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World
Azerbaijan president slams Western critics of oil industry at COP29
Aliyev says his country a victim of a "well-orchestrated campaign of slander
Baku (Reuters): The president of Azerbaijan, host of this year's UN climate summit, lashed out at Western critics of his country's oil and gas industry on Tuesday.
Speaking in his keynote address at the COP29 climate summit, where nearly 200 nations are negotiating global action on climate change, President Ilham Aliyev described his country as a victim of a "well-orchestrated campaign of slander and blackmail".
Within moments, UN Secretary General took the stage to say that doubling down on fossil fuels was an absurd strategy.
The opposing views underscored the challenge at the heart of the climate negotiations: while nations are urged to shift to green energy sources, many including wealthy Western nations continue to rely on fossil fuels.
Azerbaijan says oil and gas are falling as a share of its economy as it diversifies into other sectors.
"As a president of COP29 of course, we will be a strong advocate for green transition, and we are doing it. But at the same time, we must be realistic," said Aliyev, who has labelled his country's oil and gas resources a "gift from god".
"Countries should not be blamed for having them, and should not be blamed for bringing these resources to the market, because the market needs them. The people need them."
He singled out the United States, the world's largest historic carbon emitter, and the European Union for particular criticism.
"Unfortunately, double standards, a habit to lecture other countries, and political hypocrisy became kind of modus operandi for some politicians, state-controlled NGOs and fake news media in some Western countries," he said.
The United States is the world's largest oil and gas producer. European countries, meanwhile, have some of the world's strictest targets to cut emissions by 2030 - but have also raced to secure new gas supplies following Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Observers of the COP29 negotiations were divided on how to take Aliyev's surly speech. Some said it did not bode well for a strong result from the two-week summit.
"Using a climate conference to promote the continued production and use of fossil fuels is ... provocative, and deeply disrespectful to the countries on the frontline of climate impacts," said Romain Ioualalen, global policy lead at campaign group Oil Change International.
The tension also reflected mistrust between rich and developing nations, many of whom feel that wealthy countries have not done enough to solve a problem that they created.
"Developed countries have not only neglected their historical duty to reduce emissions, they are doubling down on fossil-fuel-driven growth," said climate activist Harjeet Singh. "Such hypocrisy is a dangerous dereliction that puts our collective future at risk," he said.
US national climate advisor Ali Zaidi brushed off President Aliyev's remarks, saying if every country decarbonised at the pace of the United States, the world would meet its climate targets.
Aiming to slash methane emissions from the United States, President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday finalised a methane fee for big oil and gas producers. But the measure is likely to be scrapped by incoming president Donald Trump.
The EU declined to comment on Aliyev's speech.
Back in Europe, however, a Dutch appeals court on Tuesday issued a landmark climate ruling that favoured Shell in dismissing an earlier order for the oil and gas company to sharply reduce emissions.
PAY UP
This year's summit is meant to focus on raising hundreds of billions of dollars to fund a global transition to cleaner energy sources and limit the climate damage caused by carbon emissions.
"The world must pay up, or humanity will pay the price," Guterres said to the summit. "We are in the final countdown to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and time is not on our side."
But on the day of the event designed to bring together world leaders and generate political momentum for the marathon negotiations, many of the leading players weren't around to hear Guterres' plea.
Following Trump's US election victory, Biden has skipped COP29. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a deputy, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen decided to skip the event as well.
Britain did send its newly elected prime minister, Keir Starmer, who announced an updated emissions cutting target of 81% by 2035. He said the more ambitious targets would be achieved through investments in renewable and nuclear energy, carbon capture technology and hydrogen fuel.
At a news conference on Tuesday, COP29 officials sought to refocus attention on the summit's climate finance goal.
"Enabling every country to take strong climate action is 100% in all countries' interests, even the largest and wealthiest," said Simon Stiell, head of the UNFCCC climate body that facilitates the summit. "The climate crisis is fast becoming an economy killer," he said.
With this year on track to be the hottest on record, scientists warn that global warming and its impacts are unfolding faster than expected.
While the leaders were trading barbs in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku, acrid smoke from climate-fuelled wildfires was forcing evacuations in California and triggering air quality warnings in New York.
In Spain, survivors are still coming to terms with the worst floods in the country's modern history, with the Spanish government announcing billions of euros for reconstruction.
"As we look around the globe, we see funds flowing freely to wage war, but scrutinised when it's for climate adaptation," said Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu. "We must choose the path that changes lives, not the climate."
World
Iran, Russia link banking systems to bypass US sanctions
The move is part of a raft of sanctions that were re-imposed on Iran
Tehran (AFP): Iranian bank cards can now be used in Russia, state television reported, as the two countries linked their banking systems in the latest bid to counteract sanctions.
Iranian banks have been excluded since 2018 from the SWIFT international financial messaging service, which governs the vast majority of transactions worldwide.
The move is part of a raft of sanctions that were re-imposed on Iran after the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
Iranian bank cards can now be used in Russia, state television channel IRINN said on Monday, showing the withdrawal of money using an Iranian bank card from an ATM in Russia.
The operation was made possible by connecting Iran’s interbank network Shetab to its Russian equivalent Mir, the channel said.
Iranians can currently withdraw money in Russia, and will in the future be able to use their cards to pay for in-store purchases, it added.
“The plan is also going to be implemented in other countries that have a wide range of financial and social interactions with Iran, for example Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey,” it said.
Both Iran and Russia have sought to counteract the effects of sanctions on their economies.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has faced mounting sanctions, and its ties with Tehran have grown closer in parallel.
Ukraine and its Western allies have since the start of the conflict accused Iran of supplying Russia with both drones and missiles for use in the war.
Tehran and Moscow signed an agreement in June to strengthen their cooperation in the banking sector.
In the future, Russians will also be able to use their bank cards in Iran, IRINN said, without specifying when.
Russia has been pushing for the creation of an international payment platform as an alternative to the SWIFT service, from which key Russian banks have also been excluded since 2022.
Pakistan
Enhanced measures set to transform operations at Karachi airport
Officials focused on devising strategies to further safeguard the airport
Karachi: To enhance security at Jinnah International Airport, security agencies including the police, Airport Security Force (ASF), and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Vigilance discussed new measures on Tuesday.
In a high-level meeting, officials focused on devising strategies to further safeguard the airport against potential threats.
According to sources, the decision to tighten security protocols comes in response to growing concerns over safety at one of Pakistan's busiest airports. Among the proposed changes, private taxi vehicles and their drivers will no longer be permitted to enter the airport premises, with only airport-bound traffic allowed to pass through.
In a bid to reinforce physical barriers, the installation of iron gates at the airport entrances is also under consideration. These gates will be jointly monitored by a team consisting of police, Rangers, ASF, and CAA vigilance personnel.
Additionally, explosive detection devices, CCTV cameras, and barriers will be set up to ensure a more robust screening process at all entry points.
The airport authorities are also taking proactive steps to manage suspicious activity. A dedicated area will be established to stop any vehicles deemed suspicious before they can approach the airport.
In line with these efforts, only one individual will be permitted to accompany a passenger inside the terminal. However, exceptions will be made for elderly passengers, allowing two companions to assist them. A separate lane will also be designated for vehicles transporting passengers to the airport, further streamlining the process.
Employees working at or near the airport will also face increased scrutiny. The new security guidelines mandate that all workers show their office identification cards upon entering or exiting the airport premises. This measure is set to apply to both government and private sector employees, ensuring a more thorough vetting process.
The implementation of this new security code of conduct will take effect immediately, as confirmed by sources at the airport. Additionally, passengers will still be required to carry a copy of their relevant airline ticket with them, in line with existing regulations.
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