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COP28 Nears Crucial Hours as Divergence Takes Center Stage

Sultan Al Jaber, President of COP28, alongside the Singaporean Minister of Environment and the Norwegian Minister of Environment in a press conference on Friday (AP)
Sultan Al Jaber, President of COP28, alongside the Singaporean Minister of Environment and the Norwegian Minister of Environment in a press conference on Friday (AP)
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COP28 Nears Crucial Hours as Divergence Takes Center Stage

Sultan Al Jaber, President of COP28, alongside the Singaporean Minister of Environment and the Norwegian Minister of Environment in a press conference on Friday (AP)
Sultan Al Jaber, President of COP28, alongside the Singaporean Minister of Environment and the Norwegian Minister of Environment in a press conference on Friday (AP)

COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber has urged countries to get out of their comfort zones and work together to reach an agreement before the two-week United Nations climate summit ends.

The scene at COP28 remains dominated by divergence, with the UN Climate Agency releasing a new draft of the conference agreement on Friday.

This draft included a range of options for the future use of traditional fuels, a highly contentious issue at the conference.

In the coming days, countries are expected to focus on this issue in the hope of reaching consensus before the summit concludes on December 12.

Options mentioned in the draft ranged from “gradual phasing out of fossil fuels in line with the best available science” to no inclusion of any language regarding the future use of fossil fuels.

The document also specified the option of “rapid and unconditional phasing out of coal energy this decade, with an immediate halt to the construction of new coal-fired power plants.”

“Let’s please get this job done,” said Al Jaber, opening a plenary session as the summit entered its toughest phase of negotiations.

“I need you to step up and I need you to come out of your comfort zones,” he added.

The President of COP28 appointed eight ministers, half from developed countries and the other half from the Global South, to work on four topics to break the deadlock in negotiations.

Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei of the UAE, on Thursday, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit, emphasized the need for a gradual phase-out of coal.

“I don't believe we should talk about the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels because technologies are also improving. What if we have technology in the future that removes all carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and makes it as clean as any other fuel type? Why fight it before we have an alternative?” said Al Mazrouei.

Since the adoption of the Loss and Damage Fund agreement on November 30, Al Jaber announced that countries had raised over $726 million to inject into the fund, with more expected by the end of COP28.

Pledges at COP28 are still far from the hundreds of millions needed annually to help developing countries adapt to the warming world, including rising sea levels and increased heat waves.

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ECB's Rehn Sees Downside Risks to Inflation, Urges Action on Ukraine Funding

FILE PHOTO: Olli Rehn in Helsinki, Finland, January 28, 2024. Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Olli Rehn in Helsinki, Finland, January 28, 2024. Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa via REUTERS
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ECB's Rehn Sees Downside Risks to Inflation, Urges Action on Ukraine Funding

FILE PHOTO: Olli Rehn in Helsinki, Finland, January 28, 2024. Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Olli Rehn in Helsinki, Finland, January 28, 2024. Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa via REUTERS

Inflation in the euro zone faces downside risks in the medium term, even as price growth has returned to the ECB's 2% target, European Central Bank policymaker Olli Rehn said, according to a report in a magazine on Saturday.

The sharp drop from the October 2022 peak of 10.6% to around 2% currently was achieved without triggering mass unemployment or a severe slowdown, he told Italian financial magazine Milano Finanza.

"The good news is that inflation has stabilized around the ECB's symmetric 2% target, supporting real incomes in Europe," Reuters quoted him as saying. "Our latest forecast suggests inflation will remain slightly below 2% over the horizon."

Rehn also urged EU leaders to resolve a stalled plan for a Ukraine "repair loan" funded by Russia's frozen assets, calling it "essential, even existential."

He dismissed speculation about ECB involvement, saying such a move would breach the EU Treaty's ban on monetary financing.

Instead, he backed a European Commission proposal under Article 122, often called the 'EU's emergency clause,' that gives the EU Council the power to adopt measures proposed by the European Commission in exceptional circumstances, bypassing the ordinary legislative process and the European Parliament.

"Every European should support using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine," he said.

The Finnish policymaker, who has served in senior EU roles for decades, confirmed he would be a strong candidate for ECB vice president when the post opens next year.

"I have received encouragement from various parts of Europe," Rehn added.

Business

World Bank to Partner with Global Vaccine Group Gavi on $2 Billion in Funding

The Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) logo and US flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) logo and US flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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World Bank to Partner with Global Vaccine Group Gavi on $2 Billion in Funding

The Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) logo and US flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) logo and US flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The World Bank Group said on Saturday it is working with global vaccine alliance Gavi to strengthen financing for immunization and primary healthcare systems, planning to mobilize at least $2 billion over the next five years in joint financing.

The two organizations will also work together to advance vaccine manufacturing in Africa as part of a World Bank goal to help countries reach 1.5 billion people with quality, affordable health services by 2030, Reuters quoted the World Bank as saying.

Gavi is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s poorest children against diseases.

"Our expanded collaboration with the World Bank Group reflects a long-standing joint effort to support countries as they build robust and resilient health systems," said Sania Nishtar, Gavi's chief executive.

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in June the United States would no longer contribute funding to Gavi, alleging that the group ignores safety and calling on it to "justify the $8 billion that America has provided in funding since 2001."

The Trump administration had also indicated in March it planned to cut annual funding of around $300 million for Gavi as part of a wider pullback from international aid.

In June, Gavi had more than $9 billion, less than a target of $11.9 billion, for its work over the next five years helping to immunize children.

Other donors, including Germany, Norway and the Gates Foundation, have pledged money this year for Gavi's future work.

Business

Defying Trump, EU Hits X with $140 Million

(FILES) This illustration photograph shows the logo of social network X (formerly Twitter) and a photograph of CEO of social network X, Elon Musk displayed on a smartphone in Brussels on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)
(FILES) This illustration photograph shows the logo of social network X (formerly Twitter) and a photograph of CEO of social network X, Elon Musk displayed on a smartphone in Brussels on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)
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Defying Trump, EU Hits X with $140 Million

(FILES) This illustration photograph shows the logo of social network X (formerly Twitter) and a photograph of CEO of social network X, Elon Musk displayed on a smartphone in Brussels on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)
(FILES) This illustration photograph shows the logo of social network X (formerly Twitter) and a photograph of CEO of social network X, Elon Musk displayed on a smartphone in Brussels on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)

Elon Musk's social media company X was fined 120 million euros ($140 million) by EU tech regulators on Friday for breaching online content rules, the first sanction under landmark legislation that once again drew criticism from the US government.

X's rival TikTok staved off a penalty with concessions, according to Reuters.

Europe's crackdown on Big Tech to ensure smaller rivals can compete and consumers have more choice has been criticized by the administration of US President Donald Trump, which says it singles out American companies and censors Americans.

The European Commission, the EU's executive, said its laws do not target any nationality and that it is merely defending its digital and democratic standards, which usually serve as the benchmark for the rest of the world.

The EU sanction against X followed a two-year-long investigation under the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content.

The EU's investigation of ByteDance's social media app TikTok led to charges in May that the company had breached a DSA requirement to publish an advertisement repository allowing researchers and users to detect scam advertisements.

The European Commission's tech chief Henna Virkkunen said X's modest fine was proportionate and calculated based on the nature of the infringements, their gravity in terms of affected EU users and their duration.

“We are not here to impose the highest fines. We are here to make sure that our digital legislation is enforced and if you comply with our rules, you don't get the fine. And it's as simple as that,” she told reporters.

“I think it's very important to underline that DSA is having nothing to do with censorship,” Virkkunen said.

She said forthcoming decisions on companies which have been charged with DSA violations are expected to take a shorter time than the two years for the X case.

“I'm really expecting that we will do the final decisions now faster,” she said.

Ahead of the EU decision, US Vice President JD Vance said on X: “Rumors swirling that the EU commission will fine X hundreds of millions of dollars for not engaging in censorship. The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage.”

TikTok, which pledged changes to its ad library to be more transparent, urged regulators to apply the law equally and consistently across all platforms.

EU regulators said X's DSA violations included the deceptive design of its blue checkmark for verified accounts, the lack of transparency of its advertising repository and its failure to provide researchers access to public data.

The Commission said the investigation into the dissemination of illegal content on X and measures taken to combat information manipulation and a separate probe into TikTok's design, algorithmic systems and obligation to protect children continue.

DSA fines can be as high as 6% of a company's annual global revenue.