"It is a region of extremely high importance for us in Germany as well as for the European Union due to the economic interdependencies", Army Chief Alfons Mais told Reuters in an interview published on Monday (Jul 10), hours before the first German troops were to leave for Australia.
China is Berlin's most important trading partner, and 40 per cent of Europe's foreign trade flows through the South China Sea, a waterway that is a focal point for territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific.
In 2021, a German warship sailed into the South China Sea for the first time in almost 20 years. Last year, Berlin sent 13 military aircraft to joint exercises in Australia, the air force's largest peacetime deployment.
Mais said up to 240 German soldiers, among them 170 paratroopers and 40 marines, will take part in the Talisman Sabre exercise from Jul 22 to Aug 4, the largest drills between Australia and the US, held bi-annually.
The Germans will train in jungle warfare and landing operations alongside soldiers from countries such as Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, France and Britain.
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"We aim to demonstrate that we are reliable and capable partners that contribute to stabilizing the rules-based order in the region", Mais said.
When asked what message the first deployment of German troops to Australia was meant to send to China, he underscored Berlin did not aim to antagonise anybody.
As government officials from riparian states gathered in Addis Ababa last week, focused on the politics of the Nile, experts presented growing scientific evidence that compels Nile Basin countries to work together to protect the waters.
Ethiopia has been in dispute with Egypt, Nile’s biggest user, over construction of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (Gerd), a power generation project on the Blue Nile, which Cairo says will reduce waters due to Egypt.
Hydrologists warn that the Nile waters will generally be reducing for everyone because of climate change hence the need for cooperation.
They cite a recent Unep report that showed that the Nile’s water flow has reduced from over 3,000 cubic metres per second in 1970s to 2,830 today, blamed on frequent droughts and deforestation of catchment areas. In the next 70 years, the amount of water available for every of the 300 million inhabitants in the Nile Basin could reduce by as much as two thirds....
The forum agreed on a non-binding declaration for Basin-wide cooperation on equitable and reasonable utilisation of the Nile.
The research—which is believed to be the largest of its kind in Great Britain—found that for every 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature caused by climate change, wild bees, such as bumblebees, emerge from their nests 6.5 days earlier on average.
As spring starts earlier and bees emerge closer to the start of the year, they may lose sync with the plants on which they depend, meaning there may be less food for them to consume. This means bees may not have the energy to pollinate crops effectively, or may miss crop blossom completely.
Ph.D. researcher Chris Wyver, of the University of Reading's School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, led the study, which is published in Ecology and Evolution.
He said, "Rising temperatures are making life tougher for bees. Warmer conditions mean bees emerge from hibernation earlier, but there may not be enough food to provide energy for them when they start buzzing about."
"Matching wake-up dates with plant flowering is vital for newly emerged bees because they need to find pollen and nectar to increase their chances of survival and produce offspring. A mismatch means bees cannot pollinate effectively."
"Less natural pollination could lead to farmers needing to use managed honeybees, meaning greater costs, which may be passed on to consumers. We could see even more expensive apples, pears and vegetables in supermarkets as a result."
The study examined 88 different species of wild bees over a period of 40 years, using more than 350,000 individual recordings that showed shifts in emergence dates, both over time and in relation to temperature.
Data showed that some bees emerge earlier than others as different species of bee respond differently to the changing temperature. On average, the 88 species are emerging 4 days earlier per decade.
With winters projected to be between 1 and 4.5°C warmer and up to 30% wetter by 2070, according to the Met Office, spring is likely to continue to start earlier and bees will continue to become active earlier in the year.
The shift in bee emergence will also have a greater effect on plants that are heavily dependent on pollination, such as apple trees, which may not be ready to flower by the time hibernation ends.
Trade minister Piyush Goyal will meet with his UK counterpart, Kemi Badenoch, as well as representatives from British industry, the ministry said in a statement.
The talks offer an opportunity to discuss the main priorities of a free trade agreement "with a focus on addressing trade barriers, promoting investments, and fostering greater cooperation in areas such as technology, innovation, and intellectual property rights," the statement said.
Differences have emerged between India and the UK on some key tariff lines and investment protection rules, including disagreement over concessions on duties levied by India on car and liquor imports.
Goyal will also meet ministers and officials from the European Free Trade Association, which comprises Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, to assess progress toward reaching a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement with them.
South Korean opposition lawmakers sharply criticized the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog on Sunday for its approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
They met with Rafael Grossi in a tense meeting in Seoul that took place while protesters screamed outside the door.
Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general, arrived in South Korea over the weekend to engage with government officials and critics and help reduce public concerns about food safety.
The IAEA last week approved the Japanese discharge plans, saying the process would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts. South Korea’s government has also endorsed the safety of the Japanese plans.
In his meeting with members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Korea's parliament, Grossi said the IAEA’s review of the Japanese plans was based on “transparent” and ”scientific" research. He acknowledged concerns over how the Japanese plans would play out in reality and said the IAEA would establish a permanent office in Fukushima to closely monitor how the discharge process is implemented over the next three decades.
As many as 13 Indonesian citizens who are suspected of being victims of human trafficking crime in Myanmar finally arrived safely in Indonesia on Friday (07/07), at 17:55 WIB (Western Indonesian Time). Their successful return is the result of close cooperation between the Indonesian Embassies (KBRI) in Bangkok and Yangon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI), and the RPTC of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The Indonesian citizens previously worked at a company in Myawaddy, Myanmar, which turned out to be involved in online fraud practices. The location is located in a conflict area that is difficult for the Myanmar government's legal apparatus to reach. On June 7, 2023, the 13 Indonesian citizens managed to escape from the company and cross over to Maesot, Thailand. The Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok swiftly provided protection and accompanied them during the inspection process by the Thai authorities. During that time, the Indonesian Embassy continued to ensure that the security and needs of Indonesian citizens were properly met.
After being determined as victims of human trafficking by the Multi-Disciplinary Team in Maesot, the process of repatriating the Indonesian citizens can be carried out immediately with assistance from the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok.
The airstrike was one of the deadliest since clashes between the military and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, began in Sudan in mid-May.
Last month, an airstrike killed at least 17 people, including five children in Khartoum. The RSF blamed the military for striking residential areas in Omdurman.
While the RSF quickly dominated the capital, Khartoum, and its sister cities, Omdurman and Bahri, after fighting broke out on April 15, the military has launched air and artillery strikes.
In recent days, fighting has focused on Omdurman, as the western part of the city is a key supply route for the RSF to bring reinforcements in from Darfur, its power base.
Strikes, including overnight on Friday, have also centered on the country's state broadcasting complex in eastern Omdurman. Other strikes hit southern and eastern Khartoum.
The conflict broke out in mid-April, capping months of increasing tensions between the military, chaired by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
The fighting came 18 months after the two generals led a military coup in October 2021 that toppled a Western-backed civilian transitional government. Previous attempts at mediation have been unsuccessful.
More than 2.9 million people have had to leave their homes due to the fighting, and more than 700,000 of them have fled to neighboring countries.
According to data released by the University of Maine, the average temperature for the week leading up to Wednesday was 0.04°C higher than any previous week in the 44 years of recorded history. Guterres’ announcement comes as the United Arab Emirates prepares to host the COP28 climate change conference later this year. In the UAE, doctors are encouraging residents to take extra precautions due to temperatures rising to nearly 50°C.
Dr. Diana Francis, who heads the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences Lab at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, warned of the worsening effects of climate change in the region. “The acceleration of global warming is indeed out of control, and we’ve seen signs of this in different parts of the world, from extreme temperatures in the US to severe flooding in Spain and the lowest sea ice extent on record,” she said.
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