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Countries struggle on climate change

BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- African nations walked out of U.N. climate change talks in Barcelona, Spain, threatening to do so again unless wealthy nations commit to cutting carbon.

This week's Barcelona meeting is the last gathering before the U.N. Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Thursday.

The sticking point is over how much developed nations are willing to cut greenhouse gases, The Daily Telegraph said. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommended that developed nations reduce their emissions by between 25 percent and 42 percent by 2020 based on 1990 levels.

However, most of the wealthy nations haven't agreed to the reduction levels, the British newspaper said. The European Union committed to cuts of between 20 percent and 30 percent. The United States can't commit to anything until Congress passes energy legislation, and also is unlikely to cut emissions in the panel-suggested range.

Delegates also must determine how much developed nations are willing to help underwrite poorer nations to address climate change. So far, only the European Union has committed funds.

"The poor countries are basically saying to the rich nations stop delaying and put some figures on the table or the negotiations are in danger," said Asad Rehman of Friends of the Earth.

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Arms ship leaves after weapons unloaded

JERUSALEM, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A day after Israel intercepted an Iranian cargo ship carrying arms 100 miles offshore, the vessel was permitted to continue its journey, the army said.

Thirty-six containers of weapons were unloaded by the army at the Israeli port of Ashdod before the ship set sail, the army said.

Israeli military officials said the Polish captain and crew knew nothing of the containers' contents.

Thirty tons of weapons, rockets, missiles, hand grenades and ammunition were hidden behind thousands of plastic polyethylene bags, the army said.

The Iranian- and Russian-made arms were due to be unloaded in the Syrian port of Latakia and from there transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the army said.

Brig. Gen. Rani Ben-Yehuda, a senior navy commander, said the shipment was enough to supply an army for a month.

In a statement released Thursday, Hezbollah denied all links to the weapons, Haaretz said. The group's response came a day after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem called the reports fabricated, the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, Israel's Foreign Ministry invited diplomats to view the containers at Ashdod Port Thursday.

A statement released by the ministry accused Iran of continuing to violate U.N. security resolutions.

"Under the guise of legitimate commerce and by using ships, flags and ports of blameless countries, Iran is turning the Mediterranean into a base for its nefarious activities, with the aim of destabilizing regional security," the statement said.

The ministry called on the international community to act resolutely against Iran's efforts, saying the Islamic Republic is not only challenging the authority of the U.N. Security Council, but mocking the international community and its institutions as well.

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Report: 4 killed in drone attack

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Missiles fired from a drone killed four people in Pakistan's North Waziristan, believed to be home to Taliban and al-Qaida hideouts, sources told Geo News.

Four others were injured in the incident Wednesday night in Norok district in the tribal region, the report said. No other details were available.

The Pakistani military is engaged in a major operation in neighboring South Waziristan to root out terror groups who use the tribal regions to launch cross-border attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

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U.N. to move foreign staff in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The United Nations, whose Kabul staff hostel was hit by militants last week, will move some foreign workers out of Afghanistan until security is tightened.

The BBC reported the move will affect about 600 of the U.N.'s international workers, some of whom will be moved out of the country and some within the country.

Aid work will not be affected as it is carried out by local Afghan staff, the United Nations said.

"We are not talking about pulling out. We are not talking about evacuation," Kai Eide, the Norwegian head of the U.N. Afghan mission, was quoted as saying.

Taliban militants attacked a Kabul U.N. hostel last week, killing five U.N. workers and three Afghans. Three of the attackers also were killed in the incident.

Separately, the United Nations has halted some of its long-term development work in northwestern Pakistan because of security concerns, the BBC reported. The region, near the border with Afghanistan, is believed to be a sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida militants.

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Hurricane Ida approaches Nicaragua

MIAMI, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. forecasters Thursday issued a hurricane warning for the east coast of Nicaragua as Hurricane Ida approached from 60 miles offshore.

At 7 a.m., Ida was about 60 miles north-northeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua, moving toward the northwest near 7 mph with sustained winds of 75 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.

"Ida will make landfall along the eastern coast of Nicaragua this morning and move across portions of eastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras during the next couple of days," the center said.

Tropical storm force winds were extending 50 miles outward from the center.

Ida is expected to produce as much as 15 to 20 inches of rain over eastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras, the center said.

A three-foot coastal storm surge was forecast to generate large and dangerous battering waves, although the center said water levels would begin to subside later in the day after landfall.