内容摘要：The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 55 hostages, more than half believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 55 hostages, more than half believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

People enjoy the beach as vessels sail during the “Ocean Wonders” themed event in honor of World Oceans Day ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Nice, France. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)People enjoy the beach as vessels sail during the “Ocean Wonders” themed event in honor of World Oceans Day ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Nice, France. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Beyond new commitments, the conference highlights the growing gap between marine protection declarations and real-world conservation.France, the conference co-host, claims to have surpassed the 30% target for marine protection. But environmental groups say only 3% of French waters are fully protected from harmful activities like bottom trawling and industrial fishing.In 2024 alone, more than 100 bottom-trawling vessels were recorded spending over 17,000 hours fishing within France’s six marine nature parks, according to ocean advocacy group

“The government declares these as protected areas, but this is a lie,” said Enric Sala, founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas marine reserve project. “Most of it is political box-ticking. It’s all paper parks.”That criticism is echoed across the continent. A new

found that although more than 11% of Europe’s marine area is designated for protection, just 2% of EU waters have management plans in place.

Fabien Boileau, director of marine protected areas at France’s Office for Biodiversity, acknowledged the presence of bottom trawling in French protected areas, but said it was part of a phased strategy.Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visitSydney Moore and Sabrina Ootsburg were surrounded by hundreds of college athletes at AthleteCon when news broke that the $2.8 billion NCAA settlement had been

by a federal judge. In a room full of college athletes, they felt like the only two people who understood the gravity of the situation.“I’m about to get paid,” Moore said a Division I football player told her.