COP28’s director general backs using technology to aid climate action

COP28’s director general backs using technology to aid climate action
Majid Al-Suwaidi, the director general of COP28, at the Dubai Future Forum. (Reuters)
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Updated 28 November 2023
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COP28’s director general backs using technology to aid climate action

COP28’s director general backs using technology to aid climate action
  • Panel discussion focused on the changing landscape of climate technology

LONDON: The director general of COP28 hosted a session on Monday at the Dubai Future Forum on harnessing the potential of technology to promote climate action, the Emirates News Agency reported.

During a panel discussion called “Uniting for COP28: Leveraging Technology and Defining the Climate Technology Future,” Majid Al-Suwaidi said: “Technology and innovation is a cross-cutting theme across the COP28 agenda, and for good reason.

“Climate technologies can significantly bolster our capacity to both mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, but they must be accessible and affordable.

“To meet our climate goals and drive the green transition, we must invest in and swiftly scale climate tech innovations. There is so much that we can achieve together at the convergence of climate, technology and policy.

“Through dedicated spaces and curated programs, COP28 will also showcase the diverse contributions of entrepreneurs and technology, especially those originating from the Global South.”

The panel discussion focused on the changing landscape of climate technology, as well as the importance of multiple stakeholders’ contributions and partnerships in driving innovation and deployment to address the climate challenge.

David Livingston, senior adviser to the US special presidential envoy for climate; Sabrin Rahman, COP28’s director of partnerships; and Asya Al Shehhi, COP28’s negotiator for technology, science and innovation, were among the panelists.

COP28 will host the Climate Innovation Forum on Friday, gathering government, business and technology leaders to showcase cutting-edge technologies.

It will focus on innovation, including artificial intelligence, satellite technology, big data, sustainable energy, industrial decarbonization, and other topics.

There will also be exhibitions and events in the COP28 Technology and Innovation Hub in the Green Zone, such as the Startup Village, a dedicated space in the hub showcasing 150 of the most innovative climate tech initiatives.

A majlis at the Dubai Future Forum brought together a group of people to discuss the obstacles of realizing AI’s potential in climate action. While AI is largely considered as a significant asset in combating climate change, technology is typically produced by a small group of people, which can have an impact on who it benefits and who it does not.

The majlis considered how governments and society should advocate for more inclusive design in order to ensure that AI’s involvement in climate mitigation and adaptation policies is done by everyone, for everyone.

The conversation emphasized the importance of inclusivity, from the very beginning of the design process all the way through implementation to ensuring that the climate-AI nexus works for everyone.

AI experts, futurists, climate experts, lawmakers, youth advocates, and industry executives were among those who attended.
 


Israel, Iran trade charges of endangering Mideast peace

Israel, Iran trade charges of endangering Mideast peace
Updated 31 sec ago
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Israel, Iran trade charges of endangering Mideast peace

Israel, Iran trade charges of endangering Mideast peace
  • Israeli aggression against Iran is obvious and does not occur in isolation

UNITED NATIONS, United States: Israel and Iran accused each other Monday of endangering Middle East peace, in a heated exchange at a UN meeting called after Israel attacked Iranian military targets.
On Saturday, Israel carried out air strikes on military sites in Iran in response to Tehran’s October 1 missile barrage on Israel. The latter was in retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.
At a meeting of the UN Security Council that was requested by Iran, each country asserted its right to self-defense.
“Israeli aggression against Iran is obvious and does not occur in isolation. This aggressive attack is part of a broader, sustained pattern of aggression and unchecked impunity with which Israel continues to destabilize the entire region,” Iran’s ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the council.
He added that Israel’s “persistent and systematic violation of international law,” and military engagements in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen should spark “unequivocal condemnation” by the council.
The ambassador repeated Iran’s threat to retaliate after Israel’s weekend air strikes, but said Tehran preferred diplomacy.
Israeli ambassador Danny Danon said his country had defended itself after the October 1 missile attacks by Iran.
“We promised that their actions would not go unanswered,” said Danon.
“Iran has seeded violence, chaos and destruction throughout the Middle East. But this violence is not limited to Israel’s borders. It threatens regional stability, global security and economic stability,” the ambassador said.
“Today, it is us. It is Israel in their crossroads. But tomorrow, it could be any of the nations represented here. Don’t be mistaken,” Danon said, calling for strong sanctions against Iran, especially to keep it from developing nuclear weapons.
The United States defended its ally Israel.
“Our message for Iran remains clear, as well: should it choose to undertake further aggressive acts against Israel or US personnel in the region, there will be severe consequences,” US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the meeting.
“We will not hesitate to act in self defense,” she said, adding however that the United States wants to avoid escalation.


US warns humanitarian assistance not getting to people who need it in north Gaza

US warns humanitarian assistance not getting to people who need it in north Gaza
Updated 29 October 2024
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US warns humanitarian assistance not getting to people who need it in north Gaza

US warns humanitarian assistance not getting to people who need it in north Gaza
  • The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said around 100,000 people were marooned in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun without medical or food supplies

WASHINGTON: The US State Department warned on Monday that humanitarian assistance was not getting to people that need it in Jabalia in northern Gaza, which spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US does not accept.
“That’s one of our assessments, is that the food and water and medicine that needs to get to people in Jabalia, they aren’t getting it right now. And we want to see that change,” Miller said.
The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said around 100,000 people were marooned in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun without medical or food supplies. Reuters could not verify the number independently.
The emergency service said its operations had come to a halt because of the three-week Israeli assault into the north, an area where the military said it had wiped out Hamas combat forces earlier in the year-long war.
Israeli forces began the recent operation in the north with the declared aim of preventing Hamas from regrouping. The operation has intensified since the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar over a week ago.
Miller said Washington would clearly reject any effort to create a siege, starve civilians or wall northern Gaza off from the rest of the enclave.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised with Israel a so-called “generals plan,” published by retired military commanders and floated by some parliament members this month, suggesting Palestinian civilians would be instructed to evacuate northern Gaza, which would then be declared a closed military zone.
Israel told the US they are not carrying out the plan, Miller said.
But he warned that Israel was not meeting all of the conditions laid out in a letter the US sent to Israel earlier this month urging it to take steps in 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on US military aid, according to US officials.
“They have not fully implemented all of the changes that we called for in that letter,” he said, adding that the US would wait until the expiration of the 30 days before offering a final assessment.
The Israeli parliament passed a law on Monday to ban UN relief agency UNRWA from operating inside the country. Miller, before the passage of the law, said the US has made it clear to Israel it is deeply concerned by the legislation, as UNRWA has an irreplaceable role in delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza.


Germany ‘sharply’ criticizes Israeli bill to ban UN Palestinian refugee agency

Germany ‘sharply’ criticizes Israeli bill to ban UN Palestinian refugee agency
Updated 29 October 2024
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Germany ‘sharply’ criticizes Israeli bill to ban UN Palestinian refugee agency

Germany ‘sharply’ criticizes Israeli bill to ban UN Palestinian refugee agency
  • Amtsberg said the implementation of the law as it currently stands “would be a fateful step” and that “our efforts to bring peace to the Middle East would be hindered”

BERLIN: The German government on Monday said it “sharply” criticized a bill passed by Israel’s parliament to ban the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from working in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem.
Germany’s Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance, Luise Amtsberg, also warned the move would “effectively make UNRWA’s work in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem impossible... jeopardizing vital humanitarian aid for millions of people.”
The vote in Israel’s parliament followed years of harsh Israeli criticism of UNRWA, which has only increased since the start of the war in Gaza following Hamas’s deadly October 7 attacks last year.
Amtsberg said the implementation of the law as it currently stands “would be a fateful step” and that “our efforts to bring peace to the Middle East would be hindered.”
“The Israeli action against a UN-mandated organization that has been doing vital work since 1950 is a dangerous signal of disrespect for the United Nations and for international cooperation,” she said.
In January, Israel accused a dozen of UNRWA’s Gaza employees of involvement in the October 7 attack by Hamas, which sparked the deadliest war in the Palestinian territory.
A series of probes found some “neutrality related issues” at UNRWA, and determined that nine employees “may have been involved” in the October 7 attack, but found no evidence for Israel’s main allegations.
Amtsberg acknowledged that “UNRWA has taken measures to address allegations of support for terrorist organizations by individual staff members and to reform internal procedures.”
She said the UN agency “must continue to implement these reforms as a high priority and further strengthen its neutrality.”


Israel to pursue new talks on Gaza hostage deal

Palestinians inspect the damage after an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia, the northern Gaza Strip, on October 27, 2024
Palestinians inspect the damage after an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia, the northern Gaza Strip, on October 27, 2024
Updated 29 October 2024
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Israel to pursue new talks on Gaza hostage deal

Palestinians inspect the damage after an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia, the northern Gaza Strip, on October 27, 2024
  • Netanyahu’s office said Mossad intelligence chief David Barnea had met US and Qatari officials in Doha and agreed they should talk to Hamas about a deal to free Israelis

JERUSALEM: Israel said Monday it had discussed with international mediators the outline of proposed talks with Hamas on a deal to release Israeli hostages held in Gaza, as its forces pounded both Lebanon and the Palestinian territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Mossad intelligence chief David Barnea had met US and Qatari officials in Doha and agreed they should talk to Hamas about a deal to free Israelis seized in last year’s October 7 attack.
The statement came two days after Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi proposed a two-day truce and limited hostage-prisoner exchange that, he said, could lead to a permanent ceasefire.
“During the meeting, the parties discussed a new unified framework that combines previous proposals and also takes into account key issues and recent developments in the region,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“In the coming days, discussions will continue between the mediators and Hamas to assess the feasibility of talks and to further efforts to promote a deal.”
US President Joe Biden, asked about the possibility of a ceasefire just over a year after Hamas’s cross-border attack triggered the Gaza war which has spread to Lebanon and threatened to draw in Iran, said he would talk to Israel immediately to push for a ceasefire.
“My staff is talking to them right now,” Biden said, after casting an early ballot in the race for his successor. “We need a ceasefire. We should end this war. It should end, it should end, it should end.”
The United States is Israel’s top military supplier and a mediator in the Doha talks. Biden has stood by the country’s right to defend itself despite international outrage at the mounting death toll in both Gaza and Lebanon, where for the past month it has engaged in a ground and air war against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.


Israel strike on Lebanon-Syria crossing hampers key escape route

People inspect a bridge, damaged in an Israeli strike near the Syrian village of Tall Al-Nabi Mando, in Qusayr.
People inspect a bridge, damaged in an Israeli strike near the Syrian village of Tall Al-Nabi Mando, in Qusayr.
Updated 28 October 2024
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Israel strike on Lebanon-Syria crossing hampers key escape route

People inspect a bridge, damaged in an Israeli strike near the Syrian village of Tall Al-Nabi Mando, in Qusayr.
  • Land crossing on Lebanon’s northeastern border, known as Jousieh on the Syrian side, connects to Qusayr in Syria’s Homs province
  • It was put out of service last Friday when the Israeli strike created a large crater that blocked vehicle traffic

AL-QUSAYR: The flow of displaced families crossing from Lebanon into Syria via a secondary crossing has slowed to a trickle after an Israeli strike there last week, a local official told AFP on Monday.
The land crossing on Lebanon’s northeastern border, known as Jousieh on the Syrian side, connects to Qusayr in Syria’s Homs province.
It was put out of service last Friday when the Israeli strike created a large crater that blocked vehicle traffic.
The raid came after the main land border with Syria, known as Masnaa on the Lebanese side and which lies between Beirut and Damascus, was forced to close by an Israel strike on October 4.
The attacks have heavily constrained the ability of people to flee Lebanon overland at a time when all airlines except the national carrier have suspended flights.
“The movement of displaced people has dropped by 90 percent since the (Jousieh) crossing was targeted,” said Dabbah Al-Mashaal, a Syrian official who oversees the crossing.
“We used to receive about 1,500 people a day, but today the number does not exceed 150,” he told AFP.
Lebanese authorities said on Friday that more than half a million people, mostly Syrians, had crossed into Syrian territory since Israel began heavily striking Lebanon late last month at the start of its all-out war with Hezbollah.
Six official land crossings connect the two countries, although there are many unofficial routes along the porous border.
Four connect Lebanon to Homs province to the northeast. The province is home to the city of Qusayr, which became a major hub for Hezbollah when it intervened in the Syrian civil war in support of President Bashar Assad.
At the Jousieh crossing on Monday, people were seen crossing into Syria on foot, carrying their belongings in plastic bags and pushing buggies, according to an AFP correspondent.
The Israeli army said on Friday that it had destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure at the crossing.
Israel has repeatedly accused the Iran-backed group of transferring weapons into Lebanon from Syria.
Since September 23, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 1,672 people, according to an AFP tally of nationwide health ministry figures though the real number is likely to be higher due to data gaps.