Abyzemen

The mass deaths have alarmed animal welfare groups, who say proposals to help save the dolphins are not sufficient. Industrial fishing has been blamed for a record 1,100 dolphins washing up on beaches in France so far this year - often in a mutilated state. More of the dead mammals have been found in the first three months of 2019 than in the entirety of last year, which was already a record-breaker. The mass deaths have alarmed animal welfare groups and prompted French ecology minister Francois De Rugy to launch a national plan. Activists say fishermen often cut body parts off the suffocated dolphins after they are pulled up in their nets, in a bid to save their equipment. The ecology minister, under pressure to act as President Emmanuel Macron continues to champion pro-environment policies, has pledged to bolster research into existing repellent devices in use off the Bay of Biscay - an industrial fishing hub in the Atlantic Ocean.

As thousands of deputies strode along the red carpets of the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday, heading for lunch as the sun broke out in Beijing, their Two Sessions was just beginning.   Ten days of discussion and deliberation follow for the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the talking has been under way for a couple of days at the top advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Though there is still much to consume, for most overseas observers the starter and main course have already been served – and there have been few surprises so far.

Yemeni government and Houthi representatives have reached an agreement on the first phase of their redeployment of forces under a UN-sponsored deal for the warring armies to leave the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, the United Nations said on Sunday. Representatives of the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels met in the UN-facilitated talks in Hodeidah on Saturday and Sunday, and reached agreement on Phase 1 of the troop withdrawal, said the press office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. However, the press office didn't give details of exactly what the Iranian-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed government agreed. The United Nations is trying to implement a truce and troop-withdrawal accord in Hodeidah, the main entry point for most of Yemen's imports, as part of efforts to end a war that has killed tens of thousands and left millions on the brink of starvation. Under Phase 1, the Houthis are to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa to be met...

The Haitian government vowed to deepen the investigation into alleged corruption in the PetroCaribe oil program and to reduce its expenses, seeking to meet some of protestors' demands as demonstrations roil the country. During a televised address on Saturday night, Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant announced nine measures aimed at alleviating the country's economic crisis.  Ceant said the government will reduce its expenses by 30 percent, meet with the private sector to try to raise the minimum wage and appoint a new director to intensify the investigation into alleged corruption under PetroCaribe. "I and the members of the government listen to (the opposition's) voice, we hear his cry, we understand his anger and indignation," Ceant said. Since Feb. 7, thousands of demonstrators have called for President Jovenel Moise and Ceant to resign and for an independent probe into the whereabouts of funds from the PetroCaribe agreement, an alliance between Caribbe...

China announced Monday that it is developing the modified version of the Long March-6 rocket with four additional solid boosters to increase its carrying capacity. The improved medium-lift carrier rocket will be sent into space by 2020, according to Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC), which designed the rocket. With a short launch preparation cycle, the Long March-6 has been mainly used for the academy's commercial launches. The rocket completed two space tests in September 2015 and November 2017, carrying 20 satellites and three satellites, respectively. The three-stage rocket is 29.3 meters long, with a launch weight of 103 tonnes. It has a carrying capacity of one tonne for sun-synchronous orbit. Fueled by a liquid propellant made of liquid oxygen and kerosene, the Long March-6 is China's first carrier rocket that uses non-toxic and non-polluting fuel. Ding Xiufeng, executive manager of...

China's foreign ministry expressed anger on Monday over two U.S. warships entering the South China Sea. The two warships entered China's territorial seas around the Nansha Islands without permission from the Chinese government, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing. The Chinese side immediately conducted verification and identification on the U.S. ships and warned them to leave, said the spokeswoman. The relevant action by the U.S. side infringed upon China's sovereignty, and undermined the peace, security, and order of the relevant waters, Hua said, adding that China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard itself. China firmly opposed the relevant action and urged the U.S. to immediately stop its provocations, Hua stressed.

U.S. Democratic and Republican negotiators have reached an agreement "in principle" on Monday to fund the government and avoid another partial shutdown. Republican Senator Richard Shelby, one of the congressional negotiators working on border security funding, said late on Monday that an "agreement in principle" had been reached, according to Reuters. "Our staffs are going to be working feverishly to put all the particulars together,” Shelby said. He did not say whether President Donald Trump would get any money for the U.S.-Mexico border wall as he has asked. Trump's December demand for 5.7 billion U.S. dollars to help construct the border wall triggered a 35-day partial government shutdown that ended last month without him getting wall funding. A congressional aide, who asked not to be identified, said the outline of the deal included 1.37 billion U.S. dollars for erecting new fencing along the southern border. That is about the same amount C...

France has recalled its ambassador to Italy for talks after "provocations" from Italy's political leaders, said the French Foreign Ministry on Thursday. "France has been, for several months, the target of repeated, baseless attacks and outrageous statements," the ministry said in a statement. It came one day after Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio hailed the "winds of change across the Alps" on Twitter following his meeting with leaders of the "yellow vest" movement.

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Americans to choose "greatness or gridlock" on Tuesday as he delivered a State of the Union address in which he mixed calls for bipartisanship with appeals to the Republican base and jabs at Democrats.  Read more:  State of the Union highlights   Second Trump-Kim meeting to be held in Vietnam on Feb. 27-28 Trump reached out by calling for lower healthcare costs, a proposal to eliminate HIV, and infrastructure spending, but also hit out at "partisan investigations," made remarks on divisive cultural issues and repeated controversial criticisms of illegal immigrants.  On his foreign policy, which Trump described as "principled realism," the president confirmed that he would meet Democratic People's Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam in late February. Bipartisan call? Trump's third speech to a joint session of Congress, delayed by one week following the 35-day government shutdown, opened...

China's cooperation with Venezuela is based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and joint development, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Friday when asked if China would be "worried" that Venezuela cannot pay back its debt. "We believe that however the situation develops or changes, cooperation between China and Venezuela will not be damaged." Geng added that China is currently in close communication with all parties involved through various means, actively seeking conditions for dialogue in order to solve the issue peacefully. The South American country has plunged into  political turmoil  amid looming tensions with the United States.  Just days after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro swore in to begin a new six-year term on January 10, the country's National Assembly Juan Guaido proclaimed himself as the "interim president" with support from Washington and its allies. On Thursday,  the European Union al...

On January 30, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer opened two-day trade talks at the White House with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, as both sides continued in their commitment to seek an agreement even as the 90-day truce has passed its halfway point. During Liu's visit, Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a long-time adviser to the Chinese government and leaders, commentator on the politics and economics of China, recipient of the China Reform Friendship Medal, and host of CGTN's program "Closer To China with R.L. Kuhn", was interviewed by CNBC, a leading international business news network, where Kuhn offered an in-depth view on the Sino-U.S. trade conflict. "Here's why I can be optimistic," said Kuhn, adding that "President Xi and President Trump are both taking active leadership of the dispute, and each leader is making a personal commitment to resolving it. I do not think either would take a public position on the resolution without having high...

U.S. lawmakers said on Wednesday they expect Congress will pass a resolution ending U.S. involvement in the Yemen war, which would force President Donald Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency in order to continue supporting the Saudi-led coalition. Republican and Democratic senators and representatives said on Wednesday they were re-introducing a war powers resolution that passed the Senate by 56-41 in December, a rebuke of Trump amid anger at Saudi Arabia not just over civilian deaths in Yemen, but also the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. The lawmakers – an alliance of progressive Democrats and Republican constitutional conservatives – deplored the “humanitarian disaster” in Yemen but also said they wanted Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to decide whether the United States should be involved in military conflict. “That decision has never been debated and discussed and voted on and approved by Congress...

A new round of high-level talks of China and United States was held on Wednesday morning in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of White House, Washington D.C. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin attended this high-level economic and trade consultations. Liu He is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the Chinese side of the China-U.S. comprehensive economic dialogue. This round of talks is scheduled for two days from Jan. 30th to 31st.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence plans to head to Miami on Friday, home to the country's largest community of Venezuelan exiles, to rally support for the opposition ahead of Venezuelan protests against President Nicolas Maduro, a White House official said. Pence, who has helped lead White House efforts to prop up the self-declared president Juan Guaido, will be joined by fellow Republicans including Florida senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott. Pence will meet with Venezuelans who fled the country out of political causes, the White House official said, and he will later give formal remarks.  Guaido's U.S. representative Carlos Vecchio, who has been meeting with White House officials to discuss taking control of Venezuelan assets from the Maduro government, is also expected to attend the Miami event, the White House said. The White House earlier imposed stiff sanctions on Venezuela's oil exports to the U.S., aiming to increase pressure on Maduro's government. ...