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G-7 Energy, Environment Leaders Haggle Over Climate Strategy

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SAPPORO, Japan — The Group of Seven wealthy nations’ energy and environment ministers convened Saturday in northern Japan, attempting to combine the world’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels with the urgency of reducing carbon emissions to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

The sessions in Sapporo, northern Japan, are intended to forge a consensus on the best path ahead of the G-7 summit in Hiroshima in May.

“We face the challenge of promoting reforms to address climate change… while also achieving energy security,” said Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura as the conference began.

On the sidelines of the conference, US Presidential Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry stated that the G-7 was “powerfully positioned to be able to lead” in the battle to combat global warming. “We appreciate Japan’s leadership and stewardship of the G-7 this year.”

However, disagreements remain on how and when to reduce carbon emissions, particularly since the conflict in Ukraine has heightened concerns about energy security, complicating the endeavor.

The discussions in Sapporo will also address biodiversity loss and other global issues. However, climate change is at the top of the agenda for the closed-door sessions. At last year’s G-7 summit in Germany, the countries agreed to work towards a fully or mostly decarbonized electricity supply by 2035.

US officials have expressed support for Japan’s approach centered on clean coal, hydrogen, and nuclear energy to bridge the transition to renewable energy. Others advocate for a more rapid transition to renewable energy.

The UN Secretary-General recently called for stopping new fossil fuel exploration and for rich countries to abandon coal, oil, and gas by 2040. While emissions have begun to reduce among the G-7 nations, particularly in Europe, they are still rising internationally, particularly in large, increasingly affluent economies such as India and China.

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We face the challenge of promoting reforms to address climate change… while also achieving energy security.

The G-7 nations seek to set an example, according to US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday.

“We expect those countries to see that this can be done, and the nations that have the wherewithal to make these investments to be the first out give hope to others that they will be able to do it as technology lowers the cost,” she said.

The United States government’s licensing of fossil fuel initiatives such as the Willow project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope has garnered criticism for its environmental impact and for contradicting President Joe Biden’s vows to reduce carbon emissions and transition to clean energy.

Given the predicted $23 trillion worldwide market for renewable energy by 2030, Granholm believes there is a strong commercial argument for climate-friendly policies.

“They see others gaining work in this field. People who start driving electric vehicles because they don’t have to pay petrol prices realize that it’s far cheaper to drive EVs. “It’s all becoming clear to people,” she said while touring the Suiso Frontier, the world’s first and only liquid hydrogen carrier, showcasing the latest technology for what Japan’s authorities call a “hydrogen society.”

While solar panels are increasingly being planted in Japanese farm fields rather than crops, and wind turbines dot the country’s windy beaches, the government expects around 60% of its energy to come from fossil fuels in 2030, with renewables accounting for up to 38%. New fuels and nuclear power would account for the remainder.

Meanwhile, Japan is scrambling to protect towns from extreme weather and other global warming-related effects. Summer heat, torrential rains that cause flooding and landslides, and intense storms have become the norm.

Japan is seeking approval for its so-called “GX transformation” plan in Sapporo, which its leaders claim is intended to promote energy sufficiency and phase out carbon emissions contributing to global warming.

energy

As the world is trying to overcome two crises, climate and energy, especially in Japan.

Unenacted legislation would require the issuance of 20 trillion yen ($150 billion) in bonds to assist in attracting 150 trillion yen ($1.1 trillion) in joint public-private investment in decarbonization. In addition, the bill asks for a carbon-pricing scheme to make firms pay for their carbon emissions.

Environmentalists argue that the plan will prolong the country’s fading nuclear industry while impeding the transition to renewable energy sources.

“As the world tries to overcome two crises, climate and energy, especially in Japan, we need to drastically increase renewables,” said Takejiro Sueyoshi, co-representative of the Japan Climate Initiative, a non-governmental organization with 768 member firms and organizations.

“Discussions in Japan have regressed to the twentieth century.” “We need to drive a wedge into the debate to move it forward rather than backward,” he remarked.

The JCI urged the officials meeting in Sapporo to set more ambitious targets, noting that Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy already get more of their electricity from renewable sources than Japan’s 2030 target and that the United States, despite its sluggish progress towards phasing out fossil fuels, will get the majority of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035.

“There isn’t much time left. The window of opportunity for change is narrowing, yet hope remains. Sueyoshi stated, “We must use the sense of crisis as a turning point.”

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom comprise the G-7.

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SOURCE – (AP)

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Ukraine War: US To Give Kyiv Long-Range ATACMS Missiles – Media Reports

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US media report that President Joe Biden intends to provide Ukraine with advanced long-range missiles to aid Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive.

They cite US officials familiar with the issue as saying Ukraine will get some ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 190 miles (300km).

This would allow Kiev to strike Russian targets far behind the front line.

On Friday, at least two Ukrainian missiles struck the Russian Black Sea fleet headquarters in occupied Crimea.

A Ukrainian military source told the BBC that British and French-supplied Storm Shadow missiles were used in the attack on the port of Sevastopol.

These missiles have a range of approximately 240 kilometers.

According to unnamed US officials quoted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, Vice President Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that Kyiv would receive “a small number” of ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles. Thursday, the two leaders met at the White House.

According to the WSJ, the armaments will be sent in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, the Washington Post cited several individuals familiar with the negotiations as saying that Ukraine would receive ATACMS armed with cluster bomblets instead of single payloads.

ukraine

US media report that President Joe Biden intends to provide Ukraine with advanced long-range missiles to aid Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive.

The United States and Ukraine have neither officially confirmed the allegations.

After the Biden-Zelensky discussions, the United States announced a new $325 million (£265 million) military aid package for Ukraine, including artillery and ammunition. Next week, American Abrams tanks will be delivered to Kiev.

On the ATACMS issue, both presidents have been elusive.

“I believe we will be able to reach an agreement on the majority of what we discussed with President Biden yesterday,” Mr. Zelensky said on Friday during a visit to Canada.

“Indeed, it’s only a matter of time. Not everything depends on Ukraine,’ elucidated the speaker.

Kyiv has pushed for ATACMS for months to bolster its brutal and deadly counteroffensive in the south.

ukraine

US media report that President Joe Biden intends to provide Ukraine with advanced long-range missiles to aid Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive.

It is stated that vital Russian supply lines, command positions, and other logistical hubs would be within striking distance, forcing Moscow to move them further away and making it more difficult to resupply soldiers and weapons.

Ukraine asserts that Russian positions in the occupied southern Ukrainian regions, including Crimea, would be particularly vulnerable.

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the Biden administration initially hesitated to provide Ukraine with modern weapons.

Since then, however, its posture has shifted dramatically, with Kyiv acquiring Himar’s long-range rocket systems and Patriot air defense missiles.

President Biden has shown reluctance towards ATACMS out of concern that such missiles could bring about a confrontation with a nuclear-armed Russia.

Source – (BBC)

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Shein In Talks To Buy Missguided From Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group

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Shein, created in China in 2008, is a global fast fashion behemoth.

According to the BBC, Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group is in talks to sell its Missguided clothing brand to online fashion giant Shein.

The talks regarding a purchase, first reported by Sky News, occurred only a year after Frasers acquired the brand.

Last year, Frasers Group paid £20 million for Missguided after the online apparel store went bankrupt.

Shein, created in China in 2008, is a global fast fashion behemoth.

shein

Frasers Group and Shein have both been reached for comment.

According to Sky, the agreement will see Shein acquire Missguided’s brand and other intellectual property while Frasers retains the head office.

Missguided, situated in Manchester, was launched in 2009 by Nitin Passi and has since grown to become one of the UK’s largest online fashion players.

However, due to supply chain issues, rising freight prices, and increased competition from rivals, it went into administration in May 2022 before being acquired by Frasers Group.

Frasers, which owns the Mike Ashley-founded Sports Direct company, has grown swiftly by acquiring troubled brands. Game, Evans Cycles, Jack Wills, and Sofa.com are examples.

While Mike Ashley is no longer the CEO of Frasers, he still maintains a majority ownership in the company.

shein

Shein, which currently has its headquarters in Singapore, saw a boost in sales during the Covid epidemic when lockdowns increased internet purchases.

It was valued at roughly $66 billion earlier this year, which was lower than a previous valuation of around $100 billion.

It has been speculated that Shein will attempt to float its shares in the United States.

However, in May, a group of US congressmen demanded that Shein be investigated amid allegations that people from China’s predominantly Muslim Uyghur community were used as forced labor to create some of the clothing it sells.

Human rights organizations and Western governments, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, have accused China of perpetrating crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs.

Shein responded to the BBC, saying, “We have zero tolerance for forced labour.”

“Our suppliers must follow a strict code of conduct that is aligned with the core conventions of the International Labour Organisation.”

SOURCE – (BBC)

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Killer Danelo Cavalcante Captured By Police Nearly 2 Weeks After Escaping Pennsylvania Prison

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Danelo Cavalcante is no longer on the run after authorities apprehended him.

Officials announced on Sept. 13 that the 34-year-old man, who escaped from Pennsylvania’s Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 and shocked the town, is now in police custody after being discovered under a pile of logs in South Coventry Township.

During a press conference, Lt. Col. George Bivens described how officials tracked Cavalcante down following a two-week manhunt, noting that they picked up a heat signal early Sept. 13 and began tracking him.

“Tactical teams began to converge on that location where the heat source was moving,” he explained, adding that owing to inclement weather, they chose to secure the area until additional resources could be brought in for assistance. “That resumed early this morning, and tactical teams converged on the area where the heat source was shortly after 8 a.m.” They could go in stealthily, giving them the advantage of surprise.”

cavalcante

Danelo Cavalcante is no longer on the run after authorities apprehended him.

Cavalcante, convicted of first-degree murder on Aug. 16 for fatally stabbing his former lover and sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of release, didn’t realize he was surrounded at first, according to Bivens. But when he did, he sought to flee, crawling through “thick underbrush” with a weapon.

According to Bivens, one of the Customs and Border Control teams was accompanied by a dog that could control Cavalcante while officials approached him.

“He continued to resist,” Bivens stated, “but was taken into custody forcibly.” As a result, no one was wounded. He did incur a slight bite wound, which was examined by medical authorities on the site.”

Cavalcante was then sent to the Avondale station in Pennsylvania for further processing and interrogation.

 

SOURCE – (Enews)

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