2024 On Track To Be Hottest Year Ever Recorded: UN Agency

The year 2024 is on course to become the hottest year ever recorded, with global temperatures reaching unprecedented levels, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warned.

According to a report released on the opening day of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) here, the January-September global mean surface temperature was 1.54 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

This alarming surge, driven by an intense El Nino event and rising greenhouse gas concentrations, marks a critical threshold for climate change impacts worldwide.

The report titled "State of the Climate 2024" highlights the accelerating risks posed by global warming, particularly for vulnerable communities. "Climate catastrophe is hammering health, widening inequalities, harming sustainable development, and rocking the foundations of peace," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Guterres emphasised the urgent need for climate action to protect those most affected by these changes.

A major finding of the report is the unprecedented temperature increase. The average global temperature for the first nine months of 2024 exceeded the pre-industrial level by 1.54 degrees Celsius, temporarily surpassing the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal set in the Paris Agreement.

Though long-term warming remains around 1.3 degrees Celsius, experts caution that every fraction of a degree compounds the intensity of extreme weather events and exacerbates climate risks.

Another key observation is the surge in ocean heat content, which reached a historic high in 2023 and shows no signs of abating in 2024.

Oceans have absorbed over 90 per cent of the extra energy from global warming, a trend that will have long-term implications for marine life and coastal communities.

Rising ocean temperatures also fuel extreme weather patterns, further intensifying climate challenges.

Sea levels, driven by thermal expansion and glacier melt, continue to rise at a rate more than double that observed between 1993 and 2002.

Although the rate of increase slightly slowed in 2024, the WMO warns that sea level rise remains a grave concern for coastal regions worldwide. This trend underscores the need for coastal communities to strengthen resilience against rising waters.

The WMO report also draws attention to unprecedented glacier loss, with a record 1.2 metres of water equivalent lost in 2023.

Glaciers in Switzerland, for example, lost approximately 10 per cent of their remaining volume over just two years. Such rapid glacier retreat impacts mountainous and polar regions, highlighting the urgency for climate adaptation measures in these vulnerable areas.

Extreme weather events have also intensified globally, with WMO attributing deadly heatwaves, severe floods, tropical cyclones, and persistent droughts to climate change. These events have led to economic losses, food insecurity, and forced migration, hindering sustainable development and causing significant human suffering.

Additionally, greenhouse gas concentrations reached record levels in 2023, with CO2 rising to 420 parts per million, marking a 51 per cent increase from pre-industrial levels. This trend has persisted into 2024, pushing atmospheric heat retention higher and driving further warming. Such findings underline the pressing need to curb emissions on a global scale.

The polar ice regions continue to experience dramatic changes. Antarctic sea ice extent in 2024 was the second lowest since satellite records began, with the Arctic also seeing near-record lows. The loss of polar ice contributes to global warming feedback loops, with cascading effects on ecosystems and weather patterns.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasised the need for climate adaptation, particularly through initiatives like Early Warnings for All (EW4All), which aim to protect communities from extreme weather events.

As part of this initiative, 108 countries now report having a Multi-Hazard Early Warning System, a significant step towards enhancing resilience in vulnerable areas.

The WMO's findings underscore the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing effective climate policies. In response, a team of international experts has been convened to track and communicate climate goals relative to the Paris Agreement and guide policymakers.

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NDTV Sports-Cricket

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy's magical craftiness en route a maiden fifer remained a mere footnote as South Africa rode on the stubbornness of Tristan Stubbs to eke out a three-wicket win over India in a low-scoring second T20I in Gqeberha on Sunday. The four-match series is now level at 1-1. But SA's victory, which also halted India's 11-match winning streak, did not come without its share of drama. The first hint of a topsy-turvy night came when India limped to 124 for six on a quick, bouncy pitch after getting the invitation to bat first.

The Proteas were at one stage 66 for six and 86 for seven, which eventually transpired into 128 for seven, as Chakravarthy continued his international resurgence with a five-wicket haul (5/17).

But SA found two valiant soldiers in determined Stubbs (47 not out, 41b, 7x4) and aggressive Gerald Coetzee (19 not out, 9b, 2x4, 1x6) who added a precious 42 runs for the eighth wicket alliance to carry their side past the tape.

However, Chakravarthy deserves credit for making the match a thrilling affair. The Tamil Nadu man came to the party after pacer Arshdeep Singh dismissed opener Riyan Rickelton in the third over.

Chakravarthy started his dismantling job going through the defences of SA skipper Aiden Markram, who failed to read a wrong'un.

Reeza Hendricks (24, 21b, 3x4, 1x6) looked comfortable until he failed to pick Chakarvarthy's googly that rearranged his woodwork.

But the home side did not look in any great danger even at 34 for two after the Power Play, but Chakravarthy's twin blow in the 13th over pegged the Proteas back.

Heinrich Klaasen, a capable player of spin, chose to go aerial route only to find Rinku Singh in the deep.

David Miller's tentative prod off the first ball he faced met with thin air as the straight one from the Indian spinner, which quickened after pitched, crashed onto his off-stump.

But Stubbs and Coetzee, who put pacers Arshdeep and Avesh Khan through the wringer, had enough steam in them to give their side a win, as India strangely used left-spinner Axar Patel for only one over on a pitch where tweakers took six wickets.

Earlier, Indian batters too were all at sea on a springy St George's Park deck against disciplined South African bowlers.

The Proteas bowlers hit the back of length line and the natural bounce on the pitch did the rest. Abhishek Sharma's dismissal was an example for this.

The left-hander's underwhelming outings in T20Is continued as his miscued pull off a climbing delivery from Coetzee ended in the hands of Marco Jansen, who made the first strike dismissing Sanju Samson.

Samson, who had become the first Indian batsman to score back-to-back T20I hundreds, gave himself space to carve Jansen over mid-off, but the opener paid a heavy price for needless pre-meditation to get bowled.

Jansen started off with a wicket maiden and the rest of the SA bowlers hardly offered any freebies for Indian batters to shake off the pressure.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who shuffled across a tad too much, missed a fuller delivery from Andile Simelane to get trapped in front of the stumps, and it was the pacer's maiden international wicket.

Axar (27, 21b), who was moved up the order played a couple of delectable shots including a punch through the covers off Keshav Maharaj for a four, was India's most assured batter on the night.

But the left-hander backed up a bit too far as Hardik Pandya's straight drive took a deflection off spinner Peter Nqabayomzi's hand before rattling the stumps. Axar did not even wait for the review to walk away.

In the interim, India went through a boundary-less period between the 10th and 16th over, which was ended when Arshdeep mowed leg-spinner Peter for a six.

Even an accomplished hitter like Hardik Pandya (39, 45 balls) had to wait till his 28th delivery to find a boundary reflected India's struggles.

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Two Powerful Earthquakes Hit Cuba Within An Hour

Two powerful earthquakes rocked southern Cuba in quick succession on Sunday, US geologists said, as authorities said no tsunami alert was issued and no deaths immediately reported.

The US Geological Survey put the second, more powerful tremor at a magnitude of 6.8 and 14.6 miles (23.5 kilometers) deep, some 25 miles off the coast of Bartolome Maso, in southern Granma province.

It came just an hour after a first tremor, which the USGS put at a magnitude of 5.9, with the epicenter some nine miles beneath the ocean roughly 22 miles off Bartolome Maso. 

The state-run newspaper Granma said no deaths had been immediately reported, but that the quake had been felt throughout the Caribbean island nation.

"Here people quickly took to the streets because the ground moved very strongly," Andres Perez, a 65-year-old retiree who lives in downtown Santiago de Cuba, told AFP via telephone of the first quake. 

"It felt very strong really, my wife is a bundle of nerves," he added. 

The US tsunami warning system said no tsunami warning had been issued.

The tremor shook the island as it recovers from Hurricane Rafael, which hit the country's west as a Category 3 storm, leaving residents without power for two days. 

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in October 2023 in Santiago de Cuba, without causing any damage. 

Another strong earthquake of magnitude 7.7 was recorded in January 2020 in the Caribbean Sea and was felt in several Cuban provinces, causing the evacuation of buildings in the capital Havana, with no damage reported.

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Kate Middleton Attends Remembrance Day Event In Return To Public Duties

Britain's Princess Kate attended a Remembrance Day event in London on Saturday, in her latest public engagement after undergoing preventive treatment for cancer this year.

Kate arrived for the Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall wearing a black dress adorned with a red poppy, which has become a symbol of respect for those who have lost their lives in conflict.

She was accompanied by her husband Prince William and other members of the royal family and was followed shortly afterwards by King Charles, whose wife Queen Camilla has cancelled engagements as she recovers from a chest infection.

The Princess of Wales said in September she had finished chemotherapy, but her path to full recovery would be long. At the time, the 42-year-old said she would be carrying out a handful of public engagements later in the year.

Her last public appearance was in October when she met the bereaved families of three young girls who were murdered at a dance class in northwest England.

Kate is also expected to attend the main Remembrance Day ceremony on Sunday, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

The ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial is held on the nearest Sunday to Nov. 11 to mark the end of World War One, and pays tribute to those who lost their lives in conflict.

Camilla hopes to return to public duties early next week, the palace said. She pulled out of planned engagements this week after her doctors advised a period of rest. She would mark Remembrance Day privately at home, the palace added.

In South Africa, Prince William told British media on Thursday that the past year had probably been the "hardest" of his life after Kate and his father King Charles were diagnosed with cancer.

Prince William visited South Africa as part a climate-focused trip planned around his multimillion dollar Earthshot Prize, created to encourage innovations to combat environmental problems.

As he prepared to leave South Africa, Prince William said, in remarks published on Saturday by British media, he was trying to carry out his public duties "differently" from previous generations.

"I'm doing it with maybe a smaller R in the royal," he told reporters. "It's more about impact philanthropy, collaboration, convening, and helping people.

"And I'm also going to throw empathy in there as well, because I really care about what I do. ... I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world," Prince William added.

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"Avoiding Mention Of Khalistanis": Canadian MP Slams Politicians

Days after an attack on Hindus at a Brampton temple, Canadian MP Chandra Arya has come down heavily on politicians pitting Hindus and Sikhs on “opposing sides” and asserted that the Hindu-Canadians and the Sikhs are on one side and the Khalistanis on the other.

Due to the deliberate actions of some politicians and the influence of Khalistanis, Canadians now mistakenly equate Khalistanis with Sikhs, Arya said in wake of several Canadian politician trying to portray the Brampton incident as a clash between the Canadian Hindu and Sikh communities.

Protesters carrying Khalistani flags clashed with devotees at a Hindu Sabha temple and disrupted an event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate on November 3 at Brampton, a city in Ontario's Greater Toronto Area.

“Politicians are deliberately avoiding recognising and mentioning Khalistanis as responsible for this attack or are shifting the blame to other entities. They are misleading Canadians by framing this as an issue between Hindus and Sikhs,” Arya, a member of Parliament from Nepean, Ontario, said in a post on X on Friday.

“Politicians are portraying Hindus and Sikhs as opposing sides regarding the attack on the temple by Khalistani extremists. This picture is simply not true. The two sides are actually Hindu-Canadians and the vast majority of Sikh-Canadians on one side, and Khalistanis on the other,” Arya said in the post on X which had both a video and a text statement.

Strongly condemning the attack by Khalistani extremists “on behalf of Hindu-Canadians and the vast majority of Sikh-Canadians,” Arya also pointed out how it is common in Canada to see Hindus visiting Sikh Gurudwaras and Sikhs visiting Hindu temples.

“Politicians may try their best to divide Hindus and Sikhs. We can—and must—prove them wrong,” he appealed. “We, as Hindus and Sikhs, will not and should not allow vested interests to divide us for their political gain.” The relations between India and Canada have come under severe strain following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing.

New Delhi rejected Trudeau's charges as “absurd.” Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was designated a terrorist by India.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

India has expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrawn its high commissioner Sanjay Verma and other "targeted" officials from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa's charges.

Arya, who has been vocal on the issue earlier too, also mentioned the Sikh community leader and former British Columbia Premier Ujjal Dosanjh, who said that a silent majority of Sikhs do not want to have anything to do with Khalistan and that they just don't speak out because they're afraid of violence and violent repercussions.

Dosanjh said Khalistani supporters control many of the Gurudwaras in Canada but the silent Sikhs “still hold power over which politicians get elected,” Arya said.

“Due to the deliberate actions of some politicians and the influence of Khalistanis, Canadians now mistakenly equate Khalistanis with Sikhs,” he said, adding, Hindus and Sikhs alike must educate Canadians "that we stand united in our fight against Khalistani extremists and their political backers.” He also appealed to Hindus and Sikhs in Canada to urge the community leaders “not to provide a platform at any of our events or temples to politicians unless they publicly recognise and expressly condemn Khalistani extremism.” Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the presence of Khalistan supporters in Canada but said they do not represent the Sikh community as a whole.

His comments came during Diwali celebrations at Ottawa's Parliament Hill recently amid an ongoing diplomatic row with India over Nijjar's killing.

“There are many supporters of Khalistan in Canada, but they do not represent the Sikh Community as a whole. Similarly, there are supporters of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's government in Canada, but they do not represent all Hindu Canadians,” Trudeau said.

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NDTV Sports-Cricket

A captain's knock by Charith Asalanka steered Sri Lanka to a hard-fought four-wicket victory over New Zealand with six balls to spare in Saturday's T20I opener in Dambulla. Chasing a modest 136 to win, Sri Lanka's batsman struggled to capitalise against the second-string visiting team. But a crucial 38-run stand for the sixth wicket between Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga steadied the ship and inched the team to victory. "Overall it is a good win," Asalanka said. "We should have restricted them to 110 or 120 but they did well with the lower order."

The stand was broken when Hasaranga went for a big shot off Zakary Foulkes but fell short, caught at mid-on by Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner and departing for 22.

Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage, who took three of New Zealand's wickets after the tourists opted to bat, sealed Sri Lanka's win in style when he pulled Jacob Duffy for a six over mid-wicket.

Asalanka finished unbeaten on a well-judged 35 off 28 balls.

New Zealand's below-par total had given Sri Lanka some breathing room.

Top-order batsman Kusal Perera etched his name in the record books, surpassing Tillakaratne Dilshan to become Sri Lanka's highest run-scorer in T20s with his quickfire 23 off 17 balls.

New Zealand's 135 all out was the third-lowest total in T20Is in Dambulla.

"It is a challenge to adjust to conditions," Santner said.

"At halfway we felt that we can defend it but a couple of partnerships took it away from us."

"We were expecting 160 after winning the toss but the dew settled in and it was hard to hold the ball and that's probably food for thought tomorrow."

Fresh from a commanding red-ball series win in India, the tourists arrived in the island nation missing Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra and other stalwarts who are resting for an upcoming Test battle against England.

All-rounder Michael Bracewell showed some fight with 27 off 24, including two fours and a six.

New Zealand managed to go past 100 after a gutsy 39-run stand for the ninth wicket between Ish Sodhi and Foulkes.

Foulkes, joint top-scorer with 27 off 16, hit a four and a six to help the Kiwis salvage some pride before Sodhi's departure on 10 in the final over.

New Zealand handed a debut to wicketkeeper-batsman Mitchell Hay, who was caught off a Matheesha Pathirana delivery on his second ball for nought.

The second and final match of the series is at the same venue on Sunday.

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US Charges Iranian Man In Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump

The United States has charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot ordered by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to assassinate president-elect Donald Trump, the Justice Department said on Friday.

In a statement, the department said that Shakeri had informed law enforcement "that he was tasked on October 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill" Trump, the department said.

The department described Shakeri as an IRGC asset residing in Tehran. It said he immigrated to the U.S. as a child and was deported in or about 2008 following a robbery conviction.

The department said it had charged two other individuals in connection with their alleged involvement in a plot to kill a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin in New York.

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