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Australia To Challenge UNESCO Downgrade Of Great Barrier Reef

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Australia To Challenge UNESCO Downgrade Of Great Barrier Reef" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/1vchdsr_greatbarrierreefafp650_625x300_22_June_21.jpg" title="Australia To Challenge UNESCO Downgrade Of Great Barrier Reef" /></div>
Australian government had itself downgraded Great Barrier Reef's long-term outlook to "very poor" (File).
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Brisbane:
Australia will strongly oppose a UNESCO plan to list the Great Barrier Reef as "in danger" over its deterioration caused by climate change, the government said Tuesday.
The UN body released a draft report on Monday recommending the reef's World Heritage status be downgraded because of its dramatic coral decline.
Environmental campaigners said the decision highlighted Australia's lack of action to curb emissions and brought "shame" on the government.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Australia would mount a challenge after the "back-flip on previous assurances from UN officials", ahead of the World Heritage Committee's 44th session hosted by China next month.
Ley said the decision did not consider the billions of dollars spent attempting to protect the world's largest coral reef.
"This sends a poor signal to those nations who are not making the investments in reef protection that we are making," she said in a statement.
Australia has resisted calls to commit to a target of net-zero emissions by 2050, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying the country hoped to reach carbon neutral "as soon as possible" without harming its commodity-dependent economy.
The plan to add the reef to the World Heritage "in danger" list prompted environmental groups to highlight Canberra's reluctance to take stronger climate action.
The Climate Council said it "brings shame on the federal government, which is standing by as the reef declines rather than fighting to protect it".
Aside from its inestimable natural, scientific and environmental value, the 2,300-kilometre-long (1,400-mile-long) reef was worth an estimated $4.8 billion a year in tourism revenue for the Australian economy before the coronavirus pandemic.
"The recommendation from UNESCO is clear and unequivocal that the Australian government is not doing enough to protect our greatest natural asset, especially on climate change," said WWF head of oceans Richard Leck.
In December, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said climate change had become the biggest threat to UN-listed natural world heritage sites and pushed the reef into "critical" condition.
Australia's own government had already downgraded the reef's long-term outlook to "very poor" after back-to-back mass bleaching events in 2016 and 2017.
Bleaching occurs when changes in ocean temperatures stress healthy corals, causing them to expel algae living in their tissues -- draining them of their vibrant colours.
"I agree that global climate change is the single biggest threat to the world's reefs but it is wrong, in our view, to single out the best managed reef in the world for an 'in danger' listing," Ley said.
The Great Barrier Reef has now suffered three mass coral bleaching events in the past five years, losing half its corals since 1995 as ocean temperatures have climbed.
The reef has also been battered by several cyclones as climate change drives more extreme weather and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish -- which eat the coral -- in recent decades.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/australia-to-challenge-unesco-downgrade-of-great-barrier-reef-2469335">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/australia-to-challenge-unesco-downgrade-of-great-barrier-reef-2469335</a>

news world Australia To Challenge UNESCO Downgrade Of Great Barrier Reef

Australian government had itself downgraded Great Barrier Reef's long-term outlook to "very poor" (File). Brisbane: Austr...

US, South Korea To Consider Ending North Korea Coordination Group

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US, South Korea To Consider Ending North Korea Coordination Group" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/j66lc85k_uskoreareuters650_625x300_22_June_21.jpg" title="US, South Korea To Consider Ending North Korea Coordination Group" /></div>
A Korea expert said Moon administration would see this as a goodwill gesture from US President Joe Biden.
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Seoul:
The United States and South Korea have agreed to consider scrapping a working group established to coordinate North Korea policy, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Tuesday, after it became seen as a way for Washington to block inter-Korean projects.
During talks between US special representative for North Korea Sung Kim and his South Korean counterpart Noh Kyu-duk on Monday, the two agreed to "look into terminating the working group" while reinforcing coordination at other levels, the ministry said in a statement.
On Monday, Kim said he was willing to meet with the North Koreans "anywhere, anytime without preconditions" and that he looks forward to a "positive response soon". He was scheduled to meet with South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young, who handles relations with the North, on Tuesday.
The working group was set up in 2018 to help the two allies coordinate their approaches to issues such as denuclearisation talks, humanitarian aid, sanctions enforcement and inter-Korean relations amid a flurry of diplomatic engagement with North Korea at the time.
When asked last year about Seoul's proposals such as reopening individual tourism to its northern neighbour, US ambassador to South Korea at the time, Harry Harris, said that "in order to avoid a misunderstanding later that could trigger sanctions... it's better to run this through the working group."
Though Harris added that it was not the United States' place to approve South Korean decisions, the remarks caused controversy in Seoul and a former aide to South Korean President Moon Jae-in later told parliament the working group was increasingly seen as an obstacle to inter-Korean relations.
The Moon administration would see ending the working group as a goodwill gesture from new US President Joe Biden, said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Korea expert at King's College London.
"From a South Korean perspective, this was basically a mechanism for the US to block inter-Korean projects during the Trump years," he said. "It would be a clever political move for the Biden administration to end the group, since consultation between Washington and Seoul will take place anyway."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-south-korea-to-consider-ending-north-korea-coordination-group-2469332">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-south-korea-to-consider-ending-north-korea-coordination-group-2469332</a>

news world US, South Korea To Consider Ending North Korea Coordination Group

A Korea expert said Moon administration would see this as a goodwill gesture from US President Joe Biden. Seoul: The United States and ...

Pakistan Assures Help To US In Recovering Hostages From Afghanistan: Embassy

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US: Reports said pressuring Pakistan to act on hostage case has succeeded in the past (Representational).
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Washington:
Pakistan has assured the US that it would continue to assist America and other countries in recovering their hostages from Afghanistan, but only as "a moral duty" and not under coercion or incentives.
The statement was issued by the Pakistani Embassy in Washington after a report in US media urging US President Joe Biden's administration to "pressurise or offer incentives" to Islamabad to secure the release of an American hostage, Mark Frerichs, who was captured by the Taliban, reported Dawn.
US Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, also urged the Biden administration to use "all the options" and get Frerichs, one of her constituents, back home.
Media reports said "pressuring Pakistan to act on a hostage case has succeeded in the recent past" and the Biden administration should also try this option to get Frerichs out of Afghanistan.
According to Dawn, one report recalled a 2017 case, claiming that during Trump regime, the White House "initiated secret efforts to cajole Pakistan" to get another hostage, Caitlin Coleman, out after five years. However, the Pakistan Embassy rejected the suggestion that Islamabad was forced to get Coleman and her children released.
This comes after reports emerged that Pakistan would allow the US to use its airbases for any action against Afghanistan as Washington has begun pulling out its troops amid high violence in Kabul.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has made it clear that the country would "absolutely not" permit any of its bases or use of its territory to the United States for any kind of action inside Afghanistan.
"Absolutely not. There is no way we are going to allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Absolutely not," the Prime Minister said in an interview given to Jonathan Swan of HBO Axios, Dawn reported.
This comes amid reports that the negotiations for the military bases in the region have reached an impasse, for now, The New York Times reported.
The Pentagon is now mulling to authorise airstrikes in Afghanistan if the country falls into crisis due to the rise in violence by the Taliban.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pakistan-assures-help-to-us-in-recovering-hostages-from-afghanistan-embassy-2469325">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pakistan-assures-help-to-us-in-recovering-hostages-from-afghanistan-embassy-2469325</a>

news world Pakistan Assures Help To US In Recovering Hostages From Afghanistan: Embassy

US: Reports said pressuring Pakistan to act on hostage case has succeeded in the past (Representational). Washington: Pakistan has assu...

US Could Slow Down Afghanistan Withdrawal: Pentagon

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US Could Slow Down Afghanistan Withdrawal: Pentagon" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-04/dgl5jdjg_us-afghanistan_650x400_15_April_21.jpg" title="US Could Slow Down Afghanistan Withdrawal: Pentagon" /></div>
Pentagon stressed Joe Biden's September deadline for full Afghanistan withdrawal remains in place (File).
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Washington:
The US military could slow down its withdrawal from Afghanistan due to the gains made by the Taliban insurgents, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday.
Kirby stressed that President Joe Biden's deadline of a full withdrawal by September remains in place, but added that the pace could be adjusted based on conditions.
"The situation in Afghanistan changes as the Taliban continue to conduct these attacks and to raid district centres as well as the violence, which is still too high," he told reporters.
"If there needs to be changes made to the pace, or to the scope and scale of the retrograde, on any given day or in any given week, we want to maintain the flexibility to do that," he said.
"We're constantly taking a look at this, every single day: what's the situation on the ground, what capabilities do we have, what additional resources do we need to move out of Afghanistan and at what pace." "All of these decisions are literally being made in real time," he added.
Pentagon officials said last week that the withdrawal, ordered by Biden in April after nearly two decades fighting Al-Qaeda and helping government forces battle the Taliban, is around half completed.
At the time of Biden's order around 2,500 US troops and 16,000 contractors, mostly US citizens, were in the country. The Pentagon has already turned over several of its key bases to government security forces, and has removed hundreds of cargo plane-loads of equipment.
Kirby said US forces continue to support Afghan troops in fighting the Taliban.
"So long as we have the capability in Afghanistan, we will continue to provide assistance to Afghan forces," he said. "But as the retrograde gets closer to completion, those capabilities will wane and will no longer be available."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-could-slow-down-afghanistan-withdrawal-says-pentagon-2469318">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-could-slow-down-afghanistan-withdrawal-says-pentagon-2469318</a>

news world US Could Slow Down Afghanistan Withdrawal: Pentagon

Pentagon stressed Joe Biden's September deadline for full Afghanistan withdrawal remains in place (File). Washington: The US milita...

Russia Bans US NGO Bard College After Labelling It "Undesirable"

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Russia Bans US NGO Bard College After Labelling It 'Undesirable'" src="https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2017-08/us-russia-flag-afp_650x400_41501606652.jpg" title="Russia Bans US NGO Bard College After Labelling It 'Undesirable'" /></div>
US President Joe Biden and Russia's Vladimir Putin met in Geneva last week (Representational).
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Moscow:
Russian state prosecutor's office said on Monday it banned Bard College, a US non-governmental organisation, after labelling it "undesirable".
The Russian foreign ministry said in April it would end the activity in Russia of US funds and NGOs which it believed interfere in the country's internal affairs, in retaliation to an array of US government sanctions imposed on Moscow.
The state prosecutor's office said that the activity of educational NGO Bard College "represents the threat to the constitutional order and security of Russian Federation".
Bard was not immediately available to comment.
Russia-US ties slumped to a new post-Cold War in March after US President Joe Biden said he thought his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was a "killer", while Moscow and Washington recalled their ambassadors.
Biden and Putin met in Geneva last week and agreed for the envoys to return.
Speaking at a news conference after meeting with Biden, Putin said the organizations, which are supported by the United States, would "contain" Russia.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-bans-us-ngo-bard-college-after-labelling-it-undesirable-2469311">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-bans-us-ngo-bard-college-after-labelling-it-undesirable-2469311</a>

news world Russia Bans US NGO Bard College After Labelling It "Undesirable"

US President Joe Biden and Russia's Vladimir Putin met in Geneva last week (Representational). Moscow: Russian state prosecutor...

Teacher Investigated After Using N-Word to Help Students Properly Pronounce Name of African Country

A teacher in the UK is under investigation and faces possible termination after he used the n-word in class to remind students to be careful when pronouncing the name of the African country Niger.
“David Collins, a geography teacher at Chestnut Grove Academy in Balham, south London, told pupils how to correctly pronounce the name of the west African country. He said that it should not be confused with the offensive racist word, which he said in front of the class,” reports the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/teacher-used-n-word-in-lesson-on-how-not-to-pronounce-niger-h0cbph8p0">London Times</a>.
Collins said that Niger is pronounced “nee-zher,” to roughly rhyme with Pierre, while also using the n-word to differentiate the two.
One of the pupils immediately had a hissy fit and walked out of the class, before other students, who are aged 13-14, were subsequently given complaint forms to fill out in order to build up outrage directed towards the teacher.
Despite the teacher, who had a good reputation, profusely apologizing, pupils, parents and other teaches complained with complete ignorance of the context in which the n-word was uttered.
The head teacher subsequently claimed that “there was no reason for the term being used,” despite the fact that there was a perfectly valid reason for it being used.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="9.3992537313433">
"Another apparently decent teacher's career hangs in the balance"
On Tonight's Woke Watch Andrew Neil defends the teacher disciplined for teaching his class how to pronounce the name of an African country. <a href="https://t.co/M6dZJ3YC9h">pic.twitter.com/M6dZJ3YC9h</a>
— GB News (@GBNEWS) <a href="https://twitter.com/GBNEWS/status/1407068574632624130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
“What he said clearly wasn’t meant in an offensive way or used in an offensive way or context. He was just trying to ensure nobody made a mistake that could be offensive,” one source told The Mail.
The school responded to the issue by immediately launching a full on groveling apology campaign and insisting that it dutifully indoctrinates students with “diversity” narratives.
“As part of our commitment to British values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, each half term sees a focus on a key issue relating to diversity: gender, LGBTI, immigration, race, different needs (including mental health and being differently abled) and religion,” states the school’s website.
School authorities also sent a letter to parents making it clear that the curriculum had been “decolonised,” meaning British history is being taught as something to be ashamed of.
“We understand that racism is systemic and that, like all institutions, we are far from immune to it,” said the letter, furthering the myth that “systemic racism” exists in any other form that the only actual form left, which is systemic discrimination against white people.
Meanwhile, LGBT lobby group Stonewall is now <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/18/exclusive-stop-using-terms-boy-girl-stonewall-tells-teachers/">insisting</a> that teachers in UK schools avoid using the words “boy” and “girl” and instead refer to students as “learners”.
The next generation of adults is shaping up to be a collection of bed-wetting imbeciles who hate themselves, hate their own country and think that “offensive” words are one of society’s biggest problems.
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source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/06/21/teacher-investigated-after-using-n-word-to-help-students-properly-pronounce-name-of-african-country/">https://summit.news/2021/06/21/teacher-investigated-after-using-n-word-to-help-students-properly-pronounce-name-of-african-country/</a>

revolution summit Teacher Investigated After Using N-Word to Help Students Properly Pronounce Name of African Country

A teacher in the UK is under investigation and faces possible termination after he used the n-word in class to remind students to be careful...