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September
UN worried about Vietnam arrest of energy expert after Biden's visit
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.N. human rights office has expressed concern about the arrest of a Vietnamese green energy expert, who had collaborated with U.N. and U.S. agencies, just days after President Joe Biden signed business and human rights deals with Hanoi on a visit.
Hanoi police on Sept. 15 detained Ngo Thi To Nhien, Executive Director of the Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition (VIET), an independent think tank focused on green energy policy, Reuters reported last week citing a charity and a source.
"We are aware of the arrest and are following the developments with concern," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told Reuters in a statement.
Nhien had worked for the World Bank, with the United Nations Development Programme and the United States aid agency (USAID), according to her profile on LinkedIn.
She "has participated in international and national events, including consultations organized by UNDP on the topic of energy transition," the UNDP in Vietnam confirmed in an email message to Reuters.
The US embassy in Hanoi has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Over the last two years Vietnam has arrested five environmental human rights defenders accusing them of tax evasion, a OHCHR spokesperson said in June, noting the arrests happened while the country was negotiating international funding for energy transition away from coal, of which it is a major user.
Nhien kept a very low public profile and was considered an expert, not an activist.
Vietnam's government has not issued any public statement about Nhien's arrest, and did not reply to requests for comment.
On Friday, Vietnam also executed a man, Le Van Manh, who had been sentenced to death in July 2005 after being found guilty of murder, child rape and robbery.
The European Union had called to halt the execution.
Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, said Manh had a strong alibi which was disregarded. (Reuters)
September
After U.N. meeting, countries brace for COP28 fossil fuel fight
Written by Nur Yasmin
With two months left until the U.N.'s COP28 summit, countries are far from bridging the gap between those demanding a deal to phase out planet-warming fossil fuels and nations insisting on preserving a role for coal, oil and natural gas.
The COP28 conference in Dubai scheduled between Nov. 30 and Dec. 12 is seen as a crucial opportunity for governments to accelerate action to limit global warming, yet countries remain split over the future of fossil fuels - the burning of which is the main cause of climate change.
Meetings at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last week reignited the long-rumbling debate, with climate-vulnerable nations like the Marshall Islands pleading for wealthier ones to quit polluting fuels and to invest in renewable alternatives.
"Humanity has opened the gates to hell" by heating the planet, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres told a one-day climate summit held alongside the general assembly, where he lamented the "naked greed" of fossil fuel interests.
Other countries that produce or rely on fossil fuels emphasised the potential use of technologies to "abate" - meaning capture - their emissions, rather than ending the use of such fuels completely.
Saying that "the phase down of fossil fuels is inevitable," the United Arab Emirates' incoming COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber told the summit: "As we build an energy system free of all unabated fossil fuels, including coal, we must rapidly and comprehensively decarbonize the energies we use today."
China, the world's biggest fossil fuel consumer, is among those signalling that it intends to keep using them for decades.
The United States has said it supports a phase out of unabated fossil fuels - while acknowledging some developing countries' plans to invest in them in the near term - though U.S. climate envoy John Kerry has questioned whether emissions capturing technologies can be scaled up fast enough.
While a COP28 pact to reduce fossil fuel use would not prompt an immediate exit from oil and gas, the European Union and other supporters say it is vital for guiding national policies and investments away from polluting energy.
"It's not that this is going to happen tomorrow," Spain's Climate Minister Teresa Ribera told Reuters. "But we need to ensure that we are creating the conditions to make this possible."
WAR OF WORDS
Given the divisions over the future of fossil fuels since more than 80 countries unsuccessfully pushed for a deal on a phase-down at last year's COP27 summit, negotiators are turning to new terminologies in search of a compromise.
In what appeared in April to be a possible breakthrough, the Group of Seven industrialised nations agreed to speed up the "phase-out of unabated fossil fuels".
By inserting "unabated" before fossil fuels, the pledge targeted only fuels burned without emissions-capturing technology.
But by July, the pledge faltered as the larger G20 - which includes oil and gas producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia - failed to reach consensus on the issue.
Ireland's Climate Minister Eamon Ryan said the question of phasing out all fossil fuels or just the emissions would likely be the trickiest issue at COP28.
"Some people are rightly fearful that that could just be a carte blanche to continue the exploration of oil and gas and coal," Ryan told Reuters, of the debate around emissions capturing technology.
A group of 17 countries including France, Kenya, Chile, Colombia and the Pacific island nations of Tuvalu and Vanuatu last week called for a fossil fuel phase-out that limits the use of carbon-capture technology.
"We cannot use it to green-light fossil fuel expansion," the countries said in a joint statement.
Oil and gas industry groups like the American Petroleum Institute have said the world will need emissions abatement technologies in order to provide "more energy with fewer emissions."
Some developing countries are also resisting a phase-out, saying they need fossil fuels to expand their electricity capacity for economic development - in the same way nations like Japan and the United States have done.
Within the African Union, some governments have accused the West of hypocrisy for using climate arguments to refuse financing for gas projects in developing nations, while continuing to burn gas at home.
KEEPING 1.5 ALIVE
Without a rapid decrease in fossil fuel use, the Earth will heat up beyond the global target of 1.5 degrees Celsius - compared with pre-industrial levels - within 10-15 years, said climate scientist Peter Cox at the University of Exeter.
"You can't have it both ways. We can't say we want to avoid 1.5 C ... and not say anything about phasing out fossil fuels," Cox said.
The head of the International Energy Agency this month said that demand for coal, gas and oil would peak by 2030 as renewable energy capacity grows.
"Leave aside the climate risk. There is now a business risk," Fatih Birol told an event hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation. He urged countries to stop making new investments in coal, oil and gas.
The comments drew ire from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which disputed Birol's projections for not including emissions-capturing possibilities and described his call for an end to new investments "dangerous."
The Alliance of Small Island States, whose members face climate-fuelled storms and land loss to rising seas, wants a fossil fuel phase-out and an end to the $7 trillion governments spend annually on subsidising fossil fuels. (Reuters)
September
US exploring potential space force hotline with China
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States Space Force has had internal discussions about setting up a hotline with China to prevent crises in space, U.S. commander General Chance Saltzman told Reuters on Monday.
The chief of space operations said a direct line of communication between the Space Force and its Chinese counterpart would be valuable in de-escalating tensions but that the U.S. had not yet engaged with China to establish one.
"What we have talked about on the U.S. side at least is opening up a line of communication to make sure that if there is a crisis, we know who we can contact," Saltzman said, adding that it would be up to President Joe Biden and the State Department to take the lead on such discussions.
The comments come as the U.S. Space Force looks into establishing a branch in Japan, as China's military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific unnverve its neighbours and the war in Ukraine spotlights the importance of space capabilities in warfare.
Japan has been especially concerned about Taiwan and any lessons China may have drawn from Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year ago. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under Beijing's control.
Saltzman, who held talks with top Japanese defence officials in Tokyo on Monday, confirmed that the space force was exploring the potential establishment of a local headquarters in Japan.
He did not elaborate on the location or the purpose it would serve, but did say it could look similar to a branch established in South Korea in November last year.
Saltzman added that deeper cooperation with like-minded countries including Japan would be crucial in being able to monitor and understand activity in the space domain to deter China and counter 'grey zone activities' such as jamming satellite signals.
"We have to be able to have those indications and warnings and see what they're doing and call them on the intent. Just being hypersensitive so we don't fall prey to grey zone activities," Saltzman said.
The U.S. Space Force, founded in 2019, also does not have a direct line of communication with its Russian counterpart. (Reuters)
September
North Korea says cooperation with Russia 'natural' for neighbours
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea on Monday slammed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for criticising its cooperation with Moscow following leader Kim Jong Un's Russia visit, saying it is "natural" and "normal" for neighbours to keep close relations.
Yoon, speaking at the U.N. General Assembly last week, said that if Russia helped North Korea enhance its weapons programmes in return for assistance for its war in Ukraine, it would be "a direct provocation."
In a piece carried by KCNA news agency, the North denounced Yoon for "malignantly" slandering its friendly cooperation with Russia, and said Yoon was serving as a "loudspeaker" for the United States.
"It is quite natural and normal for neighbouring countries to keep close relations with each other, and there is no reason to call such practice to account," it said.
Kim returned home last week from a week-long trip to Russia in which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to boost military and economic cooperation.
U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern that Russia could be trying to acquire ammunition from the North to supplement its dwindling stocks for the war in Ukraine while Pyongyang seeks technological help for its nuclear and missile programmes.
Any activities assisting North Korea's weapons programmes are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
"The foreign policy of the DPRK ... will not be tied to anything, and its friendly and cooperative relations with the close neighbours will continue to grow stronger," the commentary said. DPRK is the initials of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (Reuters)
September
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan Moved To A New Jail After Court Order - Lawyer
Written by Nur Yasmin
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been moved to a new jail with better facilities near the national capital Islamabad after a court order, his lawyer said on Monday.
Khan was jailed in August in connection with a corruption case. A court suspended his prison term weeks later but a prior order for him to be remanded in custody in a case related to charges of leaking state secrets case prevented his release. (Reuters)
September
Paraguay president backs Taiwan joining UN system
Written by Nur Yasmin
Paraguay supports Taiwan joining the United Nations system, the South American country's president, Santiago Pena, said on Tuesday, speaking at the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA).
Due to a 1971 U.N. resolution, Taiwan has been excluded from the international body, which recognizes the People's Republic of China as the legitimate representative of China to the U.N.
"The government of Paraguay expresses its support for the Republic of China - Taiwan to be an integral part of the United Nations system," Pena said.
Paraguay is the last South American country with formal relations with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
When asked about Taiwan last week, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said exclusion of anyone can harm global goals.
"Every person matters, whether it's Taiwan or otherwise. And I think it's really important for member states to find a solution," she said.
However, Taiwan has conceded it would be "very hard" to achieve membership. (Reuters)
September
South Korea's Yoon to highlight 'illicit' N.Korea-Russia military ties at UN
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to underline "illicit, dangerous" military dealings between North Korea and Russia at the United Nations on Wednesday, his aides said, following the two countries' rare summit last week.
Yoon was set to deliver a speech to the annual U.N. General Assembly after arriving in New York on Monday, just as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned from a week-long trip to Russia, during which he and President Vladimir Putin vowed to boost military cooperation.
Seoul and Washington have expressed concern that Russia could be trying to fetch ammunition from the North to shore up its thinning stockpile due to its invasion of Ukraine, while Pyongyang secures technological aid over its nuclear and missile programmes.
In his remarks, Yoon would warn against any military trade between Moscow and Pyongyang and promote South Korea's efforts to help Ukraine fight Russia's aggression, a presidential official said.
"He is expected to call the international community's attention to the illicit and dangerous nature of military transactions between Russia and North Korea, and urge a united response from the international community," the official told reporters.
Any activities assisting with North Korea's weapons programmes are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions, and Putin has said his country would "never violate anything."
But the official ditched Moscow's claim, saying South Korea has been "watching military transactions take place for several months prior to the summit" between Kim and Putin.
Any new U.N. resolutions are unlikely for now, but discussions are underway with the United States and other countries to impose more sanctions on Russia and North Korea, the official said.
"The Security Council is divided as you know, and it is impossible to draw a unified position on Russia there, so for now there could be cohesive action within the solidarity of freedom, centering around allies and friends," the official said.
On Tuesday, South Korea's vice foreign minister, Chang Ho-jin, summoned Russia's ambassador to abandon any potential arms deals with the North, warning of "clear consequences." (Reuters)
September
Australia abandons efforts to eradicate deadly honey bee parasite
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Australian government said it will stop trying to eradicate the Varroa mite, a parasite that kills honey bees, and will instead try to manage its spread, which is likely to make pollination of crops such as almonds more costly.
The decision ends an A$132 million ($85.3 million)eradication plan that has destroyed more than 14,000 hives in southeastern Australia since the mite was discovered there in June 2022.
The federal government said the decision was taken on Tuesday by the National Management Group (NMG), which is driving the Varroa programme nationwide.
In a statement on Wednesday, the New South Wales government, speaking on behalf of the NMG, said non-compliant and illegal movement of hives had spread the parasite further and made it impossible to contain.
Commercial crops including almonds, apples and avocados are dependent on pollination by European honey bees, with huge numbers of hives moved during spring flowering to bring bees to plants.
The Australian government has said a widespread mite infestation could destroy most wild European honey bee nests and managed hives not adapted to Varroa, reducing pollination and causing losses of over A$70 million a year.
"The recent spike in new detections have made it clear that the Varroa mite infestation is more widespread and has also been present for longer than first thought," the New South Wales government said in a statement.
"The potential to eradicate is no longer possible ... We now need to work collaboratively to manage and minimise the impact of Varroa."
Varroa is a reddish-brown mite around 1 mm in diameter that attaches itself to European and Asian honey bees and feeds on them, weakening them and killing colonies.
The mite also carries viruses and has caused the collapse of honey bee populations around the world.
Varroa does not target native Australian honey bees. (Reuters)
September
UN records torture, deaths of detainees in Taliban custody
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United Nations has recorded over 1,600 incidents of rights violations against people detained by the Taliban authorities, nearly half of them acts of torture and ill-treatment mostly by police and intelligence agents, a report released on Wednesday showed.
The U.N. Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) said 18 people had also died in prisons and in the custody of police and intelligence in the 19 months ending July 2023.
The Taliban have staffed and controlled the police and the intelligence agency since they took over the country as foreign forces withdrew in 2021.
"In attempts to extract confessions or other information, detainees were subjected to severe pain and suffering, through physical beatings, electric shocks, asphyxiation, stress positions and forced ingestion of water, as well as blind-folding and threats," UNAMA said in a statement.
Other violations included not being informed of the reason for arrest, not being able to access a lawyer and inadequate medical care in custody.
Around one in ten of the violations were against women. Journalists and civil society members accounted for nearly a quarter of the victims of the violations.
In a response published with the report, the Taliban-led ministry of foreign affairs said the number of reported violations was not accurate, especially the number of journalists or civil society advocates affected.
The ministry said the authorities and the judiciary were working to increase oversight and ensure compliance with decrees by the supreme leader that prohibited torture or forcing confessions.
The U.N. said the decrees, and allowing access to the prisons, were "encouraging signs", but called for more action to redress the situation.
"These documented cases highlight the need for urgent, accelerated action by all," said Roza Otunbayeva, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of UNAMA. "There is a pressing need to consider more engagement with the de facto authorities to end these practices." (Reuters)
September
North Korean leader Kim returns to Pyongyang after Russia trip
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived back in Pyongyang via his private train to a cheering crowd on Tuesday night after his highly publicized Russia trip, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday.
Kim was greeted by senior officials and an honor guard at a train station, according to the report which described his trip as a significant step in strengthening North Korea-Russia relations.
His trip and the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin received global attention since the leader seldom leaves his country and drew concerns over possible arms trade and technology transfer with Russia.
Against that backdrop, South Korea on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador towarnMoscow against any military cooperation with North Korea.
Seoul and Washington have said military cooperation between North Korea and Russia would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions and urged against it.
Last week, the head of the reclusive state during his lengthy trip visited a Russian fighter jet factory under Western sanctions and praised the country's aviation technology.
He also met Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who showed the North Korean leader Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers, hypersonic missiles and warships. (Reuters)