8 h. ago Paris Agreement working but too slowly to prevent dangerous global heat, scientists warn

Planet may experience 57 fewer extremely hot days a year if all countries meet their current emissions targets and limit global warming to 2.6C this century

Events

60 h. ago Trump calls climate science a ‘con job’. That could make tackling the crisis a whole lot easier | Francesco Grillo

Europe and Brazil have a rare opportunity, unimpeded by the US, to make a success of Cop30 – and reshape the world orderThe climate crisis, Donald Trump told the UN last month, is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”. With these words the US president rejected the international scientific consensus and evidence that we can all check daily with a basic thermometer. He has also announced he is withdrawing the US from the Paris climate agreement, signed in 2015 by 195 UN countries. The US joins an axis of deniers including Yemen, Iran and Libya, countries that signed the agreement but never ratified it.Paradoxically, Trump’s reversal provides an opportunity for others to advance the climate agenda: to sketch out the blueprint of a possible new world order without the US, even if Washington was the architect of the old one.Francesco Grillo is a visiting fellow at the European University Institute, Florence, and director of the thinktank Vision Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Torture, blackmail, extortion: the dangers of queer online dating in Ghana

Attacks against the LGBTQ+ community have increased as criminals – who use social platforms to lure victims – are emboldened by openly homophobic politiciansWhen a friend introduced Delali* to the dating app Grindr, she was wary. The 25-year-old Ghanaian-Nigerian chef knew online dating in Accra, Ghana’s capital, was treacherous for transgender women. Despite this, she decided to create a profile in February 2019. Messages started flooding in. One man caught her attention and they decided to meet up.At the meeting place, he led her to a secluded building. Inside a room lit by a blue light, he locked the door. She sat, nervously waiting for him to make the first move. Suddenly, two people with torches appeared out of nowhere, filming her. “It felt like I was in a dream,” she says, recalling the realisation that something terrible was about to happen. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago What is bluetoothing? Dangerous new drug trend that may be driving a global HIV surge

Method has become popular among drug users in poverty-stricken areas of Africa and Pacific areas

Events

2 w. ago Our world is hurtling into climate disaster and what do politicians give us? Oilfields and new runways | Bill McGuire

In the name of ‘pragmatism’, green measures are being ditched, net zero derided. Be very clear: without slashing emissions we are in deep, deep troubleThe hope that followed the signing of the Paris climate agreement in 2016 has long gone as the global community has failed utterly to rein in emissions, which – barring a small pandemic-induced blip in 2020 – have headed remorselessly upwards ever since. And there is little sign of this changing anytime soon. Indeed, as global heating has accelerated over the past few years, instead of trying harder, the world is turning its back on measures to tackle the climate crisis.In the UK, Labour is considering the approval of two major new oilfields in the North Sea – Rosebank and Jackdaw – with both Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves reported to be backing the proposals, which would lock in reliance on fossil fuels at the expense of renewables. Alongside this, instead of the government introducing measures to reduce aviation emissions, such as a...

Politics

3 w. ago Climate scientists reveal exactly how many people in Europe DIED from heat

Scientists reveal exactly how many people died due to the summer 2024's heat, which can trigger conditions such as heat exhaustion and heart failure.

Society

3 w. ago Why Trump’s attacks on the Fed’s independence are so dangerous | Steven Greenhouse

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates this week. But the aggressive action Trump seeks could dramatically backfireDonald Trump has once again taken a wrecking ball to the rule of law and long-standing norms as he seeks to fire Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor, and pursue his unprecedented assault on the central bank’s independence. Just as he failed to understand the huge problems his tariffs would create, Trump fails to understand the serious damage his attacks on the Federal Reserve could cause.In April, Trump launched repeated attacks on the Fed, threatening to fire its chairman, Jerome Powell, and demanding it slash interest rates. Trump called Powell “a stupid guy” and said “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!” Trump ultimately chickened out on firing Powell after financial markets tumbled at the prospect, but he hasn’t stopped pressing the Fed to chop its rates – suggesting they should be below 1% – to spur the slowing economy. Although Trump keeps denying it...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Something is working’: UN climate chief optimistic about green transition

Exclusive: Simon Stiell believes economic benefits will compel countries to speed up climate actionCleaning up industry and the global economy will produce massive economic dividends for countries that grasp the opportunity – as the example of China has shown, the UN climate chief has said, before a crunch summit of world leaders this week.In a last-ditch call to heads of government summoned to New York by the UN secretary general this week, Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN framework convention on climate change, said governments would almost certainly fail to come up with the climate commitments needed to fulfil the Paris agreement before a deadline this month, but they could still reset their economies to reap the advantages of low-carbon growth. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Eritrean man is second to be deported to France under UK’s ‘one in, one out’ deal

Home Office says man left Heathrow for Paris early on Friday after losing high court attempt to block moveAn Eritrean man has been deported to France under the UK government’s “one in, one out” deal with the neighbouring country.The man – the second to be deported under the agreement – was on a flight that left Heathrow for Paris at 6.15am on Friday, the Home Office confirmed after he lost a high court attempt to block the move. Continue reading...

Economics