Latest news with #AF
The Journal
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Journal
EU to lift remaining economic sanctions on Syria to support war-torn country's recovery
THE EUROPEAN UNION has agreed to lift all their remaining economic sanctions on Syria in a bid to help the war-torn country recover after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. 'Today, we took the decision to lift our economic sanctions on Syria,' the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas posted on social media after a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels. 'We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria,' she said. The move from the EU comes after US President Donald Trump announced last week that Washington was lifting its sanctions against Syria. Syria's new rulers have been clamouring for relief from the crushing international punishment imposed after Assad's crackdown on opponents spiralled into civil war. EU diplomats said the agreement should see the lifting of sanctions cutting Syrian banks off from the global system and freezing central bank assets. But diplomats said the bloc intended to impose new individual sanctions on those responsible for stirring ethnic tensions, following deadly attacks targeting the Alawite minority. Other measures targeting the Assad regime and prohibiting the sale of weapons or equipment that could be used to repress civilians are set to remain in place. Syria's foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani said after the EU decision that the lifting of the economic sanctions showed an 'international will' to support Damascus. Advertisement Shaibani added that 'the Syrian people today have a very important and historic opportunity to rebuild their country'. The latest move from the EU comes after it took a first step in February of suspending some sanctions on key Syrian economic sectors. Officials said those measures could be reimposed if Syria's new leaders break promises to respect the rights of minorities and move towards democracy. During his visit to Paris earlier this month, Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa said there was no justification for maintaining European sanctions imposed against the Assad government. 'These sanctions were imposed on the previous regime because of the crimes it committed, and this regime is gone,' Sharaa said in a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. 'With the removal of the regime, these sanctions should be removed as well, and there is no justification for keeping the sanctions,' he added. Trump met Sharaa, a former militant who fought against US forces in Iraq and had a $10m US bounty on his head until December 2024, in Saudi Arabia last week – the first meeting between the leaders of the US and Syria in 25 years. Following the half hour meeting, Trump described Sharaa as 'young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter'. He said he thought Sharaa had a 'real shot at holding [Syria] together' and that the Syrian president had agreed to eventually join the Abraham accords, which would normalise Syrian ties with Israel. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco signed the US-brokered accords in 2020. © AFP 2025
India Today
14-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
The ABCD of OP Sindoor Pakistan needs to learn, and recite
In the lexicon of geopolitics, the phrase 'Operation Sindoor' will be written like a bold statement in red, emblazoned with the hues of India's pride, resolve and retribution. But 'Operation Sindoor' will also have a different meaning for our nefarious neighbour. Here is the ABCD of 'Operation Sindoor' for Pakistan to recite and remember Pakistan's current Meer and Peer; Trained to be a mad mullah, He became Pak's head thulla, By stabbing his mentor in the back, After getting an unceremonious sack. Taking over from Bajwa, Dreaming of a ghazwa, Burning with the fever of jihad, The Jarnail landed in Islamabad, To rule through a puppet not-so-Sharif, Turning Pakistan into his fief. Soon, the Balochs had him, his bullies, By their short and curlies; Buried deep inside these dorks, The Pathans had their forks; To save himself, Munir and his morons, Played with fire, missiles and drones. They sent terrorists to Pahalgam, Putting in danger their own awaam, Ignorant of India's pride in Sindoor, They cooked Pak in a royal tandoor, Well, Munir did what all cowards do, For his folly, now Pak's all boo-hoo-hu. Of whom the country is eager to get rid, Like a baboon he jumps in the Assembly, Bringing shame to the Bhutto family, Proving to the world cent per cent, He is the son of Mr 10 per cent. His mom dreamt of bleeding India, With a war to last a millennia, But four days Pak couldn't fight, Got pounded left, right, day, night. To whom it begs, 'save me paw-paw,' Not forgetting the lessons of Dhaka, If India hits, it's the end of their saga. For allowing this insane war, The Generals wage on the wrong enemy, When the real foe is their economy; How long will they survive on alms, Can't they feel these snakes biting their palms? Progenies of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, Very soon they'll become extinct, And even in hell their carcass would stink. When India hit terror infra from north to south, Whom Indian missiles blew into smithereens, In the illusory after-life, right at its gates, Because on earth you acted like a rat, The fires of hell will burn your putrid fat. Synonymous in world's wikipedia, With peace, ahimsa of Buddha, Mess with it, you'll see Lord Rudra; In its two eyes you'll see love and empathy, But in its third, no mercy, no sympathy. A dream that makes comatose Pakistan stir, Seven wasted decades, four lost wars later, It goes rabid, not finding Valley on its platter. Where India struck on the morning of Wednesday, Should make Pakistan vet its silly dream, Why fantasise, when all of Punjab-Sindh India can cream? When its pride it had to surrender; N for Nur Khan, where missiles fell, Making its nuke-command rush pell-mell, Its Air Force (AF) got a rude wake up, It realised Pak-AF is just a royal Fak-Ap; N for Nawaz, the old boy from Lahore, Berating his bro-–'mat marwa Pak nu hor;' If only Shahbaz were ballsy down under, Op Sindoor wouldn't have followed Op Bandar. Making Pakistan go oh, oh, oh with woe, India hit them hard and deep, The port of Karachi overflows as Pakis weep; A pain so severe that it can't be shared, A wound so deep, it can't be bared, So Pakistan fakes a pleasure so weird, In a victory whose claims like a goat can be sheared. A land its founders would berate as error, Because they called it Pak, the pure and pristine But it turned out to be a den of such philistines! Pak's grip so fragile that it's just bollocks, Yet it feigns to have cojones of steel, When even a tickle makes them squeal. What about Nur Khan, Sargodha–air bases that were erased? A loss so big that Islamabad hid in bunkers, Reciting prayers for mercy from Indian hunters. Because he wanted to jail his rival, 'Im the Dim'; This nominated PM stands with terrorists, Selling his soul for a job that was never his. Henceforth, it will be an act of war from land remote, Which will invite India's wrath and rage, That shall send this blighted land to Old Stone Age. Be grateful, the ceasefire isn't something to sneer at, So, behave, learn this ABC before BrahMos sets you free. x Images: Generative AI by Vani Gupta and Ayushi Srivastava
Observer
13-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
The world doesn't need another climate fund
Brazil has announced plans to launch a $125 billion fund for the protection of tropical forests. It is a key element of the country's plan to ensure the success of the next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which Brazil will host. But, at a time when some of the world's richest economies are slashing their foreign-aid budgets, and the United States is turning its back on climate action altogether, does the world really need another climate fund? Over the past three decades, more than 60 multilateral funds have emerged to raise financing for climate action in developing countries. Most are small and obscure, leaving around 19 sizable entities – including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Adaptation Fund (AF), and Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) – that publicly report on their activities. In theory, each entity serves a worthy purpose, and a few have gained some traction. In particular, the GCF has emerged as the second-largest multilateral provider of grant-based climate finance to the most vulnerable countries (after the World Bank). But, overall, their contributions are underwhelming. In 2021-22, the 19 funds tracked by the UN's Standing Committee on Finance delivered a mere $3.7 billion – roughly $195 million per fund. That is far less than the $55.7 billion that multilateral development banks collectively provided for climate action, and nowhere near the trillions of dollars that developing economies need annually to close the climate-finance gap. A key problem is that donors have not been stepping up to fund these entities. The US – the world's biggest economy and largest historical greenhouse-gas emitter – committed to providing a measly $17.5 million to the much-touted Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), agreed at COP28 in Dubai. At COP29 in Baku, the AF fell well short of its $300 million funding target, leaving it struggling to bankroll even the projects that are already in its pipeline. Now, even these modest contributions are set to dry up. President Donald Trump's administration has withdrawn the US from the Paris climate agreement, abandoned the FRLD and other funds, and dismantled the country's foreign-aid apparatus. While not all wealthy economies are following in America's footsteps, many – including Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union – are also tightening their purse strings. Together with the US, these donors accounted for 69 per cent of bilateral climate commitments to developing countries in 2021-22 and supplied 74 per cent of contributions to climate funds since 2003. In other words, raising climate finance – always a difficult task – is becoming a Herculean one, meaning that countries are going to have to figure out how to do more with less. The last thing the world needs is for this limited capital to be funnelled into a fragmented, inefficient system composed of dozens of narrow climate funds. Climate funds were created to address shortcomings of existing multilateral institutions like the World Bank. For example, they offer 'direct access' funding to national and regional entities, thereby promoting country ownership and helping to build institutional capacity. Moreover, their smaller scale and larger numbers were supposed to foster healthy competition and give recipient countries more options. But the fund landscape has become so crowded – with each entity possessing its own accreditation rules, approval processes, and compliance requirements – that recipients must navigate a bureaucratic maze to access any financing at all. All this red tape, which slows disbursements considerably, is especially burdensome for the most climate-vulnerable countries, such as small island developing states, whose institutional capacity is already stretched thin. It does not help that keeping all these funds running costs money. The overhead of the Special Climate Change Fund, for example, represented more than half of its project commitments in 2019-21. This is hardly the best use of limited climate finance. It is also worth noting that, while climate funds are generally supposed to raise 'new and additional' financing, this has seldom happened. Instead, they tend to draw from a fixed pool of public funds for sustainable development, which includes different climate-related projects and other critical priorities, such as health, education, and poverty reduction. Far from creating yet another climate fund, delegates at COP30 should focus on streamlining climate finance. A handful of funds with harmonised standards and processes would be far better equipped to deliver efficient and accessible funding – and ensure that as few dollars as possible are wasted. Experience suggests that such an effort might run up against considerable resistance. The CIFs were supposed to be a stopgap, to be wound down following the rise of the GCF. But in 2019, their governing committee scrapped the sunset clause, insisting – over the objections of experts and civil-society organisations – on their continued relevance. Ensuring that future efforts to build a more efficient climate-finance architecture are not similarly thwarted will require powerful actors to bring their influence to bear. This is the kind of climate leadership the world needs from Brazil. @Project Syndicate, 2025 Georgia Hammersley The writer is a research associate at the Lowy Institute's Indo-Pacific Development Centre
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Time of India
Flights to northern cities not affected by conflict
1 2 3 Bhubaneswar: Flight services from Bhubaneswar to the northern region (Delhi, Lucknow, Dehradun and Jaipur) were not affected during the past four days of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, with seats being booked almost to capacity. Even as a barrage of drone-borne missiles continued to hit places in Rajasthan, Jammu and the northern airspace became increasingly vulnerable, there were no reports of a drop in passenger footfall, authorities at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here said. "Some people, who planned to fly to Jammu or deep into the northern airspace, may have postponed their trip, but there was hardly any cancellation of tickets on those routes," said a BPIA Lucknow and Dehradun flights operate four days a week, Jaipur flights run daily. These routes have one flight each, but Delhi has nine flights a day, and they run daily. The Bhubaneswar-Ghaziabad flight was cancelled indefinitely as Hindon airport, under the Indian Air Force (AF), decided to operate exclusively for military logistics operations. "But now, Air India Express may change its decision to suspend its Ghaziabad operation with improvement in the situation between India and Pakistan," an airport officer Friday, the city airport recorded a footfall of 14,350 passengers for all domestic destinations. The footfall in international flights was also impressive. Till reports last came, Saturday's footfall was also close to that of sources, however, said that until further notice, the airport will still be out of bounds for visitors. The secondary ladder point check (SLPC) will remain activated. The second layer of security check is carried out in emergency situations and on special said the last time the airport activated SLPC was following a threat mail from Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Airport officials said that minutes before passengers board a flight, their bags will be scanned, and they may be frisked, which is not done usually. Normally, after the primary security check by CISF before proceeding to the departure lounge, no further checking is done.
Extra.ie
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
The seven-figure sum Willie Mullins has won in prize money as racing season nears end
Willie Mullins is on course for back-to-back British Jump Trainers' Championship titles having collected the prize for a first time last year – but he has healty competition in the money stakes as this year's finale nears. The legendary trainer is actually trailing Dan Skelton by £57,477 (€67,322) in the standings after the latter struck an across-the-card treble at Perth and Warwick on Wednesday. Mullins saddled just one runner at Perth compared to Skelton's 13, but the reverse is set to unfold at a key upcoming event that could decide the title late in the season. Irish horse trainer Willie Mullins. Pic: Ben Stansall / AF He has 21 horses scheduled to run in the season finale at Sandown on Saturday, while Skelton will see out the campaign running just nine. However, the English trainer does have a couple more chances to tack on a stronger advantage, with two more runners at Perth and two at Sandown this Friday. The likelihood is Mullins will reclaim a lead and duly secure the title, though Skelton admitted he was relishing the competitive edge in recent weeks as he paid tribute to his staff. Willie Mullins became the first Irish based British Jump Trainers' Championship winner for the 2023/24 season and could repeat the feat this season. Pic: Steven Cargill/Sportsfile 'I think there's an air of inevitability about it unfortunately on Saturday,' he told Racing TV. 'But I've enjoyed the last three weeks immensely and if we get beat we get beat. 'I've learnt a lot about myself, my staff and my owners – they've been absolutely phenomenal. 🗣️"I think there is an air of inevitability about it."@DSkeltonRacing is philosophical going into the concluding weekend of the Trainers' Championship.@jess_stafford_ — Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 24, 2025 'I knew what was coming (from Mullins on Saturday), I'm not surprised what's there and he's going to be hard to resist. I'll go down there with a smile on my face and we won't give up.' Willie Mullins has 21 horses running on the final day of the season. Pic: David Davies for The Jockey Club/PA Wire The figures behind the successes of the likes of Mullins and Skelton are staggering, with sizeable riches racked up thanks to their equine exploits. Each of tis year's top ten trainers have breached the £1m (€1.17) figure, with Nigel Twiston-Davies in at number six having collected £1,368,666 (€1,603,125) so far in the 2024/25 season. The top five features Olly Murphy at the back of the leading contingent on £1,548,655 (€1,813,885), Nicky Henderson in fourth on £2,168,475 (€2,539,858) and Paul Nicholls third having raked in £2,473,632 (€2,897,278). That leaves Skelton and Mullins battling it out at the summit, with the Irish trainer now in second place – on a whopping £3,283,054 (€3,845,326). Skelton's current total is £3,303,616 (€3,869,409).
