French judges order release of New Caledonian independence leader

French investigating magistrates have ordered the release of an independence leader from New Caledonia who was detained for a year over deadly riots in 2024, but he will not be freed immediately after prosecutors appealed the decision.


Issued on: 04/06/2025 - RFI

Christian Tein, from New Caledonia's indigenous Kanak group, has been held in custody in eastern France since June 2024. © AFP/Delphine Mayeur

Christian Tein, 57, from the indigenous Kanak group, has been held in custody in eastern France since June 2024.

He was charged over rioting on the Pacific archipelago that left 14 people dead, including two gendarmes, and caused more than two billion euros in damage.

Tein heads the Field Action Coordination Unit (CCAT), an organisation that prosecutors suspect was behind the unrest that broke out on 13 May 2024.

He has denied any role in organising violence and considers himself a political prisoner.

Nouméa’s poorest neighbourhoods struggling to rebuild, a year after riots

Insufficient evidence

The investigating judges questioned Tein in late May and on Tuesday ruled he should be released under judicial control.

A source close to the case told the French news agency AFP that the conditions include a ban on returning to New Caledonia and on contacting other individuals involved in the case.

The judges concluded that, at this stage, there is no evidence Tein was preparing an armed uprising against the French state. They also found no incriminating material during searches of his devices.

Prosecutors opposed the decision, arguing that Tein played a central role in planning violent action against the government. Prosecutors said he could try to flee with the help of supporters if released.

A Paris court of appeal is expected to decide within 48 hours whether the release order should be suspended.

France fails to broker deal on New Caledonia's future after three-day 'conclave'

Lawyers welcome decision

In a statement, Tein’s lawyers welcomed what they called the judges’ “new reading of the case”. They also said the Paris prosecutor’s office was “totally out of touch" with the evidence of the proceedings.

“The freedom of Mr Tein must now be recovered so that the judicial battle continues to convince of his absolute innocence,” they said.

Cameroon tops refugee NGO's list of most neglected displacement crises

A new report released by the Norwegian Refugee Council has placed Cameroon at the top of an annual list of the most neglected global displacement crises, highlighting a sharp decline in international support.


Issued on: 05/06/2025 - RFI

Fadimatou, an internally displaced woman living in Nyabi, Cameroon. 

© Norwegian Refugee Council


Despite hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people, the situation in the country has received limited international attention, insufficient humanitarian funding and minimal political engagement, according to the NGO.

"It’s a case study in global neglect," Laila Matar, NRC's director of communications, told RFI. "There’s little media coverage, no meaningful diplomatic engagement and chronic underfunding. People are really struggling to survive."

Cameroon is grappling with humanitarian emergencies driven by three distinct situations – violence in the far north, ongoing conflict in the anglophone regions, and an influx of refugees from neighbouring Central African Republic.

These crises have left the country’s services overwhelmed and under-resourced.

Uprooted and forgotten, Cameroon’s climate refugees living in despair

According to the NRC’s report, covering 2024, 11 percent of Cameroon’s population now faces acute food insecurity.

"1.4 million children are crammed into poorly maintained and overcrowded classrooms," said Matar. "There’s simply no meaningful investment coming in from the global community."

Cameroon’s 2024 humanitarian response plan was only 45 percent funded, leaving a gap of more than $202 million (almost €178m).

Alongside Cameroon, the NRC’s report highlights nine other displacement crises suffering from similar neglect and lack of aid funding, including those in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Burkina Faso, each grappling with ongoing conflict.

'Inward-looking policies'

To explain this reduced support and lack of engagement, Matar says: "Donor fatigue is certainly a factor. But more worrying is the shift we’re seeing from international solidarity to more inward-looking, security-focused policies in countries that used to be generous donors."

Several developed countries have made significant cuts to their overseas aid budgets.

France announced it would reduce public development assistance by more than €2 billion – nearly 40 percent of its annual allocation.

The United Kingdom has cut its overseas development assistance from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent of gross national income, while Germany and the Netherlands are amongst others to have announced substantial reductions in foreign aid.

France's proposed budget cuts set to slash overseas development aid

This comes as the United States – formerly the worlds largest contributor to overseas relief funding – has shut down or drastically reduced several aid programmes, including USAID, amid accusations of inefficiency from the Trump administration.

These decisions carry serious consequences for the humanitarian work of NGOs such as the NRC.

"We’re layering compromise upon compromise," Matar told RFI. "And those compromises are deadly."

The NRC report also makes an impassioned plea for a shift in priorities, with the organisation's secretary-general Jan Egeland saying: "Displacement isn’t a distant crisis. It’s a shared responsibility. We must stand up and demand a reversal of brutal aid cuts which are costing more lives by the day."

While governments and institutions must lead the charge, Matar stressed that ordinary people also have a role to play.

"Humanitarian aid works. It helps people start to dream of a future again," she said. "We can write to our MPs, speak out, and demand that our governments stop cutting aid in our name. We don’t need these crises to come to our borders to care about them."

French dockers refuse to load cargo of machine gun parts bound for Israel

Dockworkers at the port of Marseille-Fos have refused to load a container allegedly containing parts for machine guns destined for Israel, citing opposition to the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza. The French defence ministry insists the components are sent to Israel for assembly and then sent back to France, or exported to other countries.


Issued on: 05/06/2025 - 12:53

Containers at the port of Marseille-Fos. AP - Claude Paris

The hard-left CGT union representing dockworkers and port personnel at Fos-sur-Mer says the the cargo contains 19 pallets of ammunition belt links manufactured by Eurolinks – a Marseille-based company which produces components for automatic weapons.

The container, which is scheduled to be shipped from the southern French port to the Israeli port of Haifa on Thursday, is currently blocked.

The union said it was able to locate the container after being alerted by several activist networks.

“We will not load it on to the vessel bound for Haifa,” the CGT said in a statement.

Eurolinks produces metallic links used to connect rounds in machine guns, allowing them to be fired in rapid succession.

“These Eurolinks links are spare parts for machine guns used by the Israeli army to continue the massacre of the Palestinian population,” the CGT stated. “The port of Marseille-Fos must not be used to supply the Israeli army... dockworkers and port employees at the Gulf of Fos will not be complicit in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government."

UN committee says Israel warfare in Gaza 'consistent with genocide'

The French Armed Forces Ministry rejects the union's claims. "France is not supplying weapons to Israel," it told public radio FranceInfo.

In line with the licence given to Eurolinks, the links are assembled in Israel, but the final product is then re-exported back to other countries, including France, the ministry said, adding that Israel remains "a partner".

"We're not going to deprive ourselves of either its technology or its skills," it stated.

France's Macron urges halt to arms exports destined for Israel's use in Gaza

 

Third delivery this year

This is the third shipment of this type to Israel this year, according to an enquiry by investigative websites Disclose and The Ditch, which had access to maritime data.

The first took place on 3 April, with 20 tonnes of war material, and the second, with 1 million M9 and 1 million M27 bullets, was on 22 May.

"The buyer of these parts is an Israeli arms manufacturer, one of the main suppliers to the Israeli army," Ariane Lavrilleux, a journalist at Disclose, told RFI.

In March 2024, Disclose and another online media outlet Marsactu, claimed the arms were "likely to be used against civilians in the Gaza Strip".

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed at the time that Eurolinks had sold similar parts to IMI Systems – an Israeli defence firm that identifies itself as a “sole supplier” to the Israeli military.

Lecornu stated that the parts could only be "re-exported" by Israel.

"France has no way of checking whether or not the Israeli manufacturer is re-exporting them," Lavrilleux insists. "There is no absolute proof that these links are being used in Gaza, but there is a serious risk insofar as we know that they are compatible with weapons used against civilians in Gaza."

'Disclose' wins Visa d'or for probe into French arms in Yemen

Left-wing support

The dockers' action has received support from the left.

"Glory to the dockers in the port of Marseille-Fos... everywhere in the world, the fight is being organised against the genocide in Gaza," Manuel Bompard, an MP with the hard-left France Unbowed party, posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The party's leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, posted a similar message, calling for an "embargo now on the weapons of genocide".

Olivier Faure, head of the Socialist Party, also congratulated the dockers, posting on X that: "Humanism is not for sale."

RFI joins 135 NGOs and media groups in urging unrestricted press access to Gaza

The press freedom group Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has published an open letter signed by 136 human rights organisations and media groups, including RFI, calling for immediate, independent, and unrestricted access for international journalists to the Gaza Strip.

Issued on: 05/06/2025 

Journalists hold a banner reading "Gaza, stop the massacre of journalists, solidarity with our colleagues" during a demonstration in support of their Palestinian colleagues in front of the Opera Bastille in Paris, on April 16, 2025. AFP - STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN

The demand comes amid escalating military operations and mounting concerns over the safety of local journalists and the suppression of information from the besieged territory.

Open letter from media organisations and NGOs on press freedom in Gaza

Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza—a move that media organisations describe as unprecedented in the context of modern warfare.

With access tightly controlled, the global media has been unable to independently verify events on the ground, raising serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to information


Palestinian journalists killed

Local journalists have borne the brunt of the conflict. According to press freedom monitors, nearly 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the start of the war, with many more injured or operating under constant threat.

French journalists' collective appeals for solidarity with colleagues in Gaza

Reporters inside Gaza are working amid widespread displacement, food shortages and communication blackouts, often risking their lives to document the unfolding crisis.

Journalist safety and press access are protected under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which classify journalists in conflict zones as civilians and prohibit targeting them.

Advocates are urging Israel to comply with these legal obligations and to open its borders to international media.

RSF says Israel responsible for one-third of journalist deaths in 2024

“At this pivotal moment, with renewed military action and efforts to resume the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the letter reads, “it is vital that Israel open Gaza’s borders for international journalists to be able to report freely and that Israel abides by its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians."

Independent reporting essential

The call for access comes as renewed military actions take place in the region and humanitarian agencies struggle to deliver aid to civilians.

Media organisations say that independent reporting is essential to understanding the scope of the crisis and ensuring global awareness of its human impact.

Despite the dangers, local journalists in Gaza continue to report from the ground, often using limited tools and under severe threat. Their work, say advocates, underscores the urgent need for global media presence to amplify their efforts and ensure accountability.

The international community is being urged to pressure Israeli authorities to lift restrictions and allow journalists to enter Gaza freely. Until then, concerns over censorship, misinformation, and the erasure of on-the-ground realities are likely to intensify.

French woman sues Israel over Gaza strike that killed two grandchildren

A French grandmother has filed a legal complaint in Paris accusing Israeli authorities of responsibility for the deaths of her two grandchildren in Gaza during an airstrike in October 2023. The case includes charges of murder and genocide and was lodged on Friday with the crimes against humanity division of the Paris Judicial Court.


Issued on: 06/06/2025 - RFI

According to Unicef, more than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured in Gaza since October 2023. REUTERS - Hatem Khaled

The complaint relates to the deaths of Janna and Abderrahim Abudaher, aged 6 and 9, who were killed when their family home in northern Gaza was struck by two missiles on 24 October 2023.

The missiles were allegedly fired by Israeli F-16 jets.

The airstrike occurred 17 days after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli soil.

The 48-page lawsuit was lodged by lawyer Arié Alimi on behalf of Jacqueline Rivault – the children's maternal grandmother.

The children are French nationals, which means the case could fall under the jurisdiction of French courts.

Israeli leadership targeted

Rivault accuses the Israeli authorities of murder, crimes against humanity, genocide and complicity in those crimes.

Although filed against unnamed persons – "X" – the complaint explicitly names Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government and the country's military (IDF).

For Rivault, the case also highlights France’s failure to protect its own citizens. The French government "should have evacuated French nationals living in the Gaza Strip,” she told France Info public radio.

The complaint argues that the strike was not an isolated event but part of a broader campaign to “eliminate the Palestinian population and subject them to conditions intended to bring about the destruction of the group” – a core element in the legal definition of genocide.

According to the filing, the Abudaher family fled their apartment due to heavy bombing, seeking refuge in two other locations before settling in a house in northern Gaza, near Fallujah and Beit Lahia.

The house was hit by two missiles – one piercing the roof, the other striking the room where the family had gathered.

Abderrahim died instantly, Janna died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Their brother Omar survived with serious injuries. Their mother, Yasmine Z, was also wounded.

Yasmine Z, previously convicted in absentia in France for financing terrorism, remains in Gaza and is subject to a French arrest warrant.

Seeking accountability

Rivault's lawyer Alimi said the case aims to ensure accountability beyond Israeli borders. "It is necessary that those who were involved, in one way or another, in acts that could be classified as crimes against humanity or genocide, know that when they leave Israel's borders they can be arrested anywhere,” he told France Info.

Responsibility lies not only with leaders, he said, "but anyone who will have participated in one way or another".

The lawsuit joins a growing list of international efforts to hold Israeli officials accountable for alleged war crimes and genocide – charges Israel strongly denies, calling them "scandalous".

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The International Federation for Human Rights was the first to declare Israel’s actions as genocidal in December 2023. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch followed suit in 2024.

In January, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent acts of genocide. In mid-May, the UN's top humanitarian official called on world leaders to act to prevent a genocide in Gaza.

Similar legal actions have been initiated in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.

In France, three complaints have recently been filed against dual French-Israeli citizens or IDF soldiers, accusing them of genocide or complicity in genocide – although none have gained traction so far.

(with AFP)

African Union condemns Trump travel ban amid strained Africa-US relations

The African Union has expressed deep concern over President Donald Trump's sweeping travel ban on citizens from seven African countries, warning that the restrictions will damage decades of carefully nurtured diplomatic and commercial ties between the United States and the continent.


Issued on: 05/06/2025

Ten African countries will face either an outright ban or restrictions on travel to the US from Monday, 9 June. © Rick Bowmer/AP

Seven of the 12 countries targeted by Trump's travel ban, announced on Wednesday, are on the African continent.

As of Monday, 9 June, citizens of Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan will no longer be allowed entry to the US.

Burundi, Sierra Leone and Togo are among seven further nations subjected to partial restrictions.

In a statement released on Thursday, the African Union (AU) said it "remains concerned about the potential negative impact of such measures on people-to-people ties, educational exchange, commercial engagement, and the broader diplomatic relations that have been carefully nurtured over decades".

The AU, which represents all 55 nations on the African continent, called on Washington to "consider adopting a more consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned," while appealing for "transparent communication" to address underlying issues.

Terrorism and visa overstays

The Trump administration has justified each country's inclusion on the list in a presidential proclamation. Equatorial Guinea and Republic of Congo have been targeted due to visa overstays, while Somalia and Libya face restrictions over terrorism concerns.

In a video posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump said an analysis of "high-risk regions" had found "the large-scale presence of terrorists, failure to cooperate on visa security, inability to verify travellers' identities, inadequate record keeping of criminal histories and persistently high rates of illegal visa overstays".

Trump linked the decision to a recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, which he said "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas – we don't want them".

Somali authorities have pledged to work with the US to resolve security issues, after the US described the country as a "terrorist safe haven". Dahir Hassan Abdi, the Somali ambassador to the United States, said in a statement: "Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised."

Residents in Mogadishu were less diplomatic. "I totally disagree with the president of the United States' decision," Salad Abdullahi Mohamed told France's AFP news agency. "Somali immigrants reached there after a long hazardous trip to get a better life."

Ali Abdullahi Ali, another Mogadishu resident, argued that Somali migrants were simply looking "to make a better living and help their parents," adding: "I would call on the president to make this decision null and void and also give necessary documents to stay and continue living and working there."

US-Africa tensions

The travel ban is the latest blow to US-Africa relations under Trump's second administration. The president introduced travel restrictions during his first term, which he claimed were "one of our most successful policies" and had prevented terror attacks on US soil.

Earlier this year, Trump imposed tariffs on scores of African countries as part of his "Liberation Day" trade overhaul, with Lesotho facing a 50 percent tariff, Madagascar 47 percent, and Mauritius 40 percent. These have been temporarily reduced to a 10 percent universal levy, pending negotiations.

Relations were further strained in May, when Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a meeting at the Whitehouse, pushing theories about a "white genocide" in the country.

In its statement, the AU emphasised that "Africa and the United States share mutual interests in promoting peace, prosperity, and global cooperation," while acknowledging "the sovereign right of all nations to protect their borders and ensure the security of their citizens".

However, it appealed to the US to "exercise this right in a manner that is balanced, evidence-based, and reflective of the long-standing partnership between the United States and Africa".

Trump said that the strength of the restrictions depends on the "severity of the threat posed" and that the list could be revised depending on whether targeted nations made "material improvements".

Brazil fires drive acceleration in Amazon deforestation: report

Sao Paulo (AFP) – A record fire season in Brazil last year caused the rate of deforestation to accelerate, in a blow to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's pledge to protect the Amazon rainforest, official figures showed Friday.


Issued on: 07/06/2025 -RFI

Illegal burning of the Amazon rainforest near Humaita, in the northern Brazilian state of Amazonas, in September 2024 © MICHAEL DANTAS / AFP/File

The figures released by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which tracks forest cover by satellite, indicated that deforestation rate between August 2024 and May 2025 rose by 9.1 percent compared to the same period in 2023-2024.

And they showed a staggering 92-percent increase in Amazon deforestation in May, compared to the year-ago period.

That development risks erasing the gains made by Brazil in 2024, when deforestation slowed in all of its ecological biomes for the first time in six years.

The report showed that beyond the Amazon, the picture was less alarming in other biomes across Brazil, host of this year's UN climate change conference.

In the Pantanal wetlands, for instance, deforestation between August 2024 and May 2025 fell by 77 percent compared to the same period in 2023-2024.

Presenting the findings, the environment ministry's executive secretary Joao Paulo Capobianco chiefly blamed the record number of fires that swept Brazil and other South American countries last year, whipped up by a severe drought.

Many of the fires were started to clear land for crops or cattle and then raged out of control.

© 2025 AFP

Ocean’s survival hinges on finding the billions needed to save it

The ocean supports food, jobs and the climate systems that keep global weather in balance – but only 8 percent of it is protected, and money to safeguard the rest is critically lacking. This weekend, finance leaders and marine experts are meeting in Monaco for what many say is a make-or-break moment to close the funding gap and secure the ocean’s future.


Issued on: 06/06/2025 - RFI

Countries have pledged to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030 – a target known as 30x30 – yet vast areas remain unmanaged or open to damaging activities. AP - Kirsty Wigglesworth

By: Amanda Morrow

The Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF) is one of three high-level events leading into next week’s critical UN Ocean Conference in Nice (UNOC).

It brings together governments, investors and oceanographers to unlock new financing solutions to protect and restore ocean health and coastal livelihoods. Experts warn that without urgent action to close a multi-billion-dollar funding gap, these efforts could collapse.

Of the $175 billion needed each year, the forum’s organisers say, only $25 billion has been mobilised so far. That shortfall has made SDG 14 – the UN goal to conserve oceans – the least funded of all its Sustainable Development Goals.

Leaders from the Pacific, a region on the frontlines of ocean diplomacy, are among those pushing to get the cash flowing.

“We’ll be calling for more investment and more partnerships to fund the commitments we’ve all made to SDG 14,” Pacific Ocean Commissioner Filimon Manoni told a press briefing by National Geographic's Pristine Seas, a global marine conservation programme.

"We also want to share our success stories, especially the ones led by communities.”

From pledges to finance

Monaco has assembled a solid coalition to host BEFF. In charge are the government, the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Oceanographic Institute, with backing from France and Costa Rica. Global partners include the UN Global Compact and the World Economic Forum.

"Together, we will mobilise the necessary investments – both public and private – for a sustainable blue economy," Prince Albert promised ahead of the event, which has drawn some of the most influential voices in finance and ocean policy.

European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde will deliver a keynote address on financing ocean health, while International Maritime Organisation secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez will speak on decarbonising shipping and building more resilient ports.

The closing remarks will come from French President Emmanuel Macron and Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles – co-hosts of next week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice.

Panels will examine topics from blue bonds and biodiversity credits to venture capital and public-private partnerships. The forum also features a Blue Innovation Hall showing the latest advances in ocean technology, including tools for renewable energy, waste reduction and marine monitoring.

The forum’s timing is crucial, said Kristin Rechberger, founder of the non-profit Revive Our Ocean and CEO of the green consulting firm Dynamic Planet.

“We’re at an inflection point right now at the midpoint of this decade, where we can make conservation businesses the norm instead of the exception,” she said.

"There's a really exciting opportunity through the Blue Economy Finance Forum and UNOC to close the gap between the funding that's actually available – it's just misaligned – and the needs that are really hungry for a regenerative blue economy."

Pacific leading the way

The Pacific region is widely credited as a leader in ocean protection. Manoni said the region had been "walking the talk" for years, pointing to large marine sanctuaries now in place in countries including Palau, the Cook Islands and the Marshall Islands.

"The Pacific has not been sitting idle," he said. "The Pacific has been at work." The western and central Pacific, Manoni added, now supply more than half of the world’s tuna, helping to secure global food security.

But experts say efforts like these need to be scaled up dramatically. Countries have pledged to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030 – a target known as 30x30 – yet vast areas remain unmanaged or open to damaging activities.

Enric Sala, founder of Pristine Seas, said more protection must go hand in hand with better enforcement and long-term funding.

"We have only 8 percent of the ocean in protected areas, and only 3 percent in zones where damaging activities are banned," Sala told journalists. "We need to quadruple protection in the next five years."

He said destructive practices like bottom trawling must also be banned – pointing to the “crazy situation” in Europe, where such activities continue even in many so-called protected areas.

Sala cited research estimating the societal cost of bottom trawlingin Europe at up to €11 billion a year, largely owing to carbon emissions from churning up sea floor sediment.

"The abundance of vulnerable species like sharks and rays is lower inside these areas than outside," Sala added.

New Caledonia bans 'dangerous' seabed mining for half a century

Investing in change

As harmful fishing practices continue to undermine conservation efforts, BEFF is also zeroing in on how improved financing can drive change.

Key financial tools under discussion include debt-for-nature swaps and blended finance models that combine public and private investment. Twenty side events called “Solution Hubs” will explore everything from marine algae to sustainable aquaculture.

"We need to make sure finance directly reaches the coastal communities working to safeguard our ocean," said Rita El Zaghloul, director of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People – a group of more than 100 countries pushing to protect biodiversity and expand access to conservation funding.

Some of that is starting to happen. The coalition has launched a fast-track fund to provide small grants for marine-protected area planning.

"A community marine reserve doesn’t need a giant World Bank loan," added Rechberger. "It needs the right money, at the right time, and the right amount."

Awareness through storytelling

The economic stakes are huge. The ocean feeds 3.2 billion people and contributes $2.6 trillion to the global economy. Yet destructive practices continue to erode these benefits.

The forum is also taking place against growing pressure to resolve the disconnect between bold conservation pledges and the persistence of harmful practices at sea.

To help raise awareness, a special screening of the documentary Ocean, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, will close Saturday’s programme. The film features the first underwater footage of bottom trawling in action.

"Now, for the first time, people can see what bottom trawling does underwater," said Sala. "People can see what this practice does and can make up their minds."

As the countdown continues to the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, from 9 to 13 June, organisers hope BEFF will help shape the tone of the week. With only five years left to quadruple ocean protection, the window for action is rapidly closing.

"This is not only about conservation," Rechberger said. "It’s about building a thriving, regenerative ocean economy that works for people and the planet."

Kazakhstan

Unity in a fragmented world: Dialogue, trade and climate action at the Astana Forum

Copyright Euronews

By Galiya Khassenkhanova
Published on 06/06/2025 -


Titled “Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future,” the Astana International Forum (AIF) gathered over 160 international speakers and around 7,000 participants.

Global policymakers, international experts and business representatives came together at the Astana International Forum to discuss the way forward in a world full of uncertainties and conflicts.

Titled “Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future,” the Astana International Forum (AIF) gathered over 160 international speakers and around 7,000 participants.

The event kicked off with a plenary session, where heads of state and high-ranking officials expressed worry over the state the world is in today.

President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, highlighted growing polarisation and increased confrontation between states. According to him, conflicts are brewing in 52 states, while their economic toll amounts to $19 trillion (€16 trillion), or 13.5% of global GDP.

Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, underlined that global challenges are interconnected and require integrated solutions. Vulnerabilities only get worse when external alignment occurs without internal stability.

Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, President of North Macedonia, spoke about the need for reforms in the United Nations. The organisation’s bylaws were written 80 years ago and did not envisage the technology and complexity of the world in 2025.

President of North Macedonia Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova at the Astana International Forum     Euronews

Ban Ki-moon, serving as the President and Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute, noted that climate change and deterioration of the environment can only be solved collectively, while Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu highlighted that food is a basic human right and peace is a prerequisite for food security.

The plenary session was followed by around 40 panels, side events and one-on-one sessions covering trade, transportation, green energy, carbon neutrality, climate action, economy, finance, development of AI and more.

Trade: Positives and negatives

First and foremost, the Astana International Forum is a platform for connections and networking, including for business. As part of the forum, companies from France and Italy met with Kazakh businessmen and signed several agreements.

France signed 15 agreements with Kazakhstan, key among them being a €90 million (€78 million) project for the construction of a hydrogen production plant, which will help decrease carbon emissions.

Italy and Kazakhstan signed 10 memorandums for a total of €180 million (€157 million). The projects cover logistics, mechanical engineering, agricultural processing, industrial digitalisation and green energy.

Participants at the Astana International Forum in Kazakstan  Euronews

Negative effects of trade were also discussed at one the of the panels, where speakers considered how trade is weaponised today to serve egotistic goals.

If in the 2010s global powers were promoting free trade, the wind has changed in the last decade. Experts share that trade is an effective weapon, especially in short term, but what matters is the goal behind it.

Transportation: Middle Corridor’s significance

Central Asia’s role as a transit hub between China and Europe is undeniable today. The role of the Middle Corridor in this regard and its future development were also discussed during AIF.

“The turnover grew by 62 percent in 2024 and reached 4.5 million tonnes of cargo. The aim is to reach 10 million tonnes in 2027. About $15 billion (€13 billion) have already been invested in the development of infrastructure and transportation time sharply reduced to almost 14-18 days,” noted Director of Kazakhstan’s Institute for Strategic Studies, Yerkin Tukumov.

Participants at the Astana International Forum in Kazakhstan   Euronews

“The Middle Corridor will not solve all the problems because it is and will remain very expensive for certain goods to go over land. But it can be a medium-term solution, one of the alternatives,” countered Jurgen Rigterink, First Vice President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Kazakhstan also announced a new transport initiative called Kazakhstan at the Crossroads of the Continents. Considering that almost 80% of goods from Asia to Europe travel through Kazakhstan, the country is trying to ease the process by consolidating all transportation related services and companies in one platform.

Climate change: Need for climate financing

While the temperatures in the rest of the world are projected to grow by 3.7°C by the 2090s, temperatures in Central Asia will rise by 5.8°C, almost twice as much. This will jeopardise a variety of sectors, including water security, food security, economic stability, employment rates and migration.

“Climate change is not a standalone problem. It rather multiplies the threats and the problems in many different sectors,” highlighted Zulfiya Suleimenova, Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan.

“Climate change is a huge problem in Central Asia and we cannot really be speaking about sustainable economic development in our region without addressing climate related challenges.”

Participants at the Astana International Forum in Kazakstan Euronews

For the region to effectively combat the problem it requires robust funding, but so far has only attracted less than 1% of global climate financing.

One of the sessions at the forum directed attention to general accessibility and affordability of climate financing. The session was also able to bring together Central Asian ministries of economy and ecology to discuss acceleration of climate action.
Renewable energy: Relevance of rare earths

In the context of growing climate concerns, the importance of transition to green energy and diminishing of carbon emissions is underscored. Kazakhstan has set itself an ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. So far, emissions reduced by only 6%.

To help the matter, the UAE-based company Masdar has pledged $1 billion (€880 million) for the development of renewable energy in Kazakhstan.

At one of the panels, speakers highlighted Kazakhstan’s potential in renewable energy, especially wind energy. The vast steppes can potentially generate 1 billion kW hours per year, which is eight times the need of the country, leaving the rest for export.

Experts also noted that development of renewable energy infrastructure has driven the demand for rare earth elements, which have become the “new gold.” In that sense, Central Asia has an advantage of rare earths reserves. Kazakhstan alone has 19 out of 34 rare earth metals.

Participants at the Astana International Forum in Kazakhstani  Euronews
Artificial intelligence: Regulation of ethical use

No discussion on Friday happened without mentioning the benefits and threats of artificial intelligence. The forum participants deliberated on AI regulation in terms of ethical and safe use.

“Soon AI will know more about you than you know yourself. Are you ready for such information to be shared without your permission? Even with government agencies, let alone publicly. I think we need to prepare for a new era of AI, look at it positively, but prepare legislatively, organisationally, and personnel-wise,” noted Yerkin Tukumov, Director of Kazakhstan’s Institute for Strategic Studies.

At the same time, Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev noted that Kazakhstan is already preparing a law that will regulate AI use to prevent its abuse.

“The idea is not to overregulate, but to consider some of the ethical standards,” Madiyev said, noting that the law is under consideration by the parliament at the moment.

Over two days, the Astana International Forum pulsed with dialogue, exchange, and collaboration. From parallel sessions to high-level networking, participants sought common ground and fresh solutions, leaving with a shared commitment to shaping a more stable, sustainable future.

Russia's large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities leave trail of destruction

Copyright Evgeniy Maloletka/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved

By Jerry Fisayo-Bambi with EBU

Published on 07/06/2025 - 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday's strikes killed at least four people and injured dozens. The attacks targeted the capital, Kyiv, the Ternopil region in the northwest of the country, and the city of Lutsk.

A barrage of Russian strikes on Ukraine early Friday left a trail of destruction visible across several cities in the country, where some buildings and properties were destroyed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday's strikes killed at least four people and injured dozens. The attacks targeted the capital, Kyiv, the Ternopil region in the northwest of the country, and the city of Lutsk.

One person was killed in Lutsk, and several were injured following a Russian missile and drone strike on the northwestern city in the Volyn region.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, 15 attack drones and six cruise missiles were directed at the city in the early hours of Friday, triggering explosions and structural collapses in several neighbourhoods.

Some residents reported three powerful blasts, likely due to direct hits or the work of air defence systems.

"It started around 4:30 a.m. I saw with my own eyes how things were flying there and exploding. I was standing right here, and the blast wave pushed us into the hallway. Most people ran to the shelter." Yevheniia Kamienieva, a resident of Lutsk, said.

"According to eyewitnesses who were outside, since unfortunately we don't have functional shelters here, it was a missile strike," Alisa Yerofieieva, head of the condominium association in the city, said.

Rescuers in the city said at least 16 people sustained various injuries from the attacks, which sparked numerous fires.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES) reported that the latest Russian strikes had targeted regions across Ukraine, including Kyiv, where three of those killed were rescuers.

With the explosions lasting for several hours overnight, many people in the Ukrainian capital took shelter in metro stations. The SES said several administrative buildings, industrial facilities, and vehicles were also damaged.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, an emergency vehicle damaged in Russia's missile attack is seen in the street in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 6, 2025AP/Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP

Strikes were also reported in the city of Sloviansk, according to Donetsk region police. The police said Russian drones hit Sloviansk, damaging buildings, over a dozen vehicles and a service station. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, the police said.

The strikes, according to Russia's defense ministry, were in retaliation for "terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime." Russia claimed it targeted only military installations, something Kyiv disputes with evidence of mounting civilian casualties on Ukraine's side.

Related Kyiv hit by new wave of Russian missile and drone strikes: 4 dead, 20 injured

Russian ‘retaliatory’ attack could have been worse if it wasn’t for Kyiv’s ‘preemptive’ strikes

Moscow's attacks came just days after US President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin had said "he will have to respond" following Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web, which targeted Russian warplanes at military airbases last weekend.

The covert operation was described as one for the “history books” by Ukraine’s president, who blamed Russia's refusal of a proposed ceasefire in May for the latest escalation in the three-and-a-half-year-old war.

Russian ‘retaliatory’ attack could have been worse if it wasn’t for Kyiv’s ‘preemptive’ strikes

Copyright AP Photo

By Sasha Vakulina
Published on 06/06/2025

Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine could have been worse if Ukrainian forces hadn’t struck Russian missile concentration sites in Russia right before. Moscow was threatening with "retaliation" for Kyiv’s daring Operation "Spiderweb" last weekend, but Kyiv says it launched ‘preemptive’ strikes.

Ukraine’s defence forces claim to have launched a "preemptive" strike as Russia was preparing for a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukrainian cities.

The General Staff reported that Ukraine hit a Russian airfield and military facilities on the eve of Moscow’s massive attack overnight on Friday.

Kyiv says on the night of 6 June it hit Engels airfield in Russia’s Saratov region, a place of concentration of Russian aircraft left over from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) operation.

Also in the Saratov region, numerous hits were confirmed on at least three fuel reservoirs on the eve of a Russian attack, followed by a large-scale fire at the facility, Kyiv reported.

Apart from that the airfield of Dyagilevo in Russia’s Ryazan region was it. Kyiv says this is where air refuelling and escort fighters are based and used to support missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine.

Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine also hit a Russian missile base in the Bryansk region, damaging Iskander missile launchers, the Ukrainian military said.

The targeted unit near the city of Klintsy had attempted to fire on Ukrainian territory — likely aiming at Kyiv — before it was hit, according to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

The Iskander is a short-range ballistic missile system used by Moscow for precision strikes against military and infrastructure targets. Overnight on Friday Russia launched six Iskander ballistic missiles at Ukraine — and Kyiv managed to intercept four of them.

Russia’s Bryansk region borders Ukraine’s Sumy region, which has become a major target of Moscow’s assault operations.

An explosion is seen after a Russian air strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, June 6, 2025.AP Photo

Moscow’s ‘retaliation’ for Operation ‘Spiderweb’

Three days after Ukraine’s daring Operation "Spiderweb" against Russian military airfields and heavy bombers, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to "retaliate" against Ukraine, which he invaded over three years ago, with Moscow launching daily missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities and civilian targets since then.

US President Donald Trump said Putin told him about it during the phone call on Wednesday.

The Russian president did not make any public comments about Kyiv’s operation since Sunday, when Ukraine hit over 40 Russian bombers at four airfields with the FPV drones launched from Russian territory near the airfields.

This photo combo from satellite images from Planet Labs PBC shows Belaya Air Base before a Ukrainian drone attack and damage after. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)AP Photo

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would not have launched its drone strike on Russian strategic bombers if Moscow had accepted Ukraine's calls for a ceasefire.

Ukraine has repeatedly urged Russia to accept the US-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal, which Kyiv says could be the first step to putting an end to Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine.

Commenting on Russia’s "retaliatory" attack on Friday, Ukraine’s president said that "Russia’s doesn’t change its stripes – another massive strike on cities and ordinary life," pointing to Moscow’s regular attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

“Russia must be held accountable for this. Since the first minute of this war, they have been striking cities and villages to destroy life,” Zelenskyy added, calling for more pressure to be put on Moscow by Ukraine’s western partners, specifically the US.

Related

Ukraine strikes Kerch bridge in Crimea with underwater explosives

Kyiv releases new drone footage of Operation ‘Spiderweb’ as more details emerge

Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on Russia if he does not see progress in peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, but hasn’t done it.

When asked by reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday as to whether a deadline exists for the implementation of sanctions, Trump replied: "Yes, it's in my brain the deadline," without specifying a date.

“We’ve done a lot together with the world to enable Ukraine to defend itself. But now is exactly the moment when America, Europe, and everyone around the world can stop this war together by pressuring Russia," Zelenskyy said.

"If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives – that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively.”

 

Poland’s fertility rate sinks to just below 1.1 in 2024, a new historic low

Poland’s fertility rate sinks to just below 1.1 in 2024, a new historic low / bne IntelliNews

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By bne IntelliNews June 6, 2025

Poland’s fertility rate fell to a historic low of 1.099 in 2024, Poland’s statistical office GUS said in a report, which has deepened concerns about the country’s shrinking and ageing population.

The figure marks a steep decline from 1.991 in 1990 and remains well below the replacement rate of 2.1. Only eight countries recorded a lower fertility rate than Poland in 2024, including South Korea (0.7), Singapore, Thailand and Ukraine (all 1.0). Poland’s rate is also below those of Japan (1.2), Germany and the UK (both 1.4) and France (1.6).

Births fell to a postwar low of 252,000 last year, while deaths reached 409,000, making 2024 the twelfth year in a row with more deaths than births. 

Reversing, or barely improving, the situation will be difficult, GUS said in the report, pointing to decades of low fertility and fewer women of reproductive age.

Women had their first child at an average age of 29.1 in 2024, up from 22.7 in 1990. Meanwhile, 23.8% of the population was over retirement age, rising sharply from 12.8% in 1990.

There is no single cause for the fertility drop. The Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are recent factors but, in the longer run, Poland’s lack of housing policy and – perhaps most importantly – cultural changes may have played a fundamental role.

Poland also has one of Europe’s strictest abortion laws, which, experts have long said, discourages women from having children at all.

The former Law and Justice (PiS) government introduced pro-family measures like the “500+” child benefit, later raised to “800+”, but admitted in 2020 that they had failed to raise fertility long term.

The current government, in power since December 2023, has kept those payments and introduced measures to help parents return to work. It has also reinstated public funding for IVF.

High immigration levels have partially offset the demographic losses in recent years.

Immigration, however, has become a touchy issue in politics, with politicians from the hard right to the centre speaking out against the influx of immigrants, who they paint as a threat to social cohesion and Poland’s traditional values.

The population decline trend in Poland and other countries of so-called emerging Europe is a long-running phenomenon, threatening a drop in the populations of many countries to levels not seen since the early 20th century.

 

Google signs deal with Chile for Pacific submarine cable to Asia

The initiative aims to strengthen Chile's digital connectivity with Asian markets, particularly China, the country's largest trading partner while positioning Chile as a regional technological hub for Latin America. / unsplash

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By Mathew Cohen June 5, 2025

Google has inked a groundbreaking agreement with Chile's government to deploy a 14,800km submarine data cable across the Pacific Ocean, connecting Chile with Australia and Asia by 2027. The pact represents the first such deal between the technology giant and a sovereign nation.

“This is the first submarine cable in the South Pacific, so it’s an important commitment,” Transport Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz told journalists following the signing ceremony, as quoted by AP.

The initiative aims to strengthen Chile's digital connectivity with Asian markets, particularly China, the country's largest trading partner while positioning Chile as a regional technological hub for Latin America. Cristian Ramos, head of telecommunications infrastructure for Alphabet's Latin American unit, confirmed the cable would be accessible to other entities, including technology firms operating in Chile.

While total investment figures remain undisclosed, Chilean officials previously estimated project costs between $300mn and $550mn, with Chile contributing $25mn through state-owned partner Desarrollo Pais, according to general manager Patricio Rey.

"This cable not only meets a technical need, but also represents a bet on resilience, diversification of digital routes, and the opening up of new possibilities for international collaboration," Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren stated at the signing ceremony in Santiago.

The cable promises diverse applications, from enhancing Asian platform performance like TikTok to supporting real-time astronomical data transmission and mining operations. "Mining companies that have operations in Chile and Australia, by having a direct route, we can think about a shared command centre... where the command centres can support each other," Deputy Secretary of Telecommunications Claudio Araya was quoted by Reuters as saying.

This infrastructure development occurs amid intensifying US-China competition for Latin American influence, with subsea cables becoming critical battlegrounds in their technological rivalry. The project could position Chile strategically in global data flows while potentially attracting additional ventures connecting South America with Asia, fundamentally reshaping the region's digital connectivity landscape.