Kenyan blogger dies in police custody
In tonight's edition: Authorities claim that a Kenyan man, who died in a police station after criticising a senior police officer, hit his own head. Also, days after pulling Wagner mercenaries out of Mali, Russia says it wants to deepen security ties with Africa. Plus world leaders, scientists and environmental campaigners meet for a crucial UN conference geared at saving the world's oceans from pollution and dangerous levels of exploitation.
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Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Guterres urges countries to join ocean pact before point of no return
After receiving historic support for the High Seas Treaty at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that its entry into force is "within sight". The treaty, which provides a legal framework for establishing marine protected areas and regulating activities on the high seas, gained momentum on Monday. However, its implementation is not yet guaranteed. Guterres urged all remaining nations to ratify the pact quickly to make it legally binding. During his address, he highlighted significant opposition to the treaty's goals. "There is a tipping point approaching, beyond which recovery may become impossible. And let us be clear. Powerful interests are pushing us towards the brink," Guterres stated. "We are facing a hard battle against a clear enemy. Its name is greed. Greed that sows doubt, denies science, distorts truths, rewards corruption, and destroys life for profit." If it comes into force, the treaty would be the first legally binding international agreement to protect biodiversity on the high seas, which cover nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans. It is considered vital to counter overfishing, end plastic pollution, regulate seabed mining, and meet the global '30 by 30' conservation goal, which aims to protect 30 per cent of the planet's oceans by 2030. Stressing the urgency, Guterres also reminded delegates that climate change goals cannot be ignored. "Last year, for the first time, the annual global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times. Scientists are clear that that does not mean that the long-term global temperature rise limit of 1.5 degrees is out of reach," he said. "It means we need to fight harder. And the ocean depends on it, and so do we." Eighteen countries ratified the treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49, just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean. The French Senate overwhelmingly backed a new bill designed to regulate low-cost clothing giants on Tuesday, mainly targeting Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu. The text aims to tackle the environmental and economic consequences of fast fashion, a model that thrives on mass production and low prices. The legislation introduces an eco-score system that will evaluate the environmental impact of products sold by fast fashion companies, including emissions, resource use, and recyclability. Brands with the lowest scores could be taxed up to €5 per item starting in 2025, increasing to €10 by 2030. However, the tax cannot exceed 50% of the item's retail price. It also includes a ban on advertising for ultra-fast fashion brands and sanctions for influencers who promote them online. While the bill takes aim at ultra-fast fashion platforms like Shein and Temu, it notably spares major European players such as Zara, H&M, and Kiabi from the harshest penalties. Environmental groups have criticised the revised bill for what they see as a weakened ambition. 'It's a missed opportunity,' said Pierre Condamine, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth France. 'We've got a text that's going to target two brands and therefore leave out what represents at least 90% of production and clothing sold in France. So it's a missed opportunity. We could have a real environmental ambition. We are very disappointed because, in the end, we can see that it's economic protection that has become the major driving force behind this bill. In contrast, at its beginning, there was an ambition to move the sector towards more sustainable practices," he told Euronews. But some French lawmakers argue the bill needs to protect European industries first. 'Unfortunately, we have no choice,' said conservative Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir. 'Today, we still have to defend what's left of our European industries. We have to make a distinction between the production that's done in China by these giants. We're talking about scales that are 100 times larger than us. So we're preserving European and French industries for the time being, because if we don't, there will be nothing left," she told Euronews. Shein spokesperson Quentin Ruffat responded to the bill earlier this week, warning that the text could "impact the purchasing power" of French consumers. Between 2010 and 2023, the value of advertised fast fashion products in France rose from €2.3 billion to €3.2 billion. In France, 35 clothing items are discarded every second, according to the country's environment agency Ademe. The Senate passed the bill with 337 votes in favour and only one against. The text will now move to a joint committee of senators and deputies in September. The European Commission will also need to be notified to ensure the bill complies with EU regulations. If passed, it would mark one of the most aggressive legislative efforts in Europe to address the toll of fast fashion, though its ultimate impact remains to be seen.
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- LeMonde
Israel deports Greta Thunberg after intercepting Gaza-bound aid boat
Campaigner Greta Thunberg arrived home in Sweden late on Tuesday, June 10, after Israel detained her and other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat and deported some. Of the 12 activists on board the MADLEEN, which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza, four including Thunberg agreed to be deported immediately, while all of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years, the rights group that legally represents some of them said in a statement. The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily, and brought before a detention review tribunal on Tuesday, rights group Adalah said. "The state asked the tribunal to keep the activists in custody until their deportation," Adalah said, adding that under Israeli law, individuals under deportation orders can be held for 72 hours before forcible removal. Israeli forces intercepted the boat, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in international waters on Monday and towed it to the port of Ashdod. They then transferred them to Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, the foreign ministry said, from where Thunberg flew first to France then Sweden. Thunberg, 22, accused Israel of "kidnapping us in international waters and taking us against our will to Israel": "This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing." Asked upon arrival in Stockholm if she was scared when Israeli security forces boarded the sailboat, Thunberg replied: "What I'm afraid of is that people are silent during an ongoing genocide." Four French activists who were also aboard the MADLEEN were set to face an Israeli judge, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said. He had earlier posted on X that five would face court action and only one would depart voluntarily. Barrot told reporters that French diplomats had met with the six French nationals in Israel, and that French-Palestinian European MP Rima Hassan was among those who refused to leave voluntarily. The activists − from France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands − aimed to deliver humanitarian aid and break the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. In what organizers called a "symbolic act," hundreds of participants in a land convoy crossed the border into Libya from Tunisia with the aim of reaching Gaza, whose entire population the UN has warned is at risk of famine.
France 24
11 hours ago
- France 24
AU says ratings agency got it wrong in slashing Afreximbank credit score
EYE ON AFRICA 15:14 Issued on: 15:14 min In tonight's edition, shock deepens across the continent's financial sectors over the recent credit rating slash of Kenyan medical examiners said that suicide is unlikely to be the cause of death of a man while in police custody. The autopsy suggests assault, and protests and calls for accountability continue. And in South Africa, communities are changing the way they look after the iconic kelp forests upon which their livelihoods rely.
