Category World News

After Morocco’s 60th nation ratifies it, the first-ever treaty to safeguard marine diversity in international waters will enter force at the beginning of the year.

The Marine Biodiversity Treaty, which was officially adopted in Morocco on Friday, will now go into effect on January 17, 2026, providing new protections for an area that includes up to 10 million different species, many of which are still unidentified.

As the world’s oceans are increasingly threatened by climate change, overfishing, and deep-sea mining, which President Trump has pledged to help restart in international waters, nations have rushed to ratify the agreement.

The treaty’s entry into force, according to Morocco’s Mission to the UN, marked a “milestone for the protection of the ocean” and a “collective commitment” to protecting “marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the nations that had so far ratified the agreement and referred to it as “a lifeline for the ocean and humanity” from issues like “climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.”

The agreement, which covers more than two-thirds of the ocean, establishes binding guidelines to protect and sustainably use marine biodiversity, increase benefits, establish protected areas, and advance science and capacity-building, Guterres said, urging governments that have not yet joined to do so without delay.

Additional 122 nations, as well as the European Union, have signed the agreement, indicating their intention to ratify it, in addition to the 60 countries that have already done so.

A true test awaits.

The “true test” of the treaty, according to Leneka Rhoden, the Caribbean Regional Coordinator at the High Seas Alliance, is now “lie in the implementation.”

Our communities already suffer from the effects of ocean degradation and climate change, and we rely heavily on healthy marine ecosystems for food security, livelihoods, and cultural identity, Rhoden said in a statement.

We are confident that this agreement will fulfill its promise to protect the most vulnerable from harm, fair access to resources, and resilience, she continued.

No punitive enforcement body of its own is provided by the treaty. Instead, individual nations are largely responsible for regulating their own ships and businesses. It’s Germany’s responsibility to act if a ship carrying a German flag, for instance, according to Torsten Thiele, the Global Ocean Trust’s expert on ocean governance and blue finance. He argued that this makes ratification by everyone necessary.

He said, “People who haven’t signed up will argue that they are not bound,” if they do.

The High Seas are what?

The international waters that are located outside of any particular nation’s exclusive economic zone, which account for nearly two-thirds of the ocean’s surface and nearly half of the world’s surface.

Beyond the boundaries of national jurisdiction, it also includes what is known as “the Area,” abbreviated as “the Seabed and Subsoil.” that makes up the seafloor of the planet for only about half.

A Conference of the Parties (COP), a decision-making body, will now have to collaborate with regional and international organizations that already oversee various oceans, such as the International Seabed Authority.

Risikens of deep-sea mining

As a few governments and businesses push to quickly expand deep-sea mining, one of the goals of the Marine Biodiversity Treaty is to make sure that countries work toward more fair and equitable sharing of benefits from activities related to marine biodiversity outside of any one nation.

Environmentalists worry that the potential effects of removing deep-sea minerals from the ocean floor, including putting an end to ancient lifeforms like dumbo octopuses and twilight zone corals, will be difficult to predict and will cause even greater distress to whales by altering their sonar communication.

At least 38 nations are pressing for a moratorium on deep-sea mining until more information is available about the potential harm to marine ecosystems, including those that have not yet been explored.

While other nations, including the US under Trump and the small Pacific island nation of Nauru, want to advance, they include island states like the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu as well as bigger nations like Brazil and the United Kingdom.

International efforts continue.

Despite opposition from some governments, the Marine Biodiversity Treaty is the most recent illustration of ongoing efforts to combat environmental threats at the global level.

A global fuel emissions standard for the maritime sector was agreed upon earlier this year by nations at the UN shipping agency. It will reward ships that reduce their emissions and impose an emissions fee on dirty fuels.

After the US pulled out of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) climate discussions in London, the organization reached a compromise that would require “reciprocal measures” to be put in place to cover any fees levied on US ships.

Due to the six-month delay in the development of a landmark treaty to combat plastic pollution, international discussions to develop a landmark treaty failed in August.

The UN’s highest court, however, determined in July that nations must fulfill their climate obligations and that failing to do so could violate international law, potentially allowing the affected countries to seek reparations in upcoming legal proceedings.

A Kenyan court this week ordered the arrest and extradition of a British national who is alleged to have murdered a 21-year-old woman in a town close to a Kenyan army training camp in 2012?

The young woman’s murder in Nanyuki, central Kenya, shook her community and sparked outrage nationwide, as a result of the ruling.

No suspects have been tried despite Nanyuki community members’ repeated accusations of gross misconduct against British soldiers stationed close to the town.

According to the UK’s Guardian newspaper, if the extradition is continued, it could be the first time a current or former British soldier will be extradited to a foreign country to stand trial for a murder of a civilian. The UK government acknowledged the ruling and pledged to work with Kenyan authorities in the case in a statement.

Wanjiru’s family responded to the ruling on Tuesday, saying they had waited too long for justice and hoped it would finally be served, per a report from The Associated Press (AP) news agency.

According to family spokesperson Esther Muchiri, “This is progress, but it is not justice yet.”

Agnes Wanjiru’s fate, what happened to her?

In Nanyuki, her hometown, Wanjiru, age 21, worked as a sex worker and hairdresser.

Wanjiru vanished on March 31 in the middle of nowhere. Witnesses reported that she was last seen at the Lion’s Court Lodge with fellow British soldiers on a night out. British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), a permanent garrison in Nanyuki, are a fan of the hotel.

Wanjiru’s body was discovered in a septic tank close to the hotel on June 5th.

A Kenyan magistrate said in a 2019 inquest that she had been beaten, stabbed, and was most likely still alive when she was thrown into the septic tank. The daughter of Wanjiru, who was just a few months old, is now 13 and is being cared for by her grandmother and an aunt.

In 2021, allegations of a British soldier’s murder were made public by a Sunday Times investigation that led to the alleged stabbery of Wanjiru in the chest and abdomen of “Soldier X,” who Wanjiru was last seen with. The soldier showed his colleagues where he dumped her body and revealed how he had acted. At least one of them notified BATUK’s senior commanders of this. If any steps were taken, it’s not clear.

In addition to making fun of the murdered woman in Facebook posts, “Soldier X” and a number of others were exposed in the Sunday Times investigation.

Initial resistance from her family members came from Kenya because the British government, under the former Conservative Party, claimed Kenyan courts lacked jurisdiction over British troops. However, the British government’s position changed following the Sunday Times exposé.

In order to allow British troops to be tried locally in Kenya, a UK parliament vote in April 2023 changed the security arrangements between the two nations. The Kenyan government formally opened an investigation into Wanjiru’s murder in August 2023. Investigators from Kenya are alleged to have visited the UK since then several times to speak with witnesses.

What was said by the judge?

On Tuesday, Justice Alexander Muteti of the Nairobi High Court issued a warrant for “one citizen and resident of the United Kingdom” and stated that there was “probable cause to order the arrest of the accused.”

Family members of the late woman questioned the court’s decision to not name the suspect.

British national linked to the murder of Agnes Wanjiru is arrested by DPP.

After the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was successful in obtaining a… picture, the fight for justice for Agnes Wanjiru, a young mother who was brutally murdered in Nanyuki more than a decade ago, has gained new momentum. Twitter.com/q5dPCwpLE

In a statement on X, Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) stated that “extradition proceedings would now be started to ensure the suspect is brought before a Kenyan court.”

The DPP informed the High Court of the fact that the suspect, a citizen of the United Kingdom, is a suspect in the murder, according to the statement, adding that extradition proceedings will be started.

The DPP stated that the case will be heard in court on October 21, 2025.

Describe BATUK.

A permanent training support force called the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), which is based on the outskirts of Nanyuki, has been in operation since Kenya gained independence in 1963. The BATUK training camp has hosted a large number of British infantrymen for challenging terrain exercises.

There are 280 UK-based short-term regiments that rotate, with roughly 100 permanent members. Both Kenyan troops and British troops stationed there are members of anti-terrorism squads that are focused on the armed group al-Shabab in neighboring Somalia.

Although the British soldiers’ presence has helped the local economy, there have been complaints about how the locals treat the local population and how they treat the environment. Residents of Nanyuki complain about the presence of white phosphorus, a lethal chemical, left behind after training exercises, as well as the explosion of bombs that have killed and injured community members. In one case from 2021, it is thought that the substance set off a sizable fire that destroyed large tracts of forest land.

There are numerous rumors that the soldiers pay local women for sex. In an effort to stop sexual exploitation and abuse, the UK’s Ministry of Defense outlawed the use of sex workers abroad in July 2022. However, according to a report released by the British army in August 2024, soldiers there were still using sex workers at a “low or moderate level” ().

What has the government of the UK said?

The British High Commission in Kenya reiterated earlier assurances that it would work with Kenyan authorities on the matter, but the AP reported that the agency had not confirmed or refuted the suspect’s extradition request.

In response to the decision, a spokesperson for the UK government told The Guardian: “Our thoughts are still with the family of Agnes Wanjiru and we are unwaveringly committed to supporting their pursuit of justice.”

The spokesperson continued, “We understand that the Kenyan director of public prosecutions has decided that a British national should be tried in connection with Ms Wanjiru’s 2012 murder.

We will not comment further at this time because this is still being litigated.

After eight years as a refugee in Pakistan, Nawab Din returned to his hometown of Wadir, high in the mountains of Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province, with a four-month stay.

He resides on his own farmland in a tent today. His house was completely destroyed by the earthquake, which has decimated the lives of thousands of people in this area.

The 55-year-old farmer said at his cousin’s shop in the nearby village of Noorgal, “We are living in tent camps now.” Our homes were dated, and neither were standing. During the earthquake, large boulders slammed into the mountain tops, destroying them all.

Din’s conflict perfectly captures the double disaster that many Afghans are facing. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than four million people have come back from Iran and Pakistan since September 2023.

More than 5, 000 homes were destroyed and 2,200 people died as a result of the earthquake’s, which added to the already-profound economic crisis.

“We lost everything in Pakistan, and now we’ve lost everything here,” Din continues.

After fleeing his village in Afghanistan eight years ago, ISIL (ISIS) fighters told him to join them or leave. He had been living in Daska, a city in Sialkot District of Pakistan, for eight years.

He explains that he was forced to immigrate to Pakistan and that he refrained from joining ISIL.

His exile came to an abrupt conclusion this year as the Pakistani government continues to crack down on illegal foreigners across the country.

He describes how Pakistani police took him and his family to a camp where they would be deported after raiding his home. He claims that when we were told our time there was up, we were forced to leave and that we were disappointed when we returned from Pakistan.

Before returning to our village, we had to spend two nights at the Torkham border crossing until the Afghan government had approved our stay.

Kunar experiences this struggle in equal measure. The 58-year-old Sadat Khan, who was renting a home until the earthquake, occupies a spot close to Noorgal, in the village of Barabat.

Khan’s wife and seven children could no longer depend on him because his health was deteriorating and he could no longer find employment. What little left for him has been destroyed by the earthquake.

“I also had a poor life in Pakistan.” He tells Al Jazeera, “My entire family depended on me because I was the only one who could work.” “We don’t know where the next meal will be,” the statement read. No jobs are available in this area. Additionally, my lungs are struggling. If I put in more effort, I’ll have trouble breathing.

He claims that there hasn’t been a response to his family’s request for a tent in the local authorities.

He claims that he requested a tent to be installed here after going to the authorities. I asked someone to give me a room for my children’s sake because we haven’t received anything. Now that the winter is upon us, my uncle had mercy on me and allowed me to stay in one of his homes.

One crisis out of many

The most obvious of the crises that Iran and Pakistan’s returnees are in is the earthquake, which is only the most obvious.

Our region is barren, and there is no stream or river close to the village, Din claims. Rainfall is a major factor in our farming and daily lives, and we haven’t seen much of it lately. Other people enquire as to how we can survive there because of the severe water shortage.

After the earthquake, nutritionist Dr. Farida Safi, who works at a field hospital run by Islamic Relief in Diwa Gul valley, claims malnutrition is a major issue.

She explains that the majority of those who have been affected by the earthquake have food deficiencies, most notably as a result of their village’s poor diet and access to nutrition. “Many malnourished children need to be treated,” said the doctor.

According to the plan, the Kunar government has begun building a new town that will include 382 residential plots, according to Kunar’s governor, Mawlawi Qudratullah.

The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing’s national programs include this one in Khas Kunar district, which aims to provide Afghan returnees with permanent housing. However, it’s not known how long these new homes will take construction, or whether or not returnees will receive farmland.

According to Qudratullah, “it will be for those who don’t have any land or home in this province.” And, in addition to the earthquake response, this project has already begun.

Such promises seem distant to those who reside in or are close to the remnants of their old homes. Nawab Din is consumed in Noorgal by the earthquake’s immediate fear of aftershocks and uncertainty regarding what will happen next.

He says, “I don’t know if the government will move us down to the plains or whether they will help us rebuild.” His voice is exhausting. However, I worry that as aftershocks continue to strike, sometimes so strong that the tents will shake, we will be forced to stay in camps.