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World leaders on Monday called for strong rules to govern deep-sea mining and warned against racing to exploit the ocean floor in a thinly-veiled rebuke of US President Donald Trump.Growing anxiety over Trump’s unilateral push to fast-track deep-sea mining in international waters shot to the surface at the opening of the UN Ocean Conference in southern France.”I think it’s madness to launch predatory economic action that will disrupt the deep seabed, disrupt biodiversity, destroy it and release irrecoverable carbon sinks — when we know nothing about it,” said French President Emmanuel Macron.Imposing a moratorium on seabed mining was “an international necessity”, said Macron.The number of countries opposed to seabed mining rose to 36 on Monday, according to a tally kept by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, an umbrella group of non-governmental organisations.Trump was not among the roughly 60 heads of state and government in the seaside town of Nice but his spectre loomed large as leaders defended the global multilateralism he has spurned.Of particular concern, his move to sidestep the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and issue permits directly to companies wanting to extract nickel and other metals from waters beyond US jurisdiction. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for “clear action” from the seabed authority to end a “predatory race” for deep-ocean minerals.”We now see the threat of unilateralism looming over the ocean. We cannot allow what happened to international trade to happen to the sea,” he said.The deep sea, Greenland and Antarctica were “not for sale”, Macron said in further remarks directed clearly at Trump’s expansionist claims.The ISA, which has jurisdiction over the ocean floor outside national waters, is meeting in July to discuss a global mining code to regulate mining in the ocean depths.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he supported these negotiations and urged caution as countries navigate these “new waters on seabed mining”.”The deep sea cannot become the wild west,” he said, to applause from the plenary floor.- ‘Wave of hope’ -Island nations also spoke out against seabed mining, which scientists warn could result in untold damage to ecosystems largely unexplored by humanity.”Here in Nice, we can feel that the looming threat of deep sea mining, and the recent reckless behaviour of the industry is seen by many states as unacceptable,” said Megan Randles from Greenpeace.Meanwhile, a flurry of last-minute signatures in Nice brought a treaty to protect the 60 percent of the world’s oceans outside national jurisdiction closer to law.Macron told reporters that 55 nations had ratified the high seas treaty, just five shy of the number required for its enactment.The president gave two thumbs up and a broad grin as he posed with the new signatories, and said the accord would come into force by January 1, 2026.”Today’s surge of ratifications for the High Seas Treaty is a tidal wave of hope and a huge cause for celebration,” Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, told AFP.- ‘Prove you’re serious’ -On Monday, the United Kingdom announced plans to extend a partial ban on bottom trawling in some of its protected marine areas, following a similar move by France at the weekend.Greece, Brazil and Spain took the opportunity Monday to announce the creation of new marine parks, following recent similar action from Samoa.And French Polynesia unveiled what will be the world’s largest marine protected zone, said the International Union for Conservation of Nature.Just eight percent of global oceans are designated for marine conservation, despite a globally agreed target to achieve 30 percent coverage by 2030.Macron said he hoped that coverage would grow to 12 percent by the summit’s close on Friday.Environment groups say that for marine parks to be considered truly protected they need to ban trawling and other harmful activities, and be properly funded.Wealthy nations face pressure in Nice to commit money to make that level of ocean conservation a reality.Small island states are leading the charge for money and political support to better combat rising seas, marine trash and the plunder of fish stocks that hurt their economies.”We say to you, if you are serious about protecting the ocean, prove it,” said President Surangel Whipps Jr of Palau, a low-lying Pacific nation.np-aag-fcc-fff/gv

US states that loosened their gun laws following a landmark court ruling saw thousands more childhood firearm deaths than they otherwise would have — the vast majority homicides and suicides — according to a study published Monday.Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and lead author of the paper in JAMA Pediatrics, told AFP he was drawn to the topic as a father wondering whether today’s world is safer for children than when he was growing up.”Mortality from car accidents has fallen dramatically, but at the same time, firearm mortality rose and replaced car accidents as the leading cause of death in children over the age of one,” he said — a trend unique among peer nations.To probe this shift, Faust and his colleagues analyzed state-level data before and after McDonald v Chicago, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that extended the Second Amendment to state and local governments. The ruling sparked a wave of legislation, some tightening gun laws but much of it loosening them.The team grouped states into three categories — most permissive, permissive, and strict — and used Centers for Disease Control data on firearm deaths among children aged 0–17. They ran an “excess mortality analysis,” comparing actual deaths from 2011 to 2023 against projections based on prior trends from 1999 to 2010 and population growth.The results were stark: more than 7,400 excess pediatric firearm deaths in states that loosened gun laws — including over 6,000 in the most permissive group of states. By contrast, the eight strictest states overall saw no excess deaths. The model predicted 4,267 fatalities, while 4,212 were recorded — a near-match that bolstered confidence in the analysis.”The biggest thing people always want to know is, what’s the intent behind these?” said Faust. “And I think what surprises most people is that accidents are a very small number of these deaths — it’s mostly homicide and suicide.”While the study showed strong associations, it cannot prove causation — a key limitation.  But in a test of whether broader increases in violence might explain the trend, rather than changes to the law, the team analyzed non-firearm homicides and suicides and found no similar rise, a result that makes the findings “pretty compelling,” said Faust.Black children saw the steepest increases. While the reasons are unclear, the authors speculated that disparities in safe firearm storage could play a role.There were some exceptions. Deaths rose in Illinois and Connecticut despite tighter laws — though in the latter case, the spike was entirely attributable to the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting at an elementary school.”Big picture, we have a major problem in this country,” said Faust. “But we also have a handful of states that are resisting these increases and, in fact, turning the other direction.”

US President Donald Trump on Monday accused protesters in Los Angeles of insurrection and threatened they would be “hit harder” than ever if they disrespect security forces during clashes triggered by anger over immigration raids.Demonstrators in a small part of the second biggest US city’s downtown area  torched cars and looted stores in ugly scenes Sunday that saw law enforcement responding with tear gas and rubber bullets.Trump posted he had deployed National Guard troops “to deal with the violent, instigated riots” and “if we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.””The people are causing the problems are professional agitators and insurrectionists,” he told reporters in Washington.On social media, he said protesters spat at troops and if they continued to do so, “I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!”California Governor Gavin Newsom accused the president of deliberately stoking tensions by using the National Guard, a reserve military force usually controlled by state governors.”This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires,” Newsom said, adding California would be suing the federal government over the deployment.Trump shot back, saying “I would do it” when asked if Newsom should be arrested.The protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, were triggered by dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members.Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was targeting members of cartels in Mexico and Colombia.Many locals painted a different picture.They are “people who are here earnestly trying to improve their lives (and) deserve a chance and don’t deserve to be treated as criminals,” Deborah McCurdy, 64, told AFP at a rally where hundreds gathered on Monday.- ‘Isolated’ -On Monday morning, a heavy police presence stood watch in Downtown LA, where streets were quiet.Overnight, vandals had set fires and smashed windows, adding to the scenes of damage left after five Waymo self-driving cars were torched. Obscene graffiti was daubed over many surfaces.Despite isolated and eye-catching acts of violence, officials and local law enforcement stressed the majority of protesters over the weekend had been peaceful.Schools across Los Angeles were operating normally on Monday, while the rhythms of life in the sprawling city appeared largely unchanged.Mayor Karen Bass told CNN that in contrast to Trump’s rhetoric, “this is isolated to a few streets. This is not citywide civil unrest.”Immigration arrests were designed to stir tensions, she said, while the troop deployment was “a recipe for pandemonium.”The United Nations warned against “further militarization” of the situation, in remarks likely to anger the White House.After initial confrontations between demonstrators and federal forces on Sunday, local law enforcement took the lead, using what they called “less lethal weapons” to disperse crowds.Viral footage showed one rubber bullet being fired at an Australian TV reporter, who was hit in the leg on live television.At least 56 people were arrested over two days and five officers suffered minor injuries, Los Angeles Police Department officials said, while about 60 people were arrested in protests i San Francisco.The National Guard is frequently used in natural disasters, and occasionally in civil unrest, but almost always with the consent of local authorities.Trump’s deployment of the force — the first over the head of a state governor since 1965 at the height of the civil rights movement — was criticized by Democrats, including Kamala Harris.The former vice president and Trump’s opponent in the 2024 election called it “a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday condemned the violence, while calling on the United States to respect migrant rights.Sheinbaum urged Mexicans living in the United States “to act peacefully and not give in to provocations.”

Fresh strains emerged Monday among jurors in the sex crimes retrial of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, raising the risk of a deadlocked jury and a mistrial.As court proceedings resumed in the New York courtroom, Judge Curtis Farber read aloud two notes sent to him by the 12-member jury deliberating behind closed doors.In the first note, a juror expressed a desire to talk to Farber “about the situation that isn’t very good.”In the second, jurors wrote they “request the entire definition of reasonable doubt and rules of the jury especially to avoid a hung jury.”A hung jury occurs when a judge acknowledges that jurors have been unable to reach a unanimous decision after several days of deliberations. In that case, a mistrial is declared and a new trial may be held.On Monday morning, Weinstein, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, looked on impassively from his wheelchair, as the judge, prosecutors and his lawyers engaged in tense discussions.The jury must decide whether Weinstein — accused by dozens of women of being a sexual predator — is guilty of sexual assaults in 2006 on Miriam Haley and former model Kaja Sokola, and of rape in 2013 of then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann.Weinstein is on trial again after a New York state appeals court threw out his 2020 convictions, citing irregularities in the original proceedings. The former movie industry titan’s 23-year prison sentence for the initial conviction was thrown out, but he remains imprisoned for separate offenses.On Friday, one juror came forward to report tensions between his fellow panelists, alleging “people are being shunned. It’s playground stuff.”He asked to resign as a juror, but Farber denied his request.Responding to the situation, Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala called for a mistrial, but the judge refused his request.At midday Monday, another juror sought to deliver a message of reassurance that matters had calmed down.”Things are going well, the tone is very different today, we are finding headways,” she told the judge, who appeared to breathe a sigh of relief. During the trial, the three alleged victims testified for several days, recounting how the powerful movie producer had forced them into sexual relations after luring them to his apartment or a hotel room in New York.On Wednesday, prosecutor Nicole Blumberg summarized the evidence of the three alleged victims by saying simply: “He raped three women, they all said no.”The Hollywood figure had “all the power” and “all the control” over the alleged victims, which is why jurors should find him guilty, she said.”The defendant thought the rules did not apply to him, now it is the time to let him know that the rules apply to him.”Weinstein did not take the stand but conceded in an interview with FOX5 television on Friday that he had acted “immorally.” He insisted he did nothing criminal, however.Weinstein’s defense team has suggested the women accused him to score a payday from a legal settlement or criminal damages. 

US President Donald Trump on Monday blamed “insurrectionists” for unrest in Los Angeles, after he sent in National Guard troops to quell protests against immigration raids.”The people that are causing the problems are professional agitators and insurrectionists,” Trump told reporters at the White House.”They’re bad people, they should be in jail,” he added when asked about the clashes occurring in parts of the second biggest US city.The Republican, who turns 79 on Saturday, did not give evidence of why the street protesters are insurrectionists.Trump was returning to the White House after meeting with senior US officials and military officers at his Camp David presidential retreat. Before talking to reporters he greeted workers at the site of a new flagpole he has ordered to be erected outside the White House.Trump did not reply when asked several times by reporters whether he plans to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow the military to be used as a domestic police force.The White House has previously said Trump relied on a seldom used law, known as Title 10, to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles despite California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom saying the move was unnecessary, given the limited nature of the protests.Trump lashed out at Newsom, who has been widely tipped as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, over the unrest.”He’s done a terrible job. Look, I like Gavin Newsom, he’s a nice guy — but he’s grossly incompetent, everybody knows,” Trump said.Newsom dared Trump’s border czar Tom Homan over the weekend to arrest him, after Homan said the governor and LA Mayor Karen Bass could face federal charges of trying to impede immigration agents.”I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said when asked if Homan should arrest Newsom.

Canada will reach NATO’s defense spending target of two percent this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Monday, arguing the country had to revitalize its military “to defend every inch of our sovereign territory.”Carney’s speech at the University of Toronto included stark warnings about the global security order being shaken by US President Donald Trump. But it extended beyond his concern over future US relations. The prime minister warned Canada has not done enough to prepare itself for evolving threats from China, Russia, cyberattacks and the advancing national security implications of climate change. “The long-held view that Canada’s geographic location will protect us is becoming increasingly archaic,” Carney said.With threats facing the country multiplying, the prime minister said Canada “will achieve NATO’s two percent target this year — half a decade ahead of schedule.””We are too reliant on the United States,” he added. Trump has repeatedly pressured NATO members to increase defense spending, arguing the United States was paying more than its fair share for collective security. In April, the alliance announced that 22 of its 32 members hit the two percent spending target.But Trump has pushed NATO members to spend even more and warned the United States could refuse to protect countries that don’t commit what he considers enough resources to defense. Carney said Canada had become used to a post-war order with the United States as “the global hegemon,” and Canada’s “closest ally and dominant trading partner.””Now the United States is beginning to monetize its hegemony: charging for access to its markets and reducing its contributions to our collective security,” he said, condemning Trump’s trade war. Carney said Canada would pursue new security relationships with “like-minded partners,” with a specific focus on Europe. “We are actively seeking to strengthen transatlantic security,” he said, indicating a Canada-EU summit this month will be “will be more important than ever.”- ‘Vulnerable’ Arctic-Since taking office in mid-March, Carney has emphasized the changing security landscape in Canada’s Arctic, where receding ice caused by climate change is opening the region’s vast natural resources to fierce competition. Carney has previously announced plans to substantially expand Canada’s military presence in the region, and on Monday he said the “Arctic is becoming more accessible and vulnerable to commercial and military activities.”Russia and China are seen as two major rivals who could present increasing Artic security challenges in the years ahead. Carney framed Monday’s military spending announcement as a move designed “to protect Canadians, not to satisfy NATO accountants.”He noted the country’s military infrastructure was ageing, with only one of four submarines deemed seaworthy, and less than half of maritime fleet and land vehicles operational. 

Tensions flared again Monday among jurors in the sex crimes retrial of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, raising the risk of a deadlocked jury and a mistrial.As court proceedings resumed Monday morning in the New York courtroom, Judge Curtis Farber read aloud two notes sent to him by the 12-member jury deliberating behind closed doors.In the first note, a juror expressed a desire to talk to Farber “about the situation that isn’t very good.”In the second, jurors wrote they “request the entire definition of reasonable doubt and rules of the jury especially to avoid a hung jury.”A hung jury occurs when a judge acknowledges that jurors have been unable to reach a unanimous decision after several days of deliberations. In that case, a mistrial is declared and a new trial may be held.On Monday morning, Weinstein, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, looked on impassively from his wheelchair, as the judge, prosecutors and his lawyers engaged in tense discussions.The jury must decide whether Weinstein — accused by dozens of women of being a sexual predator — is guilty of sexual assaults in 2006 on Haley and former model Kaja Sokola, and of rape in 2013 of then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann.Weinstein is on trial again after a New York state appeals court threw out his 2020 convictions, citing irregularities in the original proceedings. The former movie industry titan’s 23-year prison sentence for the initial conviction was thrown out, but he remains imprisoned for separate offenses.On Friday, one juror came forward to report tensions between his fellow panelists, alleging “people are being shunned. It’s playground stuff.”He asked to resign as a juror, but Farber denied his request.

NATO head Mark Rutte on Monday urged a “quantum leap” in defence capabilities including a “400-percent increase” in air and missile defence to shield the alliance against Russia.His comments came as he pushes for NATO members to commit to ramping up defence spending at a key summit of the western military alliance later this month.”We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” the NATO secretary general said in a speech to the Chatham House think-tank in London.To maintain credible deterrence and defence, NATO needs “a 400-percent increase in air and missile defence”, the former Dutch prime minister added.”The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence,” he said.Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure.The proposal is a compromise deal designed to satisfy US President Donald Trump, who has demanded that allies each spend five percent of economic output on defence, up from a current commitment of two percent.Rutte said he “expects” leaders to agree to the proposal at the summit of the 32-country alliance on June 24-25 in The Hague.”It will be a NATO-wide commitment and a defining moment for the alliance,” he said in his speech.Russia condemned Rutte’s comments before he took to the stage, denouncing NATO as “an instrument of aggression”.NATO “is demonstrating itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.Rutte’s speech came after he met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, their second Downing Street talks since the Labour leader came into power in July 2024.Starmer’s government this year pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, but has not yet set a firm timeline for further hikes.On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada would hit two percent this year.US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said last week the allies were close to an agreement on the split five-percent target.”That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up,” he said on Thursday.- ‘Fairer, more lethal alliance’ -NATO members have been scrambling to bolster their defence capabilities since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Trump’s return to the White House in January, and question marks over his commitment to European security, has added urgency.”Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends,” Rutte said at Chatham House.”We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full.” He added that Russia currently produces the same amount of ammunition in three months as “the whole of NATO produces in a year”.”Our militaries also need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells,” Rutte added.Britain announced plans last week to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and six munitions factories to rearm the country in response to what it said were threats from Russia.Rutte also warned that China is “modernizing and expanding its military at breakneck speed”.”NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance,” he added.And he warned that if countries cannot commit to 5.0 percent for defence spending “you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries, their health systems, the pension system, etc, but you better learn to speak Russian. I mean, that’s the consequence”.

Los Angeles was on edge Monday after violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces over immigration raids, with the Californian governor vowing to sue President Donald Trump for deploying National Guard soldiers.Police stood watch after ordering people not to gather in the city’s downtown where cars were torched over the weekend and security forces fired tear gas at protesters.”This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted,” Governor Gavin Newsom said on social media. “He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard.””We’re suing him.”The White House also ratcheted up the standoff between the hard-charging Republican president and California’s Democrat-led authorities.”Gavin Newsom did nothing as violent riots erupted in Los Angeles for days,” Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted Monday. “President Trump has stepped in to maintain law and order.”She added that “America must reverse the invasion unleashed by (former president) Joe Biden of millions of unvetted illegal aliens into our country.”The protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, were triggered by raids and dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members.Critics say Trump — who has made clamping down on illegal migration a key pillar of his second term — deliberately stoked tensions by sending in California’s National Guard, a stand-by military usually controlled by the state governor.”You have the National Guard with loaded magazines and large guns standing around trying to intimidate Americans,” protester Thomas Henning told AFP on the scene Sunday.- ‘BRING IN THE TROOPS!’ -On Monday morning, a heavy police presence patrolled mostly deserted streets. A few protesters remained overnight, with some lobbing projectiles and fireworks, according to TV coverage.Trump called the protesters “insurrectionists,” and demanded authorities arrest people in face masks.”BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.At least three self-driving Waymo cars were torched Sunday, and local law enforcement deployed tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse protesters.An Australian reporter was hit in the leg with a rubber bullet fired by a police officer on live television. Her employer later said she was unharmed.Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers set up containment lines to keep demonstrators separated from armed National Guardsmen from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in helmets and camouflage gear.At least 56 people were arrested over two days and three officers suffered minor injuries, the LAPD said.Police in San Francisco said on Sunday about 60 people had been arrested in similar protests in the northern Californian city.Trump was unrepentant when asked about the use of troops, hinting at deployment nationwide.”You’re going to see some very strong law and order,” he told reporters Sunday.Asked about invoking the Insurrection Act — which would allow the military to be used as a domestic police force — Trump said: “We’re looking at troops everywhere. We’re not going to let this happen to our country.”About 500 Marines were officially put in “a prepared-to-deploy status.”The National Guard is frequently used in natural disasters, and occasionally in civil unrest, but almost always with the consent of local authorities.Trump’s deployment of the force — the first over the head of a state governor since 1965 at the height of the civil rights movement — was criticized by Democrats, including Kamala Harris.The former vice president called it “a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday condemned violence, while calling on the United States to respect migrant rights.Sheinbaum urged Mexicans living in the United States “to act peacefully and not give in to provocations.”

NATO head Mark Rutte was on Monday to urge a “quantum leap” in defence capabilities including a “400-percent increase” in air and missile defence to shield the alliance against Russia.”We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” the NATO secretary general Rutte was to say in a speech to the Chatham House think-tank in London, according to comments released in a statement.To maintain credible deterrence and defence, NATO needs “a 400-percent increase in air and missile defence”.”The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence,” he was to say.Rutte will meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday ahead of his speech, their second Downing Street talks since the Labour leader came into power in July 2024.Rutte’s comments come ahead of a NATO summit in the Netherlands this month.But they were swiftly condemned by Moscow, which denounced NATO as “an instrument of aggression” ahead of Rutte’s speech.NATO “is demonstrating itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.US President Donald Trump is pressing alliance members to announce a major boost in their military budgets.He is pushing NATO members to increase their defence spending to five percent of their gross domestic product (GDP), up from the current target of two percent. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said last week in Brussels that the allies were close to an agreement on the five-percent target, which could be formalised at the summit in The Hague.”This alliance, we believe, in a matter of weeks, will be committing to five percent — 3.5 percent in hard military and 1.5 percent in infrastructure and defence-related activities,” Hegseth said on Thursday. “That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up.”- ‘Stronger, fairer alliance’ -NATO members have been scrambling to bolster their defence capabilities since Russia launched its war against Ukraine in February 2022.”Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends,” Rutte was to say on Monday.”We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full.””Our militaries also need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells.”Britain announced plans last week to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and six munitions factories to rearm the country in response to what it said were threats from Russia.Earlier this year, Starmer’s government pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, but has not yet set a firm timeline for further hikes.”NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance,” Rutte will add.