Beyond climate change despair, Sympathy for the Iranian people amid fresh sanctions, Saudi Arabia鈥檚 odd response to a Canadian tweet, Australia and New Zealand wake up to China鈥檚 power play, Lula鈥檚 long-shot bid for a third term as Brazil鈥檚 president
The Guardian / London聽
Beyond climate change despair, a way forward
鈥淭his is the summer when, for many, climate change got real...,鈥� writes Simon Lewis. 鈥淸D]espair is in the air. Now a new scientific report makes the case that even fairly modest future carbon dioxide emissions could set off a cascade of catastrophe.... How do we deal with such news?... [T]aking a step back from the gloom, we face the same three choices...: reduce greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation), make changes to reduce the adverse impacts of the new conditions we create (adaptation), or suffer the consequences.... Solving climate change is about power, money, and political will.... Thinking about climate change as a practical political problem helps avoid despair because we know that huge political changes have happened in the past and continue to do so.鈥澛�
The Jerusalem Post / Jerusalem
Sympathy for the Iranian people as Trump reapplies US sanctions
鈥淚t is natural to feel sympathy with the Iranian people, who are struggling with an unprecedented
economic crisis due to the renewal, after three years, of the US sanctions on the Islamic Republic
[Aug. 6]...,鈥� states an editorial. 鈥淭he previous economic sanctions were lifted by president Barack Obama in 2015 following the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Three months after withdrawing from the nuclear deal, Trump snapped back restrictions on access to US currency as well as gold and other precious metals, among other things. Additional sanctions are scheduled to go into effect in November.... Just the threat of the sanctions has been enough to trigger financial mayhem and brave citizens throughout Iran have taken to the streets to protest.鈥澛�
Al Jazeera / Doha, Qatar
Saudi Arabia鈥檚 odd and outsize response to a Canadian tweet
鈥� 鈥楥anada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women鈥檚 rights activists in #SaudiArabia, including Samar Badawi. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists.鈥� As tweets go,鈥� writes Bill Law, 鈥渢his expression of concern from Canada鈥檚 Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland ... didn鈥檛 seem particularly offensive.... In this case, however, the Saudis saw red.... [T]he Saudis recalled their ambassador, gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to get out and froze all new business and investment deals. It was ... an extraordinary response.... Picking on Canada ... is an odd thing to do when you are attempting to rebrand your country as moderate and open for business.鈥澛�
The Indian Express / New Delhi
India, Australia, and New Zealand wake up to China鈥檚 power play
鈥淚ndia is not the only one struggling to cope with China鈥檚 Silk Road ambitions,鈥� writes C. Raja Mohan. 鈥淒own under, Australia and New Zealand are finding that China has begun to undermine their long-
standing dominance over the South Pacific.... Now, all three are scrambling to deal with China鈥檚 projection of economic and political power into their backyards.... The real problem [has been] the inability of Delhi, Canberra and Wellington to appreciate China鈥檚 entirely legitimate aspirations.... Shedding their complacency, Canberra and Wellington are now boosting their economic aid to [the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea]. Australia and New Zealand are also preparing to sign a wide-ranging security pact with South Pacific nations.... [They] are also upgrading their national surveillance capabilities in the South Pacific.鈥澛�
The Hindu / Chennai, India
Lula鈥檚 long-shot bid for a third term as Brazil鈥檚 president聽
鈥淓ven by the standards of Latin America鈥檚 emotive politics, the nomination of Brazil鈥檚 convicted former President, Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva, to contest for a third term in the October election is sensational,鈥� states an editorial. 鈥淭he charismatic leader from the left-wing Workers鈥� Party (PT) has been serving a 12-year jail sentence since April in a bribery and money-laundering case. Mr. Lula may still have his candidacy overruled by the electoral body. But there are many factors why that uncertainty has not deterred his party from daring to nominate him for the country鈥檚 top job.... [One] shot in the arm ... was an intervention from influential international quarters questioning the judicial process.... In addition, his poll ratings, at nearly 30%, are extraordinary for someone serving a prison term.鈥澛�
