WAO ART #36

The United Nations has issued an urgent warning on climate change, stating that the world will cross the key 1.5-degree Celsius global warming limit in about a decade. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's report urges dramatic reductions in planet-heating emissions.

Russia announced that it has written off $20 billion of African debts as part of its efforts to strengthen its ties with the continent. The move was welcomed by some African leaders, but criticized by others as a way of gaining political influence.

Singapore, UAE and Taiwan were ranked as the happiest countries in Asia according to the 2023 World Happiness Report released by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The report measured happiness based on factors such as GDP per capita, social support, freedom, and others.

Crypto users have bridged over $8 million worth of tokens to zkSync, a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, in hopes of receiving a token airdrop. However, the airdrop has not been confirmed by zkSync’s team yet.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said it conducted a successful strike on a Russian military base in Crimea, destroying several ‘Kalibr’ cruise missiles. Russia denied any damage and accused Ukraine of provocation. The US and NATO expressed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Australia has not promised to take the side of the USA in a possible conflict over Taiwan. The Australian Prime Minister said his country would work with its allies to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Stem, a global leader in AI-driven clean energy solutions and services, announced that it has been recognized as the largest energy storage virtual power plant (VPP) operator by Wood Mackenzie. Stem operates more than 2 gigawatts of energy storage capacity across 5 countries, providing grid services.