UN chief urges divided nations to approve blueprint to address global challenges from climate to AI

UN chief urges divided nations to approve blueprint to address global challenges from climate to AI
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at a press conference ahead of the opening of the 79th High-level session of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations on September 18, 2024 in New York. (AFP)
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Updated 19 September 2024
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UN chief urges divided nations to approve blueprint to address global challenges from climate to AI

UN chief urges divided nations to approve blueprint to address global challenges from climate to AI
  • Guterres stressed that in every area — from climate to AI — “there is a serious problem of governance,” and that’s what the Summit of the Future is about

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations chief urged the world’s divided nations on Wednesday to compromise and approve a blueprint to address global challenges from conflicts and climate change to artificial intelligence and reforming the UN and global financial institutions.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that discussions on the “Pact of the Future” are in their final stretch and failure to reach the required consensus among all 193 UN member nations “would be tragic.”
A year ago, Guterres sounded an alarm about the survival of humanity and the planet and summoned world leaders to a Summit of the Future at their global gathering this year to unite and take action to reform the UN and other institutions established after World War II and address new global threats. It is taking place Sunday and Monday, just before Tuesday’s start of the annual high-level meeting at the UN General Assembly.
Negotiations on the 30-page pact, now in its fourth revision, have been taking place for months, and in recent interviews and at Wednesday’s press conference the secretary-general has faced questions about its lack of vision, and what is different from UN documents adopted in recent years that haven’t been implemented.
“It’s very simple,” the UN chief replied.
All the previous “extraordinary, important declarations” were about what is needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century, he said. The Summit of the Future is about implementing those challenges, which requires reform of global institutions established after World War II including the United Nations.
Guterres stressed that in every area — from climate to AI — “there is a serious problem of governance,” and that’s what the Summit of the Future is about.
The draft Pact of the Future says world leaders are gathering “at a time of profound global transformation,” and it warns of “rising catastrophic and existential risks” that could tip people everywhere “into a future of persistent crisis and breakdown.”
But the draft says leaders are coming to the UN “to protect the needs and interests of present and future generations through actions in the Pact for the Future.”
It includes 51 actions on issues including eradicating poverty, combating climate change, achieving gender equality, promoting peace and protecting civilians, and reinvigorating the multilateral system to “seize the opportunities of today and tomorrow.”
Guterres pointed to “potential breakthroughs” in the pact including “the strongest language on Security Council reform in a generation,” and the most concrete steps to enlarging the powerful 15-member body since 1963.
He also cited the first measures to govern new technologies including Artificial Intelligence, a “major advance” in reforming international financial institutions, and a commitment to multiply resources for developing countries to meet UN development goals by 2030.
Urging member states to get the Pact of the Future “over the finish line,” Guterres said, “We can’t create a future fit for our grandchildren with systems built for our grandparents.”
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters Tuesday that a priority for the Biden administration at this year’s Summit of the Future is “to create a more inclusive and effective international system.”
She said the Group of 77 which now represents 134 developing countries at the UN, the 27-member European Union and the United States all agreed to the fourth revision of the Pact of the Future.
But the US ambassador said Russia objected to about 15 different issues, Saudi Arabia had problems with the climate language, and other countries objected to the language on reforming the international financial institutions including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund..
“I do think the Summit of the Future will make a difference,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “There are still some major differences. … But I am still hopeful that we will get there.”


Philippines to launch first nuclear power plant by 2032 

Philippines to launch first nuclear power plant by 2032 
Updated 15 sec ago
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Philippines to launch first nuclear power plant by 2032 

Philippines to launch first nuclear power plant by 2032 
  • Under national energy plan, Manila aims to have 4,800 MW of nuclear capacity by 2050
  • Philippine energy demand is expected to increase fourfold from 2020 to 2040

MANILA: The Philippines is planning for its first nuclear facility to be operational by 2032 and aims to add at least 1,200 megawatts of atomic power to the country’s grid, the Department of Energy has announced.

The government is exploring nuclear as an alternative energy option to reduce the Philippines’s dependency on coal, which is mostly imported and accounts for over half its power generation. 

“We aim to have commercially operational nuclear power plants by 2032, with at least 1,200 MW initially entering the country’s power mix, gradually increasing to 4,800 MW by 2050,” Undersecretary of Energy Sharon Garin said in a statement on Wednesday. 

As part of the Philippine Energy Plan, the government will establish an independent nuclear regulatory authority to oversee the safe and secure development of the Philippines’ nuclear energy program. It will prioritize legislation focused on nuclear safety, covering aspects of public health, environmental protection and national security, according to the Department of Energy. 

“The beneficial uses of nuclear technology have been extensive across sectors, leading to improved quality of life. These uses span the fields of health and medical, agriculture, industrial and energy,” Garin said. 

The Philippines joins other Asian countries, including Vietnam and Indonesia, which are considering nuclear power in order to meet rapidly rising power demands and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. 

Manila stopped accepting new proposals for coal-based power projects in 2020 to encourage investment in other energy sources. 

Under the national energy plan, the government aims to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix from 22 percent currently to 50 percent by 2040.

Philippine authorities expect the country’s power demand to increase almost fourfold from 2020 to 2040, especially as it remains dependent on imported fossil fuels and has insufficient renewables.

“The Philippines energy mix is precarious — 60 percent imported coal, 20 percent from depleting Malampaya gas,” Carlo Arcilla, director of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, told Arab News, referring to a gas field in the western Philippines that is expected to run dry by 2027.

“We actually need more nuclear because most of the Philippines’ electricity comes from coal ... Coal and gas, which are base load, are polluting and expensive. No choice (for the Philippines) but clean and dependable nuclear as base load support for renewables.”

The Philippines is home to Southeast Asia’s first nuclear power plant, which was completed in 1986 but has never produced electricity. It was never used and was closed due to safety concerns following the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in April 1986.


American rejects US citizenship in Russian court: agencies

American rejects US citizenship in Russian court: agencies
Updated 27 sec ago
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American rejects US citizenship in Russian court: agencies

American rejects US citizenship in Russian court: agencies
  • The defendant, Joseph Tater, was in court over prosecutors’ allegations he assaulted a police officer after abusing staff at a hotel in the Russian capital in August
  • In an appeal hearing at the Moscow City Court, he criticized the US government and media outlets, demanded two embassy officials leave

MOSCOW: An American rejected his US citizenship in a Moscow court on Thursday, saying he was the victim of political persecution in the United States, Russian state news agencies reported.
The defendant, Joseph Tater, was in court over prosecutors’ allegations he assaulted a police officer after abusing staff at a hotel in the Russian capital in August.
In an appeal hearing at the Moscow City Court he criticized the US government and media outlets, demanded two embassy officials leave and said he had been targeted by the CIA for years.
“My life is being threatened in the United States,” Russian state news agencies quoted him as saying in court.
He alleged the CIA had killed his mother while she was in hospital and that he had been arrested in the US on false charges.
His lawyer told the judge he had come to Russia “with the purpose of obtaining political asylum in connection with persecution by the relevant authorities in the US.”
Addressing two US embassy officials in the court, Tater was quoted as saying: “I am no longer a US citizen, I ask you to leave the courtroom.”
He also demanded American journalists — “especially CNN” — and “journalists from Ukraine” leave the hearing, the agencies reported.
The court rejected his appeal against being held in pre-trial detention until at least October. He faces up to five years in prison.
Russia has arrested several US citizens in recent years on charges ranging from espionage and criticizing the Russian army to petty theft and family disputes.
During the Ukraine offensive and amid tensions with the West, President Vladimir Putin has made it easier for Western citizens to relocate to Russia on political grounds.
Under a decree issued earlier this year, individuals who oppose their countries’ “destructive neoliberal ideology” can apply for residency in Russia without having to pass usual tests on Russian language, history and laws.


Bangladesh to phase out plastic bags from next week

Bangladesh to phase out plastic bags from next week
Updated 36 min 46 sec ago
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Bangladesh to phase out plastic bags from next week

Bangladesh to phase out plastic bags from next week
  • Bangladesh was the first country to ban plastic bags in 2002 but failed with enforcement
  • Government vows to crack down on polythene producers from November

Dhaka: Bangladesh will enforce a ban on thin plastic grocery bags starting next week — over 20 years after it passed legislation prohibiting their use.

The country became the first in the world to ban plastic bags after they were found to have choked its drainage systems during devastating floods in 2002.

It introduced heavy fines and prison sentences for producing, using and marketing polythene — the plastic from which most single-use bags are made — but the initially successful initiative eventually failed to sustain, mainly due to weak enforcement.

Bangladesh’s new interim government announced earlier this month that it would take legal action against supermarkets from Oct. 1 and all other markets from Nov. 1 for failing to follow the 2002 ban.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the government and de facto minister of environment, said during a meeting with the Dhaka city administration that “the use of polythene — a curse to the environment, climate and bio-diversity — must be stopped at any cost” and that from Nov. 1, the government will launch operations against polythene producers.

“Everyone is being given ample time to adapt, and we are also working on providing alternatives.”

The implementation of the 2002 ban was not successful earlier in part because cheap alternatives to polythene were not widely available. But since then, Bangladesh has significantly developed its jute industry, which is expected to be a main contributor of eco-friendly packaging.

“Jute bags are an easy and sustainable substitute for plastic bags,” Alamgir Kabir, secretary general of the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, or Bangladesh Environment Movement, told Arab News.
“We welcome the government’s initiative of banning single-use plastic bags in supermarket shops as it’s a good decision for the sake of public health. We want to see that this decision is being implemented fully.”

While the cheapest jute bag costs around 5 US cents in Bangladesh — or about as much as a banana or a cup of tea — it will initially be some burden for the poorer, but Kabir argued it was high time that Bangladesh took action against single-use plastics.

“If we consider the case of Dhaka city, our drainage system is completely disrupted by these polythene bags. These bags ultimately flow into the rivers causing a serious problem with navigability. They are a serious threat to our public health as plastic particles are found inside fishes, and this is how plastic enters into our food cycle,” he said.

“Authorities banned the use of plastic bags around two decades ago. But due to a lack of political and administrative will, this decision couldn’t be implemented, resulting in a flood of polythene bags across the country.”


Harrods apologizes to women who say they were abused by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed

Managing director of Harrods said the store is “deeply sorry” for failing employees who say they were sexually assaulted.
Managing director of Harrods said the store is “deeply sorry” for failing employees who say they were sexually assaulted.
Updated 26 September 2024
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Harrods apologizes to women who say they were abused by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed

Managing director of Harrods said the store is “deeply sorry” for failing employees who say they were sexually assaulted.
  • Michael Ward said it is clear Al Fayed “presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct”

LONDON: The managing director of Harrods said Thursday that the London department store is “deeply sorry” for failing employees who say they were sexually assaulted by late owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
Michael Ward said it is clear Al Fayed “presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct.”
Five women have told the BBC they were raped by Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, and several others allege acts of assault and physical violence. Lawyers for the alleged victims say they have been retained by 37 women and the list is growing.
Ward said he was “not aware of his (Al Fayed’s) criminality and abuse” during the four years he worked for the Harrod’s owner, though “rumors of his behavior circulated in the public domain.”
Al Fayed owned Harrods for a quarter century before selling it 2010 to a company owned by the state of Qatar through its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.
“We failed our colleagues and for that we are deeply sorry,” Ward said in a statement. He said Harrods had set up a “settlement process” for Al Fayed’s victims.
“This was a shameful period in the business’ history,” the statement said. “However, the Harrods of today is unrecognizable to Harrods under his ownership.”
London’s Metropolitan Police say they were made aware of allegations in the past and had questioned Al Fayed in 2008 over the alleged sexual abuse of a 15-year-old, but prosecutors at the time did not take the cases forward.
Al Fayed’s family has not commented.
Egypt-born businessman Al Fayed moved to Britain in the 1960s and bought Harrods, an upmarket retail emporium in London’s tony Knightsbridge district, in the mid-1980s
He became a well-known figure through his ownership of the store and the London soccer team Fulham. He was often in the headlines after his son Dodi was killed alongside Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Al Fayed spent years promoting the conspiracy theory that the royal family had arranged the accident because they did not approve of Diana dating an Egyptian.
An inquest concluded that Diana and Dodi died because of the reckless actions of their driver — an employee of the Ritz Hotel in Paris owned by Al Fayed — and paparazzi chasing the couple. Separate inquiries in the UK and France also concluded there was no conspiracy.


World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says

World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says
Updated 59 min 6 sec ago
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World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says

World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says

WASHINGTON: Countries around the world, including leading Arab nations, those in the G7 and the European Union, want a halt to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
Asked about Israel’s rejection of a US-backed Lebanon ceasefire proposal, Blinken told MSNBC: “The world is speaking clearly for virtually all of the key countries in Europe and in the region on the need for the ceasefire.”
He added that he would be meeting with Israeli officials in New York later on Thursday.