Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 10 OctOber 2018

Dutch appeals court upholds landmark climate case ruling

By MIKE CORDER The original June 2015 ruling She said the court "clearly
Associated Press came in a case brought by said that climate change is
THE HAGUE, Netherlands the environmental group a very urgent problem with
(AP) — A Dutch appeals Urgenda on behalf of 900 enormous risks so the state
court on Tuesday upheld Dutch citizens. Similar cases should do at least the mini-
a landmark ruling that or- are now underway in sev- mum."
dered the government to eral countries around the Since the original judg-
cut greenhouse gas emis- world. ment, a new Dutch gov-
sions by at least 25 percent Cheers and applause rang ernment has pledged to
by 2020 from benchmark out around the packed reduce emissions by 49 per-
1990 levels. courtroom as Hague Ap- cent by 2030, but it has yet
The Netherlands, known peals Court Presiding to nail down exactly how to
for its historic reliance on Judge Marie-Anne Tan- reach that target and how
windmills and ongoing use de Sonnaville rejected the to foot the bill.
of bicycles, already is work- government's appeal. Urgenda argues that the
ing to cut emissions, but the The ruling came a day after government — and other
court said that the country the Nobel Prize-winning In- Lawyers representing Urgenda, left, and the Dutch Government, countries — need to do
right, rise as presiding judge Marie-Anne Tan-de Sonnaville,
needs to do more. tergovernmental Panel on rear center right, enters the appeals court in The Hague, Nether- more sooner than 2030
"Considering the great Climate Change issued an lands, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. to prevent serious con-
dangers that are likely to urgent report saying that Associated Press sequences of climate
occur, more ambitious preventing even just an ex- change.
measures have to be taken tra single degree of heat in genda hailed the Dutch rul- good explanation of the Minnesma had a few sug-
in the short term to reduce Earth's climate could make ing as a significant victory urgency of what is neces- gestions for lawmakers,
greenhouse gas emissions a life-or-death difference in that will boost similar legal sary and that states in in- such as lowering the maxi-
in order to protect the life the next few decades for initiatives elsewhere in the dustrial countries should do mum speeds on some
and family life of citizens in multitudes of people and world. between a 25-40 percent Dutch highways and shut-
the Netherlands," the court ecosystems. "We won on every single CO2 reduction," Minnesma ting down coal-fired power
said in a statement. Marjan Minnesma of Ur- point. And it was a very said after the ruling. stations.q

Syrian president grants general amnesty to army deserters

do so; those abroad have join the military. from a demilitarized zone
six months. More than 5 million Syrians agreed upon by Turkey
Since Syria's conflict began have fled their country and Russia last month. The
in March 2011, tens of thou- since the conflict began, deal sought to avoid a
sands of soldiers have ei- while millions of others have wide government offensive
ther deserted their posts or been internally displaced. on the province.
defected and joined reb- The seven-year war has also On Monday, Turkey's of-
els trying to remove Assad killed more than 400,000 ficial news agency report-
from power. The amnesty people and left more than ed that Syrian rebels fin-
also includes draft dodgers. a million wounded. ished withdrawing all their
The new amnesty does not The decree comes at a heavy weapons from the
include army defectors, time when government front lines in implementa-
some of whom are still fight- forces have managed over tion of the deal reached
ing against the govern- the past year to capture last month that's expected
ment, mostly in the north- wide areas once held by in- to demilitarize a stretch of
In this Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 file photo, fighters with the Free Syr-
ian army eat in a cave where they live, on the outskirts of the western province of Idlib, surgents, including in south- 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles)
northern town of Jisr al-Shughur, Syria, west of the city of Idlib. the last major rebel strong- ern Syria and the eastern along the front lines by Oct.
Associated Press hold in the country. suburbs of the capital, Da- 15.
The amnesty could en- mascus. In some areas, the The Britain-based Syrian Ob-
By BASSEM MROUE who fled violence in their courage the return of refu- government reached rec- servatory for Human Rights,
Associated Press war-torn country. gees, some of whom have onciliation deals with rebels a war monitor, said all the
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian Presi- The decree, published by not been able to go back who were given amnesty in area along the front lines in
dent Bashar Assad granted state media, said the am- home because they were return for laying down their Idlib are now free of heavy
general amnesty on Tues- nesty did not include "crimi- blacklisted for running arms. weapons after rebels and
day to army deserters both nals" and those on the run away from military service. The flashpoint in Syria is now other militant groups, in-
within Syria and outside the unless they turn themselves Other men have feared in Idlib, where insurgents cluding al-Qaida-linked
country, a move that could in to authorities. Deserters in that if they return they will have been withdraw- fighters, have removed or
boost the return of refugees Syria have four months to be punished or forced to ing their heavy weapons hidden their heavy arms.q