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The annual United Nations climate summit has started in Azerbaijan, with countries readying for tough talks on finance and trade, following a year of weather disasters that have emboldened developing countries in their demands for more funds.

Starting Monday, delegates from nearly 200 countries will be at the two-week COP29 forum in the capital city of Baku for talks being held under the long shadow cast by the re-election of Donald Trump, who has threatened to roll back the United States’s carbon-cutting commitments.

In his opening speech, UN climate chief Simon Stiell said that world leaders must show that global cooperation “is not down for the count”.

“Here in Baku, we must agree a new global climate finance goal. If at least two thirds of the world’s nations cannot afford to cut emissions quickly, then every nation pays a brutal price,” he warned.

Stiell also appealed for an “ambitious” new goal on providing climate funding to the world’s poorer nations, saying: “Let’s dispense with any idea that climate finance is charity.”In welcoming delegates, Azerbaijan’s Ecology Minister Mukhtar Babayev, who also serves as COP29 president, declared that “climate change is already here”.

“COP29 is the unmissable moment to chart a new path forward for everyone.”

The COP29 talks open amid new warnings that 2024 is on track to break temperature records, adding urgency to a fractious debate over climate funding as poorer countries seek an increase in the $100bn-a-year target at the forum.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Damilola Ogunbiyi, UN Special Representative on Sustainable Energy, said that one of her “key expectations is on the role of climate finance”.

“We have a record-breaking year of investments in clean renewable energy. However, only 15 percent of that goes to the global south,” she said.

Trump’s return also looms over the discussions, with fears that an imminent US departure from the landmark Paris Agreement to limit global warming could mean less ambition around the negotiating table.

“We cannot afford to let the momentum for global action on climate change be derailed,” said Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change and environment. “This is a shared problem that will not solve itself without international cooperation, and we will continue to make that case to the incoming president of one of the world’s largest polluters.”

Outgoing US President Joe Biden is staying away from the talks, as are many leaders who have traditionally appeared early in COP talks to lend weight to the proceedings. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is fighting a political crisis after the collapse of his ruling coalition, has also cancelled his trip to Baku.

Just a handful of leaders from the Group of 20, whose countries account for nearly 80 percent of global emissions, are attending.

Afghanistan will however be sending a delegation for the first time since the Taliban took power. They are expected to have an observer status.

Diplomats have insisted that the absences, and Trump’s win, will not detract from the serious work at hand, particularly agreeing on a new figure for climate funding to developing countries.

Host Azerbaijan will be tasked with keeping countries focused on agreeing to a new global finance target deal to replace the current $100bn pledge expiring this year. How much will be on offer, who will pay, and who can access the funds are some of the major points of contention.

“It’s hard. It involves money. When it comes to money, everybody shows their true colours,” Adonia Ayebare, the Ugandan chair of a bloc that groups more than 100 mostly developing countries and China, told the AFP news agency.

Ayebare brushed aside the potential consequences of a US withdrawal, noting that Trump already took Washington out of the Paris Agreement during his first term.

The talks also come with the latest warnings that the world is far off track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The climate deal commits to keep warming below 2C (3.6F) compared with pre-industrial levels, preferably below 1.5C (2.7F). But the world is on track to top that level in 2024, according to the European Union climate monitor.

Earlier this year, the UN warned the world is on track for a catastrophic 3.1C (5.58F) of warming this century based on current actions.

Source: Aljazeera

Pravind Jugnauth, the incumbent prime minister of Mauritius, has conceded defeat in the parliamentary election, saying his political alliance is headed for a major loss.

“L’Alliance Lepep is heading towards a huge defeat. I have tried to do what I can for the country and the population. The population has decided to choose another team. I wish good luck to the country,” Jugnauth, serving as prime minister since 2017, told reporters on Monday.

Final results have yet to be officially released, but opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam looks set to take over as prime minister for the third time at the head of his Alliance of Change coalition.

Voters went to the polls on Sunday to elect legislators for the 62 seats in parliament for the next five years, from a list of 68 parties and five political alliances. The party or coalition to receive more than half the seats in parliament will also win the prime minister’s post.Only last month, Jugnauth, 62, was celebrating a historic deal with the United Kingdom to regain sovereignty over the Chagos Islands following a long-running dispute. But the campaign was overshadowed by an explosive wire-tapping scandal, when secretly recorded phone calls of politicians, diplomats and journalists were leaked online.

During a sometimes-heated campaign, both camps promised voters they would take measures to improve the lives of Mauritians who face cost-of-living difficulties despite strong economic growth.

Turnout in Sunday’s vote was strong at about 80 percent, according to provisional estimates by the election commission. Sixty-two seats were up for grabs under a first-past-the-post system, with the remaining eight allocated under what is dubbed the “best loser” system.

Voters had voiced concern about the continued political and economic durability of one of the richest and most stable democracies in Africa.

Both Jugnauth and Ramgoolam are members of the dynasties that have dominated politics in Mauritius since it became independent from the UK in 1968.

Ramgoolam, 77, is the son of Seewoosagur Ramgoolam – who led Mauritius to independence – and served as prime minister between 1995 and 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014.

On Sunday, he had voiced optimism that his bloc would win. “We are heading towards a big victory tomorrow. The people are waiting for this liberation,” he told reporters.

The majority-Hindu nation has seen substantial stability and growth since independence, building an economy based on tourism as well as financial services and textile manufacturing.

Gross domestic product per capita in 2022 was more than $10,000, according to the World Bank. But analysts have highlighted growing concerns about governance and corruption.

The island is renowned for its spectacular palm-fringed white beaches and turquoise waters, attracting 1.3 million visitors last year.

Source: Aljazeera

The Adamawa State Police Command arrested a 19-year-old man, Aliyu Yaro, on Friday for allegedly killing his three-day-old baby boy.

In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the command spokesperson, CSP Suleiman Nguroji, it was disclosed that the baby was the child of Yaro’s girlfriend.

According to the statement, the suspect hails from Kwacham Ward in Mubi North Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

His girlfriend, Safiya, accused him of murdering the baby three days after its birth.During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and led the police to the burial site, where the baby’s remains were exhumed.

The statement revealed, “He narrated that he impregnated the mother of the deceased, who happens to be his girlfriend. After the delivery, she continued to call him to come and take responsibility for the baby.”

“Aliyu said he went to his girlfriend’s house at night after receiving a call. He took the infant after sending the mother to fetch water for him.”

He further recounted that he buried the baby around 9:00 p.m. at Girpata, Mubi.

The Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, Morris Dankombo, expressed concern over the incident and ordered the case transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for thorough investigation and prosecution.

Source: Punch

On Sunday, terrorists attacked Oil Village in Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State, abducting the 9-year-old daughter of a local farmer.While the police have yet to respond to the incident, a source revealed that the father expressed gratitude to security agencies for their efforts but appealed to the government and well-meaning individuals to help secure the safe return of his daughter, who was taken from his residence early Sunday morning.

According to the father, who requested anonymity for security reasons, the assailants arrived at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Saturday night and left around 1 a.m. with his daughter. The four-man gang reportedly entered the compound by scaling the fence near the Kaduna Refinery Quarters area. After two of them gained entry, they opened the gate for the others.

The attackers initially attempted to break in through the back and front doors but ultimately gained access to the girl’s room through a window. The father recounted that he briefly interacted with one of the kidnappers through his window before members of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVIS) arrived, prompting the kidnappers to flee.

Shortly afterward, the Nigerian Army arrived with two truckloads of officers, followed by the police, but the assailants had already escaped.

Source: Vanguard

To safeguard public health, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has raided wine shops in Mararaba Market, New Nyanya, and Masaka areas of Nasarawa State, resulting in the seizure of counterfeit and adulterated wines and spirits valued at over ₦41.2 million.

This was announced in a statement shared by NAFDAC on X.com on Monday.The post reads, “NAFDAC has conducted a major raid on wine shops in Mararaba Market, as well as the New Nyanya and Masaka areas of Nasarawa State.“The operation targeted counterfeit and adulterated wines and spirits, leading to the seizure of products valued at over ₦41.2 million.

“NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement team is actively investigating the importers or manufacturers behind these counterfeit drinks.

“NAFDAC urges consumers to remain vigilant and report suspicious products to the nearest NAFDAC office for immediate action.”

Source: Punch

It was an emotional reunion with the family in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State on Sunday as Joshua Jessa, a kidnapping victim who was reportedly abducted by yet-to-be-identified kidnappers, ‘miraculously’ escaped from his captors and rejoined his family.

PUNCH Online gathered that Jessa, who was kidnapped last Wednesday, escaped from the kidnappers’ den on Sunday evening.

The victim’s father, Chief Jessa Harrison, the Chief Executive Officer of Jessa Global Limited, could not hide his joy as he embraced his son, describing his son’s ordeal in the kidnappers’ den as “a miraculous escape.”

Harrison, in a Facebook post, narrated how his son, Joshua Jessa, was kidnapped last Wednesday but regained his freedom on Sunday evening.

Speaking to journalists on Sunday night, he disclosed that his son “was kidnapped by two armed men who whisked him into the bush on Wednesday before he ‘miraculously’ escaped from the abductors on Sunday.”

“God released my son. I did not pay one naira,” the highly elated father said.

It was gathered that the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N50 million but, after much negotiation, reduced it to N6 million.

Further reports indicated that the money was to be paid on Sunday evening before the victim’s escape.

The father continued, “My boy ran from the kidnappers to Kokori, from where he called me.

“I thought it was a joke. We then went in search of him. I took him to Eku for treatment before bringing him home.”

Chief Jessa, however, expressed concern over what he described as the lukewarm response of the police in the community to his complaint about his son’s abduction.

“I was only joined by my younger brother, who is the SSA on Security to the Governor, and vigilante members in the search for the boy after receiving his call that he had escaped,” he stated.

The Police Public Relations Officer for Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, could not be reached for comment on the incident at the time of filing this report.

Source: Punch

A three-man armed gang shot two people dead in the early hours of Monday, while two others sustained bullet injuries in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement released on Monday.

Odutola explained that the incident occurred at about 12:30 am in the parking lot of Diamond Dumplings, GRA, Abeokuta.

She stated that three armed men in an unregistered black Toyota Hilux confronted the occupants of a black Mercedes Benz GLE 350 with a DLA licence plate, demanding the car keys.Odutola said, “Three armed men in an unregistered black Toyota Hilux confronted the occupants of a black Mercedes Benz GLE 350 with a DLA licence plate, demanding the car keys.

“The assailants opened fire, hitting one Ola (surname unknown), Shobanke Oluwatimileyin, and two others. The Divisional Police Officer from Ibara, responding to distress calls, arrived at the scene and ensured the area was secure before transporting the victims to the hospital.

“Upon their arrival, the attending doctor confirmed two fatalities, while the other two individuals are receiving medical attention at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, Abeokuta.”

She further revealed that a preliminary investigation had been initiated to examine the factors leading to the two deaths and to assess any potential links to cult activities.

“The public will be informed about the progress of the investigation in the coming days, as a follow-up to arrest the fleeing suspects,” she said.

Source: Punch

Soldiers of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Barracks; 14 Brigade headquarters, Ohafia, attached to 144 Battalion, Ukwa West local government area of Abia State have repelled an attempted attack by gunmen on police and military checkpoints in the state.

The NATION reports the gunmen reportedly attacked some police officers on a stop-and-search operation near the popular Aro Ngwa axis of the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

It was learnt the quick response of soldiers from the 144 Battalion stopped the gunmen from setting the patrol van of the police team on fire.It was further gathered soldiers at the Aro Ngwa junction, on receiving information on the attack of the police personnel, alerted their colleagues at the Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state for support. Some of the commuters who witnessed the event described the gun battle as a near-war battle situation.According to the commuters, the gun battle was fierce with many abandoning their vehicles to take safety in nearby bushes to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

Efforts to reach Abia Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Maureen Chinaka failed.

A source at the 14 Brigade, Ohafia who confirmed the rescue operation by the 144 Battalion personnel said the gunmen were members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) apparently looking for weapons.

The source disclosed that the IPOB members who operated in a white Sienna Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) were overpowered by the superior weapons of the military personnel and ran into the bush.

The source however informed a soldier wounded in the shoot-out has been admitted for medical attention.

The source disclosed that the gunmen fled through the Owerrenta axis of Owerri-Aba Expressway on the heat of the gun duel.

Source: The Nation