Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

COP28: Indian minister calls for equity in climate talks

Earlier, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi offered to host COP33 talks in 2028

COP28: Indian minister calls for equity in climate talks

INDIA's environment minister, Bhupender Yadav, on Saturday (9) demanded "equity and justice" in UN climate negotiations, holding that rich countries should be leading global climate action.

The comments underlined India's long-held position that, as a developing country, it should not be a forced to cut its energy-related emissions - even as it is the world's third-biggest emitting country after China and the US.


With the COP28 climate summit in Dubai scheduled to end on Tuesday (12), delegates were working to resolve an impasse over whether to address the future use of fossil fuel.

India and other countries whose economies rely on fossil fuels argue that wealthy countries should be doing more, because they have released more climate-warming emissions since the industrial revolution.

"India firmly believes that equity and climate justice must be the basis of global climate action," Yadav told the summit.

Earlier in the two-week COP28 conference, India's prime minister Narendra Modi gave a speech in which he offered to host COP33 talks in 2028.

"Over the past century, a small section of humanity has indiscriminately exploited nature," he said. "However, entire humanity is paying the price for this, especially people living in the global south."

Coal-fired power accounts for about 80 per cent of India's electricity supply. After the COP26 summit in Glasgow led to a pact calling for a global "phase down" in unabated coal power, India lobbied unsuccessfully at last year's COP27 in Egypt for that call to be extended to all fossil fuels.

It has since opposed setting specific timelines for phasing down coal, while domestic power demand surged to new heights during this year's sweltering summer.

Total electricity demand in June hit a record 140 billion kilowatt-hours - nearly 5 per cent up from June 2022.

India has set a goal for 50 per cent of its electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030.

It also plans to add another 17 gigawatts of coal capacity over the next 16 months, after producing a record amount of electricity from coal in October to make up for a shortfall in hydropower generation following lower-than-normal monsoon rains.

(Reuters)

More For You

UK Traveller Dies from Rabies After Dog Exposure in Morocco

Rabies causes a serious infection of the brain and nervous system in humans

iStock

UK woman dies from rabies after Morocco dog exposure

A woman from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has died after contracting rabies following contact with a stray dog while on holiday in Morocco, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed.

The agency stated that the woman became infected during her trip to the North African country. There is no documented evidence of rabies spreading between humans, so the wider public is not considered at risk.

Keep ReadingShow less
Families seek answers as Air India crash probe begins

Mourners at the funeral of BJP leader Vijay Rupani, who was among the victims of the Air India crash, in Ahmedabad

Families seek answers as Air India crash probe begins

AROUND 200 passengers on the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick have been identified, authorities in the Indian state of Gujarat said, as grieving families held the last rites of their loved ones following the crash last Thursday (12).

Hundreds of lives were changed in an instant when the London-bound plane slammed into a residential area of Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board and at least 38 on the ground.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Asim Munir

Security personnel stand beside a poster of Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, during a rally to express solidarity with Pakistan's armed forces, in Islamabad on May 14, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump to host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch at White House

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump will host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House on Wednesday.

“The president has lunch with the chief of army staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” an advisory issued by the White House said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian schools among finalists for world’s best school prizes

Photo for representation (iStock)

Indian schools among finalists for world’s best school prizes

FOUR Indian schools were on Wednesday (18) named among the top 10 finalists across different categories for the annual world's best school prizes, organised in the UK to celebrate schools' enormous contribution to society's progress.

Schools from Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were unveiled as contenders for membership of the Best School to Work programme to help schools attract and retain the best teachers. The worldwide winners across categories will be announced in October.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi-Carney

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney greets Indian prime minister Narendra Modi before a group photo during the G7 Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Getty

India and Canada agree to return ambassadors amid effort to reset relations

INDIA and Canada have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties by returning ambassadors to each other’s capitals, aiming to move past a dispute triggered by the killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada last year.

The announcement came as Canadian prime minister Mark Carney welcomed Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in the Canadian Rockies. Carney, who took office in March, invited Modi to the summit as a guest, continuing India's regular participation at G7 gatherings.

Keep ReadingShow less