PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, February 19: A landmark climate trial begins in France which will pit Paris City Hall and environmental advocacy groups against oil and gas giant TotalEnergies. The company stands accused of neglecting due diligence laws on respecting the environment through its business activities. Also, locals in Wellington, New Zealand are furious over sewage seeping directly into the sea after a wastewater treatment plant collapsed. Finally, Punch the baby macaque wins the internet's hearts. We start with early reactions in the Korea Times and Korea Joongang Daily after former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison. He was found guilty of trying to paralyse the functions of the National Assembly and disturbing the constitutional order, notably with his declaration of martial law, the papers note. Yoon was found guilty of "masterminding an insurrection." On FRANCE 24's website, we can read about the career of Yoon, a "self-styled anti-corruption crusader" who rose from star prosecutor to president in just a few years, before his downfall. In France, the papers focus on a landmark climate trial against oil and gas giant TotalEnergies. Paris City Hall is leading the charge in this trial, which will centre on corporate social responsibility. A coalition of environmental advocacy groups and Paris City Hall want the courts to oblige TotalEnergies to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by cutting its hydrocarbon production in order to meet the Paris Agreement targets set in 2015. Le Monde explains that the case is based on France's law of due diligence, which requires large corporations in France to identify risks and mitigate serious violations of human rights, health and the environment linked to their activities. L'Humanité, the communist paper, headlines with "Total in the dock." Le Monde notes that in an unusual move, the prosecutor's office intervened earlier this month as a joint party, aligning with TotalEnergies. They want to argue that the law of due diligence does not apply to climate change. This position, for L'Humanité, brings "unambiguous support for TotalEnergies". The French giant was the world's sixth-largest producer of oil and gas in 2024. L'Humanité reminds us that TotalEnergies has been the object of several trials in the past, notably in Uganda and Mozambique. In Mozambique, it was accused of war crimes, torture and forced disappearances last year after Mozambican civilians were tortured by soldiers guarding Total's gas site in 2021. Staying with the environment, the Guardian reports on a catastrophe engulfing the New Zealand capital of Wellington. More than two weeks after the catastrophic collapse of a wastewater treatment plant, toilets in Wellington continue to flush directly into the ocean. Millions of litres of raw and partially screened sewage have been pouring into reef and marine reserves since the beginning of the month, sparking anger and frustration at local authorities. There are fears for the safety of marine ecosystems – and local species like the little blue penguin. The Guardian explains that water management has long been a contentious issue in New Zealand, with a battle between national and local authorities over who centralises control of the services. Finally, a baby macaque has gone viral after being abandoned by its mother. Vanity Fair and Mashable report that the "internet is rooting for Punch". He's a six-month-old macaque living at a zoo in Chiba prefecture in Japan. As he was abandoned by his mother, zookeepers are hand-rearing him. To ease his anxiety and facilitate his social reinsertion, they gave him an orangutan plush toy, which Punch now takes everywhere with him. Videos of him snoozing with his orange toy have gone viral and have been viewed over 2 million times. Internet users have also rallied behind him under the hashtag ##HangInTherePunch! You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.
