World sees first 12 months above 1.5C warming level, says climate monitor
PARIS, FRANCE - Earth has endured 12 consecutive months of temperatures 1.5C hotter than the pre-industrial era for the first time...
Science
Spain to increase UNRWA funding after donors suspend aid
MADRID, SPAIN - Spain said on Monday that it would give an additional US$$3.8 million (3.5 million euros) in aid to...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
OECD nations to ban export credits for coal power
With the latest international climate conference just days away, the proposed ban will halt support to new coal power stations...
- For existing coal-fired power stations, the credits can only be used for pollution mitigation and carbon capture equipment that doesn't extend the service life of the facility.
- Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel and is responsible for a major chunk of carbon emissions.
Science
Planned fossil fuel output shatters 1.5C climate target, says UN
The UN's Environment Program said government fossil fuel production plans this decade were "dangerously out of sync" with emissions goals.
- The UN says emissions must go down nearly 50 percent by 2030 and to net-zero by mid-century to limit warming
- But its Production Gap report found that total fossil fuel production would likely increase until at least 2040
Infographics
Nobel Prize eludes the Arab world
Egypt and Algeria have the largest number of Nobel winners in the Arab world, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the...
- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are yet to produce a winner of the Nobel Prize
- Palestine, Lebanon, Tunsia, Yemen, Morocco, and Iraq have seen at least one resident awarded the prize
Economy
UN calls for ‘transformative action’ on World Food Day
UN Secretary-General Antonion Guterres has called for changes in the way the world produces, consumes, and wastes food. His remarks...
- Around 40 percent of the world — roughly 3 billion people — cannot afford a healthy diet
- The Covid-19 pandemic has left an additional 140 million people unable to access the food they need
Economy
Look beyond subsidies to fight high energy prices: IMF
Governments should avoid using general subsidies as a way to soften the blow from recent high energy prices, said Paulo...
- The IMF has said generalized energy subsidies benefit rich households who don't need the support
- In addition, they are not friendly to the environment, and in fact they lead to very negative incentives
Economy
IMF pegs 2021 global growth at 5.9%
The IMF noted that emerging variants of the novel coronavirus have made policy choices more difficult, with limited room to...
- The predicted 5.9 percent growth is 0.1 percentage point less than the IMF’s July prediction
- The IMF said this revision was due to supply disruptions for some and worsening pandemic dynamics for others
Business
Whistleblower urges regulation to tackle FB ‘crisis’
Ex-employee Frances Haugen has fueled one of Facebook's most serious crises yet and prompted a denial from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
- Haugen testified on Capitol Hill after she leaked reams of internal research to authorities and The Wall Street Journal.
- A senator said she sees the whistleblower disclosures as the long-needed push to get Congress moving.
Arts & Culture
Art sales rebound to an all-time high of $2.7 billion after Covid-19 slump
Sales soared between June 2020 and June 2021 as auctioneers quickly adopted a more online approach.
- NFTs, or "non-fungible tokens", allow people to buy the rights to online art, including images, animation or even tweets.
- In March, US artist Beeple sold an NFT of his digital artwork "Everydays: The First 5,000 Days" for $69.3 million.
Geostrategy
Tunisia’s new PM faces economy battered by political turmoil
Heavily in debt, with spiraling inflation and widespread unemployment worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, Tunisia is hoping for a bailout...
- Bouden will be Tunisia's tenth prime minister since the 2011 revolution that overthrew longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
- But with debt standing at over 80 percent of GDP, Tunisia has dipped into international funds to service its debts.
Business
$80 oil sparks mixed fortunes for world economy
Rising oil prices handed a major boost to producers but threaten the global recovery and stoke inflationary pressures because they...
- Global supplies have been disrupted because US production remains hampered by the ongoing fallout from Hurricane Ida.
- OPEC now expects global oil demand to exceed its pre-pandemic level in 2022 thanks to Covid vaccines and recovering economies.
World sees first 12 months above 1.5C warming level, says climate monitor
PARIS, FRANCE - Earth has endured 12 consecutive months of temperatures 1.5C hotter than the pre-industrial era for the first time...
Science
Company News
Latest News
Russian defense officials meet Saudi Arabian, Iranian counterparts
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - The 11th Moscow Conference on International Security, held at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center here, saw...
Geostrategy
Russia open to defense cooperation with several countries, says Putin
Moscow is open to equal defense cooperation with all nations seeking to protect their interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said...
Geostrategy
International Military Forum Army-2023 opens in Moscow
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - The international military-technical forum Army-2023 opens at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center here.About 1,500 prominent Russian...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
WHO’s first global summit on traditional medicine begins Aug 17
Geneva, Switzerland -- The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening the Traditional Medicine Global Summit on 17-18 Aug 2023​ in...
- Co-hosted by the Government of India, the Summit will explore the role of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health challenges.
- Scientists and other experts will lead technical discussions on research, evidence and learning; policy, data and regulation;
Geostrategy
US to invest $1.2 bn on facilities to pull carbon from air
The two projects -- in Texas and Louisiana -- each aim to eliminate one million tons of carbon dioxide per...
- Direct Air Capture (DAC) techniques focus on that CO2 emitted into the air, which is helping to fuel climate change and extreme weather.
- Each of the projects will remove 250 times more CO2 from the air than the largest carbon capture site currently in operation, the Energy Department said.
Science
Covid cases up 80 percent globally as new subvariant rises
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported worldwide rose by 80 percent in the last month, the World Health Organization...
- The UN agency said that nations reported nearly 1.5 million new cases from July 10 to August 6.
- Many of the new cases came in the Western Pacific region, which saw infections jump by 137 percent.