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EU plans to add carbon credits to new climate goal, document shows

EU plans to add carbon credits to new climate goal, document shows
People cool off underneath water fountains in the Madrid Rio recreation area during the first heatwave of the summer in Madrid, Spain. (AFP)
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EU plans to add carbon credits to new climate goal, document shows

EU plans to add carbon credits to new climate goal, document shows
  • An internal Commission summary of the upcoming proposal said the EU would be able to use “high quality international credits” from a UN backed carbon credits market to meet 3 percent of the emissions cuts toward the 2040 goal

BRUSSELS: The European Commission is set to propose counting carbon credits bought from other countries toward the European Union’s 2040 climate target, a Commission document seen by Reuters showed.
The Commission is due to propose a legally binding EU climate target for 2040 on July 2.
The EU executive had initially planned a 90 percent net emissions cut, against 1990 levels, but in recent months has sought to make this goal more flexible, in response to pushback from governments including Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic, concerned about the cost.
An internal Commission summary of the upcoming proposal, seen by Reuters, said the EU would be able to use “high-quality international credits” from a UN-backed carbon credits market to meet 3 percent of the emissions cuts toward the 2040 goal.
The document said the credits would be phased in from 2036, and that additional EU legislation would later set out the origin and quality criteria that the credits must meet, and details of how they would be purchased.
The move would in effect ease the emissions cuts — and the investments required — from European industries needed to hit the 90 percent emissions-cutting target. For the share of the target met by credits, the EU would buy “credits” from projects that reduce CO2 emissions abroad — for example, forest restoration in Brazil — rather than reducing emissions in Europe.
Proponents say these credits are a crucial way to raise funds for CO2-cutting projects in developing nations. But recent scandals have shown some credit-generating projects did not deliver the climate benefits they claimed.
The document said the Commission will add other flexibilities to the 90 percent target, as Brussels attempts to contain resistance from governments struggling to fund the green transition alongside priorities including defense, and industries who say ambitious environmental regulations hurt their competitiveness.
These include integrating credits from projects that remove CO2 from the atmosphere into the EU’s carbon market so that European industries can buy these credits to offset some of their own emissions, the document said.
The draft would also give countries more flexibility on which sectors in their economy do the heavy lifting to meet the 2040 goal, “to support the achievement of targets in a cost-effective way.”
A Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the upcoming proposal, which could still change before it is published next week.
EU countries and the European Parliament must negotiate the final target and could amend what the Commission proposes.


Iran’s judiciary says at least 71 killed in Israel’s attack on Tehran’s notorious Evin prison

Iran’s judiciary says at least 71 killed in Israel’s attack on Tehran’s notorious Evin prison
Updated 17 sec ago

Iran’s judiciary says at least 71 killed in Israel’s attack on Tehran’s notorious Evin prison

Iran’s judiciary says at least 71 killed in Israel’s attack on Tehran’s notorious Evin prison

DUBAI: At least 71 people were killed in Israel’s attack on Tehran’s Evin prison, a notorious facility where many political prisoners and dissidents have been held, Iran’s judiciary said on Sunday.
Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir posted on the office’s official Mizan news agency website that those killed on Monday included staff, soldiers, prisoners and members of visiting families. It was not possible to independently verify the claim.
The June 23 attack, the day before the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took hold, hit several prison buildings and prompted concerns from rights groups about the safety of the inmates.
It remains unclear why Israel targeted the prison, but it came on a day when the Defense Ministry said it was attacking “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.”
The news of the prison attack was quickly overshadowed by an Iranian attack on a US base in Qatar later that same day, which caused no casualties, and the announcement of the ceasefire.
Jahangir did not break down the casualty figures but said the attack had hit the prison’s infirmary, engineering building, judicial affairs and visitation hall, where visiting family members were killed and injured.
On the day of the attack, New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran criticized Israel for striking the prison, seen as a symbol of the Iranian regime’s repression of any opposition, saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets.
At the same time, the group said Iran was legally obligated to protect the prisoners held in Evin, and slammed authorities in Tehran for their “failure to evacuate, provide medical assistance or inform families” following the attack.
Jahangir said some of those injured were treated on site, while others were sent to hospitals.
Iran had not previously announced any death figures, though on Saturday confirmed that top prosecutor Ali Ghanaatkar — whose prosecution of dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, led to widespread criticism by human rights groups — had been killed in the attack.
He was one of about 60 people for whom a massive public funeral procession was held on Saturday in Tehran, and he was to be buried at a shrine in Qom on Sunday.
Israel attacked Iran on June 13 in a bid to destroy the country’s nuclear program.
Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.
In retaliation, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people.


UK police studying Glastonbury performances after anti Israel chants

UK police studying Glastonbury performances after anti Israel chants
Updated 28 min 53 sec ago

UK police studying Glastonbury performances after anti Israel chants

UK police studying Glastonbury performances after anti Israel chants
  • Irish hip hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage
  • Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was “not appropriate” for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury

GLASTONBURY: British police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
“We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon,” Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday.
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted “Death, death, to the IDF” in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
“Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation,” the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was “not appropriate” for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band’s frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offense last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival’s organizers and the BBC broadcaster — which is showing the event — had questions to answer.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
“I’d also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank,” Streeting told Sky News.
“I wish they’d take the violence of their own citizens toward Palestinians more seriously,” he said.


Taiwan VP says not intimidated after alleged China plot

Taiwan VP says not intimidated after alleged China plot
Updated 55 min 59 sec ago

Taiwan VP says not intimidated after alleged China plot

Taiwan VP says not intimidated after alleged China plot
  • Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s motorcade was followed, surveilled and nearly hit by a car during a visit to the Czech Republic in 2024

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s vice president said she would not be intimidated by Beijing after the government accused Chinese embassy staff of planning to ram her car during an official visit to Europe.
Taiwan’s top China policy body, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), on Friday said Hsiao Bi-khim’s motorcade was followed, surveilled and nearly hit by a car during a visit to the Czech Republic in March 2024.
Citing a Czech intelligence agency report, the council said staff from the Chinese Embassy in Prague were behind the incident.
“I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety,” Hsiao, who was vice president-elect at the time of the trip, posted on social media on Saturday.
“The CCP’s unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan’s interests in the international community.”
“Taiwan will not be isolated by intimidation,” she added.
Like most countries, Prague does not have official diplomatic relations with Taipei.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and in recent years, has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around the self-ruled island. It has also sought to erase Taiwan from the international stage by poaching its diplomatic allies and blocking it from global forums.
Taipei said on Friday that “the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic followed, conducted surveillance on, and even attempted to ram the motorcade, seriously threatening the personal safety of Vice President Hsiao and her entourage.”
It added the incident exposed CCP’s “violent nature” and lack of “sincerity” in communication.
A Taiwan security official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said it was a “typical case” of China’s “transnational repression” against dissidents or those who criticize China.
“China uses legal grey areas to harass, threaten or oppress their targets,” the official said.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international group that has challenged Beijing’s human rights record, said in a statement signed by 51 lawmakers from nearly 30 countries that it supported Hsiao and “Taiwanese citizens who may be subject to coercion by the Chinese state while traveling abroad.”
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Friday that Prague had violated the “One-China principle” and its political commitments to China by allowing Hsaio, who it called a diehard “Taiwan independence” activist, to visit.
“Chinese diplomats always abide by the laws and regulations of host countries,” he said. He urged other countries not to be exploited by “Taiwan independence” separatists to “stir up troubles” and undermine the relations with China.


Germany backs Israel after Iran war in first high-level visit

Germany backs Israel after Iran war in first high-level visit
Updated 29 June 2025

Germany backs Israel after Iran war in first high-level visit

Germany backs Israel after Iran war in first high-level visit

BAT YAM: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt expressed support for Israel on Sunday during a visit to the site of an Iranian missile strike near Tel Aviv, part of the destruction left by this month’s 12-day war.
It was the first visit by a senior foreign official since the war between Iran and Israel, which ended on Tuesday after a ceasefire was announced.
“We must deepen our support for Israel,” Dobrindt said, speaking amid the rubble in Bat Yam, south of the coastal hub of Tel Aviv, where an Iranian strike killed nine people including three children.
Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran on June 13, saying it was aimed at keeping the Islamic republic from developing a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the German visit a gesture of “solidarity” and urged the international community to reimpose sanctions on Iran.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on June 17, on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Canada, said Israel was doing the “dirty work... for all of us” by targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Israel has acknowledged being hit by more than 50 missiles during the 12-day war with Iran, resulting in 28 deaths, but the true extent of the damage may never be known due to stringent media restrictions.
In Iran, Israeli strikes killed at least 627 civilians and injured nearly 4,900, according to official figures.


Russia launches biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the start of the war

Russia launches biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the start of the war
Updated 29 June 2025

Russia launches biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the start of the war

Russia launches biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the start of the war

KYIV: Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian official said Sunday, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the 3-year-old war.
Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said. Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, told the Associated Press that the overnight onslaught was “the most massive air strike,” on the country, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles. The attack targeted regions across Ukraine, including western Ukraine, far from the frontline.
Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Polish air force said Sunday.
Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said one person died in a drone strike. Six people were wounded in Cherkasy, including a child, according to regional Gov. Ihor Taburets.
The war shows no signs of abating as US-led international peace efforts have so far produced no breakthrough. Two recent rounds of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and yielded no progress on reaching a settlement.