Kerry meets with Lavrov in Moscow to push for climate agenda

Here it is today Foreign Policy brief: US Climate Envoy John Kerry meets the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Cuba sees rare protests, and Haiti Police arrest of an alleged instigator of murder.

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Here it is today Foreign Policy brief: US Climate Envoy John Kerry meets the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Cuba sees rare protests, and Haiti Police arrest of an alleged instigator of murder.

If you want to receive the Morning Brief in your inbox every business day, sign up.

White House envoy John Kerry is in Moscow today for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a bid to align targets between the two powers ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.

Kerrys’s trip highlights his unique role as US President Joe Bidensmall White House. He was the first member of Biden’s cabinet to visit Chinameeting with counterpart Xie Zhenhua in Shanghai a month after clashes between US and Chinese officials at a frozen Alaska summit. He will now be the first to visit Russia, a trip made by three of his cabinet members. forbidden due to sanctions related to the SolarWinds hack.

Bidenrear channel. Although his first visit to Kerry in Moscow with his new role, it will be the second time he will meet Lavrov this year. They both had one short meeting in New Delhi in April, reportedly after realizing they were staying at the same hotel.

Today’s meeting brings together two of the worldThe top five oil exporters and two of the four largest coal emitters. And although Biden is struggling to propose climate change legislation fossil fuel friendly Senate, similar internal concerns may prevent Russia from taking serious climate action.

Russiathe climate crisis. Lavrov and Kerry meet while Russia has its own climate recognition: June temperatures in both Moscow and St. Petersburg set new records, while temperatures north of the Arctic Circle exceeded 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). When the issue was raised in the annual Q&A program, Russian President Vladimir Putins, the Russian leader who has wrong In the past on whether climate change is exacerbated by human activity, people need to minimize the impact we have when it comes to emissions, citing the dangers of desertification, freezing and agricultural losses.

Hopes for a Russian transformation on climate change may be shaken by Moscowbroader ambitions. Of new national security strategy, signed by Putin on July 2, recognizes climate change as an avenue for international cooperation, but warns against foreign countries using the issue to create leverage to exert open political and economic pressure on Russia, as well as to hinder growth. in the Arctic, where melting ice provides oil and gas as well as shipping opportunities.

However, the country is taking some steps towards responsibility. Also on July 2, Putin signed legislation which will soon force the largest coal emission companies to report their emissions, paving the way for greater regulation and opening the door to a coal trading system. The law, though not as ambitious as it could be, was accepted by Greenpeaces Russia spokesman Vladimir Chuprov.

On Monday 12 July, Tokyo is entering a new state of emergency due to COVID-19, which will last until August 22, a period that includes the Olympic Games.

On Tuesday, July 13, European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager meets with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg via video conference.

On Wednesday 14 July, Foreign Ministers from China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan hold meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to discuss Afghanistan and the withdrawal of US forces.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was agreed on this day six years ago.

On Thursday 15 JulyUS President Joe Biden hosts German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House.

On Sunday 18 July, the African island nation So Tom and Prncipe are holding their presidential elections.

Healthy third time? Representatives of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer are due to meet with White House officials today to discuss the issue of providing it to the public. third shot of the company COVID-19 vaccine. The meeting comes after the recent release of Pfizers early data from a study that showed a five to 10-fold increase in antibody levels after a third dose. Speaking on Sunday, Anthony FauciBidens Chief Medical Advisorhe said It was too early to think about a further dose: At this time, given the data and information we have, we do not need to give people a third shot.

The White House meeting comes as officials become increasingly concerned about the rise of the coronavirus delta variant, even as most vaccines appear to provide good protection against its worst effects. Speaking at the end of the G-20 finance ministers’ summit on Sunday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she was interested that the delta and other variants could threaten a global economic recovery.

Zuma lawyers are appealing. Former South African President Jacob Zuma’s lawyers reappear in court today to appeal his conviction for contempt after his legal teameffort to overturn his arrest for health reasons was rejected by a judge last Friday. Sixty people have been arrested while protesting Zumas’s imprisonment since a 15-month sentence began last Wednesday. The President of South Africa Cyril Ramafasa asked for calm on Sunday amid reports of violence and looting over the weekend.

Cuban protests. Thousands of Cubans took to the streets across the country on Sunday in one rare protest against the government and the deteriorating living conditions in the country. Cubans continue to face a severe economic crisis amid a US embargo and sanctions under Trump and a drop in tourism due to pandemic travel restrictions. The President of Cuba Miguel Daz-Canel called protests are a form of systematic provocation by US-backed dissidents, who claim Washington was trying to cause a massive social collapse

Merkel’s successor. German politician Armin Laschet’s chances of replacing German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared to rise over the weekend as a new voting gave the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party a healthy lead over its rival Green Party ahead of the September election. This is the third week in a row that the CDU has widened its lead in the polls and the Greens have seen a corresponding drop in support. The poll showed that the CDU and Christian Social Union coalition in Bavaria had 28 percent support, while the Greens and the Social Democratic Party polled 17 percent.

Paris is going to introduce one maximum speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour (19 miles per hour) on almost all roads by the end of August in an effort to reduce noise, road accidents and carbon emissions. About 60% of Paris’ streets currently comply with the limit, but after the August extension, only the Paris ring road and major boulevards will allow higher speeds. The move is part of an effort by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgos to reduce car dependence and make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Hidalgo plans to remove nearly half of the cities’ 140,000 street-level parking spaces and introduce metered parking for motorcycles and scooters, which now park for free.