france24--2020-01-27--'Brexit will be a matter of damage limitation', says EU's chief negotiator

The European Union ’ s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday warned Britain that its departure from the bloc later this week would have “ negative consequences ” and only ever be an exercise in “ damage limitation ” .
In a speech at Queen ’ s University Belfast , the Brussels diplomat charged with agreeing an EU-UK free trade deal , said nobody had yet convinced him of the “ added value of Brexit ” .
“ It is absolutely clear that there will be negative consequ'ences , ” Barnier said on a visit to Northern Ireland after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city .
“ Whatever agreement we reach on our future relationship , Brexit will always be a matter of damage limitation.
” Britain will become the first country to leave the bloc at 2300 GMT on Friday , ending nearly five decades of membership .
Barnier had warned earlier Monday during a visit to Dublin for talks with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar that London would have to “ rebuild everything ” in its new relationship with the EU .
Picking apart some of the pro-Brexit camp ’ s main arguments for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed members states “ to speak with other superpowers as equals ” .
“ Brexit is meant to be about ‘ Global Britain ’ , ” he said , referring to a frequently used UK government phrase .
“ But , for us , frankly speaking , it is the EU that helps make member states more global , ” he said in a clear warning to other countries eyeing Brexit closely for their own futures .
“ There is no way that any of our countries , alone , could have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has left the EU , it will begin an 11-month transition phase during which existing arrangements remain unchanged .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to agree the terms of the future relationship , modelled on the EU ’ s free trade agreement with Canada , by the end of that period .
Varadkar , who is fighting a general election on February 8 , said at a joint press conference with Barnier that the timetable would be “ very challenging ” .
Barnier said he would present a draft negotiating mandate to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday .
EU ministers are then set to agree their joint mandate on February 25 ahead of a meeting of the European Council in March .
Barnier added there was “ no time to lose ” , warning of “ the risk of a cliff edge ” change in relations at the end of the year .
“ If we have no agreement , it will not be business as usual and the status quo .
We have to face a risk of a cliff edge , in particular for trade , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used his Irish visit to reiterate the need for checks on some goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland—which Johnson maintains will not be needed .
“ The UK has agreed to a system of reinforced checks and controls for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain , ” he said .
“ I understand the fears of negative economic fallout expressed by some about these checks .
But Brexit unfortunately has consequences that we must manage.
” Frictionless trade was “ impossible ” and checks were “ indispensable ” , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bloc was in “ a very strong position ” in the upcoming talks given the remaining 27 members ’ collective size compared to Britain .
“ We have a population of 450 million people and the single market is the largest economy in the world , ” he said .
“ But I don ’ t think we have to see it as a contest.
” In a separate BBC television interview broadcast on Monday , the Irish leader also warned Brussels would not accept anything less than a comprehensive free trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this month it could seek a piecemeal post-Brexit deal with the EU that leaves some issues unresolved but still lets it break free from the bloc at the end of the year .
But Varadkar said : “ That isn ’ t something that will fly in Europe.
” Barnier said in Belfast there would be “ no compromise on the single market for us ” .

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday warned Britain that its departure from the bloc later this week would have “negative consequences” and only ever be an exercise in “damage limitation”.
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In a speech at Queen’s University Belfast, the Brussels diplomat charged with agreeing an EU-UK free trade deal, said nobody had yet convinced him of the “added value of Brexit”.
“It is absolutely clear that there will be negative consequ'ences,” Barnier said on a visit to Northern Ireland after meeting members of the devolved assembly in the city.
“Whatever agreement we reach on our future relationship, Brexit will always be a matter of damage limitation.”
Britain will become the first country to leave the bloc at 2300 GMT on Friday, ending nearly five decades of membership.
Barnier had warned earlier Monday during a visit to Dublin for talks with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar that London would have to “rebuild everything” in its new relationship with the EU.
Picking apart some of the pro-Brexit camp’s main arguments for its departure, Barnier said the bloc allowed members states “to speak with other superpowers as equals”.
“Brexit is meant to be about ‘Global Britain’,” he said, referring to a frequently used UK government phrase.
“But, for us, frankly speaking, it is the EU that helps make member states more global,” he said in a clear warning to other countries eyeing Brexit closely for their own futures.
“There is no way that any of our countries, alone, could have the same impact.”
Cliff edge
Once Britain has left the EU, it will begin an 11-month transition phase during which existing arrangements remain unchanged.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to agree the terms of the future relationship, modelled on the EU’s free trade agreement with Canada, by the end of that period.
Varadkar, who is fighting a general election on February 8, said at a joint press conference with Barnier that the timetable would be “very challenging”.
Barnier said he would present a draft negotiating mandate to the bloc’s member states next Monday.
EU ministers are then set to agree their joint mandate on February 25 ahead of a meeting of the European Council in March.
Barnier added there was “no time to lose”, warning of “the risk of a cliff edge” change in relations at the end of the year.
“If we have no agreement, it will not be business as usual and the status quo. We have to face a risk of a cliff edge, in particular for trade,” Barnier said.
No compromise
Barnier also used his Irish visit to reiterate the need for checks on some goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland—which Johnson maintains will not be needed.
“The UK has agreed to a system of reinforced checks and controls for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain,” he said.
“I understand the fears of negative economic fallout expressed by some about these checks. But Brexit unfortunately has consequences that we must manage.”
Frictionless trade was “impossible” and checks were “indispensable”, he said in his speech.
Meanwhile Varadkar argued the bloc was in “a very strong position” in the upcoming talks given the remaining 27 members’ collective size compared to Britain.
“We have a population of 450 million people and the single market is the largest economy in the world,” he said.
“But I don’t think we have to see it as a contest.”
In a separate BBC television interview broadcast on Monday, the Irish leader also warned Brussels would not accept anything less than a comprehensive free trade agreement with Britain.
London indicated earlier this month it could seek a piecemeal post-Brexit deal with the EU that leaves some issues unresolved but still lets it break free from the bloc at the end of the year.
But Varadkar said: “That isn’t something that will fly in Europe.”
Barnier said in Belfast there would be “no compromise on the single market for us”.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-27--Holocaust survivors provide moving testimonies at Auschwitz liberation ceremony

As the world marks 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp , where more than a million @ @ @ @ @ , survivors provided moving testimonies during a solemn ceremony .
Read the ceremony as it @ @ @ @ @ live blog below .

Holocaust survivors provide moving testimonies at Auschwitz liberation ceremony
As the world marks 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, where more than a million people perished during the Holocaust, survivors provided moving testimonies during a solemn ceremony. Read the ceremony as it unfolded on FRANCE 24's live blog below.
04:59 A delegation made up of heads of state and survivors attend a candle lighting ceremony at the former German Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau during events to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the camp's liberation in Oswiecim, Poland, on January 27, 2020. AFP - JANEK SKARZYNSKI
Advertising Read more More than 1.1 million people, primarily Jews, perished at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi death camp in Poland, either in gas chambers or from starvation and disease.
The camp was liberated on January 27, 1945, by Soviet troops, who discovered 7,000 survivors upon their arrival.
Holocaust survivors were among those gathered Monday afternoon to mark the solemn anniversary in Oswiecim, Poland. They recalled their suffering and warned of rising anti-semitism.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday morning inaugurated a new memorial wall of names commemorating French victims of Holocaust at the Shoah memorial museum in Paris. Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app


france24--2020-01-27--Kei Kobayashi becomes first Japanese chef to get three Michelin stars

Michelin guide international director Gwendal Poullennec ( R ) gestures next to chef Kei Kobayashi ( C ) of restaurant Kei awarded with three star , during the Gala ' of Michelin Guide 2020 ' list of top restaurants and chefs in Paris , on January 27 , 2020 .
Chef Kei Kobayashi became the first Japanese chef ever to win the maximum three Michelin stars in France on Monday .
The 42-year-old , who was born in Nagano , was the biggest winner on a night when Japanese cooks triumphed in the backyard of French haute cuisine .
Kazuyuki @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his French restaurant in the northeastern city of Reims , as did Yasunari Okazaki for his crossover Franco-Japanese cuisine at L ’ Abysee au Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris .
Kei—a striking figure with bleached blond hair—said Japanese cooks have earned their place at the top of French cuisine .
“ There are lots of Japanese chefs now in France and you have accepted us and given us a place , ” he said as picked up the highest distinction in French cooking .
“ Thank you , France , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ him a “ difficult person ” to work with .
“ I am quite hard .
I ask a lot of my team , and then I ask a lot more , ” he joked .
He opened his restaurant , Kei , in centre of the French capital , nine years ago , and wowed Paris with such signature dishes as sea bass cooked on its scales and Scottish smoked salmon with roquette mousse and a tomato vinaigrette with lemon emulsion .
Simply brilliant Critics hailed the precision of his cooking and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like gnocchi , truffle , bellota ham and parmesan cheese extraordinary .
Michelin described his cooking as both “ delicate and memorable ” .
“ It ’ s very simple .
Every dish that Kei turns the rigour of his attention to is called on to become a signature one , ” it added .
“ I am a Japanese chef who cooks French food , ” Kei said of his 30-seat restaurant , which he runs with his wife Chikako .
With its sparse grey interior , the chef said he did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walls .
“ My cuisine provides the necessary touches of colour , ” he declared .
The son of a chef who worked in a Japanese restaurant serving traditional multi-course “ kaiseki ” cooking , Kobayashi decided to dedicate himself to French cuisine after watching a television documentary about the nouvelle cuisine pioneer Alain Chapel , himself a three-star Michelin chef .
He moved to France in 1998 after training in French restaurants in Japan , working under the legendary chef Gilles Goujon at the Auberge du Vieux Puits on the Swiss border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Paris before going out on his own .

Chef Kei Kobayashi became the first Japanese chef ever to win the maximum three Michelin stars in France on Monday.
Michelin guide international director Gwendal Poullennec (R) gestures next to chef Kei Kobayashi (C) of restaurant Kei awarded with three star, during the Gala' of Michelin Guide 2020' list of top restaurants and chefs in Paris, on January 27, 2020.
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The 42-year-old, who was born in Nagano, was the biggest winner on a night when Japanese cooks triumphed in the backyard of French haute cuisine.
Kazuyuki Tanaka won two stars for Racine, his French restaurant in the northeastern city of Reims, as did Yasunari Okazaki for his crossover Franco-Japanese cuisine at L’Abysee au Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris.
Kei—a striking figure with bleached blond hair—said Japanese cooks have earned their place at the top of French cuisine.
“There are lots of Japanese chefs now in France and you have accepted us and given us a place,” he said as picked up the highest distinction in French cooking.
“Thank you, France,” he said.
Kei admitted that his perfectionism can make him a “difficult person” to work with.
“I am quite hard. I ask a lot of my team, and then I ask a lot more,” he joked.
He opened his restaurant, Kei, in centre of the French capital, nine years ago, and wowed Paris with such signature dishes as sea bass cooked on its scales and Scottish smoked salmon with roquette mousse and a tomato vinaigrette with lemon emulsion.
Simply brilliant
Critics hailed the precision of his cooking and the way he made relatively simple dishes like gnocchi, truffle, bellota ham and parmesan cheese extraordinary.
Michelin described his cooking as both “delicate and memorable”.
“It’s very simple. Every dish that Kei turns the rigour of his attention to is called on to become a signature one,” it added.
“I am a Japanese chef who cooks French food,” Kei said of his 30-seat restaurant, which he runs with his wife Chikako.
With its sparse grey interior, the chef said he did not need to hang pictures on the walls.
“My cuisine provides the necessary touches of colour,” he declared.
The son of a chef who worked in a Japanese restaurant serving traditional multi-course “kaiseki” cooking, Kobayashi decided to dedicate himself to French cuisine after watching a television documentary about the nouvelle cuisine pioneer Alain Chapel, himself a three-star Michelin chef.
He moved to France in 1998 after training in French restaurants in Japan, working under the legendary chef Gilles Goujon at the Auberge du Vieux Puits on the Swiss border and Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athenee in Paris before going out on his own.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-27--US army confirms plane crash in eastern Afghanistan

In this October 23 , 2016 image , a US military helicopter is seen flying toward Bagram airbase from Kabul , Afghanistan The US military confirmed on Monday a crash by an E-11A military aircraft in Afghanistan 's Ghazni province but , despite claims by Taliban insurgents that they shot it down , said there were `` no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire '' .
`` Taliban claims that additional aircraft have crashed are false , '' a US military spokesman , Colonel Sonny Leggett , wrote on Twitter .
Tariq Ghazniwal , a journalist in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burning aircraft .
In an exchange on Twitter , he told The Associated Press news agency that he saw two bodies and that the front of the aircraft was badly burned .
He added that aircraft 's body and tail was hardly damaged .
His information could not be independently verified .
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said a US airforce plane crashed in the Ghazni province .
He claimed the crash killed “ lots '' of US service members .
Ghazniwal said the crash site was about 10 kilometres from a US military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province , Aref Noori , earlier told the AFP news agency that a plane crashed around 1:10pm ( 0840 GMT ) in the Deh Yak district .
Pictures and a video on social media purportedly from the crash site showed what could be the remains of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft .
Senior Afghan officials told Reuters the authorities had rushed local personnel to locate and identify the wreckage , in a mountainous area partly controlled by the Taliban .
Reuters journalists filmed Afghan soldiers heading towards the snow-covered mountains where the plane crashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which was on an intelligence mission , was brought down in Sado Khel area of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province , ” said Zabihullah Mujahid , a spokesman for the Taliban in a statement .
Mujahid did not say how fighters had brought the plane down .
He said the crew on board included high ranking US officers .
A senior defense official denied that senior American officers were involved .
The Taliban control large parts of Ghazni province .
The militant group , which has been waging a war against US- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enemy casualty figures .

The US military confirmed on Monday a crash by an E-11A military aircraft in Afghanistan's Ghazni province but, despite claims by Taliban insurgents that they shot it down, said there were "no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire".
In this October 23, 2016 image, a US military helicopter is seen flying toward Bagram airbase from Kabul, Afghanistan
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"Taliban claims that additional aircraft have crashed are false," a US military spokesman, Colonel Sonny Leggett, wrote on Twitter.
Tariq Ghazniwal, a journalist in the area, said that he saw the burning aircraft. In an exchange on Twitter, he told The Associated Press news agency that he saw two bodies and that the front of the aircraft was badly burned. He added that aircraft's body and tail was hardly damaged. His information could not be independently verified.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said a US airforce plane crashed in the Ghazni province. He claimed the crash killed “lots" of US service members.
Ghazniwal said the crash site was about 10 kilometres from a US military base.
The spokesman of the Ghazni province, Aref Noori, earlier told the AFP news agency that a plane crashed around 1:10pm (0840 GMT) in the Deh Yak district.
Crash in Taliban-held territory
Pictures and a video on social media purportedly from the crash site showed what could be the remains of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft.
Senior Afghan officials told Reuters the authorities had rushed local personnel to locate and identify the wreckage, in a mountainous area partly controlled by the Taliban. Reuters journalists filmed Afghan soldiers heading towards the snow-covered mountains where the plane crashed in Ghazni province.
“The plane which was on an intelligence mission, was brought down in Sado Khel area of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in a statement.
Mujahid did not say how fighters had brought the plane down. He said the crew on board included high ranking US officers. A senior defense official denied that senior American officers were involved.
The Taliban control large parts of Ghazni province. The militant group, which has been waging a war against US- led forces since 2001, often exaggerates enemy casualty figures.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-27--China coronavirus threatens Asia's tourism industry

People wearing protective masks wait to board their train as they travel for the Lunar New Year holidays at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing on January 24 , 2020 A deadly virus that has prompted travel restrictions in China is sending shockwaves through Asia 's tourism industry , which has become increasingly reliant on growing numbers of Chinese visitors .
At least 81 people have died since the new strain of coronavirus emerged in China ’ s Wuhan , and millions are now under an effective quarantine , with all flights in and out of the city grounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ domestically and abroad .
The measures come amid a boom in Chinese foreign travel , with the number of tourists from the country increasing nearly tenfold since 2003 , according to a report by research firm Capital Economics .
But businesses in destinations that rely on the huge numbers of Chinese tourists are already feeling the heat , with complaints of “ deserted ” beaches and shops , and concerns about the future .
There will be a less immediate impact in Europe , which is currently off peak season for visitors from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SARS crisis , which paralysed regional travel and battered local economies from late 2002 .
Chinese tourist numbers then fell by around a third .
`` If they fell by a similar amount again , it would knock around 1.5-2.0 percentage points from ( gross domestic product ) in the most vulnerable countries , '' Capital Economics said .
In Japan , the fall in Chinese visitors was already being felt in Asakusa , a popular tourist destination near the Sensoji temple .
`` We ’ ve definitely been seeing less people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 31 , manager of a shop selling traditional Japanese sweets and a rice-based drink called amazake .
Beaches ‘ deserted ’ '' I think there are less than half the numbers of last year or the year before , '' she told AFP .
The number of Chinese holidaying in Japan has exploded from around 450,000 in 2003 to 8.4 million in 2018 , accounting for 27 percent of all inbound tourists as Tokyo works to expand the sector .
But it will now be `` very difficult '' for Japan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 , Yuki Takashima , an economist at Nomura Securities , told AFP .
And the effects will be felt beyond hotels , restaurants and tourist sites , because many Chinese tourists visit Japan specifically to shop .
The crisis has already sent Japan ’ s key Nikkei index plunging , with stock in Shiseido—a cosmetics brand popular with Chinese tourists—falling more than five percent on Monday .
`` We can expect those stocks to continue to fall like dominoes , '' said Stephen Innes , chief market strategist at AxiCorp .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ placed to weather the storm than another top destination for Chinese tourists : Thailand .
Tourism accounts for 18 percent of the nation ’ s GDP , with Chinese holidaymakers making up more than a quarter of total arrivals .
The country ’ s tourism minister has already warned a crisis on the scale of SARS could cost an estimated $ 1.6 billion , and the effects are already clear in Phuket .
‘ Really serious' '' For two days , the streets , the shops and the beaches have been deserted , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owns a 40-room hotel and a restaurant on the island .
`` Phuket has focused almost exclusively on Chinese tourism ... if the situation continues , we will all be impacted , '' he told AFP .
Australia too , already reeling from the effects of the bushfire crisis , is likely to feel the impact .
Chinese visitor numbers doubled in the six years to June 2019 , with mainlanders now accounting for 15 percent of Australia ’ s inbound tourists .
Mario Hardy , CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long the crisis would last .
`` I would suspect the impact would be between three to six months , but it will really depend on how the situation evolves in the coming few weeks , '' he told AFP .
Off season in Europe The impact will be felt less immediately in Europe , which does not attract as many visitors from China during the winter .
`` We are in low season for now , but if the situation persists ... the economic impact will be significant , '' said Jean-Pierre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobby group .
Last year more than two million Chinese tourists visited France—the most popular destination in Europe—staying an average five days and spending a collective four billion euros .
Swiss tourism officials said they also expected a decline in bookings from China , which makes up 4.5 percent of all hotel nights bookings .
Kurt Janson , director of Britain ’ s Tourism Alliance , said Chinese visitors to the UK represent less than two percent of the annual total “ so there will not be any significant overall impact ” .

A deadly virus that has prompted travel restrictions in China is sending shockwaves through Asia's tourism industry, which has become increasingly reliant on growing numbers of Chinese visitors.
People wearing protective masks wait to board their train as they travel for the Lunar New Year holidays at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing on January 24, 2020
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At least 81 people have died since the new strain of coronavirus emerged in China’s Wuhan, and millions are now under an effective quarantine, with all flights in and out of the city grounded and a ban on Chinese tour groups domestically and abroad.
The measures come amid a boom in Chinese foreign travel, with the number of tourists from the country increasing nearly tenfold since 2003, according to a report by research firm Capital Economics.
But businesses in destinations that rely on the huge numbers of Chinese tourists are already feeling the heat, with complaints of “deserted” beaches and shops, and concerns about the future.
There will be a less immediate impact in Europe, which is currently off peak season for visitors from China.
The outbreak carries echoes of the SARS crisis, which paralysed regional travel and battered local economies from late 2002. Chinese tourist numbers then fell by around a third.
"If they fell by a similar amount again, it would knock around 1.5-2.0 percentage points from (gross domestic product) in the most vulnerable countries," Capital Economics said.
In Japan, the fall in Chinese visitors was already being felt in Asakusa, a popular tourist destination near the Sensoji temple.
"We’ve definitely been seeing less people this year," said Yoshie Yoneyama, 31, manager of a shop selling traditional Japanese sweets and a rice-based drink called amazake.
Beaches ‘deserted’
"I think there are less than half the numbers of last year or the year before," she told AFP.
The number of Chinese holidaying in Japan has exploded from around 450,000 in 2003 to 8.4 million in 2018, accounting for 27 percent of all inbound tourists as Tokyo works to expand the sector.
But it will now be "very difficult" for Japan to achieve its target of 40 million tourists in 2020, Yuki Takashima, an economist at Nomura Securities, told AFP.
And the effects will be felt beyond hotels, restaurants and tourist sites, because many Chinese tourists visit Japan specifically to shop.
The crisis has already sent Japan’s key Nikkei index plunging, with stock in Shiseido—a cosmetics brand popular with Chinese tourists—falling more than five percent on Monday.
"We can expect those stocks to continue to fall like dominoes," said Stephen Innes, chief market strategist at AxiCorp.
But he said Japan would be better placed to weather the storm than another top destination for Chinese tourists: Thailand.
Tourism accounts for 18 percent of the nation’s GDP, with Chinese holidaymakers making up more than a quarter of total arrivals.
The country’s tourism minister has already warned a crisis on the scale of SARS could cost an estimated $1.6 billion, and the effects are already clear in Phuket.
‘Really serious'
"For two days, the streets, the shops and the beaches have been deserted," said Claude de Crissey, who owns a 40-room hotel and a restaurant on the island.
"Phuket has focused almost exclusively on Chinese tourism... if the situation continues, we will all be impacted," he told AFP.
Australia too, already reeling from the effects of the bushfire crisis, is likely to feel the impact.
Chinese visitor numbers doubled in the six years to June 2019, with mainlanders now accounting for 15 percent of Australia’s inbound tourists.
Mario Hardy, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association said it was hard to gauge how long the crisis would last.
"I would suspect the impact would be between three to six months, but it will really depend on how the situation evolves in the coming few weeks," he told AFP.
Off season in Europe
The impact will be felt less immediately in Europe, which does not attract as many visitors from China during the winter.
"We are in low season for now, but if the situation persists... the economic impact will be significant," said Jean-Pierre Mas, head of a French travel lobby group.
Last year more than two million Chinese tourists visited France—the most popular destination in Europe—staying an average five days and spending a collective four billion euros.
Swiss tourism officials said they also expected a decline in bookings from China, which makes up 4.5 percent of all hotel nights bookings.
Kurt Janson, director of Britain’s Tourism Alliance, said Chinese visitors to the UK represent less than two percent of the annual total “so there will not be any significant overall impact”.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-27--Michou, the blue man of Paris nightlife, dead at 88

Michou , a legend of the Paris night scene who helped inspire the comedy classic `` La Cage aux Folles '' , died Sunday at the age of 88 .
A trailblazer who established drag cabaret in France , Michou died in a Paris hospital , Francois Deblaye , a spokesman for his Chez Michou theatre , told AFP .
Michou , whose real name was Michel Catty , was a fixture of Paris nightlife for more than 60 years , unmistakable in his top-to-toe all-blue outfits and chunky dark glasses .
His tiny Cabaret Michou launched drag entertainment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ featuring men caricaturing women personalities of the time .
Michou would recount over the years how one Mardi Gras he dared some male friends to dress up as famous women for after-dinner entertainment in his simple bar in the city 's northern Montmartre district .
`` I imitated Brigitte Bardot , finishing my number almost naked ... for the time , it was very cheeky , '' he says on his club 's website .
'Michettes ' He and his friends repeated the performance and soon the barmen and waiters were swapping aprons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wigs and false eyelashes .
Michou and his camped-up `` Michettes '' became icons of Paris 's saucy nightlife , alongside the larger , more conventional cabarets of the Moulin Rouge , Lido and Crazy Horse .
His entertainment was about mimicking -- not mocking -- the stars of the day , Michou insisted .
`` There is a lot of respect in our caricatures .
We adore our victims and they know it , '' he told AFP in 2011 .
`` We do not ape them .
There is never any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ France 's blonde pop queen of the 1970s and 1980s , `` loved to come and see herself more crazy than ever , '' he said .
Such was his fame that he and his club inspired a hit 1978 French comedy film , `` La Cage aux Folles '' -- later remade in Hollywood as `` The Birdcage '' , starring Robin Williams .
Blue Prince In 1948 , Michou arrived in the City of Light from the small northern city of Amiens , aged 17 .
As his reputation grew through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film cameo in 1973 and was a frequent feature on television in the 1980s , also recording several songs .
Always proudly and flamboyantly gay , even when homosexuality was illegal , Michou was awarded France 's highest civilian honour , the Legion d'honneur , in 2005 .
His 80th birthday party was a megabash of stars , from fashion 's Jean-Paul Gaultier to singing legend Nana Mouskouri .
It was fueled by lots of champagne , his preferred `` fountain of youth '' .
Michou made clear in his 2017 memoires `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to be buried in a blue coffin , also saying his cabaret should die when he does .
`` I want this to disappear with me .
That may seem pretentious but the cabaret will not survive after me , '' he said in a recent interview .
( AFP )

Michou, a legend of the Paris night scene who helped inspire the comedy classic "La Cage aux Folles", died Sunday at the age of 88.
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A trailblazer who established drag cabaret in France, Michou died in a Paris hospital, Francois Deblaye, a spokesman for his Chez Michou theatre, told AFP.
Michou, whose real name was Michel Catty, was a fixture of Paris nightlife for more than 60 years, unmistakable in his top-to-toe all-blue outfits and chunky dark glasses.
His tiny Cabaret Michou launched drag entertainment in the mid-1950s when it put on shows featuring men caricaturing women personalities of the time.
Goodbye #Michou 😢 #RIP to a true legend of French cabaret and Parisian nights, who inspired generations being true to himself 💙
Au revoir Michou 💔 💙 nous rendons hommage à une vraie #légende du #cabaret français, inspirant et visionnaire pour tant de générations ✨ pic.twitter.com/iYFLT0vxPx — CRAZY HORSE PARIS (@crazyhorseparis) January 26, 2020
Michou would recount over the years how one Mardi Gras he dared some male friends to dress up as famous women for after-dinner entertainment in his simple bar in the city's northern Montmartre district.
"I imitated Brigitte Bardot, finishing my number almost naked... for the time, it was very cheeky," he says on his club's website.
'Michettes'
He and his friends repeated the performance and soon the barmen and waiters were swapping aprons after their shifts for outrageous gowns, wigs and false eyelashes.
Michou and his camped-up "Michettes" became icons of Paris's saucy nightlife, alongside the larger, more conventional cabarets of the Moulin Rouge, Lido and Crazy Horse.
His entertainment was about mimicking -- not mocking -- the stars of the day, Michou insisted.
"There is a lot of respect in our caricatures. We adore our victims and they know it," he told AFP in 2011.
"We do not ape them. There is never any vulgarity."
Egyptian-born diva Dalida, France's blonde pop queen of the 1970s and 1980s, "loved to come and see herself more crazy than ever," he said.
Such was his fame that he and his club inspired a hit 1978 French comedy film, "La Cage aux Folles" -- later remade in Hollywood as "The Birdcage", starring Robin Williams.
Blue Prince
In 1948, Michou arrived in the City of Light from the small northern city of Amiens, aged 17.
As his reputation grew through his niche cabaret, he had a film cameo in 1973 and was a frequent feature on television in the 1980s, also recording several songs.
Always proudly and flamboyantly gay, even when homosexuality was illegal, Michou was awarded France's highest civilian honour, the Legion d'honneur, in 2005.
His 80th birthday party was a megabash of stars, from fashion's Jean-Paul Gaultier to singing legend Nana Mouskouri.
It was fueled by lots of champagne, his preferred "fountain of youth".
Michou made clear in his 2017 memoires "Blue Prince of Montmartre" that he wants to be buried in a blue coffin, also saying his cabaret should die when he does.
"I want this to disappear with me. That may seem pretentious but the cabaret will not survive after me," he said in a recent interview.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-27--Math genius Villani frustrates Macron's effort to win Paris

Cedric Villani , out campaigning to be the next mayor of Paris , was dressed in his trademark three-piece suit with pocket watch and spider brooch under his overcoat .
“ Don ’ t go changing , ” a passerby said as Villani chatted to shoppers and stallholders in the Marche Monge , an open-air market in Paris ’ s Latin quarter .
“ You can count on that , ” Villani replied .
Opinion polls show Villani , 46 , a mathematician who turned politician three years ago , is a long shot to win the election in March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Emmanuel Macron to claim the mayor ’ s office , one of the biggest prizes in French politics , by splitting the vote and handing the mayoralty to someone else .
On Sunday , Macron called Villani to his office at the Elysee Palace to talk about his election bid .
Villani emerged to tell reporters he would not pull out .
The two men have history .
Villani used to be a Macron loyalist who in 2017 became a member of parliament with Macron ’ s party .
He rebelled when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Benjamin Griveaux , a long-time Macron aide , as its candidate for mayor .
With the Macron vote split , polls show the front-runners for the mayoral vote are the president ’ s ideological opponents - Anne Hidalgo , the Socialist incumbent , and Rachida Dati , a minister in a previous right-wing government .
On Saturday , before his audience with Macron , Villani said it was up to voters to decide who becomes mayor .
“ You don ’ t win an election in Paris via machinations among party machines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day of campaigning on Saturday , Villani set off from his home on the left bank of the river Seine on a Velib rental bike , then switched to the metro to complete the journey to the market .
He shook hands with stallholders and shoppers .
Voters asked him about ride-sharing scooters that are left strewn on pavements , trees that have been cut down and a transport strike that hurt small businesses .
Villani - a winner of the Fields Medal , often called the nobel prize of mathematics - says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ euros in a green programme and shift the terminus for long-distance trains out of central Paris .
“ I like his intelligence more than anything , his originality , and I believe he ’ s sincere , ” said shopper Christiane Weil .
Villani has not said if there is any symbolism behind the brooch .
It ’ s not the first time a spider brooch has entered politics .
Brenda Hale wore one when , as president of Britain ’ s Supreme Court at the height of the Brexit debate , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson had acted unlawfully in suspending parliament , lighting up social media .
“ Wearing a spider to deliver news that trapped the prime minister felt pointed , ” The Guardian newspaper said .

Cedric Villani, out campaigning to be the next mayor of Paris, was dressed in his trademark three-piece suit with pocket watch and spider brooch under his overcoat.
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“Don’t go changing,” a passerby said as Villani chatted to shoppers and stallholders in the Marche Monge, an open-air market in Paris’s Latin quarter. “You can count on that,” Villani replied.
Opinion polls show Villani, 46, a mathematician who turned politician three years ago, is a long shot to win the election in March. But he could frustrate efforts by President Emmanuel Macron to claim the mayor’s office, one of the biggest prizes in French politics, by splitting the vote and handing the mayoralty to someone else.
On Sunday, Macron called Villani to his office at the Elysee Palace to talk about his election bid. Villani emerged to tell reporters he would not pull out.
The two men have history. Villani used to be a Macron loyalist who in 2017 became a member of parliament with Macron’s party. He rebelled when the party passed him over and named Benjamin Griveaux, a long-time Macron aide, as its candidate for mayor.
With the Macron vote split, polls show the front-runners for the mayoral vote are the president’s ideological opponents - Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist incumbent, and Rachida Dati, a minister in a previous right-wing government.
On Saturday, before his audience with Macron, Villani said it was up to voters to decide who becomes mayor. “You don’t win an election in Paris via machinations among party machines,” he told Reuters.
For a day of campaigning on Saturday, Villani set off from his home on the left bank of the river Seine on a Velib rental bike, then switched to the metro to complete the journey to the market.
He shook hands with stallholders and shoppers. Voters asked him about ride-sharing scooters that are left strewn on pavements, trees that have been cut down and a transport strike that hurt small businesses.
Villani - a winner of the Fields Medal, often called the nobel prize of mathematics - says if elected he will invest 5 billion euros in a green programme and shift the terminus for long-distance trains out of central Paris.
“I like his intelligence more than anything, his originality, and I believe he’s sincere,” said shopper Christiane Weil.
Villani has not said if there is any symbolism behind the brooch.
It’s not the first time a spider brooch has entered politics. Brenda Hale wore one when, as president of Britain’s Supreme Court at the height of the Brexit debate, she delivered a ruling that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had acted unlawfully in suspending parliament, lighting up social media.
“Wearing a spider to deliver news that trapped the prime minister felt pointed,” The Guardian newspaper said.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-27--‘We need to look at the photographs of Auschwitz’

‘ We need to look at the photographs of Auschwitz ’ As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the @ @ @ @ @ speak to historian Christoph Kreutzmüller , who has been studying the photographs taken by SS @ @ @ @ @ camp .
He tells us why these pictures are such an important source of evidence @ @ @ @ @ the perpetrators .
If they had been examined earlier , at least one suspect who @ @ @ @ @ have been found guilty , Kreutzmüller explains .
He joined us for Perspective .

‘We need to look at the photographs of Auschwitz’
07:55 PERSPECTIVE © FRANCE 24
As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we speak to historian Christoph Kreutzmüller, who has been studying the photographs taken by SS officers at the Nazi death camp. He tells us why these pictures are such an important source of evidence, despite being taken by the perpetrators. If they had been examined earlier, at least one suspect who was acquitted in court would have been found guilty, Kreutzmüller explains. He joined us for Perspective.


france24--2020-01-27--385-mile human chain: Indians line up to protest citizenship law

People in the Indian state of Kerala formed a human chain Sunday that , according to organisers , stretched for 620 kilometres ( 385 miles ) and included as many as seven million people in the latest act of protest against a controversial citizenship law .
The protest coincided with India ’ s Republic Day , a celebration of the anniversary of India 's adoption of its constitution in 1950 .
Demonstrators in Kerala , a state in India ’ s south , read from the constitution ’ s preamble , which defines the country as a “ secular democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it as part of the protest .
The Citizenship Amendment Act , spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's ruling Hindu nationalist party , aims to make it easier for refugees from neighbouring countries to gain Indian citizenship .
However , the act excludes Muslim refugees , leading detractors to claim it is discriminatory .
The act , which was passed by the government on December 12 , has led to a number of large protests across India in recent weeks , with frequent clashes between demonstrators and police , leaving at least @ @ @

People in the Indian state of Kerala formed a human chain Sunday that, according to organisers, stretched for 620 kilometres (385 miles) and included as many as seven million people in the latest act of protest against a controversial citizenship law.
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The protest coincided with India’s Republic Day, a celebration of the anniversary of India's adoption of its constitution in 1950.
Demonstrators in Kerala, a state in India’s south, read from the constitution’s preamble, which defines the country as a “secular democratic republic” and swore oaths to uphold it as part of the protest.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist party, aims to make it easier for refugees from neighbouring countries to gain Indian citizenship.
However, the act excludes Muslim refugees, leading detractors to claim it is discriminatory.
The act, which was passed by the government on December 12, has led to a number of large protests across India in recent weeks, with frequent clashes between demonstrators and police, leaving at least 25 dead.
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france24--2020-01-27--VIDEO: Moqtada al-Sadr, a symbol of anti-US resistance in Iraq

Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks during a news conference in Najaf , Iraq , on May 17 , 2018 .
For months , Iraq has been rocked by anti-government demonstrations , and now a crisis between the United States and Iran .
One man stands at the centre of these events : Moqtada al-Sadr , the Shiite cleric who was the big winner of the 2018 legislative elections .
FRANCE 24 reports .
Hundreds of thousands gathered on January 24 to protest American troop presence in Iraq , at the call of Moqtada al-Sadr .
“ Moqtada al-Sadr is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ famous for having resisted the Americans and the Islamic State in Iraq .
With him , Iraq belongs to the Iraqis , ” said one protester , Saad al-Dahlaki .
A nationalist and a reformist , Sadr today leads the majority bloc in parliament , with its stronghold in Sadr City , east of the capital , Baghdad .
Each street corner in Sadr City displays the portrait of the Shiite cleric , flanked by his father and his stepfather .
All considered to be descendants of Prophet Mohammed .
In the 2000s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warlord fighting against the occupying American forces .
But his detractors accuse him of incessant reversals and political opportunism .
After initially supporting anti-government protests , Sadr has recently distanced himself from the movement .
Since the American strike against General Qassem Soleimani , Sadr and his supporters have made the fight against the United States their priority .
“ The Americans are our greatest enemy .
Today , the Peace Brigades are ready to take up arms and will fight if Moqtada Sadr asks them .
All honourable Iraqis should request that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tribal authority in Sadr City , Sheikh Nafaa al-Atwani .
Click the player above to watch the full report by Lucile Wassermann and Jack Hewson .

For months, Iraq has been rocked by anti-government demonstrations, and now a crisis between the United States and Iran. One man stands at the centre of these events: Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who was the big winner of the 2018 legislative elections. FRANCE 24 reports.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks during a news conference in Najaf, Iraq, on May 17, 2018.
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Hundreds of thousands gathered on January 24 to protest American troop presence in Iraq, at the call of Moqtada al-Sadr.
“Moqtada al-Sadr is a symbol of resistance. He is famous for having resisted the Americans and the Islamic State in Iraq. With him, Iraq belongs to the Iraqis,” said one protester, Saad al-Dahlaki.
A nationalist and a reformist, Sadr today leads the majority bloc in parliament, with its stronghold in Sadr City, east of the capital, Baghdad.
Each street corner in Sadr City displays the portrait of the Shiite cleric, flanked by his father and his stepfather. All considered to be descendants of Prophet Mohammed.
In the 2000s, Sadr also distinguished himself as a warlord fighting against the occupying American forces.
But his detractors accuse him of incessant reversals and political opportunism. After initially supporting anti-government protests, Sadr has recently distanced himself from the movement.
Since the American strike against General Qassem Soleimani, Sadr and his supporters have made the fight against the United States their priority.
“The Americans are our greatest enemy. Today, the Peace Brigades are ready to take up arms and will fight if Moqtada Sadr asks them. All honourable Iraqis should request that they leave,” said the highest tribal authority in Sadr City, Sheikh Nafaa al-Atwani.
Click the player above to watch the full report by Lucile Wassermann and Jack Hewson.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-01-27--Gold rush in Mauritania sparks illegal archeological objects trade on Facebook

Small-scale gold miners in Mauritania have been partaking in a lucrative side hustle - turning to Facebook to sell historical and archeological objects that they unearth while hunting for gold .
As the gold rush continues , there are more and Facebook posts offering up old coins and small statues from the Middle Ages .
Archeologists are calling on the authorities to preserve archaeological sites across the country from the mining threat .
About 16,000 individuals have licenses to carry out small-scale or artisanal mining legally in Mauritania , according to official figures .
An increasing number of these miners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- selling historical objects which they find while hunting for gold .
The miners sell the historical objects -- including gold dinars , bronze coins and small statues from the Middle Ages -- on Facebook groups .
Here ’ s one example .
According to Ahmed Maouloud Eida El-Hilal , who runs the Laboratory for Mauritanian History and Heritage at the University of Nouakchott , many of the gold pieces currently for sale on Facebook are from the Almoravid dynasty , which was created by an alliance of Berber tribes and spread across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and part of Andalusia in Spain during the 11th and 12th centuries .
A Facebook user who says he is a small-scale gold miner left the post below , offering up coins that he said he found in the southeast of the country .
El-Hilal sees this as a worrying sign that artisanal gold miners are digging closer and closer to important archeological sites in southeast Mauritania like Aoudaghost and Koumbi Saleh .
On January 12 , an individual posted a series of bronze coins marked with a Star of David on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are sold .
El-Hilal thinks that `` these coins are from the Banou Mérine Kingdom '' , which covered a large swathe of North Africa between the 13th and 15th centuries .
`` The Star of David was one of the symbols used by the Muslim Arab culture at this time , ” he said .
One of our journalists dialled the phone number on the post and spoke to a man who said that he had put these coins up for sale .
He said he found them while looking for gold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is in the far north of the country and that they were buried a metre underneath the ground .
He offered to sell them to us for a million ouguiya each ( equivalent to €2,500 ) .
He sent us additional photos to prove that he did really have the coins .
El-Hilal says he ’ s worried because there is no real security for the country ’ s most important archeological sites .
He thinks that a more robust security presence would keep miners away from these areas : El-Hilal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact that small-scale mining is having on archeological sites .
Small-scale mining spread to Mauritania after a boom in Sudan in 2012 .
After gold was discovered near the Tasiast mine and on the outskirts of the mining town of Zouerat , thousands of Mauritanians rushed to hunt for the precious metal themselves .
Thousands of metal detectors have been sold since the gold rush began .
Several foreign mining companies , including the Canadian companies Kinross and Algold , run operations in Mauritania , most of them in the north of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn over any archeological pieces they dig up to the relevant authorities .
Artisanal mining in Mauritania has been regulated since December 2016 , with individual miners required to get a licence .
Roughly 16,000 licences were handed out to miners in 2016 , but RFI reported that at least 20,000 Mauritanians are currently partaking in the activity .
About half a ton of gold has been produced by artisanal miners , according to figures by the Mauritanian Central Bank , which has a monopoly on the purchase of this gold .
Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Dour region , in the north of the country , where 4,000 miners have a licence to operate independently .
In 2019 , large mining companies in Mauritania produced around 7.6 tons of gold ( Equivalent to 245,856.76 ounces ) .

MAURITANIA
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Small-scale gold miners in Mauritania have been partaking in a lucrative side hustle - turning to Facebook to sell historical and archeological objects that they unearth while hunting for gold. As the gold rush continues, there are more and Facebook posts offering up old coins and small statues from the Middle Ages. Archeologists are calling on the authorities to preserve archaeological sites across the country from the mining threat.
About 16,000 individuals have licenses to carry out small-scale or artisanal mining legally in Mauritania, according to official figures. An increasing number of these miners are turning to a lucrative side hustle-- selling historical objects which they find while hunting for gold. The miners sell the historical objects-- including gold dinars, bronze coins and small statues from the Middle Ages-- on Facebook groups. Here’s one example.
According to Ahmed Maouloud Eida El-Hilal, who runs the Laboratory for Mauritanian History and Heritage at the University of Nouakchott, many of the gold pieces currently for sale on Facebook are from the Almoravid dynasty, which was created by an alliance of Berber tribes and spread across Mauritania, Morocco, part of Senegal and part of Andalusia in Spain during the 11th and 12th centuries.
A Facebook user who says he is a small-scale gold miner left the post below, offering up coins that he said he found in the southeast of the country.
El-Hilal sees this as a worrying sign that artisanal gold miners are digging closer and closer to important archeological sites in southeast Mauritania like Aoudaghost and Koumbi Saleh.
On January 12, an individual posted a series of bronze coins marked with a Star of David on the Etebtab Facebook group, where different goods are sold. El-Hilal thinks that "these coins are from the Banou Mérine Kingdom", which covered a large swathe of North Africa between the 13th and 15th centuries."The Star of David was one of the symbols used by the Muslim Arab culture at this time,” he said.
One of our journalists dialled the phone number on the post and spoke to a man who said that he had put these coins up for sale. He said he found them while looking for gold with a metal detector in Ain Bentili, which is in the far north of the country and that they were buried a metre underneath the ground. He offered to sell them to us for a million ouguiya each (equivalent to €2,500). He sent us additional photos to prove that he did really have the coins.
El-Hilal says he’s worried because there is no real security for the country’s most important archeological sites. He thinks that a more robust security presence would keep miners away from these areas:
I’ve been saying for years that the gold rush is having a negative impact on important archeological sites. But in Mauritania, there aren’t regional administrations to take care of heritage sites. For years, I’ve been seeing miners put historic pieces up for sale on social media. I am calling on the authorities to intensify their surveillance of mining activities and to arrest anyone who steals these archeological finds or who buys items sold on the black market. The sale of these objects is a flagrant infraction of laws that have sought to protect our cultural heritage since 1972, but which are rarely applied. The government should work to locate these important pieces; their place is in the National Museum or in the hands of experts in cultural heritage.
Publication Eida alhilal
El-Hilal wrote this post on Facebook about the impact that small-scale mining is having on archeological sites.
Small-scale mining spread to Mauritania after a boom in Sudan in 2012. After gold was discovered near the Tasiast mine and on the outskirts of the mining town of Zouerat, thousands of Mauritanians rushed to hunt for the precious metal themselves. Thousands of metal detectors have been sold since the gold rush began.
Several foreign mining companies, including the Canadian companies Kinross and Algold, run operations in Mauritania, most of them in the north of the country. These companies are supposed to turn over any archeological pieces they dig up to the relevant authorities.
Artisanal mining in Mauritania has been regulated since December 2016, with individual miners required to get a licence. Roughly 16,000 licences were handed out to miners in 2016, but RFI reported that at least 20,000 Mauritanians are currently partaking in the activity.
About half a ton of gold has been produced by artisanal miners, according to figures by the Mauritanian Central Bank, which has a monopoly on the purchase of this gold. Most of it hails from the Guelb N’Dour region, in the north of the country, where 4,000 miners have a licence to operate independently. In 2019, large mining companies in Mauritania produced around 7.6 tons of gold (Equivalent to 245,856.76 ounces).
Article by Omar Tiss.


france24--2020-01-28--Trump to unveil Middle East peace plan despite accusations of pro-Israel bias

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday will ignore accusations , led by the Palestinians themselves , of pro-Israel bias and unveil what he says is a peace plan capable of solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict .
Long held secret , the plan will finally be aired jointly by Trump and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House .
Given that it has been rejected by the Palestinians , the latest of many US proposals to address the bitter , multi-generational Mideast conflict might seem to have little future .
But Trump insists he is optimistic and whatever happens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political benefits as they battle respective domestic scandals .
`` It might have a chance , '' Trump said of the plan at an initial Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu on Monday .
Trump , whose impeachment trial in the Senate is entering a critical phase , said his plan was getting widespread support from `` many of the Arab nations '' and claimed that even Palestinians would come round to the idea .
`` It 's very good for them , in fact it 's overly good for them , '' Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will have ultimately the support of the Palestinians . ''
Netanyahu , praising Trump as `` the greatest friend that Israel 's had in the White House '' , described the peace plan as `` the deal of the century '' .
FRANCE 24 ’ s correspondent in Israel , Irris Makler , said that the plan 's announcement comes at a strange time .
“ It comes just before an Israeli election [ and ] we heard yesterday Donald Trump saying that he couldn ’ t wait any longer for the paralysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , ” she said .
Netanyahu also faces corruption charges , as well as a tense election in just over a month in which his right-wing Likud party is neck-and-neck with Benny Gantz 's centrist Blue and White party .
On Monday , Trump also met separately with Gantz , but the limelight fell almost entirely on the incumbent prime minister - as will any political dividends from a peace plan favoring Israel .
Palestinian PM urges boycott of plan No Palestinians have been invited to the White House event .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the plan , which was overseen by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner .
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday urged international powers to boycott the plan , which he said was designed `` to protect Trump from impeachment and protect Netanyahu from prison '' .
`` It is not a Middle East peace plan , '' Shtayyeh told a cabinet meeting .
`` This plan gives Israel sovereignty over Palestinian territory . ''
FRANCE 24 ’ s Makler said that the Palestinians would hold an emergency meeting at the same time as Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests against it will be held through Friday .
The plan , whose details still remained under wraps up to the last minute , has been gestating for so long that skeptics asked whether it really existed .
Aaron David Miller , a Mideast expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , said Kushner 's team wants to `` finally , basically demonstrate that they have a plan '' - and to do so ahead of the US presidential election in November .
Trump has already thrown Netanyahu a string of political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include breaking with international diplomatic consensus to recognize the disputed city of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital ; recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights , which were seized from neighbouring Syria ; and ending opposition to Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land .
Last Thursday , Trump described the still-unpublished peace plan as `` great '' and said it `` really would work '' .
But on Sunday , Palestinian leaders warned that instead of bringing peace , the plan could trigger their withdrawal from key provisions of the decades-old Oslo Accords @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli-Palestinian relations .
`` Trump 's plan is the plot of the century to liquidate the Palestinian cause , '' the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement .
( FRANCE 24 with AFP )

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday will ignore accusations, led by the Palestinians themselves, of pro-Israel bias and unveil what he says is a peace plan capable of solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Advertising Read more
Long held secret, the plan will finally be aired jointly by Trump and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Given that it has been rejected by the Palestinians, the latest of many US proposals to address the bitter, multi-generational Mideast conflict might seem to have little future.
But Trump insists he is optimistic and whatever happens, both he and Netanyahu could reap political benefits as they battle respective domestic scandals.
"It might have a chance," Trump said of the plan at an initial Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu on Monday.
Trump, whose impeachment trial in the Senate is entering a critical phase, said his plan was getting widespread support from "many of the Arab nations" and claimed that even Palestinians would come round to the idea.
"It's very good for them, in fact it's overly good for them," Trump told reporters. "We think we will have ultimately the support of the Palestinians."
Netanyahu, praising Trump as "the greatest friend that Israel's had in the White House", described the peace plan as "the deal of the century".
FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Israel, Irris Makler, said that the plan's announcement comes at a strange time.
“It comes just before an Israeli election [and] we heard yesterday Donald Trump saying that he couldn’t wait any longer for the paralysis in Israeli politics when he was releasing it,” she said.
Netanyahu also faces corruption charges, as well as a tense election in just over a month in which his right-wing Likud party is neck-and-neck with Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White party.
On Monday, Trump also met separately with Gantz, but the limelight fell almost entirely on the incumbent prime minister - as will any political dividends from a peace plan favoring Israel.
Palestinian PM urges boycott of plan
No Palestinians have been invited to the White House event. They say they were never included in crafting the plan, which was overseen by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday urged international powers to boycott the plan, which he said was designed "to protect Trump from impeachment and protect Netanyahu from prison".
"It is not a Middle East peace plan," Shtayyeh told a cabinet meeting. "This plan gives Israel sovereignty over Palestinian territory."
FRANCE 24’s Makler said that the Palestinians would hold an emergency meeting at the same time as Trump announces the plan, and that several protests against it will be held through Friday.
The plan, whose details still remained under wraps up to the last minute, has been gestating for so long that skeptics asked whether it really existed.
Aaron David Miller, a Mideast expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Kushner's team wants to "finally, basically demonstrate that they have a plan" - and to do so ahead of the US presidential election in November.
Trump has already thrown Netanyahu a string of political presents throughout his first term.
These include breaking with international diplomatic consensus to recognize the disputed city of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital; recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which were seized from neighbouring Syria; and ending opposition to Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
Last Thursday, Trump described the still-unpublished peace plan as "great" and said it "really would work".
But on Sunday, Palestinian leaders warned that instead of bringing peace, the plan could trigger their withdrawal from key provisions of the decades-old Oslo Accords, which sought to map out peaceful Israeli-Palestinian relations.
"Trump's plan is the plot of the century to liquidate the Palestinian cause," the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-01-28--China coronavirus death toll passes 100 as US, Canada issue travel warning

People wearing face masks walk at the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on January 27 , 2020 , as China is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus .
The United States warned against travel to China on Monday and Canada issued a more narrow travel warning as the death toll from the spreading coronavirus passed 100 , with tens of millions stranded during the biggest holiday of the year and global markets rattled .
Global stocks fell , oil prices hit three-month lows , and China 's yuan dipped to its weakest level in 2020 as investors fretted about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from travel bans and the Lunar New Year holiday , which China extended in a bid to keep people at home .
The health commission of China 's Hubei province said on Tuesday that 100 people had died from the virus as of Jan. 27 , according to an online statement , up from the previous toll of 76 , with the number of confirmed cases in the province having risen to 2,714 .
Other fatalities have been reported elsewhere in China , including the first in Beijing , bringing the deal toll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the People 's Daily .
The state newspaper put the total number of confirmed cases in China at 4,193 , though some experts suspect a much higher number .
On Monday , U.S. President Donald Trump offered China whatever help it needed , while the State Department said Americans should `` reconsider '' visiting all of China due to the virus .
Canada , which has two confirmed cases of the virus and is investigating 19 more potential cases , warned its citizens to avoid travel to China 's Hubei province , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Hubei province are taking increasing flak from the public over their initial response to the virus .
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the city of Wuhan , epicentre of the outbreak , to encourage medical workers and promise reinforcements .
Visiting Wuhan in a blue protective suit and mask , Li praised medics , said 2,500 more workers would join them in the next two days , and visited the site of a new hospital to be built in days .
The most senior leader to visit Wuhan since the outbreak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical workers in chants of `` Wuhan jiayou ! ''
- an exhortation to keep their strength up .
China 's ambassador to the United Nations , following a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday , said `` the Chinese government attaches paramount importance to prevention and control of the epidemic , and President Xi Jinping has given important instructions ... '' China has been working with the international community in the spirit of openness , transparency and scientific coordination , '' he said .
Guterres said in a statement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has full confidence in China 's ability of controlling the outbreak , and stands ready to provide any support and assistance . ''
On China 's heavily censored social media , officials have faced mounting anger over the virus , which is thought to have originated from a market where wildlife was sold illegally .
Some criticised the governor of Hubei province , of which Wuhan is the capital , after he corrected himself twice during a news conference over the number of face masks being produced .
`` If he can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no wonder the disease has spread so severely , '' said one user of the Weibo social media platform .
In rare public self-criticism , Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang said the city 's management of the crisis was `` not good enough '' and indicated he was willing to resign .
The central Chinese city of 11 million people is in virtual lockdown and much of Hubei , home to nearly 60 million people , is under travel curbs .
Elsewhere in China , people from the region faced questioning about their movements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against , '' a Wuhan resident complained on Weibo .
Cases linked to people who travelled from Wuhan have been confirmed in a dozen countries , from Japan to the United States , where authorities said they had 110 people under investigation in 26 states .
Sri Lanka was the latest to confirm a case .
Investors are worried about the impact .
The consensus is that in the short term , economic output will be hit as authorities limit travel and extend the week-long New Year holiday - when millions traditionally travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by three days to limit the spread of the virus .
Asian and European shares tumbled , with Japan 's Nikkei average sliding 2 % , its biggest one-day fall in five months .
Demand spiked for safe-haven assets such as the Japanese yen and Treasury notes .
European stocks fell more than 2 % .
The U.S. S & P 500 closed down nearly 1.6 % .
`` China is the biggest driver of global growth so this could n't have started in a worse place , '' said Alec Young , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ markets research .
During the 2002-2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) , which originated in China and killed nearly 800 people globally , air passenger demand in Asia plunged 45 % .
The travel industry is more reliant on Chinese travellers now .
Chinese-ruled Hong Kong , which has had eight cases , banned entry to people who had visited Hubei recently .
Some European tour operators cancelled trips to China , while governments around the world worked on repatriating nationals .
Officially known as 2019-nCoV , the newly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is still too early to know just how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads .
`` What we know about this virus it that transmission occurs through human contact but we are speaking of close contact , i.e .
less than a meter , '' said Jerome Salomon , a senior official with France 's health ministry .
`` Crossing someone ( infected ) in the street poses no threat , '' he said .
`` The risk is low when you spend a little time near that person and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time near that person . ''

The United States warned against travel to China on Monday and Canada issued a more narrow travel warning as the death toll from the spreading coronavirus passed 100, with tens of millions stranded during the biggest holiday of the year and global markets rattled.
People wearing face masks walk at the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on January 27, 2020, as China is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus.
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Global stocks fell, oil prices hit three-month lows, and China's yuan dipped to its weakest level in 2020 as investors fretted about damage to the world's second-biggest economy from travel bans and the Lunar New Year holiday, which China extended in a bid to keep people at home.
The health commission of China's Hubei province said on Tuesday that 100 people had died from the virus as of Jan. 27, according to an online statement, up from the previous toll of 76, with the number of confirmed cases in the province having risen to 2,714.
Other fatalities have been reported elsewhere in China, including the first in Beijing, bringing the deal toll to 106 so far, according to the People's Daily. The state newspaper put the total number of confirmed cases in China at 4,193, though some experts suspect a much higher number.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump offered China whatever help it needed, while the State Department said Americans should "reconsider" visiting all of China due to the virus.
Canada, which has two confirmed cases of the virus and is investigating 19 more potential cases, warned its citizens to avoid travel to China's Hubei province, at the heart of the outbreak.
Authorities in Hubei province are taking increasing flak from the public over their initial response to the virus. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the city of Wuhan, epicentre of the outbreak, to encourage medical workers and promise reinforcements.
Visiting Wuhan in a blue protective suit and mask, Li praised medics, said 2,500 more workers would join them in the next two days, and visited the site of a new hospital to be built in days.
The most senior leader to visit Wuhan since the outbreak, Li was shown on state TV leading medical workers in chants of "Wuhan jiayou!" - an exhortation to keep their strength up.
01:22
China's ambassador to the United Nations, following a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday, said "the Chinese government attaches paramount importance to prevention and control of the epidemic, and President Xi Jinping has given important instructions...
"China has been working with the international community in the spirit of openness, transparency and scientific coordination," he said.
Guterres said in a statement, "The UN appreciates China's effort, has full confidence in China's ability of controlling the outbreak, and stands ready to provide any support and assistance."
Mounting anger
On China's heavily censored social media, officials have faced mounting anger over the virus, which is thought to have originated from a market where wildlife was sold illegally.
Some criticised the governor of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, after he corrected himself twice during a news conference over the number of face masks being produced.
"If he can mess up the data multiple times, no wonder the disease has spread so severely," said one user of the Weibo social media platform.
In rare public self-criticism, Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang said the city's management of the crisis was "not good enough" and indicated he was willing to resign.
The central Chinese city of 11 million people is in virtual lockdown and much of Hubei, home to nearly 60 million people, is under travel curbs.
Elsewhere in China, people from the region faced questioning about their movements. "Hubei people are getting discriminated against," a Wuhan resident complained on Weibo.
Cases linked to people who travelled from Wuhan have been confirmed in a dozen countries, from Japan to the United States, where authorities said they had 110 people under investigation in 26 states. Sri Lanka was the latest to confirm a case.
Investors worried
Investors are worried about the impact. The consensus is that in the short term, economic output will be hit as authorities limit travel and extend the week-long New Year holiday - when millions traditionally travel by rail, road and plane - by three days to limit the spread of the virus.
Asian and European shares tumbled, with Japan's Nikkei average sliding 2%, its biggest one-day fall in five months. Demand spiked for safe-haven assets such as the Japanese yen and Treasury notes. European stocks fell more than 2%.
The U.S. S&P 500 closed down nearly 1.6%.
"China is the biggest driver of global growth so this couldn't have started in a worse place," said Alec Young, FTSE Russell's managing director of global markets research.
During the 2002-2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which originated in China and killed nearly 800 people globally, air passenger demand in Asia plunged 45%. The travel industry is more reliant on Chinese travellers now.
Chinese-ruled Hong Kong, which has had eight cases, banned entry to people who had visited Hubei recently.
Some European tour operators cancelled trips to China, while governments around the world worked on repatriating nationals.
Officially known as 2019-nCoV, the newly identified coronavirus can cause pneumonia, but it is still too early to know just how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads.
"What we know about this virus it that transmission occurs through human contact but we are speaking of close contact, i.e. less than a meter," said Jerome Salomon, a senior official with France's health ministry.
"Crossing someone (infected) in the street poses no threat," he said. "The risk is low when you spend a little time near that person and becomes higher when you spend a lot of time near that person."
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-28--Millions of children living in fear in Sahel region, UNICEF warns

Millions of children living in fear in Sahel region , UNICEF warns As UNICEF publishes its latest report on the @ @ @ @ @ Sahel region on children , we 're joined by regional director Marie-Pierre Poirier .
Last @ @ @ @ @ insecurity forced almost two million children out of school in West and Central Africa alone @ @ @ @ @ risk .
Meanwhile , the risk of child recruitment by armed groups is growing .
@ @ @ @ @ has worsened dramatically in the last few years , as government budgets in the region @ @ @ @ @ the military to the detriment of health and education .

As UNICEF publishes its latest report on the impact of violence in the Sahel region on children, we're joined by the organisation's regional director, Marie-Pierre Poirier. Last year, rising violence and insecurity forced almost two million children out of school in west and central Africa alone, putting their futures at risk. In addition, the risk of child recruitment by armed groups is growing.
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Poirier tells us the crisis has worsened dramatically in the last few years, as government budgets in the region are increasingly given over to the military to the detriment of health and education.
Click on the player to watch Poirier describe the situation, and read more by clicking on the link below:
>> UN says children are increasingly victims of brutal Sahel violence
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france24--2020-01-28--Israel’s Netanyahu withdraws bid for parliamentary immunity from corruption charges

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on January 19 , 2020 .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he is withdrawing his bid for parliamentary immunity from prosecution on corruption charges .
Israel ’ s longest-serving prime minister said in a statement the immunity proceedings in parliament would have been a “ circus ” and he did not want to take part in this “ dirty game ” .
Netanyahu , who denies all wrongdoing , said : “ I informed the Knesset speaker that I am withdrawing my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward trial , a process which could take months or years .
The right-winger , who faces a national election in March , is under no legal obligation to resign .
Speaking from Jerusalem , FRANCE 24 's correspondent Irris Makler said Netanyahu 's decision may have been a strategic one .
The Israeli PM knew `` he did n't have the numbers in the parliament .
He was going to lose the immunity request that he put there '' , Makler said .
`` He 's taken a strategic decision , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment not to have to suffer that humiliation . ''
Netanyahu is now in Washington for meetings with US President Donald Trump ahead of the release of Trump ’ s long-delayed Israel-Palestinian peace plan , which the Palestinians have already rejected .
Israel ’ s attorney general Avichai Mandelblit indicted Netanyahu on corruption charges - the first of their kind against a serving Israeli prime minister - last November following a long-running investigation .
The charges included bribery , breach of trust and fraud .
Netanyahu ’ s political opponents , including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his legal troubles a centrepiece of their campaigns against him in two Israeli elections last year .
He is suspected of wrongfully accepting $ 264,000 worth of gifts , which prosecutors said included cigars and champagne , from tycoons and of dispensing favours in alleged bids for improved coverage by Israel ’ s biggest-selling newspaper , Yedioth Ahronoth , and the Walla website .
Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust .

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he is withdrawing his bid for parliamentary immunity from prosecution on corruption charges.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on January 19, 2020.
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Israel’s longest-serving prime minister said in a statement the immunity proceedings in parliament would have been a “circus” and he did not want to take part in this “dirty game”.
Netanyahu, who denies all wrongdoing, said: “I informed the Knesset speaker that I am withdrawing my immunity request.”
The case now moves toward trial, a process which could take months or years. The right-winger, who faces a national election in March, is under no legal obligation to resign.
Speaking from Jerusalem, FRANCE 24's correspondent Irris Makler said Netanyahu's decision may have been a strategic one.
The Israeli PM knew "he didn't have the numbers in the parliament. He was going to lose the immunity request that he put there", Makler said.
"He's taken a strategic decision, that it's better for him at the moment not to have to suffer that humiliation."
Netanyahu is now in Washington for meetings with US President Donald Trump ahead of the release of Trump’s long-delayed Israel-Palestinian peace plan, which the Palestinians have already rejected.
Israel’s attorney general Avichai Mandelblit indicted Netanyahu on corruption charges - the first of their kind against a serving Israeli prime minister - last November following a long-running investigation. The charges included bribery, breach of trust and fraud.
Netanyahu’s political opponents, including the centrist former general Benny Gantz, made his legal troubles a centrepiece of their campaigns against him in two Israeli elections last year.
He is suspected of wrongfully accepting $264,000 worth of gifts, which prosecutors said included cigars and champagne, from tycoons and of dispensing favours in alleged bids for improved coverage by Israel’s biggest-selling newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, and the Walla website.
Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-28--Suspected jihadist attack kills dozens in northern Burkina Faso

Soldiers from Burkina Faso patrol on the road of Gorgadji in the country 's Sahel area on March 3 , 2019 .
Suspected Islamic extremists attacked a busy market in Burkina Faso and killed more than 30 people over the weekend , authorities said , as the West African country ’ s security situation deteriorates .
The death toll could be as high as 50 , Burkina Faso ’ s national television reported Monday evening .
It was the second attack in northern Burkina Faso in a week that has left dozens dead .
Meanwhile , the Norwegian Refugee Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be displaced in the country by April , up from current estimates of 560,000 .
Information about the latest violence in Silgadji in Soum province was difficult to obtain because the jihadists reportedly disabled the local phone network before the massacre near the country ’ s troubled border with Mali .
Extremist attacks are dramatically escalating in Burkina Faso , with deaths rising from about 80 in 2016 to over 1,800 in 2019 , according to the United Nations .
Burkina Faso ’ s military has struggled to contain the violence despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. militaries in recent years .
Burkina Faso ’ s defense ministry is trying to recruit 2,000 more soldiers , and parliament has approved the use of civilian volunteers in the fight against extremism , a move that has concerned human rights groups .
Jan Egeland , secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council , said during a visit this week the country ’ s humanitarian needs are “ enormous.
” “ Insecurity and a lack of funding is severely hampering our work , ” he said .
“ Donor governments have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s fastest-growing displacement crisis .
We still see a small aid response in a huge human catastrophe .
”

Thirty-nine people were killed in northern Burkina Faso on Saturday, in what the government called a terrorist attack on a village in Soum province.
Soldiers from Burkina Faso patrol on the road of Gorgadji in the country's Sahel area on March 3, 2019.
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The weekend attack followed less than a week after militants killed 36 civilians in a neighbouring province, part of a surge in violence in the West African country that has killed hundreds, forced more than half a million from their homes and made much of the north ungovernable over the past two years.
The government did not provide further details on the latest attack in the village of Silgadji, describing it in a statement on Tuesday as “cowardly and barbaric”.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible.
Islamist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have carried out increasingly brazen raids against civilian and military targets in Burkina Faso in recent months, including an attack on a mining convoy in November that killed nearly 40 people.
The rising insecurity has forced people from their homes. The number of displaced increased tenfold in 2019 to more than 560,000 people, making it the world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The flight of refugees into other parts of the country is straining local resources and leaving authorities struggling to cope.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-28--'I'm being raped': accuser Mimi Haleyi tells NY court that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her

Mimi Haleyi , a former production assistant , arrives to testify against Harvey Weinstein at the Criminal Court during Weinstein ’ s sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City , U.S. , on January 27 , 2020 .
Mimi Haleyi , one of the woman former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is charged with sexually assaulting , told a jury on Monday he `` lunged '' at her in his New York City home in 2006 , backing her into a bedroom and forcing oral sex on her .
Haleyi , a former production assistant , began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courtroom while Weinstein watched from the defense table .
Weinstein , 67 , has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Haleyi and Jessica Mann .
One of Weinstein 's lawyers , Damon Cheronis , on cross-examination pressed Haleyi about her continued contact with Weinstein for several years after the alleged assault , showing her messages she sent him signed `` lots of love '' and `` peace and love . ''
Since 2017 , more than 80 women , including many famous actresses , have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct .
Weinstein , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critically acclaimed pictures such as “ The English Patient ” and “ Shakespeare in Love , ” has denied the allegations and said any sexual encounters were consensual .
The trial is widely seen as a watershed moment for the # MeToo movement , in which women have accused powerful men in business , entertainment , media and politics of sexual misconduct .
Haleyi , 42 , said Weinstein invited her to his SoHo home after she had worked on one of his television productions .
`` At some point , fairly soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of came towards me and lunged at me , '' she said .
`` I got up from the sofa and said , 'Oh , no , no , no . '
'' Haleyi said Weinstein backed her into a bedroom , held her down on the bed and forced himself on her orally .
She testified that she told Weinstein she had a tampon in , but that he pulled it out .
Haleyi said she subsequently accepted an invitation from Weinstein to meet him at a Tribeca hotel .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort of power or something , '' she said .
When she met him , Haleyi said , Weinstein immediately pulled her onto the bed and had sex with her , calling her a “ whore ” and a “ bitch.
” She said that she did not fight back , but did not want to have sex with him .
Haleyi said that she blamed herself for that encounter .
Weinstein has not been criminally charged over Haleyi 's second allegation .
On cross-examination , Cheronis asked Haleyi whether she had accepted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for by Weinstein shortly after the alleged attack , and questioned her decision to meet him again in London .
Cheronis presented Haleyi with several messages in which she asked Weinstein about possible jobs or , in one instance , feedback on a television concept .
Haleyi said she stayed in touch with Weinstein because he was powerful in her industry , and she needed work .
`` I asked for jobs from many people , including Harvey Weinstein , '' she said .
Under follow-up questioning by a prosecutor , Haleyi said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alleged assault during the time she was in contact with Weinstein .
`` Because I felt trapped and not really able to do anything about it ...
I decided to just almost pretend it didn ’ t happen and just put it aside and carry on as usual , '' she said .
Weinstein 's lawyers have said that messages from his accusers would show that their relationships with him were consensual .
Last week actress Annabella Sciorra testified that Weinstein violently raped her in her Manhattan apartment in the early 1990s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old to support a separate rape charge against Weinstein , prosecutors hope it will show he is a repeat sexual predator - a charge that could put him in prison for life .

Mimi Haleyi, one of the women former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is charged with sexually assaulting, told a jury on Monday he "lunged" at her in his New York City home in 2006, backing her into a bedroom and forcing oral sex on her.
Mimi Haleyi, a former production assistant, arrives to testify against Harvey Weinstein at the Criminal Court during Weinstein’s sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., on January 27, 2020.
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Haleyi, a former production assistant, began crying as she testified in a Manhattan courtroom while Weinstein watched from the defense table.
Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Haleyi and Jessica Mann.
One of Weinstein's lawyers, Damon Cheronis, on cross-examination pressed Haleyi about her continued contact with Weinstein for several years after the alleged assault, showing her messages she sent him signed "lots of love" and "peace and love."
Since 2017, more than 80 women, including many famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct.
Weinstein, who reshaped the independent film industry with critically acclaimed pictures such as “The English Patient” and “Shakespeare in Love,” has denied the allegations and said any sexual encounters were consensual.
The trial is widely seen as a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement, in which women have accused powerful men in business, entertainment, media and politics of sexual misconduct.
Testimony
Haleyi, 42, said Weinstein invited her to his SoHo home after she had worked on one of his television productions.
"At some point, fairly soon into meeting him there, he kind of came towards me and lunged at me," she said. "I got up from the sofa and said, 'Oh, no, no, no.'"
Haleyi said Weinstein backed her into a bedroom, held her down on the bed and forced himself on her orally.
She testified that she told Weinstein she had a tampon in, but that he pulled it out.
Haleyi said she subsequently accepted an invitation from Weinstein to meet him at a Tribeca hotel.
"I believe I was trying to regain some sort of power or something," she said.
When she met him, Haleyi said, Weinstein immediately pulled her onto the bed and had sex with her, calling her a “whore” and a “bitch.” She said that she did not fight back, but did not want to have sex with him.
Haleyi said that she blamed herself for that encounter.
Weinstein has not been criminally charged over Haleyi's second allegation.
On cross-examination, Cheronis asked Haleyi whether she had accepted trips to Los Angeles and London paid for by Weinstein shortly after the alleged attack, and questioned her decision to meet him again in London.
Cheronis presented Haleyi with several messages in which she asked Weinstein about possible jobs or, in one instance, feedback on a television concept.
Haleyi said she stayed in touch with Weinstein because he was powerful in her industry, and she needed work.
"I asked for jobs from many people, including Harvey Weinstein," she said.
'I felt trapped'
Under follow-up questioning by a prosecutor, Haleyi said she had "buried" memories of the alleged assault during the time she was in contact with Weinstein.
"Because I felt trapped and not really able to do anything about it ... I decided to just almost pretend it didn’t happen and just put it aside and carry on as usual," she said.
Weinstein's lawyers have said that messages from his accusers would show that their relationships with him were consensual.
Last week actress Annabella Sciorra testified that Weinstein violently raped her in her Manhattan apartment in the early 1990s.
While Sciorra's allegation is too old to support a separate rape charge against Weinstein, prosecutors hope it will show he is a repeat sexual predator - a charge that could put him in prison for life.
(REUTERS)
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