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Washington Post
19 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
In South Carolina, Wes Moore urges Democrats to be ‘impatient' amid 2028 buzz
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore urged Democrats in this pivotal early presidential primary state to become 'the party of 'yes' and 'now'' during a hopeful speech Friday, where he challenged his party to advance their values with the same ruthless efficiency that has driven President Donald Trump's agenda. 'Urgency is the instrument of change,' Moore said at the state party's annual Blue Palmetto Dinner fundraiser, telling Democrats they would be 'foolish' not to learn from Trump's impatience.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Melaka records 530 dengue cases
MELAKA: A total of 530 dengue cases were recorded in Melaka during the Jan 1 to May 24 period, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh. He said of this number there were 347 cases in Melaka Tengah, Jasin (124 cases) and Alor Gajah (59 cases). 'During this period, 16 dengue outbreaks were reported and the state government cannot remain silent as dengue fever cases pose a threat to Melakans. 'All clean-up steps including gotong-royong programmes are very important in breaking the breeding chain of the Aedes mosquitoes,' he told reporters after officiating the Melaka-level Mega Gotong-Royong to Combat Aedes Programme, held in conjunction with the Wakil Rakyat Untuk Rakyat (WRUR) programme for the Sungai Udang state assembly, at the Desa Tun Razak Malaysian Armed Forces Quarters in Sungai Udang here today. The event was also attended by the state assembly coordinator, who is also the senior state executive councillor for Housing, Local Government, Climate Change, Drainage and Disaster Management Datuk Rais Yasin. Elaborating further, Ab Rauf said all community leaders, state assemblymen, and local authorities (PBTs) are urged to intensify phased gotong-royong programmes in their respective areas every month. He said, for example, this effort can be carried out through the implementation of the 'One Hour Every Saturday, Take Time to Find and Destroy Aedes Mosquito Breeding Places' campaign, which is also organised by the state Health Department as a collective effort to eradicate the dengue threat at its roots. 'Melaka has proven its success in various aspects such as investment, tourism and we must also prove our success as a clean, healthy and dengue-free state,' he also said. He added that maintaining cleanliness and environmental health is everyone's responsibility and not just the responsibility of authorities like the PBTs.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Will COP30 turbocharge global climate change actions?
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The UN calls for clawing back the temperature rise in line with the Paris agreement signed and ratified by 195 parties and subsequent COP agreements. COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan created plenty of excitement and hopes but with limited success. Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, called for stronger and decisive actions to avert climate change on date the achievement of global emission reduction is far away from the target, necessitating timely actionable and achievable national climate plans. So, COP30 aspires to turbocharge global climate progress through implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. During COP29 the parties agreed to develop strong standards for the UN monitored international carbon targets to reinforce and realign the parties to focus on key targets of emission reduction. The world leaders agree that adverse impacts of climate change are far too many with increased occurrences. Extreme weather resulting in undesirable events negatively affecting economic growth and well-being of society. For example, untimely cyclones and floods severely damage the global food chain, which seriously hampers World data indicates that damages to global GDP caused by extreme weather events increased from 0.10 per cent in 1960 to 0.20 per cent in 2020. During the period the quantum of GDP damage in India increased from 0.04 per cent to 0.45 per cent , which is much higher than the global UN has been cohesively working on reducing the impact of climate change on the global community. The COP30 presidency started working on the leadership circles to tackle key issues 'climate finance, traditional and indigenous peoples and communities, climate governance, and global mobilisation'. The circles intend to work with multiple stakeholders to fast-track climate acknowledged the imminent challenges of managing resources, more importantly arranging funds for climate finance. So, COP30 assigned the important role to the Finance Ministers Circle to develop a roadmap and strategies to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for meeting climate financing in developing Presidents Circle intends to draw upon the experience of past 10 presidents since COP21 to reinforce the global climate governance and involvement of academia, private players, civil society, and youth bring more inclusiveness to the decision-making process. Global community driven approaches are expected to deliver better results, however customised solutions to local problems cannot be 2024, most of the $2 trillion climate investment happened in the developed nations. COP30 calls for smooth flow of climate investment to the regions where it is the most needed. The green climate fund (GCF) so far has funded 297 projects worth $16.7 billion, out of which 133 projects executed or under execution in developing got funding of $803.9 million for 12 projects for climate mitigation and cross-cutting purposes. Additionally, $5.6 million approved from GCF for five readiness developed nations should not shy away from their commitments, especially the investment commitment and responsibilities. The developed countries are in a better position to fund their sustainable energy transition compared to the developing and the least developed countries.A handful of developed (green) economies will not be sufficient to keep the global community happy, healthy, and safe. Therefore, the UN intends to have uniformity and harmony not only for economic prosperity but also for climate is important to highlight that timely and efficient emission management is impossible without knowing emissions sources, actual quantum, and inventory. Therefore, the Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) and National Inventory Document (NID) will serve as key instruments to check global emission realities. For instance, Japan's BTR acknowledges that the energy sector contributes 87.1 per cent of the it is critical to reduce or eliminate the emissions across the energy value chain. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the oil and gas value chain is responsible for 15 per cent of total energy-related emissions. Cutting down 50 per cent emission intensities in global upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas operations by 2030 requires investment to the tune of $600-800 billion. A cash-rich industry like oil and gas can afford it, but lack of sufficient intent remains a the United States, transportation, electric power industry, industry, agriculture, commercial, and residential contribute 28.4 per cent , 24.9 per cent , 22.9 per cent , 10 per cent , 7.3 per cent , and 6.2 per cent of the total emissions. The statistics indicate that transportation, power, and industry offer the maximum scope for emission reductions not only in the United States but also in many industrialised economies. Even emerging economies like India, China, and Brazil need to tackle emission issues in the above-mentioned and COP29 emphasised reducing emissions, building climate resilience global community, facilitating fund arrangements for vulnerable nations, and assisting technology access for all to push forward sustained and accelerated actions to implement the UN driven collective decisions to achieve climate change goals by reinforcing focus on executing 'transitioning away from fossil fuels' to sustainable solutions like solar, wind, biofuel, and green hydrogen is key to timely energy transition. In this context, fixing carbon market issues can assist concerned parties to show sustainable progress. The BTR, NID, and Intended Nationally Determined Contributions reports will help develop a centralised comprehensive data acquisition, implementation, and monitoring and COP29 made pathbreaking agreements. Under Brazil's presidency COP30 might turbocharge global climate progress through multilateralism and consensus building pathways to execute action plans and achieve climate targets. Hopefully, COP30 stimulates the developed countries and wealthy developing countries like China to support the other developing and least developed countries to achieve their climate change goals.(The author is Professor at Department of Management Studies, Rajiv Gandhi of Petroleum Technology, Jais, India)
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First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Pakistan outlaws child marriage in capital, allowed elsewhere; 'un-Islamic' decision, say clerics
Both houses of the assembly passed the bill unanimously last week and will be sent to the president in the coming days. Activists hope that the passing of the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2025 will motivate other regions of Pakistan to follow suit read more The Pakistani National Assembly has passed a landmark bill banning child marriages, but the provisions only apply to residents of the capital city of Islamabad, with observers within the country calling it an 'important step forward' as the practice continues elsewhere in Pakistan. Both houses of the assembly passed the bill unanimously last week and will be sent to the president in the coming days. Activists hope that the passing of the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2025 will motivate other regions of Pakistan to follow suit. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sherry Rehman, the former Minister of Climate Change, said, 'This bill sends a powerful message. It's a very important signal to the country, to our development partners, and to women that their rights are protected at the top.' According to a report by Dawn, the bill said, 'In this modern day and age, we have the resources and the research which invariably proves that child marriage is harmful to both genders and especially girls who have hit puberty and are able to bear children. Furthermore, child marriages are in complete violation of the rights of children and international obligations and goal 5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals focuses on gender equality and includes a target to end child marriage by 2030.' How does the bill outlaw child marriages? The new legislation sets the minimum marriage age at 18 for both males and females in the capital, making underage marriage a criminal offence. Earlier, the legal age was 16 for girls and 18 for boys. Non-compliant may face strict punishments, including a jail term and hefty fines up to Rs100,000, unless the party can prove that the union is not a child marriage. 'Whoever, being a male above eighteen years of age, contracts a child marriage shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to three years but shall not be less than two years and shall be liable to fine,' the bill added. Meanwhile, any sexual act involving a minor within a marriage will be considered statutory rape as per the new legislation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Landmark advancement in safeguarding children's rights' The United Nations has commended the passage of the bill, saying, 'This significant legislation, tabled in the National Assembly by MNA Dr. Sharmila Faruqui establishes 18 as the minimum legal age for marriage for girls. It marks a landmark advancement in safeguarding children's rights and promoting gender equality in Pakistan.' It added, 'The bill's passage shows Pakistan's dedication to ending child marriage and protecting girls' health, education, and future. We commend Dr. Sharmila Faruqui, Senator Sherry Rehman, and all supportive lawmakers for ensuring a safer, just future for the country's children.' On the other hand, religious and political leaders have threatened to protest against the bill, claiming it is 'unIslamic,' asserting that marriage should be a family decision and that a girl's age for marriage should be marked by puberty.
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
US star Leon Thomas joins Hey Neighbour fest line-up
Another US star has been added to the line-up for this year's Hey Neighbour festival. The second instalment of the festival, at the end of August at Legends Adventure Farm in Pretoria, is expected to be a two-day event this time and the organisers are pulling out all the stops to make it a high-impact event. Leon Thomas is the latest artist to join the line-up. He is an American actor, singer, songwriter and record producer who has appeared in Broadway productions including The Lion King and Caroline, or Change. Beyond acting, he's collaborated with numerous major artists and has writing and production credits on multiple Grammy-nominated projects including his work with Babyface and Toni Braxton on the album Love, Marriage & Divorce. Last month, Doja Cat was announced as the headline act of the festival, making it the singer's first performance in South Africa. 'We are beyond excited to welcome Doja Cat to the Hey Neighbour festival stage,' said Glen Netshipise, CEO for the event. 'Her energy, creativity and ability to connect with audiences on a global scale make her the perfect artist to kick off what will be an epic festival line-up. This is just the beginning — we have more incredible acts to reveal soon.'
