NEW YORK: Earth’s population will peak in the mid-2080s at around 10.3 billion people, then drop slightly to a level much lower than anticipated a decade ago, the United Nations said.
The current population of 8.2 billion people will rise to that maximum over the next 60 years, then dip to 10.2 billion by the end of the century, says a report released Thursday entitled “World Population Prospects 2024.”
It said the size of the world’s population in 2100 will be six percent lower, or 700 million people fewer, than what was anticipated in June 2013.
“The demographic landscape has evolved greatly in recent years,” said Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
He said the unexpected population peak stems from several factors that include lower levels of fertility in some of the world’s largest countries, especially China.
He said this lower maximum will also come earlier than previously calculated and this is a hopeful sign as the world fights global warming: fewer humans accounting for less aggregate consumption would mean less pressure on the environment.
“However, slower population growth will not eliminate the need to reduce the average impact attributable to the activities of each individual person,” this official said.
More than a quarter, or 28 percent, of the world’s population now lives in one of 63 countries or areas where the population has already peaked, including China, Russia, Japan and Germany, the report said.
Nearly 50 other countries should join that group over the next 30 years, including Brazil, Iran and Turkiye.
But population growth will continue in more than 120 countries beyond 2054. These include India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the United States, said the UN.
A rise in global life expectancy — interrupted by the Covid pandemic — has resumed, with an average of 73.3 years of longevity in 2024. It will average 77.4 years in 2054.
So the world’s population will get more and more gray. By the late 2070s, the number of people 65 or older is projected to be 2.2 billion, surpassing those under 18, the study predicts.
UN says world population to peak at 10.3 billion in the 2080s
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UN says world population to peak at 10.3 billion in the 2080s
- Size of world’s population in 2100 will be six percent lower, or 700 million people fewer
US military completes withdrawal from final base in Niger
NIAMEY, Niger: The US military withdrew from a final base in jihadist-hit Niger on Monday, more than a year after coup leaders in the African country demanded its troops leave.
After nearly 800 soldiers pulled out of a base in the capital Niamey in early July, around 200 had remained at the large Agadez base in northern Niger.
The “withdrawal of US forces and assets from Air Base 201 in Agadez is complete,” the Pentagon said in a joint statement with Niger’s defense ministry.
“This effort... will continue between US and Nigerien armed forces over the coming weeks to ensure the full withdrawal is complete as planned,” it added.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that around “less than two dozen folks” were still on the ground in Niger.
The remaining personnel are at the US embassy and are performing “administrative work in preparing for the completion of the withdrawal,” she said.
Niger’s Air-Info news site confirmed the departure of the last American forces from Agadez.
It said officers from both countries attended a handover ceremony, which ended with the taking-off of the last US army plane.
US Major General Kenneth Ekman, who is coordinating the withdrawal from Niger, had previously announced the US troop exit would be completed in early August, ahead of the mid-September deadline.
Niger in recent years has been a lynchpin in US and French strategy to combat jihadists in West Africa, especially since the military seized power in Mali and Burkina Faso, becoming hostile to Western armed forces.
The July 26, 2023 coup in Niger — which overthrew the democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum — has seen the new regime move closer to its two neighbors and force out the French and US military from the country.
The three military-led nations have since formed the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).
The US withdrawal from Niger kicked off in May, two months after the government said it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington, claiming the presence of US soldiers was now “illegal.”
Ekman has said the United States will continue to work with other nations, such as Ivory Coast who face a violent extremist threat.
Niger’s regime under General Abdourahamane Tiani is reviewing its foreign policy while declaring it is on a march to “sovereignty.”
It has tilted notably toward Russia — as has Burkina and Mali — which has sent instructors and military equipment this year.
Niger has also tightened relations with Turkiye and Iran.
For around a decade, Niger has been grappling with bloody violence by armed groups linked to Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
It also has to contend with violence in its southeast from Boko Haram and Daesh West African offshoot.
According to Acled, which tracks conflict, jihadists have killed some 1,500 civilians and soldiers in the past year in Niger, compared with 650 in the year to July 2023.
Western powers urge Bangladesh calm, democratic transition
WASHINGTON: Western powers called Monday for calm in Bangladesh after long-ruling leader Sheikh Hasina fled, with the United States saluting the military for forming an interim government rather than cracking down further on protesters.
Sheikh Hasina, who had particularly close relations with regional power India, enjoyed a mostly cooperative relationship with the West during her 15 years in power but had increasingly drawn criticism for her authoritarian turn.
The United States called on all sides in Bangladesh to “refrain from further violence” as bullet-ridden bodies were strewn across hospital floors and looting swept the capital Dhaka.
“Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm and restraint in the days ahead,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father, had sought to quell a nationwide uprising that started with student-led protests against job quotas. Nearly 100 people were killed on Sunday as calls grew on her to step down.
Miller said that the United States had seen reports that the army refused pressure to crack down further on student-led demonstrations.
“If it is true in fact that the army resisted calls to crack down on lawful protesters, that would be a positive development,” he said.
“We welcome the announcement of an interim government and urge any transition be conducted in accordance with Bangladesh’s laws,” he said.
Asked if the military should choose the next leadership, Miller said, “We want to see the Bangladeshi people decide the future Bangladeshi government.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a “peaceful, orderly and democratic transition” as well as a “full, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into all acts of violence,” his spokesman Farhan Haq said.
Bangladesh’s former colonial power Britain called for the United Nations to take the lead in an investigation.
“The people of Bangladesh deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events of the past few weeks,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.
The European Union also called for “calm and restraint.”
“It is vital that an orderly and peaceful transition toward a democratically elected government is ensured, in full respect of human rights and democratic principles,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
There was no immediate reaction from regional governments to the fall of Hasina, who had sought a delicate balancing act of enjoying support from India while maintaining strong relations with China.
India issued an advisory strongly advising its nationals against traveling to Bangladesh. Indian media said that Hasina flew to a military air base near New Delhi.
A top-level source said she wanted to transit on to London, but it was unclear if she would be allowed.
Hasina largely had a productive relationship with Western powers during her tenure. The United States in the past praised her economic track record and saw Hasina as a partner on priorities such as countering Islamist extremism and sheltering Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar.
But the United States in recent years criticized her for autocratic tendencies and imposed visa sanctions over concerns on democracy.
Miller, the State Department spokesman, said the United States had contributed $2 billion to assist with refugees in Bangladesh.
“We think it’s important that Bangladesh continue to provide hospitality to the refugees we’ll continue to work with them to do so,” he said.
Olympic venue among 40 museums hit by ransomware attack: French police source
PARIS: The Grand Palais, which is hosting Olympic events in Paris, and around 40 other museums in France were victims of a ransomware attack at the weekend, police sources told AFP Monday.
Cybercriminals targeted the system used to “centralize financial data” for brands located at the various institutions on Saturday night, the source said.
The attackers had demanded a ransom and threatened to release financial data.
France’s national cybersecurity agency ANSSI confirmed that it had been alerted about an “incident,” adding that the hacked systems were not involved in the Olympic games.
The Grand Palais, which normally hosts major cultural exhibitions but is currently an Olympic venue for fencing and martial arts, confirmed it had been hit by a cyberattack but would not provide details.
After initially being mentioned as a possible target by the police source, the world-renowned Louvre denied being hit by the hacking.
According to the police source, a criminal investigation has been opened into attacks on data systems and for extortion by organized gang.
Ransomware generally involves hacking into computer systems and demanding money in exchange for unblocking them.
British minister cites Islamophobia as motivation for far-right violence in UK
- Amnesty chief wants action on ‘root cause’ of racism
LONDON: The UK’s home secretary on Monday pointed to Islamophobia for the first time as a motivation for far-right violence in several cities that has seen widespread damage and nearly 400 arrests.
Yvette Cooper was appearing on ITV’s morning television show “This Morning” and was asked why the Labour government had not used the term when talking about the violence, which broke out on Tuesday following a stabbing in which three children were killed.
“You’re right that there has been a range of different things driving this, including far-right extremism,” Cooper told the program.
“We have certainly seen some targeted attacks on mosques, and that clearly reflects Islamophobia, and people shouldn’t be targeted for their faith or for the color of their skin.
“We’ve also seen some looting, some response of local criminals just getting involved at the periphery on streets as well. None of these people speak for Britain,” she added.
Cooper’s department, the Home Office, said over the weekend it would deploy extra police and security for mosques under new emergency measures, The Telegraph reported.
A suspended Labour MP, Zarah Sultana, also appeared on “This Morning” and pushed the government to do more to call out hatred against Muslims.
“This question about naming it as Islamophobia is really important, because that allows us to shape our response,” she said.
“If we’re not identifying what is happening, the language that is being used and what this is about, we’re not going to be able to address this fundamentally,” she added.
Also on Monday, the head of Amnesty International UK said the government must get serious about tackling the “root cause of racism that plagues” British society.
“The widespread violence and hate crimes we’ve witnessed over the last few days are utterly unacceptable,” Sacha Deshmukh said.
“It’s disgusting to see hotels housing people seeking sanctuary set on fire, mosques and businesses attacked, and people targeted because of the color of their skin, their faith or their country of origin,” he added.
He said the violence was inspired by the rhetoric of politicians who had “scapegoated” refugees and migrants.
“Events of the last few days have been reported as ‘anti-immigration protests’ or ‘pro-British demonstrations’ and they should not be labeled as such. What we are seeing are clearly violent racist attacks targeting specific communities,” he said.
“Above all, the government must address the root causes of racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia that plagues our society — and this includes actively calling out and addressing the dangerous rhetoric of politicians and commentators on social media and elsewhere.”
Kyiv receives $3.9bn grant from America, PM says
KYIV: Ukraine has received a $3.9 billion grant from the United States via the World Bank, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Monday.
“This is the first tranche of direct budget support from the United States in 2024. In total, Ukraine will receive $7.8 billion in direct budgetary assistance from the US this year, which will allow us to confidently pass this financial period,” Shmyhal said on the Telegram messaging app.
The Ukrainian Finance Ministry, in a separate statement, said the funds would be directed toward wages for teachers, staff of the State Emergency Service and other public employees, as well as assistance for displaced persons, low-income families and people with disabilities. “The grant will help Ukraine to reimburse priority social and humanitarian expenditures without increasing the debt burden,” Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said in a statement.
The ministry said that since February 2022, direct budget support from the US had reached almost $27 billion, the largest source of financial assistance to Ukraine. Marchenko said the grant was a part of a large $60 billion package of support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukrainian pilots have started flying F-16s for operations within the nation, confirming the long-awaited arrival of the US-made fighter jets more than 29 months after Russia’s invasion. The Ukrainian leader announced the use of F-16s, which Kyiv has long lobbied for, as he met military pilots at an air base flanked by two of the jets, with two more flying overhead.
“F-16s are in Ukraine. We did it. I am proud of our guys who are mastering these jets and have already started using them for our country,” Zelensky said.
The arrival of the jets is a milestone for Ukraine, though it remains unclear how many are available and how much of an impact they will have in enhancing air defenses and on the battlefield.
