A Supreme Court ruling paves the way for Samoa’s first female prime minister. Around 6,000 asylum seekers travel by sea from Morocco to Spanish territory. A surge in Covid-19 cases across Asia.
France: In the past few months, the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and other major economies – if not Australia – have announced plans to cut carbon emissions from zero to change. Most of these countries have yet to describe exactly how they will achieve this.
On Tuesday, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), a 30-country organization that coordinates efforts to secure energy supplies, released a landmark Report detailing steps required to achieve net zero global emissions by 2050 There is a « narrow but still achievable » path that will put an end to further investment in new gas, coal – and would involve oil projects. This was a key recommendation from a body established after the 1973 oil crisis to keep the West’s gas pumps running effectively.
The IEA report, entitled « Net Zero By 2050, » called for immediate investments in renewables Energies, an end to sales of standard internal combustion engines by 2035, and a full shift in the global electricity sector to net zero emissions by 2040. If the report’s actions could cut emissions in half by 2030 and limit global temperature rises to levels that are catastrophic Could avoid natural disasters.
Fatih Birol, the executive director of the IEA, said in a statement that achieving net zero emissions by 2050 will remain viable.
« The scale and speed of the efforts being made this critical and tremendous goal requires – our best chance to fight climate change and reduce global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius z u limit – making this perhaps the greatest challenge mankind has ever faced, « he said.
The IEA reports typically guide government and industrial policy, but the panel was previously seen as resilient, to propose major energy shifts.
Dave Jones of UK climate think tank Ember told the Financial Times the report was « a knife in the fossil fuel industry. » « I don’t think anyone will IEA expected, « he said. « It was very fossil-friendly, so it’s just amazing to bring something like that out. »
Samoa: Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, a seasoned Samoan politician and Matai, or high chief, becomes her country’s first female prime minister, replacing Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi who has been in office for 23 years.
Mata’afa’s upcoming appointment follows a political crisis in the Pacific nation after an April election left her FAST opposition party the same number of seats as the Human Rights Protection Party, the has held power for almost 40 years. An independent MP later joined FAST and gave it a majority of one seat. However, the country’s electoral commission announced that not enough women had been elected to reach the country’s 10 percent quota and granted the HRPP an additional seat .
On Monday, the Samoa Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Head of State Tuimalealiifano Va’aletoa Sualauvi II to hold new elections. It also overturned the decision to create the additional seat.
The decisions paved the way for Mata’afa, whose father Samoas was the first Prime Minister to take office.
Mata’afa praised them The court ruled, saying, “This is not about you or me. This is about the future of Samoa and protecting our ancestral heritage. “
Mata’afa, 64, resigned from the HRPP last year and joined FAST, which was formed after the government introduced controversial laws that would remove the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction over land disputes. As a party leader, she traveled to villages across the country, interacting directly with voters and running an effective campaign that resulted in FAST’s surprisingly strong election result.
Tuilaepa, one of the longest-serving prime ministers in the world, said he intend to appeal the ruling of the Supreme Court.
Morocco: On the north coast of Africa are two small cities, Ceuta and Melilla, which are bordered by Morocco but belong to Spain.
The approximately 400 kilometers Remote cities are surrounded by high security fences to block migrants from all over Africa who have tried to enter the enclaves and seek asylum in Europe.
Up to 6,000 asylum seekers, including 1,500 children, broke from the beaches on Monday Morocco and drove with inflatable swimming rings and dinghies by sea to Ceuta. The footage showed the migrants climbing over breakwaters and then running across a beach into town. Some went to a Red Cross building. It was the highest number of migrants ever to come to Ceuta in one day.
Spanish authorities said those who entered had been arrested. Most were expected to return to Morocco under an agreement between the two countries to convict anyone who swims over. Some unaccompanied minors may be allowed to stay.
The sudden influx is believed to be related to tension between Morocco and Spain over the arrival in April of an independence leader from Western Sahara, a former Spanish territory annexed by Morocco . Some analysts believe Morocco made it easier for migrants to reach Ceuta in order to put pressure on Spain.
On Tuesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to Ceuta and said the arrival of migrants was a « major crisis for Spain and Europe « .
Taiwan: After 253 days without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19, Taiwan was – until recently – seen as arguably the most effective measure in the world against the virus. The island did not impose any bans, but limited the number of cases to less than 1,000. But authorities are now planning to close schools in the capital Taipei and have access to non-residents after an outbreak of community broadcasts on April 20 began to be locked. As of Monday, Taiwan recorded 335 new local cases. The outbreak has been linked to a quarantine breach at an airport hotel.
But Taiwan is not alone. Singapore has also been credited with one of the world’s best responses to the pandemic, but cases have risen in recent weeks, particularly in a strain first discovered in India that affects children. On Wednesday the schools were closed until the end of May. The government has closed gyms, banned indoor eating and is considering vaccinating children under the age of 16.
Across Asia, other countries including Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Timor-Leste have worrisome Covid- 19 climbs experienced. The causes of the outbreaks vary, but are believed to include the hustle and bustle of religious festivals, a growing number of travelers, and tribes of the virus that may be more contagious.
On Monday, Singapore confirmed the long Delayed expected quarantine-free travel bubble with Hong Kong slated to begin May 26th. It was originally supposed to open last November.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on
May 22, 2021 as « Formerly pro-fossil fuels IEA pushes net-zero path ».
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