Latest news with #Muhamad
Global News
28-04-2025
- Global News
‘That's my people': Vancouver Lapu Lapu festival witnesses describe heartbreaking tragedy
WARNING: The details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised. Residents and festival-goers are still trying to reconcile what happened at the Lapu Lapu Day event in Vancouver on Saturday night. Just after 8 p.m., a man drove his SUV into a crowd of people, killing 11 and injuring dozens more. Bjorn Villaruel attended the festival and was leaving when he said he saw the SUV drive into a group of people. 'I was just standing at one of the booths buying something and I heard this banging sound,' he told Global News. 'I'm seeing people flying, like one or two, right in front of me, just feet away from me.' Villaruel said he thought it was a car accident but then he said he saw the SUV accelerate again toward some food trucks and people, then it stopped and accelerated again towards people. Story continues below advertisement 'I feel the hate,' he said, breaking down in tears. 'I went to help, that's my people.' Villaruel said it was 'horrific.' 'Every time I hear a car right now, I feel there's hate.' He said it was busy at the time, packed with people, and no one thought anything like this could happen. 1:19 Vancouver festival tragedy: 11 killed, dozens injured on 'darkest day' in city's history, police say Aadiah Muhamad and her husband Mohamed Sairmen own the Kampong food truck, which serves Malaysian food. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy They were working at the festival all day and said it was a great time, everyone was so friendly and they sold out of food. They were just getting ready to start cleaning up and packing up when Muhamad said she heard a series of very loud bangs. Story continues below advertisement 'Just boom, boom, boom,' she said. Sairmen said they thought a propane tank had exploded, the noise was so loud. But when they looked out of the service window of the truck they saw a person lying there, already dead. 'We saw people at the back of our truck, injured,' Sairmen said. 'One guy was holding his leg.' They left the truck and helped the injured as best they could. 'So sad,' Muhamad said. 'Such a tragedy.' She said they feel sorry for the victims and everyone is asking why this happened to such a wonderful, loving community. 'We are so sorry, for the community,' Muhmad said. 2:04 Outpouring of love for Vancouver's Filipino community Global BC anchor Jason Pires attended the festival on Saturday and said it was a joyous family-friendly event. Story continues below advertisement He emceed the event on Saturday and said the food truck area was a new addition to the festival this year. 'Such a stark contrast with such a joyous occasion and such a tragedy at the end,' Pires said. 'Just such a compassionate, hard-working people and that's why I think everyone is just reeling.' 3:52 Global BC's Jason Pires speaks on festival violence after joyful day spent with Vancouver's Filipino community Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder at the time of publication. He remains in custody, pending a court date. He was taken into custody shortly after the incident on Saturday. A motive for the incident remains unclear.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Man suspected of smuggling hundreds of migrants into Europe arrested in London
A man suspected of smuggling hundreds of migrants into Europe has been arrested in central London. Majid Muhamad was apprehended in the Westminster area after Italian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. The 54-year-old is accused of being involved in trafficking migrants, including Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi and Egyptian nationals, through the Mediterranean and into Italy in boats. It is alleged that the final destination for many of those people was the UK, France and Belgium. Muhamad, an Iraqi national, was arrested on February 25 by specialist National Extradition Unit officers from the National Crime Agencies Joint International Crime Centre. He has been remanded into custody as plans to extradite him to Italy begin and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 1. Tony Allen, from the NCA's Joint International Crime Centre, said: "The swift work of our National Extradition Unit officers has led to the arrest of an individual in the UK who allegedly smuggled hundreds of migrants into Europe. "This action signifies our commitment to working with partners domestically and internationally to apprehend those suspected of being involved in organised immigration crime. "Targeting, disrupting and dismantling people smuggling networks remains a top priority for the NCA." It comes as Downing Street defended its plan to stop small boat crossings after a 20% increase in migrants travelling across the Channel so far this year. In the first three days of March, 842 people made the perilous journey from France to the UK, Home Office data showed on Tuesday. Small boat arrivals hit a daily high over the weekend as 592 people travelled across the water on March 2. It is the largest number of arrivals on a single day so far in 2025. Earlier this year the Government announced new powers designed to 'turbocharge efforts to smash the gangs' who charge thousands of pounds to smuggle migrants across the Channel. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill sets out proposals to treat people smugglers like terrorists. Suspects face travel bans, social-media blackouts and restrictions on their electronic devices and internet access. Measures also include a new criminal offence of endangering the lives of others at sea, which carries a jail term of up to five years. Those convicted of acts in preparation for people trafficking - such as buying boat parts - will face up to 14 years in prison.
Euronews
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Countries agree $200bn deal to protect nature at UN biodiversity talks in Rome
A 'make or break' meeting in Rome has ended with a pivotal agreement on how to advance global biodiversity and conservation efforts. The original COP16 summit in Cali, Colombia, was suspended without any formal conclusion on 2 November after running over by 12 hours. The reconvened meeting dragged on into the early hours of Friday, 28 February, with delegates determined to reach an agreement. As the summit concluded, the room erupted in applause at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation headquarters in Rome. Susana Muhamad, COP16 President, said some of her team were brought to tears by the emotionally charged conclusion to the meeting. 'These days of work in Rome have demonstrated the commitment of the Parties to advance the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework,' says Muhamad. 'We appreciate the willingness of all countries and the Secretariat of the Convention for their dedication to continue strengthening the global biodiversity agenda. Only by working together can we make Peace with Nature a reality.' While environmental groups largely celebrate the outcome of the meeting, many still warn that this is just the beginning of the hard work ahead. 'State parties have taken a step in the right direction,' says Efraim Gomez, Global Policy Director at WWF International. 'However, this necessary step is not sufficient. Now, the hard work starts.' Gomez warns there is still concern that developed nations are not on track to deliver their commitment of raising $20 billion (€19.2 bn) a year for developing nations. 'Investing in nature is existential,' he says. 'It is a global life insurance.' 'No matter where you live, what job you have, or the economy you rely on, nature is the foundation of it all,' says Jill Hepp, biodiversity policy lead at Conservation International. 'Today, in Rome, countries broke through a longstanding policy deadlock and agreed to a timebound plan that will result in the selection of a permanent financial mechanism designed to help ensure funding reaches the most biodiverse places on earth.' What was agreed upon at COP 16? After what the parties called 'intense negotiation,' the COP16 participants hammered out an agreement that will see $200 billion (€192 bn) a year pledged by 2030. This includes a plan to raise $20 billion (€19.2 bn) in annual conservation financing for developing nations, rising to $30 billion (€28.9 bn) a year by 2030. However, a decision on a new fund, intended to help accelerate the flow of financing to projects, was deferred until 2028. African and Latin American countries demanded a new fund, arguing that the way they access this money at present is inefficient and unfair. Donor countries fought the proposal, saying it would be expensive to set up and manage. In the end, delegates agreed on a process to decide whether a new fund would be created. It was small progress, but a hard-won compromise that is seen as a victory for nature. Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said that through the supporting measures agreed at COP 16, 'the world will have given itself the means to close the biodiversity finance gap.' Countries have identified a biodiversity funding gap of $700 billion (€670 bn) a year. In a landmark agreement in 2022, parties agreed to mobilise at least $200 billion (€192 bn) annually by 2030 from public and private sources, with an interim target of $20 billion (€19.2 bn) in 2025. 'The money is there. Governments are using billions in support of activities that destroy nature,' says Anders Haug Larsen, Advocacy Director at Rainforest Foundation Norway. 'Now, it's time to fund activities that actively protect and restore the precious nature we have on this planet.' At the COP16 talks, participants also established the Cali Fund. It is designed to collect contributions from industries that commercially benefit from genetic resources, such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. At least 50 per cent of the Cali Fund's resources will be directed to Indigenous peoples and local communities, acknowledging their role as custodians of biodiversity. However, at the close of the conference in Rome, the fund remains empty. What does this mean for nature and biodiversity? The resumed COP16 talks fleshed out mechanisms for commitments made at COP15, and specifically the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) adopted in 2022. The GBF serves as a global roadmap for halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, and achieving a full ecological recovery by 2050. It has been hailed as the equivalent to the Paris Agreement but for biodiversity. Among the 23 specific targets set by the framework for the next decade are measures to protect 30 per cent of the planet's land, freshwater and marine areas by 2030, known as the 30x30 target. It also contains targets to phase out subsidies that harm biodiversity, cut plastic pollution and pesticide use, and reduce invasive species by 50 per cent. While the establishment of the GBF set ambitious targets, COP16 was critical for finalising how these targets will be financed, monitored and implemented. The agreed roadmap sets out key activities and decision-making milestones leading up to the 17th, 18th and 19th meetings of the parties. 'While this is a moment to celebrate, we also need to see action and innovation immediately following these decisions,' notes Hepp. 'Now that there is a path forward on how funding will flow, we all must take ambitious action to accomplish our collective goals. It's more important than ever for countries to finalise and start to implement their national biodiversity plans, and use the monitoring framework to track progress towards 2030.'
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN talks end in Rome with nations backing $200 billion a year plan to protect nature
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Global negotiators concluded an extended session of the United Nations biodiversity conference, COP16, with key commitments on funds needed and the institutions through which the funds will be channeled to protect the world's biodiversity. The countries agreed on how they would contribute $200 billion a year by 2030 that was committed in principle at an earlier meeting in Montreal. The money includes a plan to raise $20 billion in annual conservation financing for developing nations by 2025, with that number rising to $30 billion annually by 2030, and on details of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims at placing 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030. Earlier this week, the countries also agreed to create the Cali Fund, which will create methods for industries that commercially benefit from biodiversity to contribute to its conservation. As the meeting concluded late Thursday in Rome, participants stood up and applauded the outcomes. 'The applause is for all of you. You have done an amazing job,' said the COP16 president, Susana Muhamad of Colombia. COP16's successful conclusion is the first United Nations meeting in many months which ended on a positive note, as various meetings all through last year related to dealing with the global plastic pollution, climate change and the earlier biodiversity meeting itself failed to reach agreements or left many stakeholders disappointed with the outcomes reached. 'These days of work in Rome have demonstrated the commitment of the parties to advance the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework,' said Muhamad who is also Colombia's former environment minister. Muhamad said it was the collective effort of all stakeholders which resulted in the key decisions being agreed upon. 'Only by working together can we make Peace with Nature a reality,' she said. The two-day meeting addressed issues that were left unresolved in earlier discussions held in Cali, Colombia in late 2024, focusing on securing funds to meet ambitious targets set in Montreal in 2022. The Cali meetings ended without a quorum as talks ran into overtime and too few delegates remained to guarantee that any decisions made had the backing of all U.N. member states. Linda Krueger, Director of Biodiversity & Infrastructure Policy at The Nature Conservancy, said that in Cali many parties felt that funds created to support biodiversity didn't meet the original goals they had hoped. But in Rome, negotiators were able to agree on a financial 'roadmap' that would allow the body to fulfill its original obligations. 'At a complicated geopolitical moment, this is an exciting show of progress and international cooperation for nature,' she said. "Technocratic as they might sound, these are the details that will transform ambitions on paper into tangible conservation action on the ground." Oscar Soria, chief executive of The Common Initiative, a think tank, said the decision by the U.N. negotiators marked 'a positive step' toward funding biodiversity efforts, setting clear goals and a review process. 'However, effectiveness will depend on the implementation of the commitments, the availability of financing and the political will of countries to increase their contributions,' he added. Even though key issues related to funding were finally resolved in the extended meeting in Rome, the COP16 talks in Colombia, which concluded in November, produced several notable agreements, including a landmark deal requiring companies that profit from natural genetic resources, such as developing medicines from rainforest plants, to share those benefits. Progress was also made toward strengthening the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in conservation efforts. Scientists say biodiversity is essential for maintaining balanced ecosystems, providing clean air, water and food while supporting climate resilience. It also drives medical discoveries, economic stability, and the well-being of all life on Earth. ___ An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated that the meeting ended late on Wednesday. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Steven Grattan And Sibi Arasu, The Associated Press
The Independent
28-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
UN talks end in Rome with nations backing $200 billion a year plan to protect nature
Global negotiators concluded an extended session of the United Nations biodiversity conference, COP16, with key commitments on funds needed and the institutions through which the funds will be channeled to protect the world's biodiversity. The countries agreed on how they would contribute $200 billion a year by 2030 that was committed in principle at an earlier meeting in Montreal. The money includes a plan to raise $20 billion in annual conservation financing for developing nations by 2025, with that number rising to $30 billion annually by 2030, and on details of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims at placing 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030. Earlier this week, the countries also agreed to create the Cali Fund, which will create methods for industries that commercially benefit from biodiversity to contribute to its conservation. As the meeting concluded late Wednesday in Rome, participants stood up and applauded the outcomes. 'The applause is for all of you. You have done an amazing job,' said the COP16 president, Susana Muhamad of Colombia. COP16's successful conclusion is the first United Nations meeting in many months which ended on a positive note, as various meetings all through last year related to dealing with the global plastic pollution, climate change and the earlier biodiversity meeting itself failed to reach agreements or left many stakeholders disappointed with the outcomes reached. 'These days of work in Rome have demonstrated the commitment of the parties to advance the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework,' said Muhamad who is also Colombia's former environment minister. Muhamad said it was the collective effort of all stakeholders which resulted in the key decisions being agreed upon. 'Only by working together can we make Peace with Nature a reality,' she said. The two-day meeting addressed issues that were left unresolved in earlier discussions held in Cali, Colombia in late 2024, focusing on securing funds to meet ambitious targets set in Montreal in 2022. The Cali meetings ended without a quorum as talks ran into overtime and too few delegates remained to guarantee that any decisions made had the backing of all U.N. member states. Linda Krueger, Director of Biodiversity & Infrastructure Policy at The Nature Conservancy, said that in Cali many parties felt that funds created to support biodiversity didn't meet the original goals they had hoped. But in Rome, negotiators were able to agree on a financial 'roadmap' that would allow the body to fulfill its original obligations. 'At a complicated geopolitical moment, this is an exciting show of progress and international cooperation for nature,' she said. "Technocratic as they might sound, these are the details that will transform ambitions on paper into tangible conservation action on the ground." Oscar Soria, chief executive of The Common Initiative, a think tank, said the decision by the U.N. negotiators marked 'a positive step' toward funding biodiversity efforts, setting clear goals and a review process. 'However, effectiveness will depend on the implementation of the commitments, the availability of financing and the political will of countries to increase their contributions,' he added. Even though key issues related to funding were finally resolved in the extended meeting in Rome, the COP16 talks in Colombia, which concluded in November, produced several notable agreements, including a landmark deal requiring companies that profit from natural genetic resources, such as developing medicines from rainforest plants, to share those benefits. Progress was also made toward strengthening the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in conservation efforts. Scientists say biodiversity is essential for maintaining balanced ecosystems, providing clean air, water and food while supporting climate resilience. It also drives medical discoveries, economic stability, and the well-being of all life on Earth. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
