Russia must accelerate Covid-19 vaccinations, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Tuesday as the country recorded its highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic. Addressing newly elected lawmakers of the State Duma — Russia’s lower parliament house — Putin urged the deputies who had gathered in the Kremlin to convince the Russian…… MORE

The planet is warming rapidly, resulting in historic drought, deadly floods and unusual melting events in the Arctic. It is also causing steady sea level rise, which scientists say will continue for decades. A new study from Climate Central, a nonprofit research group, shows that roughly 50 major coastal cities will need to implement “unprecedented”…… MORE

COP26 President Alok Sharma called out the G20 nations that have not increased their pledges on climate ahead of the international talks in the Scottish city of Glasgow, which begin in less than three weeks, alluding to nations like China, India, Australia and Saudi Arabia. In a speech at the UNESCO World Heritage Center in…… MORE

Canada, Nigeria, Japan and Pakistan are among 31 parties to join a global pledge, led by the US and EU, to slash planet-warming methane emissions by 30% by the end of the decade, US climate enjoy John Kerry announced Monday. Kerry said the agreement, which was announced last month, now included nine of the top…… MORE

His messages are a mix of uncertainty and terror — with glimmers of hope. He is gay, a convert to Christianity and a member of the Hazara ethnic minority — three groups that have been historically persecuted by the Taliban. The 32-year-old man went into hiding after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August,…… MORE