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☆ Lawmakers are trying to keep meatpacking giant JBS from trading on NYSE, citing links to deforestation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US and UK lawmakers are rallying against an IPO by the world's largest meatpacker, JBS. Brazil says two-thirds of Amazon deforestation comes from converting land into pastures for livestock. Trading on the world's largest exchange would give JBS access to more capital and enhance its credibility. "The company has made repeated claims that it will eliminate deforestation but has not taken meaningful steps to do so." Two-thirds of Amazon deforestation results from conversion to pasture for livestock, according to the Brazilian government.

Persons: JBS Organizations: Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Stock Exchange, New, U.S, Democrats, Republicans, SEC, NYSE, JBS S.A Locations: Brazil, United States, United Kingdom, New York

Trading on the world's largest exchange would give JBS, which applied in July, access to more capital and enhance its credibility. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe dispute highlights the connection between finance and various drivers of climate change, such as deforestation. Two-thirds of Amazon deforestation results from conversion to pasture for livestock, according to the Brazilian government. In 2020, it created the JBS Fund For the Amazon. In the three years since inception, the JBS Fund for The Amazon has provided $15 million to 20 projects, according to its website.

Persons: ”, JBS, Elon Musk, Carlos Nobre, Liège Correia, Andrea Azevedo, “, ” Azevedo, Azevedo, Glenn Hurowitz, it's Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Stock Exchange, U.S, Democrats, Republicans, SEC, NYSE, Associated Press, Brazil’s Agencia Publica, JBS S.A, JBS Fund, The, Forest Peoples Connection, Elon, SpaceX, Good Food Institute, United Nations, JBS, AP Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil, United States, United Kingdom, Rondonia, pirarucu, U.S, Dubai, AP.org

☆ Malaysia’s last tigers: Why this rare image is giving conservationists hope
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“This image is the last image of the Malayan tiger — or it’s the first image of the return of the Malayan tiger,” he says. ‘A million-dollar shot’Regular camera traps — like the hundreds already used by the park’s scientists, researchers and conservationists — are typically the size of a large smartphone and activated by broad-range motion sensors. Rondeau's high-resolution camera traps included a DSLR camera in a waterproof casing. Emmanuel Rondeau, wildlife photographerBut there’s still more work to be done. As a keystone species, tigers are essential to a healthy ecosystem – and without them, the 130-million-year-old rainforests around the Belum-Temengor complex could be threatened, too.

Persons: CNN — Emmanuel Rondeau, “, ”, Rondeau, ” Rondeau, ‘, —, I’m, ” Rondeau didn’t, ‘ I’m, Carol Debra, Azlan Mohamed, Mohamed, Debra, Emmanuel Rondeau, Stuart Chapman, Chapman, ” Stuart Chapman, Merapi Mat Razi, there’s Organizations: CNN, WWF, Peninsular Malaysia, Malayan, Malaysia, Malaysia WWF, Malaysia —, country’s, “ Tigers, US, Malayan Tiger Conservation, Tiger, WWF’s Tigers, Initiative, Tigers, WWF – Malaysia, Royal, United Nations, Conservation Task Force, Bureau Locations: Asia, Siberia, Bhutan, Malaysia, Peninsular, Southeast Asia, Belum, Asli, “, Royal Belum, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Park

☆ Norway poised to open vast ocean area to controversial deep-sea mining
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Activists take part at a "Look Down action" rally to stop deep sea mining outside the European Parliament in Brussels on March 6, 2023. In a parliamentary vote on Tuesday, lawmakers in the northern European country are expected to approve the government's proposal to open Norwegian waters for commercial-scale deep-sea mining. Critics say deep-sea mining is "extremely destructive," while scientists warn the full environmental impacts are hard to predict. Ocean Rebellions protest The Deep Sea Says No Why the deep sea? (Photo by Charles M. Vella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Persons: Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD, KENZO TRIBOUILLARD, Kenzo Tribouillard, What's, Luciana, Charles M Organizations: Getty, Afp, Environmental Justice Foundation, European Commission, SOUTH Locations: Brussels, AFP, Norway, Svalbard, ROTTERDAM, SOUTH HOLLAND, NETHERLANDS

☆ Period poverty: How air pollution in Kenya could make periods heavier, more painful and more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Elizabeth Wells | Eoin Mcsweeney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Studies have linked air pollution to an increased risk of endometriosis , a condition that causes tissue like what lines the womb to grow outside of the uterus. Compared with Kenya, women can more easily access anti-inflammatory drugs and birth control commonly used to manage painful periods. She believes that the new research on air pollution should be a major concern for the millions of women struggling to manage their periods in Nairobi. Kenyan Senator Gloria Orwoba is calling for more research on the link between air pollution and women's reproductive health. Now, she tells CNN, targeted government intervention is needed to address the possible effects of air pollution on menstrual cycles.

Persons: Alice Shikuku, Shikuku, Mercy, Audrey Gaskins, we've, Gaskins, Oscar Lee, Lee, Emmie Erondanga, Miss Koch, Erondanga, Wanjiru Kepha, Kepha, Wanjiru, Damaris Atieno, Atieno, Sen, Gloria Orwoba, Orwoba, William Ruto's, she's, I'm Organizations: CNN, US Agency for International Development, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, China Medical University, World Health Organization, Miss, Huru International, Kenya, Kenyan, William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Korogocho, United States, Taiwan, Taichung, Shikuku's, Dandora, Miss Koch Kenya, Mukuru, Miss, Wanjiru Kepha

☆ Large Farmers Received Millions in Insurance Subsidies, Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The federal government provided millions of dollars in subsidies to large farmers to pay for much of the cost of their crop insurance policies last year, according to a Government Accountability Office report set to be released on Monday. The federal crop insurance program is intended to encourage farmers to protect their crops against natural disasters, extreme weather and other destructive events by purchasing private insurance that is heavily subsidized with taxpayer dollars. Under the program, farmers can buy insurance policies to help cover financial losses from crop price declines and poor yields resulting from natural disasters. The cost of the federal crop insurance program ballooned last year, reaching $17.3 billion in 2022, according to Agriculture Department data. In 2021, the program cost the federal government roughly $9.4 billion, according to Agriculture Department data.

Organizations: Agriculture Department

☆ French police arrest yoga guru in connection with alleged rape, human trafficking and kidnapping scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Maya Szaniecki | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Paris CNN —French police this week arrested yoga guru Gregorian Bivolaru and 41 others on accusations of kidnap, rape and human trafficking. Alleged victims were drawn in with promises of a spiritual awakening, only to be indoctrinated and mentally manipulated into sexual relations with 71-year-old Bivolaru, a judicial source said. Then, the alleged victims said they would be mentally manipulated into accepting “sexual relations designed to suppress any notion of consent regarding sexual relations,” the judicial source said. The judicial source said the alleged victims were told that consent was a reflection of the ego preventing them from reaching a state of spiritual awakening. Twenty-six alleged victims were found living in cramped and unhygienic conditions, the judicial source said.

Persons: Gregorian, Bivolaru –, Bivolaru, MISA, ”, –, “, ’, ” MISA, Interpol’s ‘, Maya Szaniecki, Sophie Tanno Organizations: Paris CNN —, Interpol, for, International Federation of Yoga, CNN, Atman Federation, MISA Yoga, AFP, Rights League –, Central Office, OCRVP, Bivolaru Locations: Paris, France, Romania, French, Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Finland, London

☆ From trauma to rainbows; Israel festival survivors heal in Cyprus
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILIOU, Cyprus Dec 1 (Reuters) - Deep within the lush mountainous forests of Cyprus, survivors of the Oct. 7 music festival bloodbath in Israel practice yoga, paint and meditate as they try to come to grips with the trauma. Israeli businessman Yoni Kahana, who operates the retreat on the east Mediterranean island, is hosting survivors free of charge. Aided by an Israeli NGO, IsraAID, the Secret Forest retreat in the mountains above Paphos in western Cyprus has a steady rotation of festival survivors seeking solace. He said more than 1,800 Israelis had signed up to a programme which includes yoga, therapy sessions, hiking and meditation overseen by up to 20 volunteer therapists. Many trauma survivors turn to art in an attempt to externalise their feelings, painting with red, white and black, the colours of trauma, before adding rays of sun, a rainbow, or a flower, said therapist Lilach Galkin.

Persons: Matan Madar, Dor, Neta Cohen, Yoni Kahana, Rahamim, Lilach Galkin, Hope, I've, Michele Kambas, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Hamas, Thomson Locations: MILIOU, Cyprus, Israel, Gaza, Israeli, Paphos

☆ Exclusive: World's top MDBs to launch debt-for-nature swap 'task force' - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The task force creation is the most significant step so far in showing that the global club of multilateral lenders, which between them have trillions of dollars worth of firepower, will significantly ramp up their support for these deals. Four sources involved in the plans, which are expected to be announced at the COP summit's 'finance day' on Monday, say the group will formally be called the "Task Force on Sustainability-linked Sovereign Financing for Nature and Climate". It will initially be chaired by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and U.S. government's Development Finance Institution (DFC), said three of the sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Both lenders have been involved in all the recent swaps which have also included Barbados and Gabon. At their simplest, the swaps work by buying up a country's bonds, often at a discount, and then replacing them with cheaper eco-labelled ones that come with the special MDB guarantees.

Persons: Chico Mendes, Amanda Perobelli, MDBs, Marc Jones, Christina Fincher Organizations: Chico, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, Institute for, Environment, Resources, REUTERS, Reuters, Force, Sustainability, Nature, Inter, American Development Bank, government's Development Finance, World Bank, European Investment Bank, Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, ADB, Infrastructure Development Bank, Reuters Graphics, Conservancy, Thomson Locations: Pocone, Mato Grosso, Brazil, Belize, Barbados, Gabon, Beijing, U.S, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Colombia, Ecuador

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Lawyer Isabel Lazo’s jobs are being systematically canceled by Nicaragua’s increasingly repressive government. Lazo worked at a university before the government of President Daniel Ortega closed it. The couple lives in the northern city of Somoto, where Isabel Lazo now works for a European-backed NGO. Lazo said Thursday she is worried that it's only a matter of time for the group where she now works. She has wanted to emigrate for some time, but she helps her family by giving them some of what little money she earns.

Persons: Isabel Lazo’s, Nicaragua’s, Lazo, Daniel Ortega, Elizabeth Zechmeister, Guillermo Lazo, Ortega, Isabel Lazo, ”, ” Lazo, Rosemary Miranda, Miranda, ” Miranda Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Democracy, University of Northern, Roman Catholic, Nicaraguan, Cross, Jesuit, University of Central Locations: MEXICO, “, Americas, University of Northern Nicaragua, Somoto, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nicaraguan, University of Central America, Managua

In 2019, a non-governmental organization set up the camp's health post where Aliyu's ninth child, Hauwa, was delivered in 2021. "There are no special arrangements for pregnant women in IDP and refugee camps [in Nigeria]. But for most of the 64 women recorded in the camp's birth register this year, these costs are prohibitive. Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health oversees health for the country (including provisions provided by the Commission). He tells CNN: "Women's Health services were prioritized and featured strongly in the programs designed to the needs of internally displaced women."

Persons: Aisha Aliyu, Abba, Aliyu, Aisha, Liyatu Ayuba, Ayuba, Fatima Mahmood Jibirilla, Isa Umar, Umar, they've, doesn't, Dr Charles Nzelu, Dolapo Fasawe, Fasawe, Nzelu, Iko Ibanga, Osagie, Ehanire, Ibanga Organizations: CNN, Walden University, Camp, Camp Management, Aliyu, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health, Commission for Refugees, Migrants, Commission, antenatal, Capital Territory, Territory's, Environmental Services, FCT Health Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry, Pro Health, Federal Capital Territory, Health, Pro Health International, Union, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Ministry of Health, National Assembly Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Nigeria's, Wala, Borno State, Maiduguri, Haram, Durumi, Africa, Nigerian, Borno, Adamawa

As of Wednesday, Israel had released 180 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and Hamas had released 81 hostages. Under Israeli law, children as young as 12 can be imprisoned for up to six months. Salman was one of the prisoners released on Friday, after serving almost eight of those nine years. Israeli military police guard the entrance to Ofer Israeli military prison, as Palestinian prisoners arrive from another Israeli prison, as part of an agreement between Israel and Hamas, on November 24. According to a report by Save the Children earlier this year, between an estimated 500 and 1,000 children are held in Israeli military detention each year.

Persons: CNN — Fatima Shahin, Israel, Shahin, hadn’t, ” Shahin, “, It’s, ”, isn’t, Ofer, Ammar Awad, B’Tselem, Khader Adnan, ” Adnan, Malak Salman, Salman, ” Fatima Salman, Malak’s, Itamar Ben Gvir, Ben Gvir, Ilia Yefimovich Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces ’ International Law Department, Israeli Information Center, Human Rights, Israel Prison Service, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Reuters, Geneva Convention, Islamic Jihad, UN, Palestinian, Israel Prison, Israeli National Security, Israel Police Locations: Bethlehem, Israel, Territories, Ramallah, Israeli, Jerusalem, Gaza

"I feel really alone and if somebody with the status of an elected official can’t be protected then how must others feel?” said Omar. Official data shows a significant, smaller increase in anti-Muslim incidents in Britain and is patchy for the other two countries. "The vast majority of Muslims do not file a complaint when they are victims of such acts. A spokesperson for France's national police acknowledged data on anti-Muslim incidents was "incomplete", and relied on victims filing a complaint. For some Muslims in Germany, which has welcomed about a million Syrians and just under 400,000 Afghans in recent years, rising hostility came as a surprise.

Persons: Jian Omar, Lisi Niesner, ”, Omar, Zara Mohammed, Geert Wilders, Ben Badis, Rachid Abdouni, Khalil Raboun, Tell Mama, Mama, Abdallah Zekri, Zekri, Rima Hanano, Gerald Darmanin, Reza Zia, Emmanuel Macron, Zia, Ebrahimi, fomented, Aiman, Germany's, Reem Alabali, Radovan, Ghalia Zaghal, Zaghal, Layli Foroudi, Thomas Escritt, Sarah Marsh, Andrew MacAskill, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Reuters, Muslim Council of, Ministers, Local, French Muslim Council, HISTORY, Kings College London, Amnesty, German Muslim Council, Thomson Locations: German, Kurdish, Israel, Palestinian, Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, LONDON, Europe, Gaza, London, France, Britain, Muslim Council of Britain, British, Dutch, Netherlands, United States, Nanterre, Paris, French, Moroccan, Western, Syria

Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the biggest cause of climate change. "We have a world which has more fossil fuels than ever," said Ani Dasgupta, president of the World Resources Institute, a climate NGO. U.S. officials and others are hopeful a recent climate deal between the U.S. and China may also set a positive tone for the talks. Another test is whether wealthy nations announce money for the fund at COP28 - to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. "Speaking from previous experience, unfortunately most of the global agreements, most of the global climate related pledges went uncompleted," said Najib Ahmed, National Consultant at Somalia's Climate Ministry.

Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, ADNOC, Ani Dasgupta, Narendra Modi, Britain's King Charles, Joe Biden, Gayane, Najib Ahmed, Valerie Volcovici, Josie Kao Organizations: OPEC, United Nations, International Energy Agency, BBC, World Resources Institute, Indian, European Union, Reuters, U.S, FINANCE, EU, Climate Ministry, “, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, WASHINGTON, BRUSSELS, Dubai, UAE, U.S, China, India

☆ Economic models buckle under strain of climate reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But detractors say those numbers are the product of economic models that are not fit to capture the full extent of climate damage. A year earlier, the Trump administration cited similar models to justify replacing the Obama-era Clean Power Plan with one allowing higher emissions from coal-burning plants. At issue are the "integrated assessment models" (IAMs) economists use to draw conclusions on anything from output losses to financial risk or the pricing of carbon markets. Line chart with data from Climate Tracker shows varying predictions of global warming damage as percentage of GDP. "Our main message is: 'Economists, speak to climate scientists and come up with results that make sense'," he said.

Persons: William Nordhaus, Trump, Obama, Isabel Schnabel, Leon Walras, doesn't, Thierry Philipponnat, Steve Keen, Nordhaus, Rupert Thorne, Livio Stracca, Jean Boissinot, Nicholas Stern, Stern, Watch's Philipponnat, Mark John, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Central Bank, Finance Watch, Reuters, Network, Greening, " University College of London, ECB, NGFS, LSE, Grantham Research Institute, European Union, Thomson Locations: Dubai, Paris, Brussels

[1/5] Bohdan Yermokhin, a Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia from the occupied city of Mariupol, shakes hands after arriving in Ukraine from Belarus at the border crossing in Kortelisy, amid Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine, November 19, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter Acquire Licensing RightsKORTELISY, Ukraine, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia from the occupied city of Mariupol during the war and prevented from leaving the country earlier this year returned to Ukraine on Sunday. In March, he tried to leave Russia for Ukraine via Belarus, but was stopped and sent back. "I believed I would be in Ukraine, but not on this day," Yermokhin told Reuters while eating at a petrol station after crossing into Ukraine. Asked if he was glad to be back in Ukraine, Yermokhin said "yes."

Persons: Bohdan Yermokhin, Thomas Peter Acquire, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yermokhin, Zelenskiy, Yermokhin's, Bohdan, he's, Andriy Yermak, Mariam Lambert, Kateryna Bobrovska, Russia's, Maria Lvova, Belova, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Polityuk, Tom Balmforth, Jane Merriman, Ron Popeski, Bill Berkrot, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, Sunday, Children's Fund, UNICEF, Russia, FOSTER CARE, Foundation, Reuters, Criminal Court, ICC, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Mariupol, Ukraine, Belarus, Kortelisy, Qatar, MOSCOW, Moscow, Dutch, Minsk, Belarusian, The Hague

☆ ‘Where will I leave these children, on the street?’ The struggle for survival faced by disabled Palestinians in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“There was chaos in the place, children crying, and smoke and fire spread,” Al-Naizi told CNN, sharing videos of the aftermath. It took about two hours to evacuate the group, according to Al-Naizi, as many of the children had to be carried. “Where will I leave these children, on the street?” Al-Naizi said. Streams of Palestinians – including women, children and the elderly – have been making their way south in a growing exodus along daily evacuation corridors announced by the IDF. Hazem Saeed Al-NaiziAs Israeli troops close in on Gaza City, Al-Naizi fears the orphanage will be displaced again.

Persons: Hazem Saeed Al, Naizi, ” Al, ”, “, Hamza, Muhammad, Naizi Israel, Volker Türk, Abu Jazar Sama, Sama, Walid Mahmoud Nazzal, ” Sama, ” Heba Abu Jazar Sama, Heba Abu Jazar Sama, Sama’s, Jamal Al Rozzi, Ayas, Saeed Al, Reham Shaheen, bedsores, Shaheen, Gazans, Al Rozzi, Fidaa Fouad Khamis Omar, Khan Younis, ’ Al Rozzi’s, Adham, Israel, Omar, , ” CNN’s Kareem El Damanhoury, Abeer Salman, Akanksha Sharma, Mostafa Salem, Zeena, Eyad Kourdi Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian Ministry of Health, West Bank, Humanitarian Affairs, IDF, United Nations, Palestinian Central Bureau, Statistics, Palestinian, Palestinian Union of, UN, Human Rights Watch, National Society for Rehabilitation, Humanity, HRW, Aid, National Society for, Rehabilitation, Amnesty International Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Al, Ramallah, Palestinian Union, “, Wadi Gaza, Khan

☆ Israelis are arming up in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack. Some are worried it is playing to the far right’s vision for the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Tara John | Adi Koplewitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“We saw this in the first days of the war, wherever there were weapons, the scale of the disaster was smaller,” Ben Gvir said in a press release. Critics see it as part of a far-right vision to inflame Israeli-Palestinian relations in the country, especially in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Some in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, such as Ben Gvir and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, support annexing the West Bank. When CNN asked Ben Gvir at the Caesarea event last week whether his actions were inciting violence against Palestinians, CNN was kicked out of the ceremony. He adds that arming people like that “is only showing what he (Ben Gvir) is trying to cause, which is chaos.”CNN has reached out to Eliasi for comment.

Persons: Itamar Ben Gvir, ’, “, Ben Gvir, ” Ben Gvir’s, Mariam Barghouti, Ben Gvir’s, , ”, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Bezalel Smotrich, we’re, we’ll, Itamar Ben, Gvir, William Bonnett, Amichay Eliyahu, Ben, Eliyahu, Roy Malkan, ” Malkan, Yoav Eliasi, Ori Givati, Guy Ben, Israel’s Ben, ” Ben, Porat, Liat Eisner, We’re, Eisner, she’s, Netanyahu’s, I’m Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Ministry of National Security, West Bank, Power, New York Times, “, Jewish Power, CNN, Palestinian Ministry of Health, The United Nations, Israeli National Security, Israel Defense Forces, Heritage, ”, ” CNN, Reuters, Survey, Israel’s, Gurion University, ” Protesters, Ben, ” Security Locations: Caesarea, Jerusalem, Israel, Judea, Samaria, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Abdelathim, Qusra, Nablus, Judaea, ”, Ben Gvir’s, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Swiss

For Indian families, a modest wedding is an oxymoron. It was no different for Arti Kumari’s parents, despite their limited means as an NGO worker and a subsistence farmer. As the wedding day grew closer, Arti was still waiting for notice of the date of her athletic test for the federal security force job she hoped to win. She would be marrying without a job — not the future she and her mother had worked so hard for. Nevertheless, her wedding would be an ornate, multiday affair.

Persons: Arti Kumari’s, Meena, Anil, Arti Locations: India’s

[1/2] A child casts a ballot on behalf of a voter at a polling station during Hungarian parliamentary elections in Veresegyhaz, Hungary April 3, 2022. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsARLINGTON, Virginia, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Private spy firm Black Cube was behind a hidden video campaign that used LinkedIn to target Hungarian activists and journalists leading to last year's election in the central European country, the professional networking site said on Thursday. A researcher for Microsoft-owned (MSFT.O) LinkedIn said Black Cube, based in Israel, created a network of fake personas that used bogus job postings to connect with their targets on the platform. Black Cube did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The operation attributed to Black Cube by LinkedIn began in 2020 and targeted at least 12 activists and journalists who have been critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Persons: Leonhard Foeger, Mona Damian, Damian, Harvey Weinstein, Viktor Orban, Orban, Amnesty International Hungary Orsolya Jeney, Rohac, Raphael Satter, Rod Nickel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Politico, Hungarian, Reuters, Amnesty International, American Enterprise Institute, Thomson Locations: Veresegyhaz, Hungary, Rights ARLINGTON , Virginia, Israel, Arlington , Virginia, Hungary's, Amnesty International Hungary, Washington

Scientists say such extreme weather is becoming increasingly common globally because of climate change, which also intensifies the effects of El Nino. Never before has Lake Titicaca dried up like it is now. Experts say many of the factors contributing to the shrinking of Lake Titicaca could be linked to climate change. In global terms we have climate change, and phenomena such as El Nino and La Nina, which cause floods and droughts." Back at Lake Titicaca, Fredy Aruquipa, the person in charge of monitoring the lake's water level, watches it decline daily.

Persons: Alex Flores, Claudia Morales, Manuel Flores, El, Flores, Xavier Lazzaro, Rodney Camargo, La Nina, Fredy Aruquipa, Monica Machicao, Sergio Limachi, Isabel Woodford, Adam Jourdan, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, El, Friends, Nature Foundation, El Nino, La, Thomson Locations: Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, South, El Alto, El Nino, Titicaca, United States, Asia

More Americans are buying heat pumps, an environmentally friendly alternative to furnaces and air-conditioners that can significantly lower monthly energy bills. But the pace of installations has slowed in the past year, posing an obstacle to the Biden administration’s climate plans. Rising interest rates and inflation combined with a slow and confusing rollout of federal government incentives for the purchase of heat pumps are largely responsible for the recent drop in sales, energy analysts said. These headwinds, if they persist, could jeopardize President Biden’s goals of effectively eliminating U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. Those incentives defray only a small portion of the $16,000 an average heat pump installation costs, according to Rewiring America, a nonprofit group that is working to increase the use of cleaner forms of energy.

Persons: Biden’s Organizations: Biden Locations: America

☆ UN report warns war has already set Gaza and West Bank economy back more than a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Israel’s war on Hamas could set the Palestinian economy in Gaza and the West Bank back decades, according to a new analysis by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Key economic measurements, including employment rates and GDP, have all plunged across Gaza and the West Bank, according to the UNDP analysis. The past month of conflict has erased 61 percent of employment in Gaza and 24 percent of employment in the West Bank, the report warns. After one month of fighting, the number of people living in poverty in Gaza and the West Bank increased by nearly 20 percent, the UNDP report says. If the fighting were to continue through a second month, the Palestinian economy would be set back 19 years’ worth of development, Al Dardari said.

Persons: CNN —, Abdallah Al Dardari, Al Dardari, “ I’ve, ”, Ashraf Amra, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel Organizations: CNN, West Bank, United Nations Development Programme, Palestinian Ministry of Health, UNDP, Bureau, Arab, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Getty, World Bank, Human Rights Watch, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, ”, Israeli Locations: Gaza, Israel, Ramallah, Palestinian, Deir al Balah, Anadolu, Egypt, Palestine

☆ Keeping 1.5 alive? IEA lists 'crucial ingredients' to keep worst effects of climate change at bay
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.N. has previously noted that 1.5 degrees Celsius is viewed as being "the upper limit" when it comes to avoiding the worst consequences of climate change. The COP28 climate change summit is fast approaching, with a host of world leaders and high-profile public figures — including Pope Francis and King Charles III — set to attend. The IEA's report also mentioned the importance of "ramping up electrification" before touching upon the need to find solutions that benefit all. But "this package of global measures provides crucial ingredients for any successful outcome from the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai in December." "I encourage decision makers around the world to take this report's findings into account — in the lead-up to the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai later this year and beyond."

Persons: —, COP28, Pope Francis and King Charles III —, Fatih Birol Organizations: International Energy Agency, COP21, United Arab Emirates, Energy, World Energy, Fatih Locations: Germany, Paris, Dubai

☆ Fact Check: Agencies did warn of Hurricane Otis’ quick development
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Government agencies did issue warnings ahead of Hurricane Otis hitting the Mexican city of Acapulco on Oct. 25, contrary to claims on social media that said there was “no warning” ahead of the hurricane. It informed the public on Oct. 24 at 2:48 a.m. local time (0948 GMT) that Otis was expected to become a hurricane. The government of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, referred to Otis as a hurricane at 3:58 p.m. (2258 GMT) on a social media post that day. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador warned about hurricane Otis on X, formerly known as Twitter, at 20:25 p.m. (0325 GMT). While Otis intensified quickly, government and weather agencies warned about the hurricane hours before it hit Acapulco.

Persons: Hurricane Otis, Otis, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Contra, López Obrador, Read Organizations: Hurricane, Authorities, ” Reuters, U.S, National Hurricane Center, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Acapulco, Mexican, ”, Mexico, Guerrero

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