A vicious cycle linking the depletion of natural resources with violent conflict may have gone past the point of no return in parts of the world and is likely to be exacerbated by climate change, a report said on Thursday.

Food insecurity, lack of water and the impact of natural disasters, combined with high population growth, are stoking conflict and displacing people in vulnerable areas, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) think-tank said.

IEP uses data from the United Nations and other sources to predict the countries and regions most at risk in its "Ecological Threat Register".

Serge Stroobants, IEP director for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa said the report identified 30 "hotspot" countries - home to 1.26 billion people - as facing most risks.

This is based on three criteria relating to scarcity of resources, and five focusing on disasters including floods, droughts and rising temperatures.

"We don't even need climate change to see potential system collapse, just the impact of those eight ecological threats can lead to this - of course climate change is reinforcing it," Stroobants said.

Afghanistan gets the worst score on the report, which says its ongoing conflict has damaged its ability to cope with risks to water and food supplies, climate change, and alternating floods and droughts.

Conflict in turn leads to further resource degradation, according to the findings.

Six seminars including governments, military institutions and development groups last year returned the message that "it is unlikely that the international community will reverse the vicious cycles in some parts of the world", IEP said.

This is particularly the case in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, which has seen more and worsening conflicts over the last decade, it said.

"With tensions already escalating, it can only be expected that climate change will have an amplifying effect on many of these issues," the report said.

A vicious cycle linking the depletion of natural resources with violent conflict may have gone past the point of no return in parts of the world and is likely to be exacerbated by climate change, a report said on Thursday.

A vicious cycle linking the depletion of natural resources with violent conflict may have gone past the point of no return in parts of the world and is likely to be exacerbated by climate change, a report said on Thursday. Food insecurity, lack of water and the impact of natural disasters, combined with high population growth, are stoking conflict and displacing people in vulnerable areas, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) think-tank said. IEP uses data from the United Nations and other sources to predict the countries and regions most at risk in its "Ecological Threat Register". Serge Stroobants, IEP director for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa said the report identified 30 "hotspot" countries - home to 1.26 billion people - as facing most risks. This is based on three criteria relating to scarcity of resources, and five focusing on disasters including floods, droughts and rising temperatures. "We don't even need climate change to see potential system collapse, just the impact of those eight ecological threats can lead to this - of course climate change is reinforcing it," Stroobants said. Afghanistan gets the worst score on the report, which says its ongoing conflict has damaged its ability to cope with risks to water and food supplies, climate change, and alternating floods and droughts. Conflict in turn leads to further resource degradation, according to the findings. Six seminars including governments, military institutions and development groups last year returned the message that "it is unlikely that the international community will reverse the vicious cycles in some parts of the world", IEP said. This is particularly the case in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, which has seen more and worsening conflicts over the last decade, it said. "With tensions already escalating, it can only be expected that climate change will have an amplifying effect on many of these issues," the report said.

Climate change set to worsen resource degradation, conflict, report says

In her speech ahead of the Cop26 climate conference, Queen Elizabeth urged Scotland’s MSPs to tackle climate change and “help create a better, healthier future." She also highlighted the “deep and abiding affection” and happy memories she and the late Duke of Edinburgh shared of Scotland.

The queen was joined by Prince Charles and his wife Camila. Both of them are known as Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when they are in Scotland. She told told MSPs that as the country emerged from the “adverse and uncertain times” of the pandemic.

She said, "Next month, I will be attending Cop26 events in Glasgow. The eyes of the world will be on the United Kingdom – and Scotland in particular – as leaders come together to address the challenges of climate change."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uks-queen-elizabeth-marks-start-of-scottish-parliament-session-417673">Also read |&nbsp;UK's Queen Elizabeth marks start of Scottish Parliament session</a>

“There is a key role for the Scottish parliament, as with all parliaments, to help create a better, healthier future for us all, and to engage with the people they represent – especially our young people.”

Speaking at Holyrood for the first time since Prince Philip’s death, the Queen added said,&nbsp;“Today is also a day when we can celebrate those who have made an extraordinary contribution to the lives of other people in Scotland, locally or nationally during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She marked the start of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Saturday.

The queen extended her "warmest and good wishes" to the members of Scottish Parliament.

Several Members of the Scottish Parliament did not applaud to the queen's speech. Many in Scotland want to leave the United Kingdom to be an independent country and rejoin the European Union.

Following the opening ceremony, the Queen and The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay were expected to attend a reception in the Main Hall.

In her speech ahead of the Cop26 climate conference, Queen Elizabeth urged Scotland’s MSPs to tackle climate change and “help create a better, healthier future." She also highlighted the “deep and abiding affection” and happy memories she and the late Duke of Edinburgh shared of Scotland.

In her speech ahead of the Cop26 climate conference, Queen Elizabeth urged Scotland’s MSPs to tackle climate change and “help create a better, healthier future." She also highlighted the “deep and abiding affection” and happy memories she and the late Duke of Edinburgh shared of Scotland. The queen was joined by Prince Charles and his wife Camila. Both of them are known as Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when they are in Scotland. She told told MSPs that as the country emerged from the “adverse and uncertain times” of the pandemic. She said, "Next month, I will be attending Cop26 events in Glasgow. The eyes of the world will be on the United Kingdom – and Scotland in particular – as leaders come together to address the challenges of climate change." Also read | UK's Queen Elizabeth marks start of Scottish Parliament session “There is a key role for the Scottish parliament, as with all parliaments, to help create a better, healthier future for us all, and to engage with the people they represent – especially our young people.” Speaking at Holyrood for the first time since Prince Philip’s death, the Queen added said, “Today is also a day when we can celebrate those who have made an extraordinary contribution to the lives of other people in Scotland, locally or nationally during the Covid-19 pandemic. She marked the start of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Saturday. The queen extended her "warmest and good wishes" to the members of Scottish Parliament. Several Members of the Scottish Parliament did not applaud to the queen's speech. Many in Scotland want to leave the United Kingdom to be an independent country and rejoin the European Union. Following the opening ceremony, the Queen and The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay were expected to attend a reception in the Main Hall.

Queen Elizabeth urges Scottish parliament to tackle climate change

Last week, the entire market welcomed the mega merger between ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) with open arms but Invesco is still hellbent on its proposal to change the Board of ZEEL. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Invesco has neither any solid proposal nor any work-related experience of entertainment industry. The big question here is - What's the intention behind Invesco's move? &nbsp;&nbsp;

ZEEL board has who's who of entertainment industry, however, Invesco has no big name having any big experience in media and entertainment sector. Now, questions are cropping up due to the said proposal of Invesco. &nbsp;

Let's have a look at proposed Board by Invesco and the experience that proposed members have:- &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Surendra Singh Sirohi &nbsp;

- No prior experience in media &nbsp;&nbsp;

- Limited experience in listed company; as of now in HFCL board &nbsp;

- 3 years experience in Bharat Electronics Board &nbsp;

- Is telecom sector experience enough for ZEEL? &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Aruna Sharma &nbsp;

- Was independent director in Jindal Steel for 2 years &nbsp;&nbsp;

- No reappointment after first tenure &nbsp;&nbsp;

- As of now, independent director in Welspun enterprises &nbsp;

- Controversy erupted on presentation of Commonwealth Games while holding DG Doordarshan post &nbsp;

- Private company probed production, presentation &nbsp;

- Shunglu Committee alleged that she benefitted private firms &nbsp;&nbsp;

- Rs 135 cr loss to government alleged &nbsp;

- IPC, PCA action was proposed &nbsp;

- ED probed FEMA violation; parent cadre was sent &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Naina Krishnamurthy &nbsp;

- Limited experience with respect to listed company &nbsp;

-No experience of media and entertainment &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Rohan Dhamija &nbsp;&nbsp;

- No experience of board in any listed company &nbsp;

-By and large, holds experience in Analysys Mason as Managing Partner &nbsp;

- No experience of media and entertainment &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Srinivasa Rao Addepalli &nbsp;

- No major experience except Tata Group; board member nowhere &nbsp;

-Tata is an investor in his edutech startup Global Gyan &nbsp;

- Ratan Tata is angel investor in Global Gyan &nbsp;

-No clarity so far on investment amount by Ratan Tata &nbsp;

-Most of the projects held by Global Gyan are from Tata Group &nbsp;

-Many staff members of Tata are in advisory role and faculty member role &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gaurav Mehta &nbsp;

- Associated with Raine Advisors India Pvt. Ltd &nbsp;

-No experience in listed company &nbsp;

- He is on board of company, which is registered as broker-dealer in US SEC &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Zee Business raises some tough questions for Invesco:- &nbsp;

- Where is the media, industry, digital and tech experience of Invesco proposed board members? &nbsp;

- Where is the experience of merger, acquisitions and approval? &nbsp;

- How did Invesco get right to grab 6 seats in Board without having 18% share? &nbsp;&nbsp;

- Why is Invesco forgetting that it is a financial investor, not strategic investor? &nbsp;

- If Invesco has no solid plan, then why it wants to break the mega merger deal of ZEEL-Sony? &nbsp;

- Do foreign investors like Invesco want to destabilise an established Indian brand?&nbsp;

Last week, the entire market welcomed the mega merger between ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) with open arms but Invesco is still hellbent on its proposal to change the Board of ZEEL.

Last week, the entire market welcomed the mega merger between ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) with open arms but Invesco is still hellbent on its proposal to change the Board of ZEEL. Invesco has neither any solid proposal nor any work-related experience of entertainment industry. The big question here is - What's the intention behind Invesco's move? ZEEL board has who's who of entertainment industry, however, Invesco has no big name having any big experience in media and entertainment sector. Now, questions are cropping up due to the said proposal of Invesco. Let's have a look at proposed Board by Invesco and the experience that proposed members have:- Surendra Singh Sirohi - No prior experience in media - Limited experience in listed company; as of now in HFCL board - 3 years experience in Bharat Electronics Board - Is telecom sector experience enough for ZEEL? Aruna Sharma - Was independent director in Jindal Steel for 2 years - No reappointment after first tenure - As of now, independent director in Welspun enterprises - Controversy erupted on presentation of Commonwealth Games while holding DG Doordarshan post - Private company probed production, presentation - Shunglu Committee alleged that she benefitted private firms - Rs 135 cr loss to government alleged - IPC, PCA action was proposed - ED probed FEMA violation; parent cadre was sent Naina Krishnamurthy - Limited experience with respect to listed company -No experience of media and entertainment Rohan Dhamija - No experience of board in any listed company -By and large, holds experience in Analysys Mason as Managing Partner - No experience of media and entertainment Srinivasa Rao Addepalli - No major experience except Tata Group; board member nowhere -Tata is an investor in his edutech startup Global Gyan - Ratan Tata is angel investor in Global Gyan -No clarity so far on investment amount by Ratan Tata -Most of the projects held by Global Gyan are from Tata Group -Many staff members of Tata are in advisory role and faculty member role Gaurav Mehta - Associated with Raine Advisors India Pvt. Ltd -No experience in listed company - He is on board of company, which is registered as broker-dealer in US SEC Zee Business raises some tough questions for Invesco:- - Where is the media, industry, digital and tech experience of Invesco proposed board members? - Where is the experience of merger, acquisitions and approval? - How did Invesco get right to grab 6 seats in Board without having 18% share? - Why is Invesco forgetting that it is a financial investor, not strategic investor? - If Invesco has no solid plan, then why it wants to break the mega merger deal of ZEEL-Sony? - Do foreign investors like Invesco want to destabilise an established Indian brand?

Upset with ZEEL-Sony merger, Invesco faces tough questions over change in board proposal

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden delivered his first address to the United Nations General Assembly. He discussed issues of global importance like climate change and the coronavirus.

Challenges that require a united response include “ending this pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, managing shifts in global power dynamics, shaping the role of the world on vital issues like trade, cyber and emerging technologies and facing the threat of terrorism as it stands today,” Biden said.

Biden told that the US would "double" its contribution to climate finance.

<a href="'We are not seeking a new cold war': US President Joe Biden at UNGA">Also read |&nbsp;'We are not seeking a new cold war': US President Joe Biden at UNGA</a>

"This will make the United States a leader in public climate finance," Biden told world leaders in New York, saying he would work with Congress to achieve the goal.

The president urged the world to turn from conflict toward cooperation against the urgent threats of climate change and disease.

He described climate change and the continuing coronavirus pandemic as “urgent and looming crises wherein lie enormous opportunities,” if the globe can “work together to seize” them.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, he also spoke about tensions with China as he said that the US is “not seeking a new Cold War.”&nbsp;

Biden highlighted growing concerns about rising tensions between the two countries without directly addressing China. 
“We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocks,” he clarified.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden delivered his first address to the United Nations General Assembly. He discussed issues of global importance like climate change and the coronavirus.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden delivered his first address to the United Nations General Assembly. He discussed issues of global importance like climate change and the coronavirus. Challenges that require a united response include “ending this pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, managing shifts in global power dynamics, shaping the role of the world on vital issues like trade, cyber and emerging technologies and facing the threat of terrorism as it stands today,” Biden said. Biden told that the US would "double" its contribution to climate finance. Also read | 'We are not seeking a new cold war': US President Joe Biden at UNGA "This will make the United States a leader in public climate finance," Biden told world leaders in New York, saying he would work with Congress to achieve the goal. The president urged the world to turn from conflict toward cooperation against the urgent threats of climate change and disease. He described climate change and the continuing coronavirus pandemic as “urgent and looming crises wherein lie enormous opportunities,” if the globe can “work together to seize” them. Meanwhile, he also spoke about tensions with China as he said that the US is “not seeking a new Cold War.” Biden highlighted growing concerns about rising tensions between the two countries without directly addressing China. “We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocks,” he clarified.

Biden urges action on climate during his address at UNGA

Global warming is already affecting people's health so much that emergency action on&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change cannot be put on hold while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, medical journals across the globe warned on Monday.

"Health is already being harmed by global temperature increases and the destruction of the natural world," read an editorial published in more than 220 leading journals ahead of the Cop26&nbsp;climate&nbsp;summit in November.

Since the pre-industrial era, temperatures have risen around 1.1 degrees Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit).

The editorial, written&nbsp;by the editors-in-chief of over a dozen journals including the Lancet, the East African Medical Journal, Brazil's Revista de Saude Publica and the International Nursing Review, said this had caused a plethora of health problems.

"In the past 20 years, heat-related mortality among people older than 65 years has increased by more than 50 percent," it read.

"Higher temperatures have brought increased dehydration and renal function loss, dermatological malignancies, tropical infections, adverse mental health outcomes, pregnancy complications, allergies, and cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity and mortality."

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It also pointed to the decline in agricultural production, "hampering efforts to reduce undernutrition."

These effects, which hit those most vulnerable like minorities, children and poorer communities hardest, are just the beginning, it warned.

As things stand, global warming could reach +1.5C on pre-industrial levels around 2030, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on&nbsp;Climate&nbsp;Change.

And that, along with the continued loss of biodiversity, "risk catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse," the editorial warned.

"Despite the world's necessary preoccupation with Covid-19, we cannot wait for the pandemic to pass to rapidly reduce emissions."

In a statement ahead of the publication of the editorial, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "The risks posed by&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change could dwarf those of any single disease."

"The Covid-19 pandemic will end, but there is no vaccine for the&nbsp;climate&nbsp;crisis.

"Every action taken to limit emissions and warming brings us closer to a healthier and safer future."

The editorial pointed out that many governments met the threat of Covid-19 with "unprecedented funding" and called for "a similar emergency response" to the environmental crisis, highlighting the benefits.

"Better air quality alone would realise health benefits that easily offset the global costs of emissions reductions," it read.

The authors also said "governments must make fundamental changes to how our societies and economies are organised and how we live."

Global warming is already affecting people's health so much that emergency action on climate change cannot be put on hold while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, medical journals across the globe warned on Monday.

Global warming is already affecting people's health so much that emergency action on climate change cannot be put on hold while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, medical journals across the globe warned on Monday. "Health is already being harmed by global temperature increases and the destruction of the natural world," read an editorial published in more than 220 leading journals ahead of the Cop26 climate summit in November. Since the pre-industrial era, temperatures have risen around 1.1 degrees Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit). The editorial, written by the editors-in-chief of over a dozen journals including the Lancet, the East African Medical Journal, Brazil's Revista de Saude Publica and the International Nursing Review, said this had caused a plethora of health problems. "In the past 20 years, heat-related mortality among people older than 65 years has increased by more than 50 percent," it read. "Higher temperatures have brought increased dehydration and renal function loss, dermatological malignancies, tropical infections, adverse mental health outcomes, pregnancy complications, allergies, and cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity and mortality." Also read | Suspected thief of winning scratch card stopped at Rome airport It also pointed to the decline in agricultural production, "hampering efforts to reduce undernutrition." These effects, which hit those most vulnerable like minorities, children and poorer communities hardest, are just the beginning, it warned. As things stand, global warming could reach +1.5C on pre-industrial levels around 2030, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And that, along with the continued loss of biodiversity, "risk catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse," the editorial warned. "Despite the world's necessary preoccupation with Covid-19, we cannot wait for the pandemic to pass to rapidly reduce emissions." In a statement ahead of the publication of the editorial, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "The risks posed by climate change could dwarf those of any single disease." "The Covid-19 pandemic will end, but there is no vaccine for the climate crisis. "Every action taken to limit emissions and warming brings us closer to a healthier and safer future." The editorial pointed out that many governments met the threat of Covid-19 with "unprecedented funding" and called for "a similar emergency response" to the environmental crisis, highlighting the benefits. "Better air quality alone would realise health benefits that easily offset the global costs of emissions reductions," it read. The authors also said "governments must make fundamental changes to how our societies and economies are organised and how we live."

More than 200 medical journals call for urgent action on climate change

New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;saw its&nbsp;warmest&nbsp;winter&nbsp;on record this year as&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change&nbsp;fuelled rising temperatures, a government scientific agency said Friday.

Temperatures in the June-August period were 1.32 degrees Celsius&nbsp;above average, exceeding the previous record set last year, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said.

The agency said the data meant seven of the top 10 hottest winters in&nbsp;New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;had occurred since 2000.

It said the last time the country recorded back-to-back record winters was in 1970 and 1971, but those years now stood at 18th and 13th respectively on the all-time list, which dates back to 1909.

"What was considered to be unusually warm at the time is no longer considered unusual," NIWA meteorologist Nava Fedaeff said.

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Fedaeff said natural weather patterns played a role in both record-setting periods but a key difference was the amount of carbon dioxide now polluting the atmosphere.

She said one measuring station near Wellington recorded a carbon dioxide concentration of 320 parts per million in the early 1970s but the level was now 412 parts per million, up almost 30 percent.

"These similar winters, decades apart, show us that there are key natural ingredients to getting a warm&nbsp;winter, but adding&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change&nbsp;to the mix is like taking the same recipe and swapping plain flour for self-raising," she said.

The country's centre-left Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared a 'climate&nbsp;emergency' last year, saying urgent action was needed for the sake of future generations.

New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and generating all of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.

New Zealand saw its warmest winter on record this year as climate change fuelled rising temperatures, a government scientific agency said Friday. Temperatures in the June-August period were 1.

New Zealand saw its warmest winter on record this year as climate change fuelled rising temperatures, a government scientific agency said Friday. Temperatures in the June-August period were 1.32 degrees Celsius above average, exceeding the previous record set last year, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said. The agency said the data meant seven of the top 10 hottest winters in New Zealand had occurred since 2000. It said the last time the country recorded back-to-back record winters was in 1970 and 1971, but those years now stood at 18th and 13th respectively on the all-time list, which dates back to 1909. "What was considered to be unusually warm at the time is no longer considered unusual," NIWA meteorologist Nava Fedaeff said. Also read | Cuba starts vaccinating children in order to re-open schools amid Covid surge Fedaeff said natural weather patterns played a role in both record-setting periods but a key difference was the amount of carbon dioxide now polluting the atmosphere. She said one measuring station near Wellington recorded a carbon dioxide concentration of 320 parts per million in the early 1970s but the level was now 412 parts per million, up almost 30 percent. "These similar winters, decades apart, show us that there are key natural ingredients to getting a warm winter, but adding climate change to the mix is like taking the same recipe and swapping plain flour for self-raising," she said. The country's centre-left Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared a 'climate emergency' last year, saying urgent action was needed for the sake of future generations. New Zealand has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and generating all of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.

Climate change blamed for New Zealand's warmest winter

There is still time to prevent "runaway climate change" but only if the world implements carbon net zero policies, the EU's vice president in charge of climate action said Monday.

"It's not too late to stem the tide and prevent runaway climate change, but only if we act decisively now and all act together," Frans Timmermans tweeted after the release of an alarming report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

He stressed that the European Union is proposing a sweeping climate plan, unveiled last month, that aims to ditch dependency on fossil fuels to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

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"But this is a global crisis: keeping 1.5 degrees within reach requires net zero emissions worldwide and faster rollout of policies to get there. COP26 must be where the world says 'enough'!," Timmermans tweeted, referring to a global climate conference to take place in November.

"The IPCC climate report shows the immense urgency of acting now to tackle the climate crisis," he added.

The IPCC concluded that the 1.5C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement would likely be breached around 2030 -- a decade earlier than it projected just three years ago.

There is still time to prevent "runaway climate change" but only if the world implements carbon net zero policies, the EU's vice president in charge of climate action said Monday.

There is still time to prevent "runaway climate change" but only if the world implements carbon net zero policies, the EU's vice president in charge of climate action said Monday. "It's not too late to stem the tide and prevent runaway climate change, but only if we act decisively now and all act together," Frans Timmermans tweeted after the release of an alarming report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He stressed that the European Union is proposing a sweeping climate plan, unveiled last month, that aims to ditch dependency on fossil fuels to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Also read | TikTok tests disappearing videos feature, but with a twist "But this is a global crisis: keeping 1.5 degrees within reach requires net zero emissions worldwide and faster rollout of policies to get there. COP26 must be where the world says 'enough'!," Timmermans tweeted, referring to a global climate conference to take place in November. "The IPCC climate report shows the immense urgency of acting now to tackle the climate crisis," he added. The IPCC concluded that the 1.5C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement would likely be breached around 2030 -- a decade earlier than it projected just three years ago.

'Not too late' to prevent 'runaway climate change': EU

Leftist Pedro Castillo was sworn in as Peru's fifth president in three years Wednesday on the 200th anniversary of the country's independence, promising an end to corruption and a new constitution.

The 51-year-old rural schoolteacher, who has vowed to upend a quarter-century of neo-liberal government, enters the job with a lengthy to-do list: tame the coronavirus epidemic, reactivate a flagging economy and end years of political turmoil.

"I swear by the people of Peru for a country without corruption and for a new constitution," he declared before Congress, coming back to a campaign promise to change Peru's free market-friendly founding law.

The existing charter is a relic of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, serving jail time for corruption and crimes against humanity, and father of Castillo's main presidential rival, right-wing populist Keiko Fujimori.

Insisting Peru could not "remain a prisoner" of the 1993 constitution, Castillo said he would send a bill to parliament with a view to organising a referendum on replacing it.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/peru-wants-a-president-thousands-march-in-lima-as-election-result-drags-396358">Also read |&nbsp;'Peru wants a president': Thousands march in Lima as election result drags</a>

Castillo's Free Peru party does not enjoy a majority in a fragmented congress, holding 37 of the 130 seats.&nbsp;

He was declared the election victor on July 19, more than six weeks after a runoff race against Fujimori, whose allegations of voter fraud then had to be reviewed by an electoral jury.

Wednesday's swearing-in was attended by Spanish King Felipe VI, five Latin American leaders, former Bolivian president Evo Morales and the United States education secretary, among other guests.

Some 10,000 police officers were deployed in the capital Lima, and Castillo voters came out waving banners in a show of support.

'New deal' with investors

"This is the first time this country will be governed by a peasant," Castillo told guests, sporting his trademark, traditional white sombrero and a typical black Andean suit.

He also sought to calm fears among investors, the business community and backers of Fujimori, who had sought to portray him as a communist who would turn Peru into a new Venezuela or North Korea.

"During the election campaign it was said that we are going to expropriate (assets).&nbsp;It is totally false.&nbsp;We want the economy to have order," the new president said, adding, however, that he would be looking for a "new deal with private investors."

Castillo is Peru's first president in decades with no ties to the country's political or economic elite.

He has promised reform to ensure there are "no more poor people in a rich country," but has softened his initial campaign talk of nationalisation.

He is a devout Catholic opposed to gay marriage and abortion.

Peru has been hard-hit by the coronavirus epidemic. With nearly 200,000 deaths among its 32 million population, it has the world's highest reported mortality rate.

An extended pandemic lockdown in 2020 is blamed for the loss of millions of jobs and dumping the country into recession. GDP dropped more than 11 percent.

Castillo has appointed as his chief economic advisor World Bank economist Pedro Francke, who recently told AFP: "We will not expropriate, we will not nationalise, we will not impose generalised price controls, we will not make any exchange control that prevents you from buying and selling dollars or taking dollars out of the country."

&nbsp;President of all Peruvians

It is widely hoped Castillo will bring an end to years of political upheaval in Peru.

A series of corruption scandals saw three different presidents in office in a single week last November.

Seven of the country's last 10 leaders have either been convicted or are under investigation for graft.

Now that she has lost, Fujimori faces a corruption trial for allegedly taking illicit campaign funding for two previous presidential bids.

The election campaign has also been deeply polarizing, with often vehement public support on both sides of the political spectrum for the final two contenders.

"Castillo must rapidly position himself as a president of all Peruvians and not as a president of half of Peruvians," political analyst Jessica Smith told AFP.

On Monday, Castillo received congratulations in a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who "reinforced our shared commitment to promoting inclusive economic prosperity" and thanked Peru for support "in addressing the Venezuela crisis."

Shortly after Wednesday's inauguration ceremony, Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza arrived in Lima, according to the Andina news agency.

This marked a turning point in bilateral relations, with Peru among dozens of countries -- including the United States -- to have recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader over President Nicolas Maduro.

Free Peru is one of few left-wing Peruvian parties to defend Maduro's regime.

Castillo, who has vowed to renounce his presidential salary, said Wednesday he would also not govern from the official presidential residence, Pizarro Palace, in a "break with the colonial symbols," and said he would return to his schoolteacher's job at the end of his five-year term.

Three days of ceremonies will culminate in a military parade in Lima on Friday to mark the swearing in.&nbsp;

Leftist Pedro Castillo was sworn in as Peru's fifth president in three years Wednesday on the 200th anniversary of the country's independence, promising an end to corruption and a new constitution.

Leftist Pedro Castillo was sworn in as Peru's fifth president in three years Wednesday on the 200th anniversary of the country's independence, promising an end to corruption and a new constitution. The 51-year-old rural schoolteacher, who has vowed to upend a quarter-century of neo-liberal government, enters the job with a lengthy to-do list: tame the coronavirus epidemic, reactivate a flagging economy and end years of political turmoil. "I swear by the people of Peru for a country without corruption and for a new constitution," he declared before Congress, coming back to a campaign promise to change Peru's free market-friendly founding law. The existing charter is a relic of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, serving jail time for corruption and crimes against humanity, and father of Castillo's main presidential rival, right-wing populist Keiko Fujimori. Insisting Peru could not "remain a prisoner" of the 1993 constitution, Castillo said he would send a bill to parliament with a view to organising a referendum on replacing it. Also read | 'Peru wants a president': Thousands march in Lima as election result drags Castillo's Free Peru party does not enjoy a majority in a fragmented congress, holding 37 of the 130 seats. He was declared the election victor on July 19, more than six weeks after a runoff race against Fujimori, whose allegations of voter fraud then had to be reviewed by an electoral jury. Wednesday's swearing-in was attended by Spanish King Felipe VI, five Latin American leaders, former Bolivian president Evo Morales and the United States education secretary, among other guests. Some 10,000 police officers were deployed in the capital Lima, and Castillo voters came out waving banners in a show of support. 'New deal' with investors "This is the first time this country will be governed by a peasant," Castillo told guests, sporting his trademark, traditional white sombrero and a typical black Andean suit. He also sought to calm fears among investors, the business community and backers of Fujimori, who had sought to portray him as a communist who would turn Peru into a new Venezuela or North Korea. "During the election campaign it was said that we are going to expropriate (assets). It is totally false. We want the economy to have order," the new president said, adding, however, that he would be looking for a "new deal with private investors." Castillo is Peru's first president in decades with no ties to the country's political or economic elite. He has promised reform to ensure there are "no more poor people in a rich country," but has softened his initial campaign talk of nationalisation. He is a devout Catholic opposed to gay marriage and abortion. Peru has been hard-hit by the coronavirus epidemic. With nearly 200,000 deaths among its 32 million population, it has the world's highest reported mortality rate. An extended pandemic lockdown in 2020 is blamed for the loss of millions of jobs and dumping the country into recession. GDP dropped more than 11 percent. Castillo has appointed as his chief economic advisor World Bank economist Pedro Francke, who recently told AFP: "We will not expropriate, we will not nationalise, we will not impose generalised price controls, we will not make any exchange control that prevents you from buying and selling dollars or taking dollars out of the country." President of all Peruvians It is widely hoped Castillo will bring an end to years of political upheaval in Peru. A series of corruption scandals saw three different presidents in office in a single week last November. Seven of the country's last 10 leaders have either been convicted or are under investigation for graft. Now that she has lost, Fujimori faces a corruption trial for allegedly taking illicit campaign funding for two previous presidential bids. The election campaign has also been deeply polarizing, with often vehement public support on both sides of the political spectrum for the final two contenders. "Castillo must rapidly position himself as a president of all Peruvians and not as a president of half of Peruvians," political analyst Jessica Smith told AFP. On Monday, Castillo received congratulations in a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who "reinforced our shared commitment to promoting inclusive economic prosperity" and thanked Peru for support "in addressing the Venezuela crisis." Shortly after Wednesday's inauguration ceremony, Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza arrived in Lima, according to the Andina news agency. This marked a turning point in bilateral relations, with Peru among dozens of countries -- including the United States -- to have recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader over President Nicolas Maduro. Free Peru is one of few left-wing Peruvian parties to defend Maduro's regime. Castillo, who has vowed to renounce his presidential salary, said Wednesday he would also not govern from the official presidential residence, Pizarro Palace, in a "break with the colonial symbols," and said he would return to his schoolteacher's job at the end of his five-year term. Three days of ceremonies will culminate in a military parade in Lima on Friday to mark the swearing in.

Peru's new president promises constitution change

New Zealand recorded its hottest June on record as temperatures continued to soar in a pattern consistent with global warming, a government scientific agency said Tuesday.

Daily temperatures averaged 10.6 Celsius (51.1 Fahrenheit) -- 1.9C above average despite a cold snap late in the month, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said.

"It's huge. There's only been 13 times since 1909 that we've had such an anomaly," NIWA scientist Chris Brandolino told public radio.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/florida-building-collapse-death-toll-rises-to-28-with-117-missing-396088">Also read |&nbsp;Florida building collapse: Death toll rises to 28, with 117 missing</a>

"What's alarming is that over the past 10 years that's happened six times."

Brandolino said that while shorter-term factors such as warmer ocean temperatures helped heat the air over New Zealand, climate change was a constant underlying factor.

"We've had more north-easterly air flows than normal (from the Pacific), so they're coming from a warm place, and ocean temperatures are also warmer than average," he said.

"Then you throw in the background of climate change and it adds up to a record warm month for June."

New Zealand had its seventh-hottest year in 2020, which was also the seventh year in a decade that temperatures have been in the top 10 highest ever recorded.

The country's centre-left Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared a 'climate emergency' last year, saying urgent action was needed for the sake of future generations.

New Zealand has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and to generating all its energy from renewable sources by 2035.

New Zealand recorded its hottest June on record as temperatures continued to soar in a pattern consistent with global warming, a government scientific agency said Tuesday.

New Zealand recorded its hottest June on record as temperatures continued to soar in a pattern consistent with global warming, a government scientific agency said Tuesday. Daily temperatures averaged 10.6 Celsius (51.1 Fahrenheit) -- 1.9C above average despite a cold snap late in the month, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said. "It's huge. There's only been 13 times since 1909 that we've had such an anomaly," NIWA scientist Chris Brandolino told public radio. Also read | Florida building collapse: Death toll rises to 28, with 117 missing "What's alarming is that over the past 10 years that's happened six times." Brandolino said that while shorter-term factors such as warmer ocean temperatures helped heat the air over New Zealand, climate change was a constant underlying factor. "We've had more north-easterly air flows than normal (from the Pacific), so they're coming from a warm place, and ocean temperatures are also warmer than average," he said. "Then you throw in the background of climate change and it adds up to a record warm month for June." New Zealand had its seventh-hottest year in 2020, which was also the seventh year in a decade that temperatures have been in the top 10 highest ever recorded. The country's centre-left Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared a 'climate emergency' last year, saying urgent action was needed for the sake of future generations. New Zealand has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and to generating all its energy from renewable sources by 2035.

Climate change link as New Zealand records warmest June on record

Leading thousands of protest marchers through central Sydney and joining a landmark class action lawsuit aren’t the usual activities for most 14-year-olds. 
 
But Australian student Izzy Raj-Seppings has abandoned more frivolous extracurricular activities in favour of stepping up pressure on the country`s leadership to battle climate change. 
 
Raj-Seppings has become one of the country's most prominent environmental activists since her tear-stained face made global headlines in late 2019 when she stared down riot police threatening to arrest her outside the prime minister's home. 
 
"I think a lot of people look at us and just say, 'oh, they're kids, they don't know what they're talking about," she said in an interview on April 6. 
 
"But I think they are underestimating us and they don't realise how powerful we are and how much work we're putting in. We're listening to scientists who have been trying to get people's attentions for generations and people haven't been listening to them about climate change." 
 
Australia is the highest per capita carbon emitter among the world's richest nations and, according to Raj-Seppings, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's inaction on climate change shows the need for a change in leadership. 
 
Her brush with police in 2019 came when the then 13-year-old joined angry protestors outside Morrison's official residence in Sydney in the wake of devastating bushfires - her first protest. The incident saw Raj-Seppings dubbed "Australia's Greta Thunberg" by local media. 
 
She stepped further into the spotlight this month, leading thousands of fellow students in 'School Strike 4 Climate' protest march through central Sydney. 
 
She was also one of eight teenagers,&nbsp;who brought a class action lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that the expansion of a coal mine in New South Wales state would contribute to climate change and endanger their future. 
 
The case resulted in a landmark ruling last week that the country's environment minister has so-called duty of care, or moral obligation to children to consider the harm caused by climate change. 
 
Raj-Seppings had her own message for Morrison, should she have the opportunity to meet him one day. 
 
"I'd definitely tell him that he does need to wake up, that the time is coming for action and we need it now," she said in the April 6 interview. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Leading thousands of protest marchers through central Sydney and joining a landmark class action lawsuit aren’t the usual activities for most 14-year-olds. But Australian student Izzy Raj-Seppings has abandoned more frivolous extracurricular activities in favour of stepping up pressure on the country`s leadership to battle climate change.

Leading thousands of protest marchers through central Sydney and joining a landmark class action lawsuit aren’t the usual activities for most 14-year-olds. But Australian student Izzy Raj-Seppings has abandoned more frivolous extracurricular activities in favour of stepping up pressure on the country`s leadership to battle climate change. Raj-Seppings has become one of the country's most prominent environmental activists since her tear-stained face made global headlines in late 2019 when she stared down riot police threatening to arrest her outside the prime minister's home. "I think a lot of people look at us and just say, 'oh, they're kids, they don't know what they're talking about," she said in an interview on April 6. "But I think they are underestimating us and they don't realise how powerful we are and how much work we're putting in. We're listening to scientists who have been trying to get people's attentions for generations and people haven't been listening to them about climate change." Australia is the highest per capita carbon emitter among the world's richest nations and, according to Raj-Seppings, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's inaction on climate change shows the need for a change in leadership. Her brush with police in 2019 came when the then 13-year-old joined angry protestors outside Morrison's official residence in Sydney in the wake of devastating bushfires - her first protest. The incident saw Raj-Seppings dubbed "Australia's Greta Thunberg" by local media. She stepped further into the spotlight this month, leading thousands of fellow students in 'School Strike 4 Climate' protest march through central Sydney. She was also one of eight teenagers, who brought a class action lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that the expansion of a coal mine in New South Wales state would contribute to climate change and endanger their future. The case resulted in a landmark ruling last week that the country's environment minister has so-called duty of care, or moral obligation to children to consider the harm caused by climate change. Raj-Seppings had her own message for Morrison, should she have the opportunity to meet him one day. "I'd definitely tell him that he does need to wake up, that the time is coming for action and we need it now," she said in the April 6 interview. (With inputs from agencies)

'Australia's Greta Thunberg' steps up climate change activism

The co-leader of Germany's Greens, Annalena Baerbock, said on Monday, she would run to become chancellor in September's elections, the first time the left-leaning party has sought the top job in its 40-year history.&nbsp;

Baerbock, a former champion trampolinist, who has seen support for her party rise over the past year, said she would offer a 'new start' and focus on investing in education, digital and green technologies.&nbsp;

Analysts said the chance of an outright win for the ecologist party was still a long shot - though the Greens have become a formidable force that has profited from voters' fatigue with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. &nbsp;

Baerbock's group still trails the conservatives by around five points in the polls, despite signs of divisions in the conservative camp that has ruled Germany for 16 years.&nbsp;

Baerbock, 40, sought to allay fears about her relative lack of experience. "Democracy lives off change. Yes, I was never a chancellor and never a minister," she told a news conference. "I stand for renewal. Other stand for the status-quo."&nbsp;

"We would like to lead this government - but since politics is not a wish-fulfillment exercise, it will be up to the voters to decide who will come out of this election with how much strength," she added.&nbsp;

Baerbock was nominated for the chancellorship by her party and formally presented on Monday by co-leader Robert Habeck - an orderly process that stood in contrast to public divisions among the conservatives.&nbsp;

Armin Laschet, chairman of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Markus Soeder of their CSU Bavarian sister party, remained at loggerheads on Monday over which of them should lead their increasingly strained alliance.&nbsp;

"While Laschet and Soeder are still fighting in the arena and the potential damage to the party could be great, the Greens have delivered a masterpiece of political professionalism," ING economist Carsten Brzeski said.&nbsp;

The Greens, who were born in 1980 out of the ecologist movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, govern the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, a former conservative stronghold.&nbsp;

A Forsa poll last week put support for the Greens on 23%, behind 27% for Merkel's alliance.&nbsp;

To lead a coalition government, the Greens could team up with the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD), which the Forsa poll showed to have 15% support, and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), at 9%. Another three-way tie-up could be with the SPD and the far-left Linke.&nbsp;

In a more likely scenario, given the current numbers, the Greens could also join government as junior partner to Merkel`s conservatives. &nbsp;

Finance Minister and SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz was quick to congratulate Baerbock on her candidacy, tweeting that he was "looking forward to an exciting and fair competition".&nbsp;

A person close to Scholz, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Scholz and Baerbock had a good and professional relationship and their parties had many overlapping policy goals. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The co-leader of Germany's Greens, Annalena Baerbock, said on Monday, she would run to become chancellor in September's elections, the first time the left-leaning party has sought the top job in its 40-year history.

The co-leader of Germany's Greens, Annalena Baerbock, said on Monday, she would run to become chancellor in September's elections, the first time the left-leaning party has sought the top job in its 40-year history. Baerbock, a former champion trampolinist, who has seen support for her party rise over the past year, said she would offer a 'new start' and focus on investing in education, digital and green technologies. Analysts said the chance of an outright win for the ecologist party was still a long shot - though the Greens have become a formidable force that has profited from voters' fatigue with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. Baerbock's group still trails the conservatives by around five points in the polls, despite signs of divisions in the conservative camp that has ruled Germany for 16 years. Baerbock, 40, sought to allay fears about her relative lack of experience. "Democracy lives off change. Yes, I was never a chancellor and never a minister," she told a news conference. "I stand for renewal. Other stand for the status-quo." "We would like to lead this government - but since politics is not a wish-fulfillment exercise, it will be up to the voters to decide who will come out of this election with how much strength," she added. Baerbock was nominated for the chancellorship by her party and formally presented on Monday by co-leader Robert Habeck - an orderly process that stood in contrast to public divisions among the conservatives. Armin Laschet, chairman of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Markus Soeder of their CSU Bavarian sister party, remained at loggerheads on Monday over which of them should lead their increasingly strained alliance. "While Laschet and Soeder are still fighting in the arena and the potential damage to the party could be great, the Greens have delivered a masterpiece of political professionalism," ING economist Carsten Brzeski said. The Greens, who were born in 1980 out of the ecologist movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, govern the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, a former conservative stronghold. A Forsa poll last week put support for the Greens on 23%, behind 27% for Merkel's alliance. To lead a coalition government, the Greens could team up with the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD), which the Forsa poll showed to have 15% support, and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), at 9%. Another three-way tie-up could be with the SPD and the far-left Linke. In a more likely scenario, given the current numbers, the Greens could also join government as junior partner to Merkel`s conservatives. Finance Minister and SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz was quick to congratulate Baerbock on her candidacy, tweeting that he was "looking forward to an exciting and fair competition". A person close to Scholz, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Scholz and Baerbock had a good and professional relationship and their parties had many overlapping policy goals. (With inputs from agencies)

Germany's Greens make first bid for chancellery, promise change 

British endurance swimmer and United Nations patron of oceans Lewis Gordon Pugh braved the freezing temperatures of East Antarctica, swimming in its icy rivers, to raise awareness about climate change.

Swimmer raises awareness on climate change in freezing Antarctic waters

China`s plan for President Xi Jinping to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-proposes-removal-of-two-term-limit-for-president-reports-34002" target="_blank">remain in office indefinitely</a> has sparked social media opposition, drawing comparisons to North Korea`s ruling dynasty and charges of creating a dictator by a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist.

The social media reaction late on Sunday quickly saw China swing into a concerted propaganda push by Monday, blocking some articles and publishing pieces praising the party.

The ruling Communist Party on Sunday proposed to remove a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to just two terms in office, meaning Xi, who also heads the party and the military, might never have to retire.

The proposal, which will be passed by delegates loyal to the party at next month`s annual meeting of China`s largely rubber stamp parliament, is part of a package of amendments to the country`s constitution.

It will also add Xi`s political thought to the constitution, already added to the party constitution last year, and set a legal framework for a super anti-corruption superbody, as well as more broadly strengthen the party`s tight grip on power.

But it seems the party will have its work cut out trying to convince some in China, where Xi is actually very popular thanks in part to his war on graft, that the move will not end up giving Xi too much power.

&quot;Argh, we`re going to become North Korea,&quot; wrote one Weibo user, where the Kim dynasty has ruled since the late 1940s. Kim Il Sung founded North Korea in 1948 and his family has ruled it ever since.

&quot;We`re following the example of our neighbour,` wrote another user.

The comments were removed late on Sunday after Weibo, China`s answer to Twitter, began blocking the search term &quot;two term limit&quot;.

Widely read state-run newspaper the Global Times said in an editorial the change did not mean the president will stay in office for ever, though it did not offer much explanation.

&quot;Since reform and opening up, China, led by the Communist Party, has successfully resolved and will continue to effectively resolve the issue of party and national leadership replacement in a law-abiding and orderly manner,&quot; it said, referring to landmark economic reforms that began four decades ago.

The party`s official People`s Daily reprinted a long article by Xinhua news agency saying most people supported the constitutional amendments, quoting a variety of people proffering support.

&quot;The broad part of officials and the masses say that they hoped this constitutional reform is passed,&quot; it wrote.

The WeChat account of the People`s Daily, after initially posting a flurry of positive comments under its article, then disabled the comments section completely late on Sunday. It was back again by Monday, complete with remarks lauding the party.

The overseas edition of the same paper`s WeChat account removed entirely an article focusing on the term limits, replacing it with the lengthy Xinhua report summing up all the amendment proposals.

In one confusing moment for many Chinese, Xinhua initially only reported the news in English.

Jokes have also circulated on social media. One shows a picture of a condom in its wrapper under the words &quot;doing it twice is not enough&quot;.

Others shared pictures of Winnie the Pooh, an internet meme that plays on Xi`s supposed likeness to the rotund cartoon bear, an image censors have repeatedly tried to remove.&nbsp;

Parts of the stock market took heart from the news. Chinese speculators pounced on stocks with &quot;emperor&quot; in their name on Monday.

The decision has also unsettled some in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, where authorities have been trying to rein in a pro-democracy movement.

&quot;This move, which would allow for a single individual to amass and accumulate political power, means that China would again have a dictator as her head of state - Xi Jinping,&quot; said Joshua Wong, one of the movement`s leaders.

&quot;The law may exist in China in form, but this just proves that the Chinese law exists to serve the individual and the party`s purposes.&quot;

China is likely though to see any such criticism as a plot against the party.

&quot;Every time China deliberates on reforms and key decisions, effect on public opinion is worth pondering,&quot; the Global Times wrote. &quot;Misinformation and external forces` meddling will affect public opinion in China.&quot;

The social media reaction late on Sunday quickly saw China swing into a concerted propaganda push by Monday, blocking some articles and publishing pieces praising the party

China`s plan for President Xi Jinping to remain in office indefinitely has sparked social media opposition, drawing comparisons to North Korea`s ruling dynasty and charges of creating a dictator by a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist. The social media reaction late on Sunday quickly saw China swing into a concerted propaganda push by Monday, blocking some articles and publishing pieces praising the party. The ruling Communist Party on Sunday proposed to remove a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to just two terms in office, meaning Xi, who also heads the party and the military, might never have to retire. The proposal, which will be passed by delegates loyal to the party at next month`s annual meeting of China`s largely rubber stamp parliament, is part of a package of amendments to the country`s constitution. It will also add Xi`s political thought to the constitution, already added to the party constitution last year, and set a legal framework for a super anti-corruption superbody, as well as more broadly strengthen the party`s tight grip on power. But it seems the party will have its work cut out trying to convince some in China, where Xi is actually very popular thanks in part to his war on graft, that the move will not end up giving Xi too much power. "Argh, we`re going to become North Korea," wrote one Weibo user, where the Kim dynasty has ruled since the late 1940s. Kim Il Sung founded North Korea in 1948 and his family has ruled it ever since. "We`re following the example of our neighbour,` wrote another user. The comments were removed late on Sunday after Weibo, China`s answer to Twitter, began blocking the search term "two term limit". Widely read state-run newspaper the Global Times said in an editorial the change did not mean the president will stay in office for ever, though it did not offer much explanation. "Since reform and opening up, China, led by the Communist Party, has successfully resolved and will continue to effectively resolve the issue of party and national leadership replacement in a law-abiding and orderly manner," it said, referring to landmark economic reforms that began four decades ago. The party`s official People`s Daily reprinted a long article by Xinhua news agency saying most people supported the constitutional amendments, quoting a variety of people proffering support. "The broad part of officials and the masses say that they hoped this constitutional reform is passed," it wrote. The WeChat account of the People`s Daily, after initially posting a flurry of positive comments under its article, then disabled the comments section completely late on Sunday. It was back again by Monday, complete with remarks lauding the party. The overseas edition of the same paper`s WeChat account removed entirely an article focusing on the term limits, replacing it with the lengthy Xinhua report summing up all the amendment proposals. In one confusing moment for many Chinese, Xinhua initially only reported the news in English. Jokes have also circulated on social media. One shows a picture of a condom in its wrapper under the words "doing it twice is not enough". Others shared pictures of Winnie the Pooh, an internet meme that plays on Xi`s supposed likeness to the rotund cartoon bear, an image censors have repeatedly tried to remove. Parts of the stock market took heart from the news. Chinese speculators pounced on stocks with "emperor" in their name on Monday. The decision has also unsettled some in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, where authorities have been trying to rein in a pro-democracy movement. "This move, which would allow for a single individual to amass and accumulate political power, means that China would again have a dictator as her head of state - Xi Jinping," said Joshua Wong, one of the movement`s leaders. "The law may exist in China in form, but this just proves that the Chinese law exists to serve the individual and the party`s purposes." China is likely though to see any such criticism as a plot against the party. "Every time China deliberates on reforms and key decisions, effect on public opinion is worth pondering," the Global Times wrote. "Misinformation and external forces` meddling will affect public opinion in China."

China pushes back against criticism of plan for Xi to stay in power

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday that calls to replace or modify&nbsp;statues&nbsp;of English colonialists, including explorer Captain James Cook, were tantamount to a &quot;Stalinist&quot; rewrite of history.

Pressure has grown in the wake of the furor over Confederate monuments in the United States to reconsider&nbsp;statues&nbsp;in Australia that some deem offensive to the country&#39;s indigenous people.

Sydney, Australia&#39;s largest city, is deciding whether to alter a monument erected in Hyde Park, 1879, to commemorate Cook, who charted Australia&#39;s east coast for the first time.

At issue is the engraving on the base of the statue, which says &quot;Discovered this territory, 1770&quot;. Aboriginal people had lived on the continent for an estimated 60,000 years before Cook dropped anchor in Botany Bay.

Sydney City Council has referred the issue, along with a second statue of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the administrator who turned the British penal colony into a free settlement, to an indigenous advisory board.

The council has not yet indicated what changes it might make.

Turnbull played down the issue as a preoccupation of the &quot;left sort of fringe&quot; in politics.

&quot;We can&rsquo;t get into this sort of Stalinist exercise of trying to white out or obliterate or blank out parts of our history,&quot; Turnbull told radio station 3AW.

&quot;Trying to edit our history is wrong,&quot; he said. &quot;All of those&nbsp;statues, all of those monuments, are part of our history and we should respect them and preserve them &ndash; and by all means, put up other monuments, other&nbsp;statues&nbsp;and signs and sights that explain our history.&quot;

The debate has intensified since the political battle in the United States over whether to remove statues&nbsp;of pro-slavery Confederate Civil War leaders turned violent.

Sydney commemorates its Gadigal and Eora traditional owners with public artworks and Welcome To Country ceremonies before official meetings, but Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the community needs to talk about how to tell its history.

&quot;I think that&#39;s a conversation that really needs to have federal leadership because it&#39;s about Australia, it&#39;s about who we are,&quot; she told reporters on Friday.

Indigenous people are campaigning for constitutional recognition in Australia and debate has raged over whether to change Australia Day from January 26 which commemorates the day British colonists first settled the Aboriginal land.

Pressure has grown in the wake of the furor over Confederate monuments in the United States to reconsider statues in Australia

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday that calls to replace or modify statues of English colonialists, including explorer Captain James Cook, were tantamount to a "Stalinist" rewrite of history. Pressure has grown in the wake of the furor over Confederate monuments in the United States to reconsider statues in Australia that some deem offensive to the country's indigenous people. Sydney, Australia's largest city, is deciding whether to alter a monument erected in Hyde Park, 1879, to commemorate Cook, who charted Australia's east coast for the first time. At issue is the engraving on the base of the statue, which says "Discovered this territory, 1770". Aboriginal people had lived on the continent for an estimated 60,000 years before Cook dropped anchor in Botany Bay. Sydney City Council has referred the issue, along with a second statue of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the administrator who turned the British penal colony into a free settlement, to an indigenous advisory board. The council has not yet indicated what changes it might make. Turnbull played down the issue as a preoccupation of the "left sort of fringe" in politics. "We can’t get into this sort of Stalinist exercise of trying to white out or obliterate or blank out parts of our history," Turnbull told radio station 3AW. "Trying to edit our history is wrong," he said. "All of those statues, all of those monuments, are part of our history and we should respect them and preserve them – and by all means, put up other monuments, other statues and signs and sights that explain our history." The debate has intensified since the political battle in the United States over whether to remove statues of pro-slavery Confederate Civil War leaders turned violent. Sydney commemorates its Gadigal and Eora traditional owners with public artworks and Welcome To Country ceremonies before official meetings, but Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the community needs to talk about how to tell its history. "I think that's a conversation that really needs to have federal leadership because it's about Australia, it's about who we are," she told reporters on Friday. Indigenous people are campaigning for constitutional recognition in Australia and debate has raged over whether to change Australia Day from January 26 which commemorates the day British colonists first settled the Aboriginal land.

Australia's PM says to modify, change statues, rewriting the history

<h2>ALS Ice Bucket Challenge&nbsp;</h2>

<h2> 
Feeling Nuts</h2>

<h2> 
Save The Internet, By All India Backchod</h2>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mfY1NKrzqi0" width="560"></iframe>

<h2> 
Africa For Norway</h2>

&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oJLqyuxm96k" width="560"></iframe>

&nbsp;

<h2> 
British Heart Foundation - Promoting CPR</h2>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ILxjxfB4zNk" width="560"></iframe>

<h2> 
Movember</h2>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8w1p5UI7Siw" width="560"></iframe>

<h2> 
Spice Girls</h2>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gJLIiF15wjQ" width="560"></iframe>

Sometimes, humor tells you where the trouble is

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Feeling Nuts Save The Internet, By All India Backchod Africa For Norway British Heart Foundation - Promoting CPR Movember Spice Girls

Social Media Campaigns that utilized comedy to bring awareness

A South Sudanese minister and opposition figure resigned on Monday, saying a peace deal designed to heal the troubled young nation was dead, while calling for President Salva Kiir&#39;s unity government to leave power. 
 
Lam Akol was agriculture minister in Kiir&#39;s administration and is the leader of the opposition Sudan People&#39;s Liberation Movement-Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) party. 
 
He has also spoken out against rebel leader Riek Machar, whose forces have clashed in recent weeks with government troops loyal to Kiir, and was the president&#39;s only real opponent in a 2010 election when the country was still a semi-autonomous territory. 
 
&quot;There is no more peace agreement to implement in Juba,&quot; Akol said at a press conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.&nbsp;&quot;All of us agree that the regime in Juba must change,&quot; he added. 
 
After gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013.&nbsp;Under the terms of an August 2015 peace deal, the 30 ministerial posts are split between Kiir, Machar as first vice president, as well as opposition and other parties. 
 
But Machar has fled the capital, and Kiir has appointed a replacement from within the ex-vice-president&#39;s SPLM/A (IO) party, laying bare fractures within the administration and opposition. 
 
Akol said he was working with other opposition figures so that anti-government resistance could be &quot;consolidated&quot;. 
 
&quot;Since the agreement is dead and there is no free political space in Juba, the only sensible way to oppose this regime so as to restore &nbsp; &nbsp; genuine peace... is to organise outside Juba,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP) 
 
&nbsp;

Lam Akol was agriculture minister in Kiir's administration, and also the leader of the opposition

A South Sudanese minister and opposition figure resigned on Monday, saying a peace deal designed to heal the troubled young nation was dead, while calling for President Salva Kiir's unity government to leave power. Lam Akol was agriculture minister in Kiir's administration and is the leader of the opposition Sudan People's Liberation Movement-Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) party. He has also spoken out against rebel leader Riek Machar, whose forces have clashed in recent weeks with government troops loyal to Kiir, and was the president's only real opponent in a 2010 election when the country was still a semi-autonomous territory. "There is no more peace agreement to implement in Juba," Akol said at a press conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. "All of us agree that the regime in Juba must change," he added. After gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013. Under the terms of an August 2015 peace deal, the 30 ministerial posts are split between Kiir, Machar as first vice president, as well as opposition and other parties. But Machar has fled the capital, and Kiir has appointed a replacement from within the ex-vice-president's SPLM/A (IO) party, laying bare fractures within the administration and opposition. Akol said he was working with other opposition figures so that anti-government resistance could be "consolidated". "Since the agreement is dead and there is no free political space in Juba, the only sensible way to oppose this regime so as to restore genuine peace... is to organise outside Juba," he said. (AFP)

South Sudan minister resigns, calls for change in regime

&ldquo;When the earth is sick and polluted, human health is impossible.... To heal ourselves we must heal our planet, and to heal our planet we must heal ourselves&rdquo; --Bobby Mcleod, Aboriginal poet and activist,&nbsp; 
 
These words provide us with a poignant reminder about what needs to be done to save our planet. Fast-paced consumerism and insatiable materialism have come to define our species and in the process set our planet on the path to destruction. Our rapacious greed has put a question mark on the future of the only known planet in the universe that can sustain life. 
 
The time could not be more ripe to launch aggressive self-correction measures. Unfortunately, our leaders are still in a game of establishing onus on the basis of traditional responsibility, rather than coming together to take strong and decisive measures aimed at reducing carbon emissions. While the political economy of climate change goals has led to some sort of a stalemate in the international arena, there are solutions which can be adopted by cities to rein in rising air pollution levels without much dependence from political leaders. These solutions can be implemented by business models that inherently support environmental goals.&nbsp; 
 
For example, one of the biggest sources of pollution is automobiles. While moving to cleaner and more efficient fuel-operated vehicles is the most ideal option for curtailing city pollution levels, in emerging economies considerable time is needed before complementary infrastructure can be created to support this move. Thus, there is a dire need to think of short-term solutions that can address the challenge of rising car ownership and pollution levels in the city. 
 
Recently, the role of transporting people from point A to point B in a city has been assumed by technology aggregators. A complex innovation displayed in the simplest form is solving the inefficiencies that have haunted the urban transportation sector for centuries. But do these players solve other challenges through their technology? In particular, aren&rsquo;t the aggregators simply adding more cars on the road and adding to traffic snarls and city pollution levels? The answer is no!&nbsp; 
 
The sophistication of technology has allowed them to build products that marry innovation with traditional concepts aimed at reducing congestion and pollution. One such product is &ldquo;carpooling&rdquo; or &ldquo;ridesharing&rdquo; as these aggregators are calling it today. Simply put, the idea is aimed at efficient utilisation of existing assets while directly impacting a city&rsquo;s space availability and carbon emissions generated by vehicles. The concept is old but the advancement in technology has navigated the challenges the idea encountered in a non-digital space such as optimising conflicting schedules, making sharing a ride comfortable, et cetera. However, amid all the talk about decongestion of cities and cheaper transport options that have been generated by these options, a quiet revolution has the potential of making significant value additions to our climate change goals. 
 
Ridesharing promotes more people in fewer cars and results in the reduction of emissions, because the number of kilometres driven across a city and fuel burned are reduced significantly. Further, as more people embrace this means of transportation, a wonderful and complementary relationship is created between public transport and these services, which disincentivises car ownership substantially. At a time when cities like Delhi have a vehicular density of 80 vehicles per kilometre and 27 lakh personal vehicles with 1,463 new vehicles added to the city every day, one is compelled to think of scenarios which can reverse this trend. 
 
A &ldquo;stick&rdquo; approach would entail levy of congestion charges and other related taxes, but a more innovative solution comes in the form of people using their existing personal vehicles to offer rides to other people travelling to the same destination or nearby. The experiment has already generated positive impact from both a decongestion and environmental perspective. 
 
For example, Uber&rsquo;s study of ridesharing in LA revealed that in eight months it managed to reduce 1,400 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions. In San Francisco, the monthly reduction totalled 120 metric tonnes. As this model is scaled, it will further benefit the environment not only because of reduced emissions but also because of the opening up of urban space which would otherwise be earmarked for public parking or extension of road lengths. The free space could be used for environmental goals, such as the creation of public parks.&nbsp; 
 
It is estimated that every carpool helps remove four cars from the road, which is as good as planting 4,000 trees. Imagine the impact we can have on Delhi&rsquo;s abysmal air pollution levels if we turned on the private ridesharing switch on each of its its 27 lakh personal vehicle. 
 
This is essentially the way forward for ensuring sustainable development &ndash; building profitable business models led by technology-driven solutions that also benefit collective environmental goals. Such ideas require public and government support. An enabling regulatory landscape would help environmentally-conscious companies to scale their business and effect momentous transformation in the way we have traditionally operated. 
 
To this end, while we continue to bicker over the Intended Nationally Determined Commitments (INDC) and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), there is a real opportunity for local government, citizenry and businesses to come together and bring about incremental changes to reduce emissions.

As climate change worsens cleaner transportation is essential, but waiting for politicians to act is taking forever...

“When the earth is sick and polluted, human health is impossible.... To heal ourselves we must heal our planet, and to heal our planet we must heal ourselves” --Bobby Mcleod, Aboriginal poet and activist, These words provide us with a poignant reminder about what needs to be done to save our planet. Fast-paced consumerism and insatiable materialism have come to define our species and in the process set our planet on the path to destruction. Our rapacious greed has put a question mark on the future of the only known planet in the universe that can sustain life. The time could not be more ripe to launch aggressive self-correction measures. Unfortunately, our leaders are still in a game of establishing onus on the basis of traditional responsibility, rather than coming together to take strong and decisive measures aimed at reducing carbon emissions. While the political economy of climate change goals has led to some sort of a stalemate in the international arena, there are solutions which can be adopted by cities to rein in rising air pollution levels without much dependence from political leaders. These solutions can be implemented by business models that inherently support environmental goals. For example, one of the biggest sources of pollution is automobiles. While moving to cleaner and more efficient fuel-operated vehicles is the most ideal option for curtailing city pollution levels, in emerging economies considerable time is needed before complementary infrastructure can be created to support this move. Thus, there is a dire need to think of short-term solutions that can address the challenge of rising car ownership and pollution levels in the city. Recently, the role of transporting people from point A to point B in a city has been assumed by technology aggregators. A complex innovation displayed in the simplest form is solving the inefficiencies that have haunted the urban transportation sector for centuries. But do these players solve other challenges through their technology? In particular, aren’t the aggregators simply adding more cars on the road and adding to traffic snarls and city pollution levels? The answer is no! The sophistication of technology has allowed them to build products that marry innovation with traditional concepts aimed at reducing congestion and pollution. One such product is “carpooling” or “ridesharing” as these aggregators are calling it today. Simply put, the idea is aimed at efficient utilisation of existing assets while directly impacting a city’s space availability and carbon emissions generated by vehicles. The concept is old but the advancement in technology has navigated the challenges the idea encountered in a non-digital space such as optimising conflicting schedules, making sharing a ride comfortable, et cetera. However, amid all the talk about decongestion of cities and cheaper transport options that have been generated by these options, a quiet revolution has the potential of making significant value additions to our climate change goals. Ridesharing promotes more people in fewer cars and results in the reduction of emissions, because the number of kilometres driven across a city and fuel burned are reduced significantly. Further, as more people embrace this means of transportation, a wonderful and complementary relationship is created between public transport and these services, which disincentivises car ownership substantially. At a time when cities like Delhi have a vehicular density of 80 vehicles per kilometre and 27 lakh personal vehicles with 1,463 new vehicles added to the city every day, one is compelled to think of scenarios which can reverse this trend. A “stick” approach would entail levy of congestion charges and other related taxes, but a more innovative solution comes in the form of people using their existing personal vehicles to offer rides to other people travelling to the same destination or nearby. The experiment has already generated positive impact from both a decongestion and environmental perspective. For example, Uber’s study of ridesharing in LA revealed that in eight months it managed to reduce 1,400 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions. In San Francisco, the monthly reduction totalled 120 metric tonnes. As this model is scaled, it will further benefit the environment not only because of reduced emissions but also because of the opening up of urban space which would otherwise be earmarked for public parking or extension of road lengths. The free space could be used for environmental goals, such as the creation of public parks. It is estimated that every carpool helps remove four cars from the road, which is as good as planting 4,000 trees. Imagine the impact we can have on Delhi’s abysmal air pollution levels if we turned on the private ridesharing switch on each of its its 27 lakh personal vehicle. This is essentially the way forward for ensuring sustainable development – building profitable business models led by technology-driven solutions that also benefit collective environmental goals. Such ideas require public and government support. An enabling regulatory landscape would help environmentally-conscious companies to scale their business and effect momentous transformation in the way we have traditionally operated. To this end, while we continue to bicker over the Intended Nationally Determined Commitments (INDC) and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), there is a real opportunity for local government, citizenry and businesses to come together and bring about incremental changes to reduce emissions.

Technology and business must combine to help commuters navigate congested cities

Yang&nbsp;Jianli&nbsp;is a Harvard fellow and president of the Washington-based&nbsp;Initiatives for China.&nbsp;Yang, who is a Chinese citizen with permanent resident status in the United States, was part of the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests. The protests were student-led, but had massive support from citizens. The protesters occupied Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing for seven weeks until the government ordered a military crackdown on June 4.&nbsp;Martial law had been imposed earlier. Tanks and soldiers armed with assault rifles marched on the protesters. When the protesters tried to stop their advance, the soldiers opened fire. Estimates vary, but between hundreds and thousands of people were killed in what came to be known as the Tiananmen Square massacre.&nbsp;Yang tells&nbsp;Ramesh Ramachandran&nbsp;that a repeat of 1989&nbsp;is probable should public disenchantment with the Chinese government&#39;s policies grow.&nbsp;Edited excerpts from an interview:&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
((use photo of Tiananmen Square massacre victims here; Getty has good photos))&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

What is your take on contemporary India&ndash;China relations? Does India&#39;s China policy satisfy you?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I can&#39;t say I am very happy with it, but I understand the concerns of the Indian government about its territorial dispute with China&nbsp;and the threat of terrorism from Pakistan, which has a good relationship with China. India is a large democracy and a&nbsp;neighbour&nbsp;of China. I wish and hope that India will take a more proactive role in propagating the ideas of universal values such as democracy to China and also be more forthcoming in supporting us when it comes to visas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

What is your position on Tibet?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Historically and contemporarily the situation in Tibet is very complex. Three principles guide us to work with Tibet:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* First, respect for the Tibetans&#39; right to self-determination and that the future of Tibet should be decided by the Tibetans themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* Second, we should be united to change China.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* Third, we should achieve our goal with non-violence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Arab Spring happened in 2011. Similarly, we have seen people&#39;s movements in Hong Kong (the Umbrella Movement) and Taiwan (the Sunflower Student Movement) in 2014. You&nbsp;participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Do you think a Chinese Spring is probable?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

It is, of course, probable. Ever since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the collapse of the erstwhile USSR, it has never been far from the Chinese leaders&#39; minds. They have learnt from the experiences of dictators, be they Right wing or Left wing, to prevent people from coming together, to control society. With such high degree of control in China, people may not be able to do much, but I don&#39;t think they will continue this way for very long. Social unrest, people&#39;s resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don&#39;t think the Chinese government will be able to control such a society forever.&nbsp;So&nbsp;(a repeat of)&nbsp;1989 is very possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Did the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 add to your disillusionment with the government of the day?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I was already disenchanted with the regime and the Communist party before the students&#39; movement broke out in the spring of 1989.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/0lGyZpbA_tY&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;

How do you view the intersection of the foreign policies of India and the US vis-a-vis China?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Indian government is leaning towards the US more than before. It is a good sign. The US is reflecting on its decades-old China policy. China might be the second largest economy in the world, but in terms of democracy it remains at the bottom. The US thought trade with China will bring about prosperity and democracy, but it did not happen. What went wrong? Decades of economic prosperity saw the Chinese middle class join the ruling elite class, but the economic and political elites are beginning to turn their back on President Xi Jinping. I think in five or 10 years China must have some big opportunity to change and I really hope that India, the US, and other democracies will not lose the opportunity to help the Chinese people to change China. When China becomes democratic, its government will become more responsible, more predictable. Therefore in terms of security a lot of countries such as India, the US, Japan, and the Philippines will become better off for sure.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="row">
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<h5>?Social unrest, people&#39;s resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don&#39;t think the Chinese Government will be able to control such a society for ever, not for a long time. So 1989 is very possible.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a against="" class="twitter popup" government="" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=?Social unrest, people" resentment="" s="" the="">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

How are contemporary domestic politics affecting the power dynamic in China?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

A personality cult around President Xi has met with strong resistance within the party. His days will not be so easy. Four factors need to be present at the same time for real change in China:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;general dissatisfaction with the government&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;viable democratic opposition&nbsp;which is not yet there&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;power struggle or cracks within the leadership (cracks will not be meaningful until some factions have different political views from others),&nbsp;and&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* International recognition and support for the movement for change when it happens&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

We had almost achieved a revolution in 1989,&nbsp;but the international community did not&nbsp;recognise&nbsp;or intervene or give support to it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

How do you see the US-China relationship evolving under the next US President?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Republican or Democrat, the US can be expected to have a different foreign policy towards China. Whoever wins, the US will take a stronger position on security, trade and human rights.&nbsp;Compartmentalisation&nbsp;of policies did not work in the interest of the US. There is a need for an integrated approach.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In April&nbsp;you&nbsp;organised&nbsp;the&nbsp;InterEthnic&nbsp;InterFaith&nbsp;Leadership Conference at&nbsp;McLeodganj,&nbsp;India &ndash; the home of the Dalai Lama&nbsp;--&nbsp;to which members of China&#39;s ethnic and religious minorities were invited. A few days before the conference, the visas of a few participants&nbsp;whom China sees as separatists&nbsp;were revoked. It is thought India cancelled the visas under Chinese pressure.&nbsp;How do you view India&#39;s refusal or cancellation of visas to people like&nbsp;Dolkun&nbsp;Isa, chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress?&nbsp;

I am disappointed, but I understand that India is trying to find a balance between Chinese pressure and hosting the conference. One can&#39;t overlook the fact that India allowed the conference to be held without any incident. The criticism that the Modi government is weak is not fair. Policy-makers and the Modi government understand that advancing human rights and democracy in China is in the national interest of India.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

China calls&nbsp;Dolkun&nbsp;Isa a terrorist.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dolkun&nbsp;Isa is a peaceful person. He is not a terrorist. He is a citizen of Germany, which is a strong democracy. He travels freely to many countries, including the US. Any country can send a list (of persons it designates as terrorists) to Interpol but it does not mean that every country should accept it. India reacted to pressure from China which is understandable,&nbsp;but perhaps it overreacted. However, in the end, India allowed us to hold the conference which is very positive. We don&#39;t accept violence in any form. Some Uyghurs may have engaged in some kind of violent attacks, but those Uyghurs we work with are peaceful. We try to engage with some young people who have not abandoned violence. For example, some student leaders from Hong Kong were invited to the conference and spoken to about the principles of non-violence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

1989 may repeat if disenchantment with government policies grows in China, feels?Yang Jianli, president of Initiatives for China. Yang was a part of the pro-democracy protests and now lives in the US. He spoke to Ramesh Ramachandran.

Yang Jianli is a Harvard fellow and president of the Washington-based Initiatives for China. Yang, who is a Chinese citizen with permanent resident status in the United States, was part of the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests. The protests were student-led, but had massive support from citizens. The protesters occupied Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing for seven weeks until the government ordered a military crackdown on June 4. Martial law had been imposed earlier. Tanks and soldiers armed with assault rifles marched on the protesters. When the protesters tried to stop their advance, the soldiers opened fire. Estimates vary, but between hundreds and thousands of people were killed in what came to be known as the Tiananmen Square massacre. Yang tells Ramesh Ramachandran that a repeat of 1989 is probable should public disenchantment with the Chinese government's policies grow. Edited excerpts from an interview: ((use photo of Tiananmen Square massacre victims here; Getty has good photos)) What is your take on contemporary India–China relations? Does India's China policy satisfy you? I can't say I am very happy with it, but I understand the concerns of the Indian government about its territorial dispute with China and the threat of terrorism from Pakistan, which has a good relationship with China. India is a large democracy and a neighbour of China. I wish and hope that India will take a more proactive role in propagating the ideas of universal values such as democracy to China and also be more forthcoming in supporting us when it comes to visas. What is your position on Tibet? Historically and contemporarily the situation in Tibet is very complex. Three principles guide us to work with Tibet: * First, respect for the Tibetans' right to self-determination and that the future of Tibet should be decided by the Tibetans themselves. * Second, we should be united to change China. * Third, we should achieve our goal with non-violence. The Arab Spring happened in 2011. Similarly, we have seen people's movements in Hong Kong (the Umbrella Movement) and Taiwan (the Sunflower Student Movement) in 2014. You participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Do you think a Chinese Spring is probable? It is, of course, probable. Ever since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the collapse of the erstwhile USSR, it has never been far from the Chinese leaders' minds. They have learnt from the experiences of dictators, be they Right wing or Left wing, to prevent people from coming together, to control society. With such high degree of control in China, people may not be able to do much, but I don't think they will continue this way for very long. Social unrest, people's resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don't think the Chinese government will be able to control such a society forever. So (a repeat of) 1989 is very possible. Did the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 add to your disillusionment with the government of the day? I was already disenchanted with the regime and the Communist party before the students' movement broke out in the spring of 1989. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0lGyZpbA_tY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> How do you view the intersection of the foreign policies of India and the US vis-a-vis China? The Indian government is leaning towards the US more than before. It is a good sign. The US is reflecting on its decades-old China policy. China might be the second largest economy in the world, but in terms of democracy it remains at the bottom. The US thought trade with China will bring about prosperity and democracy, but it did not happen. What went wrong? Decades of economic prosperity saw the Chinese middle class join the ruling elite class, but the economic and political elites are beginning to turn their back on President Xi Jinping. I think in five or 10 years China must have some big opportunity to change and I really hope that India, the US, and other democracies will not lose the opportunity to help the Chinese people to change China. When China becomes democratic, its government will become more responsible, more predictable. Therefore in terms of security a lot of countries such as India, the US, Japan, and the Philippines will become better off for sure. ?Social unrest, people's resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don't think the Chinese Government will be able to control such a society for ever, not for a long time. So 1989 is very possible. How are contemporary domestic politics affecting the power dynamic in China? A personality cult around President Xi has met with strong resistance within the party. His days will not be so easy. Four factors need to be present at the same time for real change in China: * A general dissatisfaction with the government * A viable democratic opposition which is not yet there * A power struggle or cracks within the leadership (cracks will not be meaningful until some factions have different political views from others), and * International recognition and support for the movement for change when it happens We had almost achieved a revolution in 1989, but the international community did not recognise or intervene or give support to it. How do you see the US-China relationship evolving under the next US President? Republican or Democrat, the US can be expected to have a different foreign policy towards China. Whoever wins, the US will take a stronger position on security, trade and human rights. Compartmentalisation of policies did not work in the interest of the US. There is a need for an integrated approach. In April you organised the InterEthnic InterFaith Leadership Conference at McLeodganj, India – the home of the Dalai Lama -- to which members of China's ethnic and religious minorities were invited. A few days before the conference, the visas of a few participants whom China sees as separatists were revoked. It is thought India cancelled the visas under Chinese pressure. How do you view India's refusal or cancellation of visas to people like Dolkun Isa, chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress? I am disappointed, but I understand that India is trying to find a balance between Chinese pressure and hosting the conference. One can't overlook the fact that India allowed the conference to be held without any incident. The criticism that the Modi government is weak is not fair. Policy-makers and the Modi government understand that advancing human rights and democracy in China is in the national interest of India. China calls Dolkun Isa a terrorist. Dolkun Isa is a peaceful person. He is not a terrorist. He is a citizen of Germany, which is a strong democracy. He travels freely to many countries, including the US. Any country can send a list (of persons it designates as terrorists) to Interpol but it does not mean that every country should accept it. India reacted to pressure from China which is understandable, but perhaps it overreacted. However, in the end, India allowed us to hold the conference which is very positive. We don't accept violence in any form. Some Uyghurs may have engaged in some kind of violent attacks, but those Uyghurs we work with are peaceful. We try to engage with some young people who have not abandoned violence. For example, some student leaders from Hong Kong were invited to the conference and spoken to about the principles of non-violence.

Tiananmen Square-like protests may repeat if things don?t change, says Chinese dissident Yang Jianli

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