Lebanese Newspapers' Headlines for April 4, 2025
NNA -
- ANNAHAR:
French Support for Avoiding Shift From Security Oversight to "Normalization"
Aoun Pledges to Shield Security Institutions From Political Interference
- AL-AKHBAR:
Salameh Case and Financial Reforms: Authorities Preserve Model With New Management
- AL-JOUMHOURIA:
Lebanon to Ortagus: Implement the Agreement
Riyadh Condemns Attack on Syria
- NIDAA AL-WATAN:
Direct U.S. Warning to Berri: Don't Risk Paralyzing the Government
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
6 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Ahead of UN climate talks, Brazil fast-tracks oil and highway projects threatening Amazon
by Naharnet Newsdesk 10 June 2025, 21:51 Months before hosting the U.N.'s first climate talks held in the Amazon, Brazil is fast-tracking a series of controversial decisions that undercut President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's lofty environmental rhetoric and show widening divisions within his cabinet. The country's federal environmental agency approved plans for offshore drilling near the mouth of the Amazon and rock blasting along another river in the rainforest, while Congress is moving to make it harder to recognize Indigenous land and easier to build infrastructure in the rainforest. These efforts would be controversial in normal times. But on the eve of the COP30 climate summit, environmental advocates say they're undermining Lula's claims to be an environmental defender whose administration has made headway in slowing deforestation in the Amazon. "What will Brazil show up with at COP30 in November?" asked Cleberson Zavaski, president of the National Association of Environmental Public Servants. "Will it be, once again, a list of commitments that contradict what the country itself is putting on the table today — such as expanding the highway network and oil exploitation?" Lula pushed controversial drilling project Protecting the environment was a central part of Lula's presidential campaign in 2022, when he ran against President Jair Bolsonaro, who presided over increasing deforestation and illegal activities in the Amazon, such as gold mining and land-grabbing. But when Brazil's environmental protection agency rejected the bid of Petrobras, the country's state-run oil company, to conduct exploratory drilling in an about 160 kilometers (99 miles) off Brazil's Amazonian coast, Lula supported the company's appeal and in February criticized the agency for taking too long, saying it "seems like it's working against the government." On May 19, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources or IBAMA, approved an emergency plan to allow the drilling. A week later, IBAMA approved a rock-blasting operation along 40 km (25 miles) of the Tocantins River to enable year-round navigation, despite criticism from local grassroots organizations. The river, which cuts through the Amazon rainforest, is set to become a critical waterway to ship soybeans, mainly to China. The Federal Prosecutor's Office said the authorization was illegal because it failed to address issues highlighted during the environmental study, and filed a lawsuit seeking to have it overturned. Since taking office in 2023, Lula has argued that Brazil can both further its development while protecting the environment. "France, the U.K., Norway and the U.S. also produce oil. And Brazil has the cleanest energy mix in the world: 90% of our electricity comes from renewables," Lula said in an interview to French newspaper Le Monde published last week. Brazil gets most of its own electricity from hydropower and other green energies, while its oil exports, a major source of income for the country, are on the rise. Emails to the president's chief of staff seeking comment were not answered. Congress weakens environmental protections On May 21, the Senate approved sweeping legislation that weakens federal agencies' environmental licensing powers. Among other measures, the bill streamlines review for projects deemed priorities by the federal government, reducing the approval process from three bureaucratic steps to one and imposing a one-year deadline for review. It also elimates reviews for upgrades to existing highways, which could clear the way for to pave the whole of BR-319, a highway that runs about 900 kilometers (560 miles) through the western part of the Amazon. Environmentalists argue that the paving will lead to mass clearing of a pristine area of rainforest. The bill is opposed by Lula's Workers' Party, but it's expected to pass the lower chamber of Congress. Lula could veto all or parts of the bill, but according to press reports he is expected to support of the bulk of the changes with only minor adjustments. Lula has said he has no position on the environmental bill. Meanwhile, Congress has also approved rules that make it harder demarcate Indigenous lands and is moving forward with legislation to weaken licensing rules that, among other impacts. The bill is opposed by Lula's Workers' Party, but according to several press reports Lula will support of the bulk of the changes and will only negotiate minor adjustments. "It's the perfect combo to wipe out environmental protections and Indigenous land demarcations in the country, accelerate the tipping point of the world's largest tropical forest and set off a carbon bomb against the global climate," Climate Observatory, a network of 133 environmental, civil society and academic groups, said in a statement. Former U.S. Interior Interior Bruce Babbitt, who sits on the board of the nonprofit Amazon Conservation, said in a statement that the bill "will lead to massive destruction of the Amazon rainforest. It should be opposed by all Brazilians and friends of Brazil in the international community." Divisions over the bill appear to sideline Environment Minister The licensing bill has also deepened internal divisions within Brazil's government. Environment Minister Marina Silva said the law will end one of Brazil's crucial mechanisms of environmental protection, but she appears increasingly sidelined in the administration. Local media have reported that Lula's Chief of Staff Rui Costa promised the bill's sponsor that Lula would not oppose changes to licensing rules, and Minister of Transportation Renan Filho said in a social media post that the bill is "excellent" news that will get the highway project moving. At a press conference last week, Lula praised Silva, calling her "loyal" and adding that it's normal to have friction between the environmental and other ministries of government. But many see echoes of Lula's previous administration, during which Silva resigned from the same post after being marginalized by the rising influence of agribusiness. João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of the environment ministry, reiterated her criticism of the bill in a speech last week, calling it a "real risk of setback." He added that Silva is working with Lula's cabinet toward "a point of convergence between those who seek efficiency — and deserve a response — and the need to preserve the system without dismantling environmental licensing."
Nahar Net
12 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Le Drian meets Berri in Ain el-Tineh
by Naharnet Newsdesk 8 hours French special envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian met Tuesday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh. Berri urged Paris to "help Lebanon confront the conspiracy that is being plotted against UNIFIL, Lebanon and its south," hours after United Nations peacekeepers said rock-throwing individuals confronted them during a patrol on Tuesday in south Lebanon. Such incidents have increased in recent weeks, with residents insisting that any UNIFIL patrol should be accompanied by Lebanese Army troops. Le Drian will meet with other Lebanese officials on Tuesday. His visit aims to "continue discussions with Lebanese officials on subjects of common interest, particularly reforms and reconstruction," French ambassador Hervé Magro said. Le Drian will also discuss Hezbollah's weapons and the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, local media reports said.
Nahar Net
14 hours ago
- Nahar Net
UN Ocean Conference tries to turn promises into protection
by Naharnet Newsdesk 10 June 2025, 14:57 The third U.N. Ocean Conference opened Monday as pressure mounts for nations to turn decades of promises into real protection for the sea. "The fight for the ocean is at the heart of the yearslong battles we've been waging — for biodiversity, for climate, for our environment and for our health," said French President Emmanuel Macron, delivering the keynote address. Just 2.7% of the ocean is effectively protected from destructive extractive activities, according to the nonprofit Marine Conservation Institute. That's far below the target agreed under the "30x30" pledge to conserve 30% of land and sea by 2030. Ratification of the High Seas Treaty tops the agenda. Adopted in 2023, the treaty would for the first time allow nations to establish marine protected areas in international waters, which cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean and are largely ungoverned. "It's the Wild West out there with countries just fishing anywhere without any sort of regulation, and that needs to change," said Mauro Randone, regional projects manager at the World Wildlife Fund's Mediterranean Marine Initiative. "The high seas belong to everyone and no one practically at the same time, and countries are finally committing to establish some rules." The ocean is critical in stabilizing Earth's climate and sustaining life. It generates 50% of the oxygen we breathe, absorbs around 30% of carbon dioxide emissions and captures more than 90% of the excess heat caused by those emissions. Without a healthy ocean, experts warn, climate goals will remain out of reach. The treaty will come into force once 60 countries ratify it. As of Monday, at least 49 countries had. Advocates hope the conference can build enough momentum to cross the threshold, which would allow for the first official Oceans Conference of Parties. "Two-thirds of the ocean is areas beyond national jurisdiction — that's half our planet," said Minna Epps, director of global ocean policy at the International Union for Conservation of Nature. "We cannot possibly protect 30% of the ocean if it doesn't include the high seas." South Korea, France and the European Union have championed the treaty, but most large ocean nations have yet to ratify it, including the rest of the G20. Thousands of conference attendees are expected, including heads of state, scientists and industry leaders. The United States has confirmed it isn't sending a formal delegation, just observers. From protections on paper to something real The conference highlights the growing gap between marine protection declarations and real-world conservation. France, the conference co-host, claims to have surpassed the 30% target for marine protection. But environmental groups say only 3% of French waters are fully protected from harmful activities like bottom trawling and industrial fishing. In 2024, more than 100 bottom-trawling vessels were recorded spending over 17,000 hours fishing within France's six marine nature parks, according to ocean advocacy group Oceana. "The government declares these as protected areas, but this is a lie," said Enric Sala, founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas marine reserve project. "Most of it is political box-ticking. It's all paper parks." That criticism is echoed across the continent. A new World Wildlife Fund report found that although more than 11% of Europe's marine area is designated for protection, just 2% of EU waters have management plans in place. Fabien Boileau, director of marine protected areas at France's Office for Biodiversity, acknowledged the presence of bottom trawling in French protected areas, but said it was part of a phased strategy. "In France, we made the choice to designate large marine protected areas with relatively low levels of regulation at first, betting that stronger protections would be developed over time through local governance," he said. "Today, we're gradually increasing the number of zones with stricter protections within those areas." France's Port-Cros: A model for conservation Other marine protected areas show what real protection can achieve. Off southern France, Port-Cros National Park is one of the oldest marine reserves in the Mediterranean. Strict anchoring bans have allowed vast seagrass meadows to grow undisturbed. Massive groupers patrol rocky outcrops, brightly colored nudibranchs munch on algae and schools of large corbs glide through the shallows, undisturbed by fishing lines. "Thanks to the protections that have been in place since 1963, we can observe species that are much larger than elsewhere in the Mediterranean and at a much higher density than in other areas," said Hubert Flavigny, manager of Mio Palmo dive center in Hyeres, France. Still, such examples remain exceptions. Advocates say industrial fishing lobbies continue to resist stricter protections, despite evidence that well-managed reserves boost long-term fisheries through the "spillover effect," whereby marine life flourishes in nearby waters. "Protection is not the problem — overfishing is the problem," said Sala. "The worst enemy of the fishing industry is themselves." Frustrated by government inaction, environmental groups have taken enforcement into their own hands. In May, Greenpeace dropped 15 limestone boulders into France's Golfe du Lion, aiming to physically block bottom trawling in a marine area that has long been designated for protection. The protected zone was established in 2008 to preserve deep-sea ecosystems, yet 12 trawlers continue to operate there, despite scientific warnings of ecological collapse, according to activist group MedReAct. The Golfe is now one of the most overfished areas in the Mediterranean. What will the conference deliver? The conference will feature 10 panels on topics such as blue finance, sustainable fisheries and plastic pollution. Deep sea mining is expected to feature in broader discussions, while small island states are likely to use the platform to advocate for increased climate adaptation funding. The outcome of these discussions will form the basis of the Nice Ocean Action Plan — a declaration of voluntary commitments to be adopted by consensus and presented at the United Nations in July. "There cannot be a healthy planet without a healthy ocean," said Peter Thomson, U.N. special envoy for the ocean. "It's urgent business for us all."
