Growth in the renewable electricity generation sector has returned to a double-digit pace thanks to a surge in the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, the International Energy Agency said Friday.
The IEA said it expects renewable capacity additions to grow by almost 12 per cent this year, the fastest pace since 2015, to reach almost 200 gigawatts (GW), mostly thanks to solar PV and wind power. Global solar PV additions are expected to increase by over 17 percent.
"Renewables have a major part to play in curbing global emissions and providing universal access to affordable, secure, sustainable and modern energy," said the IEA in a statement as marches take place across the globe calling for action on climate change.
It noted that last year was the first since 2001 that growth in renewable power capacity failed to accelerate year on year, largely due to a change in Chinese government policy.
"This highlights the critical role of governments for the deployment of renewables ..

Scorching growth for renewables thanks to solar: IEA

PTI Automatic

At least five soldiers have been killed in an ambush in northwestern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali, security forces told AFP on Friday.
"A military patrol was attacked last night (Thursday) in an ambush by armed individuals near Toeni," in Sourou province, a security source said.  One other soldier was injured.
The army fired back and sent out a patrol to track down the attackers, another source said.
A similar attack in the region left four soldiers dead a month ago.
In a separate development, locals told AFP a bridge had been blown up at Boukouma on the road linking the northern towns of Djibo and Dori.
Thousands of residents have fled the region in the wake of repeat jihadist attacks.
The attacks -- mostly in the north and east -- have left more than 570 people dead since 2015, according to an AFP tally.
The Burkinabe government has logged some 440 incidents in the same period.
With the army struggling to contain the violence, the attacks have spread westward into other ...

Burkina Faso ambush leaves at least 5 soldiers dead

European and US stock markets advanced Friday, mirroring gains in much of Asia on hopes of progress in looming China-US trade talks, dealers said.
In afternoon trading, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 0.1 per cent, while Frankfurt was marginally higher and Paris won 0.4 per cent.
Wall Street opened higher, with the Dow edging up 0.1 per cent.
The pound slid despite European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker's apparent hint that a Brexit deal was still possible, with Britain due to leave the European Union at the end of next month.
"Stocks markets are muted in Europe... as traders are keeping an eye on US-China trade relations," said CMC Markets analyst David Madden.
With a delegation from China in the US to prepare for higher-level negotiations next month, investors hope the economic giants can find a solution to their tariffs row that has been a drag on the global economy for a year.
Stock markets have enjoyed a broadly positive September thanks to hopes for the talks, ...

Stocks ahead on hopes of US-China trade war resolution

EU Council President Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold Brexit talks on Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
A European official told AFP Friday that the talks are set for Monday afternoon. They take place as both sides are at pains to make progress in tense divorce talks.
Tusk's job is to coordinate EU summits and EU leaders will gather for a make-or-break meeting in Brussels on October 17, two weeks ahead of Britain's October 31 Brexit deadline.

EU's Tusk, PM Johnson to hold Brexit talks Monday in New York

Germany's second-largest lender Commerzbank said Friday it plans to cut the equivalent of 4,300 full-time posts, one-tenth of its workforce, and shutter 200 branches in a fresh bout of restructuring.
On top of the job cuts -- which bosses say will be partly offset by 2,000 new hires in other areas -- Commerzbank also aims to sell its majority stake in Poland's mBank to bring in some of the cash needed for its plans.
And it will buy out the remaining third-party shareholders in subsidiary Comdirect, of which it already owns 82 per cent.
The scheme has yet to be signed off by the bank's supervisory board, the lender added.
"With its new strategic programme, Commerzbank is enhancing the long-term sustainability of its business," the Frankfurt-based firm said.
If approved by the supervisory board, its latest moves would cost around 1.6 billion euros (USD 1.8 billion).
Shares in Commerzbank were up 1.3 per cent on the day, trading at 5.77 euros by around 3:30 pm in Frankfurt (1330 ...

Commerzbank says to slash 4,300 jobs in new restructuring round

Brexit talks are progressing with "momentum", the British minister in charge of the divorce said Friday after meeting his EU counterpart, despite warnings that a deal was still some way off.
After talks in Brussels with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, Brexit Minister Stephen Barclay said there was a "shared sense of purpose" to reach agreement and avoid Britain crashing out of the bloc without a divorce agreement.
Britain is racing toward its October 31 departure without an exit agreement and faces the threat of economic disruption that the government admits could cause food shortages and spark civil unrest.
Barclay and Barnier discussed three papers submitted by London with ideas on replacing the so-called "Irish backstop" provisions in the Brexit deal struck last year but rejected by British lawmakers.
"There is significant work still to do but there are serious discussions that are taking place," Barclay said after the talks.
"We are moving forward with momentum, talks will ...

UK claims 'momentum' in Brexit talks

A team of scientists from 19 countries will set off for the Arctic on Friday, aiming to freeze their ship into the polar ice for a year to research the changing climate.
Aboard the massive icebreaker Polarstern, belonging to Germany's Alfred Wegener polar and marine research institute, researchers hope to glean new understanding of the region.
The 140 million-euro (USD 155 million) mission will study the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, ecosystem and natural processes -- looking to build a picture of how climate change is affecting the region and the entire world.
"No other region of the world has warmed as quickly as the Arctic in the past decades," mission leader and atmospheric scientist Markus Rex said on the "Mosaic" (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) website.
"At the beginning of this year, we had an extreme case where the central Arctic was warmer than in Germany," Rex added.
"It's almost the epicentre of global warming. At the same time, we ...

'Largest polar expedition in history' to probe Arctic climate

For a fourth day in a row, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Friday injected billions of dollars into US money markets to preserve the Fed's control over short-term interest rates.
However, in a sign a cash shortage could be easing, the New York Fed said the demand for liquidity on Friday did not exceed the USD 75 billion officials had offered, as it had on two prior days.
Banks have struggled in recent days to find the cash needed to meet reserve requirements which has pushed up short-term borrowing rates.
Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, downplayed concerns this week about the money market's cash crunch, saying it was not a sign of problems in the wider economy or a concern for monetary policy.
Economists say an array of conditions converged to dry up supplies of liquidity in the banking system -- including quarterly corporate tax payments and accelerated government borrowing from bond investors.
Banks have also generally had less cash on hand as the Fed ..

New York Fed injects another USD 75 bn into US money markets

The death toll from a massive Taliban bomb attack which flattened a hospital in southern Afghanistan earlier this week has risen to at least 39, officials said Friday.
The jump in the toll from the blast, which took place in the town of Qalat in Zabul province on Thursday, takes the total number of people killed in just three days of violence across the war-torn country this week to at least 91.
"The toll from the hospital attack in Qalat has jumped to 39 killed, 140 others wounded," Gul Islam Seyal, the spokesman for the provincial governor, told AFP.
Earlier, authorities had said the blast had killed 20 people.
Another official put the toll even higher Friday, at 41.
The surge in violence, with civilians paying the heaviest price, has come after US President Donald Trump called off talks with the Taliban that could have seen Washington begin withdrawing troops, and as the country gears up for a presidential election.
The insurgents responded to Trump's declaration that the talks ...

Death toll from Taliban bomb attack rises to 39

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government reached a deal Friday on a broad climate plan for Germany that commits at least 100 billion euros by 2030 to environmental protection, as tens of thousands of protesters rallied demanding action.
After marathon overnight talks dragging more than 18 hours, the coalition sealed a deal which covers a slew of measures from tackling emissions in the energy and industrial sectors, to incentives for zero-emission electric vehicles or public transport.
Under the plan, flight prices will go up while train tickets will get cheaper. Some 86 billion euros (USD 94 billion) will be ploughed into railway infrastructure, and funding will be provided to test innovative ways to incite more people to use public transport such as 365-euro annual tickets.
"By 2030, a total of ... a three-digit billion euro figure will be made available for climate protection and the energy transition," according to the summary of the sweeping plan seen by AFP.
The government said the .

German govt reaches 100 bn euro climate plan deal as protests heat up

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and elected to bat first in their third match of the tri-series Twenty20 international tournament against Zimbabwe here on Friday.
Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza will retire after the match, bringing an end to his 18-year international career.
Afghanistan have already qualified for the final after winning their first two matches while Zimbabwe lost their first three matches.
Bangladesh, who will face Afghanistan in the final on September 24, are the third team in the tournament.
Teams:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (capt), Gulbadin Naib, Shafiqullah, Dawlat Zadran, Fazal Niazai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Hamilton Masakadza (capt), Sean Williams, Regis Chakabva, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Ryan Burl, Richmond Mutumbami, Neville Madziva, Kyle Jarvis, Ainsley Ndlovu, Chris Mpofu.
Umpire: Tanvir Ahmed (BAN), Sharfuddoula (BAN)
TV umpire: Gazi ...

Afghanistan opt to bat against Zimbabwe in tri-series T20

At least 1,500 foreign nationals have been forced to flee their homes in South Africa amid a surge in deadly xenophobic violence in the country, the United Nations said Friday.
The UN refugee agency voiced alarm at the violence, which reportedly killed at least 12 people -- both foreign nationals and South Africans -- in and around Johannesburg earlier this month in a spate of attacks against foreigners fuelled by soaring unemployment and poverty.
"At least 1,500 foreign nationals, predominantly migrants but also refugees and asylum-seekers, have been forced to flee their homes," UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley told reporters in Geneva
He said the agency's staff had in recent weeks received "a significant increase in calls to our telephone hotlines, with people reporting that their homes and businesses have been looted, buildings and property have been set on fire."
They were also receiving reports of "increased gang activity on the streets and rising incidents of sexual and ...

1,500 flee homes in S Africa amid xenophobic violence: UN

Two female Kenyan middle-distance runners have been dropped from the team for this month's IAAF World championships in Doha due to high levels of testosterone, Athletics Kenya said Friday.
Jackline Wambui, who won the 800m in Kenyan trials last week with a personal best time of 1min 58.79sec, and Linda Kahega, who came third in the 400m, had both qualified for the world championships.
The two have fallen foul of rules which have led to a long stand-off between South African two-time Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
Blood tests showed the two Kenyan runners had testosterone levels  higher than allowed by the IAAF, said Paul Mutwii, Athletics Kenya's vice-president in charge of competitions.
"All the females athletes in the team (for Doha world championships) were subjected to the blood tests after the national trials in Nairobi on September 13, and the doctors found that both Wambui and Kageha had high levels of ...

Two Kenyan athletes dropped from Doha Worlds over testosterone

Pope Francis on Friday again spoke out against assisted suicide and euthanasia, days before a top Italian court is to examine the thorny question in the largely Roman Catholic country.
"We can and we must reject the temptation, which is also favoured by legislative changes, to use medicine to satisfy a sick person's possible wish to die," the pope told a delegation from the Italian Doctors Order.
Italy's Constitutional Court has called a session for Tuesday to reexamine the question of potentially legalising assisted suicide, without mentioning euthanasia.
The court last October gave parliament a year to fill a legal void on the question, but MPs have not done so.
A new government was sworn in last week after a month of political chaos and debating assisted suicide is not one of its priorities.
"The current legal framework concerning the end of life deprives specific situations... of adequate protection," the court wrote last year.
The court was asked to weigh in on the case of ...

Pope decries euthanasia as Italy court considers assisted suicide

Hundreds of Ugandan children gathered Friday to demand action on climate change, as part of a global movement of youngsters demanding adults act to halt environmental catastrophe.
They arrived by bus, on motorbike taxis and on foot, to begin their march in the town of Wakiso on the edge of the capital Kampala with placards denouncing the government's failure to tackle climate change issues.
"How many people have to die for you to act?" 12-year-old activist Cissy Mukasa asked on her poster. "This time government must act."
Uganda, a verdant nation with stunning natural features such as the dramatic Rwenzori mountains, wild animals such as mountain gorillas and Africa's largest lake, is facing significant climate shifts attributed to global warming.
This includes prolonged droughts and more intense rainfall leading to floods, landslides and disease.
Uganda's youth were joining children around the world following the rallying cry of Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg to skip school and 

Hundreds of Ugandan children hold climate strike

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government reached a deal Friday on a broad climate plan for Germany, a coalition source said, as tens of thousands of protesters rallied demanding more environmental protection.
After marathon overnight talks dragging more than 18 hours, the coalition reached "an agreement with many measures and an annual monitoring mechanism" on meeting climate targets, said a government source.
The plan, which covers a slew of measures from tackling emissions in the energy and industrial sectors, to incentives for zero-emission electric vehicles or public transport, was due to be unveiled at a press conference later Friday.
As the politicians emerged red-eyed from the session, across Germany, protesters were out in the streets with colourful banners and posters with slogans like "make rainforests great again" or "I want a hot date, not a hot planet".
In the biggest international wave of Fridays for Future climate strikes to date started by Swedish teen Greta Thunberg, a ..

German govt reaches climate plan deal as protests heat up

Israel began voting in its second election in five months Tuesday that will decide whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's term as the country's longest-serving prime minister despite corruption allegations against him.
Polls opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) and were due to close in most areas at 10:00 pm.
At one Jerusalem polling station, a trickle of voters arrived to cast ballots just after opening time.
The stakes could not be much higher for the 69-year-old right-wing leader who, as in April polls, faces a strong challenge from ex-military chief Benny Gantz and his centrist Blue and White alliance.
Ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, Netanyahu's former right-hand man turned rival, could play a kingmaker role with his campaign to "make Israel normal again." Some 6.4 million people are eligible to cast ballots.
The first exit surveys will be released just after polls close, while official results are not expected until Wednesday.
Opinion polls have indicated another ...

Israel votes on Netanyahu's political survival

Polls opened in Israel's second general elections in five months on Tuesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to extend his term as the country's longest-serving prime minister.
Polls began opening at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) and were due to close at 10:00 pm in most areas. As in the April vote, the right-wing Netanyahu is facing a strong challenge from ex-military chief Benny Gantz and his centrist Blue and White alliance.

Polls open in Israeli general elections

United States women's soccer star Alex Morgan said Monday she would not play again this season as she aims to fix a knee injury that has bothered her since the World Cup.
The 30-year-old Orlando Pride forward, one of the most prominent players on the United States' World Cup-winning team, made the announcement in a statement on her Instagram account.
"This year has had the highest of highs but along with that comes challenges and sometimes even falling short of my goals I set for myself in 2019," Morgan wrote.
"I'm disappointed I won't be able to compete with the Pride for the remainder of 2019 due to a knee injury I've been managing since the World Cup, and that I can't be there to help my teammates and my club have more success.
"I have already started physical therapy in LA and am eager to get back on the field doing what I love."
Morgan did not release further details of her injury.
The striker has been nursing the knock since she was substituted during the USA's group game with ..

US World Cup star Morgan ruled out for rest of 2019 season

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he felt "embarrassed" as he tried to shield his family from allegations he raped a woman in the United States.
Ronaldo was accused of sexually assaulting Kathryn Mayorga in a Las Vegas hotel in June 2009.
The Portugal forward, a five-time Champions League winner, strongly denied the claims and the investigation was originally closed 10 years ago.  It reopened in August 2018, shortly before Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit in September and offered details she initially withheld.
Prosecutors announced in July this year that they would not be prosecuting the case because the allegations could not "be proven beyond a reasonable doubt".
The former Manchester United great revealed the allegations had taken a mental toll on him as he sought to protect his children from the reports.
"They play with your dignity," Ronaldo told 'Good Morning Britain' in an interview with Piers Morgan that will air on Tuesday.
"It's hard. You have a girlfriend, you have .

Ronaldo 'embarrassed' by rape allegations

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said his side had not 'gone nuts' after winning the Champions League and were ready for their title defence starting with a Group E opener in Napoli on Tuesday.
"To win is nice, but it doesn't change anything," Klopp told reporters in Naples.
"It's so easy to carry on as normal.
"If you go nuts and start taking drugs and buying different cars or whatever and leave you missus at home, than it gets hard.
"We want to create more stories to remember in the future and not just this one.
"We don't feel the burden, it's long ago... three, four months."
Liverpool have reached the last two Champions League finals, beating Tottenham in the Spanish capital in June after losing to Real Madrid 12 months earlier.
And they are riding high in the Premier League with five wins in as many games.
The 52-year-old German said they were more interested in learning from last year's errors including losing all their away games starting with a 1-0 defeat in Napoli to a late ...

AFP

AFP

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