Azer News – Page 1121 – Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

White House accuses South Africa of bocking smooth G20 presidency handover

The White House has accused South Africa of declining to ensure a smooth handover of the G20 presidency to the United States, Azernews reports via TRT World. The claim comes after South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said it would transfer the presidency to Washington ‘at an appropriate level’, shortly after the G20 adopted a climate-crisis declaration opposed by the US.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said on Saturday that President Cyril Ramaphosa had pushed for a G20 leaders’ statement addressing the climate emergency and other global issues ‘despite consistent and robust US objections.’

She added that President Donald Trump was looking forward to ‘restoring legitimacy to the G20 in the US’ 2026 host year.’

Earlier, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters at the summit that the US had wanted the handover to be carried out through the chargé d’affaires at its embassy in Pretoria.

Lamola stressed that South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) sought to make a clear distinction between the formal handover process and the ongoing summit discussions attended by world leaders and their duly appointed representatives.

Trump says Ukraine peace plan is not his ‘final offer’

United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his
28-point peace plan for Ukraine is not his “final proposal” to
Kiev, Azernews reports.
“We are trying to end it one way or another. We must finish it.
This should…

United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his
28-point peace plan for Ukraine is not his “final proposal” to
Kiev, Azernews reports.

“We are trying to end it one way or another. We must finish it.
This should have happened a long time ago,” Trump told reporters
before leaving the White House. When asked what would happen if
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused the proposed plan,
the US president said that “then he [Zelensky] can continue to
fight with all his might.”

Earlier today, the Ukrainian officials announcedthat talks on
the peace plan between Washington and Kiev will take place in the
coming days in Switzerland.

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US, China held maritime security talks in Hawaii

The U.S. and Chinese militaries this week held “frank and
constructive” maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said on
Saturday, as the two superpowers gradually restore
military-to-military communications after several mo…

The working-level meetings took place November 18-20 in Hawaii,
according to a posting on the official social media account of the
People’s Liberation Army Navy.

U.S. and Chinese military officials previously held talks in April
– the first such working-level meeting on military issues since the
beginning of the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump. The
twice-yearly talks are known as the military maritime consultative
agreement (MMCA) working group.

“The two sides had frank and constructive exchanges … mainly
exchanging views on the current maritime and air security situation
between China and the U.S.,” China’s navy said in its posted
statement.

China also criticised U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations in
the statement. These are frequently carried out in the Taiwan
Strait and South China Sea, international waters over which China
claims sovereignty.

“China … resolutely opposes any infringement and provocation,”
China’s navy said in its statement, referring to those maritime and
overflight transits by U.S. forces.
Both sides also discussed “typical cases of naval and air
encounters between the two militaries … to help the front-line
naval and air forces of China and the U.S. interact more
professionally and safely,” it said.

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Iran battles fire in UNESCO-listed forest

Iran has sought help to fight a devastating fire in
UNESCO-listed forests in its north, with neighbouring Türkiye
sending firefighting planes, Iran’s top environmental official said
on Saturday, Azernews reports via Reuters.
The fire threatens the Hyrc…

The fire threatens the Hyrcanian forests, which stretch along
the southern Caspian Sea coast and date back 50 million years. They
are home to 3,200 plant species – a “floral biodiversity …
remarkable at the global level”, according to UNESCO, opens new
tab, which listed them as a World Heritage site in 2019.

“Two firefighting aircraft (and) one helicopter … are being
dispatched by the Turkish government today. There is also the
capacity to have cooperation from Russia if needed,” Vice-President
Shina Ansari told state television.

Two Iranian Ilyushin firefighting aircraft, seven helicopters
and about 400 firefighters are battling the blaze, which follows a
drought marked by rain levels across Iran at 85% below average. The
fire reignited last Saturday following media reports that it was
put out after breaking out in late October.

Meanwhile, the head of a provincial nature protection unit said
unauthorised hunters may have started the blaze and Reza Aflatouni,
the head of Iran’s forestry body, suggested that the fire may be
linked to illegal efforts to destroy forested areas in order to
build private residences, according to Iranian media
reports.

COP30 climate talks in Brazil reach tentative deal, sources say

The COP30 climate talks in Brazil have reached a tentative deal
after negotiators resolved a protracted standoff over action to cut
greenhouse gas emissions and provide climate finance.
The two-week conference, billed as a chance to show that nations
c…

The COP30 climate talks in Brazil have reached a tentative deal
after negotiators resolved a protracted standoff over action to cut
greenhouse gas emissions and provide climate finance.

The two-week conference, billed as a chance to show that nations
can still join forces to tackle climate change despite the absence
of the United States, had been scheduled to end on Friday but
dragged into overtime.

The European Union had been pressing for language on the move
away from fossil fuels, but had come up against stiff resistance
from the Arab Group of nations including top oil exporter Saudi
Arabia.
The impasse was resolved after all-night negotiations led by host
nation Brazil, according to negotiators.

A draft deal issued on Saturday showed countries had agreed on
steps to help speed up climate action, review related trade
barriers, and triple the money given to developing countries to
help them withstand extreme weather events.

The European Union’s climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, said
on Saturday that the proposed accord was acceptable, even though
the bloc would have liked more.

“We should support it because at least it is going in the right
direction,” he said.
The Brazilian presidency scheduled a closing plenary session. Any
deal needs a consensus to be approved.

COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago said on Saturday that the
presidency would publish a side text on fossil fuels as well as on
protecting forests – instead of adding them to the official
agreement – as there had been no consensus on these issues at the
global climate talks.

“I will announce that the Brazilian presidency will do the two
‘roadmaps’ because visibly we did not have maturity to reach
consensus. I believe if we do it under the presidency we will have
results,” he said.

The decision to triple climate finance by 2035, meanwhile, will
be part of the COP30 agreement, resolving a key demand from poorer
nations struggling to cope with climate impacts.

Separately, a Leaders’ Declaration from a G20 meeting in South
Africa stressed the seriousness of climate change, in a snub to
U.S. President Donald Trump.

Former Brazilian president arrested by federal police

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested on
Saturday by federal police, his spokesman Fabio Wajngarten
reported, Azernews reports.
According to the spokesman, Bolsonaro was taken into protective
custody, just da…

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested on
Saturday by federal police, his spokesman Fabio Wajngarten
reported, Azernews reports.

According to the spokesman, Bolsonaro was taken into protective
custody, just days before starting his 27-year prison sentence.
“IT’S UNBELIEVABLE. On a Saturday. With completely compromised
health status. SHAMEFUL. [November] 26 is right around the corner,”
Wajngarten wrote on X.

The former president was sentenced back in September to 27 years
and three months in prison for leading a coup attempt to remain in
power, after he lost elections to President Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva in 2022.

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Maduro calls on US students to oppose war

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged students in his
country to contact their colleagues in the United States and tell
them to speak out against war, Azernews
reports.
His comments coincide with heightened tensions with …

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged students in his
country to contact their colleagues in the United States and tell
them to speak out against war, Azernews
reports.

His comments coincide with heightened tensions with the US as
Washington continues to bolster its military presence in the
Caribbean.

“No more war, Venezuela wants peace,” Maduro told students
assembled outside the presidential palace in Caracas, as broadcast
by Venezolana de Television.

Earlier on Friday, the US issued a notice to air missions
(NOTAM) near the coast of Venezuela, further raising fears of a
military escalation in the region.

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Why Trump’s proposal deserves more sober assessment

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent address to the na…

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent address to the nation, the language he chose, the somber and rain-soaked setting he stood in, was carefully calibrated and remarkably effective. His remark that Ukraine now faces a stark choice “between its dignity and its key ally” captured the country’s dire predicament with striking clarity.

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UAE to invest $1B to expand AI across Africa

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Saturday that it will invest $1 billion in order to boost artificial intelligence infrastructure and …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Saturday that it will invest $1 billion in order to boost artificial intelligence infrastructure and services across Africa, Azernews reports.

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G20 leaders call for ‘just peace’ in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan

The G20 leaders called for “just, comprehensive, and lasting
peace” in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo
in a joint declaration published on Saturday,
Azernews reports.
“We affirm our unwavering commit…

The G20 leaders called for “just, comprehensive, and lasting
peace” in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo
in a joint declaration published on Saturday,
Azernews reports.

“We affirm our unwavering commitment to act in accordance with
international law, including international humanitarian law and the
Charter of the United Nations and its principle of peaceful
settlement of disputes and in this regard, we condemn all attacks
against civilians and infrastructure,” leaders said in the
statement.

The declaration was previously adopted earlier today with “an
overwhelming consensus” at the very beginning of the summit, rather
than at the end, which was the usual practice, and despite the
United States’ boycott. Leaders also addressed the importance of
climate change and several key global challenges.

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