Myanmar’s never ending ethnic wars and Rohingya repatriation
In October 1978, a Burmese (now Myanmar) delegation led by the country's interior minister visited Cox's Bazar to physically see the Rohingya refugees who had fled Arakan and were sheltered in 13 camps across the Bangladesh-Burmese border. This visit was after an initial agreement between Bangladesh and Burma on repatriation. As deputy commissioner of Chittagong, I received the delegation at Cox's Bazar which came by air from Dhaka accompanied by the Bangladesh home minister. The agreement, although preliminary at that stage and was subject to the Burmese delegation's actual visit to the refugee camps and evaluation of the intensity of the problem, was no mean achievement that time since the Burmese Army -- which was running the government and was responsible for this exodus of the Rohingya -- was initially reluctant to accept the refugees back. This was possible mainly due to change in the Burmese Army's strategy in tackling the Arakan crisis, and to a great extent due to the diplomatic stance taken by Bangladesh to bilaterally resolve the problem without taking recourse to international intervention. On our way to the camps most of which were strewn all across Burma-Bangladesh border along the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway, I happened to be engaged in a conversation with the Burmese director general (DG) of immigration, an army officer himself, on the prospects of an early repatriation. The director general and I were in one car following the cars of the two countries' ministers. This conversation was after a visit to one camp, and on the way to another.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.