US climate envoy John Kerry told Congress on Wednesday that the Biden administration is considering imposing sanctions on raw materials China uses for solar panels because of accusations of forced Uighur labour.
The move could complicate Mr Kerry's efforts to convince Beijing to reduce carbon emissions before the UN climate conference in November.
“Xinjiang province not only produces some solar panels that we believe are being, in some cases, produced with forced labour by Uighurs, but also there are a significant amounts of rare earth minerals that are used in the solar panels,” Mr Kerry told the House foreign affairs committee.
“It is my understanding that the Biden administration is right now in the process of assessing whether or not that will be the target of sanctions.
"I’ve heard some discussion about [the matter]. I’m not privy to where that discussion is at this point in time.”
About half of the world’s supply of raw materials needed to make solar panels comes from Xinjiang, the Uighur homeland.
Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the committee, immediately replied to Mr Kerry's comments on Twitter.
Mr McCaul said the US "cannot sign any climate agreement" with the Chinese Communist Party that would perpetuate forced labour.
Mr Kerry said the US had made progress in convincing China to scale back its carbon emissions.
But he acknowledged that Washington must seek more concessions from Beijing before Cop26, the UN climate conference, in Scotland in November.
“We’ve had very direct conversations with the Chinese on this,” Mr Kerry told Congress.
“They have moved somewhat in the course of the last month and a half, two months, after we’ve engaged.”
Mr Kerry said China had initially set 2030 as its date for peak carbon emissions but that the administration of US President Joe Biden had a tentative commitment from Beijing for 2024 or 2025.
He also spoke of Beijing’s willingness to sign a joint US-China statement on climate change as countries aim to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
“We’ve been having some very serious conversations about the reality of the science,” Mr Kerry said.
“In the body of the text, they’ve agreed they have to change to something [between] 2020 and 2030.”
The joint statement came out last month shortly before Mr Biden gathered more than 40 world leaders together, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, for a climate conference aimed at securing ambitious commitments from some of the world's biggest polluters before Cop26.
“We have five more months left to get [China] to embrace something that we believe ... is a legitimate initiative that makes sense,” Mr Kerry told Congress. “We’re not there yet.”
He also expressed optimism that Washington and Beijing could compromise on emissions reduction targets despite several other disputes.
During Mr Biden's climate summit, he announced that the US would seek to halve its emissions by 2030.
But the White House has yet to release a comprehensive plan detailing how it intends to meet that goal.
Mr Biden has sought to restore global confidence by rejoining the Paris climate accord after former president Donald Trump’s withdrawal.
He also announced that the US would double its annual assistance to help developing countries cope with the effects of climate change.
“In the lead-up to Paris, there was not enough dialogue with marginalised countries,” Mr Kerry said.
"I have been on the phone in the past weeks with the president of the Marshall Islands, the prime minister of Fiji and others.
"They’re facing not just adaptation, they may have to move altogether. Those nations, most likely, some of them are facing extinction.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
