Parts of Great Barrier Reef suffer highest coral mortality on record

By AFP
November 18, 2024


This underwater photo taken on April 5, 2024, shows bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, 270 kilometres (170 miles) north of the city of Cairns - Copyright AFP/File DAVID GRAY

Parts of the Great Barrer Reef have suffered the highest coral mortality on record, Australian research showed Tuesday, with scientists fearing the rest of it has suffered a similar fate.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science said surveys of 12 reefs found up to 72 percent coral mortality, thanks to a summer of mass bleaching, two cyclones, and flooding.

In one northern section of the reef, about a third of hard coral had died, the “largest annual decline” in 39 years of government monitoring, the agency said.

Often dubbed the world’s largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef is a 2,300 kilometre (1,400-mile) expanse of tropical corals that house a stunning array of biodiversity.

But repeated mass bleaching events have threatened to rob the tourist drawcard of its wonder, turning banks of once-vibrant corals into a sickly shade of white.

Bleaching occurs when water temperatures rise and the coral expels microscopic algae, known as zooxanthellae, to survive.

If high temperatures persist, the coral can eventually turn white and die.

This year had already been confirmed as the fifth mass bleaching on the reef in the past eight years.

But this latest survey also found a rapid growing type of coral — known as acropora — had suffered the highest rate of death.

This coral is quick to grow, but one of the first to bleach.


– ‘Worst fears’ –


Lead researcher Mike Emslie told public broadcaster ABC the past summer was “one of the most severe events” across the Great Barrier Reef, with heat stress levels surpassing previous events.

“These are serious impacts. These are serious losses,” he said.

WWF-Australia’s head of oceans Richard Leck said the initial surveys confirmed his “worst fears”.

“The Great Barrier Reef can bounce back but there are limits to its resilience,” he said.

“It can’t get repeatedly hammered like this. We are fast approaching a tipping point.”

Leck added the area surveyed was “relatively small” and feared that when the full report was released next year “similar levels of mortality” would be observed.

He said that it reinforced Australia’s need to commit to stronger emission reduction targets of at least 90 percent below 2005 levels by 2035 and move away from fossil fuels.

The country is one of the world’s largest gas and coal exporters and has only recently set targets to become carbon neutral.

Mass of contradictions: Creating new foods from fungal mycelia

By Dr. Tim Sandle
November 18, 2024
DIGITAL JOURNAL

Fungi growing on a tree in a wood in England. Image by © Tim Sandle.

Scientists from Technical University of Denmark have teamed up with Copenhagen Michelin-starred chefs to unveil an innovative fermentation product (a new product made by growing fungi). The aim was to combine science with high-end gastronomy to demonstrate the simplicity of fermentation-made products. The researchers deployed the process biomass fermentation – similar to beer or yoghurt production – to show what caused mycelium to grow rapidly on sustainable materials.

The research focus was on the rapidly growing root structure – or mycelium – of the oyster mushroom and how this could be used to develop new alternative meat and seafood products.

While ‘fruiting bodies’ of fungi are among the most widely eaten in the world, the culinary qualities of its root structure has rarely been explored. The scientists found mycelial mass to have good nutritional qualities as well as, in the case of oyster mushrooms, low levels of toxins and allergens.

Lead researcher Dr Loes van Dam of the university’s Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainability states: “Food extends far beyond academic research, so it was vital that – as well as establishing that this new product is safe and nutritious – we were able to work with chefs to demonstrate that it could be part of an enjoyable dining experience.”

Loes van Dam continues: “Fungi offer huge unexplored potential to feed our growing population, providing nutritious and sustainable sources of protein with a fraction of the emissions and land needed to farm animals, and because they grow rapidly on food and agricultural byproducts, they can play a major role in contributing to a circular economy.”

Loes van Dam also notes the growing number of possibilities: “There are millions of fungi species waiting to be investigated for gastronomic use, but varieties producing widely eaten mushrooms are a great place to start. As we found, the mycelium of the oyster mushroom is safe, nutritious and above all delicious.”

These findings come as a new report reveals Denmark and other Nordic countries are taking a leading position in alternative protein research. The new product made from oyster mushrooms’ rapidly growing root structure is said to be tasty, sustainable and nutritious.

The resulting product was rich in protein and contained important micronutrients such as vitamin B5 and provitamin D2.

The findings come as the first-ever analysis of European research into alternative proteins such as plant-based foods, cultivated meat, and fermentation-made foods reveals that Denmark is at the forefront of this field.

The research was part of a project funded by nonprofit and think tank the Good Food Institute. The research appears in the journal Food Science. The research is titled “GastronOmics: Edibility and safety of mycelium of the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus.”

Germany, Finland warn of ‘hybrid warfare’ after sea cable cut


By AFP
November 18, 2024

C-Lion1, a 1,172-kilometre (730-mile) fibre-optic cable, has carried communications between Helsinki and Germany's Rostock since 2016 - Copyright Lehtikuva/AFP Heikki Saukkomaa

Germany and Finland launched a probe Monday after an undersea cable linking the countries was severed, warning of the threat of “hybrid warfare” amid heightened tensions with Russia.

The countries’ foreign ministers said in a joint statement they were “deeply concerned” by the cutting of the communications link through the Baltic Sea, where tensions have increased since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“The fact that such an incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times,” they said.

“Our European security is not only under threat from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors.”

“Safeguarding our shared critical infrastructure is vital to our security,” they added.

Finnish network operator Cinia said earlier that the cable between Finland and Germany, both members of the NATO military alliance, had been cut for unknown reasons.

The fault was detected in the undersea cable C-Lion1, Cinia said in a statement, adding that all services provided by the cable were down.

A Cinia spokesman quoted by Finnish media added that “all the fibre connections in it are cut”.

“At the moment there isn’t a possibility to assess the reason for the cable break but these kinds of breaks don’t happen in these waters without an outside impact,” the spokesperson said.

– Sea tensions –

But internet traffic had not suffered any disruptions, said Samuli Bergstrom, head of the Cybersecurity Centre at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom).

“Fortunately, there are several data cable routes between Finland and abroad, so a single cable failure will not affect internet traffic,” Bergstrom was quoted as saying by the broadcaster Yle.

The 1,172-kilometre (730-mile) fibre-optic cable has carried communications between Helsinki and Germany’s Rostock since 2016.

Last month NATO opened a new naval base in Rostock to coordinate the forces of the military alliance’s members in the Baltic Sea.

Russia summoned the German ambassador to Moscow the day after the inauguration to protest the new naval command centre.

Moscow called the centre a “blatant breach” of the treaty on the reunification of Germany in 1990 that said no foreign armed forces would be deployed in the area, a claim Berlin denied.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been repeated cases pointing to the heightened tensions in the Baltic.

Most notably, in September 2022 a series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe under the waters.

GUNRUNNER 

Russia vetoes Sudan ceasefire resolution at UN

ABOLISH BIG POWERS UN VETO


By AFP
November 18, 2024

A Sudanese army soldier mans a machine gun on top of a military pickup truck outside a hospital in Omdurman - Copyright AFP Omar AL-QATTAA

Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Monday calling for an immediate end to hostilities in Sudan where a war between two rival generals has been raging since April 2023.

A draft of the resolution prepared by Britain and Sierra Leone, which was seen by AFP, had called on both sides to “immediately cease hostilities” and begin talks on “a national ceasefire.”

“One country stood in the way of the council speaking with one voice. One country is the blocker,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said after the vote, which showed 14 countries in favor and only Russia against.

“One country is the enemy of peace. This Russian veto is a disgrace, and it shows to the world yet again Russia’s true colors,” Lammy added.

Sudan has been ravaged by fighting between the regular army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who seized power in a 2021 coup, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his one-time deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Before Monday’s vote, a diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity that Russia had appeared to become “visibly more aligned” with General Burhan’s camp during negotiations over the draft.

During previous votes on Sudan in the Security Council, Russia had abstained.

Sudan’s army under Burhan has accused the United Arab Emirates of providing arms to the RSF, a charge rejected by Abu Dhabi.

– Civilian toll –

The draft had called on member states to avoid any “external interference which foments conflict and instability” and urged all sides to respect an embargo against arms transfers to Darfur.

The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 11 million people, including 3.1 million who have fled the country, according to UN figures.

Recent weeks have seen violence flare up again, with each camp seemingly “convinced they can prevail on the battlefield,” Rosemary DiCarlo, UN under-secretary-general for political affairs, said recently.

The fighting has taken a high toll among civilians, with some 26 million people facing severe food shortages and both sides exchanging accusations of sexual violence.

Against that backdrop, the draft resolution called on both parties to “fully implement” commitments made in 2023 to protect civilians, to “halt and prevent conflict-related sexual violence,” and to allow “rapid, safe, unhindered” humanitarian access into and throughout Sudan.

The UN has been largely paralyzed in its ability to deal with conflicts from Ukraine to Gaza because of splits between permanent Security Council members, notably Russia and the United States.

Even if it had been adopted, it was unclear what effect the Sudan resolution would have produced.

A resolution in March calling for an “immediate” ceasefire during the month of Ramadan had little impact.

And a council demand in July for the RSF to end its “siege” of the city of El-Fasher, where thousands of civilians were trapped, was similarly ignored.

Defiant Lebanese harvest olives in the shadow of war


By AFP
November 18, 2024

The olive groves of Kfeir are just 9 kilometres from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights - Copyright KCNA VIA KNS/AFP STR

Laure Al Khoury

On a mountain slope in south Lebanon, agricultural worker Assaad al-Taqi is busy picking olives, undeterred by the roar of Israeli warplanes overhead.

This year, he is collecting the harvest against the backdrop of the raging Israel-Hezbollah war.

He works in the village of Kfeir, just a few kilometres (miles) from where Israeli bombardment has devastated much of south Lebanon since Israel escalated its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in September.

“But I’m not afraid of the shelling,” Taqi said, as he and other workers hit the tree branches with sticks, sending showers of olives tumbling down into jute bags.

“Our presence here is an act of defiance,” the 51-year-old said, but also noting that the olive “is the tree of peace”.

Kfeir is nine kilometres (six miles) from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in the mixed Christian and Druze district of Hasbaya, which has largely been spared the violence that has wracked nearby Hezbollah strongholds.

But even Hasbaya’s relative tranquillity was shattered last month when three journalists were killed in an Israeli strike on a complex where they were sleeping.

Israel and Hezbollah had previously exchanged cross-border fire for almost a year over the Gaza conflict.



– $58 mln in losses –



The workers in Kfeir rest in the shade of the olive trees, some 900 metres (3,000 feet) above sea level on the slopes of Mount Hermon, which overlooks an area where Lebanese, Syrian and Israeli-held territory meet.

They have been toiling in relative peace since dawn, interrupted only by sonic booms from Israeli jets breaking the sound barrier and the sight of smoke rising on the horizon from strikes on a south Lebanon border village.

Hassna Hammad, 48, who was among those picking olives, said the agricultural work was her livelihood.

“We aren’t afraid, we’re used to it,” she said of the war.

But “we are afraid for our brothers impacted by the conflict”, she added, referring to the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese displaced by the fighting.

Elsewhere in south Lebanon, olive trees are bulging with fruit that nobody will pick, after villagers fled Israeli bombardment and the subsequent ground operation that began on September 30.

A World Bank report this month said that “the disruption of the olive harvest caused by bombing and displacement is expected to lead to $58 million in losses” in Lebanon.

It said 12 percent of olive groves in the conflict-affected areas it assessed had been destroyed.

Normally, the olive-picking season is highly anticipated in Lebanon, and some people return each year to their native villages and fields just for the harvest.

“Not everyone has the courage to come” this time, said Salim Kassab, who owns a traditional press where villagers bring their olives to extract the oil.

“Many people are absent… They sent workers to replace them,” said Kassab, 50.


– ‘Love the olive month’ –


“There is fear of the war of course,” he said, adding that he had come alone this year, without his wife and children.

Kassab said that before the conflict, he used to travel to the southern cities of Nabatiyeh and Sidon if he needed to fix his machines, but such trips are near impossible now because of the danger.

The World Bank report estimated that 12 months of agriculture sector losses have cost Lebanon $1.1 billion, in a country already going through a gruelling five-year economic crisis before the fighting erupted.

Areas near the southern border have sustained “the most significant damage and losses”, the report said.

It cited “the burning and abandonment of large areas of agricultural land” in both south and east Lebanon, “along with lost harvests due to the displacement of farmers”.

Elsewhere in Kfeir, Inaam Abu Rizk, 77, and her husband were busy washing olives they plan to either press for oil or jar to be served throughout the winter.

Abu Rizk has taken part in the olive harvest for decades, part of a tradition handed down the generations, and said that despite the war, this year was no different.

“Of course we’re afraid… there is the sound of planes and bombing,” she said.

But “we love the olive month — we are farmers and the land is our work”.

Woman-owned cafe in Indonesia’s Sharia stronghold shakes stigma


By AFP
November 17, 2024

Morning Mama owner Qurrata Ayuni (R) says her Banda Aceh cafe is the only one run by a woman in the capital of Indonesia's most conservative province 

- Copyright AFP Zikri Maulana

Jack MOORE

In what claims to be the only woman-run cafe in the capital of Indonesia’s most conservative province, owner Qurrata Ayuni says she and her baristas provide an alternative to rowdy, smoke-filled male haunts.

The 28-year-old opened Morning Mama last year to create a space that caters to women in Banda Aceh, known as the city of 1,001 coffee shops.

“I thought why not open a place that is comfortable for women?” she said.

While the province has long been known as the site of the world’s deadliest tsunami and a decades-long separatist insurgency, Aceh’s draw for visitors is often the coffee.

The traditional “sanger” latte, mixed with condensed milk, is a popular staple.

Aceh’s strong connection to coffee started hundreds of years ago with Dutch colonial rulers. Now, its farmers cultivate world-renowned beans in lush highlands.

Aceh still catches attention for its ultraconservative values, including by-laws that require Muslim women to wear hijabs.

While women are not banned from working in the only region in Muslim-majority Indonesia to impose Islamic law, running a coffee shop is seen as a man’s job.

“It’s extremely difficult for women in Aceh to pursue education or a career, facing not only legal restrictions but also social bullying,” said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch.

Despite widespread criticism, public whipping remains a common punishment for a range of offences in the province, including gambling, alcohol consumption and relations outside marriage.

Independent career paths are mostly viewed as out of reach for Aceh’s young women, but Qurrata was undeterred.



– ‘Time for change’ –



Qurrata, who owns her cafe without a business partner, saw a demand for a space for women to work or meet friends.

She and her team of baristas pour fresh coffee to mostly hijab-wearing customers, with children’s books and menstruation pads on sale nearby.

“There’s no cigarette smoke, it’s not noisy, it’s really cosy,” she said, adding that some men also have coffees at her shop.

“It’s a statement that women can own businesses, make decisions and lead,” she said.

“Now is the time for change.”

The entrepreneur says women are stepping up, pointing to at least 1,000 applying for a barista job.

“I want to offer them the chance to change the course of their lives,” she said.

Caca, a 23-year-old barista, said it was a “really cool job” rare in Aceh.

The cafe’s regulars hail Morning Mama as a spot where women can be themselves.

“I feel more connection if I ask something with a woman barista,” said 21-year-old student Meulu Alina. “I don’t feel any nervousness. It’s more like talking with your sister.”



– Helping others –



Before starting her business, Qurrata overcame the loss of her parents at the age of eight in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 200,000 people.

Her village near Banda Aceh was completely destroyed, but she survived and was raised by her aunt and uncle.

Qurrata said she wants to channel her grief into helping other women.

“It’s a platform to help others find their own resilience, much like I did,” she said.

Photography jobs allowed her to build savings and confidence, taking a leap into business after her uncle encouraged her and helped financially.

Other women were still “afraid to start”, she said, for fear men will say bad things.

“People here tend to believe that women should stay at home,” she said.

But “the older generation understands that times have changed.”

Owner of Aceh’s popular Solong coffee shop, Haji Nawawi, said he would not employ women but locals had accepted them making coffee elsewhere, calling it “normal” as values “from outside” Aceh had entered the province.

Qurrata employs five women alongside two men.

Revenue fluctuates, but Qurrata says her ultimate aim is to inspire other women.

“Women are capable of so much more than we’re often given credit for. We can be leaders, creators, and innovators,” she said.

“So don’t just sit back. Don’t be afraid.”

Philippines cleans up after sixth major storm in weeks


By AFP
November 17, 2024

Handout photo from the Philippine Coast Guard shows coast guard personnel clear fallen trees off a highway in Catanduanes province after Typhoon Man-yi - Copyright Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP -
Pam CASTRO

Filipinos cleared fallen trees and repaired damaged houses on Monday after the sixth major storm to batter the Philippines in a month smashed flimsy buildings, knocked out power and claimed at least one life.

The national weather service had warned of a “potentially catastrophic” impact from Man-yi, which was a super typhoon when it hit over the weekend, but President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday it “wasn’t as bad as we feared”.

Packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 185 kilometres (115 miles) an hour, Man-yi slammed into Catanduanes island late Saturday, and the main island of Luzon on Sunday afternoon.

It uprooted trees, brought down power lines, crushed wooden houses and triggered landslides, but did not cause serious flooding.

“Though Pepito was strong, the impact wasn’t as bad as we feared,” Marcos said, according to an official transcript of his remarks to media, using the local name for Man-yi.

One person was killed in Camarines Norte province, which Marcos said was “one casualty too many”. Police said the victim, a 79-year-old man, died after his motorbike was caught in a power line.

There have been no other reports so far of deaths or injuries.

“We will now carry on with the rescue of those (in) isolated areas and the continuing relief for those who are, who have been displaced and have no means to prepare their own meals and have no water supplies,” Marcos said.

Power outages across the island province of Catanduanes could last for months after Man-yi toppled electricity poles, provincial information officer Camille Gianan told AFP.

“Catanduanes has been heavily damaged by that typhoon — we need food packs, hygiene kits and construction materials,” Gianan said.

“Most houses with light materials were flattened while some houses made of concrete had their roofs, doors and windows destroyed.”

In the coastal town of Baler in Aurora province, clean-up operations were underway to remove felled trees and debris blocking roads and waterways.

“Most of the houses here are made of light materials so even now, before the inspection, we are expecting heavy damage on many houses in town,” disaster officer Neil Rojo told AFP.

“We’ve also received reports of roofs that went flying with the wind last night… it was the fierce wind that got us scared, not exactly the heavy rains.”



– Storm weakens –



Man-yi weakened significantly as it traversed the mountains of Luzon and was downgraded to a severe tropical storm as it swept over the South China Sea towards Vietnam on Monday.

More than a million people in the Philippines fled their homes ahead of the storm, which followed an unusual streak of violent weather.

Climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.

At least 163 people in the Philippines died in the past month’s storms, which left thousands homeless and wiped out crops and livestock.

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Southeast Asian nation or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people, but it is rare for multiple such weather events to take place in a small window.

Man-yi also hit the Philippines late in the typhoon season — most cyclones develop between July and October.

This month, four storms were clustered simultaneously in the Pacific basin, which the Japan Meteorological Agency told AFP was the first time such an occurrence had been observed in November since its records began in 1951.

Disgraced Singapore oil tycoon sentenced to nearly 18 years for fraud


By AFP
November 18, 2024

Former oil tycoon Lim Oon Kuin arrives to be sentenced at the State Court in Singapore - Copyright Lehtikuva/AFP Heikki Saukkomaa

The founder of a failed Singapore oil trading company was sentenced Monday to nearly 18 years in jail for cheating banking giant HSBC out of millions of dollars in one of the country’s most serious cases of fraud.

Lim Oon Kuin, 82, better known as O.K. Lim, was convicted in May in a case that dented the city-state’s reputation as a top Asian oil trading hub.

His firm, Hin Leong Trading, was among Asia’s biggest oil trading companies before its sudden and dramatic collapse in 2020.

Sentencing him to 17 and a half years in jail, State Courts judge Toh Han Li said he agreed with the prosecution that the offences had the potential to undermine confidence in Singapore’s oil trading industry.

The amount involved “stood at the top-tier of cheating cases” in the city-state, a global financial hub, he said.

The judge shaved off a year due to Lim’s age but did not give any sentencing discount on account of his health, saying the Singapore Prison Service has adequate medical facilities.

Lim, however, remained free on bail after his lawyers said they would file an appeal before the High Court.

State prosecutors had sought a 20-year jail term, saying “this is one of the most serious cases of trade financing fraud that has ever been prosecuted in Singapore”.

The defence had argued for seven years imprisonment, playing down the harm caused by Lim’s offences and citing his age and poor health.

The businessman faced a total of 130 criminal charges involving hundreds of millions of dollars, but prosecutors tried and convicted him on just three — two of cheating HSBC, and a third of encouraging a Hin Leong executive to forge documents.

Prosecutors said he tricked HSBC into disbursing nearly $112 million by telling the bank that his firm had entered into oil sales contracts with two companies.

The transactions were, in fact, “complete fabrications, concocted on the accused’s directions”, prosecutors said, adding that his actions “tarnished Singapore’s hard-earned reputation as Asia’s leading oil trading hub”.


– ‘Unprecedented turmoil’ –


Lim built Hin Leong from a single delivery truck shortly before Singapore became independent in 1965.

It grew into a major supplier of fuel used by ships, and its rise in some ways mirrored Singapore’s growth from a gritty port to an affluent financial hub.

The firm played a key role in helping the city-state become the world’s top ship refuelling port, observers say, and it expanded into ship chartering and management with a subsidiary that has a fleet of more than 150 vessels.

But it came crashing down in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic plunged oil markets into unprecedented turmoil, exposing Hin Leong’s financial troubles, and Lim sought court protection from creditors.

In a bombshell affidavit seen by AFP in 2020, Lim revealed the oil trader had “in truth… not been making profits in the last few years” — despite having officially reported a healthy balance sheet in 2019.

He admitted that the firm he founded after emigrating from China had hidden $800 million in losses over the years, while it also owed almost $4 billion to banks.

Lim took responsibility for ordering the company not to report the losses and confessed it had sold off inventories that were supposed to backstop loans.

Biden in ‘historic’ pledge for poor nations ahead of Trump return

By AFP
November 18, 2024

After a decade of conflict in one of the Arab world's poorest countries, more than two-thirds of Yemenis are dependent on humanitarian aid - Copyright JIJI Press/AFP/File STR

US President Joe Biden announced a “historic” $4 billion pledge for a World Bank fund that helps the world’s poorest countries, the White House said Monday, before Donald Trump takes office with a new cost-cutting agenda.

The outgoing leader unveiled the money for the International Development Association as he attends the G20 summit underway in Rio de Janeiro, his last time at the gathering of world leaders.

“The president announced today that the United States intends to pledge $4 billion over three years… which is really exciting,” a senior US administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The official said the pledge would not be binding on Trump’s incoming administration but said previous Republican governments had also backed top-ups for the fund.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden has been trying to shore up his international legacy – Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL

US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer earlier called the pledge “historic” and said Biden would “rally other leaders to step up their contributions.”

The International Development Association is the concessional lending arm of the World Bank and is used for some of the poorest countries in the globe, including for projects focused on climate.

During a six-day tour of South America, Biden has been trying to shore up his international legacy ahead of President-elect Trump’s return to the White House on January 20.

On Sunday he visited the Amazon rainforest in Brazil to promote his record on climate change, saying that the United States had hit its target of increasing bilateral climate financing to $11 billion a year.

Billionaire Trump has pledged to take a wrecking ball to many of Biden’s policies and has appointed tech tycoon Elon Musk as head of a commission to target what he calls federal government waste.

G20 host Brazil launches alliance to end ‘scourge’ of hunger

By AFP
November 18, 2024

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who grew up in poverty, is championing an anti-hunger alliance - Copyright AFP Ludovic MARIN

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened a G20 summit in Rio by launching an alliance to curb world hunger, which he called a “scourge that shames humanity.”

The Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty marks an early summit success for left-wing Lula, with a total of 81 countries signing on to it.

Argentina was the only one of the 19 countries in the G20 not to sign on to the initiative.

Its participation was still “under negotiation,” a Brazilian government source said.

The charity Oxfam said the global alliance “could be a turning point in the battle against hunger and extreme poverty” but urged the initiative to go further by instituting changes in agriculture, supporting land rights and confronting “the weaponization of hunger.”

The decision not to join by Argentina — led by right-wing President Javier Milei, a big fan of Donald Trump — deepened a political gap with neighboring Brazil.

Milei has imposed radical austerity measures in Argentina to bring down high inflation.

The policies sent the poverty rate in the country soaring to 52.9 percent in the first half of this year, 11 percentage points higher than in the previous six-month period.

Milei was the first world leader to see Trump after the Republican’s win in the US presidential election. He attended a gala at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida estate last Thursday.

The Argentine leader has several times labeled Lula a “communist” and “corrupt.”

The Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty also has the support of international organizations such as the European Union and the African Union — both G20 members — as well as financial institutions and NGOs, bringing the total number of signatories to 147.

The initiative’s goal is ambitious: to reduce world hunger which affected 733 million people last year — nine percent of the global population — according to the UN.

For Lula, who grew up in poverty before becoming a steelworker, a trade unionist and eventually president of Latin America’s biggest economy, the initiative is dear to the heart.

At a national level, his leftwing policies have already lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty.



– ‘Political will’ –



The global alliance on hunger is an effort to widen that push by putting international financing behind it, and replicating successful national programs in other countries.

“Eradicating hunger and poverty is not so hard, and the cost is not exorbitant,” Wellington Dias, Brazil’s minister for social development, said in a statement announcing the alliance.

“It’s just a question of political will.”

Negotiations on the initiative had gone on for months, with concrete commitments already made.

The Inter-American Development Bank on Friday announced a $25 billion contribution to programs fighting hunger and poverty over the next five years.

The alliance especially aims for improved nutrition for early childhood, free school canteens and supporting small farms. The goal is to improve food access and quality for 150 million children by the end of the decade.

Nigeria, which already has the biggest school meals program in Africa, has vowed to double the number of children benefiting from it to 20 million.

Indonesia, from January 2025, will start a new program of free canteens, with the aim of reaching 78 million school children in 2029.

Five takeaways from the G20 summit in Rio


By AFP

November 18, 2024

One of the issues dearest to President Lula was forging a global alliance against hunger - Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL

G20 leaders met in Rio de Janeiro on Monday for talks on climate change, ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, and more, at a forum that highlighted differences between world powers but also delivered some successes.

Here are five key takeaways from the summit:



– No climate breakthrough –



Hopes were high that G20 leaders would jumpstart stalled UN climate talks taking place in Azerbaijan.

In their final declaration, however, they merely recognized the need for “substantially scaling up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources.”

Crucially, they did not say who would provide the trillions.

They also did not reiterate a commitment made at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai last year for a “just, orderly, and equitable transition” away from fossil fuels.

“They haven’t stepped up to the challenge,” Mick Sheldrick, co-founder of the Global Citizen campaign group said.



– Ukraine war –



The war in Ukraine dominated discussions at the G20, a day after the United States gave Kyiv the green light to strike Russian territory with American-supplied long-range missiles.

Russia vowed a “response” if hit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who together with Brazil has been pushing for Kyiv to enter peace talks with Russia, urged the G20 to help “cool” the war.

In their final statement, G20 leaders said they welcomed “all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace” in Ukraine.

While condemning, as at last year’s G20 summit, the “threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition,” they made no mention of Russian aggression.



– Lebanon, Gaza ceasefire calls –



The leaders of the G20 — which mixes steadfast Israel allies such as the United States and Argentina with countries like Turkey that are more supportive of Palestinians — called for “comprehensive” ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon.

They said the Gaza ceasefire should be in line with a US-proposed UN resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in the territory in return for the release of all hostages by Hamas.

It also called for a Lebanon ceasefire “that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line” that separates Lebanese and Israeli armed forces.



– Tax the super-rich –



The G20 endorsed the idea of cooperating to make sure “ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed,” delivering a victory to summit host Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

It said though that such cooperation should be “with full respect to tax sovereignty” and involve “debates around tax principles” as well as coming up with anti-avoidance mechanisms.

An economist specializing in inequalities who was tapped by the Brazilian G20 presidency to write a report on the issue, Gabriel Zucman, hailed the “historic decision.”



– Alliance against hunger –



One of the issues dearest to President Lula was forging a global alliance against hunger, and he received an early success by launching that initiative at the start of the summit, getting 82 countries to sign on.

The alliance aims to unite international efforts to provide financing in the campaign against hunger, and to replicate programs that have proved successful in some countries.

The goal is to reach half a billion people by the end of the decade, reducing what Lula — who grew up in poverty — has called a preventable “scourge that shames humanity.”


China’s Xi urges G20 to help ‘cool’ Ukraine crisis


By AFP
November 18, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged leaders to help 'cool the Ukraine crisis and seek a political solution' - Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged G20 leaders Monday to support efforts to de-escalate the war in Ukraine and reach a “political solution,” state media reported.

His remarks at the G20 summit in Brazil come shortly after Ukraine received a US green light to launch long-range missiles provided by Washington against targets inside Russia.

“The G20 should support the United Nations and its Security Council in playing a greater role, and support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises,” Xi said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

He called for leaders to avoid “spillovers” from battlefields and escalation of fighting, and to help “cool the Ukraine crisis and seek a political solution.”

War in Ukraine continues to rage since Russia’s invasion in 2022.

China presents itself as a neutral party in the war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.

But it remains a close political and economic ally of Russia. NATO members have branded Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war, which it has never condemned.

Following the long-range missile policy shift by US President Joe Biden, who leaves office in January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday his country was sending Ukraine 4,000 AI-guided drones.

Xi, in his speech Monday, also called for efforts to shore up multilateral trade systems and warned against “politicizing economic issues” without naming any specific countries.

His comments come before US President-elect Donald Trump reenters the White House in January, after campaigning on pledges to enact sweeping tariffs on China and others.

Washington also unveiled sharp tariff hikes this year on Chinese goods, notably on products like electric vehicle batteries and solar cells, as the United States tries to grow its domestic clean energy sectors.

“We must avoid politicizing economic issues, artificially dividing the global market, and avoid practicing protectionism in the name of green and low-carbon development,” Xi said.

In seeking cooperation on artificial intelligence, he added that this should not become “a game of rich countries and the wealthy.”

Xi called for “all sides to stop fighting” in Gaza as well, saying the war between Israel and Hamas has “brought heavy suffering,” CCTV reported.