31 h. ago Cop day 5 live: Indigenous activists blockade the summit centre as climate conference continues

As the climate conference goes into its fifth day, with huge amounts still unresolved, there were reports that activists had blockaded the entrance to the centreNorway and the United Arab Emirates - both significant fossil fuel producers - are among the ministerial pairings announced by the Brazilian Cop30 Presidency. The task of the pairings is to consult with countries on specific issues and report their views back to the presidency, to help the negotiations progress.The ministers from Norway and the UAE will work on the “global stocktake”, the strand of the talks about the big gap between the carbon emissions cuts needed and the real world. At its heart is cutting fossil fuel emissions, which makes it a target for obstruction by petrostates. The UAE hosted Cop28 in 2023, which delivered the first ever mention of fossil fuels in a Cop outcome.Gambia and Germany, working on adaptationEgypt and Spain, working on mitigation, i.e. cutting emissionsMexico and Poland, working on just tr...

Politics

55 h. ago Hundreds evacuated and dozens hospitalized after an ammonia gas leak in Oklahoma

People in the immediate area were in respiratory distress after a tanker truck spewed a plume of anhydrous ammonia gasHundreds of people were evacuated from a city in Oklahoma and others were told to shelter in place after a tanker truck that was leaking in a hotel parking lot spewed a plume of anhydrous ammonia gas, authorities said Thursday.The gas release happened shortly before 10pm on Wednesday. People in the immediate area were in respiratory distress and at least 36 people were taken to a local hospital, city officials said at a news conference. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Rich countries have lost enthusiasm for tackling climate crisis, says Cop30 chief

Brazil’s André Corrêa do Lago says countries should follow China’s lead on clean energy as conference beginsCop30: what are the main issues?Net zero to NDCs: your Cop30 jargon busterRich countries have lost enthusiasm for combating the climate crisis while China is surging ahead in producing and using clean energy equipment, the president of the UN climate talks has said.More countries should follow China’s lead instead of complaining about being outcompeted, said André Corrêa do Lago, the Brazilian diplomat in charge of the Cop30 conference, which begins on Monday. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago At Sydney’s mighty arms convention, weapons are sold as ‘solutions’. No one mentions the people they will target

As protesters outside condemn war, inside the Indo-Pacific International Maritime Exposition the defence minister praises the ‘beautiful, menacing and extremely cool’ technology on showGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInside the heavily guarded, aseptically cool halls of the Indo-Pacific International Maritime Exposition, Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, describes it as, for some in the room, “a kind of Disneyland the happiest place on Earth”.Standing outside, facing barricades and a broad line of armed police, those protesting the very presence of the arms conference in Sydney view it is anything but. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago ‘We’re leading the way’: Starmer defends plans for green economy before Cop30

PM defies critics calling for a slowdown as he flies to Brazil, where he may have frosty reception after opting out of tropical forest fundUK opts out of flagship fund to protect Amazon and other threatened tropical forestsThe UK will lead on tackling the climate crisis, the prime minister vowed on Wednesday, despite critics calling for a slowdown, because shifting to a low-carbon economy will cut bills, boost economic growth and bring national renewal.But his words risked being overshadowed by a bitter row over funding for tropical forest preservation at the UN Cop30 climate conference. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Arsenal oppose Crystal Palace’s ‘unfair’ request to play Carabao Cup tie on 23 December

Original 16 December date could change to 23 DecemberPalace set to play three games in five days if tie not movedArsenal have voiced strong opposition to Crystal Palace’s request that their Carabao Cup quarter-final be played on 23 December, with Mikel Arteta insisting it would not be fair to make both teams play two matches in little more than 48 hours.The tie is scheduled for Tuesday 16 December in a gruelling run of three matches in five days for Palace, who have a Premier League game at home to Manchester City two days earlier and a Conference League fixture against KuPS on 18 December. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Wole Soyinka, Nigerian Nobel laureate and Trump critic, says US visa revoked

Soyinka, 91, who recently compared US president to Idi Amin, says ‘I have no visa – I am banned’The Trump administration has revoked the visa for Wole Soyinka, the acclaimed Nigerian Nobel prize-winning writer who has been critical of Trump since his first presidency, Soyinka revealed on Tuesday.“I want to assure the consulate that I’m very content with the revocation of my visa,” Soyinka, who won the 1986 Nobel prize for literature, told a news conference. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready for peace talks anywhere besides Russia and Belarus – Europe live

The Ukrainian president also stressed that they still need European financial support to continue fighting As mentioned earlier, we are expecting a press conference on the sidelines of the Nordic Council meeting today in the next twenty minutes or so, with regional leaders – including Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway – joined there by the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen.I will keep an eye on this for you and bring you all the latest lines here. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago One killed and six injured after shooting at Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University

One armed person detained as historically Black school shooting comes amid rising violence at homecoming eventsAt least one person was killed and six others wounded in a shooting at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania late on Saturday, as students and alumni celebrated homecoming at outdoor festivities at the historically Black university, authorities said.A person who had a firearm was detained, and officials are investigating the possibility that there was more than one shooter but don’t believe there is any active threat to the campus, Chester county’s district attorney, Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe, said during a brief news conference early on Sunday. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago ‘I don’t like you either’: diplomats hold their breath as Trump chides Rudd over previous comments

President’s comments were greeted with laughter as diplomatic pressure valve finally releasedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast“I don’t like you either. And I probably never will,” US President Donald Trump told Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd at the White House cabinet room table.It was the testiest and most uncomfortable remark at a typically freewheeling and chaotic presidential press conference. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Mental Health Is Real Wealth: how Black men prioritize healing in a Los Angeles community

The bi-monthly group gives Black men a safe space to share, reflect and support each otherDesmond Carter is on a mission to save the lives of Black men.Carter, founder of Mental Health Is Real Wealth, leads a bi-monthly mental health group in Los Angeles’ Leimert Park neighborhood, and on a recent Thursday, 15 Black men gathered inside a conference room without pressure and without women. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Mental Health Is Real Wealth: how Black men prioritize healing ‘in this white world’

In Los Angeles, a bi-monthly group gives Black men a safe space to share, reflect and support each otherDesmond Carter is on a mission to save the lives of Black men.Carter, founder of Mental Health Is Real Wealth, leads a bi-monthly mental health group in Los Angeles’ Leimert Park neighborhood, and on a recent Thursday, 15 Black men gathered inside a conference room without pressure and without women. Continue reading...

Events