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00:00COP 29 President Mukhtar Babaev says progress is underway in reaching the climate finance
00:06goals at COP 29.
00:11A Slovakian law that limits the use of minority languages is raising fears among the country's
00:16Hungarian speakers.
00:20Demonstrators break into the presidential office in Abkhazia in protest over a controversial
00:25agreement that would have allowed Russians to buy property in the breakaway region.
00:30The European Commission has hailed a gradual rebound in economic activity but warns the
00:36EU is vulnerable to rising protectionism.
00:44Today COP 29 hosted a high-level panel on climate and peace, although the debate around
00:49the need for a reform of the COP process has very much taken centre stage here in Baku.
00:54In an open letter published on Friday, more than 20 experts, including former leaders
00:59and scientists, said that despite its achievements, the COP process needs an overhaul.
01:04And as COP week one draws to a close, we asked the COP 29 president-designate what's at stake
01:09so far.
01:10Yeah, I think it is really a very good start for COP 29, not only 6.4 but also agenda adopted
01:18on the first day and we start to work.
01:226.4 give us additional motivation to fulfill all other obligations or discussions items.
01:31But we are focused for NCQG, you know, it's a main topic for COP 29 and all the countries
01:38are we provide all necessity conditions to the parties to discuss it, to talk.
01:44We have a lot of ministerials, a lot of meetings here and it is really very hot temperature
01:49of discussions now.
01:51Meanwhile, progress on the agreement for the new climate finance goal is underway.
01:56We have already positive signal from the MDBs, International Financial Institutes, they upgrade
02:03their contributions for the next years and I think it's a good signal and we continue
02:12to talk with the parties, with the donors and a lot of discussions between the parties
02:17are continuing.
02:18I understand how it is important to give this positive message to the parties that all the
02:27forces are consolidated to have this conclusion in Baku but it is really complicated and we
02:34still trying to talk to the parties to navigate this process and we provide all conditions
02:42to the parties to discuss, to debate and to negotiate this very important issues.
02:49All eyes are set on the coming days.
02:51Next week in fact will be crucial to determine how much this COP will achieve and the level
02:56of commitment from all parties in meeting the Paris Agreement's goals.
03:00Giorgia Orlandi for Euronews at COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
03:09In an exclusive interview with Euronews, former U.S. Vice President and founder of the Climate
03:14Reality Project, Al Gore, said a reform of the UN Climate Summit is necessary in order
03:20to speed up climate action.
03:22The phase-out of fossil fuels is essential for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees,
03:27but it is paradoxically the second year in a row that the conference is held in a fossil
03:32fuel-dependent country.
03:33I think the process should be reformed.
03:36I think it's absurd to have, for example, what we had last year with the CEO of one
03:45of the dirtiest oil companies on the planet serving as the president of the COP.
03:51It's a direct conflict of interest.
03:55And while the president of this COP is not the head of the oil industry, he is very much
04:01in sync with this country's reliance on fossil fuels.
04:07Al Gore noticed that while people are growing increasingly concerned over the climate crisis,
04:13he says the fossil fuel industry continues to promote falsehoods about it.
04:18People are growing more concerned, but at the same time, the fossil fuel industry, which
04:28has an interest in suppressing concern about the climate crisis because they don't want
04:35to reduce the amount of fossil fuel they're burning, they've been very active in trying
04:42to hold back the measures that have to be taken in order to solve this.
04:50But the former U.S. vice president said that the fossil fuel industry is losing some of
04:55its major markets, such as through the advancement of renewable energy generation and the rising
05:00popularity of electric vehicles.
05:03Al Gore also believes the younger generation come in with much stronger opinions about
05:07solving the climate crisis.
05:10Scientists have been telling us for a long time, the fact that they were right in what
05:15they said years ago should make all of us pay more attention to what they're saying
05:20now.
05:21This could destroy the future of humanity if we don't take bold action.
05:27Al Gore is hopeful and said he believes in humanity's ability to rise to the challenge,
05:32but that action is urgently needed.
05:37The EU could see inflation rates fall by over 50 percent next year amid a modest economic
05:43rebound and record low unemployment.
05:47This is according to a European Commission 2025 forecast published on Friday.
05:52The report, however, warned the bloc is especially vulnerable to rising protectionism.
05:57A possible protectionist turn in U.S. trade policy would be extremely harmful for both
06:05economies.
06:07And the Commission will work with the incoming U.S. administration to advance a strong transatlantic
06:13agenda and ensure that international trade channels remain open while making them more
06:20secure.
06:21According to the report, EU households are still prudently saving rather than spending
06:26amid recent shocks.
06:28With fears the Trump presidency may impose tariffs of 10 percent on imports from places
06:33such as the EU, officials in Brussels say the potential for further flare-ups in global
06:38trade is still worrying.
06:47Protesters gathered in a suburb north of Paris on Thursday, just two kilometers away from
06:52the stadium where the controversial France vs. Israel football match was held.
06:58Many protesters were angry French President Emmanuel Macron and other prominent politicians
07:03were present at the game.
07:04We cry every day, every day, every night.
07:05I walk around with Palestinian songs in my ears and I cry for all these people who are
07:06massacred.
07:07And what does our president do?
07:08He comes in support, in support of the Israeli team.
07:09But it's still terrible.
07:10The rally was held the same day a special UN committee likened Israel to a terrorist
07:17group.
07:18The rally was held on the same day a special UN committee likened Israel to a terrorist
07:27group.
07:28The rally was held the same day a special UN committee likened Israel's methods of warfare
07:42in Gaza to genocide.
07:53Heavy police presence, including drones and helicopters, prevented any major protests
07:58or fights close to the stadium.
08:01France did not want to take any chances after violent clashes erupted between Israeli football
08:05fans and pro-Palestinian supporters in Amsterdam last week.
08:13Thousands of protesters opposing the measure that would have allowed Russians to buy property
08:18in Abkhazia, a Russian-backed breakaway region of Georgia, stormed into the region's parliament
08:23building and presidential office on Friday.
08:26The protests in the regional capital of Sukhumi on the Black Sea left at least eight people
08:31injured.
08:32Opponents of the property agreement say it would drive up prices of apartments and boost
08:37Moscow's dominance in the region.
08:39Amid the unrest, the authorities have already withdrawn the draft law on ratifying the
09:09the investment agreement with Russia in an attempt to resolve the situation."
09:21A Slovakian law that limits the use of minority languages is raising fears among the country's
09:26Hungarian speakers, after a new draft bill was leaked that may tighten the law even further.
09:32The amendment would supposedly ban the use of minority languages, including Hungarian,
09:36on public transport and in places such as post offices.
09:40On Thursday, the two countries' foreign ministers said the Slovakian government is not aiming
09:45to further tighten the current law, which has already produced some strange situations.
09:50The memorial plaque for the foundation of the Izsa Museum is four-language, but it has
09:57one sentence, which is only in Hungarian.
09:59The authorities denied this, so the Hungarian government decided to put the word, God bless
10:05Hungary, in Slovak.
10:09The reason for uncertainty is the possibility the amendment will be tabled by the Slovak
10:13National Party, the smallest coalition partner.
10:16The SNS is a party with traditions that has always been in favour of strengthening the
10:25Slovak state language, and has always been in favour of limiting the use of minority
10:30languages.
10:32So the promise that there are currently attempts by the leading parties of the Slovak government
10:38coalition, SMER and LASZ, to not direct such a right-wing intention to limit the use of
10:45minority languages, is purely a political stance.
10:51Komárno, in southern Slovakia, is one of the most important cities of the Hungarian
10:55minority.
10:57Many people there conduct their affairs in Hungarian, and want to keep it that way.
11:15Some people in Komárno have trust in the good relationship between the two countries'
11:19leaders.
11:20Viktor Orbán actively campaigned for Robert Fico before the Slovakian election, and has
11:25since seen him as a close ally.
11:27However, if the SNS insists on the reform, Robert Fico may have to choose between the
11:32relationship with the Hungarian government, and keeping his own coalition together.