UN climate talks reach halftime with key issues unresolved:
The logo for COP27 is displayed at the U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
The UN Climate talks in Egypt are halfway through and negotiators are still working on draft agreements before ministers arrive next week to push for a substantial deal to fight climate change. The two-week meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh started with strong appeals from world leaders for greater efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and help poor nations cope with global warming. Negotiators are trying to put together a mitigation program that would capture the different measures countries have committed to in order to reduce emissions, including for specific sectors like energy and transport. Many of these pledges are not formally part of the UN process, meaning they cannot easily be scrutinized at the annual meeting. A draft agreement circulated early Saturday had more than 200 square brackets, meaning large sections were still unresolved. Rich countries have fallen short on a pledge to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020 in climate financing for poor nations. intense pressure from developing countries forced the issue of “loss and damage” onto the formal agenda at the talks for the first time this year. Whether there will be a deal to promote further technical work or the creation of an actual fund remains to be seen.
Tens of thousands protest Mexican president's electoral reform plan:
Demonstrators march against the electoral reform proposed by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and in support of the National Electoral Institute (INE) in Mexico City, Mexico, November 13, 2022. REUTERS/Luis Cortes
On Sunday, Tens of thousands took to the streets in Mexico to protest a plan to overhaul the country's electoral commission INE. This is largely due to them fearing this could mean a concentration of government power because it would mean greater presidential control over electoral systems. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who put the plan forward in April, has long criticized the country's electoral authorities, including accusing them of helping to engineer his defeats when he ran for the presidency in 2006 and 2012. He has said that the reform would let citizens elect electoral authorities and reduce the influence of economic interests in politics. Last week, Congress started discussing the plan. His ruling Morena party and its allies would need a two-thirds majority in Congress to make changes to the constitution.
Ukrainian troops sweep into key city of Kherson after Russian forces retreat:
On Friday, Ukrainian forces captured the key city of Kherson as Russian troops retreated to the east. This marks a major victory for Kyiv and marks one of the biggest setbacks Russia has faced since the invasion began. Kherson was the only Ukrainian regional capital that Russian forces had captured since February’s invasion. Their withdrawal east across the Dnipro cedes large swathes of land that Russia has occupied since the early days of the war, which Putin had formally declared as Russian territory just five weeks ago. Ukraine has not reported any incoming fire from the east bank Friday but said a missile attack on the city of Mykolaiv, close to the border with Kherson, killed seven people early Friday. At least seven bridges in total, four of them crossing the River Dnipro, have been destroyed in the last 24 hours, Maxar Technologies satellite images and other photos show. Water is flowing out of three sluice gates at the critical dam, which spans the Dnipro river, according to satellite images from Maxar Technologies obtained by CNN. It’s unclear how the latest damage, which is close to the west bank, was caused. Local Telegram channels reported Thursday night the sound of explosions around the dam. Ukrainian forces do not appear to have taken control of the dam, which could cause considerable damage in the region if breached.
Sources:
UN climate talks reach halftime with key issues unresolved | AP News
Tens of thousands protest Mexican president's electoral reform plan | Reuters
Ukrainian troops sweep into key city of Kherson after Russian forces retreat, dealing blow to Putin