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In Grünheide bei Berlin geht die Polizei gegen Umweltaktivisten vor, die sich weigern, ihr Protestcamp nahe der Tesla-Fabrik für Kampfmitteluntersuchungen zu räumen. Höhenretter mussten einige Aktivisten aus Baumhäusern holen.

Der Chef des Palästinenserhilfswerks UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, fordert bis Ende Januar eine klare politische Lösung für einen palästinensischen Staat, um die Arbeit von UNRWA in den besetzten Gebieten zu sichern.

Im Schweizer Amateurfussball sorgte Denner Da Silva im Dress des FC Emmenbrücke für ein Weltklassetor. Der Brasilianer beweist damit, dass auch in der 2. Liga interregional richtig gute Fussballer zu finden sind.

Knabbernde Passagiere legen Flieger lahm! Auf den Azoren halten 132 entlaufene Hamster einen Airbus 320 am Boden.

Bei den verheerenden Unwettern in Valencia wurden auch unzählige Tiefgaragen überschwemmt. In einer von diesen war auch ein Mercedes Oldtimer aus den 1970er parkiert. Nach über eine Woche unter Wasser fährt der Besitzer den Wagen aus der Tiefgarage – ohne fremde Hilfe.

Emmanuel Nabugodi is the latest person to be jailed for a social media video about the president.

Früher galt Prinz Harry als absoluter Partylöwe, im kalifornischen Montecito setzt er auf gesunde Ernährung und Frühsport mit seinem Hund.

The lithium industry's sustainability approach is evolving from reactive risk management to proactive leadership, from ESG risk mitigation to driving global sustainable development, and from internal sustainability to creating Net Positive outcomes across the value chain.

L’UE prendra des mesures si la livraison de drones chinois à la Russie — utilisés dans le cadre de la guerre en Ukraine — devait être confirmée, a averti lundi 18 novembre la ministre allemande des Affaires étrangères, Annalena Baerbock.

Die Spitzenreiter der Rubrik Dienstleistung und Versorgung in der Schweiz.

Sensationsfund in Sibirien: Forscher entdeckten die Überreste eines Säbelzahntigers. Das nur drei Wochen alte Kätzchen lag fast 37'000 jahrelang im Permafrostboden eingefroren.

It is falling behind its 2030 AMR targets, with progress varying across member states, according to the ECDC.

Vladimir Petkovic est très ambitieux en vue des prochaines échéances qui attendent les Verts. Il assure que la qualification pour la Coupe du Monde-2026 sera […]

L’article Petkovic : « Maintenant, on doit se qualifier pour la Coupe du Monde 2026 » est apparu en premier sur .

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In view of Albania's upcoming 2025 parliamentary elections, the OSCE Presence and the Central Election Commission (CEC) organized a technical workshop titled “Elections 2025: The role of media in the electoral process – Challenges and opportunities”, on 18 November 2024.

The event brought together regulatory bodies, media professionals and civil society representatives to discuss ways to improve the media environment and media’s coverage of elections.

“The media, often referred to as the ‘fourth estate’, plays a critical role as the primary source of information for most voters. It shapes public opinion and can significantly influence electoral outcomes. With this immense responsibility, it is imperative for the media to uphold the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct when covering elections”, Head of Presence Ambassador Michel Tarran said at the opening of the event.

“We recognize the immense pressures the media face in striving for fairness, analytical depth, and accuracy in their reporting. To address this, the Presence remains steadfast in advocating for effective media regulation and self-regulation. These mechanisms are crucial to ensuring that media outlets operate in line with ethical standards”, he added.

State Election Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi stressed the importance of media professionalism and independence. "There are a number of mechanisms that ensure or should ensure the presence of these characteristics for the media. But if this process is not self-regulated or the media themselves, in general, do not have this approach, then it is important to have a regulatory aspect. It remains important that, in any case, the media is not in a position where it has to say something different from what it sees and verifies, as well as not to promote what should not be promoted," he said.

Participants discussed key challenges that Albanian media actors face in covering elections and electoral campaigns. Discussions focused on the OSCE/ODIHR’s recommendations, highlighting: the effective implementation of the Law on the Right to Information; implementation of legal obligations concerning airing of pre-recorded party-generated content in news; the allocation of airtime to election contestants; and lack of sufficient resources to perform comprehensive media oversight. Representatives of state institutions, media professionals and civil society presented their efforts, perspectives and recommendations to improve fair and ethical coverage of elections and to overcome the recurring challenges.

These efforts aim to ensure that Albanian voters have access to crucial information on electoral procedures, political platforms and candidates, empowering them to make informed choices.

The workshop discussions are part of a broader effort to strengthen the integrity of the electoral process. Earlier this year, the Presence and the CEC organized two technical workshops focused on voter education and vote buying. A fourth workshop, on vote secrecy, will take place in December 2024.

Lisez le guide de notre nutritionniste sur les implications pour la santé d'un régime pauvre en graisses, pourquoi les graisses sont essentielles, et des conseils pour réduire les "mauvaises" graisses.

Air Algérie revient avec la réouverture tant attendue de la ligne Alger-Vienne ! Cette excellente nouvelle s’accompagne d’une offre promotionnelle alléchante, qui permettra aux voyageurs […]

L’article Air Algérie relance la ligne Alger-Vienne et propose une offre imbattable est apparu en premier sur .

En marge d’une réunion du Conseil « Affaires étrangères » ce 18 novembre, le ministre néerlandais Caspar Veldkamp a critiqué la volonté de Josep Borrell de suspendre le dialogue politique de l’UE avec Israël dans le cadre de l’Accord d’association signé avec Tel-Aviv.

Americas Bell Textron has selected Integris Composites to supply armor systems for the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. Integris highlighted that its contribution will focus on enhancing the upcoming rotorcraft’s durability, speed, range, and payload capabilities. The new aircraft will contribute to “our nation’s warfighters have the decisive edge in any theater where they are operating,” Integris Composites President Andrew Bonham. The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to expand production capacity for the Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) missile to 650 units annually. Lockheed emphasized that this initiative is a crucial step in meeting the growing global demand for “the world’s most advanced missile.” This year, missile production increased by 30 percent, with projections indicating a further 20 percent rise next year. Middle East & Africa Elbit Systems announced that it has secured contracts worth approximately $335 million to supply defense systems to a European country. The contracts, to be executed over three and a half years, include advanced PULS™? rocket launchers and accompanying missiles, as well as Hermes™? 900 unmanned aerial systems (UAS) equipped with advanced payloads. Elbit’s PULS™? launchers offer versatile and advanced operational capabilities, enabling the launch of unguided rockets, precision-guided […]

Dr. Colin A. Young, Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center says the developed world should be reminded of catastrophic outcomes of failing to meet emissions targets. Credit: Aishwarya Bajpai/IPS

By Aishwarya Bajpai
BAKU, Nov 18 2024 (IPS)

Communities living in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) pay the price of climate change in lives, livelihoods, and stunted sustainable development. 

Representatives from Caribbean islands have repeatedly expressed this ongoing concern at COP29.

Dr. Colin A. Young, Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (CCCCC), reemphasized the catastrophic outcomes of the failure to meet emissions targets.

“What Hurricane Beryl demonstrated to the world is what happens when there is failure to meet the emission reduction target. To meet the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement requires a 43 percent reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030, a peak of fossil fuel production by 2025 and net zero commitments by 2050—without achieving these targets, we continue to face increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes and other climate-related disasters. Large countries often fail to grasp how such events devastate small economies, wiping out critical infrastructure—schools, healthcare, telecommunications, roads, and farms—paralyzing entire communities.”

Instead of a rich future, the futures of the youth are in jeopardy.

“Our young people are inheriting a future where they cannot reach their full potential because of climate-related impacts. In some cases, it sets progress back by years, and in others, by decades.”

Young reflected on the devastating economic toll of the climate disasters—effectively bankrupting small economies, leaving them significantly more vulnerable.

“We have witnessed the scale of destruction hurricanes can inflict. Hurricane Maria wiped out 226 percent of Dominica’s GDP and two years earlier, Tropical Storm Erika had already devastated 90 percent of its GDP,” he said. “This is a matter of survival for our countries and the failure of the developed countries to do more faster to curb emissions in line with the science.”

 Morally Unjust, Bureaucratically Complex

Developed nations need to come to the party.

“G7 and G20 countries are responsible for 80 percent of all emissions. Yet, the burden of providing resources, technology transfers, and capacity building falls disproportionately on others—a morally unjust reality we are confronting.”

Talking about finance and the New Collective Qualified Goal (NCGQ), a major outcome SIDS expects to come out of COP29, Young said he is concerned whether or not the NCQG will meet the needs of SIDS.

Young criticized the inefficiency of the current international climate finance system.

“The current international climate finance architecture is not serving the needs of small island developing states. It is too bureaucratic, complex and difficult to access.”

He highlighted the disparity in funding distribution.

“Take the Green Climate Fund as an example. Out of the USD 12 billion approved, only 10 percent has gone to Small Island Developing States, and within that, the Caribbean has received less than USD 600 million. If resources from the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) follow the same disbursement patterns, it’s clear it won’t serve our interests to meet the scale and speed of the urgent adaptation needs of our countries.”

Radical Change Needed For Climate Financing

Piecemeal change will not work for SIDS, he told IPS.

“For Small Island Developing States, the system of accessing climate under the NCQG and Loss and Damage Fund cannot resemble the existing financial architecture. We need a finance mechanism that is streamlined, equitable, fit-for-purpose and truly responsive to our unique challenges.”

“There is a significant lack of transparency in the climate finance space because developed countries continue to stymie efforts to clearly define what constitutes climate finance under the Paris Agreement.”

Financing often comes as loans, and this has implications for SIDS. Recently, for example, the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a Euro 100 million (USD 109.4 million) loan agreement with the Caribbean Islands.

Young highlighted the ongoing issues with climate finance transparency and the clarity on financing terms

“Certain types of investments, especially non-concessional loans, should not be counted as climate finance under the Convention. When we talk about the USD 100 billion annual target that developed countries have committed to since 2009, there is widespread disagreement among developing country parties on whether it has been met. The OECD claims it has, but developing countries argue that the funds are not visible or are difficult to track because of lack of transparency.”

Young expressed concern over the mounting debt burden placed on SIDS because of climate change.

“What we’re increasingly seeing is that we are being asked to shoulder a debt burden that is already alarmingly high—well above World Bank and IMF benchmarks.”

He highlighted the cyclical nature of the crisis.

“We’re forced to borrow to build resilience, but even within the loan repayment period, we’re hit by multiple disasters again. It’s a vicious cycle that leaves us unable to recover, exacerbating our debt level.”

When asked about a single key negotiation or message to take forward from COP 29, his response was clear:

“The message is that we need greater ambition from developed countries to cut emissions in line with the science. And beyond that, they must deliver on the promises they’ve made to deliver finance at scale, adaptation finance, technology and capacity building to developing countries, particularly to SIDs and LDCs.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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