends of the Liberation War Honour.Oxfam also played an important role in the post-war reconstruction in Bangladesh, he added.Quayes mentioned that although born in Bangladesh, BRAC is today an international NGO, and is engaged in changing the lives of people, not only in Bangladesh, but also around the world.Speaking on the occasion BRAC UK's Chief Executive Mary Garvey said: "Whilst huge challenges remain in areas such as child health and women’s empowerment Bangladesh has made amazing progress, supported by organisations such as Oxfam and BRAC.”“The lessons learnt in Bangladesh have the potential to make huge differences in other communities across the world," Garvey added.Mark Goldring, Oxfam Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted to be recognising the hard work of staff of Oxfam and BRAC in Bangladesh, who are helping to make a real difference to people's lives.“But the work cannot stop now - there is still so much more that needs to be done. Bangladesh’s 580 km coastline is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world and with climate change increasing the threat of storms and flooding, we need to ensure that people are prepared for disasters in the most effective way possible.” | 2 |
Fisherman Peter Schneider knows the floods come each year and says they are good for business -- but few other people see any benefit as experts warn of more high water to come. "We fishermen have always lived with that. We're happy when the floods come, because it can only be good for the fish," he said in his village close to the Oder river that forms the border between Germany and Poland. Schneider's business almost went belly-up 10 years ago, when the river gushed through the dykes protecting a low-lying swath of land in this former East German region and immersed the building where he keeps his boats and nets. The catastrophe forced thousands from their homes in Germany and elsewhere, and experts now say climate change may cause more disasters in Europe and across the world, with evidence increasing that global temperatures are rising. "It would be wrong to deny the possible impact of climate change on flooding because if we (waited for more) statistical proof it may be too late," said Wolfgang Grabs at the World Meteorological Organisation of the United Nations. Warmer air can hold more water and will unleash more energy when the weather turns bad, Grabs said, making storms heavier and boosting rainfall. That mechanism may well explain an observed rise in flash floods in Europe over the last decade, he said. Fisherman Schneider said flooded meadows offer breeding fish warmer water and more food, but most people would struggle to find benefit in flooding. In recent weeks, parts of China have seen the heaviest rainfall since records began, killing more than 400. Some 770 people have been killed by flooding in South Asia, with hundreds of thousands displaced by flash floods in southern Pakistan. Thousands of flood victims in Britain last week were clearing chaos and braced for more after floods in northern parts of the country, triggering the country's biggest peacetime rescue effort. European grain prices have risen to their highest level for around 10 years on fears that bad weather will hit this summer's crops, stoking food price inflation. Initially, a spring drought caused damage to wheat crops across Europe and in key grower Ukraine. Since June, heavy rain in western Europe has increased concerns over quality, which may leave bread-makers short of high-grade grain later this year.
'SOMETHING IS CHANGING' Floods killed more than 7,000 people in the world last year, a recent study by reinsurance group Swiss Re study showed -- roughly a third of all victims of natural catastrophes such as storms, earthquakes, droughts and extreme cold or heat. Statistics gathered by insurers -- who look at the cost of a catastrophe to measure its severity, not the death toll -- also indicate climate is changing. "One single event can never be a sign of climate change," said Jens Mehlhorn, who heads a team of flood experts at the Zurich-based company. "But when you see a series of such events, and that's what it looks like at the moment ... it may be about time to say something is changing," he said. This year's UK floods were an event statistical models say should happen once only every 30 to 50 years, Mehlhorn says: the floods in 2000 were a 25-30 years event. Two such events in only seven years are not statistically impossible, but they are unlikely. Other countries have seen similar increases in such disasters. While Britons ponder whether homes should still be being built on flood plains, in the Netherlands -- where many live on land well below sea level -- people in some cities are building floating houses and houses on stilts. The country is also upgrading a 30 km-long dyke at a cost of $1 billion that protects much of the land. If such protection is on offer, flood plains should not be a bad place to live most of the time, said Colin Thorne, head of physical geography at Britain's Nottingham University. "Most of the world's great civilisations grew up along rivers -- people are always going to live there. But you have to have plans for flooding," he said. Near the Oder, Klaus Mueller proved the point. "That dyke won't burst again," said the 69-year old retiree, who fled the rising water by walking his flock of sheep over a distance of more than 12 km (7.5 miles) in 1997. "It's at least 1.5 metres higher, if not two. And it's at least 10 metres wider," he said. | 0 |
The 70-year-old farmer, who only goes by one name, said that in the last two years, about 40 households in the narrow valley in eastern Shar-e-Buzurg have been destroyed by flooding. Some of the families have moved to higher terrain, Arsam explained, while others have left the village, moving to bigger cities or seeking work in neighbouring Iran. "When I was younger, Shar-e-Buzurg was covered with trees, it was a whole jungle," he said of his district in Badakhshan province, motioning towards the hills behind his house. "Floods were less common back then, as the trees absorbed large parts of the spring's snowmelt," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Large-scale deforestation driven mainly by four decades of war has contributed to widespread flooding throughout Afghanistan, prompting many in rural areas to move to the capital Kabul or leave the country. Trees have long been casualties of extreme poverty and war in Afghanistan, with many people in remote areas having little choice but to cut down forests to build houses, fuel stoves and keep warm in winter, climate experts say. The grave consequences of the country's tree loss have led to calls for reforestation, but the task will not be easy, said Jalaludin Naseri, director of natural heritage protection at Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA). "We're trying, but it will take a long time," he said in emailed comments. "We are planning to restore the forests to their original state, but this needs time, budget and peace. During years of war, many depend on forests and natural resources." DROUGHTS AND FLOODS Once covered in lush forest, Afghanistan has lost the majority of its trees, which now occupy only 1.5% of the country's land mass, according to Rajendra Aryal, country representative for the UN's food agency (FAO). "Nearly 70% of the original forest cover has been lost since the 1950s," explained Aryal, noting that the most recent count was in 2010. More trees have been cut down since then, he said, but no reliable up-to-date estimate is available. Climate change has exacerbated the situation. "Frequent droughts result in accelerated land degradation, desertification and displacement," Aryal said, adding that more than half of the country's area is vulnerable to desertification. Environmentalists say forests prevent soil erosion and act as a buffer against flooding, while barren land is less able to hold the water from heavy rains and snowmelt, resulting in flash floods. According to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 1.2 million people in Afghanistan have been forced from their homes by natural disasters such as floods and droughts since 2012. In Badakhshan, the country's northernmost province, they make up 40% of the total number of internally displaced people in the province, explained IOM displacement expert Michael Speir. The rest have been displaced mainly by poverty and war, he said. DRIVEN TO THE CITY Shakira Nuddin, 30, said her husband went to work in Iran several years ago after their main source of income - a few houses they were renting out in the village's valley - was completely washed away. Two years ago, while back in Afghanistan for a visit, he slipped and fell down a mountain, breaking his back. Unable to walk, he is largely confined to the house while Nuddin, a mother of four, now works as a farmer. "Life in the village has become too complicated, especially with my husband's disability," she said. "The floods took our houses and it's difficult for me to find good work here. We're hoping to move to the city." Faizabad, the small provincial capital the family plans to relocate to, is about a five-hour drive away - even longer by donkey followed by a bus ride, which is how the family would travel, passing over mountains and through empty riverbeds. "Migration to cities happens inevitably. People seek safety, work, food," said Naseri at the NEPA. TREE-PLANTING PUSH Afghanistan's challenging environmental conditions and ongoing insecurity have so far hampered large-scale reforestation efforts, said Naseri. But recent years have seen several projects start up with the hopes of improving the country's forest cover. The NEPA last year inked a deal with the Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs to have clerics address climate change during prayers, stressing the importance of picking up litter and planting trees. Earlier this year, the government announced plans to plant 13 million saplings as part of a programme to rehabilitate groundwater supplies. And during the coronavirus pandemic alone, the FAO has restored 1,035 hectares (2,560 acres) of degraded forest by planting pine and walnut trees, according to Aryal, the country representative. "Areas under deforestation and forest degradation can be brought back through various development programmes," he said. In his village in Badakhshan, Arsam said he was lucky he wasn't home when the flash floods destroyed his house. He would have liked to leave, as other families have done, but is too old now, he explained. Instead, he will remain in the house that his neighbours helped to partly rebuild, adding a few flood walls further up the hill, constructed out of big rocks "hoping to keep the water at bay next year," he said. His hope is that he will be able to see the start of a growing forest during his lifetime. "When the war ends, this country can bring its forests back," Arsam said. | 0 |
In a career marked by second acts, Al Gore, the former vice president of the United States and co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is becoming a partner at Silicon Valley's most storied venture capital firm. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers said on Monday that Gore, who campaigns to slow global climate change, will join the Menlo Park, California-based venture capital firm as a partner focused on alternative energy investments. The venture firm, which since 1972 has backed seminal computer start-ups ranging from Sun Microsystems to Compaq Computer to Amazon.com and Google Inc, has emerged in recent years as a leading funder of alternative energy companies. The move deepens Gore's involvement in the private sector and makes a return to US presidential politics less likely. Advisors close to Gore say he has no intention of becoming a late contender in the crowded field for the presidential nomination for 2008. That has not stopped Democratic activists from pressing on with a grassroots "Draft Gore" campaign. Gore, 59, is joining the Kleiner board as part of a collaboration between his London-based Generation Investment Management fund and Kleiner to fund so-called "green" business, technology and policies that address global climate change. Kleiner Perkins plans to locate its European operations at Generation's offices in London. In addition, John Doerr, Silicon Valley's best-known venture capitalist and long a major backer of Gore's political and policy efforts, will join Generation's advisory board, the two organizations said. Generation was founded in 2004 by Gore and David Blood, former chief executive of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, to make investments based on sustainability principles. EXPANDING Kleiner has historically focused its own investing in and around Silicon Valley. However, it recently expanded operations in China. As the firm moves into energy investments, it has taken on a more global profile in its operations. The two firms will remain focused on separate activities, with Kleiner investing in start-ups and Generation continuing its previous focus on investing in publicly traded companies focused on alternative energy or agriculture. Gore said that as part of the agreement between the two firms, 100 percent of his salary as a partner at Kleiner Perkins will be donated directly to the Alliance for Climate Protection -- the nonpartisan foundation he chairs. As a member of the US Congress for 25 years, Gore popularized the term "information superhighway" and was instrumental in providing funds for what later became the Internet. He was defeated in a hotly contested race to become President of the United States in the 2000 election that brought George W. Bush to power. Since leaving government, Gore has advised top Silicon Valley companies. He sits on the board of computer and phone maker Apple Inc and is a senior adviser to Internet services leader Google Inc. Gore is chairman of Current TV, an Emmy Award-winning cable and satellite TV network that encourages young viewers to create video programming tied to global news events. | 0 |
KINGLAKE, Australia, Wed Feb 11 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Surviving residents of Marysville, where up to 100 more people are feared killed in Australia's bushfires, are still being kept out of town to shield them from traumatic scenes there, authorities said on Wednesday. The rising death toll in Australia's deadliest bushfires now stands at 181, but could exceed 200, authorities say. If the Marysville deaths are confirmed, the toll may reach 300. A firefighter who drove through Marysville only 10 minutes before the firestorm hit on Saturday night said people banged on the side of his water tanker, begging his team to help people trapped in burning houses. "The toll is going to be massive," fireman John Munday said. Victoria state Premier John Brumby said Marysville, which has been off-limits since the weekend fires, would remain so because of the likelihood of ghastly sights in the once idyllic town. "There are still many deceased people in homes," he said, adding between 50 and 100 may be dead in Marysville. "If people return to those areas ... and there are still deceased persons there ... the impact would be quite devastating." Forensic police sifted through ash and the twisted remains of houses in Marysville, Kinglake and other towns razed by fires trying to identify the hundreds killed. "You have to go street by street, house by house. There are many houses that have collapsed," said Victoria state Police Commissioner Christine Nixon, adding it would take weeks to complete the search. Some of those killed were burned so badly by fires that reached four storeys high they may never be identified. "In some of these cases, it will be weeks before positive identification can be made and, I'm advised by the coroner, it may be virtually impossible to officially identify the bodies," Brumby told reporters. The fires tore through rural towns north of Melbourne on Saturday night, fanned by strong winds and heatwave temperatures. Melbourne's temperature on Saturday hit 46.4 degrees Celsius (115.5 degrees Fahrenheit), a record for the city. The disaster area, more than twice the size of London and encompassing more than 20 towns north of Melbourne, has been declared a crime zone. The fires have burned 1,033 homes and left 5,000 people homeless. More than 4,000 firefighters are still battling some 33 fires in Victoria state, with 23 of those still out of control. Two major fires east of Melbourne are threatening to join and if so would pose a major risk to water and gas from the Thompson Reservoir and Longford gas plant, which supply Australia's second largest city. Hundreds of kilometers of control lines were being built to keep the fires apart, fire officials said. "We continue to be in a fire crisis," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told parliament. Police have launched the nation's biggest arson investigation, "Operation Phoenix," and posted a A$100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of anyone for deliberately starting a bushfire. The tragedy is the worst natural disaster in Australia in 110 years. The previous worst bushfire was the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 that killed 75 people. The fires have increased pressure on the prime minister to take firm action on climate change as scientists blamed global warming for conditions that fueled the disaster. Australia is particularly vulnerable to climate change because of its hot, dry environment, but dependent on coal-fired power, Rudd has set a target to cut overall greenhouse gas emissions by only 5 percent by 2020. Australia is the most fire-prone country on earth, scientists say. Most of its bushfires are ignited by lightning. Fire officials monitor lightning strikes and any fire that does not correspond with a strike is assumed to be started by people, either accidentally or deliberately. Victoria has ordered a Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe all aspects of the bushfires, including safety guidelines. Officials say the golden rule of surviving forest fires is to evacuate early or stay and defend their homes, but experts say that it appears many victims panicked and fled at the worst time. Some were incinerated in cars as they tried to outrun the flames. | 0 |
China will have exploited all available water supplies to the limit by 2030, the government has warned, ordering officials to prepare for worse to come as global warming and economic expansion drain lakes and rivers. As well, a state newspaper warned on Friday that drought next year could hit crops and stoke already heady inflation. China's surface and underground water supplies are under strain from feverish economic growth and a population passing 1.3 billion. And scarcity will worsen with global warming, the central government warned in a directive. "In recent years economic and social development has led to increasing water demand, and with the impact of global warming, drought and water scarcity are increasingly grave", said a directive issued by the office of the State Council, or cabinet, late on Thursday. "Taking into full account water-saving, by 2030 our country's water use will reach or approach the total volume of exploitable water resources, and the drought-fighting situation will be increasingly serious." The document on the government Web site (www.gov.cn) urges officials to make emergency plans for coping with drought and promises more spending on water-saving technology and artificial rain-making. Local governments must also develop policies to aid and compensate drought-hit farmers. China has about 7 percent of the planet's water resources to nourish a fifth of the global population, the government has estimated. Scientists have said that by 2030, China's potential grain output could fall by 10 percent, unless crop varieties and practices adapt to climate change. China is at the centre of international talks in Bali struggling to agree on a framework for future negotiations on an international pact to fight global warming. But drought is already a chronic burden for many farmers, especially in the country's west. An official newspaper said on Friday that drought next year could cut crops and stoke already heady inflation. The country's consumer inflation hit an 11-year-high at 6.9 percent in November, fuelled largely by rising prices for foods. The People's Daily, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, said drought in the south in 2008 could add to pressure on the national "food basket". "Localised regional drought is extremely likely to have the same effect as yanking one hair to pull the whole body", the report said, using a traditional saying. With winter crops in southern China already hit by drought, the paper said, "we must take this seriously and avoid setting hidden perils for next year's agricultural production growth, especially cereals". Contradicting officials' recent assurances that increased farm production next year was likely to dampen inflation, the People's Daily said extended drought in the south could drive down crop yields and drive up food prices. "The problem of prices at the end of this year and early next merits serious attention," it said. China could call on its massive stockpile of foreign exchange reserves, which stood at $1.455 trillion at the end of October, to shop around the world for more food, a planning official said on Thursday. | 0 |
Rich countries and developing nations fought over climate change on Saturday, failing to make progress on financing ahead of a major environmental summit in Copenhagen next month. Britain, which was hosting a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Scotland, was determined to push toward a $100 billion deal to cover the costs of climate change by 2020. But talks got bogged down in a row with large developing countries about who should foot the bill. "There was a heated argument," Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said. "I think we should be very careful in approaching the possibility of piling big new commitments onto developing countries as this can put a brake on the pursuing of other crucial tasks such as the eradication of poverty." The climate change discussion had dragged on for hours and a French official said the debate was so intense there was a risk the final statement would not mention climate change at all. In the end, they agreed on the need "to increase significantly and urgently the scale and predictability of finance to implement an ambitious international agreement". European Union leaders agreed in October that developing countries would need 100 billion euros a year by 2020 to battle climate change. About 22-50 billion euros of the total will come from the public purse in rich countries worldwide and the EU is expected to provide between 20 and 30 percent of that. "It's a bit disappointing because we would have liked to have done a little bit more work," said French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde, adding that Europe's offer was "substantial". STUMBLING BLOCK China is often denounced by Western critics as the main obstacle to agreement, because it argues developing countries should not submit to binding international caps on emissions while they grow out of poverty. In turn, China and other emerging powers have said the rich countries have done far too little in vowing to cut their own greenhouse gas output, and in offering technology and money to the Third World to help cope with global warming. "We have not come as far as we had hoped even this morning," said German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. "We have not reached an agreement. There is still some work to do. I hope everybody knows that Copenhagen must not be a failure." A European source said there was also frustration in a sunny St Andrews at the stance of the United States, who were sitting on the fence over climate change financing. A 175-nation UN meeting in Barcelona ended on Friday with little progress towards a global deal on climate change but narrowed options on helping the poor to adapt to climate change, sharing technology and cutting emissions from deforestation. The final UN preparatory meeting before Copenhangen re-opened a rich-poor divide on sharing the burden of curbs on greenhouse gas emissions and criticism of the United States for not tabling a formal, carbon-cutting offer. About 40 world leaders will go to Copenhagen next month to improve the chances of clinching a climate deal, the United Nations has said. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, addressing the G20 delegates, said climate change was a test of global cooperation every bit as stern as the world financial crisis. | 0 |
US relations in Latin America, energy cooperation and two upcoming summits of world leaders will top the agenda of President Barack Obama's meeting with his Brazilian counterpart on Saturday. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva meets Obama at the White House at 11:00 a.m. (1500 GMT), making him one of a small handful of foreign leaders to visit the Democratic president in Washington since his inauguration on Jan. 20. The meeting comes against a backdrop of global economic and financial crises, which will dominate two gatherings of world leaders next month that both men will attend: the G20 meeting of old and emerging economic powers on April 2, and the Summit of the Americas on April 17-19. Officials said Obama and Lula would discuss the economic crisis and preparation for those summits while touching on climate change, biofuels and US policy toward Brazil's neighbors in Latin America. "The two presidents will use this opportunity to discuss strengthening our cooperation on bilateral, hemispheric and global issues, including how to address the financial crisis in the lead up to the upcoming G20 meeting," said Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security Council. Divisions between the United States and Europe over how best to address the financial crises have arisen ahead of the G20 meeting. Washington is pushing for increased government spending while countries such as France favor more emphasis on tough market regulation. A senior administration official said Obama would ask for Lula's position but not push him to join the US side. RAPPROCHEMENT For his part, Lula is expected to use Brazil's leverage as a regional heavyweight to press Obama for more engagement and fewer sanctions in dealing with Latin America's deep-seated social disparities and economic problems. "What I want is for the United States to look at Latin America and South America with a friendly eye," Lula said last week. "We are a democratic and peaceful continent and the United States should look at production and development, not only drug-trafficking and organized crime." Lula will also urge Obama to end the long-standing trade embargo on Cuba and seek a rapprochement with Venezuela's Socialist President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington's fiercest critics. Thomas Shannon, US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said the United States appreciated Brazil's efforts to promote regional dialogue. "Our willingness to engage constructively with countries around the region depends on a reciprocal willingness on their part to engage with us," he told reporters on Friday. Observers said Lula's early visit to the White House illustrated US recognition of Brazil's importance. "The US is quite aware that Brazil is becoming a major player on the world stage," said Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, a fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. Though energy policy and efforts to fight climate change would come up, Lula will likely struggle with his demand that the United States cut import tariffs on Brazilian ethanol. "At this point biofuels have receded on the agenda," said Martinez-Diaz, noting the current low price of oil. | 0 |
More than 1,100 employees and counting have signed an open letter to the firm’s top partners, urging them to disclose how much carbon their clients spew into the atmosphere. “The climate crisis is the defining issue of our generation,” wrote the letter’s authors, nearly a dozen McKinsey consultants. “Our positive impact in other realms will mean nothing if we do not act as our clients alter the earth irrevocably.” Several of the authors have resigned since the letter, which has never before been reported, came out last spring — with one sending out a widely shared email that cited McKinsey’s continued work with fossil fuel companies as a primary reason for his departure. McKinsey publicly says that it is “committed to protecting the planet” and that it has helped its clients on environmental issues for more than a decade. On Oct 15 it held a Climate Action Day, updating employees on progress toward its goal of having a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030. Yet McKinsey’s own carbon footprint is minuscule compared with that of many of the companies it advises. Until now, McKinsey has largely escaped scrutiny of its business with oil, gas and coal companies because it closely guards the identity of its clients. But internal documents reviewed by The New York Times, interviews with four former McKinsey employees and publicly available records such as lawsuits shed new light on the extraordinary scope of that work. Among the 100 biggest corporate polluters over the past half-century, McKinsey has advised at least 43 in recent years, including BP, Exxon Mobil, Gazprom and Saudi Aramco, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in fees for the firm. Across the world, from China to the United States, McKinsey’s work with these companies is often not focused on reducing their environmental impact, but rather on cutting costs, boosting productivity and increasing profits. In 2018, those clients alone — not including scores of other polluters advised by McKinsey — were responsible for more than a third of global carbon emissions, based on figures from the Climate Accountability Institute, a nonprofit that tracks corporate emissions and fossil fuels burned by customers of these companies. DJ Carella, a spokesperson for McKinsey, said in a statement that reducing emissions worldwide “requires engaging with high-emitting sectors to help them transition.” “Walking away from these sectors might appease absolutist critics,” he said, “but it would do nothing to solve the climate challenge.” McKinsey isn’t alone among consulting firms in working with major polluters. Boston Consulting Group has also advised big carbon emitters, including Angola’s state-owned oil giant, Sonangol. BCG notes that it is the “consultancy partner” for the United Nations’ climate summit in Glasgow. Yet it is McKinsey, with its 95-year history and its position at the apex of the consulting world, that stands out. Its corps of consultants, peppered with Rhodes scholars and Harvard Business School standouts, could focus their talents on helping the firm’s oil, gas and coal clients cut their emissions. But these well-funded clients, such as Chevron, Shell and Canada’s Teck Resources, hire McKinsey to further business goals that often have little connection with the global push to limit greenhouse gases. McKinsey’s ties to the fossil fuel sector run deep. More than a half-century ago, Mobil, Shell and Texaco helped propel McKinsey into the top ranks of consulting firms. Within weeks of stepping down from his role as McKinsey’s managing partner in 2018, Dominic Barton was named chairman of Teck, a Vancouver-based company that blasts mountains in the Rockies to find coal for steel mills. Teck is one of the world’s biggest exporters of steelmaking coal, and in 2019 its reported carbon footprint — when accounting for the coal burned by its customers — was equivalent to one-tenth of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. The first full year after Barton arrived at Teck, McKinsey’s work there surged. Its projects included one at a mine in British Columbia called “Coal Processing Optimization.” Another assignment was simply labeled “Drill and Blast,” McKinsey records show. In its annual report for 2019, Donald R. Lindsay, Teck’s chief executive, said that a project that McKinsey consulted on helped to “improve productivity and lower costs.” In Asia, McKinsey distributed a video boasting that it had helped increase production at a coal company by 26 percent, according to a memo written in 2019 by Erik Edstrom, a departing McKinsey consultant who was concerned about the firm’s environmental impact. “It appears that McKinsey helped our client extract more, pollute more, for presumably a long time to come,” he wrote. Barton, who left Teck in 2019 when he was named Canada’s ambassador to China, did not respond to a request for comment made through Canadian government press officers. A spokesman for Teck, Chris Stannell, said in a statement that the company “is committed to supporting global action on climate change, and we are taking action to reduce our GHG emissions, including setting the goal of being carbon-neutral across our operations by 2050.” Carella said it was “deeply misleading” to focus on one company, Teck, “as evidence that McKinsey’s work exacerbates climate change,” though The Times provided the consulting firm with a list of 43 major carbon polluters that have recently been clients. He said that the firm was investing in sustainability efforts and that until the world weaned itself from fossil fuels, “billions of people around the world, especially in emerging economies, will rely on the jobs, energy, and materials that the companies you cite provide.” McKinsey’s power to influence decisions by many of the biggest international polluters is the reason a group of about a dozen consultants sent the open letter last spring. It gathered more than 1,100 co-signers as it spread across the firm’s global operations, according to three former McKinsey employees. The authors said that McKinsey’s failure to address its clients’ emissions “poses serious risk to our reputation, our client relationships, and our ability to ‘build a great firm that attracts, develops, excites, and retains exceptional people.’” But the moment also presented McKinsey with a “significant opportunity,” they wrote. They proposed that McKinsey not only redress its own emissions, but also publicly disclose the amount of carbon pollution that its clients produced in aggregate and commit to helping them do their part to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Beyond that threshold, scientists say, the dangers of global warming would skyrocket. McKinsey has “a moral obligation to take action to influence our clients’ emissions and to show the leadership our stakeholders expect of us,” the authors said. On April 5, the firm’s managing partner, Kevin Sneader, as well as his designated successor, Bob Sternfels, responded to the open letter. In a memo, they said that they “share your view that the climate issue is the defining issue for our planet and all generations” and that they would discuss the firm’s direction on climate change on Earth Day, April 22, in a companywide “ask me anything” event. Before that event, Sneader announced that McKinsey would help its clients reduce their emissions to meet the 1.5-degree goal. “Our aim is to be the largest private-sector catalyst for decarbonization,” he said. Sneader and Sternfels, who succeeded him in July, made it clear on the Earth Day call that McKinsey would continue to serve the big polluters. Their message: McKinsey had to continue working with them to stay relevant, according to a summary obtained by The Times. The McKinsey spokesperson said the firm had already addressed the issues the letter raised when it was sent, and had created a new platform to help clients cut their emissions. But the steps McKinsey took didn’t satisfy everyone. In late July, Rizwan Naveed, one of the authors of the letter whose work at McKinsey focused on energy and decarbonization, sent an email to hundreds of colleagues. He was leaving McKinsey — one of several such departures in recent months, former employees said. “Having looked at the actual hours billed to the world’s largest polluters, it is very hard to argue today that McKinsey is the ‘greatest private sector catalyst for decarbonisation,’” he wrote. “It may well be the exact opposite.” This article originally appeared in The New York Times. © 2021 The New York Times Company | 0 |
The downpour was likely made heavier by climate change as well. A day of rainfall can now be up to 19 percent more intense in the region than it would have been had global atmospheric temperatures not risen by 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.16 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial temperatures, according to research published by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) scientific consortium. "We will definitely get more of this in a warming climate," said the group's co-leader Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the University of Oxford. "Extreme weather is deadly," said Otto, recalling that she urgently contacted family members who live in the affected areas to make sure they were safe when the floods hit. "For me it was very close to home." With extreme weather events dominating news headlines in recent years, scientists have been under increasing pressure to determine exactly how much climate change is to blame. During the last year alone, scientists found that US drought, a deadly Canadian heatwave and wildfires across the Siberian Arctic have been worsened by a warming atmosphere. The July 12-15 rainfall over Europe triggered flooding that swept away houses and power lines, and left more than 200 people dead, mostly in Germany. Dozens died in Belgium and thousands were also forced to flee their homes in the Netherlands. "The fact that people are losing their lives in one of the richest countries in the world -- that is truly shocking," said climate scientist Ralf Toumi at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, who was not involved in the study. "Nowhere is safe." Although the deluge was unprecedented, the 39 WWA scientists found that local rainfall patterns are highly variable. So they conducted their analysis over a wider area spanning parts of France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland. They used local weather records and computer simulations to compare the July flooding event with what might have been expected in a world unaffected by climate change. Because warmer air holds more moisture, summer downpours in this region are now 3-19 percent heavier than they would be without global warming, the scientists found. And the event itself was anywhere from 1.2 to 9 times -- or 20 percent to 800 percent -- more likely to have occurred. That broad range of uncertainty was partly explained by a lack of historical records, WWA explained, and worsened by the floods destroying equipment that monitored river conditions. Still, the "study confirms that global heating has played a big part in the flooding disaster," said Stefan Rahmstorf, a scientist and oceanographer at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who was not involved in the study. "This is in line with the finding of the recent IPCC report, which found that extreme rainfall events have increased worldwide," he added, referring to a UN climate panel's findings | 0 |
Nearby populations were vulnerable, they said, and the region’s ecosystem had become too fragile for large development projects. But the Indian government overrode the objections of experts and the protests of local residents to blast rocks and build hydroelectric power projects in volatile areas like the one in the northern state of Uttarakhand, where disaster struck. Officials said Monday that the bodies of 26 victims had been recovered while the search proceeded for nearly 200 missing people. On Sunday, a surge of water and debris went roaring down the steep mountain valleys of the Rishiganga river, erasing everything in its path. Most of the victims were workers on the power projects. Villagers said authorities overseeing the expensive development projects had not prepared them for what was to come, giving a false sense of confidence that nothing was going to happen. “There was no programme or training in the village about disaster management by the government,” said Bhawan Singh Rana, head of the Raini village, hit by some of the worst damage. “Our village is on a rock, and we fear that it may slide anytime.” Security forces focused on one tunnel where they said 30 people were trapped. Food was airdropped to about 13 villages where the roads have been cut off, with about 2,500 people trapped. The devastation of the Uttarakhand floods has once again focused attention on the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas, where millions of people are feeling the impact of global warming. The World Bank has warned that climate change could sharply diminish living conditions for up to 800 million people in South Asia. But the effects are already felt, often in deadly ways, in large parts of the Himalayan belt from Bhutan to Afghanistan. The region has about 15,000 glaciers, which are retreating at a rate of 100 to 200 feet per decade. The melting feeds or creates thousands of glacial lakes that can suddenly break through the ice and rocky debris holding them back, causing catastrophic floods. In Nepal, Bhutan, India and Pakistan, a large number of glacial lakes have been deemed imminently dangerous by The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, an intergovernmental group. Nepal has been particularly vulnerable, with climate change forcing entire villages to migrate to lower lands for survival from a deepening water crisis. Deadly flash floods, some caused by glacial lakes bursting, have also become more frequent. Scientists have warned repeatedly that development projects in the region are a deadly gamble, potentially making matters worse. Ravi Chopra, the director of People’s Science Institute in Uttarakhand, said a 2012 expert group appointed by the government had recommended that dams should not be built in the Alaknanda-Bhagirathi basin, including on the Rishiganga. He was part of a scientific committee appointed by India’s highest court in 2014 that also advised against building dams in “the para-glacial zone,” what he described as an area where the valley floor is more than about 7,000 feet above sea level. “But the government has gone ahead and chosen to build them,” he said. Both of the hydroelectric projects hit by Sunday’s flood — one obliterated and the other badly damaged — were built in that zone, he said. D P Dobhal, a former scientist at the government-run Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology said, “When we develop such projects in the Himalayas such as hydro projects or roads and rail, in detailed project reports the glacier study data is never taken into consideration or included.” The government is building more than 500 miles of highway in Uttarkhand to improve access to several major Hindu temples, despite environmentalists’ objections to the vast forest clearance required, which can worsen erosion and the risk of landslides. A committee appointed by India’s Supreme Court and led by Chopra concluded last year that the government, in building the highway to the width of 10 meters, about 33 feet, had gone against the advice of its own experts at the Transport Ministry. The government had argued a wider road brought more economic dividends and was needed for potential deployment of large-scale military equipment to the disputed border with China. By the time the Supreme Court ruled that the road should be limited to 5.5 metres, or about 18 feet wide, hundreds of acres of forest and tens of thousands of trees had already been cut, a report in the Indian news outlet The Scroll said. “When you have your own ministry experts telling you the Himalayan region roads should not have a tarred surface of more than 5.5 metres, and then to go against your own experts’ recommendations, then that is a serious matter,” Chopra said. “Unless the courts look into the issue of the sanctioning officials and the executing officials personally accountable, I don’t think the situation will change.” Trivendra Singh Rawat, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, warned against seeing the flooding as “a reason to build anti-development narrative.” “I reiterate our government’s commitment to develop hills of Uttarakhand in a sustainable manner, and we will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the achievement of this goal,” Rawat said on Twitter. Exactly what caused the latest flooding was not clear as of Monday night, with the Indian government saying a team of experts would visit the site to investigate. Ranjeet Rath, the head of India’s geological survey, said initial information suggested a “glacial calving at highest altitude.” Calving is the breaking of ice chunks from a glacier’s edge. Scientists studying satellite imagery from before and after the flooding said it was likely not caused by a glacial lake bursting, as no such lake was visible in the images. They said the disaster most likely began with the collapse of a rock slope that had become unstable from thawing of ice in recent summers, and such a landslide could have broken up part of a glacier. An avalanche could have dammed the river temporarily, creating a lake which then broke free, said Umesh K Haritashya, a scientist who studies glacial hazards at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Avalanches also generate heat from friction, which can melt ice that lies in its path or that is in the tumbling debris. “Basically it’s a landslide that is some fraction rock, and some fraction ice,” said Dan Shugar, a geomorphologist at the University of Calgary in Alberta. “A lot of the ice melted. And it might have picked up a lot more.” The Raini village was in one of the areas hit hardest Sunday, where the 13-megawatt Rishiganga hydro power project was completely washed away. Afterward, roughly 100 of the village’s 150 residents spent the night in the open. “We did not sleep in our houses out of fear that more water may come, rocks may shift, something more dangerous may happen,” said Rana, the village head. “We took our bedding up in the forest, lit some fires, and somehow passed the night.” The area was the site of a well-known environmental protest against deforestation in the 1970s. Protesters, a large number of them women, would hug trees to stop loggers from cutting them, in a movement that became known as “chipko,” or embrace. Rana said residents also held protests against construction of the Rishiganga power project, which began generating electricity last year, and they even filed court cases, but to no avail. They feared that the blasting of rocks would cause deadly landslides. “We used to hear blasting and see the rocks shift,” he said. “When this project was under construction, half of our village slid. We requested to be shifted from here to another place. The government said they would do it, but it never happened.” c. 2021 The New York Times Company | 0 |
“Where have you been?” asked a man angry at the government’s response to floods that have ravaged his Yorkshire town. “You’ve got the cheek to come here,” a young woman chided him, saying that his promise of prosperity after Brexit was a “fairy tale.” “I’m not very happy about talking to you, so if you don’t mind, I’ll just motor on with what I’m doing,” said another woman, filling sandbags. In the voting this summer for Conservative Party leader — and, hence, prime minister — Johnson’s prime selling points were his personal popularity and skills as a campaigner. But in the early stages of the general election, exposed to hostile voices, he has seemed at times unsure, tone deaf and gaffe prone. “Boris Johnson isn’t helping matters, he isn’t winning any friends, there have been so many mistakes,” said Steven Fielding, professor of political history at the University of Nottingham, while noting that Labour had failed to take advantage. On Thursday, Johnson was forced to cancel a visit to a bakery in the southwestern town of Glastonbury after a crowd of climate-change protesters gathered with signs that said “No BoJo” and “Cruel Con.” After he found a friendlier bakery in an adjacent town, the prime minister joked about needing to avoid the “crusties,” his preferred put-down for environmental activists. Even in the most hostile of Johnson’s encounters, the voters typically call him “Boris,” which attests to his first-name celebrity — a quality that analysts say makes him a formidable campaigner and still a good bet to win a Parliamentary majority when Britain goes to the polls Dec 12. The Conservatives have clung to a polling lead of between 6 and 14 percentage points over the opposition Labour Party. Yet, the charged atmosphere on the campaign trail is a reminder that Brexit has left this country bitter, divided and deeply suspicious of the political establishment. Johnson and his populist aides set out to exploit those sentiments, framing this election as one of the “people vs the Parliament.” Now he is finding that some of that anger is being directed at him. Perhaps that is one reason Johnson has seemed less sure-footed than many analysts expected in the early days of the campaign. A shambling, slipshod figure in the best of times, the prime minister has seemed undisciplined and occasionally uninformed during several recent appearances — lending weight to past criticism that he is often lazy and ill-prepared. Chatting with manufacturers in Northern Ireland last week, Johnson offered a rambling defense of the withdrawal agreement he negotiated with the European Union, which appeared to contradict the facts of the deal and caused a minor tempest when a video of the episode surfaced. Waving a glass as he spoke, Johnson insisted that companies would not have to fill out extra paperwork when they shipped goods from Northern Ireland to Britain. If they were asked to do so, he said, they should call him “and I will direct them to throw that form in the bin.” But his own government has said that exporters would be required to fill out “exit summary declarations.” During a visit to the London Electric Vehicle Co in Coventry, England, Johnson laid out a cogent case for why the Conservatives were the only party that will swiftly exit the EU. But he stepped on his own climactic line about how he would “turbocharge” the country’s economic future much like the electric vehicles produced in the factory — musing in an aside about whether one could actually turbocharge a battery-operated vehicle. “This is Boris Johnson and this is what you get — someone who is slightly unprepared, who wings it a bit — and you either like that and think, ‘Oh, this is Boris’ or you think he is appalling for all sorts of reasons,” Fielding said. Andrew Gimson, who wrote a biography of Johnson, took exception to the criticism, saying there was nothing accidental about the prime minister’s antics. They were designed, he said, to keep Johnson the center of attention, which in turn helps him press his very serious, but potentially tiresome, argument about Brexit. “The greater enemy for him is boredom,” Gimson said. “If people get very bored, they might want to change the subject, and he doesn’t want them to change the subject. There’s method in Boris’ madness.” While Johnson has achieved a rare celebrity in British politics, he remains a deeply polarizing figure. John Curtice, a professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde and Britain’s leading expert on polling, noted that he is “the most unpopular new prime minister in polling history,” although he added that his appeal to Brexit voters made him potentially helpful to the Tories. “Boris you might want to regard as like a Ming vase,” Curtice said. “He’s potentially a really valuable asset — you just want to make sure he doesn’t fall on the floor.” In the last British election campaign in 2017, Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, began as a relatively popular prime minister running against an unpopular competitor in the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. But she steadily lost that advantage over the course of the campaign. This contest, Curtice said, was more of “an unpopularity contest,” because of the divisive nature of both leaders. Corbyn has also had his share of unsteady moments. Visiting Scotland, he was heckled for the second day in a row at a meeting in Dundee. Worse, his visit generated all the wrong sorts of headlines over Labour’s stance on whether Scots, who voted against independence in 2014, should hold a second referendum on the question — something Johnson has ruled out. On Wednesday, Corbyn said that there would be no independence referendum “in the first term for a Labour government” if he took power after next month’s general election. Hours later, he said did “not countenance” another independence referendum in “the early years” of a Labour government. Still, there was better news for Corbyn from Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit Party. He had already agreed not to contest seats held by Johnson’s Conservatives so as not to split the pro-Brexit vote but had been under pressure to withdraw even more candidates to give Johnson a free run. On Thursday Farage said that the party would run candidates, including in seats that are held by the Labour Party, potentially splitting the pro-Brexit vote in areas the Tories need to win. “If he’s in the House of Commons, and we’re not there to challenge at every step of the way what he’s doing, then I fear we will end up with something that is Brexit in name only,” Farage said. Given all the abuse Johnson has taken, he looked almost relieved Wednesday when a reporter abruptly shifted the subject to self-abuse. After his speech in Coventry, Johnson was asked why he had dropped a line from his text in which he accused his opponents of “self-obsession and onanism,” a flowery term for masturbation. Grinning slightly, Johnson said, “All I can say is that a stray early draft seems to have somehow found its way into your otherwise peerless copy, by a process that I don’t pretend to understand, but I will make inquiries.” c.2019 The New York Times Company | 0 |
The 82-year-old pope, who has made defense of migrants a plank of his papacy, made the comments in his message for the Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace on Jan. 1. It is sent to heads of state and government and international organizations. It comes at a time when immigration is one of the most contentious issues in countries such as the United States, Italy, Germany and Hungary. Francis has sparred with US President Donald Trump and Italian right-wing league leader Matteo Salvini over the rights of migrants. “Political addresses that tend to blame every evil on migrants and to deprive the poor of hope are unacceptable,” said the pope, who did not mention any countries or leaders. He said today’s times were “marked by a climate of mistrust rooted in the fear of others or of strangers, or anxiety about one’s personal security.” Francis said it was sad that mistrust was “also seen at the political level, in attitudes of rejection or forms of nationalism that call into question the fraternity of which our globalized world has such great need.” Last week, the pope praised the United Nation’s first Global Compact on Migration, which sets objectives for how the management of migration can be improved. A number of nations, including the United States, Italy, Hungary, and Poland did not attend the meeting in Morocco. Francis denounced a list of “vices” by politicians who he said undermined authentic democracy and brought disgrace to public life through various forms of corruption. Among these he included misappropriation of public resources, dishonest gain, xenophobia, racism, lack of concern for the environment, and plundering of natural resources. He proposed eight “Beatitudes of the Politician” - first formulated by the late Vietnamese Cardinal Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan - as a guide for the behavior of public office holders. These, he said, would set goals for politicians who, among other qualities, should have a deep understanding of their role, personally exemplify credibility, work for the common good and accomplish radical change. | 0 |
But as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine continue to weigh on trade and business ties, that period of plenty appears to be undergoing a partial reversal. Companies are rethinking where to source their products and stocking up on inventory, even if that means lower efficiency and higher costs. If it lasts, such a shift away from fine-tuned globalisation could have important implications for inflation and the world’s economy. Economists are debating whether recent supply chain turmoil and geopolitical conflicts will result in a reversal or reconfiguration of global production, in which factories that were sent offshore move back to the United States and other countries that pose less of a political risk. If that happens, a decadeslong decline in the prices of many goods could come to an end or even begin to go in the other direction, potentially boosting overall inflation. Since around 1995, durable goods such as cars and equipment have tamped down inflation, and prices for nondurable goods like clothing and toys have often grown only slowly. Those trends began to change in late 2020 after the onset of the pandemic, as shipping costs soared and shortages collided with strong demand to push car, furniture and equipment prices higher. While few economists expect the past year’s breakneck price increases to continue, the question is whether the trend toward at least slightly pricier goods will last. The answer could hinge on whether a shift away from globalisation takes hold. “It would certainly be a different world — it might be a world of perhaps higher inflation, perhaps lower productivity, but more resilient, more robust supply chains,” Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, said at an event last month when asked about a possible move away from globalisation. Still, Powell said, it is not obvious how drastically conditions will change. “It’s not clear that we’re seeing a reversal of globalisation,” he said. “It’s clear that it’s slowed down.” The period of global integration that prevailed before the pandemic made many of the things Americans buy cheaper. Computers and other technology made factories more efficient, and they chugged out sneakers, kitchen tables and electronics at a pace unmatched in history. Companies slashed their production cost by moving factories offshore, where wages were lower. The adoption of steel shipping containers, and ever larger cargo ships, allowed products to be whisked from Bangladesh and China to Seattle and Tupelo, Mississippi, and everywhere in between for astonishingly low prices. But those changes also had consequences for US factory workers, who saw many jobs disappear. The political backlash to globalisation helped carry former President Donald Trump into office, as he promised to bring factories back to the United States. His trade wars and rising tariffs encouraged some companies to move operations out of China, although typically to other low-cost countries like Vietnam and Mexico. The pandemic also exposed the snowball effect of highly optimised supply chains: Factory shutdowns and transportation delays made it difficult to secure some goods and parts, including semiconductors that are crucial for electronics, appliances and cars. Shipping costs have soared by a factor of 10 in just two years, erasing the cost savings of making some products overseas. Starting late in 2020, prices for washing machines, couches and other big products jumped sharply as production limitations collided with high demand. Inflation has only accelerated since. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further snarled supply chains, raising the prices of gas and other commodities in recent months and helping to push the Fed’s closely watched inflation index up 6.6% over the year through March. That is the fastest pace of inflation since 1982, and price gains are touching the highest level in decades across many advanced economies, including the eurozone and Britain. Many economists expect price increases for durable goods to cool substantially in the months ahead, which should help calm overall price gains. Data from March suggested that they were beginning to moderate. Rising Fed interest rates could help temper buying, as borrowing to buy cars, machines or home improvement supplies becomes more expensive. But there are still questions about whether — in light of what companies and countries have learned — major products will return to the steady price declines that were the norm before the coronavirus. It is not clear yet to what extent factories are moving closer to home. A “reshoring index” published by Kearney, a management consulting firm, was negative in 2020 and 2021, indicating that the United States was importing more manufactured goods from low-cost countries. But more firms reported moving their supply chains out of China to other countries, and American executives were more positive about bringing more manufacturing to the United States. Duke Realty, which rents warehouse and industrial facilities in the United States, expects the change to be a source of demand in years to come, though the reworking may take a while. Customers are “now future-proofing their supply chains,” Steve Schnur, the firm’s chief operating officer, said on an earnings call last week. “Some reshoring is occurring — let’s make no mistake about that,” said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization. But the data show that most businesses are mitigating risk by building up their inventories and finding additional suppliers in low-cost countries, Okonjo-Iweala said. That process could end up integrating poorer countries in Africa and other parts of the world more deeply into global value chains, she said. In an interview at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Monday, Katherine Tai, the US trade representative, said American consumers had enjoyed the “luxury” of low prices for imported goods for a long time, but it was “built on something that was very fragile.” And Americans are not just consumers, she added. They are also workers who have to compete in a global marketplace for talent where globalisation “has really eroded opportunities and wages for your average American.” “I think going forward in terms of globalisation 2.0 we need to have those hard conversations,” Tai said. “A more resilient, a stronger, more sustainable future is one that is going to look different and feel different.” Ford Motor, which has grappled with pandemic supply chain issues, is working on making its own batteries — including in America. “In the medium and long term, securing raw materials, processing, precursor and refinement and setting up battery production here in the US and around the world is a big work statement for us,” Jim Farley, the company’s CEO, said on an earnings call last week. Companies are also beginning to face pressure to price in the true cost of carbon emissions from shipping parts, which could prompt them to move factories closer to consumers. Scott N. Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said economic and political risks along with carbon-cost calculations were encouraging companies to gradually shift their manufacturing closer to the United States. “I only see that trend accelerating,” he said. Long-run population changes could also compound the effects of a slowdown or pullback in globalisation, pushing up prices by making labour more expensive. By 2050, 1 in 6 people worldwide will be older than 65, according to United Nations estimates, up from 1 in 11 in 2019. That aging means that, after decades in which a newly global pool of labour made employees cheap and easy to find, recent world-spanning labour shortages could last. That could push up wages, and companies may pass elevated labour costs along to customers by raising prices. “Demography and the reversal of globalisation mean that a great deal of it is likely to be permanent — clearly not all,” Charles Goodhart, an emeritus professor at the London School of Economics, said of pandemic-era price and labour issues. Goodhart co-wrote a book in 2020 arguing that the world was on the cusp of a demographic reversal. “There will be structural forces raising inflation for probably the next two to three decades,” he said. Some disagree. Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, pointed out that plenty of workers were available in parts of South Asia, Africa and Latin America. And inflation has been weak in Japan for decades, despite its much older population. Nor would a decline in globalisation necessarily add to inflation in the long run, he said. By slowing growth, it could lead to less demand and price increases. But the intertwined trajectory for globalisation, goods prices and inflation on the whole will be one that economists watch closely. “People used to say it’s the million-dollar question, but I guess these days it’s the billion- or trillion-dollar question,” said Carlos Viana de Carvalho, a former New York Fed economist who is now head of research at the Brazilian asset management firm Kapitalo Investimentos. It’s possible, but not definite, he said, that the world is moving into a new economic era marked by higher inflation amid the changes to global integration and intensifying climate concern. “These things are very hard to identify in real time,” he said. ©2022 The New York Times Company | 0 |
Global carbon dioxide emissions are set to fall an estimated 2.8 percent this year because of the financial crisis, after having risen two percent in 2008, a leading annual report on the globe's "carbon budget" says. The Global Carbon Project report, released just weeks before a major UN climate conference in Copenhagen, shows emissions from developing nations continuing to soar, driven in large part by consumer demand in rich countries. Developing nations are now responsible for 55 percent of mankind's total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, said Pep Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project. And China is a key driver of rising emissions, says the report involving 31 authors and published in Nature Geoscience. In 2005, nearly a third of China's emissions came from the production of exports, up from 16 percent in 1990, it says, with big-spending rich nations effectively exporting emissions to poorer nations to meet demand for TVs, cars and other goods. The Global Carbon Project draws on the work and data from government agencies and research bodies around the world. It assesses CO2 emissions from human activities, such as burning coal and oil, and deforestation as well as how much planet-warming CO2 is taken up by nature. The report says fossil fuel CO2 emissions rose 2 percent in 2008, more slowly than 2000-2007, when they increased 3.5 percent per year. Between 2000 and 2008, global fossil fuel emissions increased by 29 percent. The findings closely match estimates by the International Energy Agency, which said in September global CO2 emissions would drop about 2.6 percent this year. "In 2009, it is likely that the global financial crisis will cause global emissions to actually fall by a couple of percent," said Michael Raupach, co-author of the report and co-chair of the Global Carbon Project. But the dip could be very short-lived, he said, given the strong link between CO2 emissions and economic activity. "If the recovery follows current predictions, the effect of the crisis will be as if all burning of fossil fuels had been stopped for a period of just 6 weeks," he told reporters. BICKERING OVER CUTS The report comes as nations struggle to reach a broader UN deal to fight climate change, with bickering over the size of emissions cuts, financing for poor countries and transfer of clean-energy technology likely to delay a deal until next year. Human activities pump more than 30 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, some of which is taken up by trees and grasslands and some by oceans -- so-called natural sinks. "In the past 50 years, the fraction of CO2 emissions that remains in the atmosphere each year has likely increased, from about 40 percent to 45 percent," says the report. This has crucial implications for the rate of CO2 increase in the atmosphere. The UN climate panel says the world has already warmed about 0.7 degrees Celsius over the past century and needs to prevent warming of two degrees or more to avoid catastrophic climate change, such as rapidly rising seas and more intense droughts, floods and storms. "As we increase the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide about a hundred times faster than any time in the past 800,000 years, we outstrip the ability of natural systems to respond," Will Howard, an oceanographer from the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre and the University of Tasmania, told reporters. Global per-capita CO2 emissions would need to fall to about 1.1 tonnes in 2050, from nearly five tonnes now, said the report's lead author, Corinne Le Quere, of the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. Per-capita US emissions are about 20 tonnes versus less than two tonnes for India. "The trends that we are on are very different from the trends that we need to be on to limit global climate change to 2 degrees Celsius," she told reporters in London. | 0 |
SYRACUSE, Italy, April 22(bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Environment ministers from rich and poor nations discussed a green technology stimulus on Wednesday to help tackle global warming and overcome the global economic crisis. The three-day meeting of the Group of Eight industrial countries and major developing economies opened in Sicily, with attention focused on how far the new U.S. administration would go in its environmental strategy. The meeting, taking place on Earth Day, marked the first ministerial-level talks this year in negotiations toward a major U.N. deal on climate change, due to be signed in December in Copenhagen to replace the 1997 Kyoto agreement. "Without leadership from the G8 countries an international response to climate change will not happen. This meeting needs to point the way," said Yvo de Boer, the United Nation's top climate change official. "The new American administration is incredibly important to addressing this issue. Trying to come to a climate change agreement without the United States makes no sense." U.S. President Barack Obama has already pledged to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, reversing the policies of his predecessor George W. Bush, whose administration refused to sign up to Kyoto. Delegates said they were watching closely for any details of American plans for action. On Wednesday, the meeting discussed ways to reconcile the investment required to cut carbon emissions with the trillions of dollars being spent to stabilize financial markets. Many of the countries present, including the United States and China, have already pledged major investment in green technologies. Wednesday's talks focused on the most efficient ways to focus spending and the best means to promote green technologies in developing countries. "This G8 aims to spread low-carbon technology in order to allow developing and emerging countries to follow the path to eco-friendly development hand in hand with Western countries," Italian Environment Minister Stefania Pestigiacomo said. For the first time, the G8 ministerial meeting included a broad spread of developing countries in the hope of forging a broader consensus, grouping China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, South Korea and Egypt. U.N.-sponsored talks in Germany this month exposed wide differences on emissions, with poor countries saying rich nations that earned their wealth from industrialization must act first and help pay for the cost of their carbon reduction. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has put the price of a "green revolution" to halve emissions by 2050 at $45 trillion. De Boer said he would hold talks with developed countries at Syracuse to discuss funding for green technology. | 0 |
The black-tie gathering was the closing event to the city's six-day fashion extravaganza, a week after London's fashion week declared itself fur-free for the first time. Fashion brands have begun paying more attention to their companies' impact on the environment and their production methods as customers are becoming increasingly ecologically aware in their choices. A total of 13 awards were handed out at the second edition of the 'Green Carpet fashion Awards', promoted by Italy's national fashion association, CNMI, and sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, founded and directed by Italian film producer Livia Firth, the wife of Colin Firth. "Fashion can be very beautiful and lucrative, but to be here for a real purpose for me is important," model Elle Macpherson said. Winners, who have demonstrated commitment to and investment in change, included McPherson and the cobblers of fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo SpA. Colin Firth told Reuters that the event, held at Milan's La Scala opera house, meant that the message could spread and "inspire all sorts of other people". Moore said she was impressed by the commitment of everyone in the fashion industry towards sustainability, with people "really taking responsibility." "No one industry can tackle climate change and the sustainability issue by itself," Blanchett said, adding the fashion industry, however, was influential enough to spearhead change. CNMI President Carlo Capasa said sustainability was not just about fur but upgrading rules on the use of chemicals, recycling, production methods and work conditions. The CNMI is drawing up a set of guidelines, some of which are already published on its website. A growing number of luxury groups, including Versace, Gucci and Armani, have given up fur in their collections. Others are finding new techniques to make their supply chains more green, including dying techniques and recycling. "Sustainability is important as it is the future. There is only one way forward", Livia Firth said, adding that fashion companies had to look to sustainability to be profitable in the long run. But brands, producers, designers and industry experts agreed the process was initially costly and would take time. "You have to start somewhere ... (it) takes years (and) you can't change overnight, but you have to start, be courageous and have a vision," Livia Firth added. | 0 |
But there's still a lot they don't know. As the new coronavirus continues to spread around the world, here are some of the most important questions researchers and doctors – as well as policymakers and economists – are still trying to answer: How contagious is the virus? The virus spreads from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth via coughing or sneezing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It can persist on most surfaces up to several days, so in addition to directly inhaling the virus, you can become infected by touching something that has been contaminated and then touching your own nose, mouth or eyes. There is some evidence that virus particles in the feces of an infected person can transmit the disease through contact, but that remains unconfirmed. How many people are infected, and how many do not show any symptoms? So far, more than 550,000 cases have been reported worldwide, of which more than 127,000 have recovered and more than 24,000 have died. Some researchers estimate that up to 80% of people who are infected show no or only mild symptoms and may not even know they are sick. That would put the number of people who might have been infected in the millions. But we need many more studies and much more testing to close in on a more accurate number. Are younger people less likely to die from the virus? Younger people, while less vulnerable, can still develop COVID-19 - the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus - severe enough to require hospitalisation. Just how much safer they are is still unanswered. The WHO says older people with pre-existing conditions - such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease - appear to develop serious illness more often than others, while a US health official said the mortality rate in males appears to be twice that of women in every age group. Health officials have cautioned that anyone with those underlying conditions, as well as those with weakened immune systems, are at increased risk.Can people be re-infected? This is a key question – and we don't yet know the answer. There are a handful of cases of possible "reinfection" in recovered patients. But most scientists believe those are more likely to have been relapses. A patient may feel better and test negative for the virus in their nose and throat, while the virus remains elsewhere in their body. Fully recovered patients have antibodies in their blood that should protect them from fresh infection, but we don't know how long those antibodies will last. With some viruses, antibodies fade faster. Even if they do persist, SARS-CoV-2 might undergo small changes over time, as flu viruses do each year, rendering the antibodies ineffective. Several academic laboratories and medical companies are looking to produce blood tests to figure out who has been exposed to the virus and whether some people have developed immunity. Serological testing will also give a better picture of the full extent of the pandemic. Do we know when there will be treatments or a vaccine? No. So far there are no vaccines or antiviral medicines specific to the new coronavirus. Treatment for now focuses on relieving symptoms such as breathing assistance. Companies around the world are racing to develop vaccines. A few have launched early safety testing in humans, but experts say it could take a year or more to develop and test a vaccine. Another complication: viruses can mutate quickly. Some scientists have already identified subtle changes since SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan, China, in December. But recent studies show the virus is relatively stable, which suggests vaccines should still be effective when they become available. Does the virus spread more slowly in hot places? Some experts had hoped that the onset of summer will naturally slow the virus. But the European Centre for Disease Control said on Wednesday that it is unlikely to diminish its spread. The WHO has also said that the virus can be transmitted in all areas, including hot and humid climates. How long will the pandemic last? We don't know. It will depend on a range of factors, from how long people continue to isolate and avoid group gatherings to when effective drugs or a vaccine become available. President Donald Trump said this week that he hopes to "reopen" the U.S. economy by Easter Sunday on April 12. But he has faced criticism that such a timetable is too rushed and could lead to more people dying. In Hubei province, the epicenter of China's coronavirus outbreak, life has started to return to normal after two months of lockdown. It remains to be seen whether such a return to normal spurs another outbreak. Does the amount of exposure to the virus determine how sick someone gets? Viruses enter the body and infect cells, using them as factories to make many millions of copies of themselves, so the number of virus particles that first enter the body has little effect on the eventual amount of virus in the system. At the same time, more frequent exposure does increase the chance that the virus will enter the body in the first place. When will the economy return to normal? The International Monetary Fund expects the pandemic will cause a global recession in 2020 that could be worse than the one triggered by the 2008 financial crisis. The depth of a recession, how long it will last and the nature of the recovery are a matter of debate. Economists say it will largely depend on how long the lockdowns last – around a quarter of all humanity is currently in lockdown – and how far government support goes in helping individuals, businesses and markets survive the crisis. Are the trillions of dollars in emergency spending helping? Central bank measures have sought to keep financial markets functioning, including areas that keep the real economy humming, such as the markets where companies go to raise short term cash to pay staff and where cities go to raise money for roads and schools. Steps taken by governments, such as the $2 trillion US stimulus package, are expected to further help the economy by putting cash in the hands of individuals and providing additional funding to small businesses and companies. Such measures still need to work through the system, however, and it remains unclear whether they will be enough. Is it a good time to invest? Some investors and bank strategists are starting to look at whether people should buy back into the world's stock markets, which have plunged some 25% from their highs in February. U.S. hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said this week he had turned increasingly positive on stocks and credit and was "redeploying our capital in companies we love at bargain prices that are built to withstand this crisis." But with all the uncertainties, many more analysts and investors remain shy about calling the bottom of the market. | 1 |
More than 150 passengers and crew escaped unhurt after their cruise ship hit ice in the Antarctic and started sinking on Friday, the ship's owner and coast guard officials said. A Norwegian passenger boat in the area picked up all the occupants of the Explorer from the lifeboats they used to flee the ship when it ran into problems off King George Island in Antarctica at 12:24 a.m. EST (0524 GMT), the Explorer's owners said. Hours later, the abandoned cruise ship sank in the icy Antarctic waters, the Chilean navy said in a statement. The vessel is owned by Canadian travel company G.A.P. Adventures and was carrying tourists on an Antarctic tour when it struck ice. "We were passing through ice as usual ... we do that every day. ... But this time something hit the hold and we got a little leakage downstairs," the Explorer's first officer, Peter Svensson, told Reuters Television by satellite phone from the Norwegian ship, the Nordnorge. Svensson said the rescue went smoothly. "No one was hysterical, they were just sitting there nice and quiet, because we knew there were ships coming." The passengers and crew were taken to Chile's Eduardo Frei base in the Antarctic and were later to be flown in Chilean air force planes to Punta Arenas, Chile, a Chilean navy commander told local television. ICY CONTINENT Television images of the boat before it sank showed the stricken vessel sitting at an angle in dark gray waters. A company statement said the passengers included Americans, British, Canadians, Australians, Dutch, Japanese and Argentines, and that the families of those on board were being contacted. G.A.P Adventures spokeswoman Susan Hayes told CNN the vessel "didn't hit an iceberg, it hit some ice. ... There are ice floes, but it didn't hit a huge iceberg." The Explorer usually made two-week cruises around the Antarctic at a cost of some $8,000 (4,000 pounds) a cabin. Smaller than most cruise ships, it was able to enter narrower bays off the continent and scientists were on board to brief passengers on the region's geology and climate change, the spokesman added. King George Island lies about 700 miles (1,127 km) south of Cape Horn, the tip of South America, and is the largest of the South Shetland islands. Cruise trip travel has grown in Antarctica in recent years and Pedro Tuhay, of the Argentine coast guard, told local radio that 52 cruises were expected at the southern port of Ushuaia during this year's peak season from October to April. | 0 |
President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday to compel BP Plc to pay the price for its "recklessness" in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and sought to harness public outrage over the disaster for a "national mission" to cut US dependence on fossil fuels. "We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long as it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused," Obama said in a televised address aimed at restoring confidence in his handling of the crisis before it further tarnishes his presidency. Obama's stern message for BP, delivered in a solemn tone, was a centerpiece of his high-stakes speech on the oil spill, which threatens to distract from his domestic agenda of reducing nearly double-digit US unemployment and reforming Wall Street. How forcefully Obama responds to America's worst ecological disaster will have implications not only for the British energy giant but for the future of US offshore drilling and for any hopes he has for rejuvenating climate change legislation stalled in Congress. While urging Americans to "seize the moment" to break their addiction to fossil fuels, Obama's appeal offered no detailed prescription for getting there and lacked a timetable for passing comprehensive energy legislation. "Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny." Obama has made clear he supports a comprehensive energy bill that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and a senior administration official said the president still believes that putting a price on carbon pollution is essential. But Obama stopped short of talking specifically about the climate change component in his speech, perhaps mindful of the steep political obstacles during a stuttering economic recovery. He said he was open to ideas from Democrats and Republicans alike for reducing America's addiction to oil, but insisted, "The one approach I will not accept is inaction." Obama's choice of the Oval Office setting underscored the gravity of the situation. Presidents in the past have used it to respond to national tragedies, as Ronald Reagan did after the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger and George W. Bush did after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
ELECTION YEAR Another crucial question is whether Obama can placate angry voters in a congressional election year when his Democratic party's grip on legislative power is at risk. Opinion polls show most Americans believe Obama has been too detached in dealing with the crisis and has not been tough enough in dealing with BP. Seeking to counter criticism that he has not shown enough leadership in the nearly two-month-old crisis, Obama took a hard line with BP but did not go as far as reiterating an earlier assertion that he was looking for "ass to kick." "Tomorrow, I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company's recklessness," he said. "And this fund will not be controlled by BP. In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent, third party." Ahead of the televised speech, major oil company executives told a US congressional hearing that BP had not adhered to industry standards in building its deep-sea well that blew out on April 20, unleashing a torrent of crude that has caused the biggest environmental disaster in US history. But their efforts to distance themselves from BP did not stop Democratic lawmakers from criticizing as "virtually worthless" industry plans to handle deepwater oil disasters. Investors were also looking for Obama to jump-start alternative energy initiatives such as solar, wind and geothermal that are now stalled in Congress. Shares in US solar companies rose ahead of the speech. In his first nationally televised address from the Oval Office, Obama sought to show he was on top of the oil spill crisis that has tested his presidency and overshadowed his efforts to reduce US unemployment and reform Wall Street. Public opinion polls show a majority of Americans believe Obama has been too detached in his handling of the spill, and he has come under intense pressure to show more leadership. Adding a fresh sense of urgency, a team of US scientists on Tuesday upped their high-end estimate of the amount of crude oil flowing from the well by 50 percent, to a range of 35,000 to 60,000 barrels (1.47 million to 2.52 million gallons/5.57 million to 9.54 million litres) per day. | 0 |
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Labor government will narrowly win Saturday's election, a Reuters Poll Trend showed on Wednesday, paving the way for a controversial mining tax and a possible carbon trading scheme. Australia's small Greens party, on course to gain the balance of power in the Senate upper house, said it would seek to toughen the mining tax if Labor wins. The proposed 30 percent tax on iron ore and coal, forecast to raise A$10.5 billion (6.1 billion pounds) over two years starting 2012, has been signed off by mining giants BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata, but is opposed by much of the rest of Australia's key mining sector. The Greens' stance could force the government to negotiate some changes. The Greens want to raise an extra A$2 billion a year, but party leader Bob Brown said they would not block the tax if it did not secure its changes. "All I can do is say we will negotiate strongly, inject better ideas into the mining tax proposals Labor has, and I think we will get a dividend," Brown told the National Press Club. "Given that option, you don't have to be Einstein to know that the Greens will be going with the Labor Party alternative." A Labor victory would also see a possible carbon trading scheme to combat climate change from 2012 and ensure construction of a $38 billion fibre-optic national broadband network. The Liberal-National opposition opposes all three policies. CLOSE ELECTION With two days of campaigning left and economic management a key issue, the opposition on Wednesday promised a budget surplus of A$6.2 billion by 2012-13, almost double the government's forecast surplus of A$3.5 billion. Australians are historically wary of government borrowing due to high levels of personal debt and home ownership, so the opposition also promised to cut the country's A$90 billion ($81.5 billion) debt by a third within four years. "The coalition has the courage and commitment to draw a line in the sand and stop Labor's reckless spending and waste," opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey said. The latest Reuters Poll Trend shows Labor has a 3 point lead, which could see Gillard win a four-seat majority in the 150-seat parliament. Labor had a 16-seat majority at the last election. "I think this will be the closest election since 1961, which was a cliff-hanger. I do think this will go down to the wire," Chris Bowen, Labor's campaign spokesman, said on Wednesday. However, the possibility remains that the August 21 election may result in a hung parliament, where neither Labor nor the opposition wins enough seats to form government. In that case the support of three independents will decide which party forms the next government. Australia could face a fiscal crisis if voters deliver a hung parliament with two key independent politicians saying they cannot guarantee support for the next government's budget plans. Without a clear winner, the next Australian government may have to rely on three independents to form a government, but in interviews with Reuters only one MP made a pre-election commitment to support government money bills. A minority government represents the worst outcome for financial markets, with one analyst tipping a 2-5 percent fall in the Australian dollar in that case. "If there is a hung parliament...it means there is a heck of a lot of uncertainty," said Guy Bruten, Australia & NZ strategist for AllianceBernstein. "That...won't help the Aussie dollar." The Reuters Poll Trend found Gillard could lose up to 11 seats with voters angry over the mining tax, a failure by Labor to implement a carbon trading scheme and a perception of weak border protection with the arrival of illegal immigrants. However, voters are also dissatisfied with conservative leader Tony Abbott, with Gillard commanding a 13 point lead as preferred prime minister. Many Australians do not want to vote for Labor, but shun the pugnacious Abbott as leader. Online bookmakers said odds on a Gillard win, as well as the possibility of a hung parliament, had shortened. | 0 |
HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - World leaders meeting in Germany have agreed to pursue "substantial" cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and integrate US climate plans within the established UN process, an EU source said. "They agreed on the need for substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions," the source told Reuters. The United States resisted attempts by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, host of the Group of Eight (G8) summit, to set a firm goal for cuts needed to fight dangerous climate change. But the EU source said that in the final G8 text, leaders would acknowledge the desire of the European Union, Canada and Japan to cut emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 -- in line with Merkel's stated target. Earlier, US President George W. Bush sought to calm tensions with Moscow ahead of a highly anticipated face-to-face meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin at the summit. "I repeat Russia's not a threat, they're not a military threat, they're not something that we ought to be hyperventilating about," Bush said. "What we ought to be doing is figuring out ways to work together." Security remains tight around the summit venue, a luxury hotel in the small seaside town of Heiligendamm. On Thursday morning police power boats chased down several smaller Greenpeace craft trying to break through the security cordon, ramming one and dumping its occupants into the Baltic. At a morning session focused on economic issues, Merkel sat between Bush and Putin, who have exchanged public barbs on U.S. missile shield plans in the run-up to the summit. The two presidents, smiling and looking relaxed, have not met face-to-face since before Putin launched a verbal attack on the Bush administration in February, accusing it of trying to force its will on the world and become its "single master". Bush said he would reiterate to Putin his proposal to have Russia send generals and scientists to the United States to reassure them on his plans to put a radar system in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland. Washington says the shield is intended as a defence against "rogue" states like Iran and North Korea and has urged Russia to cooperate. Moscow, which suspects it could be outfitted with attack missiles or used for spying, has rejected the overtures. As leaders met in an elegant 19th century hotel in Heiligendamm -- a resort in the former east which has struggled to recover from the ravages of the communist era -- relations between Russia and the West are at a post-Cold War low. The missile shield is not the only issue dividing Russia, the United States and fellow G8 members Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. Other topics include aid to Africa and foreign policy issues ranging from Iran to Kosovo. | 0 |
The combination of extraordinary heat and drought that hit the Western United States and Canada over the past two weeks has killed hundreds of millions of marine animals and continues to threaten untold species in freshwater, according to a preliminary estimate and interviews with scientists. “It just feels like one of those postapocalyptic movies,” said Christopher Harley, a marine biologist at the University of British Columbia who studies the effects of climate change on coastal marine ecosystems. To calculate the death toll, Harley first looked at how many blue mussels live on a particular shoreline, how much of the area is good habitat for mussels and what fraction of the mussels he observed died. He estimated losses for the mussels alone in the hundreds of millions. Factoring in the other creatures that live in the mussel beds and on the shore — barnacles, hermit crabs and other crustaceans, various worms, tiny sea cucumbers — puts the deaths at easily over 1 billion, he said. Harley continues to study the damage and plans to publish a series of papers. Such extreme weather conditions will become more frequent and intense, scientists say, as climate change, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, wreaks havoc on animals and humans alike. Hundreds of people died last week when the heat wave parked over the Pacific Northwest. A study by an international team of climate researchers found it would have been virtually impossible for such extremes to occur without global warming. Just before the heat wave, when Harley took in the eye-popping weather forecasts, he thought about how low the tide would be at midday, baking the exposed mussels, sea stars and barnacles. When he walked to the beach last week on one of the hottest days, the smell of decay struck him immediately. The scientist in him was excited, he admitted, to see the real-life effect of something he had been studying for so long. But his mood quickly changed. “The more I walked and the more I saw, the more sobering it all became,” Harley said. “It just went on and on and on.” The dead sea stars, usually the most eye-catching creatures in tidal pools, hit him particularly hard. But the obvious mass victims were blue mussels, an ecologically important species that feeds sea stars and sea ducks and creates habitat for other animals. Scientists have only begun to consider the domino effects. One concern is whether the sea ducks, which feast on mussels in the winter before migrating to their summer breeding grounds in the Arctic, will have enough food to survive the journey. “It’s at least something that we’re starting to think about,” he said. Species that live in intertidal zones are resilient, he noted, and the mussels on the shady north side of boulders seem to have survived. But if these extreme heat waves become too frequent, species will not have time to recover. While the heat wave over the Pacific Northwest has eased, punishing temperatures have persisted across much of the American West. Now another heat wave appears to be building, only worsening the ongoing drought. That means biologists are watching river temperatures with alarm. Salmon make an extraordinary migration, often hundreds of miles, from the inland rivers and lakes where they are born, out to sea, and then back again to spawn the next generation. A network of long-standing dams in Western states already makes the journey perilous. Now, with climate change worsening heat waves and droughts, scientists say the conditions look grim without intense intervention, which comes with its own risks. “We are already at critical temperatures three weeks before the most serious heating occurs,” said Don Chapman, a retired fisheries biologist who specialised in salmon and steelhead trout, talking about conditions along the Snake River in Washington, where four dams are the subject of long-standing controversy. “I think we’re headed for disaster.” The plight of the salmon illustrates a broader danger facing all kinds of species as climate change worsens. Many animals were already struggling to survive because of human activity degrading their habitats. Throw in extreme heat and drought, and their odds of survival diminish. As an emergency measure, workers with the Idaho Fish and Game agency have begun capturing a variety of endangered sockeye salmon at the Lower Granite dam, putting them into a truck and driving them to hatcheries as a stopgap measure to decide what to do next. (Idaho game officials first tried trucking the adult fish during a heat wave in 2015. It has been done for juvenile salmon on a variety of runs for a variety of reasons.) In California’s central valley, Jonathan Ambrose, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said he wished he could do something similar. The chinook salmon he monitors historically spawned in the mountains. But since the Shasta Dam was built more than three-quarters of a century ago, they have adapted by breeding just in front of the mammoth structure, which they cannot cross. The critical problem this year is that the water there is expected to grow too warm for the eggs and juveniles. Previous efforts to secure state or federal funding to transport them past the dam have failed. “We’re looking at maybe 90% mortality, maybe even higher this year,” Ambrose said. Elsewhere in California, for the first time since the state built the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery on the Klamath River in 1962 to make up for lost spawning habitat, state biologists will not release the young salmon they have nurtured back into the wild, because they would likely die. Instead, they are spreading 1 million young salmon among other area hatcheries that could host them until conditions improve. “I want to find the positives, and there are some, but it’s pretty overwhelming right now,” said Harley, the University of British Columbia marine biologist. “Because if we become too depressed or too overwhelmed, we won’t keep trying. And we need to keep trying.” © 2021 The New York Times Company | 0 |
The death toll is expected to rise as members of the South African National Defense Force were called in to assist emergency rescue teams in the KwaZulu-Natal province, government officials said Tuesday. Along the coast, vacation homes and shacks alike were swept away in a part of the country known as a getaway for its sun, beaches and warm temperatures. “We were all surprised by the magnitude of this storm,” Mxolisi Kaunda, the mayor of Durban, said in a news briefing. Storms have already caused devastation in several countries in the southern African region this year, displacing thousands of people and leaving dozens dead. Some scientists attributed the destruction in part to a storm season intensified by rising global temperatures. The island nation of Madagascar has been worst affected, hit by a cyclone and four tropical storms that left at least 178 people dead during February and March. But the storms, originating in the southern Indian Ocean, pummelling the mainland as well. Thousands were displaced along Mozambique’s coastline, with flooding reaching as far inland as landlocked Malawi and Zimbabwe. South Africa’s eastern KwaZulu-Natal province also saw heavy rain and flooding in February. On Tuesday, a new storm left much of the city of Durban flooded. Footage from emergency services showed parts of a national highway resembling a river, with shipping containers dislodged and washed away. In Verulam, a township north of the city, two people were killed when a house collapsed overnight, according to a local emergency services team. Residents sought refuge on higher ground, climbing onto the roofs of houses, office buildings and a Hindu temple, according to rescue workers. In Tongaat, a town 40 minutes north of the city centre, a woman driving home with children in the car Monday evening was swept away when a stream swelled to a gushing river that broke its banks, said Bilall Jeewa of Gift of the Givers, a charity group. The bodies of the woman and two children were found, but the body of a third child presumed dead had yet to be recovered. The floods also brought landslides that destroyed roads and homes in the region. The lower floors of seaside holiday apartments along the north coast were buried by reddish-brown mud, while hillside homes hung precariously after their foundations were washed away, according to video shown on national television. Shanty towns built along rivers were among the most vulnerable, and shack homes were washed away by floodwaters or covered by mud and debris. In a shantytown in Clare Estate, a suburb north of the city, residents dug through mud, metal and wood to try to rescue a family of five trapped in their shack — but the rescuers were too late, said Robert McKenzie, a spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services. Even as the water receded, emergency workers were struggling to reach the affected areas. By the afternoon, dozens of schoolchildren and their teachers remained trapped in their classrooms, waiting to be rescued, Kwazi Mshengu, head of the provincial education department told eNCA, a national news broadcaster. Nearly 100 schools had been damaged, and 500 schools in the region were closed, he said. Large parts of the city were without electricity and water after power stations and water treatment plants were damaged, said Kaunda, the Durban mayor. The city is still recovering from widespread riots and looting last July, during some of the worst civil unrest to roil South Africa since the end of apartheid. Rain was expected to continue pounding the area Tuesday and again later in the week, according to the South African Weather Service. The heavy rains stem from a common weather phenomenon in South Africa known as a cut-off low, in which a low pressure system develops and its flow across the atmosphere is disrupted, resulting in a slow-moving storm. “It is very common for this time of year,” said Kgolofelo Mahlangu, a forecaster with the weather service, noting that similar heavy rains battered the region around this time in 2017 and 2019. Some climate scientists are attributing the increase in the intensity of the recent storms to environmental changes. A study published this week by World Weather Attribution, an initiative that specialises in pinpointing the links between climate change and individual weather events, said that “climate change is elevating risk in places where tropical cyclones are already affecting agriculture, infrastructure, livelihoods and lives.” The study looked at rainfall levels during Cyclone Batsirai and Tropical Storm Ana in January and February. The research, while noting gaps in data from the region, found that human-caused global warming had played a role in making those storms more intense. ©2022 The New York Times Company | 0 |
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain cut a characteristically colourful swath from New York City to Washington this week, managing to travel between the cities by Amtrak — a nod to his Amtrak-loyal host, President Joe Biden — before telling the aggrieved French to “prenez un grip” and “donnez-moi un break.” For Americans, now used to a president who rarely strays from the script, it was a throwback to a time when their own leader would show up in Britain and start lobbing cherry bombs. Except in the case of Donald Trump, that involved calling London’s mayor a “stone-cold loser” and telling a British tabloid that Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, was doing a bad job of negotiating a Brexit deal. Johnson has always been a more genial, upbeat figure, a journalist-turned-politician who uses humour, often at his own expense, to make serious points. What is less clear, after a five-day visit that featured signs both reassuring and problematic for the “special relationship,” is how the prime minister’s lighthearted style advances Britain’s effort to stake out a post-Brexit role on the global stage. “This is both Boris Johnson’s advantage and problem,” said Jonathan Powell, a former chief of staff to Prime Minister Tony Blair. “He’s great fun the first time you meet him. But the problem with being a comedy act is that you’re then not taken seriously. That’s why we weren’t consulted on Afghanistan.” Britain’s inclusion in a nuclear-powered submarine alliance with Australia and the United States was a notable victory for Johnson — one that showcased Britain’s relevance and compensated for the White House’s disregard of British views on the tactics or timing of the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Still, it is a bright spot in a trans-Atlantic relationship that is otherwise a mixed bag. On the way to New York, Johnson told reporters that Biden had little immediate interest in negotiating a trade deal between the United States and Britain because he had “a lot of fish to fry.” Although hardly a surprise, his admission effectively buried one of the main selling points of Brexit: that it would enable Britain to cut a lucrative trade deal of its own with the United States. With Johnson seated next to him in the Oval Office a few days later, Biden also made clear that he would object to any British actions that threatened peace in Northern Ireland. Britain has vowed to overhaul its post-Brexit trading arrangements with Northern Ireland, a process that critics say could jeopardize the Good Friday Agreement, which settled decades of sectarian violence there. British officials said Northern Ireland did not come up in their private talks, which one official characterised as “very warm.” But Biden’s public reference to it was a reminder that the issue has political resonance in Washington, and hence, continuing potential to disrupt the relationship between London and Washington. Prospects for a bilateral trade deal have now been replaced by hopes for something arguably even more far-fetched. British papers reported that the Johnson government is now mulling whether it could enter the revised North American free trade agreement negotiated by Trump with Canada and Mexico. Since Britain already has deals with both countries, that would amount to a backdoor deal with the United States. Trade analysts were puzzled, noting that this would not spare either side the political hazards of a trade negotiation. Moreover, these experts said, the language in that deal, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, would be disadvantageous to British automakers eager to export to the United States. “Everything that makes a bilateral agreement difficult makes USMCA difficult,” said Sam Lowe, an expert on trade at the Centre for European Reform, a research institute in London. “We’d still be talking about chlorinated chicken,” he added, referring to disputes over access for chemically treated US food. For Johnson, the complexities of a trade pact may matter less in the short term than the wins he scored. On the eve of his visit, the White House lifted a ban on travellers from Britain, the European Union and other countries, which had become a nagging source of trans-Atlantic strain. Johnson also got to crow over the submarine alliance, which not only makes Britain a key US ally in the geopolitical contest with China but also has the political fringe benefit of vexing Britain’s neighbour, France. Speaking outside the Capitol, Johnson broke into gleeful Franglais to poke fun at the French for what he said was their overreaction to Australia’s decision to break a $66 billion deal for nonnuclear submarines. “Donnez-moi un break” became an instant classic on social media, rivalled only by a moment, in an interview with NBC News, in which Johnson admitted to having six children. The precise number has long been cloaked in mystery; he has been divorced twice, has a daughter through an extramarital relationship and has evaded previous attempts to pin him down on the paternity question. As seasoned Johnson observers noted, he has used the Franglais version of “give me a break” at least eight times, going back to March 1994, when he put it in an article about housing prices. Some critics argued it was needlessly provocative to France, getting a laugh out of a country that has plenty of ways to settle scores with Britain. “We enjoy the times the French get hot under the collar,” Powell said. “But there is a long-term cost to that.” At the United Nations, where Johnson is not yet a familiar fixture as a world leader, he deployed a trademark mix of charm and self-deprecation. He told reporters that as a journalist, he had played down the threat of a warming planet. Speaking to the General Assembly as the host of a UN climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November, Johnson slipped into the role of an affectionate but stern parent. “We still cling with parts of our minds to the infantile belief that the world was made for our gratification and pleasure,” Johnson declared, in words that could apply to his own picaresque past. “And we combine this narcissism with an assumption of our own immortality. “We believe that someone else will clear up the mess because that is what someone else has always done,” he added. “My friends, the adolescence of humanity is coming to an end and must come to an end.” ©2021 The New York Times Company | 0 |
Here are some facts and projections on water and climate change:-- Temperatures are likely to rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 Celsius (2.0 and 11.5 Fahrenheit) and sea levels by between 18 cm and 59 cm (7 inches and 23 inches) this century, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.-- Climate change model simulations for the 21st century see increased precipitation at high latitudes and tropical areas; decreased rainfall in sub-tropical regions.-- Warming in the western US mountains is projected to cause decreased snowpack, more winter flooding and reduce summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources.-- Major challenges are projected for US crops near the warm end of their suitable range or which depend on highly utilized water resources.-- In southern Europe, climate change is projected to worsen conditions like high temperatures and drought, and reduce available water, hydropower potential, summer tourism and crops in general.-- In Latin America, productivity of some important crops will decrease, while disappearance of glaciers in the Andes will affect water supplies for human consumption.-- In Africa, by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent.-- In Asia, by the 2050s, freshwater availability in Central, South, East and South-East Asia, particularly in large river basins, is projected to decrease.-- Australia's current drought, which helped spark the country's deadliest bushfire disaster ever in early in 2009, has been linked to climate change. By 2030, water problems are projected to intensify in southern and eastern Australia.-- Rising sea levels could increase salinity in groundwater and estuaries worldwide. This could have grave implications for coastal urban areas such as Miami, Florida.(Sources: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Health Organization, Pacific Institute for Studies on Development, Environment and Security) | 0 |
The winner of the $1 million prize, arguably the world’s top accolade, will be announced in Oslo on Oct. 9 from a field of 318 candidates. The prize can be split up to three ways. The Swedish 17-year-old was nominated by three Norwegian lawmakers and two Swedish parliamentarians and if she wins, she would receive it at the same age as Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel laureate thus far. Asle Sveen, a historian and author of several books about the prize, said Thunberg would be a strong candidate for this year’s award, her second nomination in as many years, with the US West Coast wildfires and rising temperatures in the Arctic “leaving people in no doubt” about global warming. “Not a single person has done more to get the world to focus on climate change than her,” Sveen told Reuters. The committee has given the prize to environmentalists before, starting with Kenya’s Wangari Maathai in 2004 for her campaign to plant 30 million trees across Africa, and in 2007 to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In the era of the coronavirus crisis, the committee could also choose to highlight the threat of pandemics to peace and security, said Dan Smith, the director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. “There is a relationship between environmental damage and our increasing problem with pandemics and I wonder whether the Nobel Peace Prize Committee might want to highlight that,” he told Reuters. If the committee wanted to highlight this trend, he said, “there is obviously the temptation of Greta Thunberg”. The Fridays for Future movement started in 2018 when Thunberg began a school strike in Sweden to push for action on climate. It has since become a global protest. Thunberg and her father Svante, who sometimes handles media queries for her, did not reply to requests for comment. Many were sceptical when Greta, as she is often referred to, became the bookmaker’s favourite to win last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, especially with regards to her age, but her second nomination could strengthen her chances. “Greta is re-nominated, which was the case for Malala. I said Malala was young when she was nominated the first time and I said Greta was young the first time she was nominated,” Sveen said. Yousafzai won in 2014. NOT TRUMP Other known candidates included the “people of Hong Kong”, NATO, Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden and jailed Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul. Other possible choices are Reporters Without Borders, Angela Merkel and the World Health Organisation, experts said, though it is unclear whether they are nominated. Nominations are secret for 50 years but those who nominate can choose to publicise their choices. Thousands of people are eligible to nominate, including members of parliaments and governments, university professors and past laureates. It is not known whether Donald Trump is nominated for this year’s prize, though he is up for next year’s award after a Norwegian lawmaker named the US President for helping broker a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. He is unlikely to win, Sveen and Smith agreed, not least for his dismantling of the international treaties to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons, a cause dear to Nobel committees. “He is divisive and seems to not take a clear stance against the violence the right wing perpetrates in the US,” said Smith. “And that is just the first list.” | 0 |
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has urged his team to show "mental strength and fortitude" at the Twenty20 World Cup after the trauma of Lahore this year when the team bus was attacked by armed militants. "Since Lahore we have accepted there is never a 100 percent guarantee -- that's the way life is," Sangakkara told reporters after his team's warmup match against Bangladesh on Tuesday. "We've got to have the mental strength and fortitude to get on with our business of playing cricket. "With all teams in the current world climate, not just us, security is going to be an issue, in some countries more so than others maybe. But still worldwide there is a threat so our mental comfort depends on certain things being put in place for us and so far we have been very satisfied." Six members of the Sri Lanka team, including Sangakkara, were wounded after gunmen shot at their team bus en route to the Gaddafi Stadium for the second test against Pakistan in March. Six Pakistani policemen and the driver of the bus carrying the match officials were killed. The Sri Lanka team are liaising daily with a national police intelligence cell set up to oversee security for the World Cup in England, which starts on Friday. HEIGHTENED SECURITY World Twenty20 tournament director and former South Africa player Steve Elworthy, 44, held the same role at the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa. He said security had become much tighter since Lahore. "The situation has changed and it's now a completely different landscape to then," Elworthy told Reuters. "Without a shadow of a doubt it opened our eyes even more to the hazards facing cricketers and officials. "Our security plan for the event was already at an advanced stage and in place, but something like that made us go back and recheck everything again and do a strategy review." Tournament organisers, as well as the International Cricket Council (ICC), believe they have done as much as they can to keep the players safe. All teams get police convoys to and from matches and when travelling between venues, while there are also dedicated security staff for each side. Elworthy said he could not reveal the exact details of team security. The man heading the event's security is the former chief constable of Devon and Cornwall in south-west England, John Evans, who also advised the Football Association (FA) on security matters. The England team's security head Reg Dickason is also involved, as are the ICC's own independent security consultants. Despite the added attention, Sangakkara said the increased security measures had not distracted his side from cricket. "It feels like just another tournament; they have done a good job at keeping everything low key," Sangakkara said. "We have the opportunity to just concentrate on cricket and that's very nice." | 3 |
Rising temperatures could wipe out more than half of the earth's species in the next few centuries, according to researchers who published a study on Wednesday linking climate change to past mass extinctions. Researchers at the University of York said their study was the first to examine the relationship between climate, extinction rates and biodiversity over a long period. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, suggest climate change was the cause of large-scale extinctions, said Peter Mayhew, an ecologist who worked on the study. The study analysed fossil records and temperature changes over 500 million years, and found that three of the four biggest extinctions -- defined as when more than 50 percent of species disappeared -- occurred during periods of high temperatures. "The relationship is true for the whole period in general," Mayhew said in a telephone interview. "If temperatures went up, then extinctions went up and biodiversity tended to be lower." The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that average global temperatures are likely to rise by between 1.8 and 4 degrees Celsius (3.2 and 7.2 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, partly as a result of greenhouse gas emissions. The upper end of the forecast rise would heat the earth close to the temperatures of 250 million years ago, when 95 percent of all animal and plant species became extinct, Mayhew said. Some of the past mass extinctions happened over a brief few hundred years, providing evidence that present day rapid temperature rises could have the same impact, Mayhew said. "It does give us an idea of what to expect in the near future," he said. "There is nothing that says it couldn't happen in a short timescale." | 0 |
Norwegian Ambassador Sidsel Bleken said they discuss all the difficulties their businesses face in Bangladesh regularly with the government. Still, it’s a “very cumbersome process and it takes very long to get approval”, she said. “In general, we would like to see more Norwegian companies coming to Bangladesh and investing in Bangladesh. The ease of doing businesses is extremely important,” she told bdnews24.com after a breakfast meeting with the Norwegian businesses, operating in Dhaka, at her residence on Monday. Questions the embassy receives from Norwegian companies are mostly related to business climate, Bleken said. “When investment climate is improving, I am sure more companies are coming. This is a huge market and huge opportunity.” Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Kazi M Aminul Islam listened to the concerns of the Norwegian companies that include Grameenphone, Jotun Group, Sactec Solar, Bergen Engines and Poly ConCrete. He encouraged them to speak up and go to him with whatever the issues they have. “We try to resolve all those. Now we hold meetings every week. I don’t think we have any pending case,” he said. “The ease of doing business is very close to my heart.” bdnews24.com’s Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi, who was also invited to the breakfast meeting, shared his experiences as a news publisher and said those are similar to what foreign companies face. The bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Norway are said to be good. The Nordic country established diplomatic relations with Bangladesh on April 14, 1972, soon after the independence. Norway’s involvement in Bangladesh has traditionally been based on development cooperation. But over the years with Bangladesh’s economic growth, aid has been replaced by an increased emphasis on trade and business. The largest Norwegian player in Bangladesh is Telenor that owns 55.8 percent of Grameenphone, the country's largest mobile operator with over 70 million customers. In the textile industry, the Varner group is the most important Norwegian player. Norwegian software company Cefalo has its own office in Dhaka. Bergen Engines (Rolls Royce Power Systems) has increased its business activity. The company is part of several new power plant projects and has its own local office in Dhaka with 20 employees. Other Norwegian companies in Bangladesh are Jotun Group, composite manufacturer Poly Concrete, which supplies to the building industry, FireSafe and Hexagon. Scatec Solar has its presence in Bangladesh. Bangladesh exported a total value of NOK 2.2 billion to Norway, with clothing accounting for most of it, in 2017, while it imported NOK 286 million which is mostly machinery and finished goods. The political relations between the countries have also increased in recent years. Foreign Minister Børge Brende visited Bangladesh as the first Norwegian Foreign Minister in February 2017. The ambassador said they hold business dialogue in every quarter. “Today we mainly discussed the repatriation of dividends with other issues related to the ease of doing business.” She said sometimes laws are okay. “But there is a lack of professional institutions who implement the laws. Institutional strengthening is extremely important.” Foreign investors traditionally send home their money with profit following the rules and regulations of a country. Like other countries, Bangladesh has also policies on repatriation and specific foreign exchange guidelines prepared by the central bank, Bangladesh Bank. There are different types of processes for different types of repatriation. Entrepreneurs also need foreign consultants for foreign expertise and technical know-how. And for that they need to pay money and the payees are required to remit their earnings in foreign currency. But officials of the Norwegian companies who attended the meeting said they find it complicated when it comes to both the inflow and outflow of money. “It’s challenging for a new company,” one official said. “Under Bangladesh’s law the consultancy payment has to be made based on the revenue earnings. For a new company who has no previous revenue how will they make the foreign payment for the consultants who are necessary for technology know-how?” “This approval process is too bureaucratic.” In repatriating dividend which is allowed by the law, the challenges they go through are enormous, another official said. Inward funds are supposed to be free and outward funds against profit earned from investments are supposed to be free-flowing too. “But our experiences are not really good. Every time you send money, it’s more of an approval process.” Grameenphone Chief Executive Officer Michael Foley, who attended the event, told bdnews24.com that “the rule of law is critically important for the businesses to feel comfortable operating in a foreign market”. For example, he said authorities use “discretion” when there is nothing in the laws on an issue. “It’s wrong.” Foley cited the significant market power status for Grameenphone, which he said went against the competition law of 2012. “We keep managing the situation. It’s okay. We do with a happy heart to operate in this country.” “But we have to make sure the rule of law is maintained that we make it easier for people to operate in this country,” he said. “We support the efforts of BIDA in doing that because we do need the foreign investments. And it’s hard to get now.” Khalidi, the editor-in-chief of bdnews24.com, urged the government to solve those long-standing problems. “These are some valid points they raised,” he said. “We’ve been talking about these issues for a long time,” he said referring to the editorials he wrote in the 1990s on facilitating investment. “Bureaucrats have to change their attitude.” | 5 |
The 2015 Paris Agreement set a goal of limiting a rise in average world surface temperatures to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, while "pursuing efforts" for 1.5C (2.7F). But a key architect of that agreement, Christiana Figueres, told a London conference a failure to cap warming at 1.5C would be disastrous. "The reason why 1.5 degrees as a maximum temperature rise is absolutely crucial is because it is the only temperature that gives a 50 percent chance for the most vulnerable populations to survive the effects of climate change," she said. "From where we stand today, I hear everyone think that's impossible. Well, you know what? We're just going to have to make it possible." Figueres said a 2-degree rise would leave most of the low-lying Pacific islands, parts of Bangladesh, and all of New York city under water. A 1.5-degree change would give vulnerable populations a chance of surviving climate shocks like flooding, cyclones, droughts and rising sea levels, she said. "What do we do about 95 percent of the Pacific Islands going under water? That means those people have no home - talk about forced migration," she said at the conference on women and climate change hosted by Invisible Dust, an arts and science organisation. Worldwide, seas have risen 26 cm (10 inches) since the late 19th century, driven by melting ice and the expansion of water warmed by climate change, UN data shows, and scientists predict a rise of another metre or more by 2100. A 2-degree temperature hike would lead to more frequent weather-related disasters and displace large numbers of people, according to the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a coalition of the countries most affected by climate change. Pacific island nations are most at risk from rising sea levels, with low-lying islands facing an existential threat as most - or all - of their land could disappear. Last year, 18.8 million people around the world were forced from their homes by storms, floods, wildfires or other natural disasters, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Given the devastating effects of climate change, Figueres said she was disappointed when US President Donald Trump vowed to pull the United States out of the Paris deal a year ago. Trump's announcement that he was ditching the deal agreed upon by nearly 200 countries came over opposition by US businesses. "To derive a conclusion that is completely contradictory to the path of history and to the interest of the US economy is actually quite sad," Figueres said. The withdrawal would leave the US at a competitive disadvantage as global competitors shifted away from polluting fossil fuels, she added. In December, countries will meet in Poland to set rules for the Paris accord's implementation, including how to monitor emissions. | 0 |
LONDON Tue Mar 17, (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - The world must find ways to help non-nuclear states obtain civilian nuclear power to meet energy needs and tackle the growing threat of climate change, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will say on Tuesday. Brown will tell a London nuclear energy conference that Iran is key to proving whether nuclear producers and non-producers can share enriched uranium peacefully to power their economies as the world tries to wean itself off fossil fuels. "We have to create a new international system to help non-nuclear states acquire the new sources of energy they need," Brown will say, according to extracts from his speech. "Because, whether we like it or not, we will not meet the challenges of climate change without the far wider use of civil nuclear power." The two-day conference brings together more than 100 representatives from 35 countries as well as well as experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear industry, academics and legislators. Delegates come from countries considering establishing a nuclear programme as well as states that have well-developed civil nuclear industries. The conference fits into Britain's strategy of helping countries that commit to peaceful use of nuclear power while taking a "zero tolerance" approach to the spread of nuclear weapons. FUEL GUARANTEE Britain says it is ready to give a guarantee to countries that fear their supply of nuclear fuel could be disrupted for political reasons if they rely on outside suppliers. Under its Nuclear Fuel Assurance programme, Britain pledges to supply nuclear fuel cycle services to countries committed to peaceful use of nuclear power if their supply is disrupted. Speakers at the conference, most of which is closed to the media, include IAEA Deputy Director-General Yury Sokolov, Khaled Toukan, chairman of Jordan's Atomic Energy Commission and officials from Germany and the Netherlands. The conference will also hear a pre-recorded message from IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei. The United States, Britain and four other powers have offered Iran civil nuclear cooperation as part of a package of incentives to try to persuade Tehran to stop uranium enrichment, which the West fears is aimed at building a nuclear bomb. Iran says it only wants nuclear power for peaceful purposes and has pledged to press on with its programme. "Iran is a test case for this new philosophy of the right to civil nuclear power with sanctions for rule breakers," Brown will say. "Iran's current nuclear programme is unacceptable. Its refusal to play by the rules leads us to view its nuclear programme as a critical proliferation threat." He will urge Iran to "take advantage of the international community's willingness to negotiate, including (US) President Obama's offer of engagement, rather than face further sanctions". The recent surge in energy prices, dwindling resources and the need to meet climate change goals is giving a new lease of life to nuclear power. Britain is set to build a new generation of nuclear power plants. | 0 |
Floods that have devastated Pakistan could be a sign of the future as climate change brings greater extremes of weather to the region. While climate scientists say single flooding events can't be directly blamed on global warming, more intense droughts and floods could be in the forecast for the future. And for Pakistan's 160 million people, many already facing regular droughts and floods, that could cost more lives and threaten cotton, wheat and rice crops and infrastructure. It could also add to the security challenges in what is already one of the world's poorest and volatile nations that is battling Islamic militancy. The government has been heavily criticised over its poor response to the crisis. Scientists say Pakistan could also suffer in the long-term from declining amounts of meltwater from glaciers feeding the Indus River, which is nation's life-blood. For the current floods, rainfall of about 400 millimetres (16 inches) in mountainous areas in the far north of Pakistan and adjoining parts of Afghanistan between July 28 and 29 triggered a torrent of water down the Indus and Kabul Rivers. "That was a record," said Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, director-general of the Pakistan Meteorological Department. "The only explanation can be the link to climate change. Because that area very rarely receives monsoon rains," he told Reuters, pointing to the risk of the monsoon belt shifting as well as changes in the intensity of the monsoon. LIMITS He said the current floods could also be blamed to some degree on deforestation and more people living in flood-prone areas as the population keeps growing. Pakistan has lost vast areas of forest over the past few decades, while overgrazing often strips degraded land of whatever plant cover is left. The government has set a target to boost forest cover from 5.2 percent to 6 percent by 2014. Climate scientists say it is much easier to link climate change and heatwaves such as the one that has triggered wildfires and wiped out wheat crops in Russia. "Floods are harder to pin down," said leading Australian climate scientist Neville Nicholls. "We expect changes in precipitation but the science to actually to attribute those to global warming hasn't been done yet," Nicholls, of Monash University in Melbourne, said. He also pointed to the global climate moving from an El Nino to a La Nina, a natural swing in sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can trigger drought in Australia and Southeast Asia and then floods, as well affecting South Asia monsoon. "In parts of the world, that sequence does lead to really quite strange, anomalous rainfall," he said. Indian experts point to evidence of rising temperatures in the Himalayas and more intense rainfall events. "No one can say for sure that this is all related to climate change, but yes there is circumstantial evidence that over (the last) 20 years very heavy rainfall events have drastically increased," Bishwajit Mukhopadhyay, deputy director-general of meteorology at the India Meteorological Department, told Reuters. Scientists say nations will need to start adapting to climate change impacts such as more intensive droughts and floods but poorer nations with limited cash face the toughest challenge. Pakistan, like any flood-prone country, needed early warning systems, better storage of drinking water, even to move people from vulnerable areas, said Andrew Ash, who leads a climate adaption programme for Australia's state-funded research body the CSIRO. "There are definite limits to adaptation. We often talk about adaptation as if we can adapt our way out of trouble," he told Reuters. "But these sorts of events highlight that we can't adapt our way out of all the impacts of climate change." Pakistani food expert Abid Suleri, executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, said the country would need to work on seed varieties to adapt to climate change. | 0 |
Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed has asked G8 leaders to assist least developed countries in overcoming trade barriers in developed markets, both tariff and non-tariff. Fakhruddin has requested for fair market access for LDC products without any discrimination. Foreign adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury mentioned that the chief adviser has written individual letters to the leaders of G8 nations on behalf of the WTO LDCs Consultative Group, which is chaired by Bangladesh. Iftekhar stated, "The chief adviser has requested for equal market access benefits for all products from all LDCs without any discrimination." | 1 |
She defended Bangladesh's human rights record at the Human Rights Council's second Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs media release. Moni emphasized the importance of agencies understanding their human rights obligations while performing their duties. She spent three and a half hours responding to questions about Bangladesh's recent achievements and challenges in promoting and protecting human rights. Moni stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law and protecting the rights of vulnerable populations. She reiterated the government's commitment to zero tolerance for attacks against minorities, such as those that occurred in Ramu and Cox's Bazar. This was the first time Bangladesh participated with a delegation that included members of religious and ethnic minority groups. The minister presented on her government's initiatives to improve human rights, highlighting legislative and policy changes made in the past four years. The review process involves all UN member states declaring actions taken to improve human rights situations and fulfill their obligations. | 1 |
The series "9/12" is a thought-provoking and creatively reported exploration of the September 11 attacks by Dan Taberski. Beginning with a group of reality show contestants embarking on an 18th century-themed voyage just before the attacks, the show captures their initial unawareness and innocence. Backed by a beautiful score from jazz composer Daniel Herskedal, "9/12" uncovers lesser-known stories from the "war on terror" era to challenge traditional interpretations of the events. "Forever Is a Long Time," a five-part series by Ian Coss, delves into the complexity of lifelong commitment in a deeply personal way. Driven by his own uncertainties about the strength of his marriage, he conducted interviews with divorced family members and their ex-partners to understand the reasons behind their failed relationships. Each episode of the series delves into a different love story, with the host, Coss, approaching the investigation like a determined detective. The revelations he uncovers are transformed into original songs that capture the complexities of human relationships. In "La Brega," a project that celebrates Puerto Rican culture, the concept of struggle is explored through a series of stories that highlight the island's unique heritage. This bilingual production, hosted by Alana Casanova-Burgess, immerses listeners in the rich tapestry of Puerto Rico. Rich and overlooked American histories are filled with tales of pothole fillers, political activists, and basketball heroes who face their own struggles, many of which can be traced back to the concept of self-governing territories in the United States. "The Midnight Miracle," a conversation show featuring Dave Chappelle, Yasiin Bey, and Talib Kweli, is a star-studded and captivating podcast that goes beyond celebrity gossip. The hosts, who are close friends and collaborators, are joined by a rotating cast of humorous and insightful guests like David Letterman, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart, discussing topics related to art, philosophy, and politics. The show's innovative sound design creates a seamless and engaging listening experience, making it feel like the most intriguing dinner party in the world. "One Year: 1977," hosted by former "Slow Burn" host Josh Levin, offers a forensic historical examination of a particular year in American life, focusing on its iconic figures, trends, and controversies. Just like in any captivating history, the most chilling moments, such as the deadly craze surrounding a bogus cancer treatment among celebrities and skeptics, continue to resonate with the present. Julie Salamon's podcast adaptation of her book "The Devil's Candy" delves into forgotten tape recordings to bring the doomed production of Brian De Palma's "The Bonfire of the Vanities" to life. Through on-set interviews with key players like De Palma, Tom Hanks, and Melanie Griffith, listeners are transported back to a time when high art clashed with commercial pressures. "Resistance," inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, focuses on smaller-scale revolutions. Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr., the host, along with producer-reporters Salifu Sesay Mack, Bethel Habte, and Aaron Randle, uncover compelling stories that delve into the struggles faced by individuals in their everyday lives. These stories shed light on lesser-known miscarriages of justice and personal challenges, such as a woman fighting to free her incarcerated partner and the exploitation of a historic oasis for Black bathers in Manhattan Beach. The latest season of “Rough Translation,” hosted by Gregory Warner, focuses on the “Civ-Mil divide” between civilians and military members, exploring how this divide overlooks acts of compassion and sacrifice on both sides. Through the stories of individuals like Alicia and Matt Lammers and Marla Ruzicka, the podcast highlights the complexities of civ-mil relationships and the impact of trauma on those involved. In the podcast "The Sporkful: Mission Impastable," Dan Pashman, a seasoned food critic and host of the show, has dedicated years to a seemingly unconventional goal: creating the perfect pasta shape. His journey to develop this shape, which he believes does not yet exist, and to have it produced, is reminiscent of popular podcasts like "Radiolab," "StartUp," and "Planet Money." Pashman's emotional ups and downs throughout the process will resonate with anyone who has pursued a successful project. Similarly, Natalia Petrzela's podcast "Welcome to Your Fantasy" delves into the fascinating history of Chippendales, the male strip show that rose to fame in the '80s, going beyond the sensationalism of sex and true crime to explore a rich narrative with compelling characters and a nostalgic atmosphere. This is truly an incredible story. The journey of troupe founder Steve Banerjee, from immigrant small-business owner to successful player in the sex industry to violent racketeer, is a classic American tale that is stranger than fiction. (c.2021 The New York Times Company) | 1 |
Obama's visit to India is aimed at strengthening the country's strategic partnership and building a friendship with Prime Minister Modi, who was previously unwelcome in Washington. Obama will be the first US president to attend India's Republic Day parade, a symbol of military strength once associated with Cold War tensions, and will also appear on a radio show with Modi. The invitation to the parade, extended by Modi himself, marks a significant improvement in the relationship between the two nations, which was strained just a year ago. In an interview with India Today magazine, Obama expressed hope for a closer partnership between India and the US. Modi welcomed Obama and his wife, Michelle, on the tarmac in New Delhi as they arrived on Air Force One on a foggy winter morning. The two leaders embraced each other warmly, which was a departure from the usual protocol of the prime minister not personally welcoming foreign leaders upon their arrival. Modi made the decision to break this tradition himself, surprising his own staff. As Obama's motorcade made its way to the welcome ceremony at the president's residence, the roads were heavily guarded by armed police and soldiers as part of a carefully planned visit. Reports suggest that up to 40,000 security personnel will be present during the visit, and 15,000 new closed-circuit surveillance cameras have been installed in the capital. Both sides have been working to come to agreements on climate change, taxation, and defense cooperation before the visit. Talks on a potential deal on civil nuclear trade were intense and no clear solution was reached. The United States sees India as a valuable market and potential counterbalance to China in Asia, but is often frustrated with India's slow economic reforms and reluctance to align with the US on global issues. India is hoping for a new approach from the US towards Pakistan, especially in terms of security and regional matters. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expressed this desire for greater understanding with the US ahead of Obama's visit to Davos. Elected in May of last year, Modi has brought new energy to the economy and foreign relations, and has started to challenge China's influence in South Asia, which has pleased Washington. The current annual trade between the US and India is considered to be much lower than it could be, and the US hopes to increase it fivefold. Due to the death of King Abdullah, President Obama will be leaving India slightly earlier than planned to visit Saudi Arabia instead of going to the Taj Mahal. Like Obama, Modi comes from a humble background and has risen to prominence in a political landscape dominated by powerful families. Their bond was strengthened during a visit to the Martin Luther King memorial in Washington in September, as both leaders draw inspiration from figures like King and Gandhi. The connection between Modi and Obama is noteworthy due to their differing political stances and Modi's past controversies. Despite Obama's close relationship with Modi's predecessor, Manmohan Singh, tensions between the US and India have arisen, particularly regarding trade issues. According to Ashley Tellis, the two countries have yet to fully solidify their geopolitical alliance. Efforts to revive the 2009 nuclear deal, which did not fulfill expectations for US businesses, are currently underway. Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes informed reporters this week that there is great potential in the relationship and the goal is to transform that potential into tangible advantages for both nations. | 1 |
Ugandan police have discovered an unexploded suicide belt and detained several individuals following the deaths of 74 soccer fans in two bomb attacks while they were watching the World Cup final on television. Somali Islamists associated with al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the attacks. The opposition in Uganda has demanded the withdrawal of the country's peacekeepers from Somalia. A government representative stated that the unexploded suicide belt was found in a third location in the capital city of Kampala, a day after the twin explosions occurred in two bars filled with soccer fans on Sunday night. "Arrests were made yesterday after an unexploded suicide bomber's belt was found in the Makindye area," said government spokesman Fred Opolot. He did not provide details on the number or origin of the arrested individuals. Coordinated attacks similar to this have been associated with al Qaeda and groups connected to Osama bin Laden's militant network. The al Shabaab militants have threatened further attacks unless Uganda and Burundi remove their peacekeepers from the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia (AMISOM). Uganda's opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has urged President Yoweri Museveni to withdraw his soldiers and stated their intention to do so if they win the upcoming elections in 2011. They argue that there is no peace to be maintained in Somalia and that Uganda has no strategic interest in the region. FDC spokesman Wafula Oguttu told Reuters that they are sacrificing their children for no reason, as their goal is to remove troops immediately after gaining power. AMISOM stated that the explosions will not hinder their mission in Somalia, where they protect the presidential palace and secure Mogadishu's airport and port. The FBI is investigating the coordinated attacks by al Shabaab as the group is now expanding its violent tactics internationally. Analysts warn that the threats from al Shabaab should be taken seriously, as they have shown they have the capability and willingness to carry out attacks abroad. Foreign direct investment has increased in the third largest economy of East Africa due to oil exploration near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Analysts believe that a sustained bombing campaign could harm Uganda's investment climate, but a one-time attack is unlikely to deter major companies like British hydrocarbons explorer Tullow Oil from investing. The United States has offered assistance with investigations into the attack, with three FBI agents currently collecting evidence on the ground and an additional team ready to deploy to the country. Opolot stated that there were no indications that the African Union summit, which is scheduled to be hosted by Uganda this month, would be cancelled in light of the bombings. | 1 |
Australia's newly elected prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has made signing the Kyoto Protocol his top priority, according to his deputy, Julia Gillard. Rudd intends to fulfill a campaign promise by quickly signing the climate change pact, which will allow Australia to have a more significant role at an upcoming international meeting on environmental issues in Bali, Indonesia. This decision will also leave the US as the only Western country not to ratify the pact, despite being the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Australia, on the other hand, is the worst polluter per capita. Rudd's proposal to gradually bring back Australia's 550 combat troops from Iraq could potentially strain Australia's close relationship with the US. Following messages of congratulations from foreign leaders, Rudd received a phone call from US President George Bush over the weekend. Although he did not disclose specifics of their conversation, Rudd mentioned plans to visit Washington in the upcoming year. Continuing his meetings with senior officials on Monday to transition into power after the recent elections, Rudd is scheduled to meet with newly elected Labor party members of parliament on Thursday to select his ministerial team. The team is then expected to be sworn in by Governor-General Michael Jefferey shortly after. The government is currently in caretaker mode. Officials have stated that Rudd, who won the election after almost 12 years of conservative rule, has already begun working on rewriting the country's labour laws as he promised during his campaign. There is uncertainty about who will lead the coalition that lost the election and is now the new opposition. Outgoing prime minister John Howard is likely to lose his seat in parliament, while his nominated successor Peter Costello surprised everyone on Sunday by announcing he did not want the job. Former environment minister Malcolm Turnbull and former health minister Tony Abbott have both declared their intention to compete for the position of opposition leader. The ballot counting was still in progress on Monday, with the extent of Rudd's decisive victory yet to be officially confirmed and a few closely contested districts still to be determined. One of these districts is Bennelong in Sydney, which has been held by Howard for 33 years. This puts Australia's second-longest serving leader in the position of potentially losing not just the government but also his own seat in parliament. Howard conceded on Saturday that he will likely no longer represent Bennelong. Labor's Maxine McKew, a former TV presenter, currently has a slight lead over Howard and the final outcome is expected to depend on postal votes. | 1 |
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras surprised creditors by calling a referendum on proposed austerity cuts, then announced on television that capital controls would be implemented to prevent bank collapse. This move came after a weekend of turmoil in Greece, leading the country closer to defaulting on a significant IMF loan and potentially exiting the eurozone. French President Francois Hollande urged Tsipras to resume negotiations, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed willingness to speak with the Greek leader. Time was running out for a resolution as Greece's bailout programme was set to expire soon. Greeks, who are accustomed to prolonged negotiations with creditors leading to last-minute agreements, were shocked by the situation. An Athens resident named Evgenia Gekou expressed disbelief and uncertainty about the future while on her way to work. She hoped that everything would be resolved when she woke up the next day and tried to remain calm despite the unclear messages coming from European officials. A representative from the European Commission told French radio that Brussels had no plans to present any new proposals on Monday, which seemed to contradict statements made by EU Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici. Moscovici had claimed that a new offer was on the way and that a deal was close to being reached. As a result of the uncertainty, European bank shares experienced a significant drop on Monday, with top banks in Spain, France, and Germany seeing a decline of over 6 percent. Concerns about the potential impact on banks in other peripheral euro zone countries caused anxiety among investors. In response to the situation, the Greek government announced that banks would remain closed until at least after July 5, the date of the referendum. When automated teller machines reopened at midday, withdrawals were limited to 60 euros per day. The stock exchange will also remain closed. Following extensive discussions, Greece's frustrated European partners have placed responsibility for the crisis squarely on Tsipras's shoulders. The creditors demanded that Greece reduce pensions and increase taxes in ways that Tsipras has consistently argued would worsen one of the most severe economic crises in modern history in a country where a quarter of the workforce is already without jobs. Upon Tsipras's announcement of emergency measures on Sunday, there were long queues outside ATMs and gas stations as people hurried to withdraw cash before it was too late. When the ATMs reopened on Monday, lines of more than twelve people were formed. Plumber Yannis Kalaizakis, 58, mentioned that he had five euros in his pocket and decided to try his luck at getting more money. He commented on the long queues in his neighborhood the previous day and expressed frustration at the situation. Newspapers featured images of the long lines at cash machines on their front pages. The Nafetemporiki newspaper's headline on Monday read "Dramatic hours," while Ta Nea simply asked "When will the banks open." Eleftheros Typos, a conservative-leaning newspaper, accused Tsipras of using the referendum as a tactic to push the country into early elections with the goal of winning them. The editorial criticized Tsipras for his decision, calling it a premeditated crime and stating that he has lost the trust of the citizens, as evidenced by the long lines at ATMs and petrol stations. This lack of trust will likely be reflected in the upcoming ballot on Sunday. As rumors spread, numerous elderly individuals lined up outside of at least two National Bank of Greece branches on Monday in hopes of withdrawing their pensions, only to be turned away, as reported by Reuters photographers. One shop owner expressed his frustration, saying, "I've spent my entire life working, only to wake up to a situation like this." Despite the financial turmoil, some aspects of everyday life continued as usual, with businesses and shops in the city operating normally, and Greek citizens gathering at cafes and restaurants to discuss the state of their country. Tourists also gathered as usual to observe the changing of the guard outside parliament. A demonstration organized by Tsipras's Syriza party to oppose austerity measures and encourage voters to reject the bailout terms in the upcoming referendum is expected to take place later today. Officials in Europe and the United States have been making urgent calls and arranging meetings in an attempt to resolve the situation. U.S. President Barack Obama contacted Merkel, and senior U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who spoke with Tsipras, have called on Europe and the IMF to develop a plan to maintain the stability of the euro and keep Greece in the eurozone. According to Administrative Reforms Minister George Katrougalos, Greek banks are not receiving the necessary funds, which he believes is a tactic to intimidate them. He also warned that a "yes" vote would result in cuts to pensions and require citizens to pay for healthcare in public hospitals. When your children are unable to attend school, you will express gratitude while they may respond by saying that you wanted this situation. However, if you refuse, you have the power to strive for a brighter tomorrow. | 1 |
In the upcoming elections, Democrats have the opportunity to strengthen their Senate majority, which would increase their influence regardless of who becomes the next President. Due to retirements, scandals, and the Iraq war, Republicans are facing challenges, and Democrats may potentially gain up to nine seats in the 100-member Senate in the November 2008 elections. This would give Democrats a crucial 60 seats, which is the number needed to overcome Republican procedural obstacles. This majority would allow Democrats to push for changes in President Bush's Iraq war policy, including the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The last time Democrats had a significant majority in the Senate was during the 1977-1979 congressional session when they held 61 seats. Jennifer Duffy, who monitors Senate races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, believes that reaching 60 seats is a real possibility. She stated that for things to go in their favor, everything would need to go perfectly. At this point, it is too soon to make any predictions. The elections are a year away and numerous Republicans are trying to separate themselves from Bush, who has a low approval rating. However, they are still connected to his unpopular position on the Iraq war, which has been ongoing for five years. Many are worried about what lies ahead, especially since Senate Democrats have received more campaign contributions than Republicans. "We are expected to lose seats," said a senior Senate Republican aide, citing the unfavorable political climate for their party. Currently, Republicans hold 22 out of the 34 Senate seats up for re-election next year, compared to Democrats' 12. All Democratic incumbents plan to seek re-election and are considered likely winners. On the other hand, five Republican incumbents have already stated they will not run for another six-year term in 2008. Last week, Senators Pete Domenici and Larry Craig, both Republicans, announced they would not be seeking re-election. Domenici, aged 75, cited declining health as his reason, while Craig, aged 62, mentioned his disputed conviction in an undercover sex-sting in an airport men's room. The Craig conviction has embarrassed Republicans, who pride themselves on being the party of "conservative family values." Additionally, the party has been rattled by a political corruption investigation in Alaska involving Senator Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican senator in history. Stevens, who has been a member of the Senate since 1968, has denied any misconduct. However, the investigation has made the 83-year-old Alaskan vulnerable in the upcoming 2008 elections. The Iraq war played a significant role in helping Democrats gain control of Congress last year, and it may also help them increase their majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the following year. Despite this, Republicans are encouraged by polls showing that only about one in four Americans approve of the Democratic-led Congress, which has been hindered by partisan disagreements. Rebecca Fisher, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senate campaign committee, stated that Democrats have not yet demonstrated their ability to effectively lead the country, and voters are noticing. She believes that Republicans will regain control of the Senate. Despite this, Democrats are dismissing these claims, pointing to surveys that show Americans still prefer Democrats over Republicans in Congress. However, many are hesitant to make predictions about their performance in the upcoming elections. Duffy from the Cook Political Report says that Democrats are trying to lower expectations for significant Senate gains because they are concerned it could energize the Republican base. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, who previously doubted his party's chances of winning the Senate, is now focused on maintaining a majority. Similarly, Sen. Charles Schumer, who leads the Senate Democratic campaign committee, is optimistic about their chances in the upcoming election but does not want to speculate on the number of seats they may gain. | 1 |
CEO Farzad Rashidi stated that all 45 of their workers are currently unemployed. The male employees have resorted to driving taxis while the female employees have returned to being housewives. Numerous business owners in Iran have reported to Reuters that their companies have halted production and thousands of workers have been laid off due to a challenging business environment, primarily caused by new US sanctions. The value of the Iranian rial has dropped significantly and economic activity has decreased substantially since US President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal with Tehran in May. In August, he implemented sanctions targeting purchases of US dollars, gold trading, and the automotive industry. Iran's oil and banking industries suffered significant blows in November, with losses totaling around five billion rials. As a result, all activities have been suspended until the currency market stabilizes. Rashidi stated that continuing operations in the current economic climate would be foolish, likening it to driving down a dead end. Earlier in the year, the country faced unrest due to high unemployment and rising prices, leading to clashes between protestors and security forces. There are concerns that the economic crisis will worsen with the imposition of sanctions, potentially sparking further unrest. Four days before being dismissed by parliament in August for not adequately protecting the jobs market from sanctions, labor minister Ali Rabiei predicted that Iran would see a million job losses by the end of the year due to US measures. Current unemployment is at 12.1 percent, leaving three million Iranians without work. A parliamentary report in September warned that the increasing unemployment rate could threaten the stability of the Islamic Republic. The report stated that if economic conditions do not improve, with an inflation rate of 10 percent and unemployment at 12 percent, the intensity of protests could increase dramatically. If Iran's economic growth remains below 5 percent in the future, unemployment could skyrocket to 26 percent. The International Monetary Fund has forecasted a contraction of Iran's economy by 1.5 percent this year and 3.6 percent in 2019, primarily due to decreasing oil revenues. Iran's vice president has expressed concerns about the impact of sanctions on Iran, particularly in terms of unemployment and decreased purchasing power. He emphasized the importance of creating jobs and ensuring that productive companies do not suffer due to sanctions. However, business owners have criticized the government's monetary policies, exchange rate fluctuations, rising costs of raw materials, and high interest loans from banks, which have led to difficulties in staying afloat. Some companies are unable to pay wages or are forced to lay off workers, with one major textile factory even considering halting operations, potentially leading to hundreds of job losses. The manager, who preferred to remain anonymous, reported that around 200 workers were laid off in August, and the situation has continued to deteriorate. There is a strong likelihood that the factory will close down. Ahmad Roosta, the CEO of Takplast Nour, had initially been optimistic that a drought in Iran would benefit his recently established factory, which manufactures plastic pipes for agricultural use. However, he now acknowledges that he may have to cease operations if the current circumstances persist, as the farmers, who are the primary buyers of their products, are unable to purchase them due to financial constraints. The Iranian car industry has been impacted by sanctions, which caused a decline after a period of growth when sanctions were lifted two years ago. French carmaker PSA Group and German manufacturer Daimler have both taken steps to avoid US sanctions by suspending joint ventures and dropping expansion plans in Iran. This has led to more than 300 auto parts makers halting production, jeopardizing tens of thousands of jobs. The Iran Tire Producers Association attributed issues in the sector to the government's changing monetary policies over the past six months. Mostafa Tanha, a spokesperson for the association, expressed disappointment in the sector's failure to achieve planned production growth due to these challenges. Washington claims that the economic pressures on Tehran are specifically aimed at the government and its allies in the region, rather than the Iranian people. However, young Iranians, who are experiencing high levels of unemployment, are the ones most affected by the situation. For example, Maryam, who worked as a public relations manager in a food import company, recently lost her job due to a decrease in customers and the company's decision to halt imports. She and her colleagues are concerned about the company potentially shutting down after selling off its inventory. In a country where 60 percent of the 80 million population is under 30, youth unemployment is already at 25 percent. Official data shows that in some parts of the country, the unemployment rate among young people with higher education is above 50 percent. Armin, 29, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering, lost his job in the housebuilding industry due to the recession caused by the fall of the rial. He mentioned that the property market is slowing down because high prices have made houses unaffordable, and the situation is worsening day by day in the city of Rasht in northern Iran. Nima, a legal adviser specializing in startups and computer companies, believes that sanctions have already had an impact on many companies in the sector that relied on exports and had plans for regional expansion. He mentioned that even the gaming industry in Iran has been affected by the sanctions, causing many development teams to pause their projects and wait for further developments. Saeed Laylaz, an economist in Tehran, was more optimistic, attributing youth unemployment to Iran's demographics and government policies, with sanctions exacerbating an already existing issue. Laylaz predicted that despite the challenges posed by sanctions and economic uncertainties, the market would eventually stabilize. Laylaz, who recently met with Rouhani along with other economists to provide guidance on economic policies, expressed confidence that they will overcome the current round of sanctions just as they have in the past. | 1 |
A six-meter high blimp will be flying above Parliament Square for two hours starting at 0900 GMT while Trump is meeting with Theresa May nearby in Downing Street. Trump and Melania arrived on Monday for a three-day state visit, which included a banquet at Buckingham Palace. Organizers of the blimp, such as Ajuub Faraji, are sending a message of solidarity to those affected by Trump's politics. In central London, tens of thousands of protesters are expected to participate in a "Carnival of Resistance" against the president, including environmental activists, anti-racism campaigners, and women's rights protesters. The police will shut down the road outside Downing Street to ensure the safety of the president and his family. Trump's policies, such as the travel ban and withdrawal from the climate change deal, as well as his criticism of British leaders, have fueled opposition to his presidency in Britain. Several lawmakers, including Jeremy Corbyn, boycotted the state dinner held in the president's honor, causing controversy among his supporters who viewed it as disrespectful to a close ally. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has supported the demonstrators by allowing the flying of the blimp, despite his ongoing clashes with the president. The president has previously criticized the mayor for not doing enough to prevent terror attacks in London, calling him a "stone-cold loser." Despite facing protests in Britain, Trump believes he is well-liked in the country due to his Scottish roots and ownership of two golf courses there. He expressed in an interview with The Sun that he feels closer to Britain than any other American leader. I really adore the United Kingdom. The protests are anticipated to escalate later today as demonstrators gather at Trafalgar Square at 10:00 GMT. They will then march via Embankment to reach Parliament Square in the afternoon due to the closure of the southern part of Whitehall by the police. Protesters from various parts of Britain will be traveling to London to participate in the demonstrations. Additionally, protests against Trump's visit are scheduled in 14 other cities and towns. Trump's most recent visit in July resulted in police spending more than 14.2 million pounds ($17.95 million), with 10,000 officers brought in from various parts of the UK. According to Scott Lucas, a professor at the University of Birmingham, past US presidents like Ronald Reagan and George W Bush have also faced significant protests in Britain. Lucas noted that protests for American presidents tend to be larger compared to leaders from countries like China or Saudi Arabia due to the historic alliance between the US and the UK. Lucas emphasized the importance of being able to communicate openly with friends, such as the US. Typically, you are more focused on the well-being of individuals within your immediate community, such as those in your household or neighborhood, rather than those in a neighboring village or town. | 1 |
Kim Yong Chol, the vice-chairman of the North Korean Workers' Party's Central Committee, will lead a high-level delegation to the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on Sunday. The delegation is also scheduled to meet with President Moon Jae-in. Kim Yong Chol previously served as the chief of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, a prominent North Korean military intelligence agency that South Korea accused of being responsible for the 2010 sinking of the Cheonan, a South Korean navy corvette. North Korea has denied any involvement in the incident. In light of the current challenging circumstances, the South Korean Unification Ministry has stated that the focus will be on the potential for peace on the Korean peninsula and improved inter-Korean relations through dialogue with the visiting North Korean officials, rather than dwelling on their past actions or identities. Kim's visit will coincide with Ivanka Trump's visit to South Korea for the Winter Olympics' closing ceremony. The Blue House stated that there are no official plans for U.S. and North Korean officials to meet. South Korea's decision to allow Kim, who is under sanctions by the U.S. and South Korea, to cross the border has caused protests from family members of deceased Cheonan sailors and opposition parties. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party staged a protest in front of the Blue House, criticizing President Moon's decision to accept North Korea's peace offering. A group of relatives of the victims of the Cheonan sinking announced plans to hold a press conference to protest the decision. Despite public concerns about Kim's upcoming visit, the South maintains that the sinking was caused by North Korea. The focus, however, should be on working towards peace on the Korean peninsula to prevent future provocations. The government intends to take various measures to address the public's worries. Kim Jong Un of North Korea expressed a desire to improve relations with South Korea, while the United States emphasized the need to increase pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons. North Korea conducted numerous missile launches and its sixth nuclear test in violation of UN sanctions last year. It has been over two months since its most recent missile test in late November. | 1 |
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh stated that India cannot sustain high economic growth while also experiencing a rapid increase in carbon emissions, especially now that the country is the third largest emitter after China and the United States. Ramesh made these remarks during a meeting of negotiators from nearly 200 governments in Tianjin, China, as part of the UN talks to determine the next steps after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Despite India's low per-capita emissions, the demand for energy is on the rise due to the middle-class purchasing more cars, TVs, and improved housing, with much of this energy being derived from coal, oil, and gas, which are major sources of carbon dioxide emissions. Ramesh emphasized that India's pursuit of wealth should not harm the environment. Government officials confirmed that his remarks marked the first time a minister had acknowledged India surpassing Russia as the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Ramesh stated that India would proactively transition to a low-carbon growth trajectory, rather than achieving high economic growth at the expense of high carbon emissions. He reiterated this commitment during a conference in Nepal, emphasizing the goal of achieving 8-9 percent GDP growth with low carbon emissions. Less wealthy countries are now the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, and many major developing nations have made efforts to limit the increase of their emissions. However, they are hesitant to agree to absolute cuts as they believe this would harm their economies. India, which fared better than most during the global financial crisis, aims for nearly 10 percent economic growth in the near future. Currently, its economy is growing at approximately 8.5 percent. India is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, following China and the United States. Transitioning to a low-carbon economy was previously considered politically risky in India due to the associated economic costs. In January, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requested a panel to start planning a transition to a more environmentally friendly economy. The report is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Despite India's new climate plan focusing on renewable energy like solar power, coal continues to be the primary source of energy in a country where almost half of the 1.1 billion population lacks access to electricity. Minister Ramesh emphasized the importance of acknowledging India's contribution to emissions despite the significant gap between the top two emitters. The UN climate talks have been hindered by a lack of trust between wealthy and developing nations regarding climate funds, calls for greater transparency in emission reductions, and frustration over the limited cuts proposed by wealthy nations. The United Nations has decided to stop pushing nations to make stronger commitments to reduce carbon emissions out of concern that the talks could come to a standstill, potentially risking the progress of ongoing discussions for a more ambitious climate agreement. | 1 |
President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, who is widely recognized for introducing democracy to the secluded resort islands, stepped down on Tuesday following weeks of protests by the opposition that escalated into a police mutiny and what his aide described as a coup. Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the Maldives, transferred power to Vice-President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, stating that staying in office would force him to use violence against the people. In a televised speech, Nasheed explained, "I am resigning because I do not want to govern through force. I fear that if the government were to remain in power, it would resort to violence that would harm many citizens. I am stepping down because I believe that if the government continues, we may be subjected to outside influences." It was not immediately clear what influences he was referring to, but Hassan Saeed, leader of the DQP, a party in the opposition coalition, and an Indian diplomatic source in Colombo both said that Nasheed had requested assistance from India and been denied. India had previously helped thwart a coup in the Maldives in 1988 by sending soldiers to support the government. A spokesperson for India's Foreign Ministry, Syed Akbaruddin, stated that the rebellion in the Maldives was an internal matter to be resolved by the Maldivian government. Nasheed won the election in 2008 with promises to bring full democracy to the islands and raise awareness about climate change and rising sea levels. However, he faced criticism for arresting a judge he believed was biased towards his predecessor, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had ruled the Maldives for 30 years. The arrest of Nasheed sparked protests and led to a constitutional crisis, with Nasheed facing accusations of behaving like a dictator. An official at Nasheed's office expressed concern, stating that they believed it was a coup orchestrated by the police, supporters of former President Gayoom, and certain factions within the military. The new president claimed that Nasheed was placed under protective police custody for his own safety. Saeed from the DQP stated that they will push for Nasheed to be prosecuted for his corruption and disregard for the rule of law, while also pledging full support for the new president. Vandals targeted the lobby of the opposition-linked VTV TV station, and mutinying police attacked and set fire to the main gathering place of Nasheed's Maldives Democratic Party. They also took control of the state broadcaster MNBC and renamed it TV Maldives. Soldiers used teargas against police and protesters outside the Maldives National Defence Force headquarters, and later demonstrators gathered outside the president's office chanting "Gayoom" on Tuesday. Gayoom's opposition party in the Maldives, the Progressive Party, accused the military of using rubber bullets on protesters. A party spokesman mentioned that many people were injured, but did not provide details. A government official denied the use of rubber bullets but confirmed that some police officers had disobeyed orders and attacked a ruling party facility. The official also mentioned that Gayoom's party had called for the overthrow of the democratically elected government and for citizens to launch a jihad against the president. The protests and competition for power leading up to next year's presidential election have caused political parties to adopt extreme Islamist rhetoric and accuse Nasheed of being anti-Islamic. This has highlighted the ongoing rivalry between Gayoom and Nasheed, with Nasheed having been jailed for six years and arrested 27 times by Gayoom's government for advocating for democracy. The vice-president is expected to lead a national unity government until the election. Despite this unrest, the 900,000 tourists who visit the Maldives each year are largely unaware, as they are taken directly to their luxury resorts where they can enjoy alcohol and spa treatments, shielded from the everyday realities of the Islamic state where alcohol is banned and modest dress is expected. Nasheed was well-known for his efforts to prevent the sea from overtaking his country, even going as far as conducting a cabinet meeting underwater in 2009 with ministers in scuba gear to bring attention to the issue. However, an Asian diplomat in Male stated that the public tends to remember Judge Abdulla Mohamed more than the underwater cabinet meeting, referring to Nasheed's decision to have the judge arrested for allegedly being corrupt. Meanwhile, a Twitter user named Alexander Brown mentioned being in the Maldives and witnessing a government overthrow while watching a Vogue photo shoot at the Four Seasons, describing it as a strange world. | 1 |
India's prime minister and US President Barack Obama are set to meet next week in order to strengthen ties between the two nations. India, an emerging Asian power, is increasingly playing a larger role on global issues such as climate change and trade. Manmohan Singh's three-day state visit, starting on November 23, is viewed by New Delhi as an important indicator of Obama's commitment to maintaining a relationship that began to deepen under his predecessor George W. Bush. India is also recognized as a significant geopolitical player in bringing stability to a South Asian region marked by violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as militant attacks like those in Mumbai last year. During their discussions, Singh and Obama will address a range of issues including reducing carbon emissions, multi-billion dollar defense contracts, and expediting the completion of a landmark civilian nuclear deal signed the previous year. Singh's visit will be the first state visit of the Obama administration, underscoring the prime minister's personal efforts to strengthen ties with Western economies and move India away from decades of mistrust with Washington. The trip's success will be determined by whether the two leaders can address any doubts about Washington's commitment to New Delhi, especially in a region where it competes with China and Pakistan, both of which are important U.S. foreign policy priorities. Walter Andersen from Johns Hopkins University's South Asia Studies center mentioned that although the relationship between India and the U.S. is good, it lacks a defining issue like the civilian nuclear deal that characterized the relationship during George Bush's presidency. This visit presents an opportunity for both countries to introduce new ideas to strengthen their strategic partnership. President Bill Clinton initiated efforts to build ties with modern India after the Cold War, and this was further enhanced by Bush's civilian nuclear deal in 2008, which lifted a 1974 embargo imposed on India after it conducted a nuclear test. Bilateral trade between India and the United States saw a significant increase from $5.6 billion in 1990 to around 43 billion in 2008, marking a 675 percent rise. However, some in India were displeased with Obama's early focus on Pakistan in the fight against the Taliban and his emphasis on relations with China, as they had hoped to build on Bush's legacy. According to Stephen Cohen, a South Asia specialist at the Brookings Institution, while relations on secondary issues like trade, climate change, defense sales, and counter-terrorism are good and may improve, there appears to be a divergence at the strategic level. The U.S. strategy for Afghanistan, which involves Pakistan as a key ally, has been criticized for overlooking the concerns of regional countries like India, which competes with Pakistan for influence in Kabul. Since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, India and Pakistan have engaged in three wars. India is concerned about China's growing influence in the U.S. economy, which it sees as leverage Beijing has over Washington. Additionally, India is worried about Chinese support for Pakistan. On the other hand, Beijing is troubled by the presence of the Dalai Lama in India. Foreign policy professor Chintamani Mahapatra from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi explains that India becomes anxious when it sees the U.S. focusing on China and Pakistan. "It will seek a statement that recognizes India's increased importance in the region and addresses the fact that the Obama administration has marginalized New Delhi. Washington recognizes India's value as an economic power, a large market, a thriving IT industry, strong military, and potential counterbalance to China. Prime Minister Singh will address issues such as the nuclear deal, liability protection for American firms, and nuclear fuel reprocessing rights. India also hopes for Obama's support for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. Former U.S. ambassador to India, Frank Wisner, emphasized the importance of discussing strategy, economics, and global issues." If we want to accomplish any of our goals, it is essential for us to have the cooperation of India. | 1 |
Britain is encouraging world leaders to attend the UN climate deal conference in Copenhagen in person to ensure its success. Australian and Indian representatives discussed strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown emphasized the need for leaders to directly engage in negotiations to overcome the current impasse and achieve a successful outcome at the upcoming conference in Denmark. He expressed his commitment to attend the event and urged others to do the same. Negotiations between industrialized and developing countries on how to allocate emissions reductions are currently stalled. There is only one week of formal talks left before the Copenhagen summit, with discussions having started in Bali in 2007. The main points of contention are the size of carbon cuts that wealthy countries should make by 2020, and the financial support they should provide to developing nations for combating climate change. In a recent development, Australian Climate Minister Penny Wong announced that carbon trade legislation will be brought back to parliament for a vote before the end of November. The conservative opposition has called for revisions to the scheme to avoid a potential snap election. The government, which is leading in opinion polls and stands to gain from an election, plans to implement carbon trading starting in July 2011. This initiative will place a price on greenhouse gas emissions, helping to reduce emissions in one of the world's highest per capita polluting countries. The Australian program will apply to 75 percent of emissions from 1,000 major companies and will be the second trading platform of its kind outside of Europe. Companies will be required to obtain a permit for each ton of carbon they release. In India, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is reportedly advocating for New Delhi to agree to limits on the country's increasing carbon emissions without insisting on new financial and technological assistance from wealthier nations. Ramesh emphasized the importance of being practical and positive in approach, rather than confrontational and argumentative. In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Ramesh indicated a readiness to make concessions in order to secure a deal. India, China, and other large developing nations are concerned about the potential impacts of climate change, such as extreme droughts, floods, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers that supply major rivers. The London discussions at the Major Economies Forum are centered on how to transform a variety of national policy plans, ranging from China to the United States, into an agreement. The countries participating in the forum are responsible for 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Asad Rehman, Climate Campaigner for Friends of the Earth, emphasized the need for wealthy countries in the Major Economies Forum to promptly provide additional funding. A major issue for Copenhagen is that the United States, the only developed nation not included in the current Kyoto Protocol for reducing emissions, is unlikely to enact laws to cut carbon emissions by December. In Cape Town, South Africa highlighted a significant source of increasing emissions - the upcoming soccer World Cup in 2010. Emissions are projected to increase nearly ten times compared to a benchmark set in 2006 by Germany, in part due to the inclusion of air travel in the calculation. Minister Buyelwa Sonjica of Water and Environmental Affairs stated that the FIFA 2010 World Cup is expected to have the largest carbon footprint of any major event, despite efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. | 1 |
Due to a geomagnetic storm caused by a recent solar outburst, 40 out of 49 newly launched Starlink satellites have been disabled and are descending into Earth's atmosphere to be destroyed. This event emphasizes the risks faced by companies looking to deploy thousands of small satellites for internet service from space. There is a possibility that future solar outbursts could also disrupt these orbital transmitters. The sun operates on an 11-year cycle of activity. At the moment, solar activity is increasing towards its peak, expected around 2025. The recent solar event was considered mild compared to past occurrences. Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert, believes that a more intense event is likely during the next solar cycle. If a minor solar flare can disrupt 40 Starlink satellites in low orbit, a stronger solar event could cause even more damage to SpaceX and other company's megaconstellations. SpaceX recently announced the potential loss of up to 40 satellites due to the solar activity. The company stated that the satellites were released to their intended orbit, which is approximately 130 miles above Earth, to avoid potential collisions with other satellites in the future. If the satellites encounter malfunctions at this altitude and cannot raise their orbits to safer heights, the atmosphere quickly disposes of the failed technology. This safety measure was mentioned by Lewis. However, before the launch of these satellites on Jan 29, a powerful eruption from the sun called a coronal mass ejection, which contains highly energetic particles and magnetism, was observed. This ejection reached Earth around Feb 2, causing a geomagnetic storm in Earth's magnetic field. The intense storm increased the kinetic energy of particles in Earth's atmosphere, causing it to expand and become denser. This increased drag on objects moving through the atmosphere, such as satellites, resulting in their orbits shrinking and bringing them closer to the lower atmosphere where they would burn up. SpaceX reported that during a recent Starlink deployment, the storm caused atmospheric drag to increase by up to 50% compared to previous launches, leading to the eventual loss of 40 out of 49 satellites due to gravitational forces. Currently, there are 1,915 Starlink satellites orbiting in space. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, losing up to 40 of these satellites is not a major concern for SpaceX. However, aerospace engineer Lewis estimates the potential hardware loss to be around $100 million, taking into account the cost of the launch. The risks of solar outbursts and geomagnetic storms damaging objects in low-Earth orbit are well-documented, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration categorizing geomagnetic storms on a scale from minor to extreme. The agency notes that even a moderate storm can lead to changes in atmospheric drag, potentially altering orbits. Given these risks, the question arises as to whether SpaceX considered this hazard during the deployment of the Starlink satellites. Samantha Lawler, an astronomer at the University of Regina in Canada, expressed her disbelief, saying "I'm just kind of dumbfounded." McDowell also found it surprising, stating "Really? They did not think of this?" When reached via email, a SpaceX spokesperson explained that the team was unavailable to answer questions due to the demanding nature of the situation. The fact that the satellites are quickly entering the atmosphere, rather than staying in low-Earth orbit, is actually a positive development and does not pose any danger to people on the ground. Lewis stated that the system operated as intended in terms of safety, with the satellites de-orbiting without putting anything else at risk. While most satellites orbit at higher altitudes and are not affected by atmospheric expansion hazards, those at lower altitudes remain vulnerable. This raises concerns about SpaceX's ability to continue deploying spacecraft at low altitudes. Lewis explained that as the sun becomes more active, it emits more extreme ultraviolet radiation, which is absorbed into the atmosphere, causing it to expand significantly. This is expected to increase atmospheric density by one or two orders of magnitude. Many astronomers have expressed concerns about the impact of satellite constellations like Starlink on telescope research, noting that they reflect sunlight and could disrupt observations. Some view the recent incident involving the destruction of two Starlink satellites as indicative of SpaceX's approach to issues in low-Earth orbit - fixing problems after they occur rather than proactively addressing them. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell described the incident as a significant change compared to previous events, highlighting the need for SpaceX to learn from this experience. Lawler stated that the outcome depends on them and expressed his wish that this would bring some understanding to them. | 1 |
Negotiators from 190 countries gathered in Bali to discuss climate change have a significant responsibility to come to an agreement, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Ban emphasized the seriousness of not reaching a deal and expressed confidence that all countries, including the United States, are motivated to reach an agreement. There has been contention among countries like the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia regarding emission reduction guidelines, but Ban remains optimistic that an agreement will be reached. He advised countries not to focus solely on emission targets, as those details can be negotiated later. Ban expressed his willingness to return to Bali if the talks remained at a standstill. He emphasized the importance of political and historical responsibility for negotiators, ministers, and senior leaders to successfully conclude the talks. Ban also stressed that climate change affects everyone regardless of their nationality. | 1 |
European Union member states are discussing the extent to which they are prepared to combat climate change, with the possibility of implementing the world's most ambitious strategy to reduce global warming. A draft statement obtained by Reuters reveals plans to decrease EU greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. The document also suggests a willingness to further reduce emissions by 30 percent if other developed nations follow suit and economically advanced developing countries also contribute. This proposal is expected to guide the EU's stance in negotiations for a global emissions reduction agreement post-2012. However, Hungary and Poland, recent additions to the EU, are opposing the mandatory nature of the 20 or 30 percent targets. Finland, Sweden, and Denmark have differing views on the EU target for emissions reductions, with Finland opposing a unilateral target and Sweden and Denmark advocating for a 30 percent reduction from the beginning. Some countries are also considering using a different base year for calculating emissions cuts than 1990. Germany, currently holding the EU presidency, is working to address these differences among ministers in order to secure unanimous support for the climate change strategy before a summit in March. The draft proposal states that EU states would agree to the 30 percent target under the condition that other developed countries also commit to comparable emissions reductions and economically advanced developing countries contribute according to their capabilities. The statement also mentions the need for a differentiated approach when distributing the requirements for meeting the EU target among the 27 member states. The Commission was urged to assess the criteria for how the targets would be distributed among member states. The draft stated that a differentiated approach, taking into consideration fairness, national circumstances, and the base years of the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period, is necessary. The 15 original EU member states have a joint target to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent by 2012 compared to 1990 levels, which is divided among them in a burden-sharing agreement where some must make greater reductions than others. | 1 |
He mentioned that despite the USA withdrawing from the agreement, all other countries are still committed to it. He also highlighted that a majority of US citizens believe that climate change is a significant issue and their government should take action. The remarks were made during a press briefing at the foreign ministry regarding the upcoming "Dhaka Meeting of the Global Commission on Adaptation". The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister and the Principal Coordinator (SDG Affairs) at the Prime Minister’s Office also spoke at the briefing. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, was also mentioned. Bangladesh, as a climate vulnerable country, has ratified the agreement and the foreign minister expressed hope that the US will rejoin the agreement based on the desires of its citizens. President Hilda Heine of the Marshall Islands, former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, and World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva are set to arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday to participate in a meeting that will be opened by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They will also be visiting Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to witness the environmental damage caused by the arrival of people from Myanmar. Principal Coordinator Azad stated, "We want to demonstrate to these global leaders involved in climate change efforts how our environment is being impacted by the large number of Rohingya refugees." President Heine will arrive early Tuesday morning, followed by Ban Ki-moon in the afternoon. They will be welcomed by the foreign minister at Shahjalal International Airport. Hasina is scheduled to have a meeting with the President of the Marshall Islands and the former United Nations Secretary-General before the conference inauguration at the Hotel Intercontinental. | 1 |
The data released by the government on Friday showed that output from mines, utilities, and factories grew by only 0.5 percent year-on-year, a significant drop from the 3.9 percent rise seen in June. This growth was in contrast to the 5.0 percent high seen in May. Retail inflation also decreased slightly to 7.8 percent in August from 7.96 percent the previous month, primarily due to slower price increases in fuel and clothing. Despite the recent economic growth, high inflation could pose challenges for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in encouraging consumer spending and may prevent the Reserve Bank of India from lowering interest rates in the upcoming review. Economists predict that interest rates will remain unchanged for the rest of the fiscal year, with a possible adjustment next year. The prospect of rising inflation, driven by increased demand and potential interest rate hikes in the US, may also influence the central bank's decisions. Modi's promise to boost the economy, control inflation, and create jobs has attracted foreign investment, but sustaining this positive momentum will require addressing issues such as public finances, land acquisition laws, tax regulations, and labor policies. Failure to implement necessary reforms could hinder economic growth, especially as consumer spending and business investment remain weak. In July, there was a 7.4 percent annual decrease in production, with firms being hesitant to make new investments. Capital goods production also dropped by 3.8 percent from the previous year. Rohini Malkani, an analyst at Citi, stated that while the government has improved the investment climate and confidence, more actions are needed to return to a period of strong growth and low inflation. Photos from Reuters show workers inside a boiler spare parts manufacturing workshop in Kolkata on June 11, 2014, and inside a steel factory on the outskirts of Jammu on January 2, 2014. | 1 |
During a ceremony celebrating Rokeya Day on Thursday, Hasina asked for support for Saima, who is recognized for her efforts in global child autism. Saima, born in 1973 in Dhaka, is the granddaughter of Bangabandhu and serves on the National Advisory Committee for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. She is also a member of the World Health Organization's global Expert Advisory Panel on Mental Health. Hasina mentioned a time when parents would hide their autistic or disabled children from the public and mothers of such children faced harassment. Some husbands even left their wives for giving birth to such children. Saima Wazed has made a significant impact by empowering parents to openly discuss their autistic or disabled children, rather than keeping them hidden. As a licensed school psychologist in the US, she began working with autism and children's neurological disorders in 2008 and quickly gained recognition for her efforts. In 2014, she was honored with the 'Excellence in Public Health' award from the WHO for her contributions in 11 Southeast Asian countries. Additionally, she was awarded the 'International Champion Award' in 2017 by a New York-based school and center for children with autism. Saima, the daughter of nuclear scientist MA Wazed Miah, also served as a thematic ambassador for the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). In 1997, Saima completed her honours degree in psychology and in 2002 she obtained her master's in clinical psychology from Barry University in the US. Two years later, she earned a specialist degree in school psychology. While at the university, she conducted a study on the development of Bangladeshi women which was recognized as the best scientific presentation by the Florida Academy of Science. Saima's accomplishments also include being listed as one of the 100 Innovative Women Leaders in Global Mental Health by the Global Mental Health Programs Consortium in 2019, and organizing the first international conference on autism in Dhaka in 2011. Saima was instrumental in developing the Neurodevelopment Disability Trust Act 2013 in her country. She holds the position of chairperson at Shuchona Foundation, an organization that focuses on mental health concerns. Additionally, she serves as a trustee and vice-chairperson at the Centre for Research and Information (CRI), the research arm of the Awami League. | 1 |
Ugandan authorities discovered an unexploded suicide vest and made several arrests following bomb blasts at two bars that killed 76 soccer fans watching the World Cup final. Al Shabaab Islamists, reportedly linked to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attacks, although a militant group official denied the involvement of suicide bombers. The vest, found in Makindye on Monday, resembled evidence from the other blast sites in Kampala. Police stated that the vest was designed to be planted as an improvised bomb, rather than worn. A man named Yonis, who is an assistant to al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, stated in a telephone interview with Reuters that the presence of planted bombs indicates that there was no suicide bombing. Coordinated attacks are a common strategy used by groups associated with al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. If it is proven that these attacks were carried out by al Shabaab, it would mark the first time the militants have extended their influence beyond their borders. Analysts have raised concerns about the possibility of assistance or funding from individuals in Uganda or foreign militants within al Shabaab. "The impact remains unchanged whether they are Somalis or foreigners. According to Abdi Samatar, an expert on Somalia from the University of Minnesota, it is the foreign elements that now control the al Shabaab project." Kayihura did not provide additional information on the number or origin of the detained suspects. He also increased the death toll to 76 from 74. The al Shabaab militants have warned of additional attacks unless Uganda and Burundi pull out their peacekeepers from AMISOM." They have control over large portions of the southern and central regions of the chaotic nation, but the regional bloc, IGAD, has stated that they will not back down in the face of threats. They will continue to support the government in Somalia, which is backed by Western powers. The executive secretary of IGAD, Mahboud Maalim, announced plans to increase peacekeepers in Somalia to over 8,000, with hopes of having the additional troops deployed by the second week of August. IGAD members, including Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti, have expressed a desire for 20,000 troops from the AU and United Nations to be stationed in Somalia. Meanwhile, Uganda's opposition party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), has called on President Yoweri Museveni to withdraw his peacekeepers and has stated plans for a withdrawal if they win the 2011 elections. FDC spokesman Wafula Oguttu told Reuters that Somalia does not have peace to maintain and Uganda does not have any strategic interest there, so sacrificing their children for nothing. Analysts believe that a sustained bombing campaign would harm Uganda's investment climate, but a one-time attack would not deter major companies like Tullow Oil from investing. Foreign direct investment in Uganda has increased due to oil exploration along the western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The US State Department confirmed that an American was among the casualties and had three FBI agents at the scene collecting evidence. Opolot mentioned that there was an extra team ready to be sent out. He also stated that there were no indications of the African Union summit, which is scheduled to be held in Uganda this month, being called off due to the bombings. | 1 |
The cabinet approved the name change during a meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presiding. Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam informed the media that the proposal for the name change had been previously submitted, and the government decided to include 'Climate Change' in the name after discussions with neighboring countries. The ministry will now be known as 'Poribesh, Bon o Jolbayu Poribartan' in Bangla and 'Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change' in English. The decision to change the name was made during the 4th meeting of the National Environment Committee on August 6, 2017. The new name will become official once a notification signed by the president of Bangladesh is released. Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change and global warming poses a significant challenge for the country. Experts predict that if global warming persists, a significant amount of land in Bangladesh will be submerged underwater, potentially displacing around 2 billion people worldwide. Since taking office in 2009, the Awami League government has established two distinct funds to mitigate the effects of climate change. The names of the funds are Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT) and Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF). | 1 |
A spokesperson from the State Department has confirmed Rank's departure, but could not confirm Twitter posts saying he resigned because he was unable to formally notify China of the US decision to withdraw from the agreement. The spokesperson stated that Rank has retired from the foreign service and that his departure was a personal decision. The State Department expressed appreciation for Rank's dedicated years of service. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who has been chosen by President Trump as the next US ambassador to Beijing, is expected to assume the position later this month. According to China expert John Pomfret, Rank resigned from his position because he disagreed with Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement. Rank reportedly called a meeting to inform embassy staff of his decision and explained that he could not deliver a diplomatic note to China regarding the US decision. A senior US official confirmed these details, adding that Rank announced his retirement in Beijing on Monday but was instructed by the State Department to leave his post immediately. The official, who spoke anonymously, also mentioned that the top personnel officer at the US State Department, one of the few remaining Obama administration appointees, resigned on June 1. Arnold Chacon, who previously held positions as director general of the foreign service and director of human resources, resigned from his position when President Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, along with all other presidential appointees. Chacon's resignation was reported by the DiploPundit website, but it is uncertain if he will be given another position within the department. Currently, aside from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and a few others, most of the senior positions at the State Department are either vacant or filled by acting officials. Chacon and Rank, a long-time foreign service officer who recently became the deputy chief of mission in Beijing, were not available for immediate comment. Jonathan Fritz, the embassy's economics councillor, will be stepping in as chargé in Rank's absence, according to Richey-Allen. Rank had a 27-year career with the department and previously served as the political councillor at the US Embassy in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012. Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord on Thursday was met with criticism from world leaders and industry heads, who believe the agreement is essential for the environment and economy. | 1 |
China is urging President Barack Obama to increase the U.S. offer to reduce carbon emissions, but their top climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, is willing to compromise at the U.N. conference in Copenhagen. Xie stated that China wants to be constructive at the climate talks, where success hinges on an agreement between the U.S. and China, who together account for 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Xie expressed hope that President Obama would make a significant contribution to Copenhagen, potentially exceeding the 3 percent cut on 1990 levels proposed by Obama. Additionally, Xie mentioned that China could agree to a target of halving global emissions by 2050 if developed nations increase their emissions reduction targets by 2020 and provide financial assistance to developing countries to combat climate change. The significance of a mid-term target is emphasized over a long-term target, with the focus on addressing immediate problems. The deputy chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) expressed a desire for developed countries to reduce their emissions by 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, with the ultimate goal of halving global emissions by 2050. Earlier in the year, during previous rounds of U.N. discussions, China had pushed for a reduction of "at least 40 percent." Xie expressed a preference for a conclusive, legally binding agreement at the Copenhagen meeting, but stated that if that was not achievable, a deadline to finalize a comprehensive treaty by June would be satisfactory. He dismissed a U.N. suggestion for expedited funding of $10 billion annually from 2010-2012 as insufficient. | 1 |
In ZANESVILLE, Ohio, on Monday, Republican presidential candidate John McCain made efforts to separate himself from President George W. Bush, while Democrat Barack Obama tried to link the two together during a day of intense campaigning. McCain stated on NBC's "Meet the Press" that while he shares a common philosophy with the Republican Party, he has also stood up against President Bush and other party members, resulting in visible scars. Obama used McCain's statement to his advantage in a speech in Denver, highlighting the similarities between McCain and Bush. Obama addressed a crowd of over 100,000 supporters in a Denver park, saying that he will not allow George Bush to hand the presidency over to John McCain. Despite trailing in opinion polls, McCain remains optimistic about the election, believing that the race is tightening. McCain reflected on the 41st anniversary of being shot down in Vietnam, emphasizing his dedication to serving his country throughout his life. Obama and his team have consistently tried to link McCain to Bush by pointing out how often the Arizona senator has voted in line with the president. In response, McCain has emphasized his disagreements with Bush on various issues such as government spending, Iraq strategy, and climate change. McCain has expressed respect for Bush but believes that the country cannot afford to continue on the same path for another four years. Obama stated that he is running for president of the United States because it is time for a change in Washington. He is currently leading in national opinion polls and in many battleground states, including Iowa, which Bush won in 2004. A recent poll by Courier-Lee Enterprises showed Obama with a 54 percent to 39 percent advantage in Iowa. Another poll by Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby indicated a closer race overall, with Obama leading McCain 49 percent to 44 percent among likely U.S. voters in their daily tracking poll. The Illinois senator's lead in this poll has decreased over the past three days, dropping from a high of 12 points on Thursday. Some Republicans are concerned that McCain's campaign has been inconsistent and could jeopardize not only Republican efforts to retain the White House, but also many seats in Congress. McCain stated that they are doing well and have narrowed the gap in the past week. He expressed confidence that if the current trend continues, they will be in a strong position on Election Night. McCain also noted the intensity and passion among voters, highlighting the competitiveness of the race and expressing pride in his campaign. McCain expressed his full support for his vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska who has excited the Republican base but has faced strong criticism on various issues. Despite her popularity, many Americans doubt her readiness to assume the presidency. Initially seen as a boost to McCain's campaign, Palin has faced intense scrutiny and some conservatives question her experience to be next in line for the presidency. McCain stands by Palin, praising her rather than defending her. McCain expressed that Palin does not require any defense and he believes she lives a frugal life. He addressed concerns about the Republican National Committee buying $150,000 worth of clothes for her and her family, stating that a third of the clothes were returned and the rest would be donated to charity. McCain commended Palin for her ability to energize crowds and conduct herself admirably. | 1 |
The fight against climate change in the U.S. is no longer exclusive to Democrats. Democrats used to dominate the environmental issue, gaining votes from party supporters and independent voters by emphasizing their efforts to reduce global warming. This year, Republicans, the party of President George W. Bush, may also highlight climate change during elections. This could distinguish Republican presidential candidates from the policies of the Bush administration, which have isolated the U.S. among major developed countries. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman believes that climate change can attract support from beyond party lines. Republicans are in need of assistance after losing control of both houses of Congress in 2006. According to Mehlman, the party lost due to independents abandoning them, and they need to regain their trust. Mehlman believes that addressing climate change can help win back independents while staying true to conservative values. Economic conservatives, who are typically Republicans, see technological solutions as a means to generate wealth and employment opportunities. Some corporate leaders support a federal limit on carbon emissions to avoid conflicting state laws. Religious conservatives see reducing carbon emissions as part of their responsibility to care for the earth. National security conservatives believe cutting dependence on foreign oil would weaken anti-U.S. forces. The current administration opposes the Kyoto Protocol, arguing it would disadvantage the U.S. if developing countries like China and India were exempt. Republican Senator John Warner is leading the way in Congress by co-sponsoring a bill to limit carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. Senator John McCain, a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, previously sponsored a bill addressing climate change. There is bipartisan support for these efforts. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, now a presidential candidate and Baptist minister, has not provided many details on how to address climate change but believes that humans must take action to address the issue. In contrast, former Massachusetts Governor (Text ends here) In the Michigan Republican primary last month, Mitt Romney emerged victorious by criticizing McCain's stance on increased fuel efficiency, which he argued would negatively impact the U.S. auto industry, particularly in a state where the Big Three automakers are based and where Romney's father served as governor. In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has spearheaded a movement to implement stricter emissions standards for vehicles, a plan that has gained support from 16 other states. However, in order to proceed, these states require a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has not yet been granted. During a candidates' debate, McCain, Huckabee, and Romney all expressed support for the waiver, although Romney later adjusted his position. In the presidential campaign, the theme of "change" is prominent among candidates from both major parties. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both Democrats, have expressed strong support for cap-and-trade plans to reduce carbon emissions. Tony Kreindler of Environmental Defense emphasized the bipartisan backing for this initiative, calling on Congress to take notice. While polls typically show that U.S. voters prioritize issues like the economy and the war in Iraq over climate change, David Sandretti of the League of Conservation Voters disagrees. He believes that environmental concerns are interconnected with other important issues, such as national security and the country's energy future. Sandretti stated that addressing global warming requires addressing the energy issue, which is intertwined with all aspects of America's political life. | 1 |
US singer Rihanna, climate change activist Greta Thunberg, and US lawyer and activist Meena Harris, the niece of Vice-President Kamala Harris, took to social media to shed light on the struggles of farmers protesting against reforms for months. The Indian foreign ministry advised to first gather all facts and gain a thorough understanding of the situation before making comments on such matters. | 1 |
After nine months of a bloody Liberation War in 1971, Bangladesh won the right to declare itself an independent country on the global stage. The country recently marked the golden jubilee of its independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu with a 10-day program, which included a discussion at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka on the theme "Banglar Mati, Amar Mati" (Bengal's Soil, My Soil) with participation from author Selina Hossain, Education Minister Dipu Moni, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam. Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari joined Bangladesh's President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in commemorating the events. Selina highlighted Sheikh Mujib's role in establishing a secular Bengali nationalist identity worldwide. She mentioned that Bangabandhu had called for changing the name of East Pakistan to Purbo Bangla during his speech to the assembly on Aug 25, 1955. She quoted him as saying, "I will not disrespect my Bengali nation even in death. I will not ask for forgiveness. As I depart, I will cry out: Joy Bangla, Free Bangla, Bengali is my nation, Bangla is my language, the land of Bangla is my place." Shahriar also cited Bangabandhu's statement from his Jun 7, 1972 speech at the Suhrawardy Udyan, where he declared, "Today I proudly declare myself as a Bengali; I affirm that Bengali is a nation; I proclaim that Bangla's soil is my soil." She added that although Bangabandhu was taken from us by his killers, we continue to follow the path he showed us. Dipu Moni described him as an eternal source of our motivation. Bhandari stated that Bangabandhu not only captured the affection of Bengalis, but also held a respected position as a leader in the region. She emphasized that as a skilled speaker, organizer, and advocate, Bangabandhu was able to connect with the people of Bangladesh and achieve the goal of establishing a new nation. Hamid urged politicians to set a new standard in politics by setting aside their differences and focusing on the well-being of the country's most impoverished and vulnerable citizens, following the spirit of independence and the principles of Bangabandhu. In celebration of the two occasions, Hasina urged global leaders to prioritize sustainable development and cautioned that efforts to adapt will not adequately protect the most vulnerable countries unless climate change is urgently addressed. The second session of the program featured an orchestra performance, traditional Nepalese dance, and a Jatrapala folk theatre drama titled 'Ma, Mati O Manush'. Following this, 100 folk singers performed in chorus. The President of the Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, have both visited Bangladesh to participate in the festivities. The Prime Minister of Bhutan, Lotay Tshering, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have also been invited to attend. | 1 |
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faces the possibility of losing his stronghold in Milan to the left for the first time in twenty years. The recent local elections have highlighted the fragility of his center-right coalition. The focus is on the mayoral contests in Milan and Naples, with around 6 million Italians eligible to vote. Results are expected in the evening after the polls close. The government is set to implement plans to reduce the budget deficit by 40 billion euros following a downgrade in Italy's credit rating. A defeat in Milan would further weaken Berlusconi, already embattled by scandals and economic troubles, and raise doubts about his government's ability to implement necessary cuts. Italy has a high public debt of around 120 percent of gross domestic product, but it has not experienced the financial market troubles that Greece and Portugal have faced. However, a recent warning from S&P serves as a reminder of the consequences of inaction. The possibility of the current government effectively managing this issue is a significant dilemma, as highlighted by business daily Il Sole 24 Ore. Berlusconi faced defeat in the first round of voting in May, with the center left maintaining power in Turin and Bologna, while the center right was pushed into run-offs in Naples and Milan. A defeat would likely worsen tensions with his key ally, the Northern League, and could lead to challenges to his leadership of the center-right, although senior ministers have ruled out any changes before the next national elections in 2013. Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa, a loyal supporter of Berlusconi, stated that an alternative government is unlikely and early elections are not desired. In Milan, outgoing center-right mayor Letizia Moratti is trailing behind leftist Giuliano Pisapia, indicating a shift in the city's political climate. Regional issues such as transportation and the ongoing garbage crisis in Naples have influenced voters' decisions, but the struggling national economy has been the main focus during the polls. Italy has had a slow economy for more than ten years, with high youth unemployment and the average Italian being poorer than they were a decade ago. The government led by Berlusconi recently had to lower its growth forecast for the year and next year due to economic challenges. S&P downgraded Italy's outlook for not reducing its debt and increasing growth. Despite concerns, the Treasury was able to sell long-term bonds successfully. Berlusconi has shifted his focus to attacking his political opponents on the left and "communist" magistrates after facing criticism for initially framing the election as a referendum on his leadership and policies. He predicted that Milan would turn into an "Islamic gypsyland" if the left wins. He also said that leftist voters lacked intelligence, which led to Internet spoofs and a lawsuit from an offended voter. During the Group of Eight summit in Deauville, France, he went on a rant against Italian magistrates to President Barack Obama, which caused Economy Undersecretary Daniela Melchiorre, a former magistrate, to resign in protest. | 1 |
Three additional US lawmakers have recently joined the Congressional Caucus for Bangladesh. Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, along with New York Congressmen Mike McMahon and Scott Murphy, made this announcement during a meeting of a new alliance called the 'New Democratic Coalition Pact' on Monday. These congressmen have committed to advocating for Bangladesh's interests on issues such as climate change, the environment, and the proposed construction of the Tipai Dam by India. Representatives from the Bangladeshi-American Public Affairs Front and US-based BNP leader Gias Ahmed were also present at the meeting. Congressman Joseph Crowley, who serves as co-chairman of the Bangladesh Caucus, emphasized his efforts to secure duty-free access for Bangladeshi ready-made garments in the US market. He also had an interest in providing expatriate Bangladeshis with a legal status to reside and work in the United States. Currently, there are around 39 congressmen who are part of the Bangladesh Caucus. Recently, Patrick Kennedy, the son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy who was a strong supporter of Bangladesh, also joined the Bangladeshi Caucus in America. | 1 |
Labor has returned to power after being in opposition for nine years, thanks to strong support for the Greens and climate-focused independents in the recent general election. Prime Minister Albanese expressed his commitment to leading a government that unites rather than divides Australians. Despite ongoing vote counting and finalizing the government's composition, Albanese was sworn in to attend a meeting in Tokyo with the Quad security grouping, which includes India, the United States, Japan, and Australia. He acknowledged the challenges in Australia's relationship with China as he prepared for the upcoming summit with world leaders. Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles and three key ministers were recently sworn in, including Penny Wong in foreign affairs, Jim Chalmers as treasurer, and Katy Gallagher in finance. Wong is set to join Albanese on the Quad trip. Albanese's working-class background was a focal point of Labor's campaign, emphasizing his upbringing in public housing by a single mother on a disability pension and his reputation as a unifier. Labor is currently leading in 76 seats in the lower house, with some races still undecided. Independents and the Green party are expected to win more than a dozen seats as postal votes are tallied. Independents campaigning on climate, integrity, and equality in affluent, Liberal-held seats could have a significant impact. Independent Monique Ryan stated that the most important issue to constituents in her seat of Kooyong in Melbourne was climate change, a sentiment that outgoing Treasurer Josh Frydenberg acknowledged on Monday. Ryan emphasized the importance of listening to the values and desires of the people and creating a platform that reflected them. Opposition leader Albanese expressed his hope for Labor to win enough seats to govern independently, but also mentioned agreements with some independents to not support no-confidence motions against his government. Upon returning from Japan, Albanese plans to quickly fulfill his election promises, including establishing a national anti-corruption commission and a A$15 billion ($10.6 billion) manufacturing fund to diversify Australia's economy. The full ministry will be sworn in on June 1. The Australian financial markets did not show much of a response to the election results on Monday, as the outcome was already anticipated and no significant shift in economic direction was predicted. Economists at Commonwealth Bank of Australia stated that their economic forecasts and predictions for the Reserve Bank of Australia remain the same, despite the change in national leadership. | 1 |
Republicans are aiming to regain control of the U.S. Senate in the upcoming election, with experts predicting that Democrats have the upper hand with only 12 seats to defend compared to the Republicans' 22. Despite the potential for Democrats to succeed, the outcome remains uncertain. "I believe the majority is not up for grabs ... The Republicans are focused on minimizing their losses," she stated. The control of the Senate will be extremely important for the next White House administration, regardless of who follows Bush. A president's proposed policies can be successful or fail in the Senate since significant bills often need 60 votes to pass. According to Anthony Corrado, a government professor at Colby College in Maine, Senate races will be dominated by issues such as the prolonged Iraq war, a weak economy, disagreements on tax cuts, and debates on climate change. He said that the upcoming election will put the Republicans in a defensive position, with the focus of political discussion being on arguments for change. Duffy mentioned that there is no certainty that Democrats will gain many seats. A recent poll by ABC News/Washington Post indicated a 10-point decrease in support for Democrats since April, now at 44 percent. Democrats came into power in 2006 with a promise to start withdrawing troops from Iraq, but have not been able to fulfill this promise. September could be a crucial moment as Congress is set to discuss various anti-war proposals. There are a number of Republicans who are viewed as vulnerable and could potentially be defeated in order to help increase the Democrats' majority. These include Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Susan Collins of Maine, John Sununu of New Hampshire, and the seat being vacated by Wayne Allard of Colorado. However, Democrats also need to defend seats held by Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, and Tim Johnson of South Dakota, who is recovering from brain surgery. The Republicans have not yet chosen a candidate to run against Landrieu, and some political analysts are suggesting that former Arkansas Governor may be a contender. Mike Huckabee may choose to abandon his plans to run for president and instead run against Pryor. Senator John Ensign, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, believes that his party will perform better than anticipated. Ensign pointed out that the odds makers were wrong about the Democrats' chances of taking the Senate two years ago, and he stressed the importance of running elections to determine the results. He also mentioned that the Democrats' stance on tax cuts and the Iraq war could work in favor of Republicans, who lost Senate control in 2006 after losing six seats. Senator Charles Schumer of New York, the Democratic counterpart to Ensign, argues that the Iraq war, now in its fifth year, will benefit his party. He believes that Democrats have a track record of budget balance, which will appeal to voters. Schumer, who heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, stated that the Republicans have lost touch and that his party will come in with a mandate for change. If senators like John Warner of Virginia and Pete Domenici of New Mexico retire, the Republicans could face an even tougher battle as more seats become up for grabs. Additionally, fundraising is a challenge for the Republicans, as the Democratic campaign has raised double the amount of money in the first four months of 2007, with $18.3 million compared to $9.1 million for the Republicans. In a closely contested election in Minnesota, comedian Al Franken, the top Democratic candidate, has raised $1.35 million in the first quarter. This is a significant achievement compared to the $1.53 million raised by Coleman. | 1 |
Just prior to the start of new climate negotiations in Glasgow, the G20 countries announced their commitment on Sunday to stop financing coal-fired power plants abroad. This announcement came after Chinese President Xi Jinping also made a similar promise at the United Nations General Assembly in September. A recent study from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center revealed that this pledge by the G20 means that nearly all development finance institutions are now dedicated to reducing investments in coal and increasing support for renewable energy. According to Rebecca Ray, a senior researcher at the GDP Center and co-author of the study, if these institutions uphold their promises, it will be easier for developing nations to secure funding for renewable energy projects and transitioning away from coal power. The study noted that there are only three major institutions that have not yet committed to this shift - the Development Bank of Latin America, the Islamic Development Bank, and the New Development Bank - even though many of the key shareholders in these institutions were part of the G20 pledge. Xi's announcement in September that China would no longer participate in overseas coal projects was a significant change, according to a study. This decision removed major financial supporters of coal-fired power, such as the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China. The Bank of China quickly followed suit by promising to halt new overseas coal projects starting in October. An expert involved in creating guidelines to reduce carbon emissions in China's Belt and Road investments noted that Chinese financial institutions recognized the declining demand for coal power, which made it easier for Xi's directive to be carried out. The expert emphasized that Chinese institutions are committed to this decision and are not seeking excuses to continue coal projects. Analysts believe that China's decision to withdraw from coal investments was a result of a combination of political, economic, and climate factors. The shift is seen as a response to the changing economics of coal, as well as negative experiences with financing coal projects through the Belt and Road Initiative. China now has the political support to stop investing in coal, which they have been seeking for some time. | 1 |
Leaders from the Asia-Pacific rim committed to increasing free trade and improving security at the conclusion of their two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. The "Hanoi Declaration" outlines key points from the 21-member group, which makes up almost half of global trade. Some of the main points include efforts to resolve the stalemate in global trade talks, examining the possibility of an Asia-Pacific free trade area, and establishing six model measures for free trade arrangements as a guideline for APEC, with an emphasis that these templates are voluntary and non-binding. Member countries were urged to take steps to address piracy and copyright violations. A statement was issued condemning North Korea's nuclear test, and there was recognition of the importance of safeguarding financial and commercial systems. A study on trade recovery in the face of a terrorist attack or pandemic was welcomed. Collaboration on bird flu, including developing response plans, was also agreed upon. We appreciate efforts to address the terrorist threat to the APEC food supply. Regarding corruption, we will explore ways to prevent corrupt individuals from benefiting from illegal activities. In terms of energy and climate change, APEC ministers have been tasked with providing updates in 2007 on policies to support cleaner energy and increase energy efficiency. We will also support energy policies that decrease market distortions and strengthen energy security. | 1 |
A new directorate focused on climate change will be established within the environment ministry. The proposal was preliminarily approved during a meeting of the trustee board on climate change, which took place on Wednesday. Following the meeting, State Minister for Environment Hassan Mahmud, who also heads the trustee board, informed reporters about the approval. Additionally, five proposals were tentatively approved during the board meeting, while 33 non-government projects and 44 government projects received final approval. The junior minister also mentioned that permission was granted to acquire machinery for the Karnafuli Jute Mills and the Forat Karnafuli Carpet Factory using funds allocated for climate change initiatives. He mentioned that the army's projects to build solar power plants at various military facilities, including its headquarters, received conditional final approval. Additionally, non-government agencies' projects were approved after a budget reduction. These organizations had initially requested up to Tk 50 million, but will now receive between Tk 2 million and Tk 10 million under the adjusted budget. | 1 |
Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that despite the global financial crisis, the demand for new nuclear power plants is expected to continue to grow in the long term. A conference in Beijing is being held to discuss the future of atomic power in light of the economic slowdown, climate change concerns, and tensions surrounding the nuclear programs of countries like North Korea and Iran. While the financial crisis may pose challenges for funding nuclear power projects in the short term, the need for energy security and addressing global warming is likely to offset the impact on the sector. Thierry Dujardin from the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency noted that although finding funding for energy infrastructure like nuclear power plants may be harder in the current economic climate, the overall demand for nuclear energy is expected to remain strong. Dong Batong, a representative of China's atomic energy industry association, stated that despite the slowdown in growth, China is dedicated to significantly increasing nuclear power. He emphasized that nuclear power is seen as an important tool for boosting domestic demand, with numerous new nuclear units either being built or planned throughout the country. The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna reports that nuclear power currently supplies 14 percent of global electricity, and this percentage is expected to rise as countries aim to lower fuel costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Most of the anticipated growth in nuclear power is expected in Asia, with China leading the way in terms of nuclear power plants under construction, followed by India and South Korea. Yuri Sokolov, the deputy director-general of the IAEA, emphasized the importance of maintaining safety standards and safeguards against weapons proliferation in the ambitious plans for nuclear power growth in the developing world. He stated that governments expanding nuclear energy must ensure regulators are supported by effective legislation and adequately trained staff. Despite North Korea's recent actions, Sokolov believes that every country has the right to have civilian nuclear programs, including North Korea. He acknowledged the challenges presented by North Korea and expressed hope that international cooperation could support civil nuclear power development in the country if it is willing to work with the international community. North Korea withdrew from the IAEA several years ago and recently kicked out IAEA officials who were invited to monitor a closed nuclear facility that North Korea plans to reopen. Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the IAEA, will deliver an opening speech at the nuclear energy meeting on Monday. | 1 |
The European Union reiterated its stance on Friday that the UN talks in Bali should establish strict 2020 guidelines for wealthy nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite opposition from the US. European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas stated that they are still pushing for a reference to an indicative emissions reduction range for developed countries by 2020. However, the EU did not mention their previous demand for 25 to 40 percent cuts below 1990 levels by 2020. A compromise draft text, intended to kickstart negotiations for a global agreement to combat climate change, no longer includes the ambitious goal of significant 2020 greenhouse emissions cuts for wealthy countries, but it does maintain a 2050 objective of reducing global emissions by at least half. | 1 |
Germany, as President of the European Union and Group of Eight, called on top politicians to work together in addressing global warming, which it described as one of the most significant threats facing the world. German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the urgency of taking action on climate change during a security conference in Munich, stating that it is a threat that affects everyone and requires coordinated efforts from all nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and US Senator for Arizona John McCain were among the attendees. While the United States, Russia, and China have been hesitant to participate in worldwide initiatives to combat climate change, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has prioritized addressing global warming during Germany's dual EU and G8 presidencies. Merkel aims to encourage countries to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, conserve energy, and transition to renewable fuels. Additionally, she has discussed advancing a framework agreement to reduce greenhouse gases once the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Germany's coalition government, which includes both left-wing and right-wing parties, is divided on various energy policies and has opposed certain European Union proposals aimed at reducing emissions. | 1 |
The United States does not anticipate reaching a climate change agreement with China during President Obama's upcoming visit to Beijing, according to Todd Stern, the US Special Envoy for Climate Change. Stern expressed that the goal of the visit is to establish common understanding between Obama and President Hu in order to facilitate a potential agreement at the Copenhagen negotiations in December. The United States has been hesitant to commit to a deal that does not require developing countries like China to agree to mandatory CO2 reduction targets as the Kyoto Protocol approaches its expiration in 2012. Chinese negotiators have also expressed the view that the industrialized nations should take on the majority of the responsibility for reducing carbon emissions. The upcoming meeting between President Obama and President Hu Jintao is considered a crucial step in reaching a consensus on a new global climate agreement. Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell has suggested that China and the US may sign a bilateral agreement during Obama's visit to China, although Washington has stated they are not seeking a separate deal. Despite plans to discuss further cooperation on issues such as carbon capture and storage next month, analysts believe that differences between the two nations will make it challenging to reach a substantive agreement. Paul Harris, a professor of global and environmental studies at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the upcoming talks in Copenhagen, suggesting that many kind words and discussions may not lead to significant results. With the conference approaching, Stern emphasized that success is not guaranteed but still possible if a deal can be reached. The Obama administration's efforts to pass a climate plan before the end of the year are seen as crucial, with the US Senate Environment Committee currently holding hearings on a new climate bill. The administration has been encouraging Congress to make progress, and any additional postponements could harm the United States' reputation during the Copenhagen talks. | 1 |
In the midst of the Amazon jungle's intense heat, Brazilian Indians and officials gathered beneath a towering canopy to urge U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to mobilize international support for protecting the world's largest rain forest. Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva emphasized the need for concrete mechanisms to benefit the Amazon's residents during a meeting with Ban near Belem, the region's largest city. Ban, who was concluding a South American tour focused on global warming, listened to pleas from Amazon Indian Marcos Apurina for incentives to support forest dwellers. Ban also received a necklace made of native plant seeds and viewed various forest products during his visit. He reassured the group that the United Nations would support their efforts. This is a shared resource for all of humanity." Ban recently interacted with a three-toed sloth and planted two native trees at a botanical garden in Belem. He is getting ready for a UN climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, scheduled for December, where discussions on reducing carbon emissions post-Kyoto Protocol expiration in 2012 will begin. Brazil's high carbon emissions, largely attributed to Amazon rainforest destruction, rank it fourth globally. Ban did not address Brazil's decision against setting deforestation and carbon emission reduction goals. He praised Brazil for reducing forest destruction by 50 percent in two years, despite the rate increasing again since August. The Amazon's release of carbon dioxide from burning or decomposition contributes to global warming. Farmers and loggers clear large portions of the forest annually, depending on market prices. Silva, a former rubber tapper and activist, asked Ban to support a proposal in the Convention on Biodiversity to make pharmaceutical companies pay for drugs derived from Amazon plants. Ban said he would review the proposal after meeting with Silva on Monday. Researchers predict that global warming may transform a portion of the Amazon into a semi-arid savanna in the coming decades. Severe weather patterns have led to both droughts and floods in different regions. Ban's scheduled trip along an Amazon tributary near Santarem was called off due to low water levels. Despite commending Brazil for its efforts in creating low-emission biofuels, Ban emphasized the importance of further international research to assess the potential impact of large-scale production on food supplies. Over the weekend, he toured a plant in Sao Paulo state, highlighting Brazil's position as one of the leading and most cost-effective producers of ethanol. The government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has stepped up police actions against illegal loggers and has also enlarged protected areas. However, there are concerns among conservationists that the construction of roads and hydroelectric plants could potentially lead to higher rates of deforestation in the future. | 1 |
The prime minister addressed the issue during the opening ceremony of 'World Environment Day and Environment Fair 2017 and National Tree Planting Project and Tree Planting Day 2017' at the Bangabandhu International Convention Centre. She emphasized the importance of protecting the Sundarbans while carrying out development projects. Despite protests from environmentalists and leftist groups, the government has assured that the coal-based power plant in Rampal will not harm the Sundarbans. The Sundarbans, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 during a previous Awami League government led by Hasina, remains a focus of conservation efforts. Hasina stated that they have consistently worked to safeguard the Sundarbans. She mentioned that Bangladesh owes its safety to the mangrove forest. The government is strategizing to expand the forest artificially. Hasina highlighted that under the leadership of the Awami League government, there has been a 17 percent growth in the forest area, with a goal of achieving a 25 percent increase. She also mentioned that the government has successfully established a balance between protecting the environment and promoting socially responsible forestry practices. She suggested the implementation of 'smart patrolling' to safeguard the region and emphasized the importance of creating a 'green seawall' to protect against hurricanes and floods. Additionally, measures are being taken to help those who depend on the Sundarbans find alternative sources of income. The prime minister also mentioned creating a trust fund to combat climate change, with Tk 31 billion already allocated. She expressed her disappointment that some developing countries had not contributed to the fund. She mentioned that despite receiving numerous promises, there was minimal financial assistance provided. However, the assistance received was effectively utilized. The prime minister stated that Bangladesh has demonstrated self-reliance and is being acknowledged for their independent efforts. | 1 |
Delegates at the climate talks in Bali are close to reaching an agreement on guidelines for a pay-and-preserve scheme for forests to combat global warming, according to Indonesia's foreign minister. The scheme, known as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD), could potentially allow poor nations to earn billions of dollars by trading carbon credits for preserving forests. Deforestation in the tropics is a major contributor to man-made carbon dioxide emissions, and it is crucial to protect remaining forests as they play a significant role in absorbing CO2. The UN Climate Panel warns that global warming caused by CO2 will lead to rising sea levels, glacier melting, and extreme weather events. Developed countries are showing enthusiasm for the importance of forests in addressing climate change, as noted by Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda. Developed countries and countries with large forest areas have agreed to work together to create a world map, with participation from not only governments but also institutions such as universities and research bodies. Curbing deforestation is a major concern for the delegates at the Bali conference, as the current U.N. climate pact, the Kyoto Protocol, does not provide incentives for developing nations to protect tropical rainforests. The REDD scheme, which is being considered, would allow developing nations to earn carbon credits that can be purchased by wealthier nations to offset their own emissions. However, there is disagreement on whether future discussions on deforestation should also consider other types of land use, a proposal supported by the United States but opposed by many developing nations. The official informed Reuters that the suggestion may shift the focus away from forests, complicate the plan, and delay its implementation. The Bali meeting has currently agreed to support individual countries in conducting projects to assist them in getting ready for REDD, while also deciding to further study the issue. The World Bank has introduced a $300 million plan to combat global warming by preserving forests, which includes a $100 million fund to aid around 20 countries in preparation for large-scale forest protection plans. The grants will cover projects such as assessing current forest resources, implementing monitoring systems, and improving governance. Additionally, a second $200 million fund will enable some countries to carry out pilot programs that earn credits for reducing deforestation. Indonesia, a strong advocate for REDD, ranks among the top three countries in terms of greenhouse gas emissions due to deforestation, peatland degradation, and forest fires. This information comes from a report supported by the World Bank and Britain's development arm earlier this year. Indonesia has over 225 million acres of forest, making up about 10 percent of the world's remaining tropical forests, as reported by rainforestweb.org. | 1 |
According to a senior trade and industry official, Japan believes that using 2005 as the base year for calculating cuts in greenhouse gas emissions would be more equitable than using 1990 as the base year. Japan argues that it would be unfair to hold Japanese industry accountable for emissions cuts based on investments made in energy efficiency two decades ago. While Japan has not officially declared a new base year, Takao Kitabata, vice minister at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, suggested that 2005 would be a fair option. However, this proposed change may face opposition from the European Union, which has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. Approximately 190 countries came to an agreement during UN-led discussions in Bali to begin two-year negotiations for a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol currently only requires wealthy nations to reduce emissions by an average of five percent from 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. The successor to Kyoto would involve all nations, and countries acknowledged the necessity of significant reductions in global emissions according to the "Bali roadmap." However, there are significant disagreements regarding the specific targets and the reference year for these targets. | 1 |
Dozens of world leaders will meet in Washington next week for a historic summit on nuclear security, where US President Barack Obama hopes they can reach an agreement on preventing atomic bombs from falling into the hands of terrorists. While the focus of the gathering will not be on specific countries, discussions on Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs, as well as potential new UN sanctions against Tehran, are expected to be addressed in Obama's meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders, as well as in the speeches of Israeli and other participants. Hu's decision to attend the summit is seen as a significant achievement for Obama, as it demonstrates China's commitment to maintaining strong Sino-US relations despite tensions on other issues. A preliminary communique outlining a US proposal to secure all vulnerable nuclear material within four years has been circulated to attending countries, although it is expected to undergo revisions before being officially adopted at the conclusion of the April 12-13 meeting. Analysts and Western diplomats believe that the summit meeting in Washington, one of the largest since World War Two, holds significant importance beyond its official agenda. According to Ian Kearns from the British American Security Information Council, nuclear security is often viewed as a technical issue only concerning those worried about nuclear terrorism. However, if leaders at the summit handle it correctly, they could make nuclear power safer for combating climate change, strengthen non-proliferation efforts, and increase international confidence in nuclear disarmament. Attendees at the summit include leaders such as China's Hu, Russia's Medvedev, France's Sarkozy, and Germany's Merkel, as well as representatives from India, Pakistan, and Israel, all of whom have nuclear capabilities. Iran and North Korea will not be invited to the meeting, as they are both excluded due to their involvement in nuclear weapons programs. Pakistan, on the other hand, will be included as it has pledged to improve its internal safeguards against nuclear proliferation. Disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan played a significant role in providing atomic technology to Iran, North Korea, and Libya. The goal of securing nuclear materials worldwide within four years could greatly enhance global security, according to Joe Cirincione, a professor at Georgetown University and head of the Ploughshares Fund anti-nuclear arms group. "He stated that if they carry out this plan, it could effectively prevent nuclear terrorism by blocking radicals from obtaining the one part of the bomb they cannot create themselves," said Cirincione. He also wants to ensure that the final communique is more than just a brief press release, with concrete targets and deadlines in the action plan, key nations committing to securing their weapons material within four years, and states agreeing to reconvene in two years to evaluate progress. The summit aims to bring together various countries with nuclear programs to collect dangerous atomic material from vulnerable sites globally, a task that Russia and the US have been tackling with the help of the UN atomic watchdog for some time. Success at the summit could demonstrate a strong message to the world that the international community is unified in enhancing nuclear security, with the US leading the charge. Recently, the White House announced a new policy limiting US use of nuclear weapons and issuing a firm warning to Iran and North Korea as potential targets. The Nuclear Posture Review, which reversed the stance of the former US administration, stated that Washington would not create any new atomic weapons. Analysts believe that the US nuclear policy, along with the recent treaty between Obama and Medvedev to reduce their nuclear arsenals, and a successful nuclear summit, could pave the way for a productive meeting of NPT signatories in New York next month to revamp the decades-old arms pact. The NPT has faced challenges due to North Korea's withdrawal, Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology for potential weapon development, and criticism from developing nations about the lack of progress on disarmament by major nuclear powers. Talks about imposing new UN sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program will be the main topic at a meeting in New York this Thursday involving envoys from the US, UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia. UN diplomats are prepared to discuss Iran during the summit if President Obama desires. | 1 |
Despite a positive report on German business sentiment, concerns about the US economy and banking sector troubles weighed on investor confidence on Wednesday. The weakening dollar led to increased interest in commodities like oil, gold, and industrial metals. A warning from Deutsche Bank about potential credit market issues and a drop in US consumer confidence in March kept investors on edge. Additionally, new data showed a unexpected decrease in new orders for US manufactured goods in February, further adding to worries about the economy. As a result, major stock index futures indicated a lower opening for Wall Street. Sean Maloney, a fixed-income strategist at Nomura in London, stated that there is still nervousness in the banking sector despite JPMorgan raising its bid for Bear Stearns. The announcement from Deutsche Bank serves as a reminder that this increase in bid does not solve all the problems for the financial sector. Earlier in the week, JPMorgan's takeover offer for Bear Stearns had increased by about fivefold, leading to a rally in financial stocks globally and reducing concerns about a credit crunch. However, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares dropped by 0.9 percent, Germany's DAX fell by 0.7 percent, and London's FTSE 100 index shed 0.7 percent due to various factors such as Xtrata's 7 percent fall after failed takeover talks with Vale. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei ended down 0.3 percent while MSCI's measure of other Asian stock markets climbed 0.7 percent. MSCI's primary global stock index increased by 0.2 percent. The dollar decreased in value compared to major currencies, with the dollar index dropping by 0.8 percent due to concerns about the US economy. On the other hand, positive data indicating an improvement in the German business climate index, based on a survey of approximately 7,000 companies, led to an increase in the euro's value. The euro went up by about 0.7 percent to $1.5736, supported by remarks from European Central Bank's Jean-Claude Trichet, which were seen as suggesting that interest rate reductions were not likely in the near future. Trichet, speaking before an economic committee of the European Parliament, stated that the ECB believed the current monetary policy would help maintain price stability in the long term. US light crude for May delivery increased by $1.25 to reach $102.47, while the price of gold went up to $947.70 per ounce from approximately $934.60 per ounce in New York on Tuesday. Copper for three-month delivery on the London Metal Exchange was last traded at $8,155/tonne, reflecting a 0.8 percent increase. Despite a bleak outlook in the US, global demand for various commodities is expected to remain strong, especially due to robust economies like China. Shuji Sugata, a manager at Mitsubishi Corp Futures and Securities Ltd in Tokyo, mentioned that the weakening dollar has led to increased buying activity, although traders are hesitant to make significant investments before the end of the quarter. Concerns about the US economy have driven demand for safe-haven U.S. Treasuries, causing the benchmark 10-year yield to decrease by approximately 5 basis points to 3.457 percent. German 10-year bonds did not perform as well as US bonds due to comments from Trichet and new bond supply. The 10-year yield remained steady at 3.887 percent. | 1 |
In the UN climate talks that concluded in POZNAN, Poland, developing nations criticized wealthy countries for being stingy, especially in regards to the small size of the Adaptation Fund which is only $80 million. This fund is meant to help poor countries deal with the effects of climate change such as droughts, floods, and rising seas. Colombian Environment Minister Juan Lozano expressed disappointment and sadness over the outcome of the talks, stating that the lack of consideration for the human impact of climate change is a concerning sign for the future negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009. Indian representative Prodipto Ghosh expressed that this is one of the most sorrowful moments he has witnessed in his 12 years of attending U.N. climate meetings. Other nations such as Brazil, Costa Rica, and Maldives also shared similar sentiments. Many delegates are hopeful that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will implement more aggressive climate policies. At the talks in Poland, environment ministers established rules for the Adaptation Fund, which aims to assist poor countries in constructing flood defenses, developing drought-resistant crops, and issuing storm warnings. Polish Environment Minister Maciej Nowicki, the host of the talks, stated that the launch of the fund was the biggest accomplishment of the meeting in Poznan. The fund, which may begin distributing money in 2009, currently has $80 million but has the potential to increase to $300 million annually by 2012. According to U.N. estimates, developing countries will require tens of billions of dollars each year by 2030 to address climate change. Poland spent 24 million euros ($31.84 million) to host the conference from December 1-12. Developing nations alleged that wealthy countries hindered an agreement in Poznan on a broader funding system that could generate around $2 billion per year. This matter was postponed until 2009. Yvo de Boer, who leads the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, stated that the negotiations had accomplished their goals but noted that there was a sense of dissatisfaction. He acknowledged that only half of the necessary work for the Copenhagen conference had been completed. Despite this, he believed that Poznan had successfully fulfilled its primary objective of assessing advancements towards a comprehensive new international climate agreement to be established in Copenhagen in December 2009 as a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol. However, environmentalists had a different perspective. Stephanie Tunmore of the Greenpeace environmental group expressed deep disappointment with the lack of progress, stating that the stocktaking portion was not challenging as there was little achieved in 2008. Environmentalists criticized Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand for hindering progress and not setting ambitious targets to reduce emissions. In contrast, Mexico, China, and South Africa presented proposals to address the issue of increasing emissions. European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas stated that discussions were progressing well, with everyone acknowledging that combating climate change aligns with addressing the economic crisis. EU ministers in Poznan were relieved after EU leaders in Brussels reached an agreement to reduce greenhouse gases by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, following significant compromises made to east European countries. Through the Adaptation Fund, funds are generated through a 2 percent levy on a U.N. program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries. To date, the levy has raised 60 million euros ($80 million). | 1 |
Australia's conservative Prime Minister John Howard is facing a decline in support as opinion polls favor his new rival, Kevin Rudd. Despite this setback, analysts believe Howard still has a chance to win a fifth term in office during the upcoming national elections in the second half of 2007. Howard, 67, has experienced his worst poll ratings in six years and has struggled against Rudd, 49, who became leader of the Labour opposition party in December. Rudd's promises to withdraw Australian forces from Iraq and sign the Kyoto protocol on climate change have boosted his party's chances of victory. However, analysts predict that Howard, known for his economic policies and national security focus, will regain support as the election approaches. Monash University political analyst Nick Economou stated that the fate of the government lies in the hands of the Reserve Bank. With Australia experiencing record-low unemployment and easing inflationary pressures, supporters of Howard are hopeful that the central bank will cease its cycle of interest rate hikes and consider a rate cut by the end of the year. Economou suggested that an early rate cut could be detrimental for Labour, causing Howard to call for early elections as soon as August. However, it is more likely that the government will use its May budget to shift the focus of the debate back to the economy. Economou speculated that the government may propose significant tax cuts to redirect the conversation towards the economy, which plays to Howard's strengths. The latest Reuters Poll Trend, which analyzes the three main published opinion polls in Australia, revealed that Howard's Liberal-National Party coalition was trailing Labour by 13.4 points in February - the worst result for the government since March 2001. The latest poll results show that Howard's strong lead as the preferred prime minister has dwindled, with Rudd now ahead for the first time since May 2001. Howard's slip-up in parliament, where he initially denied a connection between greenhouse gases and global warming before later correcting himself, has caused further scrutiny on his government's stance on environmental issues. Additionally, Howard's recent comments criticizing Barack Obama's plan to withdraw US forces from Iraq have stirred controversy both at home and abroad, risking Australia-US relations due to his close ties to President George W. Bush. Laura Tingle, the chief political correspondent for the Australian Financial Review, wrote on Friday that the government has had a challenging fortnight. Despite relying on their usual strengths of economic management, national security, and leadership, they have not been very effective. Former diplomat Kevin Rudd has emphasized his youth and family image, while John Howard has highlighted his experience compared to Rudd's inexperience. Greg Craven, a government professor at Curtin University, pointed out that Rudd, who may have appeared middle-aged as a child, is now focusing on Howard's age as a weakness for the government. According to Craven, he is getting older and appears to be aging faster. Howard has overcome similar poll slumps in the past and analysts caution against prematurely counting him out. Economou believes Howard is in a better position on defense and foreign policy, with the economic debate still to come. | 1 |
Reports released on Thursday indicate that while some companies are getting ready to bring back employees to their offices, the amount of office space available for rent in Manhattan has reached a record high. This trend highlights how the sudden shift to remote work during the coronavirus pandemic is disrupting the city's commercial real estate industry. In Manhattan, which houses the two largest business districts in the country, 18.7% of all office space is currently available for rent, a significant increase from the end of 2020 and more than double the rate before the pandemic. Many New York employers are now offering more flexibility to their employees by allowing remote work, even as the pandemic eases, and are reassessing their space requirements. Consequently, companies are either terminating their leases or looking for new tenants at a consistent pace. Some areas, like Downtown Manhattan, are experiencing more challenges, with 21% of offices currently vacant, according to Newmark, a real estate services company. Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, stated that New York City is currently experiencing its most significant crisis since the 1970s, when half of the city's Fortune 500 companies relocated. She emphasized the importance of attracting people to the city for reasons beyond just going to the office. New York faces unique challenges in adapting to the changing workplace, as it previously relied on a large number of daily commuters to sustain its economy. The pandemic has also put pressure on the commercial real estate sector, a key component of the city's economy. Landlords are now making efforts to redesign offices and offer incentives like lower rent to retain and attract companies. Commercial property taxes are a major revenue source for New York City, making up 41% of the total. Commercial areas in various parts of the country are facing challenges, with office buildings in Manhattan particularly emptying out even as some other cities like Atlanta and Los Angeles begin to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Though New York's vacancy rate was higher than the national average at 16.2% in March, other cities are also struggling to fill their office spaces. Los Angeles has a vacancy rate of 24.1% and Chicago's rate is 21.9%, both higher than their pre-pandemic rates. There are concerns that the situation in New York may deteriorate further. According to CBRE, around one-third of leases in large Manhattan buildings will expire in the next three years, and businesses have indicated they will require less space. The availability rate in New York City is currently at its highest level since the 1970s, when the city faced a financial crisis and the iconic Twin Towers were being built. Franklin Wallach of Colliers predicts that the amount of available office space in Manhattan will continue to increase due to ongoing construction and company relocations. Approximately 14 million square feet of office space is being built in New York City, which is double the size of Orlando, Florida. Wallach also suggests that the office market in Manhattan will recover unevenly, similar to the broader economic recovery. Neighborhoods near major transportation hubs like Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal may recover quicker than other areas of Manhattan, according to Wallach. While Savills predicts that the Manhattan office market may not fully bounce back until late 2022 or later, only 12% of office workers had returned to their desks by the end of May. The Partnership for New York City estimates that more than 60% of workers will return in September, but many companies will continue to allow remote work at least a few days a week. Throughout the pandemic, the technology sector has been the only industry signing significant leases in New York, with companies like Facebook and Google being well-equipped for remote work transitions. Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced in June his plan to work remotely for half of the following year. Wylde noted that the tech sector's rapid growth seems to be temporary, as employees are now pushing for the option to work from home or on a hybrid schedule permanently. They are expressing their desire to avoid expensive city living costs and are seeking a better quality of life in other cities. This shift in work culture may require a change in public policy to prioritize quality of life, a favorable business environment, and affordability. | 1 |
The ruling Awami League and its affiliated organizations are commemorating the historic March 7 with extensive events in the capital and throughout the country. In Dhaka, party leader and prime minister Sheikh Hasina, along with party members, paid respects at the mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Museum in Dhanmondi at 7am. To honor the day, Awami League will host a discussion session at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre at 3pm, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will speak as the chief guest. Special programs about the importance of the day will be broadcasted on Bangladesh Betar (radio), Bangladesh Television, and other private television channels. The day holds historical importance since 1971 when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for the liberation movement at a rally in Suhrawardy Udyan. This led to the people of East Pakistan taking up arms against the Pakistani occupation army in a nine-month war, resulting in the birth of Bangladesh as an independent nation. President Mohammad Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasized the historical significance of the day in separate statements. President Rahman remembered Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his leadership in the struggle for an independent Bangladesh on March 7. He further mentioned that the vision of 'Golden Bengal' envisioned by Bangabandhu has not yet been achieved. The country must combat challenges such as hunger, poverty, superstitions, and the impacts of climate change in order to make the dream of Golden Bengal a reality. The prime minister stated that the iconic speech on March 7 reflected the aspirations of the nation before the liberation war, following years of oppression by West Pakistan. She also noted that the powerful speech had brought the nation together and paved the way for the liberation war. | 1 |
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