India’s climate leadership is an example to the world

India’s climate leadership is an example to the world
India has assumed a pivotal role in its efforts to tackle climate change, as a leading voice on sustainability. (AFP)
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Updated 15 August 2024
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India’s climate leadership is an example to the world

India’s climate leadership is an example to the world
  • Country’s per-capita carbon footprint is lowest among G20 nations

NEW DELHI: India is the world’s largest country in terms of population, comprising about 17 percent of the global total. It is also the fifth-largest economy in the world and on its way to becoming the third-largest by 2030.

Yet its contribution to cumulative carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolution is a mere 3.4 percent of the global total. And at 2 tonnes, its per-capita emissions are less than half the global average of 4.7 tonnes.

India’s per-capita carbon footprint is also the lowest among G20 countries, and the International Finance Corporation has acknowledged that the nation is the only G20 member that is in line with the international target of limiting warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial levels.

Additionally, the IFC has highlighted the fact that India’s gross domestic product grew by a compound annual growth rate of about 7 percent between 2005 and 2019, while emissions increased at a CAGR of about 4 percent. This would appear to underscore India’s relative success in decoupling economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, thereby reducing the “emission intensity” of its GDP and becoming a possible model for the world in general and the Global South in particular.

Leading India’s determination to be part of the global solution to climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in November 2021, during the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, a five-point climate-action plan for India, called Panchamrit. It included the key commitment of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, and four goals to help achieve this, which were later incorporated into India’s nationally determined contributions to the international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

These goals are: 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel power generation by 2030; 50 percent of India’s power requirements met by renewable energy by 2030; reduction of total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030; and a reduction of the economy’s carbon intensity by 45 percent by 2030 compared with 2005.

Many of these goals upped the already significant targets India had set for itself following COP21 in Paris in 2015. This increased ambition was possible because India had achieved its nationally determined contributions well ahead of time.

In fact, with regard to the use of non-fossil fuel resources for energy, India achieved its goal of 40 percent of cumulative electrical power installation capacity provided by non-fossil-fuel-based energy sources in 2021, nine years ahead of the target of 2030. Furthermore, between 2017 and 2023, India added about 100 gigawatts of installed electrical capacity, of which about 80 percent was attributed to non-fossil-fuel-based resources. Now, the share of non-fossil-fuel-based resources in installed electricity capacity has reached 45.4 percent.

India also met its key initial target of a 33 percent reduction in the emissions intensity of GDP by 2030, compared with the 2005 level, in 2019, 11 years early.

Aside from the four goals of its Panchamrit pathway, India has also undertaken to create a carbon sink that can handle an additional 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, through the provision of additional forest and tree cover by 2030. So far, the country has created carbon sinks with a capacity of about 1.97 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, putting it on track to achieve this nationally determined contribution.

Through its ambitious policies, successful renewable-energy growth trajectory and achievement of international commitments, India has strongly demonstrated climate leadership at a global level.

With climate change seen by many as the defining challenge of our time, India has assumed a pivotal role in the efforts to tackle the issue, both in terms of its actions and as the leading voice of the Global South on sustainability.

• Manjeev S. Puri is the former ambassador of India to the EU and lead negotiator at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.


UK Prime Minister Starmer discussed trade with Trump, Downing Street says

UK Prime Minister Starmer discussed trade with Trump, Downing Street says
Updated 14 sec ago
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UK Prime Minister Starmer discussed trade with Trump, Downing Street says

UK Prime Minister Starmer discussed trade with Trump, Downing Street says
  • UK seeking deal with Trump after he imposed 10 percent tariffs on most imports of British goods to the US
  • The two leaders also addressed the situations in Ukraine and Iran, and recent actions against the Houthis in Yemen

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with US President Donald Trump, discussing trade between the two nations among other subjects including the situation in Ukraine and Iran, a Downing Street spokesperson said on Friday.
Britain is hoping to strike a deal with Trump after he imposed 10 percent tariffs on most imports of British goods to the United States and a higher 25 percent rate on imports of cars, steel and aluminum.
“The leaders began by discussing the ongoing and productive discussions between the UK and US on trade,” the spokesperson said, adding that Starmer emphasized his commitment to free trade while safeguarding national interests.
Starmer and Trump also addressed the situations in Ukraine and Iran, and recent actions against the Houthis in Yemen, the spokesperson from the prime minister’s office said.


Lawsuit challenges Trump administration crackdown on international students

Police detain a pro-Palestine demonstrator during a protest march in New York City on July 18, 2024. (AFP)
Police detain a pro-Palestine demonstrator during a protest march in New York City on July 18, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 16 min 24 sec ago
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Lawsuit challenges Trump administration crackdown on international students

Police detain a pro-Palestine demonstrator during a protest march in New York City on July 18, 2024. (AFP)
  • About 1,100 students at more than 170 colleges, universities and university systems have been affected since late March, according to an Associated Press review of university statements, correspondence with school officials and court records

WASHINGTON: A class action lawsuit filed Friday asks a federal court to reinstate the legal status of international students caught up in a Trump administration crackdown that has left more than a thousand fearful of deportation.
The suit filed by several American Civil Liberties Union affiliates seeks to represent more than 100 students in New England and Puerto Rico.
“International students are a vital community in our state’s universities, and no administration should be allowed to circumvent the law to unilaterally strip students of status, disrupt their studies, and put them at risk of deportation,” said Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire.
At schools around the country, students have seen their visas revoked or their legal status terminated, typically with little notice.
About 1,100 students at more than 170 colleges, universities and university systems have been affected since late March, according to an Associated Press review of university statements, correspondence with school officials and court records. The AP is working to confirm reports of hundreds more students affected.
Students have filed other lawsuits arguing they were denied due process. Federal judges have granted temporary restraining orders in New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Montana, shielding students from efforts to remove them from the US.
Plaintiffs in the new lawsuit, filed in federal court in New Hampshire, learned without warning their F-1 student statuses had been terminated, leaving in doubt their ability to stay in the country and finish their studies, according to the complaint.
One of them, Manikanta Pasula of India, was on the brink of getting his master’s in computer science at Rivier University in New Hampshire and applying to remain in the country through a work program for international students. Hangrui Zhang of China had come to the US for a Ph.D. program in electronic and computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Now, he cannot work as a research assistant, which was his only source of income, the complaint said.
The government did not give notice it is required to provide before terminating a foreign student’s legal status, the lawyers said.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was revoking visas held by visitors who were acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel’s war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges.
In some high-profile cases, such as that involving Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, the Trump administration has cited involvement in pro-Palestinian activism as a rationale for deportation.
But colleges say most students affected by visa revocations played no role in those protests. Many are being singled out over minor infractions such as traffic violations that occurred long ago, and in some cases the reason is unclear, colleges say.

 


Russia sees progress in Ukraine peace talks but US relations strained

Russia sees progress in Ukraine peace talks but US relations strained
Updated 34 min 1 sec ago
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Russia sees progress in Ukraine peace talks but US relations strained

Russia sees progress in Ukraine peace talks but US relations strained
  • President Trump hints abandoning peace effort “if one of the two parties makes it very difficult”
  • Kremlin spokesman cites moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure as progress

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Friday that some progress had already been made in talks about a possible peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine but that contacts were rather complicated with the United States.
“Contacts are quite complicated, because, naturally, the topic is not an easy one,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“Russia is committed to resolving this conflict, ensuring its own interests, and is open to dialogue. We continue to do this.”
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he wanted to achieve a peace deal quickly, but could not be involved in the search for a settlement indefinitely “if one of the two parties makes it very difficult.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking earlier in Paris after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders, said the sides had just days to show progress or Washington would abandon its efforts.

Asked if the United States could withdraw from the search for a peace settlement in Ukraine, Peskov said that was a question for Washington.
“We believe that some progress can already be noted,” Peskov said, citing a temporary moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, though he said Ukraine had not adhered to it.
“Therefore, certain developments have already been achieved, but, of course, there are still many complex discussions ahead.”
Peskov, when asked if the energy moratorium was over, said that it had already been a month but that no orders from the president had been received to change Russia’s position.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council and a representative of Russian hawks, expressed approval for the US remarks on the X social media platform.
“American officials have said that if there is no progress on the Ukrainian case, the United States will wash its hands of it. Wisely,” Medvedev wrote in English. “And the EU should do the same. Then Russia will figure it out faster.”


10,000 pages of records about Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination are released, on Trump’s order

10,000 pages of records about Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination are released, on Trump’s order
Updated 48 min 56 sec ago
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10,000 pages of records about Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination are released, on Trump’s order

10,000 pages of records about Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination are released, on Trump’s order

WASHINGTON: About 10,000 pages of records related to the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were released Friday, including handwritten notes by the gunman, who said the Democratic presidential candidate “must be disposed of” and acknowledged an obsession with killing him.
Many of the files had been made public previously, while others had not been digitized and sat for decades in federal government storage facilities. Their release continued the disclosure of historical investigation documents ordered by President Donald Trump.
Kennedy was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after giving a speech celebrating his victory in California’s presidential primary. His assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving life in prison.
The files included pictures of handwritten notes by Sirhan.
“RFK must be disposed of like his brother was,” read the writing on the outside of an empty envelope, referring to Kennedy’s older brother, President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. The return address was from the district director of the Internal Revenue Service in Los Angeles.
The National Archives and Records Administration posted 229 files containing the pages to its public website.
The release comes a month after unredacted files related to the assassination of President Kennedy were disclosed. Those documents gave curious readers more details about Cold War-era covert US operations in other nations but did not initially lend credence to long-circulating conspiracy theories about who killed JFK.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of Robert Kennedy, commended the release.
“Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,” the health secretary said in a statement.
Documents include interviews with assassin’s acquaintances
The files surrounding Robert Kennedy’s assassination also included notes from interviews with people who knew Sirhan from a wide variety of contexts, such as classmates, neighbors and coworkers. While some described him as “a friendly, kind and generous person” others depicted a brooding and “impressionable” young man who felt strongly about his political convictions and briefly believed in mysticism.
According to the files, Sirhan told his garbage collector that he planned to kill Kennedy shortly after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The sanitation worker, a Black man, said he planned to vote for Kennedy because he would help Black people.
“Well, I don’t agree. I am planning on shooting the son of a bitch,” Sirhan replied, the man told investigators.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of “The Kennedy Half-Century,” said there have always been conspiracies surrounding Robert Kennedy’s assassination. He believes the rollout of documents Friday would be similar to the JFK documents released earlier this year.
He cautioned that a review needs to be done carefully and slowly, “just in case there is a hint in there or there is an anecdote” that could shed more light on the assassination.
“I hope there’s more information,” Sabato said. “I’m doubtful that there is, just as I said when the JFK documents were released.”
Some redactions remained in the documents posted online Friday, including names and dates of birth. Last month, the Trump administration came under criticism over unredacted personal information, including Social Security numbers, during the release of records surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
Trump, a Republican, has championed in the name of transparency the release of documents related to high-profile assassinations and investigations. But he has also been deeply suspicious for years of the government’s intelligence agencies. His administration’s release of once-hidden files opens the door for more public scrutiny of the operations and conclusions of institutions such as the CIA and the FBI.
Trump signed an executive order in January calling for the release of government documents related to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and King, who were killed within two months of each other.
Lawyers for Kennedy’s killer have said for decades that he is unlikely to reoffend or pose a danger to society, and in 2021, a parole board deemed Sirhan suitable for release. But Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected the decision in 2022, keeping him in state prison. In 2023 , a different panel denied him release, saying he still lacks insight into what caused him to shoot Kennedy.
RFK still stands as a hero to American liberals
Kennedy remains an icon for liberals, who see him as a champion for human rights who also was committed to fighting poverty and racial and economic injustice. They often regard his assassination as the last in a series of major tragedies that put the US and its politics on a darker, more conservative path.
He was a sometimes divisive figure during his lifetime. Some critics thought he came late to opposing the Vietnam War, and he launched his campaign for president in 1968 only after the Democratic primary in New Hampshire exposed President Johnson’s political weakness.
Kennedy’s older brother appointed him US attorney general, and he remained a close aide to him until JFK’s assassination in Dallas. In 1964, he won a US Senate seat from New York and was seen as the heir to the family’s political legacy.


Judge says detained Tufts student must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont

Judge says detained Tufts student must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont
Updated 19 April 2025
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Judge says detained Tufts student must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont

Judge says detained Tufts student must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont

A Tufts University student from Turkiye being held in Louisiana must be returned to New England by May 1 to determine whether she was illegally detained by immigration officials for co-writing an op-ed piece in the student newspaper, a federal judge ruled Friday.
US District Judge William Sessions in Burlington, Vermont, said he would hear Rumeysa Ozturk’s request to be released from detention. Her lawyers had requested that she be released immediately, or at least brought back to Vermont.
“The Court concludes that this case will continue in this court with Ms. Ozturk physically present for the remainder of the proceedings,” the judge wrote. “Ms. Ozturk has presented viable and serious habeas claims which warrant urgent review on the merits. The Court plans to move expeditiously to a bail hearing and final disposition of the habeas petition, as Ms. Ozturk’s claims require no less.”
Immigration officials surrounded the 30-year-old doctoral student as she walked along a street in a Boston suburb March 25 and drove her to New Hampshire and Vermont before putting her on a plane to a detention center in Basile, Louisiana. An immigration judge denied her request for bond Wednesday, citing “danger and flight risk” as the rationale.
Ozturk is among several people with ties to American universities whose visas were revoked or have been stopped from entering the US after they were accused of attending demonstrations or publicly expressing support for Palestinians. A Louisiana immigration judge has ruled that the US can deport Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil based on the federal government’s argument that he poses a national security risk.
A lawyer for the Justice Department said her case should be dismissed, saying the immigration court has jurisdiction.
Ozturk’s lawyers first filed a petition on her behalf in Massachusetts. Initially, they didn’t know where she was. They said they were unable to speak to her until more than 24 hours after she was detained. Ozturk herself said she unsuccessfully made multiple requests to speak to a lawyer.
Ozturk was one of four students who wrote an op-ed in the campus newspaper, The Tufts Daily, last year criticizing the university’s response to student activists demanding that Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide,” disclose its investments and divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Ozturk’s lawyers say her detention violates her constitutional rights, including free speech and due process.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said last month, without providing evidence, that investigations found that Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a US-designated terrorist group.