Rohingya Women, Girls to Testify in Genocide Trial of Myanmar Military
A group of Rohingya women and girls is expected to travel to Argentina within two months to testify against the Myanmar military in a genocide trial being heard by a court in Buenos Aires. The survivors have each given remote testimony of sexual assault to the court. The Argentine court has a history of taking up cases based on the premise of "universal justice." This legal concept holds that some horrific acts, including genocide, can be tried anywhere. The case originates with the 2017 army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, a Buddhist majority nation. More than 370 Rohingya villages were set on fire, killing hundreds of civilians during a military security clearance operation in northern Rakhine state to retaliate against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, an armed Rohingya group. The United Nations has said the Myanmar army's actions amount to genocide. More than 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after the crackdown. Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization U.K., or BROUK, told VOA Burmese that "testimony is most likely to occur within a maximum of two months. That testimony is very important. Women will be taken to court in Buenos Aires for a hearing." BROUK filed the lawsuit against the Myanmar military on Nov. 13, 2021, and the Argentine federal court accepted the case the following month. Proceedings against Myanmar and its leaders are already under way at the International Criminal Court and the United Nation's International Court of Justice.
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.