NETHERLANDS
Shell wins court appeal
An appeals court yesterday overturned a landmark ruling that ordered energy company Shell to cut its carbon emissions by a net 45 percent by 2030 from 2019 levels. The decision was a defeat for the Dutch arm of environmental group Friends of the Earth, which hailed the original 2021 ruling as a victory for the climate. Yesterday’s civil ruling can be appealed to the Supreme Court. Presiding Judge Carla Joustra said that Shell already has targets for climate-warming carbon emissions that are in line with demands of Friends of the Earth — both for what it directly produces and for emissions produced by energy the company purchase from others. She added that an order for Shell to cut emissions by people and businesses who buy its products would be unlikely to have an effect as the products could be sold by another company.
MAURITIUS
Opposition in landslide win
An opposition coalition has won the elections by a landslide, taking all seats in parliament in a major rejection of the current government. Results released at various constituencies across the nation throughout Monday showed that the governing coalition, led by Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, failed to get any of the 62 seats up for election. Jagnauth conceded defeat before all results were announced, saying his Militant Socialist Movement coalition was headed for a huge defeat, as it became clear that the opposition was winning in all of the nation’s 21 constituencies. The Alliance for Change coalition’s win would see the return of Navin Ramgoolam as prime minister. He served from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014. Jugnauth had been seeking another five-year term, but his government faced corruption allegations after recordings of politicians and business people were leaked online. Official results that would include two seats from Rodrigues Island were expected yesterday, but the opposition has already won all 60 seats that have been announced. Another eight lawmakers are to be nominated by the Electoral Supervisory Council.
JAPAN
Hunt on for missing sailor
Tokyo yesterday canceled a joint naval training exercise with the US as it searches for a sailor missing after a minesweeping ship caught fire and sank. Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani said a search was under way for a 33-year-old after the Ukushima went up in flames on Sunday in waters off southwestern Fukuoka. The ship’s other crew members, about 40 people, were rescued, including one injured person, officials said. A dozen naval ships joined coastguard vessels and dive teams to look for the missing sailor, Nakatani said. Officials believe the fire started in the ship’s engine room.
UNITED STATES
Saks changing display
Dazzling displays of synchronized lights on the facade of Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan have thrilled holiday visitors for years — but the store’s holiday display will look a bit different this year, a spokesperson said on Monday. “In our 100th year, which also marks the anniversary of the flagship, we are celebrating the season by honoring the architectural significance of this iconic building, elegantly illuminating the facade and framing the holiday windows, as well as highlighting the fashion for which Saks Fifth Avenue is known,” the spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement. The holiday windows will be on display later this month. The flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store is across from Rockefeller Plaza and its towering Christmas tree.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
RSS