Concert in Italy by Russian conductor Gergiev cancelled after protests
Gergiev had been invited to conduct during a summer festival at the Royal Palace of Caserta near Naples next Sunday. The regional governor, Vincenzo de Luca, had defended the invitation, saying that 'the logic of preclusion … does not help peace." The invitation had been widely criticised by human rights activists, Russian opposition figures and European parliamentarians.
Gergiev, who is head of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Russian state theatres, is considered close to President Vladimir Putin.
Milan's La Scala was the first theatre in the West to cut off relations with Gergiev, who was engaged at the theatre when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, after he failed to respond to Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala's appeal to speak out against the war. (AP) GRS GRS
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Indian Express
a minute ago
- Indian Express
Plastic pollution treaty talks in Geneva end without an agreement
Talks on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution in Geneva ended without an agreement Friday as the session was adjourned with plans to resume at a later date. Nations were meeting for an 11th day at the United Nations office to try to complete a landmark treaty to end the plastic pollution crisis. They remain deadlocked over whether the treaty should reduce exponential growth of plastic production and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said despite challenges and disappointment, 'we have to accept that significant progress was made.' This process won't stop, she said, but it's too soon to say how long it will take to get a treaty now. The Youth Plastic Action Network was the only organization to speak at the closing meeting Friday. Comments from observers were cut off at the request of the US and Kuwait after 24 hours of meetings and negotiating. The negotiations at the UN hub were supposed to be the last round and produce the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the oceans. But just like at the meeting in South Korea last year, they're leaving without a treaty. Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chair of the negotiating committee, wrote and presented two drafts of treaty text in Geneva based on the views expressed by the nations. The representatives from 184 countries did not agree to use either one as the basis for their negotiations. Valdivieso said Friday morning as the delegates reconvened in the assembly hall that no further action is being proposed at this stage on the latest draft. After a three-hour meeting, he banged a gavel made of recycled plastic bottle tops from a Nairobi landfill. Representatives of Norway, Australia, Tuvalu and other nations said they were deeply disappointed to be leaving Geneva without a treaty. Madagascar said the world is 'expecting action, not reports from us.' European Commissioner Jessika Roswall said the European Union and its member states had higher expectations for this meeting and while the draft falls short on their demands, it's a good basis for another negotiating session. 'The Earth is not ours only. We are stewards for those who come after us. Let us fulfill that duty,' she said. China's delegation said the fight against plastic pollution is a long marathon and that this temporary setback is a new starting point to forge consensus. It urged nations to work together to offer future generations a blue planet without plastic pollution. The biggest issue of the talks has been whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. Powerful oil- and gas-producing nations and the plastics industry oppose production limits. They want a treaty focused on better waste management and reuse. Saudi Arabia said both drafts lacked balance, and Saudi and Kuwaiti negotiators said the latest proposal takes other states' views more into account. It addressed plastic production, which they consider outside the scope of the treaty. That draft, released early Friday, did not include a limit on plastic production, but recognized that current levels of production and consumption are 'unsustainable' and global action is needed. New language had been added to say these levels exceed current waste management capacities and are projected to increase further, 'thereby necessitating a coordinated global response to halt and reverse such trends.' The objective of the treaty was revamped to state that the accord would be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics. It talked about reducing plastic products containing 'a chemical or chemicals of concern to human health or the environment,' as well as reducing single-use or short-lived plastic products. It was a much better, more ambitious text, though not perfect. But each country came to Geneva with a lot of 'red lines,' said Magnus Heunicke, the Danish environment minister. Denmark holds the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe. 'To be very clear, a compromise means that we have to bend our red lines,' he said. For its part, Iran said it's a disappointing moment and faulted 'nontransparent and non-inclusive processes on unrealistic elements,' particularly chemicals. The plastics industry also urged compromise. The Global Partners for Plastics Circularity said in a statement that governments must move past entrenched positions to finalize an agreement reflecting their shared priorities. For any proposal to make it into the treaty, every nation must agree. India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Vietnam and others have said that consensus is vital to an effective treaty. Some countries want to change the process so decisions may be made by a vote if necessary. Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation in Geneva, urged delegates in that direction. 'We are going in circles. We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result,' he said as Friday's meeting was ending. Thursday was the last scheduled day of negotiations, but work on the revised draft continued into Friday. Every year, the world makes more than 400 million tons of new plastic, and that could grow by about 70% by 2040 without policy changes. About 100 countries want to limit production. Many have said it's also essential to address toxic chemicals used to make plastics. Science shows what it will take to end pollution and protect human health, said Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicology professor at Sweden's University of Gothenburg who co-leads the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. The science supports addressing the full lifecycle of plastics, beginning with extraction and production, and restricting some chemicals to ensure plastics are safer and more sustainable, she added. 'The science has not changed,' she said. 'It cannot be down negotiated.' Environmentalists, waste pickers, Indigenous leaders and many business executives traveled to the talks to make their voices heard. Some used creative tactics, but are leaving disappointed. Indigenous leaders sought a treaty that recognizes their rights and knowledge. Frankie Orona, executive director of the Texas-based Society of Native Nations, said the best option now is to move forward with more negotiations to 'fight for a treaty that truly safeguards people and the planet.'
Hans India
3 minutes ago
- Hans India
1 killed, 10 injured in Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Kursk
Moscow: One person was killed and 10 others were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on a residential building in Russia's Kursk region early Friday, regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said on his Telegram channel. The drone hit a building in the city's Railway District, igniting a fire that engulfed the top four floors, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing preliminary reports. "To our deep sorrow, one woman died. I offer my sincerest condolences to her family," Khinshtein wrote on Telegram. He said that 10 other residents were injured -- one seriously -- and all are receiving medical treatment. Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of ramping up attacks ahead of the August 15 meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska. In a statement shared on X, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that 22 people have been killed and another 105 injured due to Ukraine's shelling and drone strikes over the past week. The ministry also shared a map marking the attacked areas in the Russian territory. "With the Russia-US Summit approaching, the Kyiv regime has stepped up its terrorist activity against Russian regions. Over the last week, 127 Russian citizens suffered from shelling and drone attacks. 22 died, 105 were wounded," said Alexei Fadeev, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Deputy Spokesperson. Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry accused the Ukrainian government of planning a provocation aimed at disrupting the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin. In a post on Telegram, the Russian Defence Ministry said, "According to available information received through several channels, the Kyiv regime is preparing a provocation to foil the Russian-American talks scheduled for 15 August 2025." The ministry asserted that with this objective, the security service of Ukraine has sent a group of foreign journalists to Kharkiv's Chuguev, which is under the control of Kyiv, under the pretext of doing "reports on the residents of the city in the frontline zone." The defence ministry also claimed that the Ukrainian forces will carry out the strikes on the city and blame it on Russia. "Immediately ahead of the summit on Friday, the Armed Forces of Ukraine plan a provocative strike using UAVs and missiles against one of the densely populated residential quarters or a hospital with a large number of civilian casualties, which will have to be immediately recorded by the foreign Western journalists," said the Russian Defence Ministry. As a result, the ministry said that the Russian forces will be considered fully responsible for the strikes and civilian casualties. "This will create a negative media background and conditions for disrupting Russian-American cooperation on settling the conflict in Ukraine," the statement read.
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Business Standard
3 minutes ago
- Business Standard
India facing tough choices in responding to steep Trump tariffs: GTRI
India is facing tough choices in responding to steep US tariffs - from negotiating or retaliating to diversifying export markets or offering trade concessions like ending Russian oil imports - but each option carries its own mix of benefits and risks, think tank GTRI said on Friday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that India marks its Independence Day this year under the shadow of a bruising trade confrontation with Washington. The Trump administration's decision to slap a 50 per cent country-specific tariff on most Indian goods, on top of existing most favoured nation duties, has thrust India into a strategic dilemma that could reshape its trade, energy, and diplomatic positioning. "For New Delhi, the choices ahead are stark - negotiate, retaliate, diversify markets, or trade concessions such as ending purchases of Russian oil for tariff relief. Each option carries a different mix of gains and risks," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said. He added that India will require structural reforms and aggressive trade diplomacy to absorb the high tariffs and diversify the country's exports to Europe, ASEAN, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. "Gains in the first two years might recover only $1015 billion of the $50 billion lost," he said. If US tariffs would raise consumer prices and unemployment in America, he said, domestic political pressure could force the Trump administration a cut to around 15 per cent for all countries. "India's best role here is to quietly highlight the tariffs' cost to American voters," Srivastava said. He added that in an era when economic power is used as a weapon, survival isn't about avoiding confrontation. "It's about picking the right battles, anticipating the next move, and playing for the long win," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
