Xi meets Putin in Moscow

President Vladimir Putin welcomed Xi Jinping on the Kremlin yesterday and pledged that Russia would research China’s peace proposals for Ukraine “with respect.” However Xi didn’t point out Ukraine in any respect in his public remarks.

Although the conflict and the divides that it uncovered hung over the assembly, the leaders centered on projecting unity and shoring up their nations’ total relationship in the course of the three-day summit.

“Expensive buddy, welcome to Russia,” Putin informed Xi, who’s the highest-profile world chief to go to for the reason that invasion. Putin mentioned that China took a “honest and balanced place on the vast majority of worldwide issues.” Xi hailed the 2 nations as “good neighbors and dependable companions,” Russian state media mentioned.

The state go to, which is being intently watched by Kyiv and its allies, underscores China’s more and more shut ties with Russia. The U.S. has warned that China may go even additional than diplomatic or financial assist for Russia, presumably by supplying weapons to make use of within the conflict.

Local weather’s ‘quickly closing window’

A serious U.N. local weather report mentioned that the Earth would almost definitely cross a crucial international warming threshold throughout the subsequent decade — until nations made a direct and drastic shift away from fossil fuels. There’s “a quickly closing window of alternative” to deal with local weather change, the report mentioned.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change, which issued the report, mentioned that international common temperatures are estimated to rise 1.5 levels Celsius (2.7 levels Fahrenheit) above preindustrial ranges someday round “the primary half of the 2030s.” Past that time, scientists say, the impacts of local weather change — catastrophic warmth waves, crop failures and species extinction — will develop into a lot tougher for humanity to deal with. 

To shift course, the report mentioned, nations want to chop greenhouse gases by half by 2030 and cease emitting carbon dioxide altogether by the early 2050s. If these two steps have been to be taken, the world would have a couple of 50 % likelihood of limiting warming to 1.5 levels Celsius.

Virtually, which means retiring fossil gas infrastructure or canceling deliberate initiatives. It additionally means efforts like increasing wind and photo voltaic energies, making cities friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists and lowering meals waste.

Nonetheless, international fossil-fuel emissions set data final yr, whereas China and the U.S. proceed to approve new fossil gas initiatives. Beneath the present insurance policies, Earth’s temperature is estimated to warmth up by 2.1 to 2.9 levels Celsius this century.

Evaluation: “The report is sobering, gut-wrenching and above all, sensible,” my colleague Somini Sengupta writes in our local weather publication. “Its clearest takeaway: The continued use of fossil fuels is harming all of us, and harming a few of us much more.”

The price: Governments and corporations would want to speculate three to 6 instances as a lot as they at the moment spend to carry international warming at 1.5 or 2 levels, the report says.

India’s manhunt in Punjab

Indian authorities have restricted communications in Punjab for a 3rd day as a manhunt continues for Amritpal Singh, a Sikh separatist chief who has referred to as for an unbiased Sikh homeland. Singh’s fast rise within the public eye has stirred fears of violence in India’s solely Sikh-majority state, which nonetheless has vivid recollections of a lethal separatist insurgency. 

The seek for Singh started on Saturday. Since then, the federal government has blocked the web, restricted cellular communications and deployed 1000’s of paramilitary troopers. The manhunt comes a month after Singh and a whole lot of his supporters stormed a police station armed with swords and firearms, demanding the discharge of an aide. Six police officers have been injured within the conflict. 

Historical past: For a lot of in India, the conflict was much like the Eighties revolt in Punjab, when 1000’s have been killed throughout an insurgency organized by Sikh separatists that raged for years.

Singh: The 30-year-old self-styled preacher has referred to as for safeguarding Sikh rights in opposition to what he believed to be the overreach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist authorities. He additionally implicitly threatened Amit Shah, the house minister.

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Asia Pacific

Japan’s unique animal cafes are widespread selfie spots, however a survey discovered that many include critically endangered species — and others banned from worldwide commerce.

Comparable cafes have cropped up in different Asian nations. Critics say they may threaten wildlife conservation, animal welfare and public well being.

ARTS AND IDEAS

The “afternoon enjoyable” financial system

Distant employees within the U.S. have fueled a surge in noon train and wonder therapies in the course of the workweek. With new flexibility, they’re opting to increase their leisure time into the afternoon, and tack on further hours of labor after darkish — usually with the blessing of their bosses.

As an illustration, a brand new research utilizing geolocation information discovered that there have been 278 % extra folks enjoying golf at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday in August 2022 than in August 2019. One of many report’s authors mentioned that the rise of afternoon leisure may have an under-examined position in driving the financial rebound since 2020.

“They’re not sneaking away,” the proprietor of a golf course in New Jersey mentioned. “They’re getting the work executed, simply not at your typical hours.”

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

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