UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivered a strong warning Monday about the future of the world’s oceans, highlighting threats from “predatory” deep-sea mining, plastic pollution, rising temperatures, and collapsing fish stocks.
Speaking at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, Guterres called the ocean “the ultimate shared resource” but said humanity is failing to protect it.
The conference aims to ratify the High Seas Treaty, adopted in 2023, which would give countries the authority to create protected marine areas across roughly two-thirds of the planet’s oceans — areas currently lacking regulation. Today, only about 8% of the oceans have conservation status, with just 1% fully protected.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the treaty as “a done deal,” with 50 countries ratifying it and another 15 promising to do so. Macron also announced plans to partially ban destructive bottom-trawling fishing in half of France’s protected marine areas, though some conservationists say this does not go far enough.
Guterres warned especially against unregulated deep-sea mining, calling it a threat that could turn the ocean floor into a “wild west.” Several nations, including China and Russia, are keen to explore underwater mineral resources. Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized this “predatory race” for critical minerals, with Macron calling for an international moratorium.
Small island nations — facing rising sea levels, polluted waters, and depleted fish stocks — urged larger countries to prove their commitment to ocean protection. Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr challenged the global community: “If you are serious about protecting the ocean, prove it.”
The UN also announced plans to mobilize new funding sources to meet an estimated $175 billion annual investment needed to restore ocean health by 2028. Currently, investment falls far short, with $10 billion spent globally between 2015 and 2019.
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Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
The U.S military said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran on Thursday (7 May). Meanwhile, Iran's Joint Military Command accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire, by striking an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on several Iranian cities.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though both sides signalled they did not want escalation. The clashes come as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a proposed deal to end the war while leaving key disputes, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, unresolved for now.
Singapore has isolated and is testing two of its residents who travelled aboard a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Ukraine’s military said it struck a Russian Karakurt-class small missile carrier in the Caspian Sea near Russia’s Dagestan region on Thursday. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, according to Kyiv.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to carry on as leader on Friday (8 May) after his ruling Labour Party suffered heavy losses in local elections. Labour lost hundreds of councillors across the country, as some figures in the party said he should stand down.
Indonesian rescue teams have located two Singaporeans who went missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday (8 May) on the island of Halmahera, though authorities say it remains unclear whether they are alive.
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) on Friday (8 May), following an order from President Donald Trump. U.S. officials described as a push for “unprecedented transparency”.
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