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.