World Briefing: November 15, 2024
The United Nations' COP climate talks are "no longer fit for purpose" and need an urgent overhaul, key experts including a former UN secretary general and former UN climate chief have said. In a letter to the UN, senior figures say countries should not host the talks if they don’t support the phase out of fossil energy. This week the Azerbaijani president told world leaders gathered in his country for COP29 that natural gas was a “gift from God” and he shouldn’t be blamed for bringing it to market. That came days after the BBC reported that a senior Azerbaijani official appeared to have used his role at COP to arrange a meeting to discuss potential fossil fuel deals. "Its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity," said its signatories. They include former UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson. This year will likely be the warmest on record, with emissions of planet warming gases still rising, while the impacts of warming often outpace the ability of countries to cope - BBC
President-elect Donald Trump has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a choice that would add to Trump’s list of provocative picks whose confirmation processes will test the loyalty of Senate Republicans. Kennedy, who accepted the offer Thursday, has been one of the nation’s most prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists for years and has frequently spread false conspiracy theories about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Last week, Kennedy said he would “immediately” begin studying vaccine safety and efficacy but promised to not “take vaccines away from anybody.” He also committed to formally recommending states and municipalities remove fluoride from public water - CNN
In response, Kerry Kennedy, sister of RFK Jr. and daughter of Robert Kennedy, had this to say: "I am disgusted by my brother’s obscene embrace of Donald Trump. And I completely disavow and dissociate myself from Robert Kennedy Jr. and his flagrant efforts to desecrate my father's memory."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the "mass production" of attack drones, state media reported on Friday, as concerns mount over the country's deepening military cooperation with Russia. Pyongyang first unveiled its attack drones in August, with experts saying the capability may be attributable to the country's budding alliance with Russia. The nuclear-armed country has ratified a landmark defence pact with Moscow and is accused of deploying thousands of troops to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, prompting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to warn about the potential transfer of sensitive Russian military technology to North Korea. Kim on Thursday reportedly oversaw the tests of drones designed to hit both land and sea targets, produced by North Korea's Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex. “He underscored the need to build a serial production system as early as possible and go into full-scale mass production," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The unmanned drones are designed to carry explosives and be deliberately crashed into enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles. Thursday's test saw the drones "precisely" hit targets after flying along predetermined paths, KCNA reported. Experts said the drones -- in images released by state media in August -- looked similar to the Israeli-made "HAROP" drone, Russian-made "Lancet-3" and Israeli "HERO 30". North Korea may have acquired these technologies from Russia, which in turn likely obtained them from Iran -- with Tehran itself suspected of accessing them through hacking or theft from Israel. - France 24
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that the "space for negotiation and diplomacy...is getting smaller" over Iran's advancing atomic programme as conflicts in the Middle East rage on and Donald Trump gears up to return to the White House. Rafael Grossi was visiting Tehran in an effort to restore his inspectors' access to the country's nuclear programme and get answers to outstanding questions. However, the remarks from both Grossi and his Iranian counterpart at a news conference suggested sizeable gaps still exist, even as some countries are pushing to take action against Iran at an upcoming IAEA Board of Governors' meeting. Since the collapse of the landmark nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has abandoned all limits on its nuclear activities and enriches uranium to up to 60% purity, which is near weapons-grade levels of 90% - Euronews
U.S. technology giant Apple has reportedly removed or hidden several Russian-language podcasts produced by independent journalists.The news outlet Mediazona reported on November 14 that new episodes from the online radio station Ekho Moskvy and investigative outlet The Insider were no longer accessible inside Russia. A BBC Russian Service podcast also appeared to be affected. Older episodes dating back more than a week were available, Mediazona reported, and users outside of Russia could still access all episodes. There was no immediate comment from Apple, which has also removed or blocked access to some VPNs and some apps inside Russia - RFE/RL
A Chinese-built port in Peru - expected to encompass 15 quays and a large industrial park drawing more than $3.5 billion in investment over a decade — has met a skeptical response from impoverished villagers, who say it is depriving them of fishing waters and bringing no economic benefit to locals. Many of the remote fishing village of Chancay’s 60,000 residents are unconvinced of the benefits being touted by the government. Fishermen returning to port with smaller catches complain that they have already lost out. The dredging of the port — which sucked sediment from the seabed to create a shipping channel 17 meters (56 feet) deep — has ruined fish breeding grounds, locals said - AP
Actress Eva Longoria says she is through with the “dystopian” U.S. and plans to split her time between Spain and Mexico. In an interview with Marie Claire, the former “Desperate Housewives” star said she couldn’t fathom the victory of President-elect Donald Trump. “The shocking part is not that he won,” she said. “It’s that a convicted criminal who spews so much hate could hold the highest office.” “If he keeps his promises, it’s going to be a scary place,” she added. Ms. Longoria acknowledged that fleeing the U.S. is easy for her, having multiple homes in foreign countries - Washington Times
