Game-changer for clean hydrogen production

by Curtin University

Graphical abstract. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106463

Curtin University research has identified a new, cheaper and more efficient electrocatalyst to make green hydrogen from water that could one day open new avenues for large-scale clean energy production.

Typically, scientists have been using precious metal catalysts, such as platinum, to accelerate the reaction to break water into hydrogen and oxygen. Now Curtin research has found that adding nickel and cobalt to cheaper, previously ineffective catalysts enhances their performance, which lowers the energy required to split the water and increases the yield of hydrogen.

Lead researcher Dr. Guohua Jia, from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said this discovery could have far-reaching implications for sustainable green fuel generation in the future.

"Our research essentially saw us take two-dimensional iron-sulfur nanocrystals, which don't usually work as catalysts for the electricity-driven reaction that gets hydrogen from water, and add small amounts of nickel and cobalt ions. When we did this it completely transformed the poor-performing iron-sulfur into a viable and efficient catalyst," Dr. Jia said.

"Using these more abundant materials is cheaper and more efficient than the current benchmark material, ruthenium oxide, which is derived from ruthenium element and is expensive.

"Our findings not only broaden the existing "palette" of possible particle combinations, but also introduce a new, efficient catalyst that may be useful in other applications.

"It also opens new avenues for future research in the energy sector, putting Australia at the forefront of renewable and clean energy research and applications."

Dr. Jia said the next steps would be to expand and test the team's work on a larger scale to test its commercial viability.

"Only 21% of energy is produced from renewables in the national energy market, which clearly indicates more efforts are required from Australia to make a transition from fossil fuels to clean energy," Dr. Jia said.

"But this shift is only possible when the knowledge from the research sector gets translated into real-world solutions and applications in the energy sector."

This study was a collaboration between researchers Dr. Guohua Jia and Dr. Franca Jones from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, and Professor Zongping Shao from WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering.

The full paper, Ni2+/Co2+ doped Au-Fe7S8 nanoplatelets with exceptionally high oxygen evolution reaction activity, has been published in Nano EnergyMining waste could be used as an ingredient for cheaper hydrogen fuel production

More information: Shaghraf Javaid et al, Ni2+/Co2+ doped Au-Fe7S8 nanoplatelets with exceptionally high oxygen evolution reaction activity, Nano Energy (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106463

Journal information: Nano Energy 

Provided by Curtin University 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Summer Wildfires Emitted More Carbon Dioxide Than India Does in a Year

Wildfires around the world set records for carbon dioxide emissions in July and August, topping India's annual emissions.

A firefighting helicopter flies past smoke plumes after making a water drop during the Dixie Fire.

Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP (Getty Images)

By Dharna Noor
Yesterday 9:45AM

The world set a scary new record last month: Wildfires around the world pumped out more carbon dioxide than ever before.

Forests on multiple continents went up in smoke, spewing out billions of tons of carbon dioxide, new data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service shows. In July, wildfires emitted nearly 1.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, a record that was topped by August’s 1.4 gigatons. Between the two months, forest fires emitted an amount of carbon dioxide greater than all of India’s carbon emissions in a year.

The majority of those emissions came from wildfires two regions, western North America and Siberia. Blazes in both regions were fueled by heat waves, drought conditions, and low soil moisture levels—three hallmarks of the climate crisis. In the case of North America, monster fires are still burning in the U.S. and continue to threaten everything from homes and giant sequoias. What’s been most shocking about the fires in the northern hemisphere is, well, everything.

“What stood out as unusual were the number of fires, the size of the areas in which they were burning, their intensity, and also their persistence,” Mark Parrington, senior scientist and wildfire expert at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said in a statement.

Indeed, the massive fires in northeastern Siberia’s Sakha Republic and were so large and intense that they sent ribbons of smoke to the North Pole in June. Though they started to die down last month, some were still burning in early September.

“It’s a similar story in North America, parts of Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and California, which have been experiencing large wildfires since the end of June and beginning of July and are still ongoing,” Parrington said. Northern California’s Dixie Fire, for instance, is the largest single fire in state history, burning down nearly 1 million acres. While fires in the West and Siberia are the two biggest sources of emissions, destructive blazes have hit the Mediterranean region hard from Portugal to Turkey to Syria.

It’s impossible to talk about these fires without talking about climate change. Hot, dry weather is becoming more common and can lead to megafires like those that have enveloped the northern hemisphere this year—and other recent years for that matter. The emissions from these fires, including some that burned through forests that corporations had bought to offset their emissions, will worsen the climate crisis and up the risk of even more damaging blazes to come.

Forest managers urgently need to adapt to avoid even more catastrophic losses. That means considering more managed, low-intensity burns to thin out brush that allows fires to spread and looking at other outside-the-box solutions. Any serious plan to control wildfires must also include phasing out fossil fuels use. By getting serious ending carbon emissions, we can help break the cycle we’re currently locked in.

Northern Hemisphere summer wildfires emit record amount of CO2

Blazes in North America and the Mediterranean prompt spike in planet-warming emissions, EU’s Earth monitoring service says.

Heatwaves, drought conditions, and reduced soil moisture amplified by global warming have contributed to recent unprecedented fires [File: Nikolas Economou/Reuters]
22 Sep 2021

Wildfires in Siberia, North America and around the Mediterranean caused record levels of planet-warming CO2 emissions this summer, the EU’s Earth monitoring service says.

Globally, forests going up in flames emitted more than 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 – equivalent to India’s annual emissions from all sources – in July and August alone, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reported on Tuesday.

More than half of CO2 emissions from wildfires in July came from North America and Siberia.

Heatwaves, drought conditions, and reduced soil moisture amplified by global warming have contributed to unprecedented fires in three continents.

Even the Arctic Circle was on fire, releasing some 66 million tonnes of CO2 from June through August, with nearly a billion tonnes from Russia as a whole over the same period.

“What stood out as unusual were the number of fires, the size of the area in which they were burning, their intensity, and also their persistence,” said Mark Parrington, senior scientist and wildfire expert at CAMS.

Fires started raging across northeastern Siberia in June and only started to abate in late August and early September, the satellite-based monitoring service reported.

Emissions for the region from June through August were nearly double compared with the year before.

Burnable area doubled

While satellite images do not reveal how these fires start, many of the blazes early in the summer are thought to have been caused by “zombie” fires that smoulder through the winter and then reignite.

In the western United States and Canada’s British Columbia – which saw record temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) – fires ravaged huge swaths of forest.

Massive plumes of smoke from Siberia and North America moved across the Atlantic, reaching Britain and parts of Europe in August.

Nations along the Mediterranean rim, meanwhile, saw uncontrolled wildfires of their own, made worse by persistent heatwaves.

Daily fire intensity for Turkey reached the highest levels ever recorded in the nearly 20-year dataset. Other countries scorched by out-of-control blazes included Greece, Italy, Albania, North Macedonia, Algeria and Tunisia.

Fires hit Spain and Portugal in August.

Rising temperatures and increased dryness due to changing rainfall patterns create ideal conditions for bush or forest fires.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported that the five-year period to 2020 was “unprecedented” for fires, especially in Europe and North America.

“Globally, increases in temperature and aridity have increased the length of fire seasons and doubled potential burnable area,” the UN’s IPCC climate science advisory panel concluded in a draft report obtained by AFP.

SOURCE: AFP

Global wildfire carbon dioxide emissions at record high, data shows

Figures from EU monitoring service for August are highest since it began measurements in 2003

A volunteer works to extinguish a wildfire near the town of Revda in Russia last month.
Photograph: Alexey Malgavko/Reuters

Jonathan Watts
@jonathanwatts
Tue 21 Sep 2021

August was another record month for global wildfire emissions, according to new satellite data that highlights how tinderbox conditions are widening across the world as a result of the climate crisis.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service of the EU found that burning forests released 1.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide last month, mostly in North America and Siberia. This was the highest since the organisation began measurements in 2003.

After a July record of 1258.8 megatonnes the previous month, scientists are concerned that areas with dense vegetation are becoming a source rather than a sink of greenhouse gases.

The increased flammability was evident across swathes of the northern hemisphere. Russia, which is home to the world’s biggest forest, was by far the worst affected as infernos in the taiga forests of Siberia pumped 970 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere between June and August – more than all the forests in the rest of the world put together.

“The number of fires, their persistence and intensity were remarkable,” Copernicus said. 

A worker helps battle a wildfire in the taiga forests of Siberia. 

Photograph: Russian Aerial Forest Protection/Avialesookhrana/Tass

Summer fires are not unusual in the Sakha Republic of north-eastern Siberia, but 2021 was exceptional. Emissions during this peak season were more than double the previous record. Blazes are burning longer than usual and with more ferocity.

In July, choking smoke gave the city of Yakutsk, which is in the midst of the Siberian fire region, the most polluted air in the world. This followed measurements of unusually high temperatures and lower than normal soil moisture.

Fires are also increasingly common in the Arctic Circle. This far northern region, which has warmed more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, released 66m tonnes of CO2 this summer.

It was a similar story in North America, which has sweltered through deadly heat and unusually long dry spells.

In northern California, the Dixie Fire is now one of the biggest ever recorded in the state’s history, having turned almost a million acres to ash. Several Canadian provinces have also been scorched by unusually intense fires. 

A long exposure photo showing flames from the Dixie Fire in Genesee, California, US. Photograph: Ethan Swope/AP

Europe has far less forest cover, but record high and prolonged heat has resulted in devastating fires in Turkey, which were four times more intense than anything previously registered. Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania, North Macedonia, Algeria, and Tunisia have also battled with huge blazes that sent smoke plumes billowing across the Mediterranean.

Mark Parrington, senior scientist at Copernicus said this year was not a one-off but a sign of a worsening trend caused by human-driven climate change. “It is concerning that drier and hotter regional conditions, brought about by global warming, increase the flammability and fire risk of vegetation. This has led to very intense and fast-developing fires. While the local weather conditions play a role in the actual fire behaviour, climate change is helping provide the ideal environments for wildfires.”

AUSTRALIA

‘Grave mistake’: climate scientists issue dire warning over Beetaloo Basin fracking plans


Gas projects must be halted if the Northern Territory government cannot meet promise to fully offset emissions, scientists say

An Empire Energy gas exploration well in the Beetaloo Basin. The Northern Territory government has given the company partial approval to begin works. Photograph: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources


Christopher Knaus
@knausc
Wed 22 Sep 2021 

More than 60 leading climate scientists have issued a dire warning over the plan to frack the Beetaloo Basin, saying it must be halted if the Northern Territory government cannot meet a promise to fully offset emissions.

The Morrison government is using $50m in grants to incentivise gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin as part of its gas-led recovery, and the Northern Territory government has already provided one gas company, Empire Energy, with partial approval to begin works in the area.


In 2018, the landmark Pepper inquiry recommended that emissions from shale gas development in the territory be “fully offset so that there is no net increase in the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions emitted in Australia from any onshore shale gas produced in the NT”.

The chief minister, Michael Gunner, committed to implementing the inquiry’s recommendations, but critics say his government’s climate policies still make no requirement for companies to offset the burning of gas.


NT government criticised for progressing Beetaloo Basin gas project without full environmental study

In an open letter to Gunner on Thursday, climate scientists warned that his government “must require all lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions in Australia from any onshore gas produced in the NT … to be fully and genuinely offset”.

One of the signatories, the Australian National University climate scientist Prof Will Steffen, warned that there was “absolutely no carbon budget left” for the emissions that would result from developing new oil and gas fields like the Beetaloo Basin.

“Every action we take now counts and allowing shale gas development in the Northern Territory is a big step in the wrong direction,” Steffen said.

Prof Ian Lowe, of Griffith University, warned it would be a “grave mistake” to open up “massive new sources of greenhouse gas like the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin”.

“Offsets are a very poor substitute for keeping fossil fuels in the ground, but it would be appalling if the government is even trying to avoid requiring the companies involved to offset their emissions,” he said.

Meanwhile, the government’s premier scientific research agency, CSIRO, has been criticised for keeping secret a list of chemicals to be used in fracking in the basin.

Environmentalist group Protect Country Alliance lodged a freedom of information request asking for all communications between CSIRO and gas companies about a series of chemicals used in fracking.

The heavily redacted documents provided to the group appear to canvass a list of chemicals to be used in fracking in the Beetaloo. But details of the chemicals are suppressed, because CSIRO said the information was “commercially valuable information” and constituted “trade secrets”.

The Protect Country Alliance spokesperson Graeme Sawyer said the argument of “commercial in confidence” was a joke, and a tactic often deployed by fracking companies in the US.

“It’s a particularly bogus argument in the NT, because the Pepper inquiry was unequivocal about the need for fracking companies to ‘report and publicly disclose’ the ‘identities, volumes and concentrations of chemicals to be used’,” he said.

“There are already too many communities across the NT, like Katherine, that are facing PFAS contamination disasters. We cannot allow one more drop of these forever chemicals to sink into Territory soil.”

CSIRO said the FOI had not directly sought information about chemicals being used in the Beetaloo. A spokesperson said the FOI Act’s exemptions for commercially valuable information and business affairs were used appropriately.

“The Protect Country Alliance’s application specifically sought access to documents obtained under those circumstances and as such the exemption has been appropriately applied.”

The climate scientists’ open letter will be published in the NT News on Wednesday.

It comes a day after the territory government published a progress report on climate action. The report does not mention offsetting new fracking developments.

Environment minister Eva Lawler told the Guardian it has accepted all 135 recommendations from the Pepper inquiry and will “work with the Commonwealth Government to seek to ensure that there is no net increase in emissions emitted in Australia”.

“As in any industry, private sector proponents will be responsible for offsetting their emissions,” Lawler said.

She said the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management for New and Expanding Large Emitters policy, and draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Offsets Policy, would noth help support the implementation of the offset recommendation.

“However they are not designed to deliver these outcomes on their own,” she said. “These policies are part of a suite of policy and regulatory initiatives being developed to decarbonise the Territory, and are intended to apply to all significant emitting developments in the Territory, not just the onshore gas industry.”

Climate Change challenges: India's need for coal

Sep 22, 2021



BBC News

Countries around the world are being told they must agree to phase out the use of coal power, to prevent catastrophic global warming. Ahead of the latest climate change summit in the UK, nations have been negotiating a timetable to stop burning the fossil fuel, which emits vast quantities of carbon dioxide. But many poorer and developing nations depend on coal for their energy. India is one country that is still building new coal-fired power stations, as it seeks to provide electricity for it vast population. Huw Edwards presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Rajini Vaidyanathan from the east Indian state of Odisha.

'MAYBE' TECH
Ineos Grangemouth to become net zero with hydrogen and carbon capture plans

By David Bol @mrdavidbol

Political Corresponden

21st September, 2021

Ineos will decarbonise its Grangemouth operations by 2045

SCOTLAND'S single biggest polluter will spend more than £1 billion to eliminate its contribution to emissions by 2045 – harnessing green hydrogen and carbon capture technology.

Ineos Grangemouth will transform its operations to net zero by 2045 – the legal date the Scottish Government has set for the entire nation.

Earlier this year, the Herald on Sunday revealed that the company's billionaire boss, Jim Ratcliffe, snubbed an appearance in front of MSPs investigating how to transform Grangemouth in a carbon neutral hub – but the company has now brought forward its own plans and funding.

Ineos, which has cut its emissions at Grangemouth by more than one third since 2005, has already committed more than £500 million on projects currently being rolled out to reduce pollution. A new energy plant, due to be completed in 2023 will supply energy to all site operations and cut at least 150,000 tonnes of carbon each year.

Ineos’s operations at Grangemouth will see greenhouse gas emissions cut by more than 60% by 2030 through investments, partnerships and innovative engineering.


The company’s strategy involves a move to the production and use of hydrogen by all businesses at the Grangemouth site along with carbon capture and storage of at least 1 million tonnes per year of carbon dioxide by 2030.

This will include capturing carbon dioxide from existing hydrogen production and the construction of a huge carbon capture enabled hydrogen production plant.

READ MORE: Ineos boss snubs MSPs investigating Scotland's zero carbon future

The Acorn carbon capture and storage project, being brought forward by Pale Blue Dot Energy as part of the Neccus coalition, hopes to be able to store carbon from Scottish industries and talks had been held earlier this year for businesses at Grangemeouth to use the infrastructure to clean up their operations.

As well as a solution for the pollution caused by the North Sea oil and gas industry, the Acorn project hopes to transport carbon from Grangemouth along the existing Feeder 10 pipeline as well as it being shipped in via Peterhead Port.

Stuart Collings, CEO of Ineos O&P UK, said: “Our challenge is to deliver a road map which ensures a just transition to net zero. This can only be achieved if we remain globally competitive and we stay ahead of evolving regulations and legislation.

“Hydrogen will play a very important role in the decarbonisation of our manufacturing plants. Building the infrastructure for large scale utilisation of hydrogen creates a foundation to achieve net zero by 2045 and enables wider use of hydrogen by Ineos and others in and around Grangemouth.”

Andrew Gardner, chairman INEOS Grangemouth, added: “We actually have to go much further than the significant CO2 reductions we’ve achieved already.


“By 2045 we have to be net zero equivalent and we have to set some really ambitious but achievable targets for ourselves for 2030.”

READ MORE: Grangemouth carbon-free plans at risk over funding fight with English project

Extra contributions to driving down emissions at Grangemouth will come from further investments in energy reduction and electrification of key equipment – with Scotland's electricity supply mostly produced from renewable sources.

The company will also issue a shift in its polymer product portfolio to include higher levels of post-consumer recycled materials.

The commitment has been welcomed by the Scottish Government.

SNP Net Zero Secretary, Michael Matheson, said: “I welcome this significant investment, which demonstrates Ineos's support for Scotland’s journey to becoming a net-zero economy by 2045.

“This will not only drive forward innovation and diversification to tackle emissions at Grangemouth, but will also support the decarbonisation of other sectors, sites and regions across Scotland.”

Warnings have been issued that plans to clean up Grangemouth could be put at risk if funding is instead handed to a similar project in the north east of England – leaving the two industrial hubs fighting over cash.

The chemicals industry has highlighted concerns that without solid business cases being drawn up to decarbonise the UK’s heavy industries, there is a risk “investment goes to assets overseas where more money can be made” instead of remaining in Grangemouth and other British hubs – throwing the long-term future of one of Scotland’s biggest employers into doubt.

Mr Matheson added: “Low-carbon hydrogen offers the swiftest decarbonisation route for our industrial sector and today’s commitment by Ineos makes an even stronger case for the UK Government to select the Scottish cluster, which Ineos partnered with in the summer, to be among the first carbon capture and storage clusters to be awarded funding through its current cluster sequencing process.

“Grangemouth, and Ineos itself, already holds a wealth of experience in engineering solutions and hydrogen production, and this new investment holds great potential for the future of Grangemouth, as well as the vital jobs that are located there, as part of our just transition to net zero.”

UNGA 76: World leaders discuss equality for people of African descent

Wednesday, September 22, 2021 


UN Photo/Cia Pak Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the opening of the general debate of the UN General Assembly’s 76th session.

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Heads of states and governments on Wednesday gathered in New York as part of UN General Assembly to discuss reparations, racial justice and equality for people of African descent.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a high-level meeting at UN headquarters that two decades after a landmark Declaration was adopted to eradicate racism, it had continued to permeate the society.

Marking the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), he said two decades after its adoption, racism, discrimination had continued to permeate institutions, social structures and everyday life in every society.

“People of African descent, minority communities, indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, displaced persons, and so many others – all continue to confront hatred, stigmatisation, scapegoating, discrimination, and violence.

“Xenophobia, misogyny, hateful conspiracies, white supremacy and Neo-Nazi ideologies are spreading – amplified in echo chambers of hate,” Guterres said.

According to him, from glaring infringements to creeping transgressions, human rights were under assault.

”Structural racism and systematic injustice still deny people their fundamental human rights, and linkages between racism and gender inequality are unmistakable”, he said.

Some of the worst impacts in the “overlaps and intersections of discrimination” are suffered by women. And the world is witnessing “a troubling rise” in antisemitism, growing anti-Muslim bigotry and the mistreatment of minority Christians, he pointed out.

The UN correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the secretary-general as urging everyone to condemn discrimination, hateful speech, and baseless assertions, as those pushing that ideology today, denigrate “our essential fight against racism”.

Guterres highlighted a “transformative agenda” launched by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to try and dismantle systemic racism, ensure accountability and deliver reparatory justice.

“This new awakening, often led by women and young people, has created momentum we must seize upon”, he said, also recognising the “meaningful progress” made by the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent in confronting systemic racism.

The UN chief called on Member States to “take concrete actions” to support these efforts on national and global levels.

“Also, to “recognise the contemporary resonance of past crimes that continue to haunt our present”, such as transgenerational suffering and structural inequalities “deeply rooted in centuries of enslavement and colonial exploitation”.

“We must reverse the consequences of generations of exclusion and discrimination – including their obvious social and economic dimensions, through reparatory justice frameworks”.

The UN chief urged everyone to “recognise diversity as richness” and understand that fighting racism was a universal and “concrete struggle in every society”.

“No country can claim to be free from it”, he said, underscoring the need to redress political, economic and structural imbalances; ensure that everyone feels respected as a valued member of society; and “stand together as one human family, rich in diversity, equal in dignity and rights, united in solidarity”.

At a time when the world feels more divided than ever, the secretary-general encouraged everyone to “unite around our common humanity…and re-commit ourselves to this essential purpose”.

General Assembly President, Abdulla Shahid, upheld that the world had not done enough to “tackle the pervasiveness” of racial discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia.

“Racism begets violence, displacement, and inequity. It lives on because we allow it to. It penetrates society because we fail to acknowledge diversity,” he said.

According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic further exemplified how far the world was from righting past wrongs.

Shahid urged world leaders to turn the tide on racism and intolerance by recognising these failings and seeking racial equality to “close that divide” and build resilience for those left behind.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michele Bachelet said it was vital to address the lasting consequences of racism, as millions continued to bear its burden, past and present; the legacy of colonial exploitation; and the inhuman and criminal enslavement of Africans.

Reparations must go “beyond symbolism” to include measures of restitution, rehabilitation and guarantees that it will never happen again, she said.

And they will require “political, human and financial capital”, which, the UN rights chief added, “should be seen alongside the enrichment of many economies through enslavement and exploitation”. (NAN)

Bakhtarian Treasure is safe and preserved in Kabul: Taliban
By Najibullah Lalzoy / in Afghanistan / on Thursday, 23 Sep 2021


Officials of the ministry of information and culture said that the Bakhtarian Treasure is kept in Kabul and assured of its full safety and security.

The officials denied the Treasure being trafficked out of Afghanistan and added that the asset is kept under the surveillance of the Taliban in the Afghan capital.

Bakhtarian Treasure is the biggest and most expensive treasure of the world and is Afghanistan’s biggest asset which was rumored to be trafficked after the Taliban took over the country on August, 15.

The Taliban though do not disclose the exact location of the treasure, assured that it is kept safe and will be kept so.

Bakhtarian treasure is thousands of years old and was taken from the National Museum of Afghanistan to the central bank by then Afghan president Najibullah in the early 90s.

It has been displayed in a number of European and American countries and has been one of the biggest sources of income to Afghanistan.

AUTHOR
 

Najibullah Lalzoy is a journalist and editor at Khaama Press. He has a BA degree in journalism.

1. 2018 Bakhtariyan Treasure To Be Displayed In Japan | TOLOnews

   https://tolonews.com/arts-culture/bakhtariyan-treasure-be-displayed-japan

   Officials from the Afghanistan National Museum said Wednesday they are getting ready to take the Bakhtariyan Treasure to Japan where it will go on display.

 

The AP Interview: Top Pakistan diplomat details Taliban plan

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

PUBLISHED: 01:05 EDT, 23 September 2021 

 e-ma 

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Be realistic. Show patience. Engage. And above all, don't isolate. Those are the pillars of an approach emerging in Pakistan to deal with the fledgling government that is suddenly running the country next door once again - Afghanistan's resurgent, often-volatile Taliban.

Pakistan's government is proposing that the international community develop a road map that leads to diplomatic recognition of the Taliban - with incentives if they fulfill its requirements - and then sit down face to face and talk it out with the militia's leaders.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi outlined the idea Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly's meeting of world leaders.

"If they live up to those expectations, they would make it easier for themselves, they will get acceptability, which is required for recognition," Qureshi told the AP. "At the same time, the international community has to realize: What´s the alternative? What are the options? This is the reality, and can they turn away from this reality?"

He said Pakistan "is in sync with the international community" in wanting to see a peaceful, stable Afghanistan with no space for terrorist elements to increase their foothold, and for the Taliban to ensure "that Afghan soil is never used again against any country."

"But we are saying, be more realistic in your approach," Qureshi said. "Try an innovative way of engaging with them. The way that they were being dealt with has not worked."

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Expectations from the Taliban leadership could include an inclusive government and assurances for human rights, especially for women and girls, Qureshi said. In turn, he said, the Afghan government might be motivated by receiving development, economic and reconstruction aid to help recover from decades of war.

He urged the United States, the International Monetary Fund and other countries that have frozen Afghan government funds to immediately release the money so it can be used "for promoting normalcy in Afghanistan." And he pledged that Pakistan is ready to play a "constructive, positive" role in opening communications channels with the Taliban because it, too, benefits from peace and stability.

This is the second time that the Taliban, who adhere to a strict version of Islam, have ruled Afghanistan. The first time, from 1996 to 2001, ended when they were ousted by a U.S.-led coalition after the 9/11 attacks, which were directed by Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan.

During that rule, Taliban leaders and police barred girls from school and prohibited women from working outside the home or leaving it without a male escort. After they were overthrown, Afghan women still faced challenges in the male-dominated society but increasingly stepped into powerful positions in government and numerous fields.

But when the U.S. withdrew its military from Afghanistan last month, the government collapsed and a new generation of the Taliban resurged, taking over almost immediately. In the weeks since, many countries have expressed disappointment that the Taliban´s interim government is not inclusive as its spokesman had promised.

While the new government has allowed young girls to attend school, it has not yet allowed older girls to return to secondary school, and most women to return to work despite a promise in April that women "can serve their society in the education, business, health and social fields while maintaining correct Islamic hijab."

Pakistan, which shares a long border with Afghanistan, has a long and sometimes conflicted relationship with its neighbor that includes attempts to prevent terrorism there and, some say, also encouraging it. The Islamabad government has a fundamental vested interest in ensuring that whatever the new Afghanistan offers, it is not a threat to Pakistan.

That, Qureshi says, requires a steady and calibrated approach.

"It has to be a realistic assessment, a pragmatic view on both sides, and that will set the tone for recognition eventually," the Pakistani minister said. The good news, he said: The Taliban are listening, "and they are not insensitive to what is being said by neighbors and the international community."

How does he know they're listening? He says the interim government, drawn mostly from Afghanistan´s dominant Pashtun ethnic group, made some additions on Tuesday. It added representatives from the country's ethnic minorities - Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras, who are Shiite Muslims in the majority Sunni Muslim country.

"Yes, there are no women yet," Qureshi said. "But let us let the situation evolve."

He stressed that the Taliban must make decisions in coming days and weeks that will enhance their acceptability.

"What the international community can do, in my view, is sit together and work out a roadmap," Qureshi said. "And if they fulfill those expectations, this is what the international community can do to help them stabilize their economy. This is the humanitarian assistance that can be provided. This is how they can help rebuild Afghanistan, reconstruction and so on and so forth."

He added: "With this roadmap ahead, I think an international engagement can be more productive."

On Wednesday night, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said after a meeting of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council that all five nations - the United States, China, Britain, Russia and France - want "an Afghanistan at peace, stable, where humanitarian aid can be distributed without problems or discrimination."

He also described a hoped-for "Afghanistan where the rights of women and girls are respected, an Afghanistan that won´t be a sanctuary for terrorism, an Afghanistan where we have an inclusive government representing the different sectors of the population."

Qureshi said there are different forums where the international community can work out the best way to approach the situation. In the meantime, he asserted, things seem to be stabilizing. Less than six weeks after the Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, he said, Pakistan has received information that the law-and-order situation has improved, fighting has stopped and many internally displaced Afghans are going home.

"That´s a positive sign," Qureshi said.

He said Pakistan hasn´t seen a new influx of Afghan refugees - a sensitive issue for Pakistanis, who are highly motivated to prevent it. A humanitarian crisis, a foundering economy and workers who return to jobs and school but aren't getting salaries and don't have money could cause Afghans to flee across the porous border into Pakistan, which has suffered economically from such arrivals over decades of conflict.

Qureshi prescribed patience and realism. After all, he says, every previous attempt to stabilize Afghanistan has failed, so don't expect new efforts to produce immediate success with the Taliban. If the United States and its allies "could not convince them or eliminate them in two decades, how will you do it in the next two months or the next two years?" he wondered.

Asked whether he had a prediction of what Afghanistan might be like in six months, Qureshi turned the question back on his AP interviewer, replying: "Can you guarantee me U.S. behavior over the next six months?"

___

Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has been reporting internationally for nearly 50 years. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EdithLedererAP

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi smiles during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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PROVOCATION

U.S. House Votes For Sanctions In 11th-Hour Attempt To Undermine Nord Stream 2
September 23, 2021 04:32 GMT
By Todd Prince

A view of the Nord Stream 2 part of the landfall area in Lubmin on Germany's Baltic Sea coast

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has agreed to add legislation to the annual defense-spending bill that would place sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 project, potentially putting into jeopardy an agreement reached between the Biden administration and Germany in July.

The House on September 22 unanimously passed on a voice vote a package of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including the sanctions legislation.

The House is expected to vote on the NDAA on September 23. The bill would still require approval in the Senate and President Joe Biden's signature to become law.

Biden in May agreed to waive congressionally mandated sanctions on the pipeline in an attempt to smooth out relations with Germany, which has backed the construction of the pipeline. The move opened the door to the completion of the pipeline earlier this month.

SEE ALSO:
Russia's Gazprom Announces Completion Of Controversial Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

The decision sparked a backlash among lawmakers from both parties, prompting them to submit new legislation that essentially reverses that decision.

"Kudos to Congress," John Herbst, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said in a tweet after the vote.

Herbst, who is now an analyst at the Washington-based Atlantic Council and a fierce opponent of the pipeline, added that it was a "necessary step to prevent another Biden cave and stop Nord Stream 2."

The amendment is considered a "hail Mary pass" by some Ukraine observers because they do not expect the Democrats to allow a bill onto the floor that is not backed by a president from their own party.

The measure authorizes new mandatory sanctions on entities and individuals involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, including those that certify the project.

Russia announced earlier this month that it completed the construction of the $11 billion project, but it must still be certified before it can begin operating.

That process can take several months, meaning the U.S. sanctions legislation could still have the potential to halt its launch if it becomes law by the start of the year.

In what experts say is an attempt to speed up certification, Russia has refused to export gas volumes to Europe via Ukraine amid a supply crunch, causing prices to surge to record highs.

The House amendment was introduced by a group of House lawmakers led by Representatives Michael McCaul (Republican-Texas) and Marcy Kaptur (Democrat-Ohio). Kaptur is the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.

The Nord Stream 2 project is designed to carry Russian gas directly to Germany, bypassing land routes through Ukraine and depriving Kyiv of as much as $2 billion a year in transit fees.

Ukraine and Poland vehemently oppose the project on the grounds that it is a national security threat, while Germany has steadfastly supported it.

The U.S. Congress has sided with Kyiv and Warsaw, imposing two rounds of mandatory sanctions via the NDAA in 2019 and 2020 to stop its completion.

The Biden administration, in an attempt to improve frayed ties with Germany, agreed into waive the mandatory sanctions in exchange for commitments from Berlin to invest in Ukraine's energy industry and push the Kremlin to continue to export some gas through the country.