UN's Climate Chief Figueres to Quit
The U.N.'s climate chief said on Friday she will step down in July, at the end of a six-year term, and praised governments for reaching a 195-nation deal in Paris in December to shift the world economy from fossil fuels to cleaner energies. Christiana Figueres, a 59-year-old Costa Rican, said she would not accept any extension of her term as head of the Bonn-based U.N. Climate Change Secretariat after what she called the historic Paris Agreement.
Iran's Rouhani in Paris to Revive Business Ties
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani arrives in France on Wednesday with the bosses of oil major Total and aircraft maker Airbus among top executives he is due to meet as the two countries look to revive business ties despite diplomatic differences. On his first trip abroad since a sanctions-ending nuclear accord took effect, Italy this week already rolled out the red carpet for the pragmatist Shi'ite president and his 120-member delegation of business leaders and cabinet ministers, signing a raft of deals.
France to be vigilant Iran nuclear deal "strictly respected" - Fabius
France will keep a close eye out to ensure that Iran's nuclear deal with diplomatic powers is strictly respected, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Saturday in a statement. Welcoming the deal's implementation, Fabius said that it was an important step in international efforts to control nuclear proliferation. "By being constructively firm, France has strongly contributed to the conclusion of this agreement. It will be vigilant that it is strictly respected and implemented," Fabius said.
End of Fossil Fuel Era Nears - Climate Change Talks
* France's Fabius to unveil new draft at 9 a.m. PARIS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - At the tail end of the hottest year on record, climate negotiators in Paris will aim on Saturday to seal a landmark accord that will transform the world's fossil fuel-driven economy within decades and turn the tide on global warming. After four years of fraught U.N. talks often pitting the interests of rich nations against poor, imperilled island states against rising economic powerhouses…
With New Climate Draft, a Deal Creeps Closer in Paris
Eleven days of negotiations produced a slimmer but still-troubled version of a climate deal on Wednesday, with negotiators from 195 countries divided over how far to go in curbing global temperature rises - and how to pay for it. "We've made progress but still a lot of work remains to be done," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told delegates gathered on the outskirts of Paris who are supposed to wrap up an accord by Friday.
New Climate-financing Pledges at IMF talks closer to $100 bln/yr
The world's rich countries most likely will be able to reach the goal of providing $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poor countries combat and adapt to climate change, as the result of increased pledges made in Lima, key ministers said on Friday. The World Bank and other international banks made billions of dollars of new pledges on Friday, on top of promises that have been made by individual countries. "This bodes well for meeting the goal of $100 billion…
UN Climate Deal Draft Must be Shorter, Clearer
Ministers working towards a new U.N. deal to tackle climate change, due in December, need a negotiating text that is shorter and more manageable than the current draft, the Marshall Islands' foreign minister said after informal talks in Paris. "It should be something that people can understand, be able to work with and negotiate from," chief diplomat Tony de Brum told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from France. The current version of the draft text is a bewildering 85-page list of options…
Iran Nuclear Deal Close; Impasse Over Weapons, Missiles Persists
Iran and six world powers were close to an historic nuclear agreement on Thursday that could resolve a more than 12-year dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but they remained deadlocked on the issue of Iranian arms and missile trade. Over the past two weeks, Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China have twice extended a deadline for completing a long-term deal under which Tehran would curb sensitive nuclear activities for more than a decade in exchange for sanctions relief.
France: UN Climate Efforts Fall Short
Efforts spearheaded by the United Nations to reach a global deal to fight climate change are "inadequate", a French minister said on Monday in a sign of growing frustration before Paris hosts a major meeting later this year. Governments will try on Monday to streamline an 89-page draft text of a U.N. deal to fight climate change due to be agreed in the French capital in December, hoping to avoid the acrimony of the last failed attempt. "The U.N.
Brent at $55 as Iran Talks Drag On
Iran hopes to wrap up talks by Wed night. Brent crude oil futures held around $55 a barrel as speculation continued over whether a preliminary deal over Iran's nuclear programme would be reached, opening the way for more Iranian crude to come into world markets. Talks between Iran and six world powers to settle a dispute around Tehran's nuclear programme extended beyond a Tuesday deadline in the Swiss city of Lausanne. Brent crude for May delivery was down 3 cents at $55.08 a barrel by 1026 GMT…
French foreign minister meets Raul Castro on historic visit to Cuba
France's foreign minister met with Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday during the first visit to the island by such a high-ranking French official in 31 years and a sign of the quickening pace of improving ties between the European Union and Havana. Laurent Fabius said he discussed politics, human rights, market-oriented reforms in Cuba and bilateral relations in what he characterized as "a long conversation" with Castro.
