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☆ Honduras to sign agreement for U.N. anti-corruption mission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Gustavo Palencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Honduras will sign an agreement Thursday to install a United Nations-backed anti-corruption mission in the country, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday, making good on a key campaign pledge of President Xiomara Castro to root out graft. The foreign ministry tweeted that the agreement will be signed Thursday, but later took down the post. Hernandez was extradited to the United States earlier this year on drug-trafficking charges. A similar mission supported by the Organization of the American States (OAS) operated in Honduras until January 2020, but disbanded after then-President Hernandez let its mandate expire. The OAS mission, called the Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH), was created in 2016 and led corruption investigations into officials, legislators and Hernandez himself.

☆ Irish soldier killed on U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) - An Irish soldier was killed on a U.N. peackeeping mission in Lebanon late on Wednesday when a convoy of two armoured utility vehicles travelling to Beirut came under small arms fire, Ireland's defence forces said in a statement. Another Irish member of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in a serious condition having undergone surgery following the incident, the statement said. "It is with deep regret that Óglaigh na hÉireann (the Irish defence forces) can confirm the death of one of our peacekeepers in a serious incident in Lebanon last night," the defence forces said, adding that a full investigation will commence. Irish Defence Minister Simon Coveney, who is in New York for a U.N. Security Council meeting, said he will meet U.N. Secretary General António Guterres later on Thursday to discuss the incident. "As a people, we take great pride in our unbroken record of peacekeeping with the United Nations.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest news: Putin cautions about challenges in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

* Speaking on Security Services Day, widely celebrated in Russia, Putin ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders as Moscow tries to regain momentum in its war against Ukraine. * Putin and his Belarusian counterpart President Alexander extolled the benefits of cooperation, but they hardly mentioned the Ukraine war at their joint news conference. [1/11] A local resident Mykola Kobzarenko inspects the remains of his garage, destroyed during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Stari Bezradychi, in Kyiv region, Ukraine December 19, 2022. * Ukraine's atomic energy agency accused Russia of sending a "kamikaze" drone over part of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant in the Mykolaiv region overnight. * Washington and its allies need do more to help Ukraine keep the power on, a senior U.S. diplomat said.

☆ Nigerian government rejects Reuters report on abortion programme
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The Nigerian government rejects a Reuters report published last week about a secret programme of abortions run by the military in the country's northeast, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Monday. The Reuters investigation found that since 2013, a secret military programme has involved terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls, many of whom had been kidnapped and raped by Islamist militants. "We also hereby reject the accusation of running an abortion programme levelled at our military," he said. Mohammed's comments were the first by a Nigerian government official since the report was published last week. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on Nigerian authorities to investigate the allegations, U.N spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

☆ Abalone and Dugongs threatened with extinction, warns IUCN Red List
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The effects of human activity from climate change to pollution are “devastating” marine life, with nearly a tenth of underwater plants and animals assessed so far threatened with extinction, the latest Red List of Threatened Species showed on Friday. “It shows that we are having quite a devastating impact on marine species,” Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List, said. Linda Lombardi/AP/FILEHilton-Taylor said the portion of marine species facing extinction was likely much higher than current data shows because those analyzed so far have tended to be widespread fish species, not currently under threat. The latest list reviews abalone species, a type of mollusc sold as a luxury seafood item, for the first time and found that around 44% of them face extinction. “The awful status of these species should shock us and engage us for urgent action,” said Amanda Vincent, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Conservation Committee.

☆ Russia appears to have restocked its supply of Iranian-made suicide drones as it unleashes fresh wave of attacks, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has unleashed a fresh wave of Iranian suicide drone attacks on Ukraine, suggesting a restock. This follows a three-week hiatus in the attacks, and it was suspected that their drone supply was low. It also appears that Russia has resolved issues that prevented the drones from working in cold weather. Reports suggested that Russia appeared to be running out of its supply of the deadly drones. The United Nations is looking into accusations that Iran supplied Russia with drones, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this week.

☆ Animals Are Running Out of Places to Live
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Catrin Einhorn | Lauren Leatherby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

In many places, poverty, powerful interests and a lack of law enforcement make habitat loss especially hard to address. Because animals there often have smaller ranges to begin with, habitat loss hits them especially hard. “That's the ultimate challenge of forest conservation globally.”Source: Map of Life | Photo: Chien C. Lee MOZAMBIQUE Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Est. habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR MOZAMBIQUE Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Source: Map of Life | Photo: Chien C. Lee MOZAMBIQUE Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR MOZAMBIQUE Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCARThis is the 2001 habitat of the white-headed lemur, a primate that eats fruit and flowers. Of the many targets being negotiated, the one that has gotten the most attention seeks to address habitat loss head on.

☆ Belarus to allow transit of Ukraine grain for export from Lithuania - U.N.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Belarus told the United Nations on Friday that it would accept, without preconditions, the transit of Ukrainian grains through its territory for export from Lithuanian ports, a U.N. spokesman said. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Belarus Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Ambrazevich in New York on Friday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement after the meeting. Ambrazevich also "reiterated the requests from his government to be able export its own fertilizer products, which are currently subject to sanctions," Dujarric said. Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Kanishka SinghOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nearly 10% of marine life threatened with extinction -Red List
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary IUCN releases biodiversity barometer during U.N. talksClimate change, pollution 'devastating' marine speciesDugongs number in just the hundreds in some regionsGENEVA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The effects of human activity from climate change to pollution are "devastating" marine life, with nearly a tenth of underwater plants and animals assessed so far threatened with extinction, the latest Red List of Threatened Species showed on Friday. "It shows that we are having quite a devastating impact on marine species," Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List, told Reuters. Hilton-Taylor said the portion of marine species facing extinction was likely much higher than current data shows because those analysed so far have tended to be widespread fish species, not currently under threat. The latest list reviews abalone species, a type of mollusc sold as a luxury seafood item, for the first time and found that around 44% of them face extinction. "The awful status of these species should shock us and engage us for urgent action," said Amanda Vincent, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Conservation Committee.

☆ Russia trying to get ballistic missiles from Iran, says Britain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Russia is attempting to obtain more weapons from Iran, including hundreds of ballistic missiles, and offering Tehran an unprecedented level of military and technical support in return, Britain's U.N. "Russia is now attempting to obtain more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles," Woodward told reporters. We're concerned that Russia intends to provide Iran with more advanced military components, which will allow Iran to strengthen their weapons capability," she said. Iran has promised to provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles, in addition to more drones, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters in October. The United States said on Wednesday that it has seen the continued provision of Iranian drones to Russia, but that Washington had not seen evidence that Iran has transferred ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine.

☆ UN Secretary-General calls on Nigeria to investigate report of forced abortions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

To match Special Report NIGERIA-MILITARY/ABORTIONS REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS, THIS PICTURE WAS DIGITALLY MASKED BY REUTERS TO PROTECT THE IDENTITY OF THE WOMAN. Dec 9 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Nigerian authorities to investigate allegations of systemic and coerced abortions reportedly perpetrated by the Nigerian army, U.N spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday. Reuters reported on Wednesday that the Nigerian Army has run a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the country's northeast since at least 2013. "We call on the Nigerian authorities to fully investigate these allegations and make sure there's accountability," Dujarric told reporters later on Friday. Nigeria's defence chief said on Thursday the military will not investigate the report, saying it was not true.

☆ Taliban carry out first public execution since Afghan takeover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban authorities on Wednesday executed an Afghan convicted of killing another man, the first public execution since the former insurgents took over Afghanistan last year, a spokesman said. The execution, carried out with an assault rifle by the victim’s father, took place in western Farah province before hundreds of spectators and many top Taliban officials, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, the top Taliban government spokesman. The executed man, identified as Tajmir from Herat province, was convicted of killing another man five years ago and stealing his motorcycle and mobile phone. Taliban security forces had arrested Tajmir after the victim’s family accused him of the crime, said a statement from Mujahid, the spokesman. During the previous Taliban rule of the country in the late 1990s, the group carried out public executions, floggings and stoning of those convicted of crimes in Taliban courts.

The deal to create a "loss and damage" fund was hailed as a breakthrough for developing country negotiators at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt, overcoming years of resistance from wealthy nations in European Union and United States. Morgan, along with Chile's environment minister, led the working group that came up with the U.N. deal on loss and damage. The fund was created on the principle that rich, industrialized nations that are responsible for most of the world's greenhouse emissions should pay developing countries for the damage caused to the climate. But Morgan said the fund needed to go beyond public money from industrialized countries to find innovative funding sources. Climate Envoy John Kerry told Reuters that the United States consulted with COP27 host Egypt and the United Nations on loss and damage, proposing that the fund be created in 2023 rather than 2024.

☆ Countries split on plastics treaty focus as UN talks close
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The High Ambition Coalition of over 40 countries, including EU members, Switzerland, host Uruguay and Ghana, wants the treaty to be based on mandatory global measures, including curbs on production. That approach contrasts with the country-driven pledges advocated by countries including the United States and Saudi Arabia. Critics say such an approach would weaken a global treaty. Industry representatives at the talks touted the essential role of plastics in daily life, calling for the treaty to focus tackling waste rather than measures to sap production. Environmental group Greenpeace said that without a strong treaty, plastic production could double within the next 10 to 15 years, and triple by 2050.

☆ Opinion: It's time for African countries to consider a climate tax on exports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Adjoa Adjei-Twum | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

I welcome progress here, as African nations are bearing the brunt of climate change. It is now time for African nations to levy a climate export tax on commodities, such as cocoa and rubber, to help pay for climate adaptation. Adaptation is all about building resilience and capacity, and I believe our governments, banks, and businesses must also adapt. Additionally, G20 countries are asking their banks to forecast how risky their loans are due to climate change. It is a wake-up call for African governments, banks, institutions, and companies to unite, step up, and adapt to a new climate reality.

☆ Kim Jong Un’s sister warns U.S. of ‘a more fatal security crisis’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

After the meeting, Thomas-Greenfield also read a statement by 14 countries that supported action to limit North Korea’s advancement of its weapons programs. During the Security Council meeting, the United States and its allies strongly criticized the ICBM launch and called for action to limit North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. But Russia and China, both veto-wielding members of the Security Council, opposed any new pressure and sanctions on North Korea. The status of North Korea’s nuclear capability remains shrouded in secrecy. Some analysts say North Korea already has nuclear-armed missiles that can strike both the U.S. mainland and its allies South Korea and Japan, but others say the North is still years away from possessing such missiles.

☆ Russian prankster impersonating Macron spoke to Poland's Duda after blast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Emmanuel, believe me, I am extra careful," Duda tells the caller. "I don't want to have war with Russia and believe me, I am extra careful, extra careful." "During the call, President Andrzej Duda realized from the unusual way the interlocutor conducted the conversation that there might have been an attempted hoax attempt and ended the conversation." Duda's office was investigating how the callers managed to get through to him together with the relevant services, it said. In 2020 Vovan and Lexus called Duda pretending to be U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, raising questions about security and call screening in Duda's office.

☆ Rich countries driving the climate crisis have agreed to pay developing nations for damage. But collecting the money will be tough.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Developing nations won creation of a "loss and damage" fund for climate disasters. Climate diplomats left Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with a historic deal — 30 years in the making — for rich countries to pay developing nations for the damages they are already facing from a warming planet. But the negotiators who gathered in the resort city along the Red Sea failed to hammer out a more aggressive plan to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the crisis. The agreement follows a decades-long push by a coalition of developing nations known as the G77+ China. That country, despite being the world's largest polluter, is considered a developing country by international institutions and therefore isn't obligated to contribute to climate finance.

☆ U.S. calls for U.N. Security Council president's statement on North Korea missiles
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said it was vital the 15-member Security Council respond with one voice and reiterated U.S. charges that China and Russia were "emboldening" Pyongyang by blocking council action. The United States will be proposing a Presidential Statement to this end," she said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He said Washington should take the initiative and put forward realistic proposals to respond to North Korea's "legitimate concerns." A spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations said a draft president's statement would be shared with the Security Council soon and negotiations would follow. It said the Council must act to limit the advancement of North Korea's weapons programs.

☆ North Korea's foreign minister says U.N. secretary general not impartial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - North Korea's foreign minister on Monday accused U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres of siding with the United States and failing to maintain impartiality and objectivity. "Recently I have often taken the UN secretary-general for a member of the U.S. White House or its State Department," Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said in a statement carried by state media defending the nuclear-armed North's right to develop weapons for self defence. Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: COP27 loss and damage fund heralds 'new dawn for climate justice'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Megan Rowling | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Yeb Saño, head of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the fund's approval "marks a new dawn for climate justice." While the loss and damage fund would not be enough to deal with growing climate losses, "it is a much-needed political signal to rebuild broken trust" between rich and poor nations, he said in a video statement. Their opposition was rooted in fears of being held financially liable for the impacts of their historically high greenhouse gas emissions. FOSSIL FUELS MISSINGPolitical figures had urged countries at COP27 to set aside geopolitical fights in order to keep climate action on track. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, global climate and energy lead for environmental group WWF, who presided over COP20 in Peru, said leaders had missed the chance in Egypt to speed up the rapid and deep emissions cuts essential to limit climate damage.

☆ What are people saying about the COP27 deal?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I urge you to acknowledge when you walk out of this room, that we have all fallen short in actions to avoid and minimise loss and damage. "Too many parties are not ready to make more progress today in the fight against climate crisis." PAKISTAN CLIMATE CHANGE MINISTER SHERRY REHMAN"We have struggled for 30 year on this path and today in Sharm el-Sheikh this journey has achieved its first positive milestone ... MALDIVES CLIMATE CHANGE MINISTER AMINATH SHAUNA"I recognise the progress we made in COP 27 particularly on...the funding arrangements for loss and damage. And we were able to prevent a backslide behind the consensus of Glasgow and Paris (climate summits).

Here's what you need to know about the agreement:WHAT IS 'LOSS AND DAMAGE'? In U.N. climate talks, "loss and damage" refers to costs being incurred from climate-fuelled weather extremes or impacts, like rising sea levels. Loss and damage funding is different, specifically covering the cost of damage that countries cannot avoid or adapt to. A few governments have made relatively small but symbolic funding commitments for loss and damage: Denmark, Belgium, Germany and Scotland, plus the EU. Some existing U.N. and development bank funding does help states facing loss and damage, though it is not officially earmarked for that goal.

☆ Russia launches new Ukraine barrage as grain deal extended
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Russian airstrikes inflicted more damage on Ukraine on Thursday, with the latest barrage smashing into energy infrastructure, apartment buildings and an industrial site. At least four people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded in drone and missile strikes around the country, authorities said. The deals signed in Istanbul are aimed to help bring down prices of food and fertilizer and avoid a global food crisis. Air raid sirens sounded all across Ukraine early Thursday amid fears that Moscow was unleashing its latest large-scale missile attack as the war approaches its nine-month milestone. In Kyiv, the city’s military administration said air defenses shot down at least two cruise missiles and five Iranian-made exploding drones.

☆ Russia Agrees to Renew Ukraine Grain Deal, U.N. Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( William Mauldin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The agreement allowed Ukraine to resume shipping grain through three Black Sea ports after a monthslong blockade. Moscow agreed to renew an arrangement with Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations that allows for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products through the war-torn Black Sea region, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said. “I welcome the agreement by all parties to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” Mr. Guterres said in a statement.

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