US and China unveil emissions deal in bid to save UN climate talks

The United States and China, the world’s two largest emitters of carbon dioxide, unveiled a deal to ramp up cooperation tackling climate change, including by cutting methane emissions, phasing out coal consumption and protecting forests.

The framework agreement was announced by US climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua at the UN climate conference in Scotland and was billed by both as way to tip the summit towards success.

The head of the UN climate conference had earlier recognised that countries’ climate commitments so far in the talks would do too little to tame global warming and urged them to “get to work” to strike an ambitious deal over the remaining two days of talks.

Speaking through an interpreter, Xie Zhenhua told reporters that the deal would see China strengthen its emissions-cutting targets.

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China’s Xi says Asia-Pacific must not return to Cold War tensions

The Asia-Pacific region must not return to the tensions of the Cold War era, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, ahead of a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden expected as soon as next week.

The Asia-Pacific region must not return to the tensions of the Cold War era, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday (Nov 11), ahead of a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden expected as soon as next week.

Xi’s remarks were an apparent reference to US efforts with allies and partners in the region, including the Quad grouping with India, Japan and Australia, to blunt what Washington sees as China’s growing coercive economic and military influence.

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Fewer than a million US kids get Covid-19 shot during first week

Over 900,000 US children aged five to 11 are expected to have received their first Covid-19 shot by the end of Wednesday, the White House said, as the government ramped up vaccinations of younger children.

The United States began administering Pfizer /BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine to children aged five to 11 on Nov 3, the latest group to become eligible for the shots that provide protection against the illness to recipients and those around them.

A spokesman last week said that 15 million doses specifically formulated for that age group would be available this week and that the federal government had purchased enough supply for all 28 million eligible children.

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Crew member files lawsuit against Alec Baldwin, Rust producers

A crew member who witnessed the fatal shooting on the Rust movie set last month filed a negligence lawsuit on Wednesday against actor Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers, Deadline Hollywood and celebrity website TMZ reported.

Serge Svetnoy, the electrician on the set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, accused the producers and others of failing to implement safety standards and of allowing “a revolver loaded with live ammunition to be pointed at living persons on the Rust set,” according to the civil lawsuit obtained by Deadline.

Svetnoy’s lawsuit was thought to be the first filed in the accidental fatal shooting by Baldwin in October. Authorities in Santa Fe, New Mexico, are still investigating and no criminal charges have been brought against anyone.

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Paul Rudd jokes about being named ‘sexiest man alive’

Paul Rudd, the affable actor best known for playing Ant-Man, was named People magazine’s sexiest man alive on Wednesday, joining the likes of Idris Elba, George Clooney and Bradley Cooper.

Rudd, 52, whose career stretches back 30 years, seemed taken aback at the honour, as was his wife.

“She was stupefied,” he said, describing the reaction of Julie, his wife of 18 years. “After some giggling and shock, she said, ‘Oh, they got it right.’ And that was very sweet.”

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