World
EU negotiators reach deal to double renewables by 2030
European Union member states and members of the European Parliament on Thursday reached an settlement to double the manufacturing of renewables throughout the bloc by the tip of the last decade.
Beneath the provisional deal reached shortly round 07:00 CET following in a single day negotiations, the share of renewable vitality within the EU’s general vitality consumption will have to be 42.5% by 2030 with a further “aspirational” 2.5% top-up in a bid to achieve 45%.
In 2021, renewable vitality represented 21.8 % of vitality consumed within the EU, in accordance with Eurostat.
The brand new goal set within the Renewable Power Directive (RED) is beneath the 45% requested by MEPs however above member states’ most well-liked 40% and ups the present goal in vigour by simply over 10 share factors.
French MEP Pascal Canfin (Renew), who chairs Parliament’s Setting Committee, stated negotiators “created guidelines which might be unprecedented on this planet to provide us the means to win the battle for the local weather.”
He additionally stated that the deal higher regulates the usage of biomass, “even when Parliament needed to go additional”, and that it additionally recognises “the particular function of nuclear energy, which is neither inexperienced nor fossil.”
The latter is seen as a serious victory for France, which had aggressively lobbied in latest weeks for nuclear-powered hydrogen to be thought of low-carbon, a transfer fiercely opposed by nations together with Germany, Austria and Luxembourg.
The textual content thus units new renewable hydrogen targets for transport and trade. For the latter, the goal is about at 42% for 2030 and 60% by 2035 however could be lowered to twenty% if “the share of hydrogen from fossil fuels consumed within the member states will not be greater than 23% in 2030 and 20% in 2035.”
On bioenergy — the usage of natural materials resembling timber, crops, and agricultural and concrete waste to generate electrical energy — the deal “strengthens the sustainability standards” to cut back the danger of unstainable bioenergy manufacturing, the Council press assertion stated.
German MEP Markus Pieper (EPP), the parliament’s rapporteur on RED, stated biomass “stays 100% renewable”. He described all the deal as “a very good day for Europe’s vitality transition.”
However Dutch NGO Fern referred to as the end result over biomass “unlucky” with Martin Pigeon, its Forests & Local weather Campaigner arguing that “as a result of it’ll maintain rewarding vitality firms burning thousands and thousands of timber, our foremost land carbon sink, the RED will proceed to worsen the local weather and biodiversity disaster, hurt individuals’s well being, and actively undermine the EU’s local weather ambitions along with destroying worth at taxpayer’s expense.”
To attain the targets set in, RED plans for accelerating allowing procedures for renewable vitality tasks, seen as essential to wean the bloc’s dependence on foreign-imported fossil fuels, change into vitality unbiased and attain carbon-neutrality by the mid-century plan.
Member states will designate “renewables acceleration areas” to permit for a simplified and fast-tracked permit-granting course of for renewables vitality tasks. These may even be thought of as of “overriding public curiosity”, additional assuaging the regulatory burden on them and limiting the grounds of authorized objections.
European Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the political settlement, writing on Twitter that it “will assist us progress in the direction of local weather neutrality, strengthen our vitality safety and enhance our competitiveness — suddenly.”
The brand new guidelines, that are a part of the Match for 55 bundle introduced in summer season 2021 to hurry up the vitality transition and slash EU emissions by 55% by 2030, now need to be formally authorised by member states and by all the European Parliament.
World
Guatemalan court orders release of journalist jailed for nearly 2 years on money laundering charges
A Guatemalan court ordered the release Wednesday of journalist José Rubén Zamora, jailed for nearly two years on money laundering charges.
Zamora, the 67-year-old founder of El Periodico newspaper, was sentenced to six years in prison last June for alleged money laundering. But that conviction and sentence were overturned by another court and a new trial ordered.
PROSECUTORS IN GUATEMALA ASK COURT TO LIFT PRESIDENT-ELECT’S IMMUNITY; OAS CITES ‘COUP ATTEMPT’
For nearly two years, he has been kept in jail.
But on Wednesday, a judge ruled that there was no longer justification to keep him in jail, noting that he was not considered a flight risk or a threat to the investigation. Zamora will spend the rest of his time before a new trial on a conditional release.
He was ordered to post a bond of nearly $4,800.
“During my entire life I have been the victim of attacks, abductions, aggressions for the work that I do,” Zamora said during Wednesday’s hearing.
Cristina Gómez, his defense attorney, said that his detention was arbitrary.
Guatemala’s former human rights ombudsman Jorge Duque agreed to guarantee Zamora’s appearance at future hearings. “It is the least I can do,” Duque said. “I know him and I know that he will continue facing the process against him.”
Press freedom groups had decried his prosecution as politically motivated.
El Periodico published numerous investigations critical of former President Alejandro Giammattei.
The charges stemmed from Zamora, 66, asking a friend to deposit a $38,000 donation to keep the newspaper going rather than depositing it himself. Zamora has said he did so because the donor did not want to be identified supporting an outlet in the sights of Giammattei.
The foundation of Nobel Prize winning writer Gabriel García Márquez awarded its excellence in journalism prize to Zamora on Tuesday.
World
‘Monstrous crime’: World reacts to attack on Slovakia’s prime minister
World leaders have condemned an attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is in a “life-threatening condition” after being shot.
The prime minister was shot “multiple times” on Wednesday in an “assassination attempt”, a statement on his official social media page said.
The 59-year-old leader was shot in the abdomen in the central town of Handlova. Police sealed off the scene, and a suspect has been detained, according to local media reports.
Here are some of the global reactions:
United States President Joe Biden
Biden condemned the shooting as a “horrific act of violence”, adding that he and first lady Jill Biden “are praying for a swift recovery, and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Putin said the attack was a “monstrous crime”.
“There can be no justification for this monstrous crime. I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation,” Putin said.
The Russian leader wished Fico “a speedy and full recovery”.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Guterres decried the “shocking attack carried out today against the prime minister of Slovakia”, his office said.
Guterres’s “thoughts are with the prime minister and his loved ones at this difficult moment”, his spokesman Farhan Haq said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
“I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family,” von der Leyen said.
French President Emmanuel Macron
Macron said on social media that he was “shocked” by the attack.
“Shocked by the shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this attack,” he said. “My thoughts and solidarity are with him, his family and the people of Slovakia.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Scholz decried the “cowardly” attack and denounced “violence” in European politics.
“I am deeply shocked by the news of the cowardly attack on Slovakian Prime Minister Fico,” Scholz said.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg
Stoltenberg said his thoughts were with Fico and the people of Slovakia.
“I wish him strength for a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with Robert Fico, his loved ones and the people of Slovakia,” he said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Meloni decried the attack and “all forms of violence” on “democracy and freedom”.
“I learned with deep shock the news of the cowardly attack,” Meloni said in a statement. She also stressed her government’s “strongest condemnation of all forms of violence and attacks on the cardinal principles of democracy and freedom”.
Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The ministry said in a statement that it “condemns the assassination attempt against the prime minister of the Slovak Republic” and “wishes [him] good health and a speedy recovery”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Orban decried the “heinous” attack against Fico.
“I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country!” Orban said.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
Vucic said Fico was a “great friend” and he would pray for his health.
“I am shocked by the attempted assassination of Robert Fico, a great friend to me and to Serbia. Dear friend, I pray for you and for your health,” Vucic said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez
Sanchez said he was “horrified” by the attack and “nothing can every justify violence”.
“Horrified and outraged at the attack on the Slovak Prime Minister. Spain stands with Robert Fico, his family and the Slovak people at this extremely difficult time. Nothing can ever justify violence,” he wrote on social media.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer
Nehammer said he was shocked at the attack and warned “hatred and violence must not take hold in our democracies”.
“The attempt on the life of my Slovak colleague Robert Fico shocks me deeply. Just a few days ago we spoke on the phone and talked intensively about security issues. I wish him a speedy and complete recovery! Hatred and violence must not take hold in our democracies and must be fought with all determination!” Nehammer said on social media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy condemned the attack and warned that violence should not become normalised.
“We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighbouring partner state’s head of government. Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form or sphere,” he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan “strongly” condemned “the heinous assassination attempt”.
“I extend my get-well wishes to the people and government of Slovakia on behalf of my country and nation,” Erdogan said and wished him a speedy recovery.
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