Talks at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil were disrupted on Thursday (20 November) after a fire broke out in the venue, triggering an evacuation just as negotiators were hunkering down to try to land a deal to strengthen international climate efforts.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had appealed earlier in the day for a deal from the summit in the Amazon city of Belém, welcoming calls from some for clarity on the hotly disputed subject of weaning the world off fossil fuels.
There are less than 24 hours until the scheduled end of the summit to find a consensus among nearly 200 participating countries.
Shortly after lunchtime, however, security footage showed flames breaking out at an exhibition pavilion and spreading rapidly up an internal fabric shell that lined the walls and ceiling of the building, before being extinguished.
Thirteen people were treated for smoke inhalation at the venue, organisers said.
The local fire service said it was probably caused by electrical equipment, likely a microwave, and was controlled within six minutes.
Thousands of delegates were evacuated from the area as security staff formed a human barrier across the hallway.
Negotiations were not expected to resume until Friday morning, a source told Reuters. Consultations between the presidency and negotiating blocs could continue on Thursday night, subject to safety assessments at the venue.
The summit already missed a self-imposed Wednesday deadline to secure agreement among the countries present on issues including how to increase climate finance and shift away from fossil fuels.
Brazil circulated a draft proposal for part of the COP30 deal among some governments on Thursday, which did not include a roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Emissions from burning fossil fuels trap heat in the earth's atmosphere and are by far the biggest contributor to warming.
The draft proposal, seen by Reuters, included other elements for a deal. It said countries would call to triple the financing available to help nations adapt to climate change by 2030, from 2025 levels.
However, it did not specify whether this money would be provided directly by wealthy governments, or other sources including development banks or the private sector.
Spain’s government has instructed prosecutors to investigate social media platforms X, Meta and TikTok over the alleged creation and dissemination o...
Jesse Jackson, one of the most prominent figures of the modern American civil rights movement and a two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential...
The Pentagon has threatened to designate artificial intelligence firm Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” amid a dispute over the military use of i...
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to meet in Geneva for a third round of trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the ne...
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed two people in 12 hours, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday....
Ankara has condemned an Israeli plan to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as state property, a move widely criticised internationally and described by the UN and the International Court of Justice as inconsistent with international law governing occupied territories.
Israel has joined U.S. President Donald Trump's 'Board of Peace' initiative, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday (11 February) during his visit to Washington where he met Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone conversation with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, diplomatic sources said.
The United Nations faces the risk of “imminent financial collapse” because of unpaid contributions, including substantial arrears from the United States, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (15 February) called it “troubling” a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin from poison dart frogs.
Cuba’s fuel crisis has turned into a waste crisis, with rubbish piling up on most street corners in Havana as many collection trucks lack enough petrol to operate.
Norway is holding a commanding lead in the medal standings with 12 golds and a total of 26, with Italy having an historic performance on home soil on the ninth day of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday (15 February).
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy held military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday (16 February), state-linked media reported. The drill took place a day before renewed nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Geneva.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (12 February) announced the repeal of a scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, and eliminated federal tailpipe emissions standards for cars and trucks.
Tropical Cyclone Gezani has killed at least 31 people and left four others missing after tearing through eastern Madagascar, the government said on Wednesday, with the island nation’s second-largest city bearing the brunt of the destruction.
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Greenland registered its warmest January on record, sharpening concerns over how fast-rising Arctic temperatures are reshaping core parts of the island’s economy.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment