[Shabelle] Kismayo, Somalia -- The regional state of Jubaland has announced the suspension of all cooperation with the Federal Government of Somalia, escalating tensions over political and governance issues. The decision, made public early Sunday, marks a significant rift in the country's federal structure.

[Shabelle] Mogadishu, Somalia -- In a decisive move to strengthen national security, Somalia's Cabinet of Ministers has officially endorsed General Odowa Yusuf Raage as the Commander of the Somali National Army, according to a statement released after an emergency meeting held on Sunday night.

[VOA] A senior Somali official insisted Saturday that Ethiopia will not participate in a new African Union peacekeeping mission starting in January.

[Shabelle] Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has touched down in Riyadh on Sunday evening for the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic States Summit.

[Radio Dalsan] The Somali Council of Ministers has reappointed General Odowa Yusuf Raage as Commander of the Somali Armed Forces, replacing General Ibrahim Muhyiddin, during an emergency meeting held in Mogadishu on Sunday night.

[Radio Dalsan] Somaliland's Vice President, Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail Saylici, made headlines on Sunday by publicly endorsing the opposition Waddani Party just days before the November 13 presidential election.

[VOA] Washington -- According to the Somaliland National Electoral Commission, more than 1 million registered and eligible voters head to the polls Wednesday to elect their president for the next five years.

[UNHCR] UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has just concluded a three-day event, hosting partners and Governments from the East and Horn of Africa, Great Lakes Region and Yemen, to review strategies for comprehensive solutions to the ongoing displacement crisis in Somalia. The meeting brought together representatives from Uganda, Yemen, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, as well as the regional body, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and provided a platform for sharing insights and aligning efforts among

[Shabelle] Mogadishu -- Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) conducted a targeted operation in the Dharaarweyn area near Galcad city, within the Galgaduud region.

  Matthias Schmale is the Assistant Secretary-General, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine. Schmale brings more than 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development work. He previously served as Senior Adviser to the UN Development Coordination Office’s regional team for Africa, as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (a.i) in Nigeria, and in several high-level […]

Somalia is currently in the midst of a dire humanitarian crisis that threatens to destabilize the nation’s security. This crisis is a result of the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. Altercations between clan-based operations have caused a host of issues over the years, including over 596 civilian casualties, according to the United Nations […]

During an in-house podcast interview, the Economic Freedom Fighters leader said he had been surprised by the suggestion

Sean Diddy Combs faces another lawsuit filed by GF Cassandra Ventura in 2023Sean 'Diddy' Combs, has been shifted to another unit where inmates can peep on female convicts, as he awaits his May 5 trial.A former inmate, Gene Borrello explained the environment at the respective 4 North unit of...

Small-scale fishers play a fundamental role in feeding people—they use sustainable methods of catching and processing fish products and are a significant force in the employment and livelihoods of millions of people internationally—yet, until now, they have been excluded from climate and biodiversity conferences. For the first time at COP 16, which closed in Cali, […]

In Maldives, youth disengagement and gang violence have emerged as a significant issue, driven by socio-economic factors and limited opportunities for employment and vocational education.

This is the third presidential election in a row that the state's voters have rejected Trump -- after going in 2016 for Hillary Clinton, and in 2020 for President Joe Biden.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that debt cannot become the “acceptable new normal” in climate financing, as he addressed the challenges faced by developing countries within the global climate finance framework.

His statement came during a Climate Finance Round Table Conference organised by Pakistan on the sidelines of the two-day World Leaders Climate Action Summit, also known as COP29, currently being held in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku.

“We stand at a crucial threshold where global climate finance framework must be redefined to effectively meet the needs of vulnerable nations,” PM Shehbaz said.

He explained that financing in the form of loans increases the debt of developing nations and pushes them towards “mounting debt traps” which he referred to as “death traps”.

He added, “Debt cannot become the acceptable new normal in climate financing which is why we must resume focus on non-debt financing solutions enabling countries to fund climate initiatives.”

“Despite years of promises and commitments, the gaps are growing, leading to aggregate barriers in achieving objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).”

PM Shehbaz called climate financing an “urgent need of the hour”, stating that developing countries need to deliver Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and “need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current NDCs.”

The prime minister further urged donor countries to “fulfil their commitment” which is 4.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) and capitalise on existing climate funds.

“One such commitment is a $100bn annual climate pledge established a decade ago at COP15 [which] is now reported by OECD to have reached only $160bn,” he said.

PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan can relate to the “agony and pain of other vulnerable countries”, highlighting how the country faced two devastating floods.

“In 2022, one-third of Pakistan was under water and the country had to repurpose all development and climate funds for financing basic relief and humanitarian efforts,” he said.

Pakistan is ranked among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021. It has faced increasingly frequent and severe weather events, such as unprecedented floods, intense monsoon rains, devastating heat waves, rapid glacial melting and glacial lake outburst floods.

Pakistan witnessed devastating floods during the 2022 monsoon season, induced by climate change, resulting in the loss of at least 1,700 lives.

With 33 million people affected and swathes of agricultural land washed away, the damage incurred losses worth $30 billion, according to government estimates.

In June 2024, a heat wave brought record-high temperatures, severely impacting public health and agriculture.

While emphasising transparency and coordination in financial commitments made to developing countries, he stated that Pakistan alongside other developing countries, calls for stronger more equitable climate finance mechanisms under the UNFCCC.

He reiterated the pertinent need for reform of international financial architecture saying that “now is the time to build up on the momentum for international financial reforms” so that no nation is left behind in the global response to climate change.

PM to highlight ‘balanced and ambitious’ climate action

According to the Foreign Office, several high-level events and roundtable discussions hosted by Pakistan will also take place at the Pakistan Pavilion during COP29.

It added that at COP29, Pakistan will call for “balanced and ambitious progress on all issues such as loss and damage, adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation”.

“It will seek predictable financing to address developing countries’ climate goals. Pakistan will also underscore the historical responsibility and the principle of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibility and call on developed nations to undertake deeper emission cuts.”

PM Shehbaz was warmly received by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and UN Secretary-General António Guterres upon his arrival at the summit venue today, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

The first day of the Climate Action Summit will feature statements from various heads of states, beginning from 3pm Pakistan time.

Speakers include the United Kingdom’s PM Keir Starmer, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Among those scheduled to address the high-level meeting tomorrow, besides PM Shehbaz, are Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus and Russia’s PM Mikhail Mishustin.

PM Shehbaz is listed as the 37th speaker out of 47 leaders during the session scheduled from 10am to 6pm (Pakistan time).

The prime minister will also participate in a high-level event ‘Glaciers 2025: Actions for Glaciers’ organised by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon on the protection of glaciers.

PM Shehbaz will also hold separate meetings with the prime ministers of Denmark and the Czech Republic, who are also attending COP-29, Radio Pakistan stated.

PM meets world leaders

On the sidelines of COP29, PM Shehbaz interacted with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed cooperation on climate change and matters of mutual interest, Radio Pakistan reported.

The premier also met with PM Starmer, where the two discussed enhancing Pakistan-UK cooperation.

He also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan, where they discussed environmental pollution as well as matters of mutual interest between the two friendly nations, the report added.

In his interactions with Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel and Bangladesh’s Yunus, PM Shehbaz discussed growing temperatures, the threat of rising sea levels, and forest conservation in South Asia.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and PM Shehbaz explored strengthening bilateral relations as well as expanding regional connectivity.

In his meetings with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajikistan’s Rahmon, the leaders spoke about the conservation of glaciers and water resources in Central Asian countries and Pakistan.

They also exchanged views on expanding communication links among Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Radio Pakistan highlighted.

World leaders meet for climate talks, but big names missing

Dozens of world leaders convene in Azerbaijan for COP29 but many big names are skipping the UN climate talks where the impact of Donald Trump’s election victory is keenly felt.

UK’s Starmer will unveil an “ambitious” update to the UK’s climate goals later today, and said he wanted his country “to show leadership on the climate challenge.”

Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron are among G20 leaders missing the event, where uncertainty over future US unity on climate action hung over the opening day.

“It’s not an ideal situation,” acknowledged Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s environment minister. “But in 30 years of COP, it’s not the first time that we’ve faced obstacles,” he told AFP.

“Certainly, everything is still possible.”

Washington’s top climate envoy John Podesta is seeking to reassure countries in Baku that Trump’s re-election will not end US efforts on global warming, even if the issue will be “on the back burner”.

But despite calls for global cooperation, the opening day got off to a rocky start, with feuds over the official agenda delaying by hours the start of formal proceedings in the stadium venue near the Caspian Sea.

“This will be a tough COP,” said Fernanda Carvalho, global climate and energy policy lead at WWF.

“Countries are divided. There is a lack of trust,” she told AFP, and divisions over climate finance “will be reflected in every room of those negotiations.”

As climate change threatens the cryosphere — the frozen parts of the Earth — at an alarming rate putting almost a quarter of humanity at risk, Pakistan has advocated for coordinated regional efforts and international support to save the eco-system and build climate resilience, particularly across the Hindu Kush and Himalaya region.

The study ‘The State of the Cryosphere 2024’, released on Tuesday on the sidelines of COP29 in Baku, urged urgent action to control emissions to save glaciers, which are melting at a rapid pace due to global warming.

“Under a high emissions scenario…Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), may experience up to 80% of ice loss. With very low emissions however, up to 40% of glacier ice in the HKH region could be preserved,” it said, adding that projections in a few glacier regions even show slow re-growth beginning between 2100 and 2300, but only with very low emissions and essentially carbon neutrality by 2050.

Against this backdrop, the environment ministers from the HKH met on Tuesday at the Baku Olympics Stadium to come together to save the “third pole” and to keep global temperatures below 1.5 Celsius.

This gathering aimed to discuss the rapidly increasing climate risks and vulnerabilities in the region and beyond, while identifying areas for urgent collective actions, inevitable to addressing the pressing challenges and fulfilling the hopes of the quarter of humanity impacted by these changes, said a statement.

It stated that over the past decade, the rate of glacier melting in the HKH has accelerated by 65 per cent compared to the previous decade (2000-2010) and the trend is projected to continue.

“Over the last decade, the rate of glacier melting in the HKH has accelerated by 65% compared to the previous decade (2000- 2010), and the trend is projected to continue.”

Speaking at the event, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said this was an opportune time for the region to unite to push for a new collective quantified role that would directly address the need of the countries which were most vulnerable to climate change.

Pakistan Prime Minister Adviser on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam said no country across the HKH region could tackle the climate crisis in isolation and besides regional unity, international response was essential.

She said Pakistan stood for regional partnership aiming to save the ecosystem and species, and build climate resilience. She argued for easy access to climate finance to ensure these countries could erect safeguards to protect themselves from climate change.

She said Pakistan was experiencing first-hand the impacts of climate change, increasing the risk of natural disasters in the form of GLOFs and threatening water security and agriculture as well as biodiversity.

Other speakers included delegates from China, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. The event was organised by the Kingdom of Bhutan and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Bleak state of Cryosphere

According to the State of Cryosphere 2024 report, if the current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are met, global temperatures will likely reach 2.3°C by 2100, leading to irreversible ice loss, significant sea-level rise, and severe impacts on coastal regions, mountain communities, and polar ecosystems.

In case of a high emissions scenario, the temperature may rise to 3-3.5°C, which will cause extreme damage, including rapid ice sheet loss, the disappearance of glaciers, and widespread permafrost thaw.

However, the 1.5°C temperature in line with the Paris Agreement can help stabilise the cryosphere and preserve part of glaciers but that cannot happen unless there is a drastic cut in emissions.

“This requires urgent action, however, with emergency-scale tightening of mitigation commitments and fossil fuel emissions declining 40% by 2030,” the report added.

In case there is no action to stop the melting of glaciers, “severe and potentially permanent changes to the water cycle, due to loss of snowpack and ice run-off during the warm summer growing season, will impact food, energy and water security.”

Produced as part of the 2024 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organised by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Centre for Peace and Security.

Header image: View of the landscape from Langtang, Nepal can be seen in this undated handout image. — Tika Gurung via Reuters

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

• At COP29 leaders’ summit, Shehbaz Sharif reminds West of broken promises, calls for overhaul of global climate financing framework
• Links humanity’s survival with health of glaciers, says Pakistan ready to work with world for their protection
• Meets British, Danish, Turkish, Central Asian leaders among others on sidelines of climate summit

BAKU: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tues­day said that debt cannot become the “acceptable new normal” in climate financing, as he addressed the challenges faced by developing countries within the global climate finance framework.

“We stand at a crucial threshold where global climate finance framework must be redefined to effectively meet the needs of vulnerable nations,” he told a Climate Finance Round Table Conference organised by Pakistan on the sidelines of the two-day World Leaders Climate Action Summit.

He explained that finan­c­ing in the form of loans increases the debt of developing nations and pushes them towards “mounting debt traps” which he ref­erred to as “death traps”.

“Debt cannot become the acceptable new normal in climate financing which is why we must resume focus on non-debt financing solutions enabling countries to fund climate initiatives,” the PM said.

“Despite years of promises and commitments, the gaps are growing, leading to aggregate barriers in achieving objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).”

Pakistan is ranked among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable countr­ies, according to the Glo­bal Climate Risk Index 2021. It has faced increasingly frequent and severe weather events, such as unprecedented floods, int­ense monsoon rains, devastating heat waves, rapid glacial melting and glacial lake outburst floods.

Calling climate financing an “urgent need of the hour”, PM Shehbaz said that developing countries need to deliver Nationally Determined Contribu­ti­ons (NDCs) and “need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current NDCs”.

He further urged donor countries to “fulfil their commitment”, which is 4.7 per cent of their gross nat­io­nal product and capitalise on existing climate funds.

The PM said that Pakis­tan can relate to the “agony and pain of other vulnerable countries”, highlighting how the country faced two devastating floods.

While emphasising tra­n­sparency and coordination in financial commitments made to developing countries, he stated that Pakistan alongside other developing countries, calls for stronger more equitable climate finance mechanisms under the UNFCCC.

He reiterated the pertinent need for reform of international financial architecture saying that “now is the time to build up on the momentum for international financial reforms” so that no nation is left behind in the global response to climate change.

Call to protect glaciers

In remarks delivered later at an event on glaciers, the PM linked the survival of mankind with the health of glaciers, adding that Pakistan, as one of the most affected country, was ready to work with the international community to protect these valuable natural resources.

Addressing Glaciers 2025; Actions for Glaciers, hosted by Tajik President Emamoli Rahmon, the prime minister called upon all the countries to unite in the efforts of protecting glaciers from pollution and snow melt by taking concrete and decisive actions to secure the future of glaciers as well as protect the mankind.

He said Pakistan was home to 7,000 glaciers which provided an approximately 60 to 70 per cent water for the Indus River flow, supporting 90pc of agriculture and serving its 200 million people.

However, the glaciers that provide water for this river have been shrinking over a period of time and at an alarming time, which is estimated at about 23pc decrease since 1960, he added.

The prime minister said this retreat was driven by rising temperatures and the consequences of these changes were glaringly visible.

He shared that accelerated glacial melt had led to the formation of more than 3,000 glacial lakes in the northern areas of Pakistan which were posing great threat. Out of these, he said, about 33 lakes were estimated at the risk of outburst flooding, putting lives of over 7 million people in danger.

Meetings with world leaders

On the sidelines of COP29, PM Shehbaz interacted with UAE President Sheikh Moha­m­med bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed cooperation on climate change.

Mr Sharif also met with UK PM Sir Keir Starmer, where the two leaders discussed enhan­c­­i­ng bilateral ties.

He also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan, where they discussed environmental pollution as well as matters of mutual interest between the two friendly nations, the report added.

PM Shehbaz also met with the Czech PM Petr Fiala and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen and stressed the need to enhance bilateral cooperation as well as build global consensus on the key climate change priorities.

In his interactions with Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel and Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus, PM Shehbaz discussed growing temperatures, the threat of rising sea levels, and forest conservation in South Asia.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and PM Shehbaz explored strengthening bilateral relations. In his meetings with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajikistan’s Rahmon, the leaders spoke about the conservation of glaciers and water resources in Central Asian countries and Pakistan.

With input from APP

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

12c manual comma to decimal

to write informal report

12c manual decimal

Migration may reinforce less productive forms of informal employment in rural Nepal.

The technical assistance (TA) will support the Kingdom of Cambodia in building resilience within, and improving the competitiveness of the country's private sector by enhancing the capacity of state institutions to support adoption of digital technologies and to foster innovation and diversification in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), where women entrepreneurs and workers are traditionally prevalent.

The proposed SMEDP2-Phase 2 will consist of a $100 million concessional loan from ADB's ordinary capital resources and an attached technical assistance of $950,000 in aggregate from TASF-7 and Financial Sector Development Partnership Special Fund. It will finance the continuation and expansion of activities financed under the SMEDP2 project by increasing the number and size of commercially viable cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs), as well as supporting employment in the CMSME sector.

The project will support an expansion of Indonesia's geothermal generating capacity to contribute to the sustainability, resiliency, and sufficiency of the electricity system. The project will support PT Geo Dipa Energi (GDE), a state-owned geothermal company, to commission an additional 110 megawatts (MW) of geothermal electricity generating capacity at the Dieng geothermal field in Central Java.

During a fight between two male mice, one will often run to a female mouse to distract their aggressor, a bait-and-switch strategy that could help abate social conflicts

The natural motors that power tail-like appendages in bacteria seem to have a single evolutionary origin, allowing parts from different species to be combined to create a tiny new engine

The oriental hornet shows no ill effects – or behavioural changes – when it spends a week drinking an 80 per cent alcohol solution

When it comes to exercise, more isn't necessarily better – and we're now discovering the ideal dose for better health

Cosmological puzzles are tempting astronomers to rethink our simple picture of the universe – and ask whether dark matter is even stranger than we thought

A new technique uses glowing molecules, laser light and microscopes to measure distances as minuscule as 0.1 nanometres – the width of a typical atom

If humans still exist millions of years from now, they will face inhospitably warm conditions on a supercontinent centred at the equator. Most land mammals won't be able to survive

Thanks to artificial intelligence, understanding animals may be closer than we think. But we may not like what they are going to tell us, says RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood

Fibres in wet wipes and clothes often make their way into soil - and natural versions could be more damaging than synthetic ones

The brain pathway that causes hairy mammals like mice and dogs to shake themselves dry appears to have more to do with pressure than temperature

The skull of Shanidar Z was found in the Shanidar cave in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and has been painstakingly put back together

Tonje Bøe Birkeland's photographs imagine the exploits of fictional female scientists and adventurers from the past

An arm bone from an ancient human that lived 700,000 years ago on the island of Flores is the smallest ever found from an adult hominin, adding a new piece to the puzzle of Homo floresiensis

Title: Study Suggests Statins Could Help Some With Normal Cholesterol
Category: Health News
Created: 8/25/2010 12:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2010 12:00:00 AM

Title: New Policy Supports Choice for Male Circumcision
Category: Health News
Created: 8/27/2012 11:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2012 12:00:00 AM

Title: Multiple Brain Tumors Even More Malignant: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 8/24/2012 2:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2012 12:00:00 AM

Title: In Showdowns Between Sexes, Male Ego Bruises Easily
Category: Health News
Created: 8/30/2013 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/30/2013 12:00:00 AM

Title: Cosmetic Eye Procedure May Ease Migraines, Small Study Says
Category: Health News
Created: 8/22/2014 12:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/25/2014 12:00:00 AM

Title: Even Normal-Weight Teens Can Have Dangerous Eating Disorders, Study Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2014 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2014 12:00:00 AM

Title: Antiviral Drug May Prevent Ebola, Small Study Suggests
Category: Health News
Created: 8/25/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2015 12:00:00 AM

Title: Too Few Female Urologists to Meet Aging Patients' Demand
Category: Health News
Created: 8/22/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/22/2016 12:00:00 AM