COP27: Biden says the climate crisis is about "very life of the planet"
US President Joe Biden addressed the COP27 climate conference in Egypt on Friday, saying the global climate crisis posed an existential threat to the planet and promising that the United States was doing its part to combat it.
“The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security, and the very life of the planet,” Biden said, before outlining steps the United States, the world’s second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, was taking.
“I can stand here as president of the United States of America and say with confidence, the United States of America will meet our emissions targets by 2030,” he said
‘Tasty and that’s it’: McDonald’s to be rebranded in Belarus
McDonald’s restaurants in Belarus are set to be rebranded under a deal made public on Friday, five months after the US fast food chain left neighbouring Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Under the deal, the 25 McDonald’s restaurants in Belarus, all of which are operated by a local licensee, will be rebranded as Vkusno & tochka, which translates as “Tasty and that’s it”.
McDonald’s sold its Russian restaurants in May to a local operator there, which later rebranded to “Vkusno & tochka,” making a decision to sever ties with Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
Storm Nicole drenches Georgia and Carolinas after wreaking destruction in Florida
Storm Nicole crawled north on Friday, soaking parts of Georgia and the Carolinas with heavy rains and leaving in its wake four dead and a path of destroyed and teetering beachside homes and damaged hotels and condos along Florida’s Atlantic coast.
In Volusia County, local officials evacuated 24 beachside hotels and condos after the structures were deemed unsafe late Thursday, hours after the storm slammed ashore along Florida’s Atlantic Coast as a Category 1 hurricane.
In Wilbur-by-the-Sea, an upscale beachfront community just south of Daytona Beach, about a half-dozen homes crumbled into the sea while another 25 single-family homes were declared structurally unsafe and evacuated, officials said online.
British worker at UK embassy in Berlin pleads guilty to Russia spying charges
A British man who worked in the UK embassy in Berlin has pleaded guilty to eight offences under the Official Secrets Act related to passing on information useful to Russia.
David Ballantyne Smith, who was living in Potsdam, Germany and was employed as a security guard at the embassy, was extradited to Britain from Germany following his arrest by German police in August 2021.
The 58-year-old pleaded guilty to eight offences on Nov. 4. Judge Mark Wall lifted restrictions on reporting Smith’s pleas on Friday after the prosecution indicated it will not seek a trial on a ninth charge to which Smith pleaded not guilty.
Football: Klopp confident Alexander-Arnold can handle World Cup pressure
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said on Friday he backs Trent Alexander-Arnold to handle the pressure of World Cup football after the defender was included in England boss Gareth Southgate’s squad for Qatar.
While long lauded for his attacking ability, many pundits, including former England full-back Gary Neville, have questioned the 24-year-old Alexander-Arnold’s defensive skills.
And it was only a recent injury to Chelsea’s Reece James that increased the likelihood of Southgate, who announced his squad on Thursday, selecting full-back Alexander-Arnold for the finals.
