Daily News Brief

April 30, 2024

Top of the Agenda

Energy and climate ministers from Group of Seven (G7) countries announced (AFP) their agreement today at a meeting in Turin, Italy. Officials celebrated the deal as progress toward a commitment reached at last year’s UN climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to transition away from coal, gas, and oil. The new agreement comes on the heels (FT) of U.S. regulations announced last week that require coal plants slated for operations through or beyond 2039 to cut or capture 90 percent of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2032.

Global capacity of coal-fired power plants grew by 2 percent last year driven mostly by China, which is not a member of the G7. Within the G7, meanwhile, member countries Germany and Japan both produce more than a quarter of their total electricity from coal, Reuters reported. The new pledge includes some flexibility, where countries could follow a timeline “consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5°C (2.7°F) within reach, in line with countries’ net zero pathways.”

Analysis

“The journey to phase out coal power has been long: it’s been over seven years since the UK, France, Italy, and Canada committed to phase out coal power, so it’s good to see the United States and especially Japan at last be more explicit on their intentions,” Ember’s Dave Jones tells CNN.

“Today, in many places, electricity produced by wind and solar energy is as cheap as that made by coal or natural gas,” Tufts University’s Kelly Sims Gallagher writes in Foreign Affairs. “Such is the pace of technological advances that decarbonizing the economy may become even easier in the future.”

Pacific Rim

Chinese vessels shot (CNN) water cannons at Philippine vessels today, damaging one of their railings in the Scarborough Shoal area in the South China Sea, the Philippines said. The shoal lies in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but China’s coast guard has maintained a presence there for several years. Manila said it was carrying out a “legitimate patrol,” while Beijing’s foreign ministry said (Nikkei) the Philippine ships had “intruded.”

The Center for Preventive Action monitors disputes in the South China Sea. 

Japan: Central bank accounts suggest that the Japanese government conducted its first currency intervention since 2022 yesterday to prop up the value of the yen, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Every major currency around the world has fallen (NYT) against the value of the dollar this year, with Japan’s being one of the steepest.

South and Central Asia

Tajikistan voiced concern (Reuters) about negative treatment of its citizens, its foreign ministry said yesterday. The country also said that nearly one thousand of its citizens who were trying to enter Russia have been stranded in a Moscow airport since the weekend. The statement did not mention arrests of people who Russia said were from Tajikistan after a March 22 Moscow concert hall attack. 

U.S./India: The White House called (Reuters) the reported role of an Indian intelligence officer in a foiled assassination plot of a U.S. citizen “a serious matter” yesterday, while India’s foreign ministry said the Washington Post report was “unwarranted and unsubstantiated.” Yesterday, the Post reported that Indian intelligence officer Vikram Yadav forwarded details about the target to a hit team, citing unnamed U.S. and Indian security officials. 

This timeline traces U.S.-India relations. 

Middle East and North Africa

Israeli negotiators scaled back the number of hostages they are seeking in the potential first phase of a truce with Hamas to thirty-three, three unnamed Israeli officials told the New York Times yesterday. A Hamas official said the group was studying the proposal. Thousands of people protested (Times of Israel) in Tel Aviv last night, calling for the Israeli government to prioritize a hostage release deal.

Iran/UAE: A bilateral economic cooperation commission is convening (Reuters) for the first time in ten years, the Iranian Labour News Agency reported. The two-day event began today in Abu Dhabi. The two countries upgraded diplomatic ties last year after several years of strained relations. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

The last city in Sudan’s Darfur region that is not controlled by the paramilitary is now “on the precipice of a large-scale massacre,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told (AP) press yesterday after an emergency closed-door UN Security Council meeting. Thomas-Greenfield said Washington has engaged with countries including the UAE over arms sales. The UAE has repeatedly denied providing arms to Sudan.

This In Brief by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy looks at the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. 

Mali: A force that includes troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger killed (BBC) a senior Islamic State commander linked to several raids in the region, Malian state television said. One such raid killed four American soldiers and several Niger troops in 2017.

Europe

Humza Yousaf’s announcement yesterday followed (AP) a coalition breakdown that was triggered by a rift in climate policy, transgender policy, and a campaign finance scandal in his Scottish Nationalist Party. Yousaf will serve until a replacement is selected; a nomination period for new leaders will continue (BBC) through next Monday.

UK/EU: A second phase of physical border checks covering some plant and animal imports entering the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) began today (The Guardian) after more than three years of delays. The first phase began January 31 of this year and requires health certificates for the majority of meat, dairy, and plant products.

Americas

The seven voting members of a transitional government are due (VOA, Reuters, AP, AFP) to choose a president today, one week after they officially took power. The president and council will be tasked with coordinating a multinational UN security force that is preparing to deploy in the country.

Peru/China: Peru’s government says it aims to avoid (Reuters) international arbitration proceedings regarding rights to a Chinese-built port. In March, the Peruvian port authority said an “administrative error” had given a Chinese firm exclusivity over port operations. 

United States

U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador agreed to take new measures (El País) to reduce irregular border crossings, the White House said yesterday. The communiqué did not detail the measures being taken. The number of apprehensions along the southern U.S. border this month was down (WaPo) more than 40 percent since December, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

This Backgrounder by Amelia Cheatham, Claire Klobucista, and CFR’s Diana Roy explains how the United States patrols its borders.

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