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Nov 19, 2024 - World

G20 leaders met in Rio de Janeiro on Monday for talks on climate change, ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, and more, at a forum that highlighted differences between world powers but also delivered some successes.Here are five key takeaways from the summit:- No climate breakthrough -Hopes were high that G20 leaders would jumpstart stalled UN climate talks taking place in Azerbaijan.In their final declaration, however, they merely recognized the need for "substantially scaling up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources."Crucially, they did not say who would provide the trillions.They also did not reiterate a commitment made at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai last year for a "just, orderly, and equitable transition" away from fossil fuels."They haven't stepped up to the challenge," Mick Sheldrick, co-founder of the Global Citizen campaign group said.- Ukraine war -The war in Ukraine dominated discussions at the G20, a day after the United States gave Kyiv the green light to strike Russian territory with American-supplied long-range missiles.Russia vowed a "response" if hit.Chinese President Xi Jinping, who together with Brazil has been pushing for Kyiv to enter peace talks with Russia, urged the G20 to help "cool" the war.In their final statement, G20 leaders said they welcomed "all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace" in Ukraine.While condemning, as at last year's G20 summit, the "threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition," they made no mention of Russian aggression.- Lebanon, Gaza ceasefire calls -The leaders of the G20 -- which mixes steadfast Israel allies such as the United States and Argentina with countries like Turkey that are more supportive of Palestinians -- called for "comprehensive" ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon.They said the Gaza ceasefire should be in line with a US-proposed UN resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in the territory in return for the release of all hostages by Hamas.It also called for a Lebanon ceasefire "that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line" that separates Lebanese and Israeli armed forces.- Tax the super-rich -The G20 endorsed the idea of cooperating to make sure "ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed," delivering a victory to summit host Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.It said though that such cooperation should be "with full respect to tax sovereignty" and involve "debates around tax principles" as well as coming up with anti-avoidance mechanisms.An economist specializing in inequalities who was tapped by the Brazilian G20 presidency to write a report on the issue, Gabriel Zucman, hailed the "historic decision."- Alliance against hunger -One of the issues dearest to President Lula was forging a global alliance against hunger, and he received an early success by launching that initiative at the start of the summit, getting 82 countries to sign on.The alliance aims to unite international efforts to provide financing in the campaign against hunger, and to replicate programs that have proved successful in some countries.The goal is to reach half a billion people by the end of the decade, reducing what Lula -- who grew up in poverty -- has called a preventable "scourge that shames humanity."

Nov 19, 2024 - World

Floodwaters reaching more than four meters high swamped thousands of houses in the storm-battered northern Philippines on Tuesday after rivers overflowed following heavy rain and a dam release.Typhoon Man-yi drenched swaths of the Philippines over the weekend, swelling the Cagayan river and tributaries, and forcing the release of water from Magat Dam.The Cagayan broke its banks, spilling water over already sodden farmland and communities, affecting tens of thousands of people.Buildings, lamp posts and trees poked through a lake of brown water in Tuguegarao city in Cagayan province where provincial disaster official Ian Valdepenas said floodwaters reached more than four meters (14 feet) in some places."We experienced very heavy rains two days ago, but the flood just started to rise when Magat Dam started releasing huge volumes of water," Valdepenas told AFP."Plus, our land is already saturated because of the consecutive typhoons hitting the area."Man-yi was the sixth major storm in a month to strike the Philippines, which have left at least 171 people dead and thousands homeless, as well as wiped out crops and livestock.About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Southeast Asian nation or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people, but it is rare for multiple such weather events to take place in a small window.-- Roofs of houses --In the neighbouring province of Isabela, Jun Montereal of the Ilagan city disaster preparedness committee said 30,000 people were still affected by flooding.But the situation was slowly improving."The flood is subsiding now little by little, it's slower because the land is already saturated but we are way past the worst," Montereal told AFP."We are really hoping that the weather will continue to be fair so the water can go down. I think the water will completely subside in three days," he said."I can now see the roofs of houses that I wasn't able to see before because of the floods."Carlo Ablan, who helps oversee operations at Magat Dam, said three gates were open as of Tuesday morning to release water from the dam."If the weather continues to be good, we are expecting that we will only have one gate open this afternoon," Ablan said.Ablan said flooding in Tuguegarao city was not only caused by water from Magat Dam -- other tributaries of the Cagayan river were also likely to blame.Valdepenas said authorities in Tuguegarao were waiting for floodwaters to subside more before sending people back to their homes."This might start subsiding within today," he said.More than a million people fled their homes ahead of Man-yi, which struck the Philippines as a super typhoon before significantly weakening as it swept over the mountains of the main island of Luzon.Man-yi dumped heavy rain, smashed flimsy buildings, knocked out power and claimed at least eight lives.Climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.

Nov 19, 2024 - World

A Hong Kong court on Tuesday jailed all 45 defendants convicted of subversion in the city's largest national security trial, with "mastermind" Benny Lai receiving the longest term of 10 years.International condemnation was swift, with Western countries and rights groups slamming the sentencing as evidence of the erosion of political freedoms in the city since Beijing imposed a security law in 2020.Tai's sentence was the longest yet handed out under the law, which was brought in to quash dissent after massive, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.His 44 co-defendants were sentenced to shorter terms beginning from four years and two months.All were charged with subversion after holding an informal poll in 2020 as part of a strategy to win a pro-democracy electoral majority.The group is made up of some of the most prominent figures of Hong Kong's once-diverse political opposition.Among them, former student leader Joshua Wong shouted "I love Hong Kong, bye bye!" to the packed courtroom as he was led away after sentencing.Wong gained international prominence in 2014 as a driving force behind protests known as the Umbrella Movement, which landed him on the cover of Time magazine when he was just a teenager.- 'The wicked shall perish' -More than 200 people had queued in drizzle outside the court since dawn for a public seat.Inside, the 45 defendants were crammed into the dock, occasionally waving to the public.Many have already spent more than 1,300 days in jail.Outside after the sentencing, the mother of defendant Hendrick Lui silently held up a placard reading: "The righteous shall live, the wicked shall perish."She was taken away in a police van within seconds, according to video footage from Hong Kong media.The second-longest sentence of seven years and nine months was handed to young activist Owen Chow.Pro-democracy politicians Au Nok-hin, Andrew Chiu and Ben Chung were singled out as organizers, but received lesser sentences after testifying against Tai."Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, the 68-year-old co-founder of the city's last standing opposition party, received a term of six years and nine months.His wife and party leader Chan Po-ying told AFP that it was "within our expectations"."It is what it is -- no matter (whether) I laugh or I cry, so I choose to laugh a bit," she said.Also included in the group are former lawmakers like Claudia Mo and Eddie Chu, and former journalist Gwyneth Ho.- 'Refused to be tamed' -Former district councillor Leticia Wong told AFP that she thought the sentences were "encouraging people to plead guilty and testify against their peers"."For those who refused to be tamed, punishment is obviously heavier," Wong said.Western countries and international rights groups condemned the trial.Australia's government said it was "gravely concerned" after dual citizen Gordon Ng received a sentence of seven years and three months, and said it would continue to advocate for his "best interests".The United States and Britain also condemned the sentences of the 45 activists.China responded that such Western criticism "seriously desecrates and tramples on the spirit of the rule of law", and warned against interference.International NGO Human Rights Watch said the sentences show "how fast Hong Kong's civil liberties and judicial independence have nosedived".Another closely watched national security trial will see a key development on Wednesday when jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai testifies in his collusion trial.China and Hong Kong have repeatedly pushed back against criticisms, saying the security law restored order following the 2019 protests.Hong Kong's security minister Chris Tang said Tuesday's sentences "reflected the severity of the crime", but added the government would decide whether to appeal individual sentences.- 'Constitutional crisis' -Forty-seven people were initially charged after they were arrested in January 2021.Thirty-one pleaded guilty, and 16 stood a 118-day trial last year, with 14 convicted and two acquitted in May.The aim of the July 2020 primary was to pick a cross-party shortlist of pro-democracy candidates to increase their electoral prospects.If a majority was achieved, the plan was to force the government to meet the 2019 protesters' demands -- including universal suffrage -- by threatening to indiscriminately veto the budget.Three senior judges handpicked by the government to try security cases said that would have caused a "constitutional crisis".The subversion charge could have carried a sentence of up to life in prison.

Nov 19, 2024 - World

Spain's King Felipe VI said Tuesday he and his wife Queen Letizia will next week return to the epicenter of the country's catastrophic floods, where survivors heckled and hurled mud at them during their last visit."We do not yet have the date or the itinerary, but yes it will take place," the king told reporters during a visit to Betera in the eastern Valencia region where he met with soldiers taking part in the relief work following the October 29 disaster."From the outset, we wanted to show our willingness to be present in various ways in all the places affected," added Felipe, dressed in military fatigues.Palace sources had told AFP earlier on Tuesday that the royal couple will travel "early next week" to the Valencia region, which has suffered almost all the destruction and 222 deaths.Furious residents chanting "murderers" in the ruined Valencia region town of Paiporta pelted the couple and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez with projectiles and mud on November 3.While Sanchez and the Valencia region's leader Carlos Mazon were swiftly escorted away, the royals braved the chaos to speak with flood victims.They have promised to travel to the town of Chiva where their planned visit on the same day was cancelled.The unrest in Paiporta expressed widespread anger at political leaders for their perceived failure to adequately prepare for and respond to Spain's worst floods in a generation.The king said he wants to approach his next visit to the affected area "taking into account the circumstances we are living through here, and aware that each of us must be in our place".

Nov 19, 2024 - World

A U.S. lawmaker critical of COP29 host Azerbaijan said he was nearly assaulted when he attended the climate talks in what he called an orchestrated attack by the government."It was no question that if it wasn't for the fact that security that the embassy hired protected me, I would have been in the hospital," Representative Frank Pallone told reporters on his return to Washington on Monday.Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey who is an outspoken supporter of Azerbaijan's rival Armenia, said he first sensed trouble when he was confronted by hostile and seemingly coordinated questions by local media during the UN-led climate conference taking place in a Baku stadium."It was sort of like an exercise in what despots do," Pallone said."In Azerbaijan there is no free media. The media is totally controlled by the state," he said."You know this was orchestrated by the government. That's what this was all about. In order to make a point that we don't want you here and we don't want you articulating concerns that you have," he said.Pallone said around 50 "thugs" then waited for him outside his hotel, with the local police refusing to take him through a back entrance but the US embassy-provided security shielding him."It was clear that they wanted to assault me," he said.Pallone said he was told he was unwelcome at a meeting between the US congressional delegation and President Ilham Aliyev, although fellow lawmakers relayed his concerns.Senator Ed Markey said he also encountered harassment and needed a bodyguard even inside his hotel, although he said Pallone faced worse.Markey, a Democrat who is a leading climate advocate in the US Congress, accused energy producer Azerbaijan of intensifying repression and "greenwashing" both its climate and human rights record by holding COP29."We can't just allow these authoritarian petrostates to ignore both the human rights and the climate threats that have to be addressed in a comprehensive way," Markey said.Markey said he met a senior advisor to Aliyev and urged a release of political prisoners as well as "good-faith" negotiations with Armenia, a year after Azerbaijan seized back the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.Aliyev set off an uproar last week by using his COP29 platform to attack France, the Netherlands and the European Union, which have all criticized him.The Council of Europe commissioner for human rights in a letter published Monday said Azerbaijan has imprisoned activists and journalists merely due to their work and opposition to the authorities.