How Will This War End? How Can the Next One be Prevented?

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

FP asks experts two questions about the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians.

DECEMBER 7, 2023, 7:48 AM FP

By Zaha Hassan, Daniel C. Kurtzer, Omar Dajani, Diana Buttu, Peter R. Mansoor, Daniel Levy, Ehud Olmert, Eugene Kontorovich, and Elliott Abrams

A Palestinian is seen from behind as they look outside through a large broken window. Some shards of fractured glass remain in the frame, but the rest of the opening reveals dark smoke billowing from a dense street of buildings in Gaza City. The sky is otherwise light but hazy.
A Palestinian is seen from behind as they look outside through a large broken window. Some shards of fractured glass remain in the frame, but the rest of the opening reveals dark smoke billowing from a dense street of buildings in Gaza City. The sky is otherwise light but hazy.

The war between Israel and Hamas—now in its ninth week after a brief cease-fire—has made talk of peace processes and hopes for final-status agreements seem more remote than ever. But the brief pause in fighting and the successful hostage exchange brokered with the assistance of Qatar—along with Egypt and the United States—suggested that there is space for diplomacy even amid a brutal war.

Rather than seeking blueprints for a permanent peace deal, which seems far-fetched given the current Israeli and Palestinian political leadership, Foreign Policy asked a range of experts two narrower questions:

  1. What will Gaza look like one year from now?
  2. What single policy could any actor in this conflict pursue that would make it less likely that this war will end like so many others, with the same security threats remaining and key political grievances unresolved?

—FP Editors

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraces U.S. President Joe Biden on a sunny day as photographers snap photos in the background. Biden's mouth is open and he squints against the sun as he speaks to Netanyahu, holding a pair of sunglasses in the hand he's using to hug the other man.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraces U.S. President Joe Biden on a sunny day as photographers snap photos in the background. Biden’s mouth is open and he squints against the sun as he speaks to Netanyahu, holding a pair of sunglasses in the hand he’s using to hug the other man.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) greets U.S. President Joe Biden on his arrival in Tel Aviv on Oct. 18.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

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Corporate Climate Action: Analyzing the Recent Surge of Climate Commitments

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
RMI.org
RMI analyzes what this increase in corporate commitments means and introduces a new tool to measure impact.

November 29, 2023 By  James Newcomb,  Adefunke Sonaike,  Daan Walter,  Laurens Speelman

On the eve of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), the media buzz about corporate climate action is decidedly mixed. Optimism about the growing numbers of companies setting climate goals is tempered by disappointing news about the pace of many companies’ actions to achieve their goals. We are still creating new structures and systems to guide corporate climate action and working through challenges as these systems mature. Beneath the surface, however, there are encouraging signals. Strong systemic forces are inexorably driving more companies to report greenhouse gas emissions, set independently verified climate action targets, and implement strategies to achieve these goals.

RMI is creating new tools and methods, still under development, to better analyze the potential implications of corporate climate action. In this article, we assess recent developments across this landscape, including preliminary analysis from the Corporate Commitments and Emissions Explorer (Corporate Explorer), a new online tool that allows users to explore sectoral emissions targets and actions.

Snapshot of corporate climate action: 2023
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COP28: The climate crisis is also a health crisis

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UN.org

Malaria and other diseases were on the rise after floods earlier in the year in Sindh province, Pakistan.

COP28: The climate crisis is also a health crisis

© UNICEF/Saiyna Bashir Malaria and other diseases were on the rise after floods earlier in the year in Sindh province, Pakistan.

3 December 2023Climate and Environment

Health has made it onto the agenda of a UN climate conference, and health advocates at COP28 in Dubai on Sunday said the topic was long overdue for discussion as climate inaction is costing lives and impacting health every single day.

Our planet has logged higher mean temperatures each year, with 2023 set to be the hottest on record. Ice sheets are melting at an unprecedented rate. Wildfires have made the air hazardous in some regions, while in others, floods regularly threaten to contaminate drinking water.

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Against this backdrop, more and more people are being affected by disasters, climate-sensitive diseases and other health conditions.

Climate change exacerbates some existing health threats and creates new public health challenges. Worldwide, only considering a few health indicators, an additional 250,000 deaths per year will occur in the next decades because of climate change, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told delegates at COP28 that it was long overdue for talks around environmental health, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers to include the direct impacts of such climate shocks on human health.

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‘War on Drugs’ Failed and Policies Need Major Overhaul – Report

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ips.news.net

Global drug policies need an overhaul, new report says. Credit: Jonathan Gonzalez/Unsplash

Global drug policies need an overhaul, new report says. Credit: Jonathan Gonzalez/Unsplash

BRATISLAVA, Dec 5 2023 (IPS) – A major advocacy group has demanded an overhaul of global drug policies as a landmark report is released showing how governments’ complacency has perpetuated a failed ‘war on drugs’ despite its devastating consequences for millions of people around the world.

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Chinese borrowers default in record numbers as economic crisis deepens

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ft.com

More than 8mn people are blacklisted by authorities after missed payments on mortgages and business loans

Under Chinese law, defaulters are blocked from a range of economic activities, such as purchasing aeroplane tickets and making mobile phone payments, representing a drag on the economy © Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Sun Yu in Beijing DECEMBER 3 2023

Defaults by Chinese borrowers have surged to a record high since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting the depth of the country’s economic downturn and the obstacles to a full recovery.

A total of 8.54mn people, most of them between the ages of 18 and 59, are officially blacklisted by authorities after missing payments on everything from home mortgages to business loans, according to local courts. That figure, equivalent to about 1 per cent of working-age Chinese adults, is up from 5.7mn defaulters in early 2020, as pandemic lockdowns and other restrictions hobbled economic growth and gutted household incomes.

The soaring number of defaulters will add to the difficulty of shoring up consumer confidence in China, the world’s second largest economy and a crucial source of global demand. It also throws a spotlight on the country’s lack of personal bankruptcy laws that might soften the financial and social impact of soaring debt.

Under Chinese law, blacklisted defaulters are blocked from a range of economic activities, including purchasing aeroplane tickets and making payments through mobile apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay, representing a further drag on an economy plagued by a property sector slowdown and lagging consumer confidence. The blacklisting process is triggered after a borrower is sued by creditors, such as banks, and then misses a subsequent payment deadline.

“The runaway increase in defaulters is a product of not only cyclical but also structural problems,” said Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China. “The situation may get worse before it gets better.” The personal debt crisis follows a borrowing spree by Chinese consumers. Household debt as a percentage of gross domestic product almost doubled over the past decade to 64 per cent in September, according to the National Institution for Finance and Development, a Beijing-based think-tank. But mounting financial obligations have become increasingly unmanageable as wage growth has stalled or turned negative in the midst of the economic malaise.

As a growing number of cash-strapped Chinese consumers have struggled to make ends meet, many have stopped paying their bills. More Chinese residents are also struggling for work: youth unemployment hit a record 21.3 per cent in June, prompting authorities to stop reporting the data. “I will pay my Rmb28,000 ($4,000) credit card balance when I have a job,” said John Wang, a Shanghai-based office worker who defaulted on his payments after being laid off in May. “I don’t know when that will happen.” China Merchants Bank said this month that bad loans from credit card payments that were 90 days overdue had increased 26 per cent in 2022 from the year before.

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China: Design for nuclear-powered ship unveiled

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By ZHAO LEI | China Daily | Updated: 2023-12-06 23:09

An illustration of the large nuclear-powered container ship, which can carry 24,000 standard containers. [Photo provided to China Daily]

China has unveiled a conceptual design for what could potentially become the world’s largest nuclear-powered container ship.

The vessel, which has yet to be named, will be powered by molten salt reactors and will have the capacity to carry 24,000 standard containers. In other words, it will be able to hold more than 1 billion boxes of Apple iPhones.

The conceptual design, made by China State Shipbuilding Corp’s Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, was published on Tuesday, as the four-day Marintec China 2023 exhibition opened in the city.

The ship’s design earned an Approval in Principle certificate from the DNV, one of the world’s leading classification societies, at an unveiling ceremony.

A senior researcher at Jiangnan Shipyard, who asked to be identified only as Hu, told China Daily on Wednesday that the idea for a nuclear-powered container ship was the result of the shipyard’s endeavor to seek clean energy solutions for its products.

“Shipbuilders around the world have been under huge pressure from shipping businesses, investors and environmentalists to find cleaner fuel solutions. It is only natural for us to take nuclear power into consideration,” he said.

According to industry statistics, shipping operations account for about 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The International Maritime Organization has repeatedly pledged to reduce the emissions caused by shipping businesses.

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British research ship crosses paths with world’s largest iceberg as it drifts out of Antarctica

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

APnews.com BY SYLVIA HUIUpdated 4:23 PM GMT+7, December 5, 2023

Britain’s polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough has crossed paths with the world’s largest iceberg as it was drifting out of Antarctic waters. (Dec. 5)Photos

BY SYLVIA HUIUpdated 4:23 PM GMT+7, December 5, 2023Share

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s polar research ship has crossed paths with the largest iceberg in the world — a “lucky” encounter that enabled scientists to collect seawater samples around the colossal berg as it drifts out of Antarctic waters, the British Antarctic Survey said Monday.

The RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is on its way to Antarctica for its first scientific mission, passed the mega iceberg known as the A23a on Friday near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

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Who are the Houthis and why hasn’t the US retaliated for their attacks on ships in the Middle East?

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

This Nov. 12, 2018 photo shows The USS Carney in the Mediterranean Sea. The American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said, potentially marking a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war. "We're aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available," the Pentagon said. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan U. Kledzik/U.S. Navy via AP)

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This Nov. 12, 2018 photo shows The USS Carney in the Mediterranean Sea. The American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said, potentially marking a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war. “We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon said. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan U. Kledzik/U.S. Navy via AP)Read More

FILE - The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney in Souda Bay, Greece. The American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said, potentially marking a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war. "We're aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available," the Pentagon said. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Bill Dodge/U.S. Navy via AP)

2 of 2 | 

FILE – The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney in Souda Bay, Greece. The American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said, potentially marking a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war. “We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon said. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Bill Dodge/U.S. Navy via AP)

BY LOLITA C. BALDORUpdated 12:07 PM GMT+7, December 7, 2023 APnews

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched missiles and hit three commercial ships in the southern Red Sea last weekend, it triggered an immediate question: Will the U.S. military strike back?

The Houthis have sharply escalated their attacks against ships as they sail toward the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait. And U.S. Navy ships have shot down an array of drones headed their way and believed to have been launched by the militant group from territory it controls in Yemen.

But so far, the U.S. has avoided military retaliation — a marked difference from its multiple strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria that have fired rockets, missiles and drones at bases housing American forces in both countries.

No one has been reported hurt in the Houthi incidents, although the commercial ships suffered some damage. And U.S. officials argue that the Houthis haven’t technically targeted U.S. vessels or forces — a subtlety that Navy ship captains watching the incoming drones may question.

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The Global Credibility Gap

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

No one power or group can uphold the international order anymore—and that means much more geopolitical uncertainty ahead.

DECEMBER 6, 2023, 10:42 AM FP

By Jared Cohen, the president of global affairs at Goldman Sachs and a New York Times bestselling author of five books, and Ian Bremmer, the president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media. He is also the host of the television show GZERO World with Ian Bremmer.

A globe with blocks and chunks missing from it sits atop the shoulders of a person looking into a dystopian horizon.
A globe with blocks and chunks missing from it sits atop the shoulders of a person looking into a dystopian horizon.

After decades of relative geopolitical calm, the world has entered its most volatile and dangerous period since the depths of the Cold War. Consider recent events. Despite U.S. President Joe Biden’s high-profile meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last month, relations between their two countries have deteriorated so sharply that a war between them, though unlikely, is no longer unthinkable. The COVID-19 pandemic, although largely in the rearview mirror, unleashed political and economic shocks that continue to reverberate across the global system. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine plunged Europe into a destabilizing war with far-reaching consequences for trade and markets worldwide. And on Oct. 7, Hamas’s terror attacks against Israel sparked a new Middle East war that threatens to destroy years of progress toward economic transformation and regional stability.

These global shifts and shocks are often grouped together, and for good reason. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) economists, they are among the drivers of a “policy-driven reversal of global economic integration” termed “geoeconomic fragmentation.” For some analysts, they are constituents of a so-called polycrisis, in which a series of disparate shocks “interact so that the whole is even more overwhelming than the sum of the parts.” And the White House itself has repeatedly highlighted how it helped crystalize thinking about the links between national security and economic policy to produce a “New Washington Consensus.”

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Rủi ro địa chính trị cho thị trường khí đốt ở châu Âu

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Nguyễn Phán – 10:00 18/11/2023

(KTSG) – “Rủi ro đáng lo ngại nhất khi nó không rõ ràng và không đáng lo khi nó quá rõ ràng”

James Grant

Từ nhiều năm nay, dầu được coi là loại tài sản mang tính kinh tế vĩ mô và quan trọng từ góc nhìn địa chính trị. Nó thường bị ảnh hưởng bởi chiến tranh, chính sách tiền tệ và sức khỏe của nền kinh tế. Khí đốt thì thường bị ảnh hưởng nhiều bởi những biến động trong một khu vực nhất định vì vận chuyển khí đốt thường phức tạp hơn là vận chuyển dầu. Nhưng với chuỗi cung ứng hiện tại, khí đốt cũng bắt đầu bị ảnh hưởng bởi các sự kiện toàn cầu.

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“A Textbook Case of Genocide”: Israel’s Assault on Gaza

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Raz Segal, an Israeli expert in modern genocide, calls Israel’s assault on Gaza a textbook case of “intent to commit genocide” and its rationalization of its violence a “shameful use” of the lessons of the Holocaust. Israeli state exceptionalism and comparisons of its Palestinians victims to “Nazis” are used to “justify, rationalize, deny, distort, disavow mass violence against Palestinians,” says Segal.

Lần đầu tiên một chủ tàu cá đánh bắt hải sản trái phép bị khởi tố

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Congthuong.vn

Chủ tàu cá Trần Văn Luyến đã bị khởi tố hình sự do tuyển hàng chục ngư dân lên 2 tàu cá qua vùng biển Malaysia đánh bắt hải sản trái phép.

Tập trung cao điểm xử lý hành vi vi phạm đánh bắt hải sản bất hợp pháp
Gỡ “thẻ vàng” IUU: Nỗ lực, quyết liệt hoàn thành khuyến nghị của EC
Thủ tướng Chính phủ: Xử lý nghiêm vi phạm, chống khai thác hải sản bất hợp pháp

Tuyển hàng chục ngư dân đi khai thác cá trái phép

Giữa tháng 10/2023 Cơ quan An ninh điều tra – Công an tỉnh Kiên Giang đã ra Quyết định khởi tố bị can, thực hiện Lệnh bắt tạm giam đối với Trần Văn Luyến (sinh năm 1981 – ngụ phường Vĩnh Bảo, TP. Rạch Giá) và Phạm Chí Dũng (sinh năm 1965, ngụ xã Mỹ Lâm, huyện Hòn Đất, tỉnh Kiên Giang) về tội “Tổ chức cho người khác xuất cảnh trái phép” theo khoản 3 Điều 348 Bộ luật Hình sự.

Lần đầu tiên một chủ tàu cá đánh bắt hải sản trái phép bị khởi tố
Trần Văn Luyến (bên trái) bị bắt giữ và khởi tố

Theo cơ quan Công an, để điều tra xử lý vụ việc nêu trên, Cục Cảnh sát hình sự- Bộ Công an đã cử một tổ công tác gồm những cán bộ, điều tra viên nhiều kinh nghiệm phối hợp với Công an tỉnh Kiên Giang tổ chức điều tra. Ban chuyên án xác định việc các đối tượng đưa tàu, thuyền viên ra vùng biển nước ngoài đánh bắt hải sản có dấu hiệu hành vi “Tổ chức, môi giới cho người khác xuất cảnh trái phép”.

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Students abuse teacher in locked classroom

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ 1 bình luận

VNE – By Thanh Hang   December 5, 2023 | 03:30 pm GMT+7

Still images from a video posted on social media show a teacher being cornered and picked at by her students at Van Phu Secondary School in Tuyen Quang Province in November 2023.

A group of seventh graders at a school in northern Vietnam locked their classroom to corner a music teacher, who they threw objects at while screaming.

The incident took place last week at Van Phu Secondary School in Tuyen Quang Province and was videotaped.

The video was then spread on social media.

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