India-Canada row: probe into Sikh separatist’s killing damaged by Canadian statements, says Indian diplomat

Canada alleged Indian involvement in the murder of Canadian citizen and Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whom India calls a ‘terrorist’

India’s High Commissioner to Canada said India has not been shown concrete evidence by Canada or its allies that Indian agents were involved in Nijjar’s killing

Reuters
5 Nov, 2023

Canada’s police probe into the June murder of a Sikh separatist in British Columbia has been damaged by a high-level Canadian official’s public statements, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, told the Globe and Mail in an interview published on Saturday.

Canada has alleged Indian involvement in the murder in a Vancouver suburb of Canadian citizen and Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whom India called a “terrorist.” India denies the allegation.

“I would go a step further and say now the investigation has already been tainted,” Verma told the newspaper. “A direction has come from someone at a high level to say India or Indian agents are behind it.”

Who was the Sikh activist whose killing has divided Canada and India?
20 Sep 2023


Verma did not name the high-level official. On September 18, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India” and Nijjar’s death.

The case has sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries. Canada withdrew 41 diplomats from India after New Delhi in September asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence following Canada’s allegations over Nijjar’s killing.

India’s Sikhs worry about the future as row with Canada escalates

Verma said that India has not been shown concrete evidence by Canada or Canada’s allies that Indian agents were involved in Nijjar’s killing.

He said that despite the strained relations between the two countries, India would like to expand business ties and return to the negotiating table on a trade deal.

In September, Canada paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India, just three months after the two nations said they aimed to seal an initial agreement this year.

Biologists are keeping a close eye on a rare Mexican wolf that is wandering out of bounds

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN (Associated Press)

Nov 05 2023

AISLINN MAESTAS/AP
A female Mexican gray wolf during a health check before being released into the wild in southeastern Arizona. Federal biologists confirmed, that the wolf has travelled beyond the boundaries of the Mexican gray wolf recovery area for the second time.

Northern New Mexico or bust – that seems to be the case for at least one Mexican gray wolf that is intent on wandering beyond the boundaries set for managing the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America.

Federal and state wildlife managers confirmed Thursday that the endangered female wolf has travelled north of Interstate 40 and beyond a recovery zone that spans parts of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. It was documented crossing the interstate west of Albuquerque last week and most recently was tracked to a mountainous area west of Jemez Springs.

This marks the second time the wolf – identified as F2754 – has ventured north. It reached the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Taos, New Mexico, last winter before it was caught and released back into the wild in Arizona.

Both state and federal wildlife managers said they were monitoring the wolf’s movements and have yet to decide whether it will be captured again and relocated.

Environmentalists were excited about the wolf's journey, saying the animals have a natural inclination to roam and that this illustrates the species can thrive outside what they consider arbitrarily designated boundaries in New Mexico and Arizona.

AISLINN MAESTAS/AP
The female Mexican gray wolf F2754 in a capture box at the agency's wolf management facility at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico.

Legal challenges are pending in federal court that focus on the rules governing wolf recovery, namely the federal regulation that requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove all Mexican wolves north of Interstate 40, even in cases where the wolf causes no inconvenience or loss. The environmental groups contend in complaints filed last year that the provision ignores science.

Bryan Bird, the Southwest program director with the environmental group Defenders of Wildlife, suggested that the female wolf is in search of a mate and might find one in Colorado.

"This is a clear sign that wolves will again roam from the northern Rockies in Canada to the Sierra of Mexico if we let them,” he said in a statement.

Ranchers in New Mexico and Arizona who have long complained that wolves are responsible for dozens of livestock deaths every year are concerned about any expansion of the wolves' range.

“We urge New Mexicans who are not accustomed to having the Mexican wolf in their backyard to exercise caution, especially for vulnerable children, pets and livestock in rural areas,” said Loren Patterson, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association. "Regrettably, this is another installment of what we can expect in the future.”

The latest survey results released earlier this year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show there were at least 241 Mexican wolves roaming the southwestern U.S., marking the seventh straight year that the numbers have trended upward.

Federal wildlife managers also documented more breeding pairs and pups last winter than in any year since reintroduction efforts began more than two decades ago.

White House under growing pressure as Democrats demand Gaza ceasefire

Many Democrats support Israel's right to self-defense while urging the protection of innocent civilians.

By Stephanie Sandoval and Andrea Diaz
 Nov 4, 2023

The White House is under increasing pressure from Capitol Hill as a chorus of lawmakers, including some of President Joe Biden's biggest allies, demand more decisive action regarding the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The mounting death toll deeply troubles the lawmakers.

Notably, among those voicing their discontent is Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who holds the distinction of being the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress.

Tlaib, an advocate for Palestinian rights has accused President Biden of supporting a genocide against Palestinians and called on the president to back a ceasefire.

In a video posted to X, Tlaib said "POTUS, the majority of the American people are not with you on this one." At the end of the video, the words “Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people. The American people won’t forget. Biden, support the ceasefire now or don’t count on us in 2024," are displayed.

Tlaib is not alone, however, as many of her colleagues have also called for a ceasefire.

“I think the president needs to speak very clearly about a ceasefire; that's my position with regard to the administration, recognizing that we support Israel's security, we support their rights to defend themselves,” said California Rep. Barbara Lee.
House passes $14B Israel military aid, excludes humanitarian funding



House passes $14B Israel military aid, excludes humanitarian funding

The package from the Republican-controlled House does not include any humanitarian assistance for Gaza or funding for Ukraine.LEARN MORE

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also believes that, as a country, we can and should do more.

"I believe that this administration and we as a country should take a more forceful stand on the United States commitment to human rights and the protection of human rights globally. And I also think that that absolutely pertains to the humanitarian crisis that's going on in Gaza," said Ocasio-Cortez.

According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, the death toll in Gaza has reached almost 10,000, most of whom are women and children. Now, while many Democrats believe Israel has the right to defend itself, they also feel Israel has an obligation to protect innocent civilians from getting hurt.

Israel has previously said its target is Hamas, not civilians, and blames Hamas for civilian deaths.

Democrats, on the other hand, are looking at the war with a very sharp eye and want to see a pause in fighting to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza for the thousands that need it most but also allow civilians to escape Gaza.

While the White House hasn't officially called for a ceasefire, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed the U.S. commitment to supporting a humanitarian pause aimed at delivering more aid to Gaza and securing the release of hostages. However, he also says that a ceasefire might offer Hamas an opportunity to regroup and launch further attacks on Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that military operations will continue at full force, and he insists that there will be no halt in the fighting until more than 200 hostages held by Hamas, including several Americans, are released.

Omar rips US policy toward Israeli PM, saying it ‘doesn’t add up’

BY TARA SUTER - 11/04/23

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) ripped U.S. policy towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday.

“U.S. policy is essentially that Netanyahu has no achievable goals in Gaza and a ground invasion risks regional war, including potential US troops,” Omar said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “And also we should give him $14 billion in weapons with no restrictions, and say there are no red lines as he bombs refugee camps.”

“See how this doesn’t add up?” Omar added.

Omar has called for a cease-fire in the current conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, alongside other progressive lawmakers.

President Biden called for a “pause” in the fighting Wednesday after the White House had said it would consider a “humanitarian pause” to get aid into Gaza. However, it has pushed back against calls for a cease-fire.

Netanyahu told Secretary of State Antony Blinken (D) in a meeting Friday that his country “refuses a temporary cease-fire that does not include the release of our hostages. Israel will not enable the entry of fuel to Gaza and opposes sending money to the Strip,” according to The Times of Israel.

Omar’s comments come shortly after her House colleague Rep. Rashida (D-Mich) criticized Biden Friday in a video posted to X, saying he “supported the genocide of the Palestinian people” in relation to his administration’s support for Israel amidst its conflict with Hamas.

The current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas began with a Hamas attack on Israel in early October that left more than 1,400 people dead. Israeli air campaigns and a recent ground offensive in response have left more than 9,200 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

AFP calls for investigation over strike on Gaza bureau


According to media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 30 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas.

 — AFP pic

Sunday, 05 Nov 2023

PARIS, Nov 5 — AFP yesterday called on Israel for “an in-depth and transparent investigation” into the exact involvement of its army after a strike severely damaged its office in Gaza City, which has been shelled for weeks.

AFP “has taken note of the recent statements from the Israeli army spokesman concerning ‘an army strike nearby (the AFP office) that might have caused debris’,” it said in a statement.

However, “this statement on its own does not explain the extent of the damage caused to the AFP bureau”, located on the top floors of an 11-storey building, it said of Thursday’s incident.

“A strike on the offices of an international news agency sends a deeply troubling message to all the journalists working in such difficult conditions in Gaza,” said AFP Chairman and CEO Fabrice Fries.

“It is essential that all efforts are made to protect media in Gaza,” he added.

According to media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 30 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas.

RSF has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court alleging war crimes committed against Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

Significant damage

AFP is one of the few international media organisations to have an office in the Gaza Strip.

It employs a total of nine people there and is “redoubling its efforts to allow employees and their families to evacuate if they wish to leave”.

AFP’s live video feed broadcasting 24/7 from Gaza City has been temporarily suspended since Saturday, for reasons outside AFP’s control.

An AFP employee who visited the office on Friday said an explosive projectile appeared to have entered the technician’s office in the bureau horizontally from east to west.

The strike destroyed the wall opposite the window and caused significant damage to the adjacent room and other doors. It also punctured water tanks on the roof.

“According to the current information we hold, it seems that there was a IDF (Israel Defence Forces) strike near the building to eliminate an immediate threat,” a spokesperson said in a statement Friday.

“The building was not targeted in any way by the IDF and... we do not have any record of a missed target in that strike,” the statement said.

“There was an IDF strike nearby that might have caused debris.”

‘Extraordinary work’

Asked about the attack during a news conference in Tel Aviv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that journalists in Gaza must be protected as they report on the war.

“It’s vitally important how Israel does this (conducts the war), including with the highest regard for the protection of civilians, and that of course includes journalists,” Blinken told reporters.

He said journalists were “doing extraordinary work under the most dangerous conditions to tell the story to the world”.

The French foreign affairs ministry issued a statement Friday condemning “the attacks against United Nations sites and humanitarian workers... as well as on media headquarters”.

Israeli forces have encircled Gaza’s largest city, vowing to crush Hamas in retaliation for bloody October 7 raids into southern Israel that officials say killed around 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

In the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, Hamas gunmen also took more than 240 hostages.

The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says more than 9,480 Gazans, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli strikes and the intensifying ground campaign. — AFP

UK
New Labour dominance in the 1990s is now weakening the Conservative voter pipeline

Professor Paul Whiteley
04 November 2023

A study on voting trends in Britain spanning 55 years reveals that growing older doesn’t directly lead to increased Conservative support. Instead, age appears to have a greater influence on Labour voting.

“If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain.”

At first glance, this quote, attributed to Winston Churchill, appears to fit the evidence in Britain. A survey conducted during the 2019 general election reported in our recent book showed that 23% of respondents under the age of 30 voted Conservative and 55% voted Labour. In contrast, 59% of the over 65s voted Conservative and only 13% voted Labour.

However, a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between age and voting in Britain over a period of 55 years from 1964 to 2019 shows that growing older does not directly affect support for the Conservatives. At the same time, it does appear to influence Labour voting. As voters get older they are a bit more likely to support Labour but not the Conservatives.

The paper which presents these findings is part of a special issue of the journal Electoral Studies, being published in memory of our late colleague, political scientist Harold Clarke, who edited the journal for many years.

How is this rather counter-intuitive finding explained? The answer is that the relationship between age and voting is more complex than many people think. Political behaviour can certainly be affected by life-cycle effects – that is, people changing their politics as they grow older. But this is not the whole story. There are two additional aspects of age-related voting which need to be considered.

Election campaigns

The first is what is described as a period effect. This refers to the fact that specific election campaigns can influence age-related voting.

For example, the 2019 election took place after three years of political turmoil following the referendum on UK membership of the European Union. In the event, Boris Johnson’s slogan “Get Brexit Done” proved very effective and the Conservatives won an 80-seat majority.

This was very different from the 2017 election in which a barnstorming campaign by the newly elected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and a stumbling campaign by prime minister Theresa May resulted in a Conservative minority government. These campaign-related differences can affect the relationship between age and voting independently of life-cycle effects.
CREDIT: UNSPLASH/AGE CYMRU

Older voters up for grabs?

Generational effect

The second factor which needs to be considered are cohort effects. These arise from the fact that each new generation has different socialisation experiences which influence their political beliefs and voting behaviour.

For the most part children in their early teens do not pay much attention to politics. As they grow older, they become politically aware so that their attitudes and behaviour are formed in late adolescence and early adulthood. As this happens, they are influenced by the economic and political circumstances of the time.

This means, for example, that voters who came of age politically in the relatively affluent 1960s are likely to look at the world differently from those who came of age in the turbulent 2010s. This is different from a life-cycle effect because research shows that once acquired these attitudes and values remain relatively stable over time as people grow older, even when their social and economic circumstances change.

It turns out that separating life-cycle, period and cohort effects is a tricky exercise. But when it is done, it shows something rather surprising.

For Labour there are no discernible cohort effects but there are life-cycle and a few period effects. This means that to win elections, Labour needs to do well on the key issues such as the management of the economy and have a leader who is viewed positively by voters.

For Labour, these factors have a more powerful impact on voting than age. In addition, it helps the party to have a significant group of voters who identify themselves as loyal supporters. These measures change more rapidly over successive elections than age does, and so are more important.

For the Conservatives, there are very strong cohort effects and a small number of period effects – but no life-cycle effects. In other words, ageing alone does not account for people turning towards the party. It is more about cohort differences. And this has greatly weakened support for the party over time.

Local party infrastructure in decline

The Conservatives have traditionally relied on a strong cohort of voters who were socialised in their formative years by family, communities and social ties to be loyal supporters. They would generally support the party because they learned to do so when they became politically aware in their youth.

The problem is that this source of support has now greatly weakened, so that new cohorts, such as the one socialised during the austerity years following the 2010 election, cannot be counted on to identify with the party. In fact, they are very opposed to it.

There are a number of reasons why the socialisation mechanisms underlying Conservative support have declined in this way. It appears from the data that the era of Labour dominance between 1997 and 2010 weakened many of the normal processes of socialisation which the Conservatives relied on previously.

Far fewer people learned to support the Conservatives during this period. In that respect, New Labour changed the political landscape.

A second factor is the decline in the Conservative Party as a voluntary organisation in the community. In the 1950s, the party had the largest grassroots membership of any party in Europe. A large, well-organised grassroots party with a significant youth movement is an excellent mechanism for socialising people into lifelong support for the party, but this has now disappeared.

With each election relying on short-term forces such as issues and voter evaluations of leaders rather than longer-term forces anchored in family and community attachments, general elections in the future will become more volatile and unpredictable. And if the Conservatives lose the next general election on the scale of their 1997 defeat, it may be a very long time before they can hope to win again.


GOING FURTHER
Has age replaced class in British Elections?A hierarchical age-period-cohort analysis | Elsevier

GM cancels 1,245 layoffs at factories in Brazil, union says

Reuters

November 4, 2023

Nov 4 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) will cancel 1,245 layoffs at its factories in Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Caetano do Sul and Mogi das Cruzes in the state of Sao Paulo, the union representing metalworkers said on Saturday.

The announcement was made a day after a Brazilian labor court rejected the U.S. automaker's request for an injunction to maintain the layoffs.

Saving the jobs was a "historic victory" following a 13-day strike, the Sindmetal union said in a statement, adding that GM representatives will meet union leaders on Monday to confirm the decision.


Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Paul Simao

Why the UN Still Matters: A Conversation With a US Historian and a Canadian
Diplomat

Dulcie Leimbach
• November 4, 2023


In an original video conversation in September for PassBlue, Stephen Schlesinger, right, the US historian who wrote a book about the founding of the United Nations 20 years ago, talks with Bob Rae, Canada’s envoy, about the relevance of the world body today. Despite its defects, Schlesinger says, “My God, where would be without it?”

In early September 2023, right before the annual debate of the United Nations General Assembly opened, Canada’s Ambassador Bob Rae and Stephen Schlesinger, the American historian and author of the book “Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations,” met to talk about the 20th anniversary of Schlesinger’s classic account of the origins of the world institution.

Taking place in Canada’s mission to the UN, near its compound in Midtown Manhattan, Rae and Schlesinger delved into how the UN was formed, in 1945, at the San Francisco conference, and what it means today, amid a world of rising turmoil and flux that is testing the resolve of democracies and their institutions. The 37-minute conversation with Rae and Schlesinger was videotaped for PassBlue by Maria Luisa Gambale, a filmmaker and writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Rae, who led the interview, begins by noting that the founding of the UN 78 years ago was a “deliberate decision” by a group of people intent on forming an organization that remains as relevant now as it did in the immediate aftermath of World War II.

Schlesinger, who is also a fellow at the Century Foundation, concurred, touching on the vision by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an internationalist at heart, to create a central entity that joined the countries of the world in a mission of peace while avoiding the “special flaws” of the predecessor League of Nations, which failed to win enough support to survive. Its greatest defect, Schlesinger notes, was that every member had a veto right, making the body “ineffectual.”

Yet the veto right, which now attains only the permanent-five members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — can still block action to achieving peace.

Indeed, as the UN, now encompassing 193 members, contends with an increasing number of both explosive and simmering conflicts, Rae and Schlesinger address how the world body remains essential, despite its problems, by providing a crucial historical perspective to the seeming insurmountable challenges faced by the UN.

As Schlesinger, who calls himself an “idealist,” asks, “My God, where would we be without it?”

To which Rae, equally pragmatic, says: “If we didn’t have it, we’d have to invent another one. . . . So we might as well make this one as good as we can make it. That’s the way we approach it.”

— DULCE LEIMBACH

Israel used at least two 907-kg bombs during an airstrike on Tuesday on Jabalia, a dense area just north of Gaza City

Dozens of civilians were killed and hundreds wounded in the strike

Christoph Koettl, Ainara Tiefenthaler, Haley Willis, Alexander Cardia 

New York 

Published 05.11.23, 


Palestinians search for casualties after Israeli airstrikes on houses in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, on ThursdayReuters

Israel used at least two 907-kg bombs during an airstrike on Tuesday on Jabalia, a dense area just north of Gaza City, according to experts and an analysis conducted by The New York Times of satellite images, photos and videos.

Hospital officials said dozens of civilians were killed and hundreds wounded in the strike. Israel said it was targeting a Hamas commander and fighters, as well as the network of underground tunnels used by Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, to hide weapons and fighters.

Israel’s use of such bombs, the second largest type in its arsenal, is not uncommon, and the size is generally the largest that most militaries use on a regular basis. They can be used to target underground infrastructure, but their deployment in a dense and heavily populated area such as Jabalia has raised questions of proportionality — whether Israel’s intended targets justify the civilian death toll and destruction its strikes cause.

Evidence and analysis show that the Israeli military dropped at least two 2,000-pound bombs on the site. Two impact craters are about 40 feet wide — dimensions consistent with underground explosions this type of weapon would produce in light, sandy soil, according to a 2016 technical study by Armament Research Services, a munitions research consultancy.

Marc Garlasco, one of the authors of the study, said the bombs might have had “a delay fuse”, which delays detonation until milliseconds after penetration of the surface or a building so that the explosion’s destructive power reaches more deeply.

The bombs are normally outfitted with guidance kits called Joint Direct Attack Munitions, turning them from so-called dumb bombs into precision, GPS-guided weapons.

Garlasco, who works as a military adviser for the Dutch organisation PAX, said it was unclear from visuals alone if the bombs were equipped with bunker-busting warheads, which are designed to pierce through reinforced military structures. But Israel’s publicly stated objective was to target a Hamas leader in an underground bunker.

Without access to the strike site, the Times was not able to determine whether there were tunnels below.

The only larer bomb in Israel’s arsenal is 2,041-2,268kg, according to Jeremy Binnie, West Asia and Africa editor for defence intelligence firm Janes. Eighty-three countries, including the US but not Israel, have signed a commitment to refrain “as appropriate, from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas” because of their likelihood of harming civilians.

“Israel’s continual bombardment of Gaza, including this Jabalia strike, magnifies this concern many times over,” said Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch.

World Bank to Host Climate Loss and Damage Fund, Despite Concerns

November 04, 2023 
Reuters

Women carry belongings after flooding in Sindh province, Pakistan, Sept. 6, 2022. Millions lost their homes in 2022 during floods that many experts blame on climate change. Countries moved closer Saturday to starting a fund to help poor states damaged by climate disasters.

Countries moved a step closer Saturday to getting a fund off the ground to help poor states damaged by climate disasters, despite reservations from developing nations and the United States.

The deal to create a "loss and damage" fund was hailed as a breakthrough for developing country negotiators at United Nations climate talks in Egypt last year, overcoming years of resistance from wealthy nations.

But in the past 11 months, governments have struggled to reach consensus on the details of the fund, such as who will pay and where the fund will be located.

A special U.N. committee tasked with implementing the fund met for a fifth time in Abu Dhabi this week — following a deadlock in Egypt last month — to finalize recommendations that will be put to governments when they meet for the annual climate summit COP28 in Dubai in less than four weeks. The goal is to get the fund up and running by 2024.

The committee, representing a geographically diverse group of countries, resolved to recommend the World Bank serve as trustee and host of the fund — a tension point that has fueled divisions between developed and developing nations.

Housing a fund at the World Bank, whose presidents are appointed by the U.S., would give donor countries outsized influence over the fund and result in high fees for recipient countries, developing countries have argued.

To get all countries on board, it was agreed the World Bank would serve as interim trustee and host of the fund for a four-year period.

Jennifer Morgan, Germany's special climate envoy, said in a post on X that Berlin "stands ready to fulfill its responsibility — we're actively working towards contributing to the new fund and assessing options for more structural sources of financing."

Germany's special climate envoy Jennifer Morgan in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 13, 2022. In a message posted to X, Morgan says Berlin "stands ready to fulfill its responsibility — we're actively working towards contributing to the new fund" for poor states damaged by climate disasters.

Others were less optimistic.

"It is a somber day for climate justice, as rich countries turn their backs on vulnerable communities," said Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at nonprofit Climate Action Network International.

"Rich countries ... have not only coerced developing nations into accepting the World Bank as the host of the Loss and Damage Fund but have also evaded their duty to lead in providing financial assistance to those communities and countries."

The committee also recommended that developed countries be urged to continue to provide support to the fund, but failed to resolve whether wealthy nations would be under strict financial obligation to chip in.

"We regret that the text does not reflect consensus concerning the need for clarity on the voluntary nature of contributions," a U.S. State Department official told Reuters.

The U.S. attempted to include a footnote clarifying that any contributions to the fund would be voluntary, but the committee chair did not allow it. The U.S. objected to that denial.

Sultan al-Jaber, who will preside over the COP28 talks, said he welcomed the committee's recommendations and that they would pave the way for an agreement at COP28.

Google, Lendlease axe plans for $15 billion development in Bay Area

By Alicia Wallace, CNN

Sat November 4, 2023

CNN —

Alphabet’s Google has scrapped a development deal to build $15 billion worth of homes, offices and retail space in California’s Silicon Valley.

Google and Australian developer Lendlease “mutually reached” a decision to end their San Francisco Bay Project for four master-planned districts in the cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale and Mountain View, Lendlease announced Friday.

“The decision to end these agreements followed a comprehensive review by Google of its real estate investments, and a determination by both organizations that the existing agreements are no longer mutually beneficial given current market conditions,” Lendlease said in a statement.

Google did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. On Friday, Alexa Arena, Google’s senior director of development, told the Wall Street Journal the company could bring in other developers or capital partners on these efforts.

“As we’ve shared before, we’ve been optimizing our real estate investments in the Bay Area, and part of that work is looking at a variety of options to move our development projects forward and deliver on our housing commitment,” Arena said, according to the Journal. “We appreciate Lendlease and the work the team has done to get us to this point.”

Construction was expected to start on the project during Lendlease’s 2026 fiscal year, the company said.

The announcement comes amid a period of deep cost-cutting and layoffs for Google and during a time when commercial real estate is faltering.

Friday’s announcement also is the latest in a series of setbacks for tech giants’ large-scale community investments and adds uncertainty for Google’s much-touted plans to help address the affordability crisis in the tech-laden Bay Area.
Billion-dollar investments

In June 2019, Google made a $1 billion pledge to help develop more affordable housing in the increasingly unaffordable region.

‘Broken promises.’ Tech industry’s real estate pullback leaves communities reeling

At the time, Google said it would repurpose at least $750 million of the land it owns for at least 15,000 new homes priced for a variety of income levels and put $250 million toward a developer incentive fund to build 5,000 affordable housing units.

“Our goal is to help communities succeed over the long term, and make sure that everyone has access to opportunity, whether or not they work in tech,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post in June 2019.

A month later, Google partnered with Lendlease to redevelop its landholdings for a 10- to 15-year project valued at $15 billion.

Earlier this year, Google said 12,900 residences had been approved in Mountain View and San Jose, and more than 3,800 affordable modular homes and other affordable units were under construction.

“We’ve made steady progress, but it hasn’t been without its challenges,” Scott Foster, Google’s vice president of real estate and workplace services, wrote in the blog post. “And while we expect more periods of slowdown and others of acceleration, we remain committed to working alongside local governments and organizations to address the rising need for housing in our community.”
Tumultuous times

The announcement comes during a tumultuous period for Alphabet and other tech firms that have cut tens of thousands of jobs after drastically scaling up during the pandemic.

Can AI save commercial real estate in San Francisco?

Alphabet, which added 50,000 jobs during the past two years, announced in January it would slash 12,000 jobs, affecting about 6% of its workforce. The company, which has emphasized broader cost-cutting efforts, laid off hundreds more employees in September.

Although the US economy has remained remarkably resilient following the Covid-19 pandemic and despite wars overseas, high inflation and sharply rising interest rates, the commercial real estate industry has been on much shakier footing.

Office and retail property valuations have fallen since the pandemic brought about lower occupancy rates and changes in where people work and how they shop. The Federal Reserve’s efforts to fight inflation by raising interest rates have also hurt the credit-dependent industry.

Regional banking stress only added to those woes. Lending to commercial real estate developers and managers largely comes from small and mid-sized banks, where the pressure on liquidity has been most severe. About 80% of all bank loans for commercial properties come from regional banks, according to Goldman Sachs economists.