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☆ Explainer-Can Technology Solve the Global Climate Crisis?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

John Kerry, President Joe Biden's climate envoy, is expected to announce at COP28 a global strategy in nuclear fusion. If it is produced using renewables like wind or solar power, as opposed to fossil fuel generated power, it is called green hydrogen. Governments and companies think green hydrogen could be a way to clean up hard-to-decarbonize industries like steel and cement-making and other industrial manufacturing. PwC said technologies like green hydrogen and reducing food waste have relatively high emissions reduction potential, but are receiving a small share of start-up investment. In 2023, green hydrogen got 3.9% of global climate-tech venture funding, while food waste got 0.7%, it said.

Persons: Timothy Gardner, PwC, John Kerry, Joe Biden's, David Schatsky, Schatsky, Richard Valdmanis, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, International Energy Agency, Fusion Industry Association, FIA, Companies, Deloitte, Entrepreneurship Locations: Dubai, United States, Texas, Louisiana, Australia, China, Germany, Japan, U.S, ASIA, AFRICA, France, India, Asia, Africa

☆ Biden and Xi are glaringly absent from the UN's climate summit. That doesn't bode well for the world.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

World leaders are gathering in the UAE for the COP28 climate change summit. But President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping of China will be absent. But the leaders of the world's biggest polluting nations — President Joe Biden and China's leader Xi Jinping — will be conspicuous by their absence. AdvertisementA man walks past a COP28 sign during the United Nations climate summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023. Xi and Biden are doing little to signal their commitment to sharing the burden of reducing the climate crisis equally by not attending the summit, say critics.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi, King Charles, Pope Francis, Xi Jinping, LUDOVIC MARIN, Biden, Kamala Harris, John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Tom Evans, Evans, Sultan Al Jaber, Kerry Organizations: Service, United Arab Emirates, White, Sunday, US, Democratic, APEC, BBC, Climate, Business, Sierra Club Locations: UAE, China, United Nations, Dubai, Biden's, Xi, San Francisco

☆ Henry Kissinger was so revered in China that Xi Jinping personally called him an 'old friend' while snubbing Biden officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Henry Kissinger was so well-loved in China that Xi Jinping called him an "old friend" in July. China re-affirmed Xi's exact words in response to Kissinger's death on Wednesday. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . But it was Kissinger who was warmly received by China's Xi Jinping and his right-hand men in diplomacy, while top-level US officials came and went without a face-to-face meeting with the paramount leader. "The Chinese people never forget their old friends, and Sino-US relations will always be linked with the name of Henry Kissinger," Xi said.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, Xi Jinping, —, Biden, Kissinger, China's Xi Jinping, Xi, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, John Kerry, Washington bristled, China's, Li Shangfu, Li, Lloyd Austin, John Kirby, Richard Nixon, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai Organizations: Service, State Department, of, National Security Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, United, Communist China

☆ Reaction to the death of US diplomat Henry Kissinger
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger addresses the House Committee on International Relations in a hearing about the Middle East peace process on Capitol Hill, Washington, U.S. on February 10, 2005. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 30 (Reuters) - Here are reactions to the death of Henry Kissinger, a controversial Nobel Peace Prize winner who left an indelible mark on U.S. foreign policy:WINSTON LORD, FORMER U.S. DIPLOMAT AND WIFE OF LATE SEN JOHN MCCAIN:"Henry Kissinger was ever present in my late husband’s life. FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:"America has lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs with the passing of Henry Kissinger. And we will always be thankful for the contributions of Henry Kissinger."

Persons: Henry Kissinger, Jonathan Ernst, WINSTON, Henry, CINDY MCCAIN, SEN JOHN MCCAIN, John, McCain, MARTIN INDYK, HENRY KISSINGER, Kissinger, GEORGE W, Laura, XIE FENG, Kissinger's, centenarian, Edwina Gibbs, Tom Hogue, Clarence Fernandez, Sonali Paul Organizations: U.S, Committee, International Relations, REUTERS, AMBASSADOR, SPECIAL, Nazis, United States Army, UNITED STATES, Reuters bureaux, Thomson Locations: Hill, Washington , U.S, U.S, CHINA, European, Nancy, China

☆ Countries at COP28 approve climate disaster fund deal details in early breakthrough
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A man wearing a thawb walks past flags of nations participating in the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference the day before its official opening on November 29, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Countries at the U.N. COP28 summit on Thursday agreed on deal details for a disaster fund to help nations reeling from damages caused by the climate crisis. So far, the pledges to the fund include $100 million from Germany, $100 million from the United Arab Emirates, $17 million from the U.S. and $10 million from Japan. High-income countries, which account for the bulk of historical greenhouse gas emissions, have long opposed the creation of a loss and damage fund to compensate low-income nations. Avinash Persaud, special climate envoy to Barbados, said that the deal reflects "a hard fought historic agreement."

Persons: Friederike Roder, Roder, Avinash Persaud Organizations: United Arab Emirates, UNITED, EMIRATES, United Arab, Bank, Global Citizen Locations: Dubai, United Arab, COP28, United Arab Emirates, COP27, Egypt, Germany, U.S, Japan, Barbados

☆ Taiwan president: China too 'overwhelmed' to consider invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTAIPEI, Nov 30 (Reuters) - China's leadership is too "overwhelmed" with its internal problems to consider an invasion of Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen said in an interview with the New York Times. But Tsai, in a transcript of the interview her office published on Thursday, said China had too many issues at the moment. And my thought is that perhaps this is not a time for them to consider a major invasion of Taiwan," she said. Tsai and her government have repeatedly called for talks with China but been rebuffed, as Beijing views Tsai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as separatists. The DPP's Lai Ching-te, currently vice president, is the frontrunner to be Taiwan's next president according to opinion polls.

Persons: Tsai Ing, Ann Wang, Tsai, Lai Ching, Lai, Hsiao Bi, Chen Binhua, Chiu Tai, Chiu, Ben Blanchard, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, New York Times, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan Affairs Office, Mainland Affairs Council, Thomson Locations: Taichung, Taiwan, Rights TAIPEI, China, Beijing, United States, Taipei, Lincoln

CNN —The United States is receiving criticism for contributing an “embarrassing” amount of money to a new climate fund adopted Thursday at the COP28 talks in Dubai, offering a pledge more than five times lower than the United Arab Emirates . Some countries pledged money to the fund right after it was agreed. Money from rich nations must now begin flowing into the fund, they said. Several wealthy nations, including the United States, have been reluctant to tie countries’ obligations to their historic emissions. It’s also been contentious because wealthy nations have expressed concern that paying for such a fund could be seen as admission of climate liability.

Persons: Sultan Al Jaber, ”, Ani Dasgupta, Dasgupta, ” “, ” Dasgupta, Mohamed Adow, ” Adow, “, Biden, John Kerry, ” Tom Evans, ” Evans, “ they’re, It’s, Al Jaber —, ADNOC —, Al Jaber Organizations: CNN, United, United Arab Emirates, World Bank, Japan, World Resources Institute, Republican, Republicans, US Locations: United States, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, United Arab, Germany, UAE, COP28, Egypt

China has decommissioned 70.45 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired plants in the last decade, and is building far more renewable energy capacity than any other country. Coal power makes up about 70% of emissions in China, which has committed to being carbon neutral by 2060. After 2025, it is unclear whether China will approve new coal plants. But like many cities in China's coal country, coal revenues and jobs are an incentive to keep building. Several workers in Yulin expressed little doubt about whether new coal plants make economic and environmental sense.

Persons: Li, Gao Yuhe, Xu Mingjun, China's, Xie Zhenhua, Yuheng, Duan, Colleen Howe, Ella Cao, David Stanway, Tony Munroe, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Greenpeace, Shenhua Energy, Global Energy Monitor, Development and Research Center, Shaanxi Yulin Energy, Shaanxi Daily, Thomson Locations: YULIN, China, Yulin, Yangquan, Shanxi, Dubai, Ukraine, Canada, Shaanxi, China's, Beijing, Singapore

☆ China mourns Kissinger — ‘a most valued old friend’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“Farewell, old friend of the Chinese people,” said a top comment with thousands of likes. In July 1971, Kissinger became the first high-ranking US official to visit Communist China. Long after Kissinger left office, Beijing had regarded the well-connected diplomat as a potential helping hand in navigating the increasingly hawkish views towards China in Washington. State broadcaster CCTV called him a “living fossil” who witnessed the development of US-China relations. The tectonic shift in US-China relations that was formalized some eight years later opened the door for extensive economic engagement starting from the early 1980s.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, ”, Wang Wenbin, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Wang, “, Kissinger, Washington –, Richard Nixon’s, Scott Kennedy, Washington . Long, Xie Feng, centenarian, ” Xie, – Kissinger, Biden, Xi, John Kerry, Janet Yellen, Wang Yi, Nixon, Alfred Wu, Lee, ’, Wu, “ Kissinger, ” Wu, Zhou Enlai, Kennedy, China …, ” Kennedy Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s Foreign, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CCTV, Xinhua, Foreign, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, National University of Singapore, Flying Tigers, CSIS Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Weibo, United States, Washington, Communist China, “ China, American, selfTaiwan, Japan, Soviet Union, Moscow

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will join the U.S. delegation to Dubai for the annual United Nations conference on climate change, the White House said Wednesday. This weekend's trip for COP28 appears to have been hastily arranged, since her staff recently said she had no plans to attend. White House officials did not explain the change in plans, but the announcement comes after criticism of Joe Biden's decision to skip the summit. The White House said Biden spoke Wednesday with President Mohamed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates, which is hosting COP28. Her trip will be closely watched for reasons other than climate change.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's, He’s, Biden, Mohamed bin Zayed, Harris, ”, Antony Blinken, John Kerry, Ali Zaidi, John Podesta, Jordan Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, U.S, United Nations, White, United Arab Emirates, ”, The Associated Locations: Dubai, COP28, Africa, Washington, Arab, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian

☆ Are the COP climate summits working? These countries are going to the courts, instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“It is a recipe for permanent climate chaos and suffering.”Yet the UN climate summit, known as COP, is tedious. Even fierce climate advocates who agree COP should be more ambitious still believe the summit is a powerful and worthwhile endeavor. “There is a lot of questioning whether this process will deliver or not,” Ani Dasgupta, president and CEO of international climate nonprofit World Resources Institute, told CNN. In this June 2017 photo, President Donald Trump after announcing his intention to abandon the Paris Agreement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC. Doug Mills/The New York Times/ReduxStill, former and current US negotiators say climate diplomacy has helped keep the world’s temperature from reaching truly alarming highs.

Persons: António Guterres, ” Guterres, Paris, Payam Akhavan, ” Akhavan, ” Ani Dasgupta, ’ COP’s, ”, Sue Biniaz, John Kerry, Frances F, Denny, Biniaz, ” Biniaz, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Jonathan Pershing, William, Flora Hewlett, Pershing, ” Pershing, “, Todd Stern, Jens Astrup, Stern, “ It’s, ” Stern, it’s, It’s, Margaretha Wewerinke, Singh, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Peter Dejong, Hailey Campbell, ’ ”, Campbell Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Law, United, Resources Institute, Yale University, The New York Times, “, ”, White, New York Times, Kerry, Bella Center, Getty, US, Republicans, International Court of Justice Locations: Paris, Small, States, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Antigua, Barbuda, Dubai, COP28, United States, New Haven , Connecticut, Rose, Washington , DC, Copenhagen, AFP, Europe, Mississippi, Philippines, Sharm el, Sheikh, Egypt, Hawaii, Honolulu

☆ Biden to Skip U.N. Climate Summit, Drawing Grumbles From Environmentalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Sabrina Siddiqui | Scott Patterson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The COP28 summit, which is expected to draw leaders from nearly 200 countries, is set to begin Thursday. Photo: Kamran Jebreili/Associated PressWASHINGTON—President Biden won’t attend a United Nations climate summit in Dubai this week, White House officials said, skipping an annual gathering of world leaders focused on addressing global warming. While the officials didn’t say why Biden is expected to miss the summit, known as COP28, other top administration officials, including John Kerry , Biden’s special envoy for climate change, will participate in the forum.

Persons: Kamran Jebreili, Biden won’t, Biden, John Kerry, Biden’s Organizations: Associated Press WASHINGTON, White Locations: Nations, Dubai

Eventually, China wants the schemes to be integrated into national emissions trading and generate credits that can offset emissions by industrial polluters, government plans show. PERSONAL CARBON TRADINGChina's carbon inclusion ambitions have been in gestation since 2015, when the southeastern province of Guangdong published rules on how to convert low-carbon activity into credits. Guangdong also allows enterprises to meet 10% of carbon reduction obligations through carbon inclusion credits. And there are worries the carbon inclusion schemes could let industrial polluters off the hook by shifting the burden of emission cuts to households. China climate official Su Wei told local media the green transformation of China would "inevitably involve profound changes in people's daily habits and consumption patterns", but he said carbon inclusion schemes would remain voluntary.

Persons: David Kirton, China's, Xie Zhenhua, Banks, Benjamin Sovacool, Li, Zhang Xin, people's, Yaqiu Wang, Su Wei, David Stanway, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, China, Communist, China Academy of Sciences, People's Bank of, Boston University, Environmental Studies, New, Thomson Locations: Pingshan district, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, SHENZHEN, Dubai, Guangdong, People's Bank of China, Quzhou, Finland, British, Singapore, New York, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ North Korea, US envoys engage in rare, public sparring match at UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A North Korean flag flutters at the propaganda village of Gijungdong in North Korea, in this picture taken near the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, July 19, 2022. Formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006. Denuclearization talks between North Korea, South Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan stalled in 2009. Kim said that until "the persistent military threat" was eliminated, North Korea would continue to strengthen its capabilities. China and Russia say joint military drills by the United States and South Korea provoke Pyongyang, while Washington accuses Beijing and Moscow of emboldening North Korea by shielding it from more sanctions.

Persons: Kim Hong, Pyongyang's, Linda Thomas, Kim Song, Kim, Thomas, Greenfield, Denuclearization, Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump, Michelle Nichols, Grant McCool, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, North Korea sparred, Security, North Korean, DPRK, Democratic People's, United, North, . Security, U.S, Thomson Locations: Gijungdong, North Korea, Panmunjom, South Korea, United States, Greenfield, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, Pyongyang, U.S, China, Russia, Japan, Korea, Britain, France, Washington, Beijing, Moscow, emboldening North Korea

The White House said it was sending a climate team, including Special Envoy John Kerry, climate adviser Ali Zaidi and clean energy adviser John Podesta. Biden has called climate change the “ultimate threat to humanity.”Earlier this month, he released an assessment on the state of climate change in America and said the issue was impacting all regions in the U.S. “Not just some, all,” he said. “Anyone who willfully denies the impact of climate change is condemning the American people to a very dangerous future,” he said. Under his tenure, the U.S. passed the Inflation Reduction Act, America’s most significant response to climate change, and pushed toward more clean energy manufacturing. The act aims to spur clean energy on a scale that will bend the arc of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Persons: Joe Biden, John Kerry, Ali Zaidi, John Podesta, “, ”, Angelo Fernández Hernández, ” Biden, It's, al, Jaber, Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, United Nations, “ Conference, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co Locations: Dubai, Africa, Ukraine, Israel, Eastern Europe, Abu Dhabi, America, U.S

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden is not expected to attend the opening of the global climate summit in Dubai this week, according to a White House schedule of the president’s events. Since taking office, Biden has attended the annual UN climate summit in person in 2021 and 2022. The move has the potential to frustrate climate advocates both at home and abroad, though some activists and small island nations have called into question the effectiveness of the annual international climate summit process. O’Hanlon said Sunrise Movement also has critiques of the international climate summit itself – which is itself embroiled in controversy as it is being hosted by the oil-rich United Arab Emirates this year. A July Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that 57% of Americans disapprove of the way Biden has handled climate policy, including 59% of voters 18-29 years old.

Persons: Joe Biden, John Kerry, Ali Zaidi, Biden, John Kirby, haven’t, Tom Evans, “ It’s, he’s, ” Evans, ”, Greta Thunberg, greenwashing ”, “ Biden, Stevie O’Hanlon, O’Hanlon, ” O’Hanlon, –, Donald Trump, John Podesta, Xi Jinping Organizations: Washington CNN, White, National Security, CNN, Sunrise Movement, Sunrise, United, Washington Post, University of Maryland, Republican, U.S, National Locations: Dubai, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Washington, China

Some oil and gas companies have so far participated in voluntary programs to monitor or reduce their methane emissions. Last year's methane emissions from the energy industry totaled some 135 million metric tons, slightly higher than the year before. Climate experts say that including methane efforts in a legally binding summit agreement is a priority. That means that reining in methane emissions can have a more immediate impact in limiting climate change. Countries and philanthropies previously have pledged roughly $200 million for tackling methane – less than 2% of all current climate financing.

Persons: Rachel Kyte, Rick Duke, Mark Brownstein, Durwood Zaelke, Valerie Volcovici, Sarah McFarlane, Kate Abnett, Katy Daigle, Josie Kao Organizations: Reuters, Clean Air Task Force, U.S, United Arab, The, Bank, Environmental Defense Fund, Institute for Governance, Sustainable Development, D.C, EU, Thomson Locations: EU, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Turkmenistan, The UAE, U.S, China, Canada, COP28, Washington, London, Brussels

President Biden will not attend a major United Nations climate summit that begins Thursday in Dubai, skipping an event expected to be attended by King Charles III, Pope Francis and leaders from nearly 200 countries, a White House official said Sunday. The official, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss the president’s schedule, did not give a reason Mr. Biden will not make an appearance at the two-week summit, known as COP28. But senior White House aides suggested that the war between Israel and Hamas had consumed the president in recent weeks and days, as he pressed for a pause in fighting and release of hostages held by Hamas. “They’ve got the war in the Middle East and a war in Ukraine, a bunch of things going on,” John Kerry, Mr. Biden’s special envoy for climate change, said last week. Mr. Kerry and his team will be in Dubai.

Persons: Biden, King Charles III, Pope Francis, “ They’ve, ” John Kerry, Biden’s, Kerry Organizations: White Locations: United Nations, Dubai, Israel, Ukraine

☆ Analysis-China Turns to Households in Fight to Slash Carbon Emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

Eventually, China wants the schemes to be integrated into national emissions trading and generate credits that can offset emissions by industrial polluters, government plans show. PERSONAL CARBON TRADINGChina's carbon inclusion ambitions have been in gestation since 2015, when the southeastern province of Guangdong published rules on how to convert low-carbon activity into credits. Other countries have toyed with the idea of personal carbon trading, with pilot schemes set up in Finland and Australia's Norfolk Island. Guangdong also allows enterprises to meet 10% of carbon reduction obligations through carbon inclusion credits. And there are worries the carbon inclusion schemes could let industrial polluters off the hook by shifting the burden of emission cuts to households.

Persons: David Stanway, David Kirton, China's, Xie Zhenhua, Banks, Benjamin Sovacool, Li, Zhang Xin, people's, Yaqiu Wang, Su Wei, Sonali Paul Organizations: Communist, China Academy of Sciences, People's Bank of, Boston University, Environmental Studies, New Locations: China, Shenzhen, Dubai, Guangdong, People's Bank of China, Quzhou, Finland, British, Singapore, New York, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ Chinese military holds training drills near Myanmar border after convoy fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Smoke rises as a truck burns near the Myanmar-China border, near Muse, Myanmar, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on November 23, 2023. Video Obtained by REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - China's military will begin "combat training activities" from Saturday on its side of the border with Myanmar, it said on social media, a day after a convoy of trucks carrying goods into the neighbouring Southeast Asian nation went up in flames. The training aims to "test the rapid maneuverability, border sealing and fire strike capabilities of theatre troops," the Southern Theatre Command, one of five in China's People's Liberation Army, said on the WeChat messaging app. The surge in fighting has displaced more than 2 million people in Myanmar, the United Nations says. Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Casey Hall, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Southern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, Nations, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, China, Muse

☆ As fighting pauses, Gazans displaced from north want to return home to bury their dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abeer Salman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Many are using the lull in fighting to try to travel back north, despite the Israeli military warning against this. But many Gazans say they need to use this pause in fighting to return home, where memories, belongings, money, clothes and even some of their loved ones remain – dead or alive. We have martyrs tossed all over the streets.”Palestinians trying to go back north were, however, blocked by Israeli forces, residents and a journalist told CNN. A Palestinian woman cries in anguish following Israeli strikes on Rafah, Gaza, on November 20, 2023. Palestinians on Friday called for a safe corridor that would allow them to cross north, gather their belongings, bury their dead and then return south.

Persons: CNN — “, Mahmoud Moharram, ” Moharram, “, Israel, Avichay Adraee, ” Adraee, ”, Asa’ad Agha, haven’t, ” Agha, Abo Mohamed, Fayoumi, Salah al, Mohammed Abed, David Satterfield, Crescent, Said Khatib, Agha Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, ” Flyers, Getty, United States, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Palestinian, UNRWA Locations: Gaza, Israel, Beit Lahia, “, Rafah, AFP, Egypt, Territories

☆ Biden hails initial hostage release, says ‘we will not stop’ until all are brought home
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Betsy Klein | Arlette Saenz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —President Joe Biden welcomed the initial release of hostages held in Gaza, calling Friday’s release of 13 Israelis a positive start toward the goal in the coming days of securing at least 50 women and children hostages, including three Americans. “It’s only a start, but so far, it’s gone well,” Biden told reporters in Nantucket Friday afternoon. He also noted the release of several Thai nationals who had also been kidnapped by Hamas. “We also will not stop until we get these hostages brought home and an answer to their whereabouts,” he said. Hamas unleashed this terrorist attack because they fear nothing more than Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace,” he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, “, it’s, ” Biden, Abigail Edan, Biden, ”, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Abdel Fattah El, David Satterfield, Satterfield Organizations: CNN, Israel Locations: Gaza, Nantucket, Qatar

☆ EU human rights envoy in Cuba to discuss aftermath of 2021 protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European Union's Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, speaks during a meeting with Cuban authorities in Havana, Cuba, November 24, 2023. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, on a visit to Cuba earlier this year, announced Gilmore`s visit but told reporters the EU would not "impose" demands on the island`s government. Rights groups say around 1,000 Cubans were jailed for their political beliefs following the demonstrations and several subsequent protests. "No one is convicted for their political opinions," Cuba`s foreign ministry said prior to Gilmore`s visit on social media. "We call on the Cuban government to respect the human rights of everyone, including the rights of political prisoners and those unjustly detained."

Persons: Eamon Gilmore, Alexandre Meneghini, Gilmore, Josep Borrell, Fidel Castro's, Luis Barrios Díaz, la Torre, Barrios Diaz `, Dave Sherwood, Alien Fernandez Organizations: Human Rights, Cuban, REUTERS, Rights, EU, European Union, U.S, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Havana, Cuba, Rights HAVANA, United States, EU, Cuban

☆ Indonesia Says 'Positive' Signs From Myanmar's Warring Camps on Dialogue Effort
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia said on Friday it had hosted a meeting of some of the key stakeholders in the conflict in military-ruled Myanmar at which each gave a "positive indication" about holding inclusive dialogue soon. As outgoing chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia is pushing for dialogue between rival camps in a bloody crisis triggered by the military's coup against Myanmar's elected government in 2021. The objective of the meeting, Indonesia said, was to enable inclusive talks, reduce violence, and support humanitarian efforts, in line with a "five-point consensus" agreed to by Myanmar's military soon after the coup. "Upon receiving the respective messages, stakeholders indicated positive indication on the possibility of convening dialogues in an inclusive and genuine manner soon." Indonesia has been quietly engaging various parties but has said progress has been impaired by some insisting on preconditions for talks.

Persons: Myanmar's, Stanley Widianto, Martin Petty, William Maclean Organizations: National Unity Government, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, United Nations Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Myanmar, Jakarta, ASEAN

☆ COP28: Sultan Al Jaber, UAE’s oil chief, is proving popular in the developing world, despite criticisms from the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Elizabeth Wells | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But long-promised finance from rich countries to help it make a green transition simply hasn’t arrived, President Wavel Ramkalawan told CNN in May. But Al Jaber’s decision to focus on increasing finance to help developing countries shift to renewable energy is helping his popularity in the Global South. A 2022 UN-backed report calculated developing countries will need about $2 trillion a year by 2030. “We have seen the West only being extractive and very opportunistic, and actually kept developing countries dependent on fossil fuels,” he said. “It needs to buy more time to diversify its economy further and wants to capitalize on its energy resources for as long as possible,” Vakil told CNN.

Persons: hasn’t, Wavel Ramkalawan, “ We’re, ” Ramkalawan, “, Al Jaber, Al Jaber’s, COP28, ” Al Jaber, Sultan Al Jaber, Abu, Christopher Pike, ADNOC, William Ruto, Masdar, Al Jaber —, ” Ruto, Simone Boccaccio, it’s, Harjeet Singh, Sanim Vakil, ” Vakil, ” Organizations: CNN, UN, Dubai, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, US, COP28, Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition, Bloomberg, Kenyan, UAE, Climate, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Seychelles, Canadian, Africa, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE, Kenya, Egypt, Turkana, UN

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