Tuesday, July 28

Blog

COP29 deal disappoints Kiwi climate activists
World News

COP29 deal disappoints Kiwi climate activists

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev speaks at a first closing plenary of the COP29 Climate Conference in Baku on 23 November, 2024. Photo: AFP The world's least-developed nations have reacted angrily to the deal reached at the COP 29 climate summit - and New Zealand campaigners say they have a point. At the summit, in oil-rich Azerbaijan, a spending target of $300 billion (NZ$514b) a year was agreed on to help poorer countries - many of which have contributed very little, per capita, to emissions - deal with the impacts of climate change. It replaces a previous commitment of US $100 billion (NZ$171b) per year, a target which rich countries only met in 2022, two years behind schedule. Though agreed to, the new deal did not please everyone. "This document is nothing more than an optical illus...
UAE arrests three over death of rabbi Israel says was murdered
World News

UAE arrests three over death of rabbi Israel says was murdered

By Tamar Michaelis, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Sophie Tanno, CNN Zvi Kogan had been missing in the United Arab Emirates since Thursday. Photo: Supplied / chabad.org Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have arrested three people in connection with the death of an Israeli rabbi who, according to Israel, was killed in an "antisemitic act of terror". Zvi Kogan, who also holds Moldovan citizenship and is a representative of Chabad, a religious movement of Hasidic Jews with communities, synagogues and other institutions in many countries, had been missing since Thursday afternoon. Chabad's official website says he was abducted from Dubai - one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE. On Sunday, the UAE interior ministry confirmed it had discovered Kogan's body and arrested three people in...
Alaa Abd el Fattah: Mum’s plea after hunger strike over son’s imprisonment in Egypt – ‘I don’t want to die’ | UK News
Business

Alaa Abd el Fattah: Mum’s plea after hunger strike over son’s imprisonment in Egypt – ‘I don’t want to die’ | UK News

A mother who has gone on hunger strike after her activist son was detained in Egypt is calling on the foreign secretary to act fast - with time, she says, "running out".Laila Soueif told Sky News her son, Alaa Abd el Fattah, who has been in prison for most of the past decade, "has to come out now" as she fears her health will deteriorate if she has to carry on starving herself over his ongoing detention. The 68-year-old has been living on water and rehydration salts since 29 September, the day after Mr Fattah was meant to be released following a five-year prison sentence for "disseminating false news" after retweeting a report in 2019 that another prisoner died in custody. Image: Alaa Abd el Fattah with his mother. Pic: Family handout ...
Israeli army orders Gaza City suburb evacuated, spurring new wave of displacement
World News

Israeli army orders Gaza City suburb evacuated, spurring new wave of displacement

By Nidal al-Mughrabi for Reuters The evacuations were the latest in multiple waves of displacement since the Israel-Gaza war began 13 months ago. (file photo) Photo: MAJDI FATHI / AFP The Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders to residents in areas of an eastern Gaza City suburb, setting off a new wave of displacement. Meanwhile, a Gaza hospital director was injured in an Israeli drone attack, Palestinian medics said. The new orders for the Shejaia suburb posted by the Israeli army spokesperson on X on Saturday night were blamed on Palestinian militants firing rockets from that heavily built-up district in the north of the Gaza Strip. "For your safety, you must evacuate immediately to the south," the military's post said. The rocket volley on Saturday was claimed by Hamas'...
What Canada’s chief of defence staff says keeps her up at night – National
Politics

What Canada’s chief of defence staff says keeps her up at night – National

Canada’s chief of the defence staff says multiple global threats and military needs keep her up at night, but her top priority is boosting the number of people in the Canadian Armed Forces. Speaking to Mercedes Stephenson at the Halifax International Security Forum in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block, Gen. Jennie Carignan said she’s pushing for recruitment to exceed 10 per cent of the military’s end-of-year goal if that target is met ahead of time, with an overall objective of returning to “full strength” in five years.“If we get close to the end of the year and we are at target, we’re not going to stop,” she said. “If we can go above, we will.”She added steps have been taken to streamline the recruiting process, and that work needs to be done to properly train those new re...
Tusshar Kapoor on being single parent, societal pressure
Entertainment, Movies

Tusshar Kapoor on being single parent, societal pressure

Actor Tusshar Kapoor, who can be seen in the series ‘10 June Ki Raat’, has opened up about his status as a single parent, and societal pressure. The actor landed in Chandigarh for the ongoing edition of the Chandigarh Literary Festival, and spoke with IANS. Talking about being in Chandigarh, the actor said, “It was a very good experience. Our session with Sohail Muathar, my agent, was very good. We talked about my book ‘Bachelor Dad’. I have come to Chandigarh after 12 years. I am enjoying it a lot. The ambience is beautiful. The weather is pleasant. I am going back tomorrow. It’s a trip that’s worth it”. Talking about the pressure from the society of being a single parent, he told IANS, “There have been different families in our religion for centuries. It is not that there is only one ...
COP29 delegates leave summit with a bad aftertaste | World News
Business

COP29 delegates leave summit with a bad aftertaste | World News

In Azerbaijan, the oil is cheap, the skyscrapers are shaped like fire and donuts, and the ruling elite have got rich quick from its abundant fossil fuels. It could be the Dubai of the Caspian Sea.This former Soviet state is blessed with such abundant fossil fuels it oozes out of the soil, and in some places has been burning for decades. On a still day, the smell and taste of oil from the dozens of oil wells engulfing Baku catch in the back of your throat. Image: A beach on the Caspian Sea in Baku, Azerbaijan, with Soviet era oil platforms in the background. Pic: AP Delegates at the COP29 climate summit are now leaving the country with a bad aftertaste for another reason.Rich countries that have done far more to cause clima...
Canada’s defence spending timeline ‘an eternity’ for U.S., senator warns – National
Politics

Canada’s defence spending timeline ‘an eternity’ for U.S., senator warns – National

A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators say they expect Canada and the U.S. to work collaboratively on shared issues of defence and the border, but suggested Ottawa’s policies on military spending need to change to speed up progress. Speaking to Mercedes Stephenson from the Halifax International Security Forum in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block, Republican Sen. James Risch of Idaho and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire downplayed concerns that incoming president-elect Donald Trump will penalize Canada on things like trade if it doesn’t step up on defence spending.But Risch suggested Washington was growing impatient on Canada’s progress meeting NATO’s benchmark of spending at least two per cent on defence, which Ottawa says it plans to meet eight years from now.“If...
Can air pollution affect weight gain, hormonal health? Here`s what experts say
Health

Can air pollution affect weight gain, hormonal health? Here`s what experts say

Amid poor air quality in the national capital, doctors on Friday warned that the air pollutants, besides causing respiratory and cardiovascular issues, can also lead to weight gain, contribute to rising obesity rates, and also affect hormonal health.  The air quality in Delhi-NCR on Friday morning was reported to be in the ‘very poor’ category with a thin layer of smog engulfing the region. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi`s average air quality index (AQI) at 7.15 a.m. remained at 371. In seven areas of Delhi, the AQI level remained above 400 and between 450. The AQI was 410 in Anand Vihar, 411 in Bawana, 426 in Jahangirpuri, 402 in Mundka, 410 in Nehru Nagar, 402 in Shadipur, and 413 in Wazirpur. “Air pollution can affect weight gain by altering metabolism...
Nova Scotia Tories appear safe with Liberals, NDP battling for second: polls
Politics

Nova Scotia Tories appear safe with Liberals, NDP battling for second: polls

With two days left before Nova Scotians elect their next government, polls suggest Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston’s decision to call an early vote will pay off and the real battle will be between the Liberals and NDP for second place. The Progressive Conservatives are seeking a second consecutive mandate Tuesday after sweeping the Liberals from power in August 2021. Tory Leader Tim Houston called the snap election on Oct. 27 citing the need for a fresh mandate and ignoring his government’s election law, which for the first time in Nova Scotia set a fixed election date — July 15, 2025.In a recent interview, Alex Marland, a political scientist at Acadia University, said the final result is shaping up to be what Houston hoped for when he called the election. Marland said several ...