- 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: what to know 20 years on
- Asia to mourn tsunami dead with ceremonies 20 years on
- Syrians protest after video of attack on Alawite shrine
- Russian state owner says cargo ship blast was 'terrorist attack'
- 38 dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
- Crisis-hit Valencia hire West Brom's Corberan as new boss
- Suriname ex-dictator and fugitive Desi Bouterse dead at 79
- 35 feared dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
- Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' in Christmas appeal
- Syria authorities say torched 1 million captagon pills
- Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' across world
- 32 survivors as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
- Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan, Kabul says
- Liverpool host Foxes, Arsenal prepare for life without Saka
- Japan FM raises 'serious concerns' over China military buildup
- Pope's sombre message in Christmas under shadow of war
- Zelensky condemns Russian 'inhumane' Christmas attack on energy grid
- Sweeping Vietnam internet law comes into force
- Pope kicks off Christmas under shadow of war
- Catholics hold muted Christmas mass in Indonesia's Sharia stronghold
- Japan's top diplomat in China to address 'challenges'
- Thousands attend Christmas charity dinner in Buenos Aires
- Demand for Japanese content booms post 'Shogun'
- As India's Bollywood shifts, stars and snappers click
- Mystery drones won't interfere with Santa's work: US tracker
- Djokovic eyes more Slam glory as Swiatek returns under doping cloud
- Australia's in-form Head confirmed fit for Boxing Day Test
- Brazilian midfielder Oscar returns to Sao Paulo
- 'Wemby' and 'Ant-Man' to make NBA Christmas debuts
- US agency focused on foreign disinformation shuts down
- On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis launches holy Jubilee year
- 'Like a dream': AFP photographer's return to Syria
- Chiefs seek top seed in holiday test for playoff-bound NFL teams
- Panamanians protest 'public enemy' Trump's canal threat
- Cyclone death toll in Mayotte rises to 39
- Ecuador vice president says Noboa seeking her 'banishment'
- Leicester boss Van Nistelrooy aware of 'bigger picture' as Liverpool await
- Syria authorities say armed groups have agreed to disband
- Maresca expects Man City to be in title hunt as he downplays Chelsea's chancs
- Man Utd boss Amorim vows to stay on course despite Rashford row
- South Africa opt for all-pace attack against Pakistan
- Guardiola adamant Man City slump not all about Haaland
- Global stocks mostly higher in thin pre-Christmas trade
- Bethlehem marks sombre Christmas under shadow of war
- NASA probe makes closest ever pass by the Sun
- 11 killed in blast at Turkey explosives plant
- Indonesia considers parole for ex-terror chiefs: official
- Global stocks mostly rise in thin pre-Christmas trade
- Postecoglou says Spurs 'need to reinforce' in transfer window
- Le Pen says days of new French govt numbered
Green policies can be vote winners, London mayor says
Green policies can win votes, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Thursday, after winning a record third term despite the war he has waged on polluting vehicles.
"This year, more than half the world's population will be voting, whether it's the USA, whether it's India, whether it's the UK," Khan told AFP on the sidelines of a three-day climate change conference at the Vatican.
"I think the results (in London) two weeks ago show that green policies are popular," he said.
The 53-year-old won London's May 2 mayoral race by a wide margin despite anger in some quarters over the expansion last year of an Ultra-Low Emission Zone into the largest pollution-charging scheme in the world.
Khan said the key was explaining to voters that green policies -- such as targeting polluting cars or inefficient homes -- "are also policies that tackle social injustice, racial injustice and health inequalities as well".
His election shows that "rather than backing down when it comes to green policies, you should double down", he added.
Khan is the co-chair of C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 mayors dedicated to fighting climate change.
He said 75 percent of C40 cities were "going faster when it comes to reducing emissions than our national governments".
The mayor, who credits an adult diagnosis of asthma for fuelling his pollution fight, said London now has the "world's biggest clean air zone".
He also said his administration has planted over half a million trees, increased fourfold the amount of cycling in the capital city and aims to have a fully electric bus network by 2030.
The annual UN climate meetings known as Conferences of the Parties (COP) should not just work with national governments "but also cities, mayors, governors, and states, because we can be the drivers for change", he added.
- Adapt or die -
Khan was one of several mayors and governors from across the world addressed Thursday by Pope Francis, who has made protecting the environment one of the major themes of his papacy.
"The effects of climate change loom over every aspect of our lives, threatening water, air, food and energy systems," the 87-year-old pontiff told the conference.
"The refusal to act quickly to protect the most vulnerable who are exposed to climate change caused by human activity is a serious offence," he said, blaming "the greedy pursuit of short-term gains by polluting industries" as well as fake news.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, another conference speaker, echoed the pope's message, saying that "the polluted heart of the climate crisis are these fossil fuel companies that have been lying to us".
"They've known the science. They've denied the science. We have the tools, we have the technology, we have the capacity to address this issue at a global level, and they've been fighting every single advancement," he said.
The Pontifical Academies of Science, the Vatican institution which organised the summit, was set to adopt a climate resilience protocol co-signed by all those present.
"We've got to make sure we give people hope," Khan said.
But he added: "We've got to adapt or die."
T.Ward--AMWN