The UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday local time approved a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, after the US abstained from the vote, leaving Israel to face further presure from the international community.
The historic passing marks the first time that the UNSC has successfully voted to demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza since the start of the new round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023. Several previous attempts have failed due to US' repeated block.
Analysts said the newly adopted resolution shows the common aspiration of the international community for a cease-fire, and also creates conditions for humanitarian aid and further mediation.
However, the implementation of the resolution may still face setbacks regarding Israel's reactions. But if Israel chooses to deviate from the common expectations on the global stage, then it will face deeper diplomatic isolation, which may eventually lead to its domestic political instability.
The US' decision to abstain, which was made under both domestic and international pressures, does not represent a fundamental change in the Washington's policy toward Israel and its position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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.
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.
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.
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.