UK’s Starmer says Harris has brought ‘profound change’ to US race

UK’s Starmer says Harris has brought ‘profound change’ to US race
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands after a joint press conference following bilateral talks at the Chancellery in Berlin on August 28, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 30 August 2024
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UK’s Starmer says Harris has brought ‘profound change’ to US race

UK’s Starmer says Harris has brought ‘profound change’ to US race

BERLIN: UK leader Keir Starmer has said that US Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee has shaken up the White House race.

Since Biden, 81, dropped out five weeks ago due to concerns about his age, 59-year-old Harris has reinvigorated her party, edging ahead of Republican candidate Donald Trump in opinion polls.

Delegates rode a wave of optimism as she was officially crowned last week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a gathering attended by senior figures from Starmer’s Labour Party.

The British Prime Minister touched on the US election during a huddle with UK political reporters Wednesday during a trip to Berlin, where Starmer met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“There’s obviously been a profound change in the last few weeks,” said Starmer, when asked by AFP if he had been impressed by the energy that Harris has injected into the campaign.

“I think everyone can see that. You saw the convention just in recent days,” he added.

Center-left Labour, back in power in Britain after 14 years in opposition, has long had close links with the Democratic Party, seeing it as a sort of unofficial sister party.

In an interview with the New Statesman magazine published earlier this month, London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan said it was “obvious” his support lay with the Democrats.

“I’m a member of the Labour Party — we’re a social democratic party. I want the Democrats to win,” said Khan, who has had a long-running feud with Trump.

“It’s no secret many Labour Party members go and volunteer for the Democrats during presidential elections.

“We shouldn’t pretend otherwise. Many of my staffers helped all three: (Barack) Obama, (Hillary) Clinton and Biden,” Khan added.

Starmer is taking a neutral stance on the election, although experts say a Trump presidency could pose difficulties, particularly with doubts over the Republican’s support for NATO and Ukraine.

It might also be more awkward: Starmer’s foreign minister David Lammy called Trump “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathizing sociopath” in 2018.

However, Lammy was more diplomatic earlier this year, saying in a speech that Trump’s “attitude to European security is often misunderstood.”

In his comments in the German capital, Starmer said “ultimately, of course, it is going to be a matter for the American people to determine, and we will work with whoever they elect into office.”

“The special relationship we have between our two countries has been there for a very long time, for a very good reason.”


EU may launch new sanctions against Israeli settlers ‘soon’: France

Updated 5 sec ago
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EU may launch new sanctions against Israeli settlers ‘soon’: France

EU may launch new sanctions against Israeli settlers ‘soon’: France
  • During a visit to the West Bank on Thursday, Barrot had already threatened a new round of sanctions
Paris: France’s foreign minister said on Monday that the European Union could soon launch a new round of sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of fueling violence in Palestinian territories.
France had already imposed sanctions against “28 violent settlers” and been instrumental in deciding sanctions at the European Union level, Jean-Noel Barrot told the Paris Peace Forum, an annual gathering dedicated to international dialogue.
The EU’s sanctions regime had already been activated twice, and “might be activated a third time soon,” he said.
“We are deeply attached to the security of Israel,” Barrot said, but “in the interest of Israel, of Israeli security, international law needs to be respected and justice needs to be reached.”
During a visit to the West Bank on Thursday, Barrot had already threatened a new round of sanctions, and renewed France’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Settlement activities “threaten the political perspective that can ensure durable peace for Israel and Palestine,” he said after talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah.
The United States, Britain, Canada and Australia have also imposed sanctions against extremist settlers.
The EU’s foreign affairs commissioner, Josep Borrell, said in August that Israeli settlers were endangering “any chance of peace” and called on the Israeli government to “stop these unacceptable actions immediately.”
Sanctions would also be aimed at the “enablers” of violent settler actions, “including some Israeli government members,” Borrell said.
Over 700 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers in the last year, according to the Ramallah-based health ministry.

Bangladesh seeks crucial funding for 50 million climate-vulnerable citizens at COP29

Bangladesh seeks crucial funding for 50 million climate-vulnerable citizens at COP29
Updated 9 min 43 sec ago
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Bangladesh seeks crucial funding for 50 million climate-vulnerable citizens at COP29

Bangladesh seeks crucial funding for 50 million climate-vulnerable citizens at COP29
  • Dhaka needs at least $1 billion annually to implement climate change adaptation plan
  • Bangladesh already spends around $3 billion every year to address climate change impacts

Dhaka: Bangladesh will focus its negotiations at the COP29 climate conference on boosting crucial funding for a plan that will benefit over 50 million people living in areas most at-risk to climate hazards, authorities said, as the summit began on Monday.

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, ranking seventh globally in the 2021 World Climate Risk Index.

The South Asian nation faces frequent natural disasters, including cyclones, floods, droughts and deadly heat waves. By 2050, the government estimates that one in every seven Bangladeshis — or 13.3 million people — will be displaced due to climate change.

As world political and business leaders from nearly 200 countries gather in Baku, Azerbaijan this week for the UN’s annual meeting, Bangladeshi officials have set their goals on securing more climate financing.

“If we receive at least $1 billion as an annual grant to implement the climate change adaptation plan, it will create a significant change in dealing with climate change impacts,” Shawkat Ali Mirza, director of climate change and international convention at the Department of Environment, told Arab News.

“We don’t have this fund, and we are continuously working to bring this fund from developed countries. This is the main focus of our negotiations at the COP29.”

COP29 has been dubbed the “climate finance COP” due to its central goal: to agree on how much money should go every year to help developing countries cope with climate-related costs.

Annually, Bangladesh already spends between $3 to $3.5 billion to deal with climate change impacts, said Mirza, who is part of Dhaka’s delegation at COP29.

For decades, the government has made systematic investments in climate resilience and disaster preparedness, including reducing cyclone-related deaths by 100-fold since 1970. International institutions, such as the World Bank, have recognized Bangladesh as a “global leader in climate change adaptation.”

Under the National Adaptation Plan, authorities have identified at least 14 climate hazards in 11 locations — including along the Bay of Bengal — where almost a third of Bangladesh’s 170 million population currently live.

“The main objective of our national adaptation plan is to improve people’s quality of life by increasing climate tolerance … We need $230 billion by the year 2050 to implement it,” Mirza said.

“More than 50 million people living in these (climate) stress areas will benefit from this National Adaptation Plan in the next 27 years.”

Dhaka’s plan will cover eight sectors, including water resources, agriculture and biodiversity, where authorities will implement mechanisms for climate adaptation.

The government is building on its own success stories, such as the invention of rice varieties and production methods that are adaptable to climate change impacts as well as the distribution of around 6.5 million solar home systems across the country.

In its coastal areas, where over 43 million people live, authorities have already introduced rainwater harvesting systems and use reverse osmosis technology to provide safe drinking water.

“But we need to do more, as there are millions of people who are affected by climate change issues,” Mirza said.

Around 77 percent of the heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere can be traced back to G20 member states, while the 47 least developed countries — including Bangladesh — create less than 3 percent of global emissions, according to the UN Environment Programme’s 2024 Emissions Gap Report.

“We have to keep in mind that through adaptation, we will not be able to solve all the issues. For instance, if we want to get rid of heat stress, the whole world should work together on reducing emissions,” he said.

“Otherwise, there is no solution to the climate crisis.”


Israel deems arrests over Amsterdam clashes ‘very low’

Israel deems arrests over Amsterdam clashes ‘very low’
Updated 11 November 2024
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Israel deems arrests over Amsterdam clashes ‘very low’

Israel deems arrests over Amsterdam clashes ‘very low’
  • Israel offered its help in the investigation into violence in Amsterdam Friday following a match between an Israeli team and a Dutch one

JERUSALEM: Newly appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters in Jerusalem Monday that Israel deemed the number of arrests over clashes in Amsterdam last week “very low.”
“I was informed by the mayor of Amsterdam that they formed a special inquiry team, but I can tell that until now, the number of arrests is very low,” Saar said, adding that Israel offered its help in the investigation into violence in Amsterdam Friday following a match between an Israeli team and a Dutch one.


17 Chadian soldiers and 96 rebels killed in a Boko Haram attack, army says

17 Chadian soldiers and 96 rebels killed in a Boko Haram attack, army says
Updated 11 November 2024
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17 Chadian soldiers and 96 rebels killed in a Boko Haram attack, army says

17 Chadian soldiers and 96 rebels killed in a Boko Haram attack, army says
  • The Lake Chad region has been plagued this year by frequent attacks from insurgents, including Boko Haram and Daesh in West Africa

N’DJAMENA: Boko Haram insurgents killed 17 Chadian soldiers in a weekend attack on a military post that also left 96 of the assailants dead in the country’s west, Chad’s army said.
The attack in the Lake Chad region happened on Saturday, army spokesperson Gen. Issakh Acheikh said on national television Sunday night. He did not provide details.
The Lake Chad region has been plagued this year by frequent attacks from insurgents, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa. It has revived fears of violence after a period of peace following a successful operation launched in 2020 by the Chadian army to destroy the extremist groups’ bases.
Last month, 40 soldiers were killed during an attack on a military base, prompting President Mahamat Deby Itno to launch an operation to dislodge Boko Haram militants from Lake Chad. In March, an attack the government blamed on Boko Haram killed seven soldiers.
Boko Haram, which launched an insurgency more than a decade ago against Western education, seeks to establish Islamic law in Nigeria’s northeast. The insurgency has spread to West African neighbors including Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
Chad, a country of nearly 18 million people, has been reeling from political turmoil before and after a controversial presidential election that resulted in Deby Itno’s victory. He had led the country as interim president during the period of military rule that followed the death of his father in 2021.


UN: Paris agreement climate goals ‘in great peril’

UN: Paris agreement climate goals ‘in great peril’
Updated 11 November 2024
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UN: Paris agreement climate goals ‘in great peril’

UN: Paris agreement climate goals ‘in great peril’
  • The period from 2015-2024 will also be the warmest decade ever recorded
  • Long-term global warming was currently likely to be around 1.3°C

GENEVA: The Paris climate agreement’s goals “are in great peril” and 2024 is on track to break new temperature records, the United Nations warned Monday as COP29 talks opened in Baku.
The period from 2015-2024 will also be the warmest decade ever recorded, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a new report based on six international datasets.
That is accelerating the shrinking of glaciers and sea-level rise, and unleashing extreme weather that has wrought havoc on communities and economies around the world.
“The ambitions of the Paris Agreement are in great peril,” WMO said as global leaders gathered for high-stakes climate talks in Azerbaijan.
Under the Paris agreement, nearly every nation on Earth committed to work to limit warming to “well below” two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and preferably below 1.5°C.
But the EU climate monitor Copernicus has already said that 2024 will exceed the 1.5°C.
This does not amount to an immediate breach of the Paris deal, which measures temperatures over decades, but it suggests the world is far off-track on its goals.
WMO, which relies on a broader dataset, also said 2024 would likely breach the 1.5°C limit, and break the record set just last year.
“Climate catastrophe is hammering health, widening inequalities, harming sustainable development, and rocking the foundations of peace. The vulnerable are hardest hit,” UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
Analysis by a team of international experts established by WMO found that long-term global warming was currently likely to be around 1.3°C, compared to the 1850-1900 baseline, the agency said.
“Every fraction of a degree of warming matters,” stressed WMO chief Celeste Saulo.
“Whether it is at a level below or above 1.5°C of warming, every additional increment of global warming increases climate extremes, impacts and risks.”
Monday’s report cautioned that greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, which lock in future temperature increases even if emissions fall, hit new highs in 2023 and appeared to have climbed further this year.
Ocean heat is also likely to be comparable to the record highs seen last year, it added.
Saulo warned that a string of devastating extreme weather events across the world this year “are unfortunately our new reality.”
They are, she said, “a foretaste of our future.”