DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The US is under pressure to lead the way in reducing plastic pollution — but it keeps making more of it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

World leaders are gathering in Ottawa, Ontario, this week to hash out a global treaty to end plastic pollution. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementHundreds of businesses and countries support cutting plastic production. Lin represents the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, which includes more than 200 companies. Cutting plastic production would also hit the bottom line of oil majors such as Exxon.

Persons: Carroll Muffett, Jose Fernandez, Biden, Allison Lin, Lin, Stewart Harris, Harris, Neil Nathan, Nathan, He's Organizations: Service, Business, Center for International Environmental Law, Organization for Economic Co, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, State Department, Mars Inc, Business Coalition, Global Plastics, Walmart, PepsiCo, International Council of Chemical Association, Oxford Economics, Exxon, The International Energy Agency, UC Santa Barbara, US Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC, Paris, Ottawa, Belgium

☆ Can this ocean-based carbon plant help save the world? Some scientists are raising red flags
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Fans will pump air through the alkaline stream, which causes carbon dioxide to form solid calcium carbonate, the material from which seashells are formed, which will look like a fine sand, as well as dissolved bicarbonate. The seawater will also be sent back into the sea, ready to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The ambition is to scale up to 100,000 metric tons of CO2 removal a year by the end of 2026, and from there to millions of metric tons over the next few decades, Sanders told CNN. Equatic has already signed a deal with Boeing to sell it 2,100 metric tons of hydrogen, which it plans to use to create green fuel, and to fund the removal of 62,000 metric tons of CO2. It will remove just under 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, with the aim of scaling up to 100,000 metric tons a year by the end of 2026.

Persons: Jean, Pierre Gatusso, “, ”, Patrick T, Fallon, Equatic, Gaurav Sant, Edward Sanders, Sanders, Sant, Lili Fuhr, Fuhr, James Niffenegger, Niffenegger, “ we’re, ” Fuhr, It’s, Gatusso, ” Equatic, UCLA’s Sant, ” Sant Organizations: CNN, University of California, Sorbonne University, Getty, UCLA, National Water Agency, Port, Boeing, Center for International Environmental Law, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Locations: Vietnam, France, Singapore, Tuas, Los Angeles, LA, AFP, Port of Los Angeles

☆ Carbon Dioxide Levels Have Passed a New Milestone
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Aatish Bhatia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Global carbon dioxide levels as of … Play animation Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Monitoring Laboratory The chart shows monthly numbers of carbon dioxide molecules per million molecules of dry air. Carbon Dioxide Levels Have Passed a New MilestoneCarbon dioxide acts like Earth’s thermostat: The more of it in the air, the more the planet warms. More carbon dioxide, warmer temperatures Source: NOAA (carbon dioxide); NASA (temperature) The chart shows the change in global surface temperature relative to 1951–1980, versus global carbon dioxide levels. Currently, carbon dioxide levels are rising at near-record rates. Annual change in carbon dioxide levels Source: NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory The chart shows the increase in global carbon dioxide levels over the course of each year.

Persons: Glen Peters, Doug McNeall, Xin Lan, ”, El Niño, El, Mr, McNeall, “ Organizations: NOAA, NASA, National Oceanic, Global, Budget, CICERO Center, International Climate Research, Britain’s Met

☆ How Israel and allied defenses intercepted more than 300 Iranian missiles and drones
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Israel’s military said Sunday that “99%” of projectiles fired by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its partners, with only “a small number” of ballistic missiles reaching Israel. In total, around 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles were launched at Israel by Iran overnight Saturday, the military said. US officials said more than 70 drones and three ballistic missiles were intercepted by US Navy ships and military aircraft, without giving details of exactly what defenses were used to bring down the projectiles. The Iron Dome is the bottom layer of Israel’s missile defense, according to the country’s Missile Defense Organization (IMDO). The ballistic missiles that did reach Israel fell on the Netavim Air Base in southern Israel, Israel’s military spokesman said, adding that they caused only light structural damage.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, John Bolton, CNN’s Oren Liebermann, Biden, ” Biden, Menahem Kahana, Israel’s Rafael, CNN’s Irene Nasser, Eugenia Yosef, Benjamin Brown Organizations: CNN, Saturday, Israeli, Israel, US Navy, Aegis, Pentagon, Royal Air Force, Defense, US, country’s Missile Defense Organization, Getty, Defense System, Raytheon, Missile, Center for International, Strategic Studies, CSIS, Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, Netavim, Base, Israeli Air Force Locations: Iran, Israel, Britain, Israeli, France, Gaza, Sderot, AFP, United States, Iraq, Yemen

A view across the demarcation into Metula, Israel as seen from the Lebanese side of the demarcation line. But a Lebanese source familiar with the matter ruled this out. Hezbollah may only be compelled to join an Iranian war effort if the strike leads to further escalation, the same Lebanese source said. It provided a glimpse of how Hezbollah might attempt to overwhelm Israel’s defensive systems as Iran conducts its expected attack. From one of Spain’s bases near the demarcation line, there is a clear view of a microcosm of Lebanon’s long-standing border issues with Israel.

Persons: Kafr, Lebanon CNN —, ”, Juan Garcia Martinez, Charbel Mallo, —, Mohammad Reza Zahidi, “, Ali Khamenei, Sina Toosi, Yemen’s Houthis, ” Nasrallah, Israel –, Mallo, CNN Hezbollah’s, Hector Alonso, CNN’s MJ Lee, Natasha Bertrand, Zeena Saifi, Oren Liebermann Organizations: Lebanon CNN, CNN, UN, United Nations, Iran’s, Center for International, Hezbollah, Spanish UNIFIL, Israel Locations: Kafr Kila, Lebanon, Galilee, Spanish, Israel, Metula, Lebanese, Iran, Damascus, UNIFIL, Iranian, Gaza, Ghajar, Syrian, al

☆ 'Cyber-physical attacks' fueled by AI are a growing threat, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Kevin Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

He said with the widespread arrival of generative AI, concerns about physical attacks being the next phase of cybercrime have grown. He added that the technology, now boosted by AI, exists to wreak havoc on physical systems. Attacks on physical infrastructure would be tantamount to war, and so far, that is something nation-states have avoided. Experts, though, vary on the threat level from cyber-physical attacks and how much AI is raising it. But while she views the threat of AI-assisted cyber-physical attacks as growing, she said AI also assists the good guys.

Persons: Stuart Madnick, Christopher Wray, —, Madnick, don't, Tim Chase, CISO, Chase, Sivan Tehila, Tehila, Michael Kenney, Matthew B Organizations: Cybersecurity, MIT Sloan, FBI, Congress, Katz School of Science and Health, Yeshiva University, Israel Defense Forces, . University of Pittsburgh, Ridgway Center for International Security Locations: United States

☆ Women in China Aren't Having Kids. 3 of Them Told Us Why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewWhen it comes to settling down and having children, 26-year-old Bihan Chen views the choice in simple terms: It's a bad investment. Falling birth rates saw China's population shrank in 2022 for the first time since the early 1960s. "When it comes to having children, I don't have a shred of desire, only fear. AdvertisementOthers cited the loss of personal freedom as a key obstacle to having children. Having children remains a deeply personal decision that can't be evaluated by finances alone.

Persons: —, Chen, Emily Huang, Huang, Xi Jinping, Xi, Zhu Zheng, haven't, Dudley L, Poston Jr, Rich, we've, Lanjie Wang, Wang, Collin Meisel, might've, Yi Organizations: Service, Business, Women's Congress, Getty, Texas, M University, Weibo, University of Denver's, Center for International Futures, Publishing, University of Wisconsin, Project Syndicate Locations: China, Beijing, Weibo, Xinhua, Japan, Korea, America, Madison

BEIJING (AP) — As the U.S. presidential campaign moves closer to a Donald Trump-Joe Biden rematch, China is watching uneasily. While Biden has looked for areas of cooperation with China, Beijing is concerned about his efforts to unite allies in the Indo-Pacific in a coalition against China. “For China, no matter who won the U.S. presidential election, they would be two ‘bowls of poison’,” said Zhao Minghao, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai. When Biden and Trump squared off in 2020, U.S. intelligence agencies reported before the election that China viewed Trump as “unpredictable” and opposed his reelection. “Trump is by nature volatile and cruel and is a person hard to be familiar with,” said Shi Yinhong, international relations professor at Renmin University of China.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, uneasily, Biden, It’s, hasn’t, ”, Zhao Minghao, Sun Chenghao, Trump, Chuan Jianguo, “ Trump, Sun Yun, Sun, Xi Jinping, Antony Blinken, Xi, Miles Yu, China's, ” Yu, Deng Xiaoping, Shi Yinhong, Shi, Wang Yiwei, ” Wang, ” Shi, ___ Tang, Yu Bing, Chen Wanqing, Eric Tucker Organizations: BEIJING, U.S, China, Trump, “, Fudan University, Center for International Security, Tsinghua University, Stimson Center, Hudson Institute, Communist Party, Renmin University of China, White, Institute of International Affairs, Associated Press Locations: China, Beijing, Taiwan, Shanghai, Asia, Pacific, Sun, Washington, Lago, Florida, City, United States, U.S

In repelling disinformation, Chinese and domestic, Taiwan offers an example to other democracies holding elections this year. And when the election results came out, they thought something was up,” said Eve Chiu, the editor-in-chief of Taiwan’s FactCheck Center, a nonprofit journalism organization. Taiwan's FactCheck Center debunked multiple videos of alleged voter fraud, including another one in which voting officials make a human error caught on camera. Taiwan has been able to effectively respond to Chinese disinformation in part because of how seriously the threat is perceived there, according to Kenton Thibaut, a senior resident fellow and expert on Chinese disinformation at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. Others like, Taiwan FactCheck Center, are careful to not take government money so as to preserve their independence, said Chiu.

Persons: miscounting, “, ”, Eve Chiu, Ko Wen, Taiwan's FactCheck, Kenton Thibaut, Thibaut, Alexander Tah, Ray Yui, Yui, ” Yui, Charles Yeh, Chiu, Donald Trump, they’re, Jim Ludes, Ko, DoubleThink, GaChuDao, Wu, ___ Wu, Didi Tang Organizations: WASHINGTON, Taiwan’s, Taiwan People’s Party, Facebook, DoubleThink, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan can’t, Atlantic, Forensic Research, Associated Press, Taiwan FactCheck Center, Google, Media, ”, Pell Center for International Relations, Salve Regina University Locations: Taiwan’s, China, Taiwan, India, Mexico, Russia, America, Kenton, U.S, United States, Iran, Bangkok

☆ What the COP28 deal means for the U.S. as oil and gas production hits record levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-13 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The agreement, known as the global stocktake, was hailed as "historic" by COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber during his closing speech. Samuel Corum | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesU.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday that the COP28 agreement "sends very strong messages to the world." The fight to end oil, gas and coal must now be taken up at the country level with the United States leading the way. Fossil fuels and climate financeUnder Biden, the U.S. passed the most aggressive climate investment ever taken by Congress, a bill known as the Inflation Reduction Act. Nonetheless, the White House has frequently received sharp criticism over its plans to expand oil and gas production.

Persons: Joe Biden, Cyril Ramaphosa, Joe Biden's, Sultan al, Jaber, Samuel Corum, John Kerry, Kerry, Jean Su, Jason Bordoff, Su, Nikki Reisch, Reisch, Biden, Jennifer Granholm, Brandon Bell Organizations: White, Washington , D.C, Bloomberg, Getty, European Union, Washington Hilton, United, Center for Biological, . Energy, Administration, Russia, Center, Global Energy, Columbia University, CNBC, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for International Environmental, U.S, Biden, Marathon El Locations: South, Washington ,, Connecticut, Washington , DC, United States, China, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ukraine, America, Marathon El Paso Refinery, El Paso , Texas, The U.S

☆ COP28: Fossil fuel industry has nearly quadrupled registrations at climate summit since last year, watchdog report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The report was not able to count how many fossil fuel representatives are actually in attendance, though it has shown registration numbers have been increasing over the years. COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, also an oil executive, has argued the fossil fuel industry should be involved in the summit. The analysis from the coalition, which this year organized under the name Kick Big Polluters Out, looked at the provisional list of COP participants to identify registrants with self-declared ties to fossil fuel companies or organizations with fossil fuel interests or foundations owned or controlled by a fossil fuel company. “The hallways and negotiating rooms of this climate conference are flooded with the largest number of fossil fuel lobbyists ever,” said Lili Fuhr, director of the fossil fuel energy program at the Center for International Environmental Law. Governments must “remain focused on delivering an outcome that supports and mandates a full phase out of fossil fuels while protecting public policy-making from fossil fuel interests,” she told CNN.

Persons: Sultan Al Jaber, ”, Lili Fuhr, Al Jaber Organizations: CNN, United Arab Emirates, Global, Dubai, United Nations, Center for International Environmental Law Locations: Dubai, Brazil, Egypt, COP27, COP28

☆ Henry Kissinger, a dominating and polarizing force in US foreign policy, dies at 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Paul Leblanc | Kristin Wilson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images Kissinger takes a call in his office in the early 1970s. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Kissinger talks with journalists on his way to meet with NATO foreign ministers. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Kissinger, second from left, walks with Leonid Brezhnev, secretary-general of the Soviet Communist Party, in 1973. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Kissinger looks out a window at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1975. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Kissinger is greeted by US Sen. John McCain after a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in 2015.

Persons: CNN — Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Henry Kissinger, Stephen Voss, Walter, Heinz Alfred Kissinger, Henry, William P, Rogers, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Tom Blau, Richard Nixon, Nixon, Warren Burger, Alamy Kissinger, Le Duc Tho, Tho, Wally McNamee, Corbis, Zhou Enlai, Leonid Brezhnev, Dirck Halstead, Gerald Ford, Nancy, pats, King David Hotel, David Hume Kennerly, Kirk Douglas, David, Elizabeth, Mikki Ansin, Diana Walker, Peter Southwock, Princess Diana, Colin Powell, Barbara Walters, Diana, David McNew, George W, Bush, Charles Dharapak, Christian Wulff, Stephan Schraps, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, John Kerry, Chip Somodevilla, US Sen, John McCain, Tom Williams, Ash Carter, Yin Bogu, Cui Tiankai, Zhang Chaoqun, Donald Trump, Jim Watson, Andrew Harnik, Maximilian, Daniel Vogl, Xi Jinping, Nixon’s, Reagan, ” Kissinger, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, ”, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, “, Lincoln, Bernie Sanders, Count, ” Sanders, Clinton, “ I’ve, Zakaria Organizations: CNN, Kissinger Associates, Bettmann, Getty, Harvard University, Harvard's Center for International Affairs, National Security Council, US Arms Control, Disarmament Agency, State Department, Camera, State, Chief, Everett, Inc, Paris Peace Accords, MPI, NATO, Soviet Communist Party, Hulton, King, Times Newspapers, Concord Academy, Senate Energy, Richard, US Diplomacy Center, US, Armed Services, Nixon Library, Museum, Capitol, Science, Arts, New York’s, Nazis, United States Army, Jewish, Pentagon, CBS News, Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Republican Party Locations: Nazi Germany, Connecticut, Washington , DC, Fürth, Germany, United States, Paris, Beijing, ITAR, Washington ,, Japan, Egypt, Israel, Jerusalem, Massachusetts, Boston, New York, Yorba Linda , California, Berlin, Xinhua, AFP, Bavarian, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Chile, Soviet, Saigon, Laos, New, Furth, Nazi, Soviet Union, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Fuerth

☆ In UN Talks for a Global Plastic Treaty, Delegates to Face off Over Production Limits
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

That position is opposed by the plastic industry and by oil and petrochemical exporters like Saudi Arabia, who want to see plastic use continue. They argue that the treaty should focus on recycling and reusing plastics, sometimes referred to in the talks as "circularity" in the plastics supply. In a submission ahead of this week's negotiations, Saudi Arabia said the root cause of plastic pollution was "inefficient management of waste." "The plastics agreement should be focused on ending plastic pollution, not plastic production," Kastner told Reuters in a statement. Countries will also be debating whether the treaty should set transparency standards for chemical use in plastics production.

Persons: Valerie Volcovici, David Azoulay, Matthew Kastner, Kastner, Bjorn Beeler, Beeler, Christina Dixon, Katy Daigle, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Center for International Environmental, UN, European Union, U.S . State Department, Reuters, The International Council of Chemical Associations, Network, Saudi, Environmental Investigation Agency Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United States, U.S

Persons: Carlo Allegri, David Azoulay, Matthew Kastner, Kastner, Bjorn Beeler, Beeler, Christina Dixon, Valerie Volcovici, Katy Daigle, Aurora Ellis Organizations: United Nations, UN, REUTERS, Center for International Environmental, European Union, U.S . State Department, Reuters, The International Council of Chemical Associations, Network, Saudi, Environmental Investigation Agency, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Nairobi, Kenya, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United States

☆ China has a sweeping vision to reshape the world — and countries are listening
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

All this coincides with longstanding calls from countries across the developing world for an international system where they have more say. Beijing, he added, sees the US as merely “paying lip service” to the “liberal order” to hurt other countries. Sergei Savostyanov/Sputnik/ReutersIn recent years, even some countries that have for decades embraced a close partnership with the US have drawn closer to China and its vision. “Is China really trying to promote multipolarity — or does China just want to (become a) substitute (for) US influence over the world?” he asked. They also raise questions about how a more militarily and economically powerful China would behave globally, if left unchecked.

Persons: Xi Jinping, —, Xi, Vladimir Putin, General Antonio Guterres, ” Xi, , Shen Hong, they’d, ”, Yun Sun, liberalize, Sanjit Das, Shen Dingli, ‘, ’ ”, Russia’s Putin, Bashar al, Assad —, Assad’s, Sergei Savostyanov, Ali Sarwar Naqvi, “ We’ve, James Marape, ’, Rubens Duarte, Li Zhiquan, “, Tong Zhao, Zhao, Ted Aljibe, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Zhang Youxia, Beijing’s, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, BRICS, Weeks, Joe Biden, Sergio Lima, ” — Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United Nations, Forum, China, Communist, CNN, Beijing, Washington, Getty, Stimson, Bank, World Trade Organization, . Riot, Bloomberg, Initiative, Asian, Global, Sputnik, Reuters, Center for International Strategic Studies, Papua New Guinea, multipolarity, China News Service, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Global Security Initiative, NATO, Russia, Philippine Defense, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, United, New, Seven, Ministry, Global Security, Group, UN, Communist Party Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Gaza, Russian, Xinhua, Washington, South, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, America, Shanghai, West, Hangzhou, Israel, Pakistan, Pakistani, Islamabad, Papua New, Brazil, Indonesia, Europe, Asia, Scarborough, South China, AFP, Moscow, Russia, “, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Palestine, India, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, New Delhi, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, ” Beijing

☆ Middle East conflict: China's role is to help avert a conflagration, says ex-Chinese military officer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMiddle East conflict: China's role is to help avert a conflagration, says ex-Chinese military officerZhou Bo, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy and a retired officer of the People's Liberation Army, says it's "not to stop Israel's retaliation, which is not possible."

Persons: Zhou Bo Organizations: Tsinghua University's Center for International Security, People's Liberation Army

☆ China weighs options to blunt U.S. sanctions in a Taiwan conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

"In the context of intensified Sino-U.S. strategic competition and the Taiwan Strait conflict, we should be wary of the U.S. replicating this financial sanction model against China," wrote Chen Hongxiang, a researcher at a branch of the People's Bank of China (PBOC) in eastern Jiangsu province. Wang and several PBOC researchers wrote in articles that if the U.S. implemented Russia-style sanctions on China, Beijing should freeze U.S. investment and pension funds and seize the assets of U.S. companies. ENERGY AND ALLIANCESBesides financial sanctions, Russia's response to Western pressure on its oil, gas, metals, and chips industry has given food for thought to Chinese researchers. Chinese researchers also suggested Beijing exploit cracks within the European Union and between the U.S. and its allies. "The mutual penetration of the Chinese and American economies will inevitably weaken the willingness to impose financial sanctions," he wrote.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Chen Hongxiang, Xi Jinping, Yu Yongding, Yu, PBOC, Wang Yongli, Wang, Sun, Mou Lingzhi, Xia Fan, Ye Yan, Martin Chorzempa, Chorzempa, Chen, Eduardo Baptista, David Crawshaw Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Moscow, China, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Senior U.S, People's Liberation Army, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China International Futures, U.S ., China Center for International Economic, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China Minmetals Corporation, London Metals Exchange, Oil and Gas Exploration, Development Company, European Union, Peterson Institute for International Economics, EU, Thomson Locations: Fuzhou, Taiwan, Matsu, China, Rights BEIJING, Russia, Ukraine, Jiangsu, Beijing, Russian, U.S, Hainan, Washington, United States

☆ Brazil Sees Amazon Rainforest International Security Hub Launch This Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Ricardo BritoBRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil is preparing to launch a center for international police cooperation to combat environmental crimes and drug trafficking in the Amazon rainforest by the end of 2023, Federal Police officials told Reuters. The center, agreed upon at the summit of Amazon nations in August, will bring together police authorities from the eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO). Uniting the Amazon countries against criminal activity in the world's largest rainforest is key to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's effort to restore Brazil's environmental credentials after four years of soaring deforestation under predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. "We expect to see a significant reduction in environmental crimes in the area and also action involving the entire Amazon region and not just a few isolated countries," Urquiza said. "There's no point in operating only in Brazil," he said, adding that criminals in the region move around the countries of the rainforest to evade authorities.

Persons: Ricardo Brito, Luiz Inacio Lula da, Jair Bolsonaro, Valdecy Urquiza, Urquiza, Humberto Freire, Ameripol, Freire, Peter Frontini, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Ricardo Brito BRASILIA, Reuters, Federal Police, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Federal Police's, Police, Interpol Locations: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela

Border guards in Saudi Arabia have regularly opened fire on African migrants seeking to cross into the kingdom from Yemen, killing hundreds of men, women and children during a recent 15-month period, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Monday. The guards have beaten the migrants with rocks and bars, forced male migrants to rape women while guards watched and shot detained migrants in their limbs, leading to permanent injuries and amputations, the report said. The shooting of migrants is “widespread and systematic,” it said, adding that if killing them were Saudi government policy, it would constitute a crime against humanity. The Saudi government’s Center for International Communication did not respond when asked via email about the findings.

Organizations: Rights Watch, Saudi government’s Center for International Communication Locations: Saudi Arabia, Yemen

☆ BRICS Summit: Who stands to benefit from Russia-friendly bloc's expansion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has never been more prominent on the world stage. Russia’s leader can’t attend the summit because host country South Africa would be obliged to arrest him for alleged war crimes. But nonetheless that family is now entertaining formal bids from nearly two dozen countries to join their bloc of major emerging economies. It held its first summit in 2009 with four members and then added South Africa the following year. An expansion, instead of making the group more potent, could also make it “more unwieldy and ineffective” with more contrasting positions between members, he added.

Persons: can’t, It’s, Russia’s Vladimir Putin –, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, BRICS, ” “, Chen Xiaodong, Bhaso, “, China’s Xi, India’s Narendra Modi, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, –, Goldman Sachs, Jim O’Neill, BRICS Anil Sooklal, Mihaela Papa, ”, Xi, Yun Sun, Putin –, Manoj Kewalramani, Kewalramani, Modi, Lula, Ramaphosa, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Rubens Duarte Organizations: CNN, West, Washington, Sunday, University of Johannesburg, New Development Bank, United Arab, Tufts University, Western, China Program, Stimson, NATO, Takshashila, United Nations Locations: South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Beijing, United States, New Delhi, Ukraine, African, Argentina, Mexico, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh, South, Washington, BRICS, Bangalore, Johannesburg, Russian, – China, Africa, Europe

☆ China's chipmaking export curbs 'just a start', Beijing adviser warns before Yellen visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Shares in some Chinese metals companies rallied for a second session as investors bet that higher prices for gallium and germanium, which Beijing's export restrictions target, could boost revenues. China is the world's biggest producer of rare earths, a group of metals used in EVs and military equipment. Asked about the metals export curbs, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday the government's actions were reasonable and lawful. WARNING SHOTSome larger chip manufacturers view China's export controls on gallium as more of a warning shot about what economic pain the country could inflict. China's germanium ingot was priced at 9,150 yuan per kg on Tuesday, also flat on the day and on the week, Refinitiv data showed.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Wei Jianguo, Wei, Yellen, Biden, China's, Wang Wenbin, Wang, Gecamines, Belgium's Umicore, Xi Jinping, Eikon, Brenda Goh, Amy Lv, Tian, Nick Carey, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Jacqueline Wong, Catherine Evans Organizations: Treasury, Thursday Analysts, Washington, Commerce, China Daily, China Center for International Economic, Independence, Analysts, Micron, Global Times, Union, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, AMS, Democratic, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Shanghai Metal Exchange, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, SHANGHAI, U.S, Japan, Netherlands, United States, Swiss, Teck Resources, North, Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia, Washington, Yunnan, London

☆ China adviser warns chipmaking export curbs are 'just a start', as Yellen visit looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Shares in some Chinese metals companies rallied for a second session, with investors betting that higher prices on gallium and germanium, which Beijing's export restrictions target, could boost revenues. Germanium is used in high-speed computer chips, plastics, and in military applications such as night-vision devices as well as satellite imagery sensors. China is the world's biggest producer of rare earths, a group of metals used in EVs and military equipment. CURBS ON EXPORTS TO CHINAWashington is considering new restrictions on the shipment of high-tech microchips to China, following a series of curbs over the past few years. China's germanium ingot was priced at 9,150 yuan per kg on Tuesday, also flat on the day and on the week, Refinitiv data showed.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen's, Biden, China's, Wei Jianguo, Wei, Xi Jinping, Eikon, Brenda Goh, Amy Lv, Christopher Cushing, Muralikumar Organizations: Independence, Analysts, Micron, Commerce, China Daily, China Center for International Economic Exchanges, Global Times, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Shanghai Metal Exchange, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, SHANGHAI, Beijing, Japan, Netherlands, China, CHINA Washington, United States, Yunnan

☆ U.S.-China talks important but not extraordinary, says former Chinese military officer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailU.S.-China talks important but not extraordinary, says former Chinese military officerZhou Bo, senior fellow at Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy and a retired officer of the People's Liberation Army, discusses U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing, saying the relationship between the two countries has been on a downward spiral for some time.

Persons: Zhou Bo, Antony Blinken's Organizations: U.S, Tsinghua University's Center for International Security, People's Liberation Army Locations: China, Beijing

Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi CNN —Textbooks in Saudi Arabia have been changing. On Israel and the Palestinians, IMPACT-se found moderation, but not yet full acceptance of Israel. “Some in Israel want to see normalization with Saudi so badly that any interaction about Israel will be framed as something positive towards normalization,” he said. In Saudi Arabia, support for normalization stood at 5%. But Podeh and the other experts all agreed: public perceptions of Israel will be shaped by much more than textbooks.

Persons: ”, Mira Al Hussein, Kristin Diwan, Islam Aziz Alghashian, ” Alghashian, Israel, “, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Elie Podeh, “ It’s, ” Podeh, It’s, Diwan Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN, Monitoring, School Education, IMPACT, Zionism, United, United Arab Emirates ’, University of Edinburgh, ISIS, Muslim Brotherhood, CNN, Saudi Center, International Communication, Ministry, Education, Gulf States Institute, Saudi, Abraham Accords, Arab Center Washington DC, Department of Islamic, Eastern, Hebrew University Locations: Jerusalem, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, United States, Israel, London, Saudi, Palestine, United Arab, Scotland, “, al Qaeda, Washington

☆ How Daniel Ellsberg, who died at 92, went from being a disillusioned member of the government-military elite to a hero of anti-war movements
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower behind the Pentagon Papers, died at 92, his family said Friday. David Halberstam, the late author and Vietnam War correspondent who had known Ellsberg since both were posted overseas, would describe him as no ordinary convert. "Without Nixon's obsession with me, he would have stayed in office," Ellsberg told The Associated Press in 1999. Ellsberg's story was depicted in the 2009 documentary "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers." He and Marx wedded in 1970, the year before the Pentagon Papers were made public.

Persons: Daniel Ellsberg, Ellsberg, —, — Daniel Ellsberg, Richard Nixon, Julia Pacetti, Dan, Robert S, McNamara, Lyndon Johnson's, John F, Kennedy, David Halberstam, Johnson, Neil Sheehan, Henry Kissinger, Hannah Arendt, Nixon, Nixon fumed, H.R, Haldeman, Matthew Byrne, Gordon Liddy, Howard Hunt, Byrne, Daniel, Harry Truman, nodded, Ellsberg's, Rand, Anthony J, Russo, Robert, Kissinger, Sen, William J, Fulbright, George McGovern of, Marcus Raskin, Ralph Stavins, Sheehan, Raskin, Stavins, didn't, spry, George W, Bush, Obama, Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, Snowden, Patricia Marx, Marx Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Supreme, Defense, Harvard, Democratic, Republican, The New York Times, Washington Post, The Associated Press, National Security, United, U.S, White, Democratic Party's, Washington , D.C, Associated Press, Coast, Rand Corp, Christian Science, Soviet Union overseas, Harvard University, Marines, Ivy League, Defense Department, State Department, Rand, Xerox, Arkansas, Foreign Relations Committee, Institute for Policy, Times, ., Army, New York Times, Massachusetts Institute, Technology's Center for International Studies Locations: Boston, Los Angeles, Vietnam, Indochina, U.S, France's, America, United States, Beverly Hills , California, Washington ,, Saigon, Santa Monica, Chicago, Detroit, Pearl, London, Germany, Japan, Santa Monica , California, George McGovern of South Dakota, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia

Search resuls for: "Center for International"

25 mentions found