Dozens dead after floods submerge market town in Nigeria
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In tonight's edition, dozens of people killed and many still missing after heavy flooding swept through Niger state in Nigeria.Also, Rwanda is seeing an economic rise, but the UN is warning the east African country is leaving too many behind.And we are taking a closer look at Sidi Ould Tah now, who's been named President of the African Development Bank.
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France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
UK latest country to back Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara
British foreign minister David Lammy said on Sunday that Morocco 's autonomy plan for the territory of Western Sahara was the "most credible" solution to the decades-long dispute, reversing London's long-standing position. Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed in its entirety for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria. Morocco has been campaigning for broad support for its autonomy plan after obtaining US recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory in 2020, in exchange for the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel. "The United Kingdom considers Morocco's autonomy proposal submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute," Lammy told reporters in Rabat. Britain previously backed self-determination for the disputed territory, which Morocco claims as an integral part of its kingdom. Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the shift, saying the new British position contributed "greatly to advancing this momentum and promoting the UN path towards a definitive and mutually acceptable solution based on the autonomy initiative." Growing European support Rabat's push for support for its autonomy plan has seen success. Spain and Germany now officially back the Moroccan autonomy plan, while France last summer recognised Morocco's sovereignty over the territory. Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front and cut diplomatic relations with Rabat in 2021, said it "regrets" Britain's decision on Sunday to support Morocco's autonomy plan. "In 18 years of existence, this plan has never been submitted to the Sahrawis as a basis for negotiation, nor has it ever been taken seriously by the successive UN envoys," the Algerian foreign ministry said in a statement. The United Nations considers Western Sahara a "non-self-governing territory" and has had a peacekeeping mission there since 1991, whose stated aim is to organise a referendum on the territory's future. But Rabat has repeatedly ruled out any vote where independence is an option, instead proposing an autonomy plan. "This year is a vital window of opportunity to secure a resolution before we reach 50 years of the dispute in November," Lammy said. The foreign minister also said it encouraged "relevant parties to engage urgently and positively with the United Nations-led political process". The ceasefire collapsed in mid-November 2020 after Moroccan troops were deployed to the far south of the territory to remove separatists blocking the only route to Mauritania - a route they claimed was illegal, as it did not exist in 1991. The UN Security Council is calling for negotiations without preconditions, while Morocco insists they focus solely on its autonomy plan. "The only viable and durable solution will be one that is mutually acceptable to the relevant parties and is arrived at through compromise," added Lammy. In a joint statement, the United Kingdom noted that its export credit agency, UK Export Finance, may consider supporting projects in the Sahara as part of its commitment to mobilise 5 billion British pounds (approximately 5.9 billion euros) for new economic initiatives in Morocco.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
US envoy says France can 'carve' Palestinian state out of the Riviera
The US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has lashed out at France's advocacy for recognition of a Palestinian state, saying that if it supported such an outcome it could "carve out a piece of the French Riviera" and create one. France is co-chairing with Saudi Arabia this month an international conference at the United Nations aimed at resurrecting the idea of a two-state solution, which the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes. Paris has also said it could recognize a Palestinian state itself this year. In an interview with Fox News published on Saturday, May 31, Huckabee called the initiative at the UN "incredibly inappropriate when Israel is in the midst of a war": "October 7 changed a lot of things," referring to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. "If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I've got a suggestion for them − carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state. They are welcome to do that, but they are not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation." Israel on Friday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of undertaking a "crusade against the Jewish state" after he called for European countries to harden their stance on Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not improve. The day before, Israel announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, with Defense Minister Israel Katz later vowing to build a "Jewish Israeli state" in the occupied territory. The settlements are regularly condemned by the United Nations as illegal under international law, and are seen as a major obstacle to the two-state solution. But Huckabee, a staunch advocate for Israel, has said there is "no such thing as an occupation" when it comes to the Palestinian territories.
Euronews
8 hours ago
- Euronews
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joins aid ship sailing to Gaza
Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and other 11 activists set sail on Sunday afternoon for Gaza on a ship aimed at 'breaking Israel's siege' of the devastated territory, organisers said. The sailing boat Madleen – operated by activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition – embarked from the Sicilian port of Catania, in southern Italy. "Game of Thrones" star Liam Cunningham and French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan are also among the passengers. Hassan has been barred from entering Israel due to her active opposition to the Israeli assault on Gaza. It will try to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip in an effort to bring in some aid and raise 'international awareness' over the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the activists said at a press conference on Sunday, ahead of their departure. 'We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying,' Thunberg said, bursting into tears during her speech. 'Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide,' she added. In mid-May, Israel slightly eased its blockade of Gaza after nearly three months, allowing a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the territory. Experts have warned that Gaza is at renewed risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. UN agencies and major aid groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinian residents. The activists expect to take seven days to get to their destination, if they are not stopped. Thunberg, who became an internationally famous climate activist after organising massive teen protests in her native Sweden, had been due to board a previous Freedom Flotilla ship last month. That attempt to reach Gaza by sea, in early May, failed after another of the group's vessels, the 'Conscience', was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off the coast of Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship. The Flotilla group was only the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegations, saying its war is directed at Hamas militants, not Gaza's civilians. 'We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that's part of a broader strategy of mobilisations that will also attempt to break the siege by land,' said activist Thiago Avila. Avila cited the upcoming Global March to Gaza – an international initiative also open to doctors, lawyers and media – which is set to leave Egypt and reach the Rafah crossing in mid-June to stage a protest there, asking Israel to stop the Gaza offensive and re-open the border.
