COP28 Convenes, Ceasefire Extension, & Rats In Australia
November 28, 2023
A Couple COP Controversies
The COP28 climate summit is set to begin in the United Arab Emirates this Thursday, but some chaos is making headlines already. First, U.S. President Joe Biden has pulled out of attending, citing other diplomatic obligations. Second, it’s been revealed that two countries in attendance – one of which is the UAE, the host of the summit – are still looking to push fossil fuels onto developing nations in order to fuel their own ambitions.
According to documents published by the Centre for Climate Reporting, a nonprofit investigative journalism group, the UAE has planned to leverage its position as host to hold discussions about oil and gas deals with over a dozen countries. Leaked UAE notes on China say that Beijing is “willing to jointly evaluate international liquefied natural gas opportunities (Mozambique, Canada, and Australia).” Other notes reveal the UAE’s plans to tell Saudi Arabia and Venezuela that “there is no conflict between sustainable development of any country’s natural resources and its commitment to climate change.”
“If confirmed, these news reports add to the existing concerns regarding the COP28 presidency. The credibility of the U.N. climate negotiations is essential and is at stake here,” said Belgium’s climate minister.
Another investigation, also released on Monday, revealed information about Saudi Arabia’s oil demand sustainability program (ODSP). The investment plan is aimed at creating new uses for fossil fuels in a world where rich countries are increasingly turning to green energy. The plan calls for investment in areas like supersonic jets (which consume three times the fuel of a normal jet) and power ships (which use heavy fuel oil or gas to power coastal communities). It also aims to increase developing nations’ reliance on fossil fuels by promoting gas-powered cars and buses in Africa. Not a good look for a country that will be in attendance at COP28 later this week.
Some Good News
- Scientists raise hopes of cure for eczema itchiness with study of skin bacteria (Guardian)
- Gunnison elects first Cora Indian to city council, giving voice to community that lived mainly in the shadows (Colorado Sun)
48 More Hours Of Reprieve
- There will be a little bit of peace in the Middle East, at least for a few more days. Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their temporary ceasefire for two days, as both sides will continue to trade hostages to keep the peace. By the end of Monday, the number of hostages released by each side totaled 50 Israelis and 19 other hostages released by Hamas, and 150 Palestinians released by Israel.
- The extended peace deal will let more much-needed humanitarian aid flow into Gaza. The agreement was hammered out with Qatar taking the lead and the help of the U.S. and Egypt. “We also hope and call for the transformation of that pause into a much longer-term humanitarian cease-fire across the board,” said a U.N. spokesman. Over 13,300 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict so far, and the U.N. estimates that over 80% of the 2.2 million people living in Gaza have been displaced by the war.
Want To Know More?
- Elon Musk visits destroyed kibbutz and meets Netanyahu in wake of antisemitic post (CNN)
- Newly freed hostages describe what life was like while being held by Hamas (NBC)
- Civilian deaths are being dismissed as ‘crisis actors’ in Gaza and Israel (NPR)
Is Meta Mining Minors?
- According to a recently unsealed legal complaint, Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta received (but never acted on) millions of reports about underage accounts on its platforms. The complaint is part of a larger suit against the tech giant alleging that the issue of underage users was an “open secret” at Meta, but the company only deactivated a handful of the offending accounts.
- Besides focusing on the sheer number of underage users allowed to access Meta platforms with the company’s knowledge, the lawsuit also touches on how Instagram and Facebook are engineered to appeal to children under the age of 18. According to whistleblower Frances Haugen, internal Meta studies revealed that Instagram and similar platforms pushed anorexia-related content onto children. A 2020 internal presentation at the company focused on teenagers, discussing how they’re driven by “emotion, the intrigue of novelty and reward” and how these behaviors “manifest . . . in product usage.”
Additional World News
- India tunnel collapse rescue effort turns to “rat miners” with 41 workers still stuck after 16 days (CBS)
- Missiles fired from Yemen toward US warship that responded to attack on commercial tanker (CNN)
- Lightning strikes kill 24 people in India amid unusually heavy rain storms in Gujarat state (CBS)
- Russia puts the spokesman for Facebook owner Meta on a wanted list (ABC)
- Powerful storm pounds the Black Sea region, leaving more than a half-million people without power (AP)
- North Korea moves heavy weapons to border with South (Guardian)
- Former UK leader Boris Johnson joins a march against antisemitism in London (ABC)
“I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.” – Maya Angelou
Mister Bone Spur’s Military Motivations
- As we inch closer and closer to former President Trump being named the GOP presidential candidate, some of his plans should he win back the White House in 2024 have people…let’s call it “intrigued.” He’s talked about using the military at the border, against foreign drug cartels, and in cities struggling with violent crime – in Iowa this weekend, he called liberal cities like New York City and Chicago “crime dens.”
- If you, like us, are wondering how deploying the military on a city is even possible, we have the answer for you: the Insurrection Act, passed in 1792 “for a country that doesn’t exist anymore,” according to Joseph Nunn, a national security expert with the Brennan Center for Justice. The act allows the president to call reserve or active-duty military units to respond to unrest in the states, and the only hurdle that Trump would have to clear is that the president is required to first request that people involved in unrest disperse – a low bar for a man that’s not often worried about the rules.
Young Slimes Face 25 To Life
- Opening statements began in a Georgia RICO case yesterday – no, not that one, the other one. Rapper Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) has been accused of using his record label Young Stoner Life Records (YSL) as a front for Young Slime Life, an Atlanta-based criminal street gang affiliated with the Bloods.
- Fulton County Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love said “YSL operated as a pact,” and that the gang “created a crater in the middle of Fulton County’s Cleveland Avenue community that sucked in the youth, the innocence and even the lives of some of its youngest members.” Young Thug was charged last year alongside more than two dozen other people.
- Several defendants took plea deals last December – including the rapper Gunna – while others were severed from the case. Of the defendants, only six – including Williams – have pleaded not guilty. The gang is accused of nearly a decade of criminal acts, including armed robbery, hijacking, motor vehicle theft, possession of a machine gun, and murder.
Additional USA Reads
- Oregon teachers reach tentative deal to end strike after three weeks of no school (Guardian)
- 15-year-old Pennsylvania boy faces first-degree murder charge in shooting of a homeless man (CNN)
- Trump defends mistaking Obama for Biden, says he’s being sarcastic (The Hill)
- Suspect in shooting of 3 Palestinian college students in Vermont pleads not guilty (CNN)
- Congress got its Christmas break — and will suffer for it in January (Politico)
- Teenage murder suspect escapes jail for the second time in 2 weeks in Louisiana (CBS)
- Biden plans to use cold-war era law in attempt to lower US prices (Guardian)
The One Creature That Can Scare An Australian
- Australia is home to all kinds of wildlife. Kangaroos, platypuses, massive spiders, you name it and the land down under has it. Recently, though, the country has been overrun by waves of (surprisingly cute) creatures you wouldn’t expect: rats. Queensland, Australia’s northeasternmost state, is currently being infested by swarms of rats, which are eating everything they can (and some things they can’t).
- The rats, despite their invasive nature at the moment, are actually a species native to Australia. They’re called long-haired rats, and their population has exploded in the past week thanks to Australia’s unusually high levels of rainfall this year. That rainfall has boosted vegetation growth, in turn providing more food for local rat populations. Those surplus rats then began to venture into nearby towns for food and shelter.
- Now, the rodents are reproducing and dying at alarming rates, raising up a stink across the state as their corpses pile up, with a few mass graves clumping up along seashores. The waves of rats don’t seem to be letting up at the moment, though, thanks to the species’ drive to reproduce. According to one expert, long-haired rats can “produce 12 young every three weeks when conditions are good,” and you can bet that the conditions will be good in Queensland for a little while longer.
Additional Reads
- What is a Beaver Moon, and when can you see it? (CBS)
- The Problems Lurking in Hollywood’s Historic AI Deal (Wired, $)
- Diplomas for sale, $465: Inside one of Louisiana’s unapproved schools (AP)
- Swedish court sides with Tesla over blocked licence plates (Reuters)
- Paris mayor quits X, calling social media site a ‘gigantic global sewer’ (Guardian)
- Merriam-Webster’s 2023 word of the year is the real deal (CNN)
- “Tasmanian Devil” event has the power of hundreds of billions of Suns (Ars Technica)