Donald Trump has been elected for a second term as US president. International affairs editor Rachael Jolley spoke with US expert Thomas Gift, founding director of the UCL Centre on US Politics, about what Americans will expect the president-elect to do once in office, and what he will prioritise.
Article
Cities will be hit hardest by climate change, UN warns
Cities are in a unique position, simultaneously the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses and the most affected areas of the greenhouse effect. As a new UN report shows that rapid urbanization and industrialization have adverse effects on the environment, causing a rise in sea levels, prolonged rainfalls and flooding, and
How megatrends affect advancement of gender equality in Asia and the Pacific
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995 during the Fourth World Conference on Women, remains a cornerstone in the global pursuit of gender equality and women’s empowerment. With the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review fast approaching, now is the time to reflect on the progress
What Trump can do to reverse US climate policy
As the U.S. prepares for another Trump administration, one area unambiguously in the incoming president’s crosshairs is climate policy. Although he has not released an official climate agenda, Donald Trump’s playbook from his last stint in the Oval Office and his frequent complaints about clean energy offer some clues to what’s
UN climate summit needs action, not a COP-out
The Paris Agreement on climate change is a decade old this month. While there has been progress – with new net zero pledges and new technological solutions, we are still grappling with the reality that global temperatures continue to soar. 2023 was the hottest year ever on record. This alarming trend
UN arms embargo on Israel: Dead on arrival
When the United Nations imposes sanctions or penalizes a member state – be it the General Assembly or the Human Rights Council – the resolutions are “non-binding” and often remain unimplemented. But the Security Council resolutions are “binding” – and still openly violated by countries such as North Korea—because all these
Lesser noddy sighting stirs up birding community in Bangladesh
On Sept. 7, 2024, British ornithologist Gary Allport and Dutch birdwatcher Jan-erik Nilsen took a boat from Bangladesh’s coastal district of Cox’s Bazar to Sonadia Island. On their way, while they observed a flock of terns feeding around a fishing boat, a lesser noddy (Anous tenuirostris) flew in, circled the
UN remains paralyzed as rogue nations escalate war crimes
The United Nations continues to be virtually paralyzed – and remains politically impotent amidst two raging conflicts—as Russia and Israel keep defying the world body. The killings of civilians and the destruction of cities, particularly by Israel, are devastating and continue despite repeated warnings from the UN, its humanitarian agencies, the
World inequality still rising despite some convergence
Despite earlier income convergence among nations, many low-income countries (LICs) and people are falling further behind. Worse, the number of poor and hungry has been increasing again after declining for decades. After the post-Second World War ‘Golden Age’ ended over half a century ago, the world has seen unequal and uneven
