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Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazil sold exploration rights to 19 oil and gas blocks near the mouth of the Amazon river Tuesday, at the start of an auction slammed by environmentalists months before the country is to host the COP30 climate summit.

Two consortiums -- one comprising Brazil's state-owned Petrobras and US giant ExxonMobil, the other US multinational Chevron and China's CNPC -- spent $153 million on the rights to 19 of 47 deepwater blocks on offer in an area considered vulnerable to environmental harm.

They are among 172 oil blocks, most of them offshore, placed on auction Tuesday, with some 30 companies registered to take part.

Shortly after opening, rights to the first 19 blocks were snatched up as dozens of protesters gathered outside under a banner reading: "Stop the doomsday auctions."

Green groups have expressed particular concern over the 47 Atlantic exploration blocks in an area near the mouth of the Amazon River that flows through the world's largest carbon-capturing tropical rainforest.

If exploited, the 172 blocks would emit some 11.1 billion tons of CO2 equivalent into the atmosphere, according to Brazil's ClimaInfo research institute -- undermining the country's target to become a net zero emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Already Latin America's biggest oil and gas producer, Brazil is seeking to increase production from 4.68 million to 5.3 million barrels per day by 2030.

Under the 2015 Paris climate agreements, Brazil has pledged to reduce its emissions to 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030, and to reach neutrality by 2050 -- meaning emissions do not exceed the amount captured, by forests for example.

Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, seeking to position himself as a leader in the fight against climate change, nevertheless supports the auction.

"If this wealth exists, we cannot ignore it, as it will help us to make the energy transition and secure funds to preserve our forests," he declared in February.

"We must act responsibly. I do not want oil exploration to cause any harm to the environment," he added.

The Climate Action Tracker, which measures governments' actions, has said Brazil "is not on track to reach either its 2025 target or its 2030" and the country "needs to peak and rapidly decrease emissions" to achieve its contribution to the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).

"Opening new frontiers for exploration in fragile ecosystems increases the risk of environmental disasters and heightens threats to... marine biodiversity," Greenpeace Brazil's Mariana Andrade told AFP.

The auction went ahead despite Brazil's Federal Public Ministry, an independent rights-monitoring body set up under the Brazilian constitution, calling for it to be suspended pending "adequate studies" on the potential impact of exploration.

Petrobras is awaiting a license from environment oversight body Ibama to begin a mega oil exploration project for which it obtained a concession in 2013 in the same area.

Brazil will host the COP30 UN climate conference in November in the Amazonian city of Belem.

"Brazil is missing an opportunity to be a leader in decarbonization and environmental protection," said Suely Araujo, a former president of Ibama and coordinator of the Climate Observatory NGO.

"The government clearly expresses its intent to increase oil production," she said in a statement.

Strasbourg (France) (AFP) – Jordan's King Abdullah II warned in an address to the European Parliament on Tuesday that Israel's "attacks" on Iran threatened to dangerously escalate tensions in the "region and beyond".

Speaking as the arch foes traded fire for a fifth day, Abdullah said that "with Israel's expansion of its offensive to include Iran, there is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end".

"And that, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere," he told lawmakers in Strasbourg.

Israel says its air campaign aims to prevent its sworn enemy from acquiring nuclear weapons, an ambition Tehran denies.

The escalation -- capping decades of enmity that has spiked with the war in Gaza -- has derailed nuclear talks with Iran and stoked fears of a broader conflict.

Abdullah addressed lawmakers at length on the "shameful" situation in Gaza, urging the international community to keep pressing for a resolution to the eight-decade Israeli-Palestinian conflict as critical to "our mutual security".

"What version of our humanity allows the unthinkable to become routine, permits weaponising famine against children, normalises the targeting of health workers, journalists and civilians seeking refuge in camps," he asked.

"This conflict must end, and the only viable solution is one grounded in a just peace, international law and mutual recognition."

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces on Tuesday killed more than 50 aid seekers in the southern city of Khan Yunis, the latest deadly incident near an aid site in the Palestinian territory.

The Gaza Strip has been ravaged by more than 20 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, with the situation continuing to deteriorate on the ground amid shortages of food, fuel and clean water.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at least 53 people were killed and some 200 wounded as thousands of Palestinians gathered to receive flour at a World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid centre in the morning.

"Israeli drones fired at the citizens. Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded," he said.

The Israeli army said it was "aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from (Israeli military) fire following the crowd's approach" in Khan Yunis, and that the details of the incident were "under review".

It said that "a gathering was identified adjacent to an aid distribution truck that got stuck in the area of Khan Yunis, and in proximity to (Israeli) troops operating in the area."

Bassal said that four additional people were killed by Israeli fire Tuesday near the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and other difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reported that as a result of the incident, "51 martyrs and more than 200 injuries have arrived at Nasser Medical Complex, including 20 in critical condition".

In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on the Gaza Strip amid an impasse in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May.

The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing aid in late May, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and dozens of deaths.

The UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said Monday that during recent aid distributions several children have been "temporarily separated from their families due to mass movements around militarised distribution points."

Workers raced to restore Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday, one of the last remaining functioning health facilities in Gaza's north, an area particularly hard-hit by the war.

They cleared piles of rubble out of the courtyard to make space for ambulances, breaking large chunks of concrete from a collapsed storey with sledgehammers.

Amer Abu Safiya, a patient at the hospital who suffered from a wound on his hand, told AFP there was little doctors could do to help him.

"Every day we are being bombed from the north to the south. Al-Ahli Hospital has been destroyed. Medical services are halted. As you can see, there's nothing to wrap around my hand, and there's no medication", he said, holding up his swollen hand while laying down on a makeshift bed in the hospital's backyard.

"We are reactivating the emergency department as well as the physiotherapy. This is important", Alessandro Maracchi, head of the UN Development Program's Gaza's office, told AFP.

OCHA further reported that its humanitarian partners in Gaza "continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity".

Tehran (AFP) – As Israeli air strikes on Tehran show no sign of abating, many residents have fled the Iranian capital. But for others, escape is not an option.

"I've heard multiple explosions near my home in western Tehran," said Mina, a 37-year-old computer scientist. "I wanted to leave, but I have several cats and I can't abandon them."

Israel launched a devastating attack on Friday that has killed at least 224 people -- including women and children -- leading many parts of the Iranian capital to empty out.

The assault prompted a retaliatory barrage from Iran that has killed at least 24 people in Israel, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.

Israel on Monday warned residents to leave a northern district of the capital before striking the headquarters of state television -- an attack the broadcaster said killed three people.

It came two days after Israel declared it had "opened a path to Tehran" by knocking out Iran's air defences.

But amid the ensuing exodus, those left behind are grappling with fear, shortages and a sense of defiant endurance.

On Tuesday, long queues stretched outside bakeries and petrol stations -- some several kilometres (miles) long -- as remaining residents rushed to stock up on fuel and basic supplies.

Grocery and convenience stores stayed open, but markets and jewellery shops across the city remained closed.

Security checkpoints have been set up across Tehran, adding to the atmosphere of tension as authorities monitor movement in and out of key districts.

Traffic in central Tehran was visibly thinner, with sporadic lines forming outside pharmacies.

Images posted online -- though unverified -- showed extensive damage to homes: shattered windows, collapsed facades and debris-filled living rooms.

In Tajrish Square, workers scrambled to repair a water pipeline damaged in an earlier strike, while some residents relocated temporarily to access running water.

"The regime (Israel) must await harsh punishment," read one banner in downtown Tehran, displayed alongside portraits of slain Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Other banners quoted Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: "The powerful hand of the Islamic Republic's armed forces will not relent against the Zionist regime."

The banners -— along with headlines from foreign outlets reporting on Iran's retaliation -- dotted an otherwise subdued cityscape.

The Grand Bazaar stayed shut, while a banner in Vali-Asr Square honoured Sahar Emami, the state TV anchor who remained on air during the Israeli strike on the broadcaster's headquarters.

Her image, finger raised in defiance, was paired with a verse from the Persian poet Ferdowsi, celebrating the courage of women "on the battlefield".

While fear grips the capital, what remains is a patchwork of resilience, helplessness -- and an uneasy stillness as many await what comes next.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Russia fired scores of missiles and drones at Kyiv on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called "one of the most horrific attacks" on the capital.

The strike was one of the deadliest on Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and came as direct peace talks between the two sides appeared to stall.

Zelensky said "an entire section of an apartment block" was destroyed and rescuers were searching under the rubble for possible survivors.

AFP journalists heard drones flying over the city and explosions ringing out as Ukrainian air defence systems attempted to intercept the barrage.

Dozens of residents took shelter in a metro station in central Kyiv, sleeping on mats, exchanging information on the drone and missile threat or reassuring pets, AFP journalists saw.

Residents in Kyiv told AFP the attack was one of the strongest in recent memory.

"It was probably the most hellish night in my memory for our neighbourhood," 20-year-old Ukrainian student Alina Shtompel told AFP.

"It is indescribably painful that our people are going through this right now."

Some 27 locations in Kyiv were hit, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said.

One person was also killed and 10 wounded in a strike on the southern port city of Odesa, while attacks on the Sumy and Kherson regions later in the day killed two others, authorities said.

A total of 440 drones and 32 missiles were used in the strikes nationwide, Zelensky said.

"Kyiv has faced one of the most horrific attacks," the Ukrainian leader wrote on Facebook.

"Right now in Kyiv, efforts are underway to rescue people from under the rubble of an ordinary residential building -- it's still unclear how many remain trapped."

He urged the international community not to "turn a blind eye".

Russian President Vladimir "Putin does this solely because he can afford to continue the war. He wants the war to go on," he said.

Another Kyiv resident, Sergiy, said his windows were shattered during the strikes.

"I was asleep. There was a loud bang. The window was smashed, and glass rained down on me," he said.

Residential buildings, educational institutions and "critical infrastructure facilities" were all hit, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

A total of 114 were wounded in the attack on Kyiv, 68 of them hospitalised, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said.

He reported earlier that a US citizen had died in a Russian attack on the capital's Solomyansky district.

"During the attack on Kyiv... a 62-year-old US citizen died in a house opposite to the place where medics were providing assistance to the injured," Klitschko said on Telegram.

Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said the new strikes showed Moscow was "continuing its war against civilians".

More than three years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has kept up its attacks despite efforts by the United States to broker a ceasefire.

Talks have stalled. Moscow has rejected the "unconditional" truce demanded by Kyiv and its European allies, while Ukraine has dismissed Russia's demands as "ultimatums".

Zelensky had been hoping to speak with his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, but the US leader cut short his visit, amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

Stockholm (AFP) – A court in Sweden will rule Tuesday in the country's biggest environmental crime trial, where a self-proclaimed "Queen of Trash" and four others stand accused of illegally dumping toxic waste.

The once-acclaimed waste management company Think Pink is accused of dumping or burying some 200,000 tonnes of waste from the Stockholm area at 21 sites from 2015 to 2020, with no intention of processing it correctly.

Prosecutors have called for six-year prison sentences against the five, who have denied the charges.

The Sodertorn district court is due to announce the verdict at 11:00 am (0900 GMT).

Think Pink's former chief executive Bella Nilsson, an ex-stripper who once called herself the "Queen of Trash", is charged with "aggravated environmental crime".

Two others who also served as chief executive at times -- Nilsson's ex-husband Thomas Nilsson, who founded the company, and Leif-Ivan Karlsson, an eccentric entrepreneur who starred in a reality show about his over-the-top lifestyle -- face the same charge and possible sentence.

As do "waste broker" Robert Silversten and Tobias Gustafsson, accused of organising the transportation of the waste.

Bella Nilsson -- who has now changed her name to Fariba Vancor -- told the court Think Pink "followed the law".

Her lawyer Thomas Olsson rejected the prosecution's claim the company used falsified documents to mislead authorities, and said any wrongdoing was "by mistake".

Bella Nilsson has insisted she is the victim of a plot by business rivals.

The prosecution has also sought a three-year sentence against an environmental consultant accused of helping the company pass inspections, as well as sentences of between eight and 18 months for five landowners.

Think Pink was hired by municipalities, construction companies, apartment co-operatives and private individuals to dispose of primarily building materials but also electronics, metals, plastics, wood, tyres and toys.

But Think Pink left the piles of waste unsorted and abandoned, the court heard.

Prosecutors said high levels of toxic PCB compounds, lead, mercury, arsenic and other chemicals had been released into the air, soil and water, endangering the health of human, animal and plant life.

Several municipalities have sought damages for clean-up and decontamination costs, totalling 260 million kronor ($27 million).

One of the biggest claims is from the Botkyrka city council, where two Think Pink waste piles burned for months in 2020 and 2021 after spontaneously combusting. One was near two nature reserves.

The Kagghamra site, buried under sand to extinguish the fire, has only recently stopped burning.

Tests will soon be conducted on the toxic waste before politicians decide what to do with it.

Togo late Monday announced it was suspending French public broadcasters RFI and France 24 for three months, for an alleged lack of impartiality in their reporting.

"This measure follows repeated failings, already reported and formally recalled, in matters of impartiality, rigour, and fact-checking," according to a statement from Togo's High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HAAC).

"Several recent broadcasts have relayed inaccurate, biased, and even contrary to established facts, undermining the stability of republican institutions and the country’s image," it said in the statement.

"Freedom of the press cannot be synonymous with disinformation or interference."

The agency didn’t provide any details on what reporting by the French networks led to the decision.

In a statement, the management of RFI and France 24 stated that they were "surprised to learn of the suspension of their broadcasts without notice".

RFI and France 24 "reaffirm their unwavering commitment to the ethical principles of journalism, as well as their support for their teams who deliver rigorous, independent, verified, impartial, and balanced information every day, in compliance with the provisions of the agreement signed between the HAAC and France Médias Monde," the statement concluded.

Camille Montagu, from the independent organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Sub-Saharan Africa Desk told RFI that tje decision by the Togo authorities "constitutes a serious attack on press freedom and the right to information".

"Suspending these two international media outlets, which have only professionally covered the country's recent political developments, will not erase the turmoil facing Togo," she says.

The move to censor foreign media outlets comes as President Faure Gnassingbé faces increasing pressure from critics over recent changes in the constitution that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely. Critics have called the changes a constitutional coup.

Fabrice Petchez, chair of the Togolese Media Observatory told The Associated Press that while he understood the ruling, they did not support the decision. "We hope steps will be taken to quickly restore these media operations in the country.

"But since early June, tensions have been rising, particularly on social media," he continued. "I do hope, however, that a dialogue can be opened between the media concerned and the authorities."

The broadcasting ban comes against a tense political backdrop, with anti-government protests scheduled for next week following a crackdown on protests earlier this month.

Dozens of people were arrested in the capital, Lomé, after police dispersed protesters with tear gas on the night of 5-6 June in several districts, including near the presidential palace.

The government swiftly said it had released more than 50 people but several remain in police custody.

The state prosecutor slammed the demonstrations as "clearly part of a revolt against the institutions of the republic".

Togolese opposition parties and civil society groups on Thursday demanded Gnassingbé step down.

He "must return power to the Togolese people to whom national sovereignty belongs", the National Alliance for Change (ANC), Democratic Forces for the Republic (FDR) and civil society groups said in a statement.

The groups urged citizens to launch acts of civil disobedience from 23 June to thwart the "illegitimate" regime.

Protests have been banned in Togo since 2022, following a deadly attack at Lomé's main market, though public meetings are still allowed.

(with newswires)

Quito (AFP) – Ecuador's state energy company said it stopped pumping oil through the country's main pipeline Monday due to a rupture in a section running through the Amazon.

"The valves have been closed and oil pumping has been suspended," Petroecuador said in a statement.

The company blamed the incident on a landslide and it was not immediately clear if a spill occurred.

In a statement issued Monday night, the company said it doesn't immediately foresee shutting down oil wells.

The "Trans-Ecuadorian" pipeline has a capacity to pump 360,000 barrels a day.

In March, more than 25,000 barrels spilled in the northwestern coastal province of Esmeraldas.

Oil is one of Ecuador's primary exports. Last year, the country sold $8.6 billion worth of crude oil.

In 2024, Ecuador produced an average of 475,000 barrels a day, of which more than 70 percent was exported.

Almost half of the exports go to North America.

Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – An Agence France-Presse photographer was recovering Monday after he was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by law enforcement during their standoff with protesters in downtown Los Angeles.

The photographer was covering demonstrations on Saturday -- part of the many rallies across the country against US President Donald Trump.

He was struck twice by rubber bullets fired by authorities when they abruptly moved in to disperse protesters, and had to be treated in hospital for his injuries.

"I was covering the protest ... approximately 90 feet away from the police when I received the impact of a rubber bullet in my face and another one in my right arm," he recalled.

The photographer, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was clearly identified as a journalist.

"I was working with two cameras, a helmet with AFP stickers on it and also, I had a big patch on my chest that said 'Press,'" he added.

Los Angeles Police Department did not acknowledge firing at the photographer but said it had sought to clear protesters after declaring an unlawful assembly.

"Following the dispersal order, less-lethal munitions were used to clear the area of those who refused to comply and leave the area," it told AFP in a statement.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which also policed the protest, said it was reviewing footage of the incident but added it was "not clear whether our personnel were involved."

"The LASD does not condone any actions that intentionally target members of the press," it said.

Saturday's rally was the largest of the protests that began in Los Angeles on June 6 and have continued daily ever since.

They first erupted in anger at raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been ordered by the Trump administration to target undocumented migrants across the sprawling, heavily Latino city.

The demonstrations have been mostly peaceful and confined to a small section of downtown Los Angeles.

But at times they have spiraled into violence that Trump has pounced on to send 4,000 National Guard and 700 Marines into the city -- a move loudly protested by local officials.

Other journalists have also been injured during the protests.

The Guardian newspaper reported that a British photographer had to undergo emergency surgery after he was shot in the leg by a non-lethal round on June 7.

Meanwhile, an Australian reporter was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet while she was reporting on live television on June 8, an incident slammed by the country's prime minister as "horrific."

And the New York Post said its photographer was shot in the head with a rubber bullet, also during the June 8 clashes.

Washington (AFP) – Harmful content including hate speech has surged across Meta's platforms since the company ended third-party fact-checking in the United States and eased moderation policies, a survey showed Monday.

The survey of around 7,000 active users on Instagram, Facebook and Threads comes after the Palo Alto company ditched US fact-checkers in January and turned over the task of debunking falsehoods to ordinary users under a model known as "Community Notes," popularized by X.

The decision was widely seen as an attempt to appease President Donald Trump's new administration, whose conservative support base has long complained that fact-checking on tech platforms was a way to curtail free speech and censor right-wing content.

Meta also rolled back restrictions around topics such as gender and sexual identity. The tech giant's updated community guidelines said its platforms would permit users to accuse people of "mental illness" or "abnormality" based on their gender or sexual orientation.

"These policy shifts signified a dramatic reversal of content moderation standards the company had built over nearly a decade," said the survey published by digital and human rights groups including UltraViolet, GLAAD, and All Out.

"Among our survey population of approximately 7,000 active users, we found stark evidence of increased harmful content, decreased freedom of expression, and increased self-censorship."

One in six respondents in the survey reported being the victim of some form of gender-based or sexual violence on Meta platforms, while 66 percent said they had witnessed harmful content such as hateful or violent material.

Ninety-two percent of surveyed users said they were concerned about increasing harmful content and felt "less protected from being exposed to or targeted by" such material on Meta's platforms.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents described feeling "less safe" expressing themselves freely.

The company declined to comment on the survey.

In its most recent quarterly report, published in May, Meta insisted that the changes in January had left a minimal impact.

"Following the changes announced in January we've cut enforcement mistakes in the US in half, while during that same time period the low prevalence of violating content on the platform remained largely unchanged for most problem areas," the report said.

But the groups behind the survey insisted that the report did not reflect users' experiences of targeted hate and harassment.

"Social media is not just a place we 'go' anymore. It's a place we live, work, and play. That's why it's more crucial than ever to ensure that all people can safely access these spaces and freely express themselves without fear of retribution," Jenna Sherman, campaign director at UltraViolet, told AFP.

"But after helping to set a standard for content moderation online for nearly a decade, (chief executive) Mark Zuckerberg decided to move his company backwards, abandoning vulnerable users in the process.

"Facebook and Instagram already had an equity problem. Now, it's out of control," Sherman added.

The groups implored Meta to hire an independent third party to "formally analyze changes in harmful content facilitated by the policy changes" made in January, and for the tech giant to swiftly reinstate the content moderation standards that were in place earlier.

The International Fact-Checking Network has previously warned of devastating consequences if Meta broadens its policy shift related to fact-checkers beyond US borders to the company's programs covering more than 100 countries.

AFP currently works in 26 languages with Meta's fact-checking program, including in Asia, Latin America, and the European Union.

Tuareg associations in Mali and Burkina Faso have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against their nations' armies and the Russian paramilitary group, Africa Corps.

Several Tuareg community organisations filed a complaint with the office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Sunday, according to RFI's correspondent.

The complaint targets the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA), the Burkinabe Forces, and Russian mercenaries from the Africa Corps, which recently replaced the Wagner group in Africa.

The charities Imouhagh International, Kel Akal, Diaspora of the United States, and the Azawad Solidarity Association accuse them of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The groups say the crimes against humanity and war crimes reported to the prosecutor of the ICC have been committed in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2022.

They include murders, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, looting, and torture, including the discovery in April in Kwala, Mali, of 60 bodies of civilians, visibly tortured, according to these organisations.

They point to the use of mercenaries from Africa Corps – the former Wagner – in the repressive operations carried out by the armies of both countries.

The ICC had already opened an investigation into crimes committed in Mali, following the occupation of Timbuktu in 2012, at the time at the government's own request.

But the departure of French and UN forces - in 2022 and 2024 - has made the court's operations on the ground very difficult.

To investigate the crimes committed in Burkina Faso, the prosecutor would need to secure approval from the ICC judges, unless the Burkinabe government decides to refer the case itself.

With this complaint lodged in The Hague, the four plaintiff organisations say they intend to make "a major political and legal statement" to enable Sahelian victims to obtain "recognition, justice and reparation."

Washington (AFP) – The United States on Monday moved to extend federal protections to all species of pangolins -- a step that would tighten trade restrictions and highlight the urgent conservation plight of the world's only scaly mammals.

Found in the forests, woodlands, and savannas of Africa and Asia, pangolins are small, nocturnal creatures known for their distinctive appearance, slow and peaceful demeanor, and habit of curling into a ball when threatened.

Often likened to a walking pinecone, they use long, sticky tongues to feast on ants and termites, give birth to a single pup each year -- and are the most heavily trafficked mammals on Earth. Their keratin scales are coveted in traditional medicine, and their meat is also considered a delicacy in some regions.

Despite steep population declines driven by poaching, habitat loss, and inbreeding, only one species — Temminck's pangolin of Africa -- is currently protected under the US Endangered Species Act. Monday's proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service would extend that status to all eight known species.

In a statement, the agency said it intends to list the four Asian species -- Chinese, Indian, Sunda, and Philippine -- as well as the three other African species: white-bellied, black-bellied, and giant pangolins.

"I'm delighted the United States is doing its part to save these adorably odd creatures," said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

"Pangolins are on the razor's edge of extinction, and we need to completely shut down any US market for their scales. There's no good reason for anybody to ingest any part of a pangolin."

Pangolins are currently protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits international trade for commercial purposes and allows it only under exceptional circumstances.

Still, the illegal trade persists.

In April, Nigerian authorities seized nearly four tons of trafficked pangolin scales — representing the slaughter of some 2,000 animals. In November 2024, Indonesian officials intercepted another 1.2 tons.

US demand remains a factor. Between 2016 and 2020, border officials intercepted 76 shipments of pangolin parts, including scales and products marketed for traditional medicine, according to public data.