These are the world's most effective charities

Reports and Proceedings

UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM

Which charities will be most effective in ensuring your donation is put to good use? For the first time in the Netherlands, researchers applied scientific methods to pinpoint which charities achieve the most with the donations they receive. The University of Amsterdam and Stichting Doneer Effectief (Donate Effectively Foundation) unveiled the list on Friday, 8 December, during a sold out evening in Rotterdam. ‘We are talking about the Champions League of good causes,’ says professor of Philanthropy & Sustainable Investment Paul Smeets of the University of Amsterdam. The ranking reflects a growing interest in charities that make a scientifically demonstrable impact.

86% of Dutch households give money to at least one charity every year. December is the month par excellence for donating takes place. ‘We often choose who to give to based on emotions, but we are also seeing that people have a growing wish to give effectively, to ensure their donation achieves its maximum impact,’ says Bram Schaper, director of Stichting Doneer Effectief.

The University of Amsterdam and Stichting Doneer Effectief joined forces to pinpoint the most effective charities worldwide. ‘By doing this we can help donors give as impactfully as possible,’ Smeets explains. ‘A thoughtful donation can have a major positive impact,’ Schaper adds. 'The social challenges we now face, such as climate change and inequality, do not respect national borders. By producing this international selection, we are offering a unique service to donors who want to help solve major world problems.'

The winners: these charities achieve the most with your donations

• New Incentives (Poverty & Health): Provides cash with the condition that children be vaccinated and therefore focuses directly on reducing child mortality. The jury found strong evidence of increased vaccination rates, as well as improved community health and development benefits.
• InnerSpace (Climate): Unlocks geothermal energy worldwide, providing reliable, carbon-free heat and electricity, crucial for a more sustainable energy future.
• The Good Food Institute (Animal Welfare & Food Transition): Aims to bring animal-free and environmentally friendly products to the market. Stimulates the development of alternative proteins and supports research and startups.

Selection process

When making the selection, a jury of Dutch and Flemish academics, led by the University of Amsterdam, analysed reports from independent research institutions such as GiveWell, GivingGreen and Animal Charity Evaluators. These reports look at the proven effectiveness of an intervention, as well as its cost-effectiveness, financing and transparency. The jury then decided which should be the top recommendation per category.

 

Global annual finance flows of $7 trillion fueling climate, biodiversity, and land degradation crises

Reports and Proceedings

UNEP DIVISION OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

• Almost US$7 trillion per year in government subsidies and private investment - around 7 per cent of global GDP - has a direct negative impact on nature.
• Nature-based solutions remain dramatically underfunded. Current public and private finance flows are only US$200 billion per year. To meet climate, biodiversity, and restoration targets, this needs to triple by 2030 and quadruple by 2050.
• Realignment of public and private nature-negative finance flows is urgently needed

Dubai, 9 December 2022 – Close to $7 trillion is invested globally each year in activities that have a direct negative impact on nature from both public and private sector sources - equivalent to roughly 7 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - according to the latest State of Finance for Nature report released today at COP28 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners.

The report finds that in 2022, investments in nature-based solutions totaled approximately $200 billion, but finance flows to activities directly harming nature were more than 30 times larger. It exposes a concerning disparity between the volumes of finance to nature-based solutions and nature-negative finance flows, and underscores the urgency to address the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation.

“Nature-based solutions are dramatically underfunded. Annual nature-negative investments are over 30 times larger than financing for nature-based solutions that promote a stable climate, and healthy land and nature. To have any chance of meeting the sustainable development goals, these numbers must be flipped – with true custodians of the land, such as Indigenous Peoples, among the chief beneficiaries,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

The findings are based on an analysis of global financial flows, revealing that private nature- negative finance flows amount to US$5 trillion annually, 140 times larger than the US$35 billion of private investments in nature-based solutions. The five industries channeling most of the negative financial flows – construction, electric utilities, real estate, oil and gas, and food and tobacco – represent 16per cent of overall investment flows in the economy but 43per cent of nature-negative flows associated with the destruction of forests, wetlands, and other natural habitats.

Niki Mardas, Executive Director of Global Canopy said, “This year’s report is a stark reminder that continuing with “business as usual” poses a severe threat to our planet, reinforcing the urgent need for a transition to sustainable business practices and to stop the financing of nature destruction. The net is tightening, with increased regulatory pressure in key areas like tackling deforestation, it means that those companies and financial institutions still driving the problem now need to make best use of the excellent data, guidance and frameworks already available to urgently commit to a nature-positive future."

Government spending on environmentally harmful subsidies in four sectors - agriculture, fossil fuels, fishery, and forestry - is estimated at US$1.7 trillion in 2022. As leaders gather in Dubai this week, reforming and repurposing environmentally harmful subsidies, particularly to fossil fuels and agriculture, will be critical. Fossil fuel subsidies to consumers alone doubled from US$563 billion in 2021 to US$1.163 billion in 2022.

Finance gap persists

The report identifies a significant financing gap for nature-based solutions, with only US$200 billion allocated in 2022, led by governments, who contributed 82 per cent (US$165 billion), while private finance remains modest at US$35 billion (18 per cent of total nature-based solutions finance flows). To meet the Rio Convention targets on limiting climate change to 1.5C, as well as the Global Biodiversity Framework target to set aside 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030 and achieve land degradation neutrality, finance flows to nature-based solutions must almost triple from current levels (US$200 billion) to reach US$542 billion per year by 2030 and quadruple to US$737 billion by 2050.

Both public funding and private investment need to increase dramatically, in conjunction with the re-alignment of finance flows that have a detrimental impact on nature. While public funding will continue to play a critical role, private finance can potentially increase its share of nature- based finance from 18 per cent currently to 33 per cent by 2050.

“The widespread degradation of nature is not only exacerbating the climate crisis but also pushing us towards exceeding planetary boundaries. Investing in nature-based solutions provides a strategic and cost-effective avenue to address the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation while at the same time making tangible headway towards the sustainable development goals,” said Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, which funded the report.

Nature-based solutions provide critical investment opportunities, as they are cost-effective and provide multiple benefits. Investment opportunities in sustainable land management can increase fourfold by 2050 based on the long-term profitability of sustainable food and commodity production - critical to catalyze private investment. Protection of diverse ecosystems is highly cost-effective, representing 80 per cent of the additional land needed for nature-based solutions while absorbing just 20 per cent of additional nature-based solutions financing by 2030. Given the scale of degradation globally, restoration provides massive opportunities to strengthen ecosystem function and resilience to deliver the ecosystem services that people rely so heavily upon.

Urgent action on two fronts: Repurposing nature negative finance and scaling investment in nature

The report suggests that simply doubling or tripling investment in nature-based solutions will not be sufficient to reach the three Rio targets unless the almost $7 trillion finance flows to nature-negative practices are dramatically reduced and ideally repurposed in favor of nature.

A major turnaround for nature is needed. The financial sector and businesses must not only increase investments in nature-based solutions but also implement incentives to redirect finance from harmful activities, fostering positive outcomes for nature. Government policies play a crucial role in creating an enabling environment for nurturing investment opportunities. Notably, investment prospects in nature-based solutions are flourishing, driven by the overhaul of global sectors such as food, extractives, real estate, and infrastructure—major contributors to nature's decline. These opportunities rival those arising from the climate crisis, presenting a pivotal moment for impactful change.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About Global Canopy

Global Canopy is a data-driven environmental organisation that targets the market forces destroying nature. We provide innovative open-access data, clear metrics, and actionable insights to leading companies, financial institutions, governments, and campaigning organisations worldwide to help them make better decisions about nature, forests and people. globalcanopy.org

About the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD)

ELD is a global initiative aimed at integrating the true value of land into decision-making processes and promoting sustainable land use. The initiative was launched in 2011 by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the European Commission.

For more information, please contact:

News and Media Unit, UN Environment Programme
Aurelia Blin, Climate Finance Unit, Ecosystem Division, UN Environment Programme
Amy Fairbairn, Director of Strategic Communications, Global Canopy

 

Technology not growing fast enough to decarbonize steel and cement industries by 2050

New study shows that for decarbonization goals of steel and cement to be met, along with new green technology, consumption habits need to change.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Steel and cement are two materials that no society can do without. Their production comes with a significant carbon footprint, however. To meet zero-emission targets under the Paris Agreement, countries, cities, and industries are depending on new large-scale infrastructure for CO2 transport and storage, renewable electricity and green hydrogen. A new study by researchers at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan, and the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, shows that the current rate of deployment of this infrastructure is insufficient. The study argues that changes in how steel- and cement-based materials are used or consumed must also be considered for the Paris targets to be met.

The study, led by Dr. Takuma Watari, unveils a significant gap between anticipated and actual infrastructure deployment. For instance, scenarios made by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2010 estimated that nearly 200 million metric tons of CO2 from the steel and cement industries would be captured and stored by 2021. However, Watari and his colleagues found that this number was woefully off; in reality, the amount was only 1 million metric tons, which questions the 2000 million metric tons expected by the IEA to be captured and stored by 2050.

"We are not saying that the existing scenarios are physically or economically unrealistic. But simply waiting for new infrastructure to emerge and solve all our problems away is a very risky way of tackling the problem, given the scale of the challenges and the limited timeframe," said Watari.

Assuming infrastructure deployment based on historical trends and current construction plans, the study goes on to further show that the supply of steel and cement in line with carbon budgets based on the Paris Agreement will not meet demand.

"We need to be well prepared for a future shortfall between feasible supply and expected demand," noted Watari. "The construction and manufacturing industries will have to provide the same level of services with less material by changing the way products are designed, used, and disposed of."

To quantify the sense of the scale of action required, the study provides a benchmark in line with the estimated feasible supply: following Paris-compliant budgets, the same level of services with 60% less material use in construction and 40% less in manufacturing is needed.

On a positive note, the study found that the limited feasible supply at present is on pace to satisfy the basic needs of a growing world population. Indeed, the global material demand for the provision of basic needs such as electricity, water, sanitation, shelter and mobility, is far less than the estimated feasible supply.

"The challenge is more about equitable distribution than total quantity," said Watari. "We recommend a greater responsibility be placed on high-income countries, which have much larger in-use material stocks than low-income countries."

 

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-43684-3 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Feasible supply of steel and cement within a carbon budget is likely to fall short of expected global demand

 

Rail industry urged to consider safety risks of space weather

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 

“WRONG SIDE” FAILURES - WHEN THE SIGNAL GOES FROM RED TO GREEN - ARE MUCH MORE HAZARDOUS THAN "RIGHT SIDE" FAILURES WHICH ARE GREEN TO RED

 

view more 

CREDIT: LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

Train accidents could be caused by solar storms switching signalling from red to green according to new research examining the impact of space weather.

Solar storms can trigger powerful magnetic disturbances on Earth, creating geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) which could potentially interfere with electricity transmission and distribution grids.

A team led by PhD researcher Cameron Patterson and Professor Jim Wild from Lancaster University modelled how GICs flowed through the track circuits of AC electrified lines powered with overhead cables.

Using two routes - the Preston to Lancaster section of the West Coast Main Line, and the Glasgow to Edinburgh line – the team modelled how GICs induced in the rails could cause rail signalling to malfunction.

There are more than 50,000 signalling track circuits in the UK, where the signal is controlled by an electrical circuit between the rails.

Physics PhD researcher Cameron Patterson said: “Crucially, our research suggests that space weather is able to flip a signal in either direction, turning a red signal green or a green signal red.  This is obviously very significant from a safety perspective.

“By building a computer model of the signalling track circuits using realistic specifications for the various components of the system, we found that space weather events capable of triggering faults in these track circuits are expected in the UK every few decades.”

Cameron’s earlier research in the journal Space Weather explored what is known in the industry as “right side” failures, where the signal is switched from green to red.

This is a fail-safe scenario but the converse “wrong side” failures - when the signal goes from red to green - are much more hazardous.

This latest study, also in Space Weather, shows that “wrong side” failures could occur at a lower geoelectric field strength than for “right side” failures, meaning a weaker geomagnetic storm could more easily trigger “wrong side” failures.

It was estimated that, for the lines studied, “wrong side” failures could occur due to a geomagnetic storm with a frequency of about one or two decades.

The analysis was also performed for once-in-a-century extreme event, and it was shown that it could potentially cause many malfunctions of both typs throughout the lines in both directions of travel, depending on the number of trains on the line at that time.

Cameron said: “When we experience severe space weather which happens every few decades or extreme space weather seen every century or two, then there is a potential for significant signalling misoperation, which has an obvious safety impact.”

There have been several examples of space weather impacting power grids in the last few decades, including power outages affecting millions across the Canadian province of Quebec in 1989 and the Swedish city of Malmo in 2003.

There are also historic examples of space weather interfering with railway signalling as far back as the nineteenth century. And in 1859, a massive solar eruption triggered a geomagnetic storm that disrupted telegraph lines across the world. The team also assessed the impact of a solar storm of the size of the 1859 event, predicting that it would cause widespread problems with signalling on both lines studied.

Cameron said: “Our research shows that space weather poses a serious, if relatively rare, risk to the rail signalling system, which could cause delays or even have more critical, safety implications.  This natural hazard needs to be taken seriously.  By their nature, high-impact, low-frequency events are hard to plan for, but ignoring them is rarely the best way forward.

Jim Wild, Professor of Space Physics at Lancaster University said: “Other industries such as aviation, electricity generation and transmission, and the space sector are considering the risks to their operations, and exploring how these might be mitigated. It’s important that the rail sector is included in this planning.”

“As our understanding of the space weather hazard improves, it’s possible to consider how to reduce the risks. In future, we could see space weather forecasting being used make decisions about limiting railway operations if an extreme event is expected, just as meteorological forecasts are used currently.

Severe space weather is included in the UK Government’s National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies which lists the risk posed to the UK’s economy and society as “significant”.

 

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JOURNAL

Space Weather

DOI

10.1029/2023SW003625 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

"Wrong Side" Failures Caused by Geomagnetically Induced Currents in Electrified Railway Signalling Systems in the UK

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

11-Dec-2023

Vandalism at Delhi’s Mughal mausoleums sparks outrage

Monitoring Desk Published December 11, 2023

VANDALS have destroyed part of the jali (railing) in front of the tombs of three Mughal emperors and Bahadur Shah II’s empty tomb.—X/@sunitarora

A PART of the jali or railing in front of the tombs of three Mughal emperors, as well as Bahadur Shah Zafar’s empty tomb, at Zafar Mahal in Delhi’s southern Mehrauli village has been vandalised, triggering outrage on social media.

The incident drew sharp criticism from many, particularly heritage lovers.

Historian William Dal­rymple while taking to X, formerly Twitter, said in a terse comment, “Appalling- and appalling negligence by the ASI”. His comment apparently referred to the Archaeo­logical Survey of India.



Mr Dalrymple, author of The Last Mughal and several other acclaimed books, was commenting on a tweet that carried a picture showing the broken jali in front of what appears to be a grave. The picture carries a caption that read, “Someone has attacked and destroyed India’s last Mughal tomb. One jali us [sic] completely smashed and the other is damaged.”

Historian Dalrymple terms incident appalling, slams India’s archaeological department for negligence

Confirming the incident, journalist Sunit Arora wrote on X on Sunday, “Reporting vandalism at Zafar Mahal in Delhi’s Mehrauli village.”



Mr Arora quoted the guard as informing him that “8 days ago, vandals destroyed” part of the jali in front of the tombs of three Mughal emperors and Bahadur Shah II’s empty tomb.

Since Bahadur Shah Zafar is buried at Yangon in Myanmar, the historian’s remarks generated a debate of sorts on the micro-blogging site.

Some users expressed surprise over the claim it was the emperor’s burial site, while others questioned which Indian institution was responsible for its care.

In reply to a question whether the place is not owned by waqf, Mr Dalrymple said ASI looks after the monument.

Adjacent to Moti Masjid are the graves of the Mughal royal family. According to monumentsofdelhi.com, two predecessors of Bahadur Shah Zafar — his father Akbar Shah II and grandfather Shah Alam II — are buried there. Besides, one of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s sons is also said to be buried there.

It is said that Bahadur Shah Zafar wanted to be buried next to his father in the Sardgah, the marble enclosure, at Zafar Mahal. However, in 1858, he was exiled to Yangon in the British-controlled Burma, where he died on Nov 7, 1862.

Zafar Mahal was built by Akbar Shah II in the 18th century, according a report published by The Wire. The building was then called Lal Mahal and Rang Mahal. Later, Bahadur Shah Zafar built the Hathi Gate and eventually, gave it its present name, the Zafar Mahal.

The ASI earlier reportedly said they would restore Zafar Mahal in October, but they never did. “This is so so sad! Legal action should be taken against ASI for this negligence. They have let the palace to ruin for years! This needs to stop,” one X user said.



Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2023

India’s top court rules special status of held Kashmir was a ‘temporary provision’

KASHMIR IS INDIA'S GAZA

Dawn.com | Reuters 

Published December 11, 2023 

India’s Supreme Court on Monday ruled in a unanimous verdict that the special status of held Kashmir was a temporary provision and upheld the order abrogating Article 370 in the constitution, the Times of India reported.

It also directed the election commission to hold elections in held Kashmir by September 30, 2024.

In 2019, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had revoked occupied Kashmir’s special status by repealing Article 370 of the constitution. The law had limited the power of the Indian parliament to impose laws in the state, apart from matters of defence, foreign affairs and communications.

The move allowed people from the rest of the country to have the right to acquire property in held Kashmir and settle there permanently.

Kashmiris, international organisations and critics of India’s Hindu nationalist-led government had termed the move an attempt to dilute the demographics of Muslim-majority Kashmir with Hindu settlers.

A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud had begun hearing the set of petitions challenging the reading down of Article 370 of the Indian constitution on on July 11 and reserved its verdict on September 5.

The pleas, including those filed by the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party, had also challenged India-held Kashmir’s bifurcation into two union territories.

Today, CJI read out the operative part of the verdict written by him for himself and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, TOI reported. Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna wrote separate but concurrent judgments.

CJI Chandrachud observed the petitioners’ contention that the centre could not take any decision during proclamation under Article 356 was not acceptable, TOI said.

“Article 370 of the Constitution was an interim arrangement due to war conditions in state. Constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir was never intended to be permanent body,” CJI Chandrachud was quoted as saying.

The Indian apex court said occupied Kashmir did not retain the element of sovereignty after joining India. It further said it did not need to adjudicate on the validity of the presidential proclamation in the region as the petitioners had not challenged it.

According to the report, the ruling also termed petitioners’ arguments that the union government cannot take actions of irreversible consequences in the state during presidential rule as unacceptable.

Noting that Article 370 was a temporary provision, the SC said India-held Kashmir became an “integral part” of the country as reflected in Articles 1 and 370 of its constitution.

The CJI observed that Article 370 was meant for constitutional integration of the region with the union and not for disintegration, and that the President can declare that the said article ceases to exist.

The SC also upheld the reorganisation of Ladakh as a union territory.

The apex court also directed the country’s election commission to take steps to conduct elections for legislative assembly and ordered that statehood should be restored as soon as possible, TOI stated.

Remarking that the people of occupied Kashmir “went through a lot and wounds need healing”, Justice Kaul directed that a truth and reconciliation commission be set up to probe human rights violations by state and non-state actors since the 1980s, the report said.

Ahead of the verdict’s announcement, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, the president of the PDP and the National Conference — petitioners in the case — were put under house arrest, TOI reported.

Reacting to the ruling, senior Congress leader Karan Singh said a section of the people in occupied Kashmir “will not be happy with this judgment”.

Interview: China drives global climate action with economical solutions, says Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-12-11 
by Martina Fuchs

GENEVA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China is a driving force in global climate action in boosting renewable energy sources and relevant investments, a famed Swiss environmentalist said during the ongoing COP28 in Dubai.

"We need the cheapest possible renewable energy in solar, wind, biomass, biogas, hydroelectricity, geothermal, and so on. I have to say that I admire very much all the work of the Chinese innovators and the Chinese industries to produce this at a cheap price," Bertrand Piccard, founder and chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, told Xinhua during COP28, or the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

"There is a climate urgency, which is coupled with an economic imperative to be efficient, and the solutions exist. We have all the solutions we need to become efficient and reduce the waste in every sector," he said.

Piccard is also an adventurer himself. Together with Brian Jones, Piccard was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe in a balloon named Breitling Orbiter 3 in 1999. The United Nations Environment Programme designated him a Champion of the Earth in 2012.

In 2016, Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg completed their first-ever solar-powered flight worldwide together with the airplane Solar Impulse.

"My goal is really to have cheap energy that is clean for the world. This is the only way to save the world," he said, praising China's efforts in this respect.

China has scaled up its renewable energy investment over the years as it pursues low-carbon and green development.

Three years ago, China announced at the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly its pledge to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Regarding global climate action, Piccard said a top priority will be creating an efficiency fund that brings together investors who understand that "efficiency pays for itself."

"We now have 1,600 economically profitable solutions for climate action and the protection of the environment," Piccard said of his foundation, which has been committed to identifying solutions to better protect the environment in a financially profitable way.

Equally important is to spread the narrative to overcome the resistance to climate action, he said. "There is an economic imperative to stop wasting money on inefficient and polluting things that can be modernized." ■

Japan PM to replace 4 ministers over fundraising scandal: Report

Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Nov 2, 2023.

DECEMBER 10, 2023 

TOKYO — Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday (Dec 11) he would take steps to restore trust in his government amid a fundraising scandal, but declined to confirm a media report that he was set to replace four ministers in his cabinet.

Allegations over unreported funds have posed the biggest political challenge to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since it took back power in 2012, rattling the foundation of the current administration.

Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Kishida said he is aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"We'll consider appropriate measures at the right time to restore public trust and prevent delays in national politics," Kishida said.

The Asahi newspaper reported late on Sunday that Kishida has decided to replace four ministers and 11 other ministerial positions in his cabinet as a scandal over alleged undisclosed funding has fuelled public disapproval.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, Internal Affairs Minister Junji Suzuki and Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita are among those to be replaced, which also included deputies and parliamentary secretaries, Asahi reported.

Nishimura on Sunday said he would stay in the post and review his fundraising proceeds after media reports of an imminent cabinet reshuffle over allegations about unreported funds.

The 15 officials to be sacked belong to the LDP's biggest "Abe faction", which prosecutors have investigated for allegedly hiding more than 100 million yen (S$923,000) of political funds over the five years.

The LDP — which has held power for nearly all of Japan's post-war era — is due to hold leadership elections in September with a general election due by October 2025 at the latest.

The scandal could stir up a power struggle inside the party that could influence the outcome of the leadership contest and the party's management.

Kishida is set to hold a press conference on Wednesday at the end of the current parliament session to explain his administration's responses, Asahi said.

Kishida's cabinet approval ratings were hovering below 30 per cent even before the fundraising scandal, a record low in his premiership since October 2021, reflecting voter worries over rising living costs and looming tax hikes.

ALSO READ: Japan industry minister reviewing finances amid funds scandal

Source: Reuters

Argentina’s newly sworn-in President Milei warns of shock adjustment to economy

By —David Biller, Associated Press
By — Debora Rey, Associated Press

 Dec 10, 2023 

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — It wasn’t the most uplifting of inaugural addresses. Rather, Argentina’s newly empowered President Javier Milei presented figures to lay bare the scope of the nation’s economic “emergency,” and sought to prepare the public for a shock adjustment with drastic public spending cuts.

“We don’t have alternatives and we don’t have time. We don’t have margin for sterile discussions. Our country demands action, and immediate action. The political class left the country at the brink of its biggest crisis in history,” he said in his inaugural address to thousands of supporters in the capital, Buenos Aires. “We don’t desire the hard decisions that will be need to be made in coming weeks, but lamentably they didn’t leave us any option.”

READ MORE: After electing right-wing populist Milei as president, Argentina faces uncharted path

South America’s second largest economy is suffering 143 percent annual inflation, the currency has plunged and four in 10 Argentines are impoverished. The nation has a yawning fiscal deficit, a trade deficit of $43 billion, plus a daunting $45 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund, with $10.6 billion due to the multilateral and private creditors by April. “There’s no money,” is Milei’s common refrain. He repeated it Sunday to explain why a gradualist approach to the situation, which would require financing, was not an option.

But he promised the adjustment would almost entirely affect the state rather than the private sector, and that it represented the first step toward regaining prosperity.

“We know that in the short term the situation will worsen, but soon we will see the fruits of our effort, having created the base for solid and sustainable growth,” he said.

Milei, 53, rose to fame on television with profanity-laden tirades against what he called the political caste. He parlayed his popularity into a congressional seat and then, just as swiftly, into a presidential run. The overwhelming victory of the self-declared “anarcho-capitalist” in the August primaries sent shock waves through the political landscape and upended the race.

Argentines disillusioned with the economic status quo proved receptive to an outsider’s outlandish ideas to remedy their woes and transform the nation. He won the election’s Nov. 19 second round decisively — and sent packing the Peronist political force that dominated Argentina for decades. Still, he is likely to encounter fierce opposition from the Peronist movement’s lawmakers and the unions it controls, whose members have said they refuse to lose wages.

Earlier on Sunday, Milei was sworn in inside the National Congress building, and outgoing President Alberto Fernández placed the presidential sash upon him. Some of the assembled lawmakers chanted “Liberty!”

Afterward, he broke tradition by delivering his inaugural address not to assembled lawmakers but to his supporters gathered outside — with his back turned to the legislature. He blamed the outgoing government for putting Argentina on the path toward hyperinflation while the economy stagnated, saying the political class “has ruined our lives.”

“In the last 12 years, GDP per capita fell 15 percent in a context in which we accumulated 5,000 percent inflation. As such, for more than a decade we have lived in stagflation. This is the last rough patch before starting the reconstruction of Argentina,” he said. “It won’t be easy; 100 years of failure aren’t undone in a day. But it begins in a day, and today is that day.”

Given the general bleakness of Milei’s message, the crowd listened attentively and cheered only occasionally. Many waved Argentine flags and, to a lesser extent, the yellow Gadsden flag that is often associated with the U.S. libertarian right and which Milei and his supporters have adopted.

“Economically, we are just like every Argentine, trying to make it to the end of the month,” said Wenceslao Aguirre, one of Milei’s supporters. “It’s been a very complicated situation. We hope this will change once and for all.”

As Milei takes office, the nation wonders which version of him will govern: the chainsaw-wielding, anti-establishment crusader from the campaign trail, or the more moderate president-elect who emerged in recent weeks.

As a candidate, Milei pledged to purge the political establishment of corruption, eliminate the Central Bank he has accused of printing money and fueling inflation, and replace the rapidly depreciating peso with the U.S. dollar.

But after winning, he tapped Luis Caputo, a former Central Bank president, to be his economy minister and one of Caputo’s allies to helm the bank, appearing to have put his much-touted plans for dollarization on hold.

Milei had cast himself as a willing warrior against the creep of global socialism, much like former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he openly admires. But when Milei traveled to the U.S. last week, he didn’t visit Mar-a-Lago; rather, he took lunch with another former U.S. leader, Bill Clinton.

READ MORE: Trump tells Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei he plans to visit Buenos Aires

He also dispatched a diplomat with a long history of work in climate negotiations to the ongoing COP28 conference in Dubai, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported, despite having insistently rejected humanity’s involvement in global warming. And he backtracked on plans to scrap the nation’s health ministry.

And during his inaugural address, he directed some comments to the political class, saying that he has no intention to “persecute anyone or settle old vendettas,” and that any politician or union leader who wants to support his project will be “received with open arms.”

His moderation may stem from pragmatism, given the scope of the immense challenge before him, his political inexperience and need to sew up alliances with other parties to implement his agenda in Congress, where his party is a distant third in number of seats held.

He chose Patricia Bullrich, a longtime politician and first-round adversary from the coalition with the second most seats, to be his security minister, as well as her running mate, Luis Petri, as his defense minister.

Still, there are signs that Milei has not given up his radical plans to dismantle the state. Already he has said he will eliminate multiple ministries, including those of culture, environment, women, and science and technology. He wants to meld the ministries of social development, labor and education together under a single ministry of human capital.

Following his inaugural address, Milei traveled in a convertible to the presidential palace. Later on Sunday he is scheduled to swear in his ministers and meet with foreign dignitaries.

Prominent far-right figures will be among them: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; the head of Spain’s Vox party, Santiago Abascal; former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Bolsonaro-allied lawmakers, including his son.

Milei reportedly sent a letter inviting Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after calling the leftist “obviously” corrupt last month during a televised interview and asserting that, if he became president, the two would not meet.

Lula dispatched his foreign minister to attend Milei’s inauguration.

Also joining was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is making his first visit to Latin America as Kyiv continues to court support among developing nations for its 21-month-old fight against Russia’s invading forces. Zelenskyy and Milei shared a close exchange just before the inaugural address.

Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro. AP writer Almudena Calatrava contributed from Buenos Aires.

UN climate talks home in on fossil fuel deal


By AFP
Published December 10, 2023

COP28 is due to end on Tuesday but could go into overtime in nations fail to agree on a deal on time - Copyright AFP Giuseppe CACACE

Laurent THOMET

UN climate talks enter their endgame on Monday as negotiators seek to convince an increasingly isolated Saudi Arabia and other holdouts to give up their opposition to a historic phase-out of fossil fuels.

With 24 hours to go before the official end of COP28 in Dubai, a new draft deal was expected in the morning in the hope that the right language may have finally been found to achieve a consensus among nearly 200 countries.

The annual Conference of the Parties, or COP, has rarely finished on schedule in its 28-year history, but COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber has called on countries to wrap things up on time on Tuesday.

It would coincide with the anniversary of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which set the increasingly elusive target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels — Jaber’s “North Star”.

Jaber, the head of the national oil company of the United Arab Emirates, has repeatedly promised to deliver a historic deal and urged countries to find a “consensus and common ground” on fossil fuel.

“Failure is not an option,” he said on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has opposed any phase-out or phase-down of fossil fuels and told COP28 that its “perspectives and concerns” must be taken into account.

Iraq has also publicly rejected an exit from fossil fuels.

But veteran climate campaigners and negotiators say the world has never been so close to a deal on winding down oil, gas and coal.

The pressure is now on Jaber — whose role as oil executive has caused angst among climate campaigners — to make the final edits to a deal that would bring a consensus.

In a bid to find common ground, Jaber invited ministers on Sunday to lay out their positions during a “majlis” — a traditional Gulf Arab meeting held in a circle.

“I hope that you won’t let me down,” he said at the end of the meeting.

– Several options –

Negotiators have failed to produce a new draft agreement since the last text was released on Friday.

The document includes four different paths out of fossil fuels, but it also has a fifth option: leaving the issue out of the final deal.

China, the world’s biggest emitter, was also initially seen as hostile to a phase-out but has since been working to find a compromise.

Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua recalled on Saturday that the United States and China issued a joint statement last month agreeing on the need to speed up the deployment of renewable energy in order to gradually substitute the use of oil, gas and coal.

Friday’s draft deal includes similar language on the need to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, to “displace fossil fuel-based energy”.

Countries are waiting for a new draft deal before putting all their negotiating “chips” on the table, said a source close to the COP28 presidency.