International pressure mounted Tuesday for the "immediate release" of Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, whose family fears for his life after he escalated his hunger strike by refusing water too as COP27 opened.. Three Egyptian journalists also continued a hunger strike for a second day, demanding "the release of all political prisoners in Egypt".
The UN's chief called Tuesday for an end to a "toxic cover-up" by companies as a sweeping report said they cannot claim to be net zero if they invest in new fossil fuels, cause deforestation or offset emissions instead of reducing them.. - 'Watershed moment' - Net zero is "entirely incompatible" with any new fossil fuel investment, the report said, although McKenna said oil and gas companies could still have these pledges if they swiftly transition to renewables.
Spain's former king, Juan Carlos I, on Tuesday resumed a UK court battle to win immunity over harassment claims by his former lover, just as a new podcast featuring her claims is released.. The hearing comes as zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, who was also not present in court on Tuesday, has been discussing the relationship in a new podcast series called "Corinna and the King".
French prosecutors said Tuesday they had opened an inquiry into child abuse by a cardinal after he confessed publicly to "reprehensible" acts with a 14-year-old girl in the 1980s.. In a message read out at a conference of bishops, Ricard admitted that "35 years ago, when I was a priest, I behaved in a reprehensible way towards a girl of 14.
Italian archaeologists announced on Tuesday the extraordinary discovery of more than 20 bronze statues created over 2,000 years ago, almost perfectly preserved in the mud of hot springs in Tuscany.. The hot spring water preserved the items to such an extent that inscriptions in Etruscan and Latin are still visible, including names of powerful Etruscan families.
A speech by EU Council head Charles Michel scheduled to be broadcast at the opening of a major Chinese trade fair was abruptly cancelled due to wrangling over censorship, diplomats told AFP Tuesday.. Brussels preferred to cancel the speech altogether instead," one European diplomat told AFP, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The United Nations Tuesday warned of a worsening food crisis in bankrupt Sri Lanka and said the number of people needing urgent humanitarian help had doubled to 3.4 million.. The UN agencies in Colombo in a joint statement said they had raised $79 million to feed those in need, but the increasing number of poor people meant they needed an additional $70 million.
The United States sought to reassure the UN climate summit in Egypt on Tuesday that it will stick to its energy transition even if Republicans triumph in midterm elections.. But the US midterm elections have also loomed large over the summit as President Joe Biden's Democrats face a tough battle to hang on to their majority in Congress against Republicans, who are less favourable to international climate action.
The Japanese government will propose a new law to prevent harmfully large donations to religious groups, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday, after Shinzo Abe's assassination heightened scrutiny of the Unification Church.. "It was heartbreaking to hear their stories," the prime minister told reporters as he outlined plans to curb "malicious donations" in which members of religious groups are pressured to donate often excessive amounts.
China is playing "aggressive games" with democracies and Canadian institutions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned on Monday following a report of foreign interference in its elections.. "We have taken significant measures to strengthen the integrity of our elections processes and our systems, and will continue to invest in the fight against election interference, against foreign interference of our democracies and institutions," Trudeau told reporters.
