EU agrees three-euro small parcel tax to tackle China flood

EU finance ministers agreed Friday to impose a three-euro duty on low-value imports into the bloc from July 2026 to help tackle a flood of small parcels ordered via the likes of Shein and Temu.Last year, 4.6 billion small retail packages entered the European Union — more than 145 per second — with 91 percent originating in China and their numbers expected to keep rising.Starting at three euros, the new fee will apply once per item in cases where packages contain different products, but only once if they contain multiples of the same item, a spokesperson for the European Council told AFP.The move comes a month after the EU agreed to scrap a duty exemption for parcels worth less than 150 euros ($174) imported directly to consumers in the 27-nation bloc, in many cases via Chinese-founded platforms.The levy will be introduced on a temporary basis starting July 1, staying in place until the bloc can settle on a permanent solution for taxing such imports.”This temporary measure responds to the fact that such parcels currently enter the EU duty free, leading to unfair competition for EU sellers, health and safety risks for consumers, high levels of fraud and environmental concerns,” the Council, which represents EU member states, said in a statement.- ‘Major victory’ -European retailers argue they face unfair competition from overseas platforms, such as AliExpress, Shein and Temu, which they claim do not always comply with the EU’s stringent rules on products.Key EU power France has made the matter a priority, given the around 800 million such packages shipped to the country last year and strong domestic pressure to take action.French Finance Minister Roland Lescure welcomed the flat tax as “a major victory for the European Union”.”Europe is taking concrete steps to protect its single market, its consumers and its sovereignty,” he said.The move comes as the EU strives to bolster the continent’s competitiveness by making the lives of European businesses easier through slashing red tape.Alongside ending the duty exemption, the EU executive in May proposed a small package handling fee worth two euros. EU member states have yet to agree on the level of that fee, but hope it will apply from late 2026.Fed up with waiting, some states have already moved forward with their own plans, including Romania, which has imposed a five-euro fee on small parcels.

Iran arrests Nobel-prize winning activist Narges Mohammadi: supporters

Iranian security forces on Friday “violently” arrested the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi along with at least eight other activists at a memorial ceremony for a lawyer who died earlier this month, her supporters said.Mohammadi, who was granted temporary leave from prison in December 2024, was detained along with eight other activists at the ceremony for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week, her foundation wrote on X.Those arrested at the ceremony in the eastern city of Mashhad included Mohammadi’s fellow prominent activist Sepideh Gholian, who had previously been jailed alongside her in Tehran’s Evin prison.Also writing on X, Mohammadi’s Paris-based husband, Taghi Rahmani, confirmed the arrests. The Hengaw rights group said the activists had been “violently detained and transferred to an undisclosed location”.”Narges was beaten on the legs and she was held by her hair and dragged down,” one of her brothers, Hamid Mohammadi, told AFP in Oslo where he lives.Alikordi, 45, was a lawyer who had defended clients in sensitive cases, including people arrested in a crackdown on nationwide protests that erupted in 2022.His body was found on December 5, with rights groups calling for an investigation into his death, which Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said “had very serious suspicion of a state murder”.The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) posted footage of Mohammadi, who was not wearing the headscarf women are obliged to wear in public in the Islamic republic, attending the ceremony with a crowd of other supporters of Alikordi.It said they shouted slogans including “Long live Iran,” “We fight, we die, we accept no humiliation” and “Death to the dictator” at the ceremony which, in line with Islamic tradition, marked seven days since Alikordi’s death.Other footage broadcast by Persian-language television channels based outside Iran showed Mohammadi climbing on top of a vehicle with a microphone and encouraging people to chant slogans.- Years behind bars -Mohammadi, 53, who was last arrested in November 2021, has spent much of the past decade behind bars. Her two twin children received the Nobel prize in Oslo on her behalf in 2023, and she has now not seen them for 11 years. Mohammadi said last month in a message marking the 19th birthday of her twins that she had been permanently barred from leaving Iran.But she has remained defiant outside jail, refusing to wear the headscarf, addressing foreign audiences via video conferences and meeting activists across Iran.Her temporary release in December 2024 was allowed on health grounds after problems related to her lungs and other issues. But supporters have warned she could be re-arrested at any time.”In the prison, she had lots of complications. Her lungs, her heart, she has had some operations,” said Hamid Mohammadi. “I’m not worried that she is arrested. She’s been arrested a lot of times, but what worries me most is that they will put a lot of pressure on her physical and psychological condition. And it might lead to again experiencing those complications,” he added.She won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her two-decade fight for human rights in the Islamic republic and strongly backed the 2022-2023 protests sparked by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.Mohammadi has also regularly predicted the downfall of the clerical system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.The clerical authorities were shaken by the months-long protest movement calling for women to dress freely but also making wider political demands. It only dwindled in the face of an intense crackdown that was condemned by the international community.In the birthday message to her twins, she said while Iranian authorities “stamp the word ‘permanent’ on our documents they themselves live each day in fear of the fall that will inevitably come at the hands of the people of Iran”.

Biathlon: à Hochfilzen, Jeanmonnot retrouve la victoire, Perrot monte en puissance

Sous le soleil du Tyrol autrichien à Hochfilzen, Lou Jeanmonnot a signé vendredi sa première victoire de l’hiver en Coupe du monde de biathlon, alors que chez les hommes, Eric Perrot monte en puissance avec une deuxième place.Après une ouverture de saison en demi-teinte en Suède à Ostersund sur les courses en solo (4e de l’individuel, 11e du sprint et 16e de la poursuite), Lou Jeanmonnot a corrigé le tir dès l’étape de Hochfilzen, à 1.000 mètres d’altitude.”La course n’est pas parfaite, dans le sens où le tir n’est pas rapide. Mais je suis fière d’avoir réussi à régler ce tir debout, parce que c’était nécessaire”, a expliqué à l’AFP après la course Lou Jeanmonnot.Pour la première fois de la saison, elle a blanchi toutes ses cibles (10/10), en marquant notamment un arrêt sur son tir debout. “J’avais un peu peur de ce tir de manière générale sur les dernières semaines. Valider avec ce plein, ça fait du bien”, a souligné la Franc-Comtoise de 27 ans.”Ca veut dire qu’elle était vraiment présente, elle a su s’adapter, patienter. Elle n’est pas restée stéréotypée. Ca montre un caractère”, a apprécié l’entraîneur des Bleues au tir, Jean-Paul Giachino.- “C’est lourd” -Rapide sur les skis, comme l’ensemble des Français vendredi, elle a terminé avec une quinzaine de secondes d’avance sur la Norvégienne Maren Kirkeeide (2e) et la Suédoise Anna Magnusson (3e). Le reste des concurrentes est relégué à une demi-minute au moins.Camille Bened a confirmé sa première étape réussie à Ostersund (3e de l’individuel), avec une 6e place à une trentaine de secondes de Jeanmonnot. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (15e, 7/10), Jeanne Richard (16e, 9/10) et Julia Simon (19e, 9/10) partiront dimanche en poursuite dans un groupe à une minute de la tête.Simon a effectué son retour cette semaine dans le groupe français, après son mois de suspension, à la suite de sa condamnation à trois mois de prison avec sursis pour vol et fraude à la carte bancaire, après deux plaintes déposées, dont une par Justine Braisaz-Bouchet.Leader de l’équipe de France féminine, Lou Jeanmonnot s’est confiée sur les conséquences de cette affaire, regrettant cette ambiance lourde ces trois dernières années au sein du groupe.”C’est lourd, ce n’est pas comme ça que j’aurais voulu vivre ma carrière en équipe de France A. J’aurais aimé que ce soit comme quand j’étais cadette, que j’aille à l’entraînement avec des copines, et heureuse d’y aller. Malheureusement, ce n’est pas le cas. Mais on a appris à faire avec. Je fais au mieux pour soutenir Justine, qui est une personne en or”, a commenté Jeanmonnot au micro de la chaîne L’Equipe.En matinée, Eric Perrot est aussi monté en régime. Auteur d’un 10/10, il a pris la deuxième place derrière l’Italien Tommaso Giacomel, effaçant immédiatement la frustration d’un premier podium manqué la semaine dernière sur la poursuite à Ostersund.- “Montée crescendo” -“Ça fait plaisir quand tout se passe bien, j’ai réussi à faire un bon tir solide qui me permet de jouer devant aujourd’hui. De toutes façons, on sait que ça passe par là”, a réagi Perrot auprès de l’AFP.”Il me manque un tout petit peu pour la victoire, mais c’est ce qui va venir si je continue à faire du bon boulot”, a ajouté le biathlète de 24 ans.”Je sais que ça augmente course après course. Je pense que ça ne va aller que de mieux en mieux, en tout cas c’est ce qui se passe chaque année”, prévient Perrot.A Hochfilzen, il aura une première occasion de monter encore en puissance dès samedi (12h00) avec la poursuite, avec des écarts très resserrés entre les 16 premiers (moins d’une minute).Avec Perrot, trois autres Français ont joué placés avec la 10e place de Quentin Fillon Maillet (9/10), la 11e de Fabien Claude (8/10) et la 14e d’Emilien Jacquelin, malgré trois fautes sur le tir debout (7/10). Ils partiront groupés à une cinquantaine de secondes de la tête.

A close-up of a stack of newspapers resting on a desk, symbolizing information and media.

Le Conseil d’État interdit de tirer sur les loups des Hautes-Pyrénées

Le Conseil d’État a annulé vendredi un arrêté préfectoral autorisant un éleveur des Hautes-Pyrénées à tirer en direction de loups pour protéger son troupeau, l’espèce étant très rare dans ce département.”La population de loups dans le département des Hautes-Pyrénées est très réduite, un unique spécimen mâle ayant été identifié à ce jour”, a relevé la plus haute juridiction administrative.En avril, cet arrêté du préfet à Tarbes autorisait le président du groupement pastoral de Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre, près de Lourdes, “à effectuer des tirs de défense simple en vue de la défense de son troupeau contre la prédation du loup”.Attaqué par une association de défense des animaux, Ferus, l’arrêté avait été conforté en juillet par le tribunal administratif de Pau.Le Conseil d’État n’a pas eu la même lecture, condamnant par ailleurs l’État à verser 3.000 euros à l’association pour ses frais de justice.Pour lui, l’arrêté préfectoral visé “est susceptible de porter atteinte à l’état de conservation de l’espèce au niveau local”.La portée de cette décision, limitée à un département, cache un conflit national entre éleveurs et défenseurs de la faune sauvage sur le statut de cette espèce protégée.Les éleveurs accusent l’État de sous-estimer la population de ces prédateurs. Ils ont dénoncé un “refus persistant d’affronter la réalité du terrain” quand, fin novembre, la préfecture de la région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, référente nationale pour cette espèce, a estimé à 1.082 le nombre de loups en France, contre 1.013 un an auparavant.À partir du 1er janvier, la réglementation change et autorisera tout éleveur, ou chasseur mandaté par un éleveur, à tuer un loup dans le cas où il attaquerait son troupeau. L’autorisation préalable nécessaire jusque-là est supprimée, au profit d’une déclaration en préfecture a posteriori.L’immense majorité des meutes en France est localisée dans les Alpes. Mais les loups s’installent progressivement dans les autres régions de montagne: Massif central, Jura, Vosges et Pyrénées.

Gaza civil defence says 13 dead as heavy rains batter territory

Gaza’s civil defence agency on Friday said at least 13 people had died in the last 24 hours, including three children who died from exposure to the cold, as a winter storm batters the territory.Heavy rain from Storm Byron has flooded tents and temporary shelters across the Gaza Strip since late Wednesday, compounding the suffering of the territory’s residents, nearly all of whom were displaced during more than two years of war.Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, told AFP three children had died from exposure to the cold — two in Gaza City and one in Khan Yunis in the south.Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City confirmed the deaths of Hadeel al-Masri, aged nine, and Taim al-Khawaja, who it said was just several months old.Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis on Thursday said eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar had died in the nearby tented encampment of Al-Mawasi due to the cold.With most of Gaza’s buildings destroyed or damaged, thousands of tents and homemade shelters now line areas cleared of rubble.Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said six people died when a house collapsed in the Bir al-Naja area of the northern Gaza Strip.Four others died when walls collapsed in multiple separate incidents, he said.In a statement, the civil defence said its teams had responded to calls from “13 houses that collapsed due to heavy rains and strong winds, mostly in Gaza City and the north”.- No dry clothes -Under gloomy skies in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinians used bowls, buckets and hoes to try and remove the water that had pooled around their tents made of plastic sheeting.Young children, some barefoot and others wearing open sandals, trudged and hopped through ponds of muddy water as the rain continued to fall.”The mattress has been soaked since this morning, and the children slept in wet bedding last night,” Umm Muhammad Joudah told AFP.”We don’t have any dry clothes to change into.”Saif Ayman, a 17-year-old who was on crutches due to a leg injury, said his tent had also been submerged.”In this tent we have no blankets. There are six of us sleeping on one mattress, and we cover ourselves with our clothes,” he said.The Hamas-run interior and national security ministry gave a preliminary toll of 14 dead due to the effects of the winter rains since Wednesday.A ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas that took effect in October has partially eased restrictions on goods and aid entering into the Gaza Strip.But supplies have entered in insufficient quantities, according to the United Nations, and the humanitarian needs are still immense.The UN’s World Health Organization warned on Friday that thousands of families were “sheltering in low-lying or debris-filled coastal areas with no drainage or protective barriers”.”Winter conditions, combined with poor water and sanitation, are expected to drive a surge in acute respiratory infections,” it added.