World News Roundup: Major states snub calls for climate action as U.N. summit wraps up


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 15-12-2019 18:33 IST | Created: 15-12-2019 18:29 IST
World News Roundup: Major states snub calls for climate action as U.N. summit wraps up
Image Credit: Twitter(@UN_Spokesperson)

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Shouting match: Indonesians given stage to dish out advice to community

Dozens of Indonesians have taken part in a shouting competition in the capital Jakarta, given five minutes on stage to belt out advice on issues such as health, education and child protection to a crowd below. The contestants, mainly housewives, come from the city's native Betawi inhabitants, who have a reputation in Indonesia for being spontaneous and outspoken.

Italian city evacuates 54,000 people to defuse WW2 bomb

Around 54,000 people were evacuated from the southern Italian city of Brindisi on Sunday as experts worked to defuse a World War Two bomb, authorities said. Corriere della Sera daily said the operation was the biggest peacetime evacuation in Italy, with more than 60% of the city's residents forced to vacate a "red zone" in a radius of 1,617 meters from where the bomb was found.

Hundreds of Georgians demand release of doctor detained in separatist South Ossetia

Hundreds of Georgians rallied on the boundary with breakaway South Ossetia on Sunday to demand the release of a prominent doctor who was detained after crossing into the region, controlled by Russia since a 2008 war. Georgian villagers living near the loosely guarded rural boundary are often detained on similar grounds but the detention of the doctor, a high-profile local figure, has drawn more attention. Colleagues said he was trying to reach a patient.

Turkish lawmakers set to sign off on Libya military support deal

Turkey moved closer to military support for Libya's internationally recognized government late on Saturday when a bilateral deal was sent to parliament that includes provisions for launching a "quick reaction force" if requested by Tripoli. Late last month, Ankara and Tripoli signed an expanded security and military accord and, separately, a memorandum on maritime boundaries that Greece said violates international law.

UK PM Johnson eyes parliament vote before Christmas to 'get Brexit done'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will "get Brexit done" by Jan. 31 and then agree a new trade deal with the European Union by the end of 2020, cabinet office minister Michael Gove said on Sunday, vowing to deliver on the government's top priority. Johnson and his team were triumphant last week when he won a commanding majority of 80 at an early election he said he was forced to call to break the Brexit deadlock. Winning over many traditionally Labour voters in northern and central England, Johnson has proclaimed he will lead a "people's government".

Deadly eruption hits New Zealand volcano tourist town hard

Helicopter pilot Mark Law did not hesitate to fly out to New Zealand's White Island volcano immediately after it erupted to carry survivors to hospital, but after a harrowing week he knows his town's adventure tourism industry faces an uncertain future. As the search continues for the final two missing bodies from Monday's deadly eruption, Law knows it will be challenging for his business, Kahu Helicopters. Some of his seven staff, including three pilots, could lose their jobs.

Hong Kong mall protests flare with leader Lam in Beijing

Small groups of anti-government protesters gathered in shopping malls across Hong Kong on Sunday amid sporadic scuffles with riot police, with Chief Executive Carrie Lam away on a visit to Beijing. In the peak shopping season ahead of Christmas, groups of masked protesters, clad in black, marched through malls chanting slogans including "Fight for freedom" and "Return justice to us".

U.S. envoy arrives in South Korea as Pyongyang ramps up pressure

Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, arrived in South Korea on Sunday as Pyongyang stepped up pressure on Washington to make concessions to revive stalled denuclearization talks ahead of a year-end deadline. Biegun's arrival came a day after North Korea said it made another "crucial test" at a rocket launch site to develop a strategic weapon to deter U.S. nuclear threats.

Strong quake in southern Philippines kills one, injures several

A strong earthquake struck near the Philippine city of Davao on Sunday, killing a child, damaging buildings and causing several injuries, officials said, the latest in a series of tremors to strike the southern part of the country in recent months. The magnitude 6.8 quake was centered 61 km (38 miles) southwest of Davao on the island of Mindanao, at a depth of 28.2 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said, revising down the magnitude from an earlier 6.9.

Major states snub calls for climate action as U.N. summit wraps up

A handful of major states resisted pressure on Sunday to ramp up efforts to combat global warming as a U.N. climate summit ground to a delayed close, prompting sharp criticism from smaller countries and environmental activists. The COP25 talks in Madrid were viewed as a test of governments' collective will to heed the advice of scientists to cut greenhouse gas emissions more rapidly in order to prevent rising global temperatures from hitting irreversible tipping points.

(With inputs from agencies.)

Give Feedback