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French Ecology Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher says she will not take part in the COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan after its leader’s ‘unacceptable’ attacks on France.

French Ecology Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher has pulled out of the COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan after its President Ilham Aliyev accused France of carrying out colonialist “crimes” in New Caledonia, in the latest diplomatic spat between the two countries.

Aliyev, who is hosting the COP29 United Nations climate talks in Baku, drew loud applause from delegates of some Pacific island nations after a combative speech in which he lambasted Paris over the response to protests that in May rocked the Pacific archipelago ruled by France.

“The crimes of France in its so-called overseas territories would not be complete without mentioning the recent human rights violations,” said Aliyev.

“The regime of President [Emmanuel] Macron killed 13 people and wounded 169… during legitimate protests by the Kanak people in New Caledonia,” he added.

Pannier-Runacher quickly hit back, telling lawmakers in Paris that she was cancelling her trip to the talks in protest at Aliyev’s “deplorable” speech. She called his attack “unacceptable… and beneath the dignity of the presidency of the COP”.

It was also a “flagrant violation of the code of conduct” for running United Nations climate talks, she added.

The minister also criticised Aliyev for his “equally unacceptable comments on fossil fuels” after he described his country’s vast oil and gas reserves as a “gift of God”.

Despite her pullout, Pannier-Runacher said the team of French negotiators in Baku would not relent in their efforts to do a deal “to protect the planet and its populations” from climate change.

Relations between Paris and Baku are frosty over France’s longtime support for its archrival Armenia, which Azerbaijan defeated in a lightning military offensive last year when it retook the breakaway Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh – leading to the displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians.

Paris this year accused Azerbaijan of interfering in its domestic politics by stoking tensions in its overseas territories and dependencies, including New Caledonia.

Macron has also stayed away from COP29.

Azerbaijan denies interference, but Aliyev on Wednesday rounded on France for holding Corsica and its far-flung overseas island territories “under the colonial yoke”.

Aliyev has ruled his gas-rich country for more than two decades since the death of his father, Azerbaijan’s Soviet-era Communist leader and former KGB general Heydar Aliyev.

In the run-up to the climate summit, Azerbaijan was widely denounced for its human rights record and repression of political opposition.

Aliyev in his speech attacked the European Union and the Council of Europe human rights body, calling them “symbols of political corruption that share responsibility with the government of President Macron for the killings of innocent people”.

He also said that “all political prisoners of France must be liberated”.

Aliyev accused EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell of having compared the rest of the world to a jungle while Europe was a garden. “If we are the jungles,” he declared, “then stay away from us and don’t interfere in our affairs.”

BANGKOK (AP) — In case you can’t get enough of the little pygmy hippo Moo Deng from Thailand, there’s now an official song featuring the internet’s favorite baby animal — released in four languages for her global fans.

The upbeat 50-second song “Moodeng Moodeng,” available in Thai, English, Chinese and Japanese versions, features simple lyrics like “Moo Deng Moo Deng, boing boing boing/ Mommy mommy, play with me.” Its music video consists of short clips of the baby hippo bouncing, playing with her keeper or hanging out with her mom Jona.

The catchy number was produced and written by well-known Thai composer Mueanphet Ammara, and released by one of Thailand’s largest music companies, GMM Music.

Moo Deng — the name literally means “bouncy pork,” a type of meatball, in Thai — became a global phenomenon just a month after she was unveiled on Facebook by the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand’s southern Chon Buri province.

Fans say her name compliments her chaotic personality. Moo Deng likes to “deng,” or bounce, and her giddy bouncing has appeared all over social media in countless memes. Her image has been used by sports teams and businesses.

The hippo, now four months old, has drawn a huge amount of visitors to the zoo, which is around two-hour drive away from the capital Bangkok. The zoo estimated it has received 3,000 to 5,000 visitors a day on average in the past few months, and it’s selling clothes, bedding and other merchandise based on Moo Deng.

Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi has said the increasing income from Moo Deng will help its breeding programs for many endangered species like the pygmy hippopotamus, which is threatened by poaching and loss of habitat. The species is native to West Africa and there are only 2,000-3,000 of them left in the wild.

The zoo sits on 800 hectares (almost 2,000 acres) of land and is home to more than 2,000 animals.

All four versions of the Moo Deng song is available on YouTube and streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.