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☆ The last 3 months were the hottest on record. Was summer 2023 just the beginning?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

June through August were the hottest months on record, the World Meteorological Organization said. The deadly extreme heat and other climate-fueled disasters are upending people's lives this summer. A summer of writing about disaster after disaster got me thinking: Will we look back on this summer as a turning point? More of us are feeling the whiplash: Americans are increasingly connecting the dots between disasters and the climate crisis. In the meantime, communities have to be better prepared because the next five years could continue to break temperature records , according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Persons: António Guterres, Anthony Leiserowitz, Leiserowitz, George Mason, they'd, Carole Walker, It's Organizations: World Meteorological Organization, Service, United Nations, Yale, George, George Mason University, Rocky Mountain Insurance Association, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Maui, Hawaii, Northeast

☆ Russian Agricultural Bank could have SWIFT access within 30 days, UN tells Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSept 8 (Reuters) - A Russian Agricultural Bank subsidiary in Luxembourg could immediately apply to SWIFT to "effectively enable access" for the bank to the international payments system within 30 days, the United Nations told Russia in a letter, seen by Reuters on Friday. A key Russian demand has been the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank, Rosselkhozbank, to the SWIFT international payments system. "SWIFT has already confirmed that an expedited application process could be possible, bringing the time for effective access within 30 days," Guterres wrote. Russian fertilizer companies would also have to apply to national authorities within the EU for exemptions and the U.N. would engage with the EU on those requests. "The United Nations can help clarify the authorization process for different EU ports and work with Russian counterparts on obtaining the authorizations/permits pre-departure, if required."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, SWIFT, Antonio Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Guterres, Lavrov, Russia's, RAB, John Neal, Lloyd's, Michelle Nichols, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Russian Agricultural Bank, United Nations, Reuters, RSHB Capital S.A, Russian, Black Sea Initiative, Russian Foreign Ministry, UN Secretariat, SWIFT, European Union, UN, RAB, Facility, Lloyd's, RIC, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Bosnia, Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Russia, United, Moscow, Turkey, Ukraine, London, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday urged the Group of 20 top economic powers, which are responsible for more than 80% of the emissions that cause global warming, to use their weekend summit to send a strong message on climate change. Climate ministers of the G20 nations ended their last meeting for the year in July without resolving major disagreements on climate policies. Guterres called on big emitters to make additional efforts to cut emissions and rich countries to meet the climate finance commitments made already. Energy analysts say its crucial that G20 leaders act on the U.N. chief's suggestions. And have it now,” said Madhura Joshi, energy analyst at the climate think tank E3G.

Persons: — U.N, António Guterres, Guterres, ” Guterres, ”, Madhura Joshi, Joshi Organizations: DELHI, Group, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, Energy, AP Locations: Paris, New Delhi, Ukraine, ”

The report, culminating a two-year evaluation of the 2015 Paris climate agreement goals, distils thousands of submissions from experts, governments and campaigners. "The Paris Agreement has driven near-universal climate action by setting goals and sending signals to the world regarding the urgency of responding to the climate crisis," it said. "While action is proceeding, much more is needed now on all fronts." More than 20 gigatonnes of further CO2 reductions were needed this decade - and global net zero by 2050 - in order to meet the goals, the U.N. assessment said. Commitment was needed to phase out fossil fuels, set 2030 targets for renewable energy expansion, ensure the financial system funds climate action, and raise funds for adaptation and damage, he said.

Persons: Tom Evans, Sultan Al Jaber, U.N, Antonio Guterres, David Stanway, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: United Nations, United Arab Emirates, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Dubai, Paris, UAE, Singapore, Berlin

With the world far off track on its 2015 pledge to curb global warming, a new United Nations report central to upcoming climate negotiations details how quickly and deeply energy and financial systems must change to get back on a safer path. “The window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable for future for all is rapidly closing,” Friday's report warned. To get there, the report said, “the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels is required,” using a phrase international climate negotiators have shied away from before. “Halting and reversing deforestation” and adopting better crop-growing practices are critical to fighting climate change, the report said. Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is another window of opportunity that is rapidly closing, the report said.

Persons: ”, Sultan Al Jaber, David Waskow, “, Antonio Guterres, there's, Bill Hare, —, Al Jaber, Tom Evans, ” Evans, Seth Borenstein Organizations: United, World Resources Institute, United Nations, World Meteorological Organization, Twitter, AP Locations: United Nations, India, Paris, Dubai

☆ UN chief says global finance system fragmenting; Myanmar crisis worsens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during his bilateral meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. In a wide-ranging speech that touched on geopolitical tension, multilateral development finance and climate change, Guterres called on world leaders to find peaceful and inclusive solutions to the challenges facing the world. He also voiced support for re-channelling an additional $100 billion of International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Rights through multilateral development banks to increase liquidity and support developing economies' needs. At a Paris summit in June this year, world leaders backed a push for multilateral development banks like the World Bank to put more capital at risk to boost lending. ASEAN leaders are set to hold talks with the United Nations later on Thursday.

Persons: General Antonio Guterres, Joko Widodo, Tatan, António Guterres, Rich, Ajay Banga, Guterres, Stanley Widianto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: UN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Monetary, Bank, World Bank, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, China, United States, Paris, Myanmar, ASEAN

☆ UN chief spotlights worsening rights in Myanmar as journalist jailed for 20 years for cyclone coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Sai Zaw Thaike was in western Rakhine state to report on the aftermath of the devastating Cyclone Mocha, which killed over 140 people and caused widespread destruction. He was arrested by junta soldiers in the state capital Sittwe on May 23, Myanmar Now reported. Sai Zaw Thaike, a photojournalist for the independent news website Myanmar Now, works at his desk in Yangon, Myanmar in August 2020. “Myanmar authorities’ grotesque 20-year sentencing of Myanmar Now journalist Sai Zaw Thaike on blatantly bogus charges is an outrage and should be immediately reversed,” Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative said in a statement. “Myanmar’s junta must stop imprisoning members of the press for merely doing their jobs as reporters.”CNN has not been able to immediately reach the Myanmar junta.

Persons: CNN — Myanmar’s, General António Guterres, “, Guterres, Sai Zaw Thaike, Sai Zaw, Swe Win, ”, Cyclone, ” Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s, Suu Kyi, Farhan Haq, Suu, Min Aung, Kamala Harris Organizations: CNN, United Nations ’, UN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, People’s Defense Forces, AP, Protect Journalists, Southeast, ” CNN, Myanmar, Reuters Locations: Myanmar, Rakhine, Indonesia’s, Jakarta, Sittwe, Sai, Yangon, AP Myanmar, Southeast Asia, ”, Philippines, United States

☆ Africa Climate Summit: Billions pledged to green projects but leaders warn of need ‘to act with urgency’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The inaugural Africa Climate Summit drew to a close on Wednesday, with the host, Kenya’s president William Ruto, saying that a total of $23 billion had been pledged to green projects by governments, investors, development banks and philanthropists. Among the most eye-catching finance announcements, the United Arab Emirates pledged $4.5 billion to clean energy initiatives in Africa. “It is our ambition that this will launch a new transformative partnership to jumpstart a pipeline of bankable clean energy projects in this important continent,” Al-Jaber said, adding that the investment could lead to the generation of 15 gigawatts of clean energy by 2030. At the Africa Climate Summit, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that the continent was responsible for less than four per cent of global carbon emissions. LUIS TATO/AFP/AFP via Getty ImagesGermany announced 450 million euros (about $481 million) of climate finance pledges, and and the US pledged $30 million to support climate resilient food security efforts across Africa.

Persons: William Ruto, Sultan Al, Jaber, ” Al, Yemi Osinbajo, ”, General Antonio Guterres, LUIS TATO, “, Osinbajo, greening Organizations: CNN, Africa Climate Summit, United Arab Emirates, COP28, Global Energy Alliance for People, UN, Getty Images Locations: Africa, Nairobi, Dubai, “, jumpstart, Nigeria, AFP, Copenhagen

☆ It's official. UN says the world just endured its hottest summer on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The world just experienced its hottest three months on record by a substantial margin, according to the UN weather agency, prompting the UN chief to call for world leaders to take urgent climate action. The average temperature for those three months was 16.77 degrees Celsius (62.19 degrees Fahrenheit), which was 0.66 degrees Celsius above average for the period. The month of August was found to be the hottest on record by a large margin and the second hottest month after July 2023. The global average surface air temperature of 16.82 degrees Celsius for August was 0.71 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1991 to 2020 average for the month, and 0.31 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous hottest August, logged in 2016. The UN chief said that this latest global heat record must coincide with world leaders urgently pursuing climate solutions.

Persons: Copernicus, António Guterres, Guterres Organizations: UN, Meteorological Organization, Wednesday, Northern Locations: Iraqi, Baghdad

Last month was the hottest August on record, topping off the hottest summer on record, according to climate scientists. June through August was the warmest summer on record globally by a “large margin,” according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Well-above average temperatures also occurred in Australia, several South American countries and around much of Antarctica, according to the service. Climate change certainly left its mark on the summer, with one report finding that more than 80% of humanity – or 4 in 5 people – experienced a hotter July largely due to human-caused climate change. Cartoons on Climate Change View All 167 Images“The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting,” António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, said in a statement.

Persons: Samantha Burgess, –, António Guterres, El, Burgess Organizations: United Nations Locations: U.S, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica

☆ Climate change: The world has just experienced the hottest summer on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —As heat waves continue to bake parts of the world, scientists are reporting that this blistering, deadly summer was the hottest on record – and by a significant margin. The planet experienced its hottest June on record, followed by the hottest July – both breaking previous records by large margins. August was also the warmest such month on record, according to the new Copernicus data, and warmer than every other month this year except for July. The global average temperature for the month was 16.82 degrees Celsius – 0.31 degrees warmer than the previous record set in 2016. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesCountries in the Southern Hemisphere have also experienced startlingly warm winters, with well-above average temperatures recorded in Australia, several South American countries and Antarctica.

Persons: Copernicus, It’s, ”, António Guterres, Petteri Taalas, Richard A, Brooks, Patrick T, Fallon, El, Samantha Burgess, CNN Burgess Organizations: CNN, Northern, United Nations, “, World Meteorological Organization, Getty, Southern, North Atlantic Locations: United States, Europe, Japan, Tokyo, AFP, Phoenix , Arizona, Australia, Antarctica, Atlantic, Pacific, Florida

With Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince largely controlled by gangs infamous for kidnapping and murder, experts warn that the deportations could amount to death sentences. Migrants, mostly from Haiti, collect clothes donated by a group of volunteers, at the Giordano Bruno in Mexico City, Mexico, April 6, 2023. Blinken added he looks forward to advancing the process of Kenya’s involvement through a UN Security Council resolution authorizing a multinational force in Haiti. Migrants, mostly from Haiti, take part in a protest with a banner that reads "Mexicans and Haitians are brothers" in Mexico City, Mexico May 29, 2023. From October 2022 to July 2023, more than 5,000 Haitians were interdicted at sea by the US Coast Guard.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, ” Guerline Jozef, “, Harris, Mayorkas, Jovenel Moise, Ariel Henry, ”, Giordano Bruno, Henry Romero, Henry, Antonio Guterres, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Jake Sullivan, wouldn’t, ’, ” “ Organizations: CNN, United, Customs Enforcement, Haitian Bridge Alliance, UN, Biden, White, National Security, of State, Homeland Security, Migrants, Reuters, United Nations, House, Haitian National Police, Kenyan, US Department of State, National Security Council, UN Security, US Coast Guard Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, United Nations, American, Port, United States, Mexico City, Mexico, Kenya, States, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Panama, Colombia, Darien

August was about 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial averages, which is the warming threshold that the world is trying not to pass. “Climate breakdown has begun.”Political Cartoons View All 1145 ImagesSo far, 2023 is the second hottest year on record, behind 2016, according to Copernicus. Usually an El Nino, which started earlier this year, adds extra heat to global temperatures but more so in its second year. The world has been warmer before, but that was prior to human civilization, seas were much higher and the poles were not icy. While the world's air and oceans were setting records for heat, Antarctica continued to set records for low amounts of sea ice, the WMO said.

Persons: Copernicus, ”, Antonio Guterres, Carlo Buontempo, ___ Borenstein, Seth Borenstein Organizations: GENEVA, Northern, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, ” United Nations, El Nino, University of Maine's, Twitter, AP Locations: El, United Kingdom, United States, Antarctica, Washington

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Climate change is “relentlessly eating away” at Africa’s economic progress and it’s time to have a global conversation about a carbon tax on polluters, Kenya’s president declared Tuesday as the first Africa Climate Summit got underway. He and other leaders urged reforms to the global financial structures that have left African nations paying about five times more to borrow money than others, worsening the debt crisis for many. Africa has more than 30 of the world’s most indebted countries, Kenya’s Cabinet secretary for the environment, Soipan Tuya, said. Africa’s GDP should be revalued for its assets, which include the world's second-largest rainforest and biodiversity, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said. “It is an African story, and I daresay it’s a global story, too.”___Follow AP’s coverage of the climate at https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment and of Africa at https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Persons: William Ruto, Tuya, John Kerry, Kerry, Joe Biden, ” Ruto, ”, Ruto, “ It’s, Sahle, Zewde, Akinwumi Adesina, Adesina, Martha Lusweti, Antonio Guterres, Ursula Von der Leyen, lullabies, Sierra, Julius Maada Organizations: Africa Climate Summit, European Union, Kenyan, United, United Arab Emirates, Development Bank, ”, International Monetary Fund Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, Africa, China, United States, U.S, United Arab, United Nations, Europe, U.N, Africa's, Nigeria's Niger Delta, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Congo, africa

☆ Turkey's Erdogan says to discuss grain deal with UN's Guterres this month
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is in close contact with the United Nations on reviving the Black Sea grain initiative and he will discuss it with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at its general assembly this month, Turkish media reported. Speaking to reporters after talks in Russia with Vladimir Putin, Erdogan was quoted as saying the latest U.N. proposal sought to address some Russian demands, and he repeated he believed a solution could be found soon. NATO member Turkey is seeking to convince Russia to return to the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Ankara and the United Nations. Erdogan will participate in the G20 summit in India on Sept. 9-10 before attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 18-26. "We will have meetings with Guterres there to discuss these issues," Erdogan was cited as saying.

Persons: Umit, Tayyip Erdogan, Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, Erdogan, General Guterres, SWIFT, Putin, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Agricultural Bank, TRT, Haberturk, NATO, Initiative, Moscow, General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Izmit, Kocaeli province, Turkey, Rights ANKARA, Russia, Moscow, Europe, Ankara, India, New York

☆ With grain deal in focus, Putin to meet Erdogan in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The current status (of the grain deal) will be discussed at the summit on Monday. Putin has said Russia could return to the grain deal if the West fulfils a separate memorandum agreed with the United Nations at the same time to facilitate Russian food and fertiliser exports. Ahead of the Erdogan talks, Ukrainian officials said Russia launched an overnight air attack on one of Ukraine's major grain exporting ports. In its report on the Erdogan meeting, Russian state television said promises made to Russia must be implemented. For Russia, Erdogan is a key broker - and one respected personally by Putin.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Mehmet Emin Calsikan, Erdogan, Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Russia, Dmitry Peskov, Akif Cagatay Kilic, Kilic, Russia's, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Maria Zakharova, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Michelle Nichols, Robert Birsel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, UN, Kremlin, United, Haber, United Nations, Russian, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, Sochi Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine MOSCOW, Russia's Black, Sochi, United Nations, Moscow, Izmail, Ukraine's Odesa, EU, Russian, Melbourne, Ankara

☆ Russian and Turkish Leaders to Meet Amid Push to Revive Grain Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Image Grain stored in a warehouse in the village of Moloha, in Ukraine’s Odesa region, in July. The meeting was announced after talks on Thursday between the countries’ top diplomats in Moscow ended with no apparent progress in resurrecting the deal, which Russia withdrew from in July. Moscow complained that the deal was being carried out unfairly, and has since repeatedly bombarded Ukrainian grain facilities and threatened civilian ships heading to Ukrainian ports. On Monday, the two leaders also are expected to discuss a proposal to build a gas distribution hub in Turkey that Russia could use to reroute its gas exports. Establishing a gas hub in Turkey could make Ankara a powerful player in international gas markets and give Russia an intermediary through which to reach European buyers.

Persons: Emile Ducke, Vladimir V, Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia’s, António Guterres, Guterres, Erdogan, Mr Organizations: The New York Times, Turkish, Initiative, United Nations, NATO Locations: Moloha, Ukraine’s Odesa, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Ukraine’s, Turkey, Kyiv, New York, Sochi, Russian, Turkish, Ankara

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Friday to discuss grain ahead of the Erdogan meeting. "It turned out that it is more difficult to do this than to build new corridors, new ground routes," said Shoigu, who attended the signing ceremony for the Black Sea deal in Istanbul in 2022. Turkey's foreign minister said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday that reviving the deal was important for the world. U.S. wheat prices rose on Friday, though Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia saw no sign that it would receive the guarantees needed to revive the grain deal. Lavrov said he had discussed Putin's initiative to supply up to 1 million tonnes of Russian grain to Turkey at reduced prices for subsequent processing at Turkish plants and shipping to countries most in need.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Putin, Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, it's, Russia's, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Conor Humphries, Alison Williams Organizations: Sputnik, Erdogan, UN, United Nations, United, Kremlin, Turkish, Russian, Central African, Initiative, Qatar, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Asia, Astana, Kazakhstan, Sochi Turkey, Russia, MOSCOW, Black, Sochi, Ankara, Ukraine, United Nations, Turkey, Moscow, Istanbul, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, EU, Odesa

☆ UN chief sends Russia bid to revive Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkish-flagged bulker TQ Samsun, carrying grain under UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, is pictured in the Black Sea, north of Bosphorus Strait, off Istanbul, Turkey July 17, 2023. Two Turkish sources told Reuters the pair will meet on Monday and primarily discuss Black Sea grain exports. The Black Sea grain deal was intended to combat a global food crisis that the United Nations said had been worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "We cannot have a Black Sea initiative that moves from crisis to crisis, from suspension to suspension. Russia has said that if demands to improve its own exports of grain and fertilizer were met, it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement.

Persons: Yoruk, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's, Guterres, Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Russian, United, Reuters, Turkish, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Samsun, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Russia, United Nations, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, EU

☆ Gabon military coup: What to know about the overthrow of the Bongo dynasty
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

International leaders have expressed concern and condemnation of the coup, some warning their citizens in Gabon to shelter in place. The military’s power grab began Wednesday, shortly after Gabon’s election authority said Bongo had been re-elected president following last weekend’s election. People celebrate following a military coup in Libreville, Gabon, on August 30. Coups in Africa were rampant in the early postcolonial decades, with coup leaders offering similar reasons for toppling governments: corruption, mismanagement and poverty, according to political analyst Remi Adekoya. The Gabon coup has been widely criticized by other African nations and in the West.

Persons: –, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ali Bongo, Bongo, ”, president’s, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Brice Oligui Nguema –, Bongo’s, Oligui, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, “, Brice Oligui Nguema, there’s, Omar Bongo, Gabon's, Omar Bongo Ondimba, Nicolas Sarkozy, Frederic SOULOY, Ali Bongo’s, Remi Adekoya, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Ali, General Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Matthew Miller Organizations: CNN, Agence France, Presse, ” Residents, Bongo PDG, Reuters, Gabonese, Gabon Wednesday, African Union, ” United Nations, US State Department Locations: African, Gabon, Libreville, Ayong, Gabonese, Dakar, Senegal, Span, France, United States, Paris, Africa’s, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Tunisia, Africa, West, United Kingdom, Spain

☆ Reaction to Gabon army officers announcing coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are reactions to what appeared to be the eighth military coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON OLIVIER VERAN"We condemn the military coup and recall our commitment to free and transparent elections." EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY JOSEP BORRELL"If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region. RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON MARIA ZAKHAROVA"Moscow has received with concern reports of a sharp deterioration in the internal situation in the friendly African country. U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES"The Secretary-General is following the evolving situation in Gabon very closely.

Persons: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ali Bongo, Moussa Faki Mahamat, BOLA TINUBU'S, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GENERAL PATRICIA SCOTLAND, OLIVIER VERAN, WANG WENBIN, Bongo, JOSEP BORRELL, MARIA ZAKHAROVA, JOHN KIRBY, It's, GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES, Nellie Peyton, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning, Sharon Singleton, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, Central African, AU, H.E, WEST, BLOC ECOWAS, GENERAL, Commonwealth Secretariat, MINISTRY, EU HIGH, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, West, Central Africa, Gabonese Republic, Republic, NIGERIA, African Union, CHINA, China, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Moscow

☆ UN vote on Lebanon peacekeeping force delayed as France, US, UAE argue
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) - established in 1978 - patrols Lebanon's southern border with Israel. France has drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the peacekeeping mission for another year, but the United States and the United Arab Emirates argue it has weakened some language on the ability of U.N. troops to move freely. Lebanon's caretaker foreign affairs minister Abdallah Bou Habib has said that the new Security Council resolution should stipulate that UNIFIL coordinate with the Lebanese army. That has sparked friction with Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon despite the presence of the Lebanese army. In December, an Irish peacekeeper was killed when his UNIFIL vehicle came under fire in southern Lebanon.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Gilad Erdan, Abdallah Bou Habib, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Michelle Nichols, Dan Williams, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, David Holmes Organizations: Lebanese, UN, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, Nations, United, Interim Force, Security, Security Council, Reuters, Israel's Army Radio, Irish, UNIFIL, Thomson Locations: Israel, Lebanon, France, United States, Emirates, Iran, UAE, Lebanese

☆ The Air Force wants $5.8 billion to build nearly 2,000 AI-powered Valkyrie aircraft as part of its 'next generation of air dominance' initiative
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Air Force has requested $5.8 billion in its budget to create AI-driven XQ-58A Valkyrie aircraft. The autonomous crafts are ideal for completing suicide missions and protecting pilots, the Air Force says. Human rights advocates say letting technology take lives crosses a moral boundary. The Times reported each Valkyrie will cost between $3 million and $25 million — far less than a manned pilot jet. Air Force and Department of Defense representatives did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: —, Mary Wareham, António Guterres Organizations: Air Force, Service, Force, New York Times, Times, The Times, Department of Defense, Human Rights Watch, Life Institute, United Nations Locations: Wall, Silicon, of Mexico

BRICS - whose acronym was originally coined by an economist at Goldman Sachs, currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called the BRICS leaders' decision to invite Ethiopia to join "a great moment". "It shows the determination of BRICS countries for unity and cooperation with the broader developing countries." More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, say South African officials, and 22 have formally asked to be admitted. "The expansion and modernization of BRICS is a message that all institutions in the world need to mould themselves according to changing times," he said.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Alet Pretorius, Goldman Sachs, BRICS, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ramaphosa, Lula, globalisation's, Mohammed bin Zayed, Abiy Ahmed, Antonio Guterres, Xi Jinping, Bhargav Acharya, Sergio Goncalves, Ethan Wang, Vladimir Soldatkin, Joe Bavier, Toby Chopra, Emelia Organizations: South, India's, Russia's, REUTERS, United Arab, United, United Arab Emirates, New Development Bank, Ethiopian, United Nations, . Security, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, BRICS, Indian, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, UAE, JOHANNESBURG, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Ukraine, United States, Beijing, Moscow, United Arab, Lisbon

☆ The world's largest floating wind farm is now officially open — and helping to power North Sea oil operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Floating offshore wind turbines are different from fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines, which are rooted to the seabed. One advantage of floating turbines is that they can be installed in far deeper waters than fixed-bottom ones. In recent years a range of companies and major economies like the U.S. have laid out goals to ramp up floating wind installations. Alongside Equinor, partners in the Hywind Tampen project include Vår Energi, INPEX Idemitsu, Petoro, Wintershall Dea and OMV. Back in 2017, it started operations at Hywind Scotland, a five-turbine, 30 MW facility it calls the planet's first floating wind farm.

Persons: Equinor, Tampen, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, INPEX, Wintershall, Equinor's Siri Kindem, General, Antonio Guterres Organizations: United Nations Locations: Norwegian, Norway, OMV, Hywind Scotland, North, Sharm el, Sheikh, Egypt

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