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Windhoek, Namibia — The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) met in Namibia’s capital on Thursday to discuss ways to blunt the impact of rising temperatures in the region. Global warming has surpassed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold agreed upon in the Paris Agreement, with January 2024 marking the hottest year on Earth since pre-industrial times. The rising temperatures, experts say, are making environmental disasters worse.   Climate expert Francois Engelbrecht cautioned of “tipping points” if Southern African nations don’t adapt to climate change and limit their carbon dioxide emissions by moving from coal and oil to cleaner energies like wind and solar. “In Botswana and Namibia, one of the biggest risks is that we are running the risk of completely losing the cattle industry," Engelbrecht said. "Because if the world should warm to about 3 degrees Celsius globally, it means in Botswana and obviously Namibia, the warming will be about 6 degrees Celsius, and that heat stress is so aggressive to the cattle that no breed can survive. All the cattle breeds will become unsustainable in terms of farming with them.” Tipping points are events where climate systems change in such a way that they can no longer be reversed. As an example, Engelbrecht said, a prolonged drought in the Gauteng Province of South Africa that lowered water levels in dams and led to shortages in the city of Johannesburg, making it inhospitable. Zambian geology scholar Kawawa Banda says research conducted under SASSCAL shows groundwater supply in the Zambezi Catchment Area shared by Botswana, Namibia and Zambia could be another tipping point. “In the TIPPECC project, what we want to do is understand the risks associated with these drought conditions," Banda said. "We also want to understand the risks associated with tipping points around the quality, as well as possible complete depletion of this resource, so that actions around adaptation and risks are better informed from a water management perspective.” TIPPECC stands for Tipping Points Explained by Climate Change. It is funded by SASSCAL. Jane Olwoch is the executive director of SASSCAL, which includes Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. She says there is a need to integrate climate change into goverment policy, and information is a tool in sensitizing leaders to act on climate change by supporting renewable energy.  “We use science especially in green hydrogen to support demonstration pilot projects. In that way, we are bringing in new technology, new know-how, and giving our countries capability to respond to these new subjects like green hydrogen and renewable energy,” Olwoch said. Namibia’s green energy ambitions involve the production of hydrogen and ammonia for foreign markets using solar and wind energy, some of which will be sent back into the electrical grid. A clean source of energy, experts say, can replace oil, coal and gas in the near future. In the Southern Hemisphere, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia are hit hardest by global warming, with SASSCAL research showing a 6 percent increase in the second half of the 21st century if nothing is done about it now.

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Study finds 1 in 3 secretly travel while working remotely

BANGKOK, THAILAND — Thailand is set to ratify a U.N. convention that would see new ways to protect at-risk individuals from being extrajudicially abducted, kidnapped or disappeared.  The Southeast Asian country with a poor human rights record in recent years is seeking a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, and apparently hopes ratification will help its candidacy later this year, human rights advocates say. The Thai Foreign Ministry told VOA that the goal is for the convention to be fully ratified by the government in Bangkok by June 13.  Thailand signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED) in 2012 yet has not formally ratified it.  "On May 14, 2024, Thailand deposited an Instrument of Ratification to the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Thailand reaffirms its commitment to protect all persons from enforced disappearance," Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told VOA, noting the process is expected to end in ratification within a month. ICPPED will be Thailand's eighth core international human rights treaty, the ministry said.  Thailand has a long history of enforced disappearances, records show. Between 1980 and 2023, the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances reported that 77 of 93 documented "enforced or involuntary disappearance" cases in Thailand remain unsolved. Sanhawan Srisod, an associate international legal adviser at the International Commission for Jurists, told VOA that Thailand is taking public steps to try to improve its rights reputation. "Thailand has illustrated its willingness to take a leadership role in safeguarding human rights, not only at a global level but also at the domestic level," she said. In February 2023, for example, Thailand passed the Act on Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance. When in force, the U.N. treaty on protection is expected to reduce the number of "enforced disappearances," rights advocates say. A mechanism will be in place for requests to protect individuals at risk to be sent to the U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearance, which is the supervisory authority of the convention. "One immediate change is that relatives, legal representatives, or any other person having a legitimate interest in the potential victims of enforced disappearance will be equipped with more tools to seek the truth. The committee can urgently request state parties like Thailand to take measures to ensure that a disappeared person, including dissidents and political refugees, is located and protected, taking into account the urgency of the situation," Sanhawan said. Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates (AHRLA), said he hopes the Thai government works to improve conditions for dissidents and critics. "One hopes that this ratification will see Thailand turn the corner and end such disappearances once and for all, but it will require real political commitment to stop the culture of intimidation and impunity which makes disappearing critics and rivals so easy," he told VOA. Robertson said the treaty should be retroactive so dozens of unsolved cases can be re-examined. "If they are serious about this issue, the Thai authorities would systematically re-open and investigate those cases, but there is no indication they are preparing to do so. For the families of the dozens of victims of enforced disappearance vainly waiting for closure and accountability, this ratification won't mean much since it's not retroactive," Robertson said. One such case has reached a 20th anniversary. Somchai Neelapaijit, a prominent Thai human rights lawyer, disappeared in Bangkok in 2004. Thailand announced last year it was seeking a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council and was preparing for the September vote at the U.N. General Assembly that will determine which nations hold seats for the 2025-27 term. Bangkok now has boosted its chances to secure a U.N. seat, Robertson says. "Thailand needed something to show for its campaign to be elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council in September, so ratifying this convention became the easiest pledge they could make." But for a country that has seen military coups and opposition crackdowns in recent years, Thailand's human rights record remains a concern. The crackdown on dissidents stemming from the 2020 anti-government and monarchy reform protests has seen nearly 2,000 people prosecuted for expressing opinions and political views. This includes 272 people facing lèse-majesté charges, which prohibits criticism of Thailand's monarchy. Under Article 112 of Thailand's Criminal Code, each charge can warrant a maximum 15-year prison sentence. Human rights advocates have expressed concern that some political activists have been refused bail and remain in custody in pretrial detention. Currently 27 detainees are being held under those conditions, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. Earlier in May, political activist Netiporn Sanesangkhom, also known as "Bung," died of cardiac arrest while in custody following a hunger strike. She was facing lèse-majesté charges and her bail had been revoked. "Thailand does not deserve a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council if it continues to imprison people for speaking the truth to power," Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead at Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, told VOA. Sanhawan, of the ICJ, said that while political activists languish in Thai prisons, questions over human rights practices hang over the country. "The allegations of rights violations that continually haunt Thailand should be addressed, including the alleged misuse of the judicial process against political dissidents based on non-human rights compliance laws which have been consistently criticized by U.N. bodies for a long time."

MANILA — The Philippines has built a coastguard station in its northern islands near Taiwan, boosting its capacity to monitor an area where China has built up its military presence, National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said on Friday. He said the new station less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, will improve Manila's ability to monitor the Luzon Strait, a vital international waterway south of the democratically governed island. Ano said the area around the town of Itbayat in the Philippines' Batanes islands was the scene of a military build-up in 2022 after China had responded to "political developments" between Taiwan and the U.S., the island's key foreign backer. "China's corresponding naval response was observed in the Luzon Strait," Ano said in a statement. The strait, traversed by multiple cable systems, is a transit zone for vessels moving between the Philippine Sea and the contested South China Sea. The frequent presence of Chinese survey ships there also underscores the importance of "securing peace, stability, and freedom of navigation along the Luzon Strait", Ano said. Ano said the new station would allow the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) to combat foreign threats and crimes at sea including illicit trade, trafficking, piracy and foreign intrusions. Itbayat was one of the venues of joint military exercises by the Philippines and the U.S. from April 22 to May 10 in which more than 16,000 troops from both sides participated. In 2023, the Philippines almost doubled the number of its military bases that U.S. forces can access, including three facing Taiwan. China has said those moves were "stoking the fire" of regional tensions. In waters east of Taiwan, China conducted mock missile strikes and dispatched bombers carrying live missiles on Friday in its two-day Taiwan drills, Beijing's state CCTV said. It said the exercises were launched to punish Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-te, whom it has denounced as a "separatist". Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future, and rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims. Taiwan's armed forces have mobilised to monitor and shadow Chinese forces.

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LONDON — The number of people held in Russian prisons dropped by 58,000 last year, Russian independent media reported on Friday, continuing a steady fall spurred in part by the recruitment of convicts to fight in Ukraine. In total, some 105,000 prisoners were released between 2022-2023, media reported, citing data published in the official journal of Russia's prison service. Russia has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world and a vast network of prisons and labour camps stretching across its 11 time zones. Russia has recruited prisoners to fight in Ukraine since 2022, when Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late head of the Wagner mercenary group, began touring penal colonies, offering prisoners a pardon if they survived six months at the front. Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last year two months after leading a short-lived mutiny against Russia's military leaders, said he had recruited 50,000 prisoners for Wagner. Russia's Defence Ministry has since continued recruiting convicts from prisons for its own Storm-Z formations. Regional authorities in Siberia have said they plan to close several prisons this year amid a decline in inmate numbers driven by the recruitment of convicts for the war. The latest drop in the prison population is part of a longer-term downward trend. Since 2009, the number of convicts has decreased threefold, from about 730,000 to roughly 250,000, according to calculations by independent media, as Russia has softened penalties for some financial crimes.

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan will pay more than $2 million to the families of Chinese workers killed in a suicide bombing this year. Five Chinese workers and their Pakistani driver were killed on March 26 when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their convoy in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.   The Economic Coordination Committee, Pakistan’s top economic body approved a $2.58 million package Thursday as compensation to the families of the foreign victims. The ECC, presided over by Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, also approved nearly $9,000 in compensation for the family of the slain Pakistani national. “The ECC considered and approved proposals for Technical Supplementary Grants, including: $2.58 million and Rs. 2.5 million to the Ministry of Water Resources as the compensation packages for Chinese and local casualties at DASU Hydropower Project,” a statement on the finance ministry's website said.   The workers were traveling to the Chinese-funded Dasu hydropower project in the remote region of Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when they came under attack in Bisham, in Shangla district, about four hours north of the capital. Islamabad. Pakistan identified the attacker as an Afghan national and claimed the attack was planned in Afghanistan. Pakistan: Afghan-based terrorists planned suicide attack on Chinese engineers Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of allowing anti-Pakistan terrorists to operate on its soil, a charge the rulers in Kabul deny. China has urged Pakistan to punish those involved in the attack and to ensure better security for its nationals present in the country. Thousands of Chinese are working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, a multibillion-dollar energy and infrastructure project under Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative. As Pakistan pushes to revive the pace of the megaproject, Islamabad has assured China it has enhanced security protocols for the foreign workers. In a visit to Dasu, days after the attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif vowed “fool-proof” security arrangements in a meeting with Chinese workers at the hydropower project. “I will not rest until we have put in place the best possible security measures for your security. Not only in Dasu, [but] all over Pakistan,” Sharif said, adding that, this was his promise to the people of China, and to the Chinese leadership including President Xi Jinping. A special military unit as well as local law enforcement are already responsible for the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Since the launch of CPEC, foreign workers have come under attack, mostly, by Baloch separatist groups who see the project as part of Pakistani state’s measures to rob the mineral-rich Balochistan province of its precious resources. No group, however, claimed responsibility for the attack in March that occurred far from Balochistan. The banned Islamist militant outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan - an ideological offshoot of the Afghan Taliban - has a foothold in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 2021, an attack on a bus carrying workers to the same hydropower project killed 13 people including at least nine Chinese nationals. Pakistan compensated their families as well. Two alleged Islamist militants were sentenced to death for that attack.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea, Japan, and China will resume high-level talks for the first time in over four years next week, sending senior leaders to a summit aimed at stabilizing ties among the Asian neighbors. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul Monday, South Korea’s presidential office announced this week. The three countries have hoped to hold yearly summits, but the meetings have not occurred since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and bilateral frictions, which have continued to emerge. This week, China lashed out at South Korea and Japan after lawmakers from both countries attended the inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. China views self-ruled Taiwan as its own and sees Lai as a dangerous separatist.  China has also watched warily as Japan and South Korea expand defense cooperation, not only between themselves but also with the United States. China fears the U.S. is working with its Asian allies to contain Beijing. Although South Korea-Japan ties have improved under Yoon, the relationship is showing signs of strain after South Korean politicians accused Tokyo of inappropriately pressuring a South Korean company to sell its stake in a popular Japanese messaging app. Analysts do not expect the summit to produce any breakthroughs to resolve these disputes. Instead, the three sides hope to regularize the leader-level meetings, restoring an important channel for managing tense relations.  The summit “will not solve every problem and curb potential conflicts in the region in a single stroke,” said Park Cheol Hee, chancellor of the state-run Korea National Diplomatic Academy, in a commentary on the website of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  However, since all three countries are economically interdependent and wish to avoid a “Cold War scenario,” it is necessary to manage the level of conflict “to a tolerable level,” Park added. Diplomatic dance Since taking office two years ago, Yoon has improved ties with Japan, partnering with Kishida to cooperate on common issues such as nuclear-armed North Korea. However, Yoon and Kishida have trodden more cautiously when it comes to China, a vital trading partner for both Seoul and Tokyo.  Although neither leader has overseen drastic changes to his country’s China policies, both have embraced a tougher, values-based rhetoric – often speaking of the contest between democracy and authoritarianism.  South Korea and Japan have also grown bolder about speaking of the importance of preserving the status quo in democratic Taiwan, which China has threatened to take by force.  Yoon especially upset China last year when he called Taiwan’s fate a “global issue.” China objects to such statements, insisting its relationship with Taiwan is a domestic matter.  As Lai was sworn in as Taiwan’s president this week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out against those he said were attempting to challenge the “one-China principle.”  China on Thursday launched two days of large-scale military exercises encircling Taiwan, further raising tension around what is perhaps the region’s most sensitive hotspot.  China’s approach However, China may have some incentive to appear more conciliatory during next week’s summit.  Jeffrey Robertson, a professor of diplomatic studies at Seoul’s Yonsei University, said China may conclude it has much to gain simply by reestablishing dialogue with Japan and South Korea – a forum that excludes the United States.  “I think [China] is going to try to show that it is less threatening to Korea and Japan and show that there is an alternative,” Robertson added. “It's demonstrating that the region has the potential to govern itself.” While some analysts have said that China may use the meeting to create or expose divisions between South Korea and Japan, that may not be necessary now. “I think those cracks [between South Korea and Japan] are already present and pretty much filling up with water right now,” Robertson said.  Japan-Korea tensions In recent weeks, several prominent South Korean politicians accused Japan of pressuring South Korean tech giant Naver to sell its stake in the company that controls Line, a do-it-all social media app that dominates digital life in Japan.  Japanese regulators say the move is motivated by information security concerns, after Naver suffered a cyberattack that resulted in a massive leak of data, including the personal information of Line users. But South Korean opposition figures have jumped on the issue to attack Yoon’s friendlier approach to Japan, with some even comparing the dispute to Japan’s colonization of Korea.   According to Japan’s Kyodo news agency, Kishida and Yoon may discuss the Line/Naver issue during bilateral talks to be held on the sidelines of the broader summit.  The Japanese and South Korean leaders will also likely urge China to pressure North Korea to reengage in denuclearization talks, said Bruce Bennett, a defense researcher at the Rand Corporation. “But I’m not sure if much will come out of that,” said Bennett, who spoke to reporters last week at the Asan Plenum, a conference in Seoul.  China does not have much influence in North Korea, said Bennett, adding that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will only act “if he thinks it’s in his best interest.”  Instead, the trilateral summit is expected to focus on issues including personnel exchanges, climate change, trade, health and aging population, technology, and disasters, according to South Korean officials.  While those topics may not attract much media attention, officials in South Korea say the discussions are worthwhile – if nothing else, to create dialogue that will prevent tensions from spinning out of control.  In an editorial last week for South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, Yoon’s former National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han argued that close communication with China is essential for regional peace and prosperity – and for avoiding conflict along the lines of World War I. Few if any expect any breakthroughs – not least of all because China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, will not attend this round of talks. “It's just the fact that they're starting the dialogue again – I think it's significant enough in itself,” Robertson said.  

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA/TOKYO — South Korea and Japan announced on Friday a series of sanctions applied to individuals, organizations and ships related to Russia's alleged procurement of weapons from North Korea in breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Seoul's foreign ministry said sanctions had been slapped on seven North Korean individuals and two Russian vessels over weapons trade and other activities between Pyongyang and Moscow. The Russian vessels had been carrying a large quantity of containers between Russia and North Korea transporting military supplies in a clear violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions, the ministry said in a statement. The United States and South Korea have accused North Korea of transferring weapons to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusations, but vowed last year to deepen military relations. Japan also announced sanctions on 11 organizations and one individual including what it said were Russian groups involved in military cooperation to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Russia's procurement of arms from North Korea violates the relevant U.N. resolutions that completely prohibit the transfer of arms and related materials to and from North Korea," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference. According to South Korea's foreign ministry, one North Korean individual representing a state-controlled company based in Syria held negotiations to promote arms trade with a Russian from the Wagner Group between 2022 and 2023. The ministry cited an annual report by the U.N. panel of experts monitoring the reclusive state. Another individual at a company based in Russia was involved in bringing diesel from Russia into North Korea, the ministry said, accusing both individuals of breaching U.N. Security Council resolutions. Five other North Koreans helped raise funds to support Pyongyang's development of nuclear and missile programs by earning foreign currency as IT workers, South Korea's statement said. Russia last month described South Korea's sanctions on Russian individuals and entities as an "unfriendly move" and warned it would respond in due course. North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006, and those measures have been strengthened over the years. Earlier this year, the U.N. panel of experts monitoring sanctions on North Korea failed to extend its mandate following a veto by Moscow, prompting the United States and its allies to seek alternatives.  

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

The Hague, Netherlands — The top United Nations court on Friday will rule on a plea by South Africa to order a halt to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, with Pretoria accusing Israel of "genocide." Pretoria has urged the International Court of Justice to order an "immediate" stop to Israel's campaign, including in the southern area of Rafah, and facilitate access of humanitarian aid. Israel wants the court to toss out the request, arguing an enforced cease-fire would allow Hamas fighters to regroup and make it impossible to recover hostages taken in their October 7 assault. In a highly charged ruling in January, the court ordered Israel to do everything in its power to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza but stopped short of ordering a cease-fire. South Africa argues that the recent Israeli operation in Rafah changed the situation on the ground and should compel the court to issue fresh emergency orders. The ICJ rules in disputes between countries. Its orders are legally binding but it has no means to enforce them directly. The court has, for example, ordered Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine to no avail. Judges could agree to South Africa's request, reject it out of hand or even issue a completely separate set of orders. The ICJ's ruling comes hot on the heels of a landmark request by the International Criminal Court's lead prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas leaders. Prosecutor Karim Khan alleges that senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, plus top Hamas officials, are guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the October 7 attack and the war in Gaza. 'Limited and localized' In public hearings at the ICJ last week, South Africa's ambassador Vusimuzi Madonsela alleged that "Israel's genocide has continued apace and has just reached a new and horrific stage." "Although the present application was triggered by the unfolding situation in Rafah, Israel's genocidal onslaught across Gaza has intensified over the past few days, also warranting the attention of this Court," he said. South Africa charges the only way to enable humanitarian aid in to ease the crisis in Gaza is a full halt to Israel's military operations. It wants the court to issue emergency orders -- "provisional measures" in court jargon -- while it weighs the broader South African case that Israel is breaching the 1948 U.N. Genocide Convention. Israel counters that South Africa's case is an "obscene exploitation of the most sacred convention" and the picture Pretoria paints to the court is "completely divorced from the facts and circumstances." "It makes a mockery of the heinous charge of genocide," said top Israel lawyer Gilam Noam at hearings. "Calling something a genocide, again and again, does not make it genocide. Repeating a lie does not make it true," he added. Noam described Rafah as a "focal point for ongoing terrorist activity" and said that operations there were "limited and localized," with no harm meant to civilians. Bloodiest-ever Gaza war Israel pressed ahead with the assault on Rafah, the last city in Gaza to be entered by its ground troops, in defiance of global opposition, including from top ally the United States. Washington voiced concerns that about 1.4 million Palestinians trapped in the city would be caught in the line of fire. Israel has since ordered mass evacuations from the city, and the U.N. says more than 800,000 people have fled. The bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out after Hamas's unprecedented attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Militants also took 252 hostages, 124 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,800 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. Israel has also imposed a siege that has deprived Gaza's 2.4 million people of most clean water, food, medicines and fuel.