Riyadh gears up for MENA Climate Week 2023 – a catalyst for sustainable solutions and global action
To enable low-carbon, climate-resilient development in the region and promote collaboration between organizations, the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week 2023 is taking place in Riyadh from Oct. 8-12. The Royal Commission for AlUla is participating in MENA Climate Week 2023 to highlight its role in protecting the natural environment and promoting sustainability as stipulated in its sustainability charter. Path to SustainabilityThroughout MENA Climate Week 2023, attendees will witness remarkable success stories and innovations that have the potential to revolutionize the energy and industrial sectors. S&P Global expects that 70 to 75 percent of the new generating capacity installed between 2023 and 2050 will be renewable power. As MENA Climate Week 2023 unfolds, it stands as a catalyst for transformation, offering illumination on the path toward a cleaner, brighter future and a more sustainable and resilient planet.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 18:40 UTC
Odds increase for tropical depression to form by midweek
A tropical depression is expected to form in the Atlantic Ocean by midweek from a tropical wave off Africa as it moves west. So far this season in the Atlantic, there have been 16 named storms, six of which were hurricanes. Of those, three were major hurricanes, meaning Category 3 or above. Those were Hurricane Lee, a rare Category 5; Hurricane Franklin, a Category 4; and Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend region at Category 3 strength on Aug. 30. Hurricane season officially runs through Nov. 30.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 18:34 UTC
MENA Climate Week 2023: Driving Regional Action on Climate Change
UN Climate Change News, 8 October 2023The second-ever Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Climate Week opened today, with a packed schedule of events designed to shine a spotlight on challenges and solutions in a region that is among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Taking place in Riyadh from 8-12 October and hosted by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the discussions at MENA Climate Week will feed into the year-end UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. As 70% of MENA’s agricultural production is rain-fed, the region is extremely vulnerable to changes in temperature and rainfall resulting from climate change. This Climate Week, I invite participants to grasp the opportunity to shape a resilient future for the MENA region and beyond. MENA Climate Week is the second of four Regional Climate Weeks taking place in 2023.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 17:31 UTC
India, Saudi Arabia sign initial pact for electrical interconnections, green hydrogen
India and Saudi Arabia on Sunday inked an initial pact to collaborate in the field of electrical interconnections, green and clean hydrogen and supply chains. Earlier, an Indian delegation led by Singh participated in the high-level segment of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Climate Week 2023, which is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during October 8 - 12, 2023. The MENA Climate Week 2023, will discuss climate solutions ahead of COP28 and is being hosted by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The government of India has launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission for harnessing hydrogen energy and has approved an initial outlay of USD 2.3 billion for this Mission." Singh asserted at the MENA Climate Week that individual actions and sustainable behavioural choices are crucial to achieve the energy transition in a sustainable manner.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 17:10 UTC
By sea, by land: Desperate refugees still transit Morocco to get to Europe
A month after an earthquake killed nearly 3,000 people, the stream of refugees transiting Morocco to Europe continues. More than 25,000 refugees and migrants have left Morocco this year so far – fewer than those leaving Tunisia and Libya but still significant. “All the routes carry extraordinary risks, but the Atlantic is the worst.”A joint committee between Spain, Morocco and the European Union has expressed its regret over every single death. Direction: By land into Melilla and CeutaPassage by sea to Europe can be treacherous and access by land can be just as bad. Desperate to get to “Europe”, they stormed the fences from the Moroccan side and were beaten back by Spanish and Moroccan police.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 16:20 UTC
World can't 'unplug' existing energy system — COP28 head
World can't 'unplug' existing energy system — COP28 headCOP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber speaks during the second Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, in New York City on September 19, 2023. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The president of the upcoming COP28 climate talks in Dubai called on Sunday for governments to abandon the "fantasy" of hastily ditching existing energy infrastructure in pursuit of climate goals. "We cannot unplug the energy system of today before we build the new system of tomorrow. Climate activists have criticised the appointment of Jaber to lead the COP28 talks which kick off in Dubai next month, given that he is also head of the Emirati state-owned oil firm ADNOC. Energy officials in the United Arab Emirates and other oil-producing countries -- notably Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter -- have argued for continued investments in fossil fuels to ensure energy security even as they eye an eventual transition away from them.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 15:40 UTC
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Rise of the north sets record at World Cup
Oct 8 (Reuters) - All four pools at this year’s Rugby World Cup have been won by nations from the northern hemisphere for the first time, a complete reversal from when the tournament was last hosted in France in 2007. England remain the only Six Nations side to lift the World Cup trophy after their 2003 triumph, but three of the groups in Japan four years ago were won by teams from the north, a shift in momentum that has culminated in this year’s record. The last time the World Cup was hosted in France 16 years ago, all four pools were won by southern hemisphere teams for the first and only time. In six of the other global showpiece tournaments played to date it has been an even split with two of the four groups won by teams in either hemisphere. But in 2015, only one was headed by a team from the north.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 13:43 UTC
Tez Walker 'blessed' after 6 catches in North Carolina debut
North Carolina receiver Tez Walker made his long anticipated return to the field Saturday, catching six passes in a 40-7 win over visiting Syracuse. North Carolina determined that Walker would play but not start because he had spent the previous three weeks working with the scout team. But he was selected to lead the team onto the field, carrying the North Carolina state flag. North Carolina receiver Tez Walker, shown leading the Tar Heels onto the field Saturday, was granted eligibility to play this season by the NCAA on Thursday. In January, two days after Walker enrolled at North Carolina, the NCAA announced it would crack down on immediate eligibility for two-time transfers.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 12:59 UTC
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Cop28 President-designate vows to put adaptation at 'centre' of climate agenda
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate, has vowed to put climate adaptation at the centre of Cop28. Quote We must rapidly build the clean energy system of the future Dr Sultan Al Jaber“To deliver for our region we must put adaptation front and centre of the climate agenda,” said Dr Al Jaber. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate, speaking at the opening of the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week in Riyadh. AFPOrganised by the UNFCCC – the UN’s climate body – Mena Climate Week seeks to build momentum ahead of Cop28 with just over 50 days to go before the crucial talks. “We cannot unplug the energy system of today before we build the new system of tomorrow," Dr Al Jaber told attendees.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 12:39 UTC
'Fantasies': COP28 head says world can't 'unplug' existing energy system
Climate Change Conference, COP28, in Dubai said Sunday. "We cannot unplug the energy system of today before we build the new system of tomorrow. Much of international climate diplomacy revolves around the thorny issue of how and when to quit fossil fuels. But efforts since then to extend such a target to all fossil fuels have foundered, most recently at last month's G-20 summit in India. The goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels was set at the 2015 climate talks in Paris.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 11:19 UTC
Morocco requests emergency Arab League meeting on Gaza Strip – The North Africa Post
Morocco has, upon King Mohammed VI’s instructions, requested an emergency meeting of the Arab League’s ministerial council to discuss the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza strip. Morocco, which currently chairs the council, said the meeting will look into the outbreak of military actions against civilians and will seek the means to halt this “dangerous escalation.”Israeli forces killed more than 300 Palestinians within 24 hours following Hamas attack on Israeli settlements where they killed more than 200 and took an unknown number of Israeli settlers as hostages. Following the surprise Hamas assault, Israel declared war and warned others from joining the fight, hinting at Hezbollah. Analysts foresee an Israeli invasion of Gaza, and even a temporary reoccupation of the territory — something that successive Israeli governments have tried hard to avoid — cannot be ruled out. Morocco’s foreign ministry had condemned attacks against civilians and called for appeasement and dialogue.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 11:03 UTC
Geneva: NGO slams Algeria’s arbitrary deportation of Sub-Saharan Migrants – The North Africa Post
NGO PDES, French acronym for ‘Promotion of Economic and Social Development’, criticized, in Geneva, the arbitrary deportation of sub-Saharan migrants by the Algerian authorities in defiance of international human rights standards. Speaking at the 54th session of the Human Rights Council, the NGO, which has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), noted that dozens of reports speak of mass arrests of migrants coupled with arbitrary deportations without guarantees. These practices are carried out without appropriate legal procedures, including individual risk assessments, which leave migrants with no opportunity to enjoy their rights, PDES deplored. Despite the concerns expressed by civil society and the international community over these practices, which fail to uphold the fundamental rights of sub-Saharan migrants, namely the right to life, to no discrimination, to safety, to protection against torture and ill-treatment, and protection against arbitrary deportation, the Algerian state continues to carry out arbitrary deportations that are not limited to illegal migrants but also include asylum seekers and refugees, with no respect for the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the return of people to a country where they risk persecution or inhuman treatment. The NGO called on the Human Rights Council to urge Algeria to respect international human rights standards during deportations, ensuring that each deportation case is assessed individually to guarantee that there is no risk of persecution, inhuman or degrading treatment, or violation of other fundamental rights.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 11:02 UTC
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Asia council says North Korea flag dispute with WADA is unresolved
WADA said North Korea was still non-compliant with its anti-doping code and the OCA had failed to enforce its sanction. "North Korea, the DPRK Korea, has also written a letter to them very lately telling them that the borders have opened and they can send the doping control officers for the testing which the WADA has agreed and they will be shortly sending it to the DPRK, to North Korea," Tiwari added. North Korea won 11 golds in Hangzhou, including in artistic gymnastics, shooting, wrestling, boxing and six in weightlifting. It was the first international multi-sport event North Korea attended since the 2018 edition in Jakarta. North Korea closed its borders for nearly four years because of COVID-19.
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 09:51 UTC
Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Climate Week 2023: Driving Regional Action on Climate Change
The second-ever Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Climate Week opened today, with a packed schedule of events designed to shine a spotlight on challenges and solutions in a region that is among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Taking place in Riyadh from 8-12 October and hosted by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the discussions at MENA Climate Week will feed into the year-end UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. As 70% of MENA’s agricultural production is rain-fed, the region is extremely vulnerable to changes in temperature and rainfall resulting from climate change. This Climate Week, I invite participants to grasp the opportunity to shape a resilient future for the MENA region and beyond. “Increasing investment in clean energy and climate resilience will bring multiple benefits, not just for climate change mitigation and adaptation, but for job creation and social inclusion as well.”
Source:The North Africa Journal
October 08, 2023 08:58 UTC