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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

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

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

☆ A country slightly bigger than Texas is projected to match the US population by 2050 — and it shows how radically the world is changing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The rise is in contrast to a growing number of countries that will experience population declines. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyIt was recently World Population Day. "The population growth is, of course, partly explained by improvement in level and access to public health," Amare said. Michael Herrmann, an economic adviser with the United Nations Population Fund, told Africa News that without proper planning, it could be difficult to care for, educate, and employ a population growing that fast. "They want to create full employment for the people, and a growing population can raise the stakes in these efforts.

Persons: António Guterres, it's, Tighisti Amare, Amare, Michael Herrmann, Hermann Organizations: Service, United Nations, Google, Africa, Chatham House, United Nations Population Fund Locations: Nigeria, Wall, Silicon, India, China, Japan, Germany, Pakistan, Indonesia, Texas, Africa, London

☆ Europe space chief warns over political wavering on climate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"It just confirms that climate change is the biggest threat to our planet, to humankind, and will remain so for the next decades and we do need to do everything we can to mitigate the effects." Scientists say climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, intense and likely to happen across seasons, not just in what were regarded as the summer months. "Acting now is much cheaper than waiting for years and then patching up the damage that has been caused," he said when asked if he saw any signs of drift in Europe's climate agenda. FUNDING GAP AND 'GLOBAL BOILING'Aschbacher is among the most senior climate-monitoring officials to voice concerns over wavering support for measures to combat climate change - a creeping negative reaction that some climate activists have labelled "greenlash". This would significantly impact Europe’s commitment to combating climate change."

Persons: Josef Aschbacher, Aschbacher, Copernicus, Rishi Sunak, Ashbacher, Antonio Guterres, ESA's Copernicus, Tim Hepher, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Copernicus Sentinel, European Space Agency, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Meterological Organization, ESA, GAP, Sentinel, European Union, Negotiations, European Commission, EU, Britain's Department for Science, Innovation, Technology, Thomson Locations: Odemira, Alentejo, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, Paris, Europe, Britain

☆ UN chief says 'robust use of force' needed against Haiti's gangs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Haiti last year asked for international help to combat violent gangs that have largely overrun the capital Port-au-Prince. Guterres suggested in October that countries send a "rapid action force" to support Haiti's police. The United States has already said it is prepared to put forward a draft Security Council resolution to back a deployment. Kenya said last month it was ready to consider leading an international force and pledged to send 1,000 police officers. In his report, Guterres said any targeted operations against gangs must also protect people and respect human rights and due process.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Jean, Bertrand Aristide, Ariel Henry, Michelle Nichols, Ismail Shakil, Grant McCool Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Security, Reuters, Peacekeeping, ACT, UN, Security Council, United, United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Thomson Locations: Haiti, U.N, Caribbean, United States, Kenya, Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, Barbuda, Americas

☆ UN security staff released in Yemen after 18 months in captivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] United Nations security staff (1st-3rd L) and (8th L), who have been released from the hands of Al Qaeda militants, stand with David Gressly, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, (4th L), and head of the Southern Transitional Council, Aidarous al-Zabidi (5th L), in... Read moreUNITED NATIONS, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Five United Nations security staff who were kidnapped in Yemen by al Qaeda militants 18 months ago have been released, the United Nations said on Friday. The staff - four from Yemen and one from Bangladesh - were in "very good health and good spirits, despite everything that they went through," the top U.N. official in Yemen, David Gressly, told reporters. "But they went through a very difficult period of 18 months of isolation," he added. Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has used a conflict between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-aligned Houthis to enhance its influence. Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthi group ousted the government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014.

Persons: David Gressly, Aidarous, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Al, Gressly, AQAP, Michelle Nichols, Rami Ayyub, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Nations, Southern Transitional Council, UNITED NATIONS, Five United Nations, Thomson Locations: Al Qaeda, Yemen, al, Bangladesh, Yemen's, Abyan, Saudi, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Tehran

☆ UN completes removal of oil from decaying tanker off Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Friday it had completed the removal of more than 1 million barrels of oil from a decaying supertanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast, averting a potential environmental disaster. The war in Yemen caused the suspension of maintenance operations on the Safer in 2015. The ship is used for storage and has been moored off Yemen for more than 30 years. Technicians work on the deck of the replacement vessel as the transfer of oil from the decaying FSO Safer oil tanker began off Yemen July 25, 2023. "The best end to the story will be when that oil actually is sold and leaves the region altogether."

Persons: Achim Steiner, David Gressly, Steiner, Antonio Guterres, Antony Blinken, Andrew Mills, Imad Creidi, Michelle Nichols, Ismail Shakil, Sharon Singleton, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: United Nations, Salvage, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Alaska, Yemen, Handout, Yemeni, U.N

☆ UN chief concerned by 'deplorable' living conditions of Niger's president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks about the Black Sea grain corridor outside U.N. Security Council at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., July 17, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoUNITED NATIONS, Aug 9 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is very concerned about the reported "deplorable living conditions" of Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum and his family in arbitrary detention, a U.N. spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. "The Secretary-General reiterates his concern over the health and safety of the President and his family and once again calls for his immediate, unconditional release and his reinstatement as Head of State," the U.N. spokesperson said. Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Brendan McDermid, Mohamed Bazoum, Michelle Nichols, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Security, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York City, U.S

☆ Niger junta names government, West African leaders to discuss next steps
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view as supporters of Niger's coup leaders take part in a rally at a stadium in Niamey, Niger, August 6, 2023. West African heads of state hold a summit in Nigeria aiming to agree on a plan of action for Niger, where coup leaders have refused to stand down despite the bloc's threat that it could use force to restore democracy. Since the July 26 power grab shocked the region, the defiant junta has rebuffed diplomatic overtures and ignored an Aug. 6 deadline from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinstate ousted president Mohamed Bazoum. The bloc's leaders are expected to agree on next steps, which could include military intervention - something an ECOWAS official has said would be a last resort. Envoys of the Nigerian president, and ECOWAS chair, Bola Tinubu met coup leaders in the capital, Niamey, on Wednesday, offering a glimmer of hope for dialogue after previous missions were spurned.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Roufai Laouali, Antonio Guterres, Bola Tinubu, Alessandra Prentice, Sofia Christensen, Robert Birsel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West, Nigeria, Abuja, Mali, Burkina Faso

☆ Zelenskyy warned Russia that it may be left with no ships if it continues to attack Ukraine's ports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia faces losing all its ships if it continues to strike Ukraine's ports, President Zelenskyy said. The attacks have killed civilians, but in recent weeks Ukraine has hit back with sea drones. Zelenskyy's comments were published days after Ukrainian exploding sea drones struck a Russian oil tanker and a Russian warship. Since then, Russia has ramped up its attacks on Ukrainian ports, killing some civilians and making one strike just a few hundred yards from the border with Romania, a NATO member. Ukraine made a similar declaration about ships traveling to Russian-controlled ports, and in the interview published Sunday, Zelenskyy vowed to respond to any attacks on Ukraine's civilian populations.

Persons: Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Argentina's, Stephen Wright, Wright, António Guterres Organizations: Service, Argentina's La Nacion, UN, NATO, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Kerch, La Nacion, Turkey, Romania, Kyiv

☆ Sweaty Europe can kill two birds with one pump
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

What may be less immediately obvious is that heat pumps are the best way to do both. In Europe, currently only 16% of residential buildings use heat pumps, according to a study from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) based on data from 21 countries including non-EU Britain and Norway, with 20 million heat pumps installed. On average buying and installing a heat pump could cost up to $13,000 compared to $2,500 for a gas boiler. Heat pump sales rose 35% in Italy last year, making it Europe’s second-biggest marketplace after France, EHPA data shows. To meet net-zero targets by 2030 EHPA estimates Europe would need 60 million more heat pumps installed by 2030.

Persons: Remo Casilli, Olaf Scholz’s, Joe Biden’s, António Guterres, George Hay, Oliver Taslic, Streisand Neto Organizations: Popolo, REUTERS, Remo Casilli LONDON, Reuters, International Energy Agency, IEA, European Union, Pump Association, Reuters Graphics, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Carrier, Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin Industries, El, El Corte Inglés, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Europe, EU Britain, Norway, France, Germany, Poland, Brussels, Britain, United States, U.S, U.N, El Corte

☆ Hiroshima marks a-bomb anniversary, calls nuclear deterrence "folly"
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Kiyoshi Takenaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERSTOKYO, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Japan on Sunday marked the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Hiroshima, where its mayor urged the abolition of nuclear weapons and called the Group of Seven leaders' notion of nuclear deterrence a "folly". The day to commemorate the victims of the world's first nuclear attack comes as Russia has raised the spectre of using nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine. It also comes as biopic "Oppenheimer", chronicling the creation of the atomic bomb, has become a box-office hit in the United States. G7 leaders issued a statement expressing their commitment to achieving disarmament but said that as long as nuclear weapons existed, they should serve to deter aggression and prevent war. The prime minister said the road to a world without nuclear weapons was getting steeper, due in part to Russia's nuclear threats, but that this made it all the more important to bring back international momentum towards that goal.

Persons: Oppenheimer, Fumio Kishida, Kazumi Matsui, Antonio Guterres, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Chang, Ran Kim, William Mallard Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS, Seven, Kishida, United Nations, Japan, Thomson Locations: Hiroshima, Japan, REUTERS TOKYO, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Nagasaki

☆ Opinion: Haiti is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Opinion Catherine Russell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s Note: Catherine Russell is the executive director of UNICEF and principal advocate on Haiti for the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, a collective body of senior humanitarian leaders. Catherine Russell Danielle Deeb/UNICEFOn my most recent visit to Haiti in June, I met another health care worker who had been kidnapped. And with much of Port-au-Prince and nearby areas beset by such brutality, Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian crisis could soon become a catastrophe. Close to half of the country’s population urgently needs humanitarian assistance, including almost 3 million children, according to on-the-ground information collected by our staff. The UN’s $720 million Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 is barely a quarter funded.

Persons: Catherine Russell, Catherine Russell Danielle Deeb, —, Jovenel Moïse, it’s, António Guterres Organizations: UNICEF, Inter, Agency, CNN, Nations, Port, Twitter, Facebook UN, UN Security Council, UN, Haitian National Police Locations: Haiti, Haiti’s, Port, Haitian

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