A major UN biodiversity summit has been delayed for a third time by the coronavirus pandemic, leading the Worldwide Fund for Nature to say "momentum to protect nature is at risk of stalling".
Cop15 was scheduled to be held in the Chinese city of Kunming in October, but its postponement was announced by the country's environment ministry on Wednesday.
Under new arrangements, the summit will be divided into two programmes: an online assembly in place of the physical gathering in October, followed by an in-person meeting in Kunming from April 25 to May 8 next year. It will be at this later summit that global biodiversity targets for the rest of the decade will be negotiated.
WWF head of policy and research Guido Broekhoven acknowledged the legitimacy of China's reasons for deferring the event but voiced concerns over the consequences, particularly over perceived shortcomings in the first draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
"WWF expresses concern that the momentum to protect nature is at risk of stalling," he said.
"It is now more vital than ever that world leaders and [political] parties show that they are serious about tackling nature loss by taking action domestically and by championing an ambitious and transformative global biodiversity agreement at the coming conference in October,"
“Nature loss has not paused. It is essential that the extra time is used well."
His concerns were echoed by the UK's Minister of State for Pacific and the Environment, Zac Goldsmith.
The reason why the COP15 has to be postponed is a pandemic which was caused - like previous pandemics - by our abuse of the natural world
Enric Salal,
National Geographic's Explorer in Residence
"We need to tackle the biodiversity crisis head on, and this delay will not mean taking our foot off the pedal," he said.
"As president of the recent G7, we are encouraged to see major progress on finance for nature, on cleaning up global supply chains, on efforts to tackle deforestation and with the global commitment to protect 30 per cent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
"We will continue to press countries to join us in ramping up efforts to protect and restore nature.”
Enric Sala, the National Geographic's explorer in residence, linked the delay of the summit to the very issue it is designed to address.
"The reason why the Cop15 has to be postponed is a pandemic which was caused - like previous pandemics - by our abuse of the natural world," he said.
"The loss of nature affects everyone on our planet, hence the importance of having everyone at the table.
"But despite the pause, the science is clear: if we are to prevent the collapse of our life support system, we need countries to begin to act now to preserve the wild nature left on our planet, and restore much of our degraded lands and ocean."
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Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Andor
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
Company%20Profile
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
