Court in demand to nations over Paris accord

Strasbourg: The European Court of Human Rights is forcing the governments of 33 countries – including the UK – to prove they are cutting emissions in line with the requirements of the 2015 Paris climate accord.

The court has also rejected an attempt by those governments in the same case to overturn its decision to fast-track an ambitious climate change action brought by six young Portuguese activists.

The activists allege that the countries’ efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions are inadequate.

The governments had asked the court to drop its priority status for the case and hear their argument that the case is inadmissible, the activists’ legal representatives said.

But in the latest legal victory for the activists, the court dismissed the governments’ arguments against an urgent hearing and denied their application to defer scrutiny of their climate policies, the statement said. The governments now have until May 27 to submit their legal defence.

Canberra: Facebook has announced preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the country’s parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news.

Facebook said letters of intent had been signed with independent news organisations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media.

The commercial agreements are subject to the signing of full agreements within the next 60 days, a Facebook statement said.

“These agreements will bring a new slate of premium journalism, including some previously paywalled content, to Facebook,” the statement said.

Kabul: Three family members of an assassinated journalist in western Afghanistan have been killed by gunmen, local officials said.

The killings come amid a rising wave of attacks targeting journalists and activists.

The gunmen stormed the family home of Afghan journalist and activist Bismillah Adil Aimaq, who was shot dead in an attack near Ghor on January 1.

Ghor provincial council member Hamidullah Mutahid said that at least five others were wounded in the attack, all of whom were later said to be children.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Mr Aimaq’s family. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid quickly rejected the militant group’s involvement in the gun assault.

Santander: A Spanish zoo worker has died after an elephant struck him with her trunk.

Authorities in the Cantabria region are investigating after Joaquin Gutierrez died in hospital on Tuesday, several hours after a female elephant hit him while he was cleaning her enclosure at the Cabarceno Nature Park near Santander.

The blow knocked Mr Gutierrez, 44, backwards and he hit his head against the pen’s bars, officials said.

Mr Gutierrez had been working with elephants at the zoo for almost 20 years, according to local tourism chief Javier Lopez Marcano.

The elephant that struck him had a foot infection and is believed to be pregnant, Mr Marcano said.