Under New Leadership, OAS Is Determined to Show Progress on Haiti
Amid pressure from Washington to resolve the crisis in Haiti, the new head of the Western Hemisphere's top multilateral organization pledged to work with the United Nations and international donors to chart a roadmap for peace in the violence-torn island nation.
In an interview, Organization of American States Secretary General Albert Ramdin described finding a solution for Haiti as a 'moral obligation.'
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Erdogan says he's 'optimistic victory will be Iran's' in blistering speech as strikes continue
As the conflict between Israel and Iran enters its ninth consecutive day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he's "optimistic that victory will be Iran's" in a blistering speech at a gathering of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers in Istanbul. Erdogan accused Israel of sabotaging the nuclear talks between Iran and the US — which were ongoing when Israel first launched strikes last Friday, June 13 — adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to "resolve issues through diplomatic means." He urged the diplomats at the OIC meeting to increase pressure on Israel on the basis of international law and UN resolutions. Erdogan's harsh rhetoric comes days before he's due to join a meeting of leaders of the NATO Alliance this week, including US President Donald Trump, who has dismissed a European-led effort to steer parties to the negotiating table. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us," Trump told reporters in New Jersey late on Friday. "Europe is not going to be able to help in this one." Meanwhile, Israel said its strikes had targeted Iran's nuclear site in Isfahan, and that it had killed three senior commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar said in an interview published in Germany's Bild newspaper on Saturday that Israel has already delayed Iran's nuclear programme by "at least two or three years." Euronews brings you rolling coverage and updates throughout the day.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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World Bank and IMF climate snub 'worrying', says COP29 presidency
The hosts of the most recent UN climate talks are worried international lenders are retreating from their commitments to help boost funding for developing countries' response to global warming. Major development banks have agreed to boost climate spending and are seen as crucial in the effort to dramatically increase finance to help poorer countries build resilience to impacts and invest in renewable energy. But anxiety has grown as the Trump administration has slashed foreign aid and discouraged US-based development lenders such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund from focussing on climate finance. Developing nations, excluding China, will need an estimated $1.3 trillion a year by 2035 in financial assistance to transition to renewable energy and climate-proof their economies from increasing weather extremes. Nowhere near this amount has been committed. At last year's UN COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, rich nations agreed to increase climate finance to $300 billion a year by 2035, an amount decried as woefully inadequate. Azerbaijan and Brazil, which is hosting this year's COP30 conference, have launched an initiative to reduce the shortfall, with the expectation of "significant" contributions from international lenders. But so far only two -- the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank -- have responded to a call to engage the initiative with ideas, said COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev. "We call on their shareholders to urgently help us to address these concerns," he told climate negotiators at a high-level summit in the German city of Bonn this week. "We fear that a complex and volatile global environment is distracting" many of those expected to play a big role in bridging the climate finance gap, he added. - A 'worrisome trend' - His team travelled to Washington in April for the IMF and World Bank's spring meetings hoping to find the same enthusiasm for climate lending they had encountered a year earlier. But instead they found institutions "very much reluctant now to talk about climate at all", said Azerbaijan's top climate negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev. This was a "worrisome trend", he said, given expectations these lenders would extend the finance needed in the absence of other sources. "They're very much needed," he said. The World Bank is directing 45 percent of its total lending to climate, as part of an action plan in place until June 2026, with the public portion of that spilt 50/50 between emissions reductions and building resilience. The United States, the World Bank's biggest shareholder, has pushed in a different direction. On the sidelines of the April spring meetings, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the bank to focus on "dependable technologies" rather than "distortionary climate finance targets." This could mean investing in gas and other fossil fuel-based energy production, he said. Under the Paris Agreement, wealthy developed countries -- those most responsible for global warming to date -- are obliged to pay climate finance to poorer nations. Other countries, most notably China, make voluntary contributions. - Money matters - Finance is a source of long-running tensions at UN climate negotiations. Donors have consistently failed to deliver on past finance pledges, and have committed well below what experts agree developing nations need to cope with the climate crisis. The issue flared up again this week in Bonn, with nations at odds over whether to debate financial commitments from rich countries during the formal meetings. European nations have also pared back their foreign aid spending in recent months, raising fears that budgets for climate finance could also face a haircut. At COP29, multilateral development banks (MDBs) led by the World Bank Group estimated they could provide $120 billion annually in climate financing to low and middle income countries, and mobilise another $65 billion from the private sector by 2030. Their estimate for high income countries was $50 billion, with another $65 billion mobilised from the private sector. Rob Moore, of policy think tank E3G, said these lenders are the largest providers of international public finance to developing countries. "Whilst they are facing difficult political headwinds in some quarters, they would be doing both themselves and their clients a disservice by disengaging on climate change," he said. The World Bank in particular has done "a huge amount of work" to align its lending with global climate goals. "If they choose to step back this would be at their own detriment, and other banks like the regionally based MDBs would likely play a bigger role in shaping the economy of the future," he said. The World Bank declined to comment on the record. klm/np/mh/jj
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
In pictures: Modi leads record attempt as India marks International Day of Yoga
People across the world marked the 11th International Day of Yoga on Saturday with mass yoga sessions, community events and awareness drives to highlight this year's theme – Yoga for One Earth, One Health. In India, large events were held in every state and union territory, with prime minister Narendra Modi leading the main celebration from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The beachfront yoga session, held along a 28km stretch of the city's coastline, aimed to double the previous Guinness World Record for the largest yoga lesson – set in Gujarat on this day two years ago at 147,952 participants. Andhra Pradesh's chief minister claimed 303,000 people attended on Saturday morning, though the final official tally was yet to be confirmed by Guinness World Records. Indian military personnel also took part in Yoga Day celebrations, performing yoga on the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier in the Himalayas and aboard naval ships in the Bay of Bengal. The United Nations first adopted 21 June as International Yoga Day in 2014 after a proposal by India was unanimously supported by the General Assembly. The date was chosen to coincide with the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, considered an auspicious time. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Modi shared photos and video from the celebrations at Visakhapatnam. Highlights from today's Yoga Day programme in Visakhapatnam…Urging you all to make Yoga a part of your daily lives. You'll see how transformative it is! — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2025 'Unfortunately, today the entire world is going through some tension. Unrest and instability have been increasing in many regions. In such times, yoga gives us the direction of peace. Yoga is the pause button that humanity needs to breathe, balance, and become whole again,' he said in his address. Officials in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district held a special session held at the recently inaugurated Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge. #WATCH | J&K: In a blend of nature, engineering marvel, and wellness, the District Administration Reasi today celebrated #InternationalDayofYoga by organising a special Yoga session at the world's highest railway bridge — the iconic Chenab Rail event witnessed… — ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2025 In London, the Indian High Commission held a public yoga session on the Strand in collaboration with King's College London, where high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami read out a special message from King Charles III. 🧘♀️ The 11th #InternationalDayOfYoga was celebrated today at the iconic Strand, London!Yoga enthusiasts gathered for open and free yoga session hosted by @HCI_London & @KingsCollegeLon under this year's theme: 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health.' #IDY2025… — India in the UK (@HCI_London) June 20, 2025 'The theme of this year's day, Yoga for One Earth, One Health, reminds us how vitally important it is that the world comes together to secure a happy and healthy future for present and future generations,' read the King's message from Buckingham Palace. 'Year on year, Yoga is increasing in popularity across the United Kingdom, with millions of people in our country reaping its benefits. 'Yoga is a powerful means of enabling anyone to improve their physical and mental health and fosters a sense of wellbeing and togetherness within communities,' he said. CGI New York, in collaboration with @TimesSquareNYC, hosted a vibrant Yoga Session at the iconic Crossroads of the World – Times Square!Here are a few more glimpses from this energizing celebration of wellness and unity. #YogaforOneEarthOneHealth@MEAIndia @AnupamPKher… — India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) June 20, 2025 In New York, the Consulate General of India organised a large public yoga session at Times Square, drawing locals, tourists, and yoga practitioners to the heart of Manhattan. Held in collaboration with Times Square NYC, the event transformed the iconic intersection into an open-air yoga studio, where hundreds of participants performed asanas beneath towering billboards.
