Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

Greenpeace UK has today written to the Crown Estate threatening legal action over the way it leases plots on the seabed to offshore wind developers. The environmental group said the bidding process leads to developers paying ‘extortionate’ fees for plots on which to build new wind farms, and that the Crown Estate is exploiting its monopoly of the seabed. [1]

The move comes as new research suggests the uncapped bidding process could add up to £38 per year onto the average household energy bill in the UK. [2] From today, the Ofgem energy price cap rises to approximately £1,723 per year for a typical household energy bill – an increase of about £60.

Greenpeace UK’s legal challenge focuses on the Morgan Offshore Wind Project off the coast of Lancashire in the Irish Sea. The previous developers pulled out of the 1.5GW project in January, and the Crown Estate announced in July it was seeking a new developer before the end of this year. But Greenpease understands the ‘streamlined process’ still includes uncapped fees.

Last October, Greenpeace raised the alarm that the Crown Estate is exploiting its monopoly position as legal owner of the entire UK seabed outside of Scotland to charge hefty fees for leases of the seabed. For its fourth leasing round in 2019, the estate moved to an uncapped bidding process that resulted in developers paying much higher option fees. 

This has massively boosted the estate’s profits and the Royal Household’s income, at the expense of the wind power sector and energy bill payers. The estate made over £1 billion in 2024/25 and its profits have skyrocketed, turning the seabed into its most lucrative source of revenue. At the same time, the Crown Estate Commissioner’s pay has risen fivefold from around £385,000 a year in the period 2015-2020 to a staggering £1.9m in 2024/25. 

Will McCallum, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK said: “The Crown Estate is acting like the cat that got the cream. Its role may be to extract profit from the King’s land, but that must not be at the expense of the common good. Accelerating homegrown renewable energy is the aim of this government and the solution to sky-high energy bills, so why is the estate cranking up costs for developers and households? Its latest plan to auction the Morgan site shows it remains intent on milking the seabed for every last penny of profit. The Chancellor should step in and put a cap on these fees to help lower bills and stop this outrageous profiteering”

A report published this week by the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, based at the University of Oxford, finds that the option fees paid to the Crown Estate mean that developers need to sell electricity at prices 30-59% higher than they would without the fees. It also finds that if all new offshore wind projects to meet the government’s 2030 Clean Power target passed these additional prices on to bills, it would cost consumers an extra £36-£72 billion between 2035 and 2054. This would add roughly £19 to £38 to household energy bills in 2035, falling to £14 to £29 by 2054.

For comparison, the cut in VAT on electricity bills that Andy Burnham announced on his first day as prime minister, which comes into force today, should reduce bills by about £45 a year.

Despite negotiations with Greenpeace leading to some minor changes, the group alleges in its ‘pre-action protocol’ letter to the Crown Estate that the Morgan auction “suffers from materially the same legal defects” as previous auction rounds, and that this approach represents a “continuation of their short-sighted and irresponsible disregard for the impact that extortionate lease pricing would have on the offshore wind market”.

Greenpeace is concerned the conditions of the Morgan auction could be replicated in future leasing rounds for much larger areas of the seabed. The campaign group is calling for the Chancellor to intervene to ensure the Crown Estate puts a cap on option fees including in the sixth round expected to launch in the first half of next year. The excess profits from the last auction round should be invested in measures to conserve the seabed around the British isles.  

Ends

For interviews, or a copy of the legal letter sent to the Crown Estate, contact press.uk@greenpeace.org / 020 7865 8255  

Notes:

[1] The Crown Estate manages all of the land and property belonging to the King, and provides revenue to the Treasury and the Royal Household. As the legal owner of the entire UK seabed outside of Scotland, it runs auctions to lease blocks of seabed to offshore wind developers, generating income from option fees and leasehold rents.

[2] The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment report, Headwinds: how seabed leasing risks adding costs to clean energy, can be found here.

Source: Amnesty International –

• Ex-security agent provides rare first-hand insight into how Morocco surveillance system works from the inside. 

• Targets secretly recorded in detention, offices, homes, cars and airports 

• Intelligence services conspired with phone shop owners to sell phones pre-infected with spyware 

Authorities in Morocco operate an expansive and vast surveillance apparatus that combines digital and analogue tools to track, monitor and ultimately silence journalists, activists and other critical voices, Amnesty International said in a new report. 

We start with the verdict: Inside Morocco’s surveillance machine reveals how Moroccan authorities use unlawful surveillance to target human rights defenders, journalists and other dissenting voices and subject them to criminal prosecutions, judicial harassment and other forms of repression in violation of their rights to privacy, liberty, and freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.  

“Morocco has wholly embraced techno-authoritarian practices, acquiring a wide range of surveillance technologies to establish and enable a repressive system specifically designed to instill fear among human rights activists and journalists, silence their voices and obstruct their work inside and outside Morocco,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. 

Morocco has repeatedly denied using spyware to spy on its citizens. However, new evidence obtained by Amnesty International including whistleblower testimony, leaked surveillance data, government spyware targeting records and material from companies selling surveillance tools proves the opposite. Drawing on this evidence, the organization documents not only the range of tools and techniques used to target dissent, but the web of international vendors providing them. 

“Our report provides the most detailed picture to date of the tools deployed by the Moroccan authorities, such as high-tech spyware, audio bugging systems and trackers to spy on journalists, human rights defenders and other individuals. Morocco’s surveillance tools are purchased from corporate actors based in Israel, the EU and the United States of America, and including NSO Group, the now defunct Italian spyware company Hacking Team, now known as Memento Labs, and the British-German network of companies Gamma Group and FinFisher. 

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

“This is another demonstration of a global economy of techno-oppression, enabled by companies and States failing to uphold their obligations under international law. 

“This repressive ecosystem makes it difficult, and dangerous for people in Morocco to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Even after they have been released from prison, they continue to live under the shadow of surveillance and are subject to smear campaigns with private details that can only be obtained through surveillance. Moroccan authorities must immediately end the unlawful surveillance of human rights defenders and journalists,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.  

Forensic evidence unearthed by Amnesty International demonstrates how human rights defenders were targeted using multiple infection methods, including physical infection of devices; 1-click attacks, which typically rely on the victim clicking on a malicious link; zero-click attacks, which can infect a target without them having to click a link, or take any action; and network injection attacks, delivered via the state-owned Maroc Telecom network. 

Source: Amnesty International –

In response to the attack reportedly carried out on 28 September by members of the armed gang Kokorat San Ras in Gros-Morne, Artibonite department, in which at least 11 people were killed and several others injured according to available information, Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Americas Director, said:

“Once again, a Haitian community is mourning after a brutal attack by armed gangs. The killings in Gros-Morne reveal an unbearable reality: as violence continues to spread beyond Port-au-Prince, people are paying with their lives for a deepening crisis.

The killings in Gros-Morne reveal an unbearable reality: as violence continues to spread beyond Port-au-Prince, people are paying with their lives for a deepening crisis.

Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Americas Director.

“The Haitian authorities must effectively investigate these killings and bring all those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials. Armed gangs must immediately end killings, kidnappings and other abuses against the population.”

According to available information, the attack took place after an operation by the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), a multinational security support force authorized by the United Nations in 2025, against Kokorat San Ras positions in the area. Members of the gang subsequently reportedly attacked the population in retaliation. On 29 September, the United Nations Security Council extended the GSF mandate for six months, until 31 March 2027.

“Renewing the GSF mandate does not in itself protect the Haitian population. Commitments made by the international community must urgently be translated into an effective and sustainable response that places the protection of people’s human rights at its core, with particular attention to children.”

Commitments made by the international community must urgently be translated into an effective and sustainable response that places the protection of people’s human rights at its core, with particular attention to children.”

Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Americas Director.

“The regional response to the crisis must also include protection for Haitians who have been forced to leave the country. There is a profound inconsistency when governments such as those of the Dominican Republic and the United States call at the United Nations for a stronger international response to protect the Haitian population, while continuing to carry out collective deportations to Haiti amid this devastating human rights and security crisis.

“States must suspend forced removals to Haiti and ensure effective access to asylum procedures and international protection, fully respecting the principle of non-refoulement. Governments cannot tell the United Nations that Haiti is facing an emergency requiring extraordinary action while, at the same time, sending people back to face those very same dangers,” Ana Piquer concluded.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact [email protected]

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

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Source: Greenpeace Statement –

A new report from UCLA’s Stop Methane Project once again ranks Energy Transfer at the top of their list of the worst methane polluting sources in oil and gas regions. An earlier analysis from the group found that ET had the largest methane plume in the U.S. in 2025. 

Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20 year time frame. Uncontrolled methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure have long been underestimated and are a major driver of the dangerous impacts of global warming.

In addition to operating multiple methane-polluting facilities, Energy Transfer is the company that has pursued an abusive lawsuit against Greenpeace in the U.S. and Greenpeace International, resulting in a $345 million judgment. The Greenpeace defendants are currently petitioning for a new trial in the case, and intend to appeal the judgement. You can read our analysis of this lawsuit here.

The Stop Methane Project report used satellite observations from the Tanager-1 satellite, as compiled by Carbon Mapper, and listed the top 10 oil and gas sites with the largest average methane emissions (*). Facilities operated by Energy Transfer were ranked #1 (in Shreveport, LA) and #5 (in Pecos County, TX). Two other ET sources made the “Dishonorable Mention” list of five additional sources “whose emissions have been particularly stubborn over repeated observations.”

Overall a total of 75 plumes were observed from Energy Transfer facilities – three times as many as the second-place operator.

The Stop Methane report also notes that harmful air pollutants such as benzene (a carcinogen) are typically released together with methane emissions, leading to potential health impacts for workers and nearby communities. The report links to PSE Healthy Energy’s Methane Risk Map, which details possible local health impacts for multiple observed plumes.

Greenpeace USA’s earlier report, Bad Neighbor, also documented a pattern of methane emissions from ET’s facilities dating back many years. That report also compiled the company’s track record of oil spills, air pollution impacts, and enforcement violations. Energy Transfer has grown rapidly in recent years and now says that their pipelines transport 30% of U.S. natural gas.

ET’s co-founder Kelcy Warren is a long-time supporter of Donald Trump. After being re-elected in 2024, Trump has methodically revoked and weakened regulations and laws designed to curb methane emissions such as those documented in this report. Actions like these put the health and well-being of communities around the globe at risk.

(*) The report covers January 1, 2025 to June 1, 2026 and excludes all sites with 2 or fewer observed plumes. The values represent the average emission rate over all observations (including null detections). ET’s large plume from the earlier ranking does not appear in this latest list because that specific Carbon Mapper source only has two detected plumes. Emissions were not detected in the most recent observation of the ET source in Shreveport, which the UCLA report describes as “evidence of possible mitigation.”

Source: Amnesty International –

• Killings of civilians during military joint operations
• Civilians tortured to death in detention, others subjected to simulated drowning, beatings and electric shocks
• Fulani, Arabs and Tuaregs targeted  

Members of Mali’s armed forces working together with personnel from the Wagner Group committed war crimes, including the murder and torture of civilians, during joint operations between 2023 and 2025, Amnesty International said in a new report.

‘No one is spared’: War crimes committed by the Malian army and foreign allied forces along the Mauritanian border documents the killings of at least 34 civilians in seven localities in Mali between June 2023 and December 2025, committed by the Malian armed forces (Forces armées maliennes – FAMa) and the Wagner Group (a Russian private military company active in Mali between late 2021 and June 2025).

The report also documents other serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, such as torture, enforced disappearance, and the pillaging and destruction of civilian property.

“Our conclusions paint a harrowing picture of the lives of civilians trapped in the conflict, paying the ultimate price while impunity remains rampant. The Malian authorities cannot dismiss these serious allegations without opening impartial and effective investigations into the alleged crimes,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

“They must protect civilians during military operations, comply with and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, urgently clarify the chain of command under which foreign personnel act in the country, and monitor their conduct through an independent, domestic accountability mechanism.”

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

The current situation in northern Ethiopia is very worrying, as conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and their allies, and the Ethiopian National Defence Forces has resumed. The conflict resumes following a period of increased tensions, large-scale fighting, and drone strikes, which has shattered a fragile 2022 peace agreement. Since 22 September, teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have increased activities to respond to the increase in the number of patients as a result of the current hostilities.

The number of war-wounded patients received in Korem and Alamata hospitals rose over a 48-hour period from around 180 to more than 420 between 22 and 25 September. In northwestern Tigray, MSF teams supported the influx of patients at Suhul hospital in Shire, as more than 300 war-wounded patients arrived up to 25 September.

Our teams continue to support healthcare activities in hospitals in Shire, Sheraro, and Korem, including providing maternal and child health care. Due to the current situation, activities at Alamata hospital have now been suspended. Outreach activities have also been suspended due to the security situation, and staff were redirected to provide additional support to hospitals, where we are seeing a sharp increase in war-wounded patients.  

We are monitoring community displacement as people flee the conflict, and are preparing to respond to the needs of displaced people in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions.  

MSF remains concerned for the safety and access to health care for civilians during this period of increased fighting.

Across Ethiopia, MSF supports health facilities in Oromia, Somali, Amhara, Tigray, Afar, Gambella and Southwest Ethiopia regions, providing basic, advanced, and emergency medical care.

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

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Source: Greenpeace Statement –

28 September 2026, Douala – As Cameroon remains under climate vigilance during the rainy season, Greenpeace Africa is calling for weather warnings to be matched by stronger investment in prevention, adaptation and protection for communities.

The National Observatory on Climate Change (ONACC) issued its latest climate monitoring and warning bulletin for 21–30 September, following successive alerts throughout the month. Earlier in September, heavy rains flooded several neighbourhoods of Douala, disrupting homes, roads and schools and resulting in at least one death.

Recent events in Limbé illustrate the scale of the challenge. Following the deadly floods and landslide of August, the European Union announced emergency humanitarian assistance as part of a 154 million FCFA  package responding to flooding in Limbé and cholera in the Far North. 

“Emergency assistance can make the difference between despair and survival, and we welcome it. But families cannot be left waiting for the next storm to destroy their lives again. Relief must be followed by serious investment in prevention and long-term safety,” said Dr Livinus Nchini, Forest Intern at Greenpeace Africa.

The floods in Limbé and Douala are not an isolated event. Communities in Maroua, Yaoundé and other cities in different regions have repeatedly faced death, destroyed properties and economic activities , damaged infrastructure, displacement and increased disease risks.

Cameroon has climate plans and has identified adaptation projects, but protection on the ground remains far below the scale of the danger. The country estimates that more than US$32 billion is needed for adaptation through 2030.

Congo Basin funding must help close this gap. Healthy forests, wetlands and watersheds retain water, protect soils and reduce erosion. But forest protection must be combined with functioning drainage, responsible waste management, early-warning systems, landslide-risk mapping, safer construction and better urban planning.

Greenpeace Africa calls on the Government of Cameroon, the EU and other partners to:

• Direct a clear and measurable share of Congo Basin climate finance towards community-level adaptation;
• Invest in drainage, watershed restoration, slope stabilisation, early-warning systems and safer urban planning;
• Publish where adaptation money is going and what protection it is delivering; and
• Involve affected communities in evacuation, relocation and reconstruction decisions.

“Evacuation must never become abandonment. Displaced families must be treated with dignity and provided with safe housing, clean water, sanitation, electricity, healthcare, education, transport and access to livelihoods. No family should be moved from one danger into another. Emergency assistance is vital today, but investment in adaptation must protect communities before the next storm,” concluded Dr Livinus Nchini.

END

Media contact

Raphael Mavambu, Communication and Storytelling Manager, [email protected], Greenpeace Africa

Source: Amnesty International –