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.