In the 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the Parties to the agreement have achieved a lot of progress in response to climate change. A Loss and Damage Fund was established in 2022. Rules for international carbon trading have been established under Article 6 of the agreement. A new goal for climate finance was agreed in 2024. The COP30 climate conference in November 2025 adopted indicators for climate adaptation and agreed to triple adaptation finance. The first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement in 2023 called for accelerating climate action, tripling renewable energy capacity, doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements and transitioning away from fossil fuels. Building on the global stocktake, Parties submitted their third round of climate pledges in 2025, ahead of COP30. Full implementation of the pledges would lead to a global temperature increase of around 2.4°C, a large improvement compared to the 3.5°C increase projected before the Paris Agreement but still falling short of the agreement's target to keep global warming well below 2°C and ideally 1.5°C. With global carbon emissions still rising, the 1.5°C target will only be achievable after a temporary overshoot. As every fraction of a degree of global warming will result in increasing damages, additional efforts will be needed to keep the overshoot as short and as close to 1.5°C as possible. The current geopolitical situation hinders swift progress on collective climate action. The United States has decided to leave the Paris Agreement, a third of the Paris Agreement Parties failed to update their climate pledge, and a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels was blocked at COP30. The EU, traditionally a leader in international climate policy, struggled to build strong coalitions to drive an ambitious outcome at COP30. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has foiled an attempt to bring an e-vaporiser, or vape, and more than 800 heat sticks into Singapore. On Nov 30, ICA officers at Changi Airport Terminal 1 directed a male Japanese traveller for baggage checks, after first asking if he had anything to declare. Although the man denied having anything to declare, anomalies were detected in the scanned image, said ICA in a Facebook post on Thursday (Dec 11).A thorough check of his belongings found the vape and 849 heat sticks. A heat stick is a tobacco-filled unit inserted into a battery-operated device that heats the tobacco to produce an aerosol containing nicotine, without burning it.The traveller was referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation. «Border security is a crucial aspect of the enforcement strategy against e-vaporisers,» said ICA in its Facebook post.«As guardians of the nation's borders, ICA remains committed to safeguarding Singapore by ensuring our borders remain safe and secure.»

Singapore's largest telco Singtel has been hit with a $1 million fine for a nationwide landline outage that disrupted calls to public institutions and emergency services on Oct 8, 2024. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Thursday (Dec 11) that it has concluded its probe into the incident that affected about 500,000 of Singtel's residential and corporate users. For about four hours that day, about half of the calls made to public service hotlines — including government agencies, banks and hospitals — could not be connected. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force had urged the public to contact them via SMS instead. IMDA said the disruption had the potential to seriously impact the safety and security of the public. It also said the incident was within Singtel's control to prevent and was not caused by a cyberattack. 

US-bound travellers from 42 countries under the visa waiver programme — including Singapore — could be asked to provide their social media history over the last five years as a condition for entry under a new proposal unveiled by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Other than Singapore, some of the 41 other countries in the visa waiver programme include: Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom. Under the programme, citizens from the 42 countries are currently allowed — for the purpose of tourism or business — stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. AsiaOne reviewed the notice published in the Federal Register, the official journal of the US government, on Wednesday (Dec 10). In the notice, social media history was proposed as a «mandatory data element» for an electronic system for travel authorisation (ESTA) application. 

[allAfrica]

[allAfrica] Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed remarkable progress in global health. Since the early 2000s, millions more people have gained access to essential services; maternal and child mortality have declined dramatically; access to HIV treatment has transformed lives and life expectancy; and communities have benefited from historic investments in primary health care. These achievements reflect an extraordinary collective effort by governments, civil society, health workers, and global

An anti-oligarch protest in a small Indiana town shows the depth of the national backlash against the concentration of wealth and power.

Recent weeks have showcased a free-for-all of competing GOP ideas and reinforced deep partisan divisions over the issue.

Republicans hold a 40-10 advantage in the state senate but may still reject Trump’s pressure. ‘Hoosiers are very independent.’

Sentiment in the Icelandic economy has taken a marked turn for the worse, according to the results of a regular survey conducted by Gallup for the Central Bank of Iceland and the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise (SA). More than half — 54% of respondents — say economic conditions are poor.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the assault on vendors selling non-veg food at a Gita recital event, stating such intimidation won't be tolerated in the state. She criticized the BJP for attempting to import communal division and questioned the need for public religious events for political mobilization.

The Indian Coast Guard apprehended a Pakistani fishing boat with 11 crew members for illegally operating within Indian waters. This decisive action underscores India's commitment to protecting its maritime frontiers and upholding international maritime law. The operation highlights the Coast Guard's sustained vigilance and proactive approach to national maritime security.

Goa police informed a Delhi court that nightclub co-owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra misled investigators and showed no cooperation after the deadly fire that killed 25. The brothers, who fled to Thailand, are seeking anticipatory bail, but police argue their actions disentitle them to such protection. The investigation into the blaze continues.

Lisa Regan, 53, laundered money made through her cocaine empire through a cafe in Swansea alongside her ex-husband Phillip Jones, 44.

María Corina Machado appeared in public for the first time in 11 months Thursday when she emerged from a hotel balcony in Norway's capital and waved to an emotional crowd.

Furious peers voted down a last-minute change to the Employment Rights Bill that could open the door to unlimited unfair dismissal payouts.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Ukrainian envoy after he criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu for praising ties with Russia Read Full Article at RT.com

The personalized, AI-assisted vaccine developed in Russia is designed to target malignant tumors using the patient’s genetic data Read Full Article at RT.com

India has told the UN to stop focusing on punitive measures against Afghanistan Read Full Article at RT.com

Kiev deployed a larger-than-usual barrage of kamikaze drones overnight, including dozens targeting Moscow, according to the Russian military Read Full Article at RT.com

Speeding remains the primary killer on Indian roads, causing nearly 70% of the 1.24 lakh road deaths in 2024. Non-usage of helmets and seatbelts also contributed significantly to fatalities. States like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh reported alarmingly high numbers of speed-related deaths, highlighting a persistent challenge in road safety.

Rahul Gandhi accused Home Minister Amit Shah of appearing nervous and using foul language during his Lok Sabha speech on electoral reforms. Gandhi challenged Shah to a debate on his press conference allegations, but Shah stated Parliament would not function according to Gandhi's wishes.

BJP MP Anurag Thakur accused TMC MPs of vaping e-cigarettes in Lok Sabha, prompting Speaker Om Birla to state that no permission was granted and strict action would be taken if confirmed. The Speaker urged members to maintain decorum and assured action upon a formal written complaint.

A parliamentary exchange saw Congress MP Jairam Ramesh present Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Maniben Patel's diary. Ramesh stated the diary entries do not support Singh's recent claim regarding Jawaharlal Nehru and the Babri Masjid. Singh indicated he had an English version. The incident follows Singh's remarks in Gujarat, which Congress has challenged, citing Patel's daughter's writings.