france24--2020-01-20--Iraq protesters battle security forces in bid to shut Baghdad streets

An anti-government protester flashes the victory gesture as he stands before flaming tires at a make-shift roadblock during a demonstration in the central Iraqi city of Najaf on January 19 , 2020 .
Hundreds of Iraqi anti-government protesters grappled with security forces in a bid to shut Baghdad streets on Monday , a deadline they had given authorities to implement long-awaited reforms .
Rallies have rocked Iraq since October but , fearing they would lose momentum amid spiralling regional tensions , protesters last Monday told the government it had one week to meet their demands or they would escalate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new voting law , an independent prime minister and for all corrupt officials to be held accountable .
Starting Sunday , young demonstrators in Baghdad and the south began sealing off highways and bridges with burning tyres ahead of the following day ’ s deadline .
They tried to do the same early the following morning , but security forces acted fast , with the military saying it had arrested nine protesters and reopened a major Baghdad thoroughfare .
Hundreds of demonstrators also descended to Baghdad ’ s Tayaran Square , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tear gas and live rounds to disperse them , an AFP journalist there said .
Young men wearing helmets and gas masks to protect themselves from flying tear gas canisters set up metal barricades in the street to try to push the riot police back .
Skirmishes there had lasted throughout the night , wounding around 20 people including some with gunshot wounds , a medical source told AFP .
Since October , around 460 people have lost their lives to protest-related violence and another 25,000 have been wounded , according to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US Demonstrators have feared their movement would be eclipsed by the geopolitical storm brewing between neighbouring Iran and the US , both close partners of Iraq .
A US drone strike near Baghdad ’ s airport on January 3 killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani , prompting Iranian rocket strikes on an Iraqi base housing US troops and triggering fears of a wider conflict .
Iraqi political figures have since ramped up their calls for foreign forces—including some 5,200 US troops—to leave the country .
Protesters worry that a separate mass rally this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moqtada Sadr to demand the ouster of US troops deployed in Iraq , could drown them out .
The demonstrations first erupted in October over corruption , lack of jobs and poor services but escalated quickly to demand a total overhaul of government .
Protesters scored one win in December with the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi—but he has stayed on in a caretaker role and political parties have thus far failed to agree on a successor .
Demonstrators have publicly rejected names circulating as possible replacements and are furious that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Three Iraqi protesters were killed in the capital as thousands of anti-government demonstrators sought to shut streets across the country on Monday, their deadline for authorities to implement long-awaited reforms.
An anti-government protester flashes the victory gesture as he stands before flaming tires at a make-shift roadblock during a demonstration in the central Iraqi city of Najaf on January 19, 2020.
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Rallies have rocked Iraq since October but fearing they would lose momentum amid spiralling regional tensions protesters last Monday told the government it had one week to meet their demands or they would escalate their demonstrations.
Protesters sought to ramp up pressure on the government on Monday with pop-up rallies away from their main gathering place in Baghdad's iconic Tahrir (Liberation) Square.
Hundreds descended on nearby Tayaran Square, where they clashed with security forces who fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse them, an AFP journalist said.
Three protesters were killed, medics told AFP, two of them by live rounds and the third by a tear gas canister that pierced his neck.
More than 50 other people were wounded, the medics said.
Young men wearing helmets and gas masks in an attempt to protect themselves from flying gas canisters erected barricades to try to push riot police back.
Protesters have called for early elections under a new voting law, an independent prime minister to replace outgoing premier Adel Abdel Mahdi and for all corrupt officials to be held accountable.
Late Sunday young protesters began sealing off highways and bridges across the capital Baghdad and Iraq's south, torching tyres and setting up makeshift barricades.
They tried to do the same early Monday in the capital but security forces acted fast, with the military saying it had reopened a major Baghdad thoroughfare and arrested nine young men who had attempted to seal it off.
Protests slam 'procrastination'
Fearing widespread rallies, provincial authorities across southern Iraq announced an official holiday on Monday.
But young people hit the streets in the southern cities of Kut, Nasiriyah, Baqubah, Amara and the holy city of Najaf, setting tyres on fire.
In the protest hotspot of Diwaniyah, they shut key roads both inside and leading out of the city.
"The procrastination of the government and the political class for more than three months now has prompted us to take escalatory steps to pressure them to meet our demands," Mohammad Faeq, a 28-year-old protester, told AFP.
Since October, around 460 people have lost their lives to protest-related violence and another 25,000 have been wounded, according to an AFP count.
Authorities do not provide updated casualty figures.
Demonstrators have feared their movement would be eclipsed by the geopolitical storm brewing between neighbouring Iran and the United States, both close partners of Iraq.
A US drone strike near Baghdad's airport on January 3 killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, prompting Iranian rocket strikes on an Iraqi base housing US troops and triggering fears of a wider conflict.
Iraqi political figures have since ramped up their calls for foreign forces -- including some 5,200 US troops -- to leave the country.
UN warns of 'foreign interference'
On Monday, the United Nations' top official in Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said ignoring the demands of protesters would only fuel "anger and distrust".
"Any steps taken so far to address the people's concerns will remain hollow, if they are not completed," she said in a statement.
"Domestic unity, cohesion and determination are urgently necessary to build resilience against narrow partisan interests, foreign interference and/or criminal elements which actively seek to hinder Iraq's stability," she added.
Protesters also worry that a mass rally to be organised Friday by firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr to demand the ouster of US troops could drown them out.
Last week, Sadr urged Iraqis to hold "a million-strong, peaceful, unified demonstration to condemn the American presence and its violations".
While protesters have criticised the US, they have directly accused Iran of hindering Iraq politically and economically.
Tehran holds major sway in Iraq, building up close ties with a variety of political and military players over decades.
Protesters say Iran's overreach has contributed to rampant corruption and poor services.
The World Bank says one in five people lives below the poverty line in Iraq, which is OPEC's second-biggest crude producer.
While the rallies initially railed against the economy, they quickly escalated to demand a total overhaul of government.
Protesters scored one win in December with the resignation of Abdel Mahdi but he has stayed on in a caretaker role and political parties have thus far failed to agree on a successor.
Demonstrators have publicly rejected names circulating as possible replacements and are furious that other sweeping reforms have not been implemented.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-20--Thousands protest against new French bioethics bill ahead of Senate review

Protesters wave flags and placards during a demonstration called by the movement 'La Manif pour tous ' against the `` Medically-assisted procreation ( MAP ) without a father '' in Paris on January 19 , 2020 .
Thousands of people opposed to France ’ s plans to reform the law on assisted reproductive technology took to the streets of Paris on Sunday , two days before a major bioethics bill is put before the Senate .
French law currently only allows women in heterosexual relationships to access medically assisted procreation ( MAP ) .
The French government now plans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couples .
“ Many of us have come from all over France to raise the alarm : the child , the father and the mother are in danger , ” said the president of Manif pour tous , the main organisation behind anti-gay marriage protests in 2013 , Ludovine de la Rochère .
Many families were among the protesters .
“ We ’ re here for every child , ” said a male protester pushing a pram .
“ They have the right to have one father and one mother .
Many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society .
The family is part of that society .
The family is the foundation of it.
” Those against the reform say that it amounts to commodifying the human body .
One female protester described the reform as “ decadent ” .
“ I think that assisted reproductive technology should be reserved only for married couples , not for single women , ” she said .
“ There ’ s adoption .
There are other solutions than making a child just for fun .
Protesters have already announced further demonstrations set for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French lawmakers scrutinise the bill for the final time .

Thousands of people opposed to France’s plans to reform the law on assisted reproductive technology took to the streets of Paris on Sunday, two days before a major bioethics bill is put before the Senate.
Protesters wave flags and placards during a demonstration called by the movement 'La Manif pour tous' against the "Medically-assisted procreation (MAP) without a father" in Paris on January 19, 2020.
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French law currently only allows women in heterosexual relationships to access medically assisted procreation (MAP).
The French government now plans to extend MAP to single women and lesbian couples.
“Many of us have come from all over France to raise the alarm: the child, the father and the mother are in danger,” said the president of Manif pour tous, the main organisation behind anti-gay marriage protests in 2013, Ludovine de la Rochère.
Many families were among the protesters.
“We’re here for every child,” said a male protester pushing a pram. “They have the right to have one father and one mother. Many people today are protesting in order to protect society. The family is part of that society. The family is the foundation of it.”
Those against the reform say that it amounts to commodifying the human body. One female protester described the reform as “decadent”.
“I think that assisted reproductive technology should be reserved only for married couples, not for single women,” she said. “There’s adoption. There are other solutions than making a child just for fun.
Protesters have already announced further demonstrations set for Tuesday and Wednesday outside the Senate as French lawmakers scrutinise the bill for the final time.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-01-20--'Sad' Prince Harry says no other option but to step back from royal role

Britain 's Prince Harry spoke on Sunday of his sadness at being forced to give up his royal duties in a deal with Queen Elizabeth and senior Windsors that will see him and his wife Meghan exit official roles to seek an independent future .
Buckingham Palace and the queen announced on Saturday that Harry and Meghan would no longer be working members of Britain ’ s monarchy , no longer use their `` Royal Highness '' titles and would now pay their own way in life , freeing them to forge new careers .
The new arrangement was struck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by announcing earlier this month they wanted to cut down on official engagements and spend more time in North America , while remaining active royals .
In a speech to the Sentebale charity on Sunday , a clearly upset Harry said the final outcome was not what he and his American wife , a former actress , had wanted .
`` Our hope was to continue serving the queen , the Commonwealth and my military associations without public funding .
Sadly that was n't possible , '' the prince , the sixth-in-line to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've accepted this knowing it does n't change who I am , or how committed I am .
But I hope that helps you understand what it had come to , that I would step back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life . ''
Under the arrangement , Harry will remain a prince and the couple will keep their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they begin a new life split between Britain and North America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their time .
But they will not take part in any future ceremonial events or royal tours .
Royal commentators said it amounted to an `` abdication '' from the `` firm '' - as the royals are known - and showed that , under the warm words in which she said Harry and Meghan were much loved , the queen had taken a firm and decisive line by insisting on a clean break .
`` It brings me great sadness that it has come to this , '' said Harry .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed months of talks and had not been a decision he had come to lightly .
They were not walking away , he explained .
`` As far as this goes , there really was no other option , '' he added .
He told the audience at the charity he founded to help children with HIV in Africa that he wanted them to hear the truth from him `` not as a Prince , or a Duke , but as Harry , the same person that many of you have watched grow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a clearer perspective '' .
`` The UK is my home and a place that I love .
That will never change , '' he said .
The couple 's plans for independence , announced after a long break over the Christmas period in Canada , caught the rest of the royal family by surprise earlier this month and left the queen and other senior members hurt and disappointed , according to royal sources .
However , in a TV interview aired in October , both had made it clear how they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The couple also began legal action against one newspaper for printing a letter she sent to her estranged father , Thomas Markle .
Harry said he felt his wife had faced `` bullying '' from some tabloids similar to that faced by his mother Princess Diana who died in a car crash while trying to escape paparazzi photographers .
`` I was born into this life and it is a great honour to serve my country and the queen , '' he said .
`` When I lost my mum 23 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wing .
You 've looked out for me for so long but the media is a powerful force and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us . ''
Buckingham Palace have said the couple would no longer receive public money and that they would repay the cost of refurbishing their cottage in Windsor , which official figures show amounted to 2.4 million pounds ( $ 3.1 million ) .
But certain details , such as their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could continue to use the `` Sussex Royal '' title for their website and branding , have either not been finalised or publicly revealed .
Meghan is currently in Canada with their baby son Archie and Harry is expected to join her soon .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier on Sunday he believed that the whole of Britain would want to wish the very best to the couple for their future .
`` As I said before ...
I was sure that the royal family , which has been around a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward , '' Johnson told Sky News .
However , Meghan 's father was less generous to the couple .
Markle told Britain 's Channel 5 news in a documentary recorded before Saturday 's announcement but aired on Sunday that he believed Meghan was tossing away `` every girl 's dream '' and damaging the monarchy .
`` They are destroying it , they are cheapening it , they 're making it shabby , '' he said .

Britain's Prince Harry spoke on Sunday of his sadness at being forced to give up his royal duties in a deal with Queen Elizabeth and senior Windsors that will see him and his wife Meghan exit official roles to seek an independent future.
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Buckingham Palace and the queen announced on Saturday that Harry and Meghan would no longer be working members of Britain’s monarchy, no longer use their "Royal Highness" titles and would now pay their own way in life, freeing them to forge new careers.
The new arrangement was struck to end a crisis the couple sparked by announcing earlier this month they wanted to cut down on official engagements and spend more time in North America, while remaining active royals.
In a speech to the Sentebale charity on Sunday, a clearly upset Harry said the final outcome was not what he and his American wife, a former actress, had wanted.
"Our hope was to continue serving the queen, the Commonwealth and my military associations without public funding. Sadly that wasn't possible," the prince, the sixth-in-line to the throne, said.
"I've accepted this knowing it doesn't change who I am, or how committed I am. But I hope that helps you understand what it had come to, that I would step back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life."
Under the arrangement, Harry will remain a prince and the couple will keep their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they begin a new life split between Britain and North America where they will spend the majority of their time. But they will not take part in any future ceremonial events or royal tours.
Royal commentators said it amounted to an "abdication" from the "firm" - as the royals are known - and showed that, under the warm words in which she said Harry and Meghan were much loved, the queen had taken a firm and decisive line by insisting on a clean break.
"No option"
"It brings me great sadness that it has come to this," said Harry. He said the decision to step back had followed months of talks and had not been a decision he had come to lightly. They were not walking away, he explained.
"As far as this goes, there really was no other option," he added.
He told the audience at the charity he founded to help children with HIV in Africa that he wanted them to hear the truth from him "not as a Prince, or a Duke, but as Harry, the same person that many of you have watched grow up over the last 35 years but with a clearer perspective".
"The UK is my home and a place that I love. That will never change," he said.
The couple's plans for independence, announced after a long break over the Christmas period in Canada, caught the rest of the royal family by surprise earlier this month and left the queen and other senior members hurt and disappointed, according to royal sources.
However, in a TV interview aired in October, both had made it clear how they were struggling with the immense media attention. The couple also began legal action against one newspaper for printing a letter she sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.
Harry said he felt his wife had faced "bullying" from some tabloids similar to that faced by his mother Princess Diana who died in a car crash while trying to escape paparazzi photographers.
"I was born into this life and it is a great honour to serve my country and the queen," he said.
"When I lost my mum 23 years ago, you took me under your wing. You've looked out for me for so long but the media is a powerful force and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us."
Buckingham Palace have said the couple would no longer receive public money and that they would repay the cost of refurbishing their cottage in Windsor, which official figures show amounted to 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million).
But certain details, such as their future security arrangements or whether the couple could continue to use the "Sussex Royal" title for their website and branding, have either not been finalised or publicly revealed.
Meghan is currently in Canada with their baby son Archie and Harry is expected to join her soon.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier on Sunday he believed that the whole of Britain would want to wish the very best to the couple for their future.
"As I said before ... I was sure that the royal family, which has been around a very long time, will find a way forward," Johnson told Sky News.
However, Meghan's father was less generous to the couple.
Markle told Britain's Channel 5 news in a documentary recorded before Saturday's announcement but aired on Sunday that he believed Meghan was tossing away "every girl's dream" and damaging the monarchy.
"They are destroying it, they are cheapening it, they're making it shabby," he said.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-20--Morales announces his candidate for Bolivian presidential race

Bolivian president Evo Morales ( L ) and Economy Minister Luis Arce Catacora during a ceremony at the Palacio Quemado presidential palace in La Paz to launch USD 500 million in bonds on October 23 , 2012 .
Luis Arce , credited with steering Bolivia through years of economic growth , will be a presidential candidate in May elections , Bolivia ’ s exiled former leader Evo Morales said on Sunday .
Bolivians will choose a new president May 3 , more than six months after a disputed ballot sparked violent street protests and the resignation of Morales , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bolivia ’ s interim government has banned Morales himself from standing and has issued a warrant for his arrest should he return .
Arce , 56 , who also fled his homeland after Morales ’ s downfall , was a major part of successive Morales governments after 2006 that slashed the poverty rate and presided over rapid economic growth fuelled by gas exports .
Bolivia became one of Latin America ’ s fastest-growing economies , but Arce had to temporarily step aside in 2017 for health reasons .
He will be backed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Socialism ( MAS ) party , the former leader said in Buenos Aires .
Arce ’ s vice presidential candidate running mate will be former foreign minister David Choquehuanca , 58 , Morales said .
Arce is “ a combination of the city and the countryside to continue the process of change , ” said Morales , Bolivia ’ s first indigenous president .
“ Our peasant movement does not exclude people and does not marginalize people.
” He led the country for almost 14 years until his resignation on November 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convinced his party would win the next ballot .
Recent polls have shown the MAS has about 21 percent support , followed by centrist former president Carlos Mesa with about 14 percent .
Morales , a socialist , told AFP on December 24 that he was forced from power by a US-backed coup d ’ etat aimed at gaining access to the South American country ’ s vast lithium resources .
The government of interim President Jeanine Anez said it would launch a corruption probe into nearly 600 officials of Morales ’ s @ @ @ @ @

Luis Arce, credited with steering Bolivia through years of economic growth, will be a presidential candidate in May elections, Bolivia’s exiled former leader Evo Morales said on Sunday.
Bolivian president Evo Morales (L) and Economy Minister Luis Arce Catacora during a ceremony at the Palacio Quemado presidential palace in La Paz to launch USD 500 million in bonds on October 23, 2012.
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Bolivians will choose a new president May 3, more than six months after a disputed ballot sparked violent street protests and the resignation of Morales, who fled to Mexico and then Argentina.
Bolivia’s interim government has banned Morales himself from standing and has issued a warrant for his arrest should he return.
Arce, 56, who also fled his homeland after Morales’s downfall, was a major part of successive Morales governments after 2006 that slashed the poverty rate and presided over rapid economic growth fuelled by gas exports.
Bolivia became one of Latin America’s fastest-growing economies, but Arce had to temporarily step aside in 2017 for health reasons.
He will be backed in the election by Morales’s Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, the former leader said in Buenos Aires.
Arce’s vice presidential candidate running mate will be former foreign minister David Choquehuanca, 58, Morales said.
'Continuation of process of change'
Arce is “a combination of the city and the countryside to continue the process of change,” said Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president.
“Our peasant movement does not exclude people and does not marginalize people.”
He led the country for almost 14 years until his resignation on November 10, but in December said he was convinced his party would win the next ballot.
Recent polls have shown the MAS has about 21 percent support, followed by centrist former president Carlos Mesa with about 14 percent.
Morales, a socialist, told AFP on December 24 that he was forced from power by a US-backed coup d’etat aimed at gaining access to the South American country’s vast lithium resources.
The government of interim President Jeanine Anez said it would launch a corruption probe into nearly 600 officials of Morales’s administration, including ministers.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-19--Lebanese security forces, protesters clash in second day of violent escalation

Lebanese anti-government protesters gather by the barricaded road leading to parliament in central Beirut on January 19 , 2020 amid heavily deployed security forces .
Lebanese anti-riot police dispersed stone-throwing protesters with tear gas in the Lebanese capital Sunday , as heavy rain capped a weekend of rare violence that wounded hundreds .
Medics said 145 people were wounded in the latest clashes , taking the casualty toll to more than 530 in two days .
Thick clouds of white tear gas billowed in central Beirut , pushing protesters out of a flashpoint road near parliament after hours of clashes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets .
Unprecedented protests have rocked the country since October 17 , with citizens from all religious backgrounds demanding the ouster of a political class viewed as inept , corrupt and responsible for an ever-deepening economic crisis .
For a second night in a row , dozens of people started lobbing stones at police behind a metal barricade blocking a road to parliament , crying `` revolution , revolution '' .
Anti-riot forces responded with water cannons , rubber bullets and then thick plumes of tear gas that pushed demonstrators back towards a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Red Cross said more than 145 people were injured , including 45 who needed treatment in hospital .
The state-run National News Agency ( NNA ) said two journalists were hit by rubber bullets , one a cameraman from local television channel Al-Jadeed .
President Michel Aoun called for a `` security meeting '' on Monday with the interior and defence ministers to discuss the crisis , NNA reported .
But a 34-year-old protester called Mazen said he and others had lost hope in politicians .
`` After three months of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they do n't change , do n't listen , and have nothing to give , '' he said .
On Saturday , at least 377 people were wounded - both protesters and members of the security forces - according to a toll compiled by AFP from figures provided by the Red Cross and Civil Defence .
Lawyers said more than 40 protesters were arrested on Saturday before being released .
Most were subjected to `` excessive violence '' , while some were wounded `` especially to the head and face , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Defence of Protesters said on Facebook .
The lawyers also visited hospitals , from where they reported serious injuries including some caused by rubber bullets .
On Sunday , local television aired the testimonies of relatives of two young men they said were hit in the eyes by rubber bullets .
Security forces said they had opened a probe after a video shared online showed police beating up people believed to be protesters as they were brought to a Beirut police station .
Human Rights Watch condemned what it called `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lebanon 's riot police against largely peaceful demonstrators '' .
It accused the riot police on Saturday of `` launching tear gas canisters at protesters ' heads , firing rubber bullets in their eyes and attacking people at hospitals and a mosque '' .
Saturday 's clashes began after dozens of protesters threw stones and plant pots at security forces , and tried to charge police lines near parliament with traffic signs .
The security forces responded with water cannon and thick tear gas .
Protesters had called for a week of `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failure to form a new government even as the country sinks deeper into a financial crisis .
`` Another day without a government , another night of violence and clashes , '' UN envoy to Lebanon Jan Kubis said on Twitter .
Outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri , who stepped down on October 29 , urged political parties to `` stop wasting time '' .
`` Form a government and pave the way towards political and economic solutions , '' he said .
Political factions agreed on December 19 to appoint former education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but have since squabbled over proposed ministers .
Diab on Sunday evening met President Michel Aoun to discuss the matter , NNA said .
Protesters have demanded a new government be comprised solely of independent experts , and exclude all established political parties .
The World Bank has warned the poverty rate in Lebanon could rise from a third to half of the population if the political crisis is not resolved soon .

Lebanese anti-riot police dispersed stone-throwing protesters with tear gas in the Lebanese capital Sunday, as heavy rain capped a weekend of rare violence that wounded hundreds.
Lebanese anti-government protesters gather by the barricaded road leading to parliament in central Beirut on January 19, 2020 amid heavily deployed security forces.
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Medics said 145 people were wounded in the latest clashes, taking the casualty toll to more than 530 in two days.
Thick clouds of white tear gas billowed in central Beirut, pushing protesters out of a flashpoint road near parliament after hours of clashes, before the downpour largely cleared the streets.
Unprecedented protests have rocked the country since October 17, with citizens from all religious backgrounds demanding the ouster of a political class viewed as inept, corrupt and responsible for an ever-deepening economic crisis.
For a second night in a row, dozens of people started lobbing stones at police behind a metal barricade blocking a road to parliament, crying "revolution, revolution".
Anti-riot forces responded with water cannons, rubber bullets and then thick plumes of tear gas that pushed demonstrators back towards a main square, an AFP reporter said.
The Red Cross said more than 145 people were injured, including 45 who needed treatment in hospital.
21 Search and Rescue EMTs are still conducting, in challenging weather conditions, a search operation in the outskirts of #Harbata. We are still searching for 2 persons that have been lost since last night. pic.twitter.com/2SUIZ5axkD — Lebanese Red Cross (@RedCrossLebanon) January 19, 2020
The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said two journalists were hit by rubber bullets, one a cameraman from local television channel Al-Jadeed.
President Michel Aoun called for a "security meeting" on Monday with the interior and defence ministers to discuss the crisis, NNA reported.
But a 34-year-old protester called Mazen said he and others had lost hope in politicians.
"After three months of revolution, they have proven to us that they don't change, don't listen, and have nothing to give," he said.
'Excessive violence'
On Saturday, at least 377 people were wounded - both protesters and members of the security forces - according to a toll compiled by AFP from figures provided by the Red Cross and Civil Defence.
Lawyers said more than 40 protesters were arrested on Saturday before being released.
Most were subjected to "excessive violence", while some were wounded "especially to the head and face, and genitals", the Committee of Lawyers for the Defence of Protesters said on Facebook.
The lawyers also visited hospitals, from where they reported serious injuries including some caused by rubber bullets.
On Sunday, local television aired the testimonies of relatives of two young men they said were hit in the eyes by rubber bullets.
Security forces said they had opened a probe after a video shared online showed police beating up people believed to be protesters as they were brought to a Beirut police station.
Human Rights Watch condemned what it called "the brutal use of force unleashed by Lebanon's riot police against largely peaceful demonstrators".
NEW POST: Brutal Crackdown on Protesters #Lebanon’s riot police used excessive force against largely peaceful protesters in downtown Beirut on Jan 18, in the most brutal crackdown since the nationwide anti-government protests began on Oct 17. https://t.co/CxKwRUUnA3 pic.twitter.com/bg4Sn6KMPp — Aya Majzoub (@Aya_Majzoub) January 19, 2020
It accused the riot police on Saturday of "launching tear gas canisters at protesters' heads, firing rubber bullets in their eyes and attacking people at hospitals and a mosque".
'Stop wasting time'
Saturday's clashes began after dozens of protesters threw stones and plant pots at security forces, and tried to charge police lines near parliament with traffic signs.
The security forces responded with water cannon and thick tear gas.
Protesters had called for a week of "anger" over the political leadership's failure to form a new government even as the country sinks deeper into a financial crisis.
"Another day without a government, another night of violence and clashes," UN envoy to Lebanon Jan Kubis said on Twitter.
Another day without a government, another night of violence and clashes. — Jan Kubis (@UNJanKubis) January 19, 2020
Outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri, who stepped down on October 29, urged political parties to "stop wasting time".
"Form a government and pave the way towards political and economic solutions," he said.
Political factions agreed on December 19 to appoint former education minister Hassan Diab as the new premier but have since squabbled over proposed ministers.
Diab on Sunday evening met President Michel Aoun to discuss the matter, NNA said.
Protesters have demanded a new government be comprised solely of independent experts, and exclude all established political parties.
The World Bank has warned the poverty rate in Lebanon could rise from a third to half of the population if the political crisis is not resolved soon.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-20--China confirms sharp rise in cases of SARS-like virus across the country

A medical staff member walks outside the Jinyintan hospital , where patients infected by a mysterious SARS-like virus are being treated , in Wuhan in China 's central Hubei province on January 18 , 2020 .
China on Monday reported a mysterious SARS-like virus had spread across the country , including to Beijing , raising concerns as millions begin trips for the Lunar New Year .
A third person was confirmed to have died , authorities said , as nearly 140 cases were announced .
The new coronavirus strain has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003 .
In Wuhan , the central city where the coronavirus was first discovered , 136 new cases were found over the weekend , the local health commission said , without giving details about the person who died .
Health authorities in Beijing 's Daxing district said two people who had travelled to Wuhan were treated for pneumonia linked to the virus and are in stable condition .
In Guangdong , a 66-year-old Shenzhen man was quarantined on January 11 after contracting a fever and showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relatives in Wuhan , the provincial health commission said in a statement .
A total of 201 people have now been diagnosed with the virus in China .
In Wuhan , 170 people are still being treated at hospital , including nine in critical condition , the city health commission said .
Wuhan is a city of 11 million inhabitants that serves as a major transport hub , including during the annual Lunar New Year holiday when hundreds of millions of Chinese people travel across the country to visit family .

China on Monday reported a mysterious SARS-like virus had spread across the country, including to Beijing, raising concerns as millions begin trips for the Lunar New Year.
A medical staff member walks outside the Jinyintan hospital, where patients infected by a mysterious SARS-like virus are being treated, in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 18, 2020.
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A third person was confirmed to have died, authorities said, as nearly 140 cases were announced.
The new coronavirus strain has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.
In Wuhan, the central city where the coronavirus was first discovered, 136 new cases were found over the weekend, the local health commission said, without giving details about the person who died.
Health authorities in Beijing's Daxing district said two people who had travelled to Wuhan were treated for pneumonia linked to the virus and are in stable condition.
In Guangdong, a 66-year-old Shenzhen man was quarantined on January 11 after contracting a fever and showing other symptoms following a trip to visit relatives in Wuhan, the provincial health commission said in a statement.
A total of 201 people have now been diagnosed with the virus in China. In Wuhan, 170 people are still being treated at hospital, including nine in critical condition, the city health commission said.
Wuhan is a city of 11 million inhabitants that serves as a major transport hub, including during the annual Lunar New Year holiday when hundreds of millions of Chinese people travel across the country to visit family.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-19--In pictures: Lebanon’s ‘week of rage’ spills onto Beirut streets

After three months of largely peaceful protests across Lebanon , violence erupted this weekend as demonstrators , frustrated with the deteriorating economic crisis and political deadlock , clashed with riot police in the capital , Beirut on Saturday .
Lebanon ’ s ‘ week of rage ’ has witnessed an outpouring of wrath on the streets that threatens to spiral unless protesters demands are met .
When protesters across sectarian , geographic and class divides took to the streets of Lebanon in mid-October calling for change , the public display of unity and bonhomie captured the nation .
Demonstrators initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government ’ s planned tax on WhatsApp and other messaging applications , but they gradually expanded to protests calling for “ the fall of the regime ” .
The images emerging from the streets of the capital , Beirut , as well as northern cities such as Tripoli and Nabatiyeh in the south , defied the news stereotypes of Arab security officials violently cracking down on protesters .
One image and video clip in particular summed up the mood of the nation and promptly went viral .
On October 23 , Lebanese army @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connecting to national highways that protesters had blocked .
The setting was ripe for a standoff .
Both sides knew that and were determined to avoid it .
“ Peaceful !
Peaceful !
” the demonstrators chanted , some offering roses to the soldiers .
In the thick of the protest , a soldier was caught on camera moved to tears , sobbing as the line-up of troops faced protesters .
As the demonstrators waved Lebanese flags and broke out into the national anthem , Koulouna lil watan – “ All of us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protesters hugged the emotional young soldier , some sympathetically patting his cheeks .
Within hours , the clip went viral , with social media users noting that the soldiers were also Lebanese , sharing the same dreams of their fellow citizens .
Barely three months later , the scenes on the streets of Beirut were starkly different this weekend .
Almost 400 people were wounded Saturday in running battles between protesters and security forces in the capital .
Clashes began after dozens of protesters , some concealing their faces with scarves , threw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guarding the road leading to parliament .
Others tried to breach barbed wire barricades to reach the legislature building or charged police lines using traffic signs as weapons .
Security forces responded with volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds .
Reporting from Beirut , FRANCE 24 ’ s Leila Molana-Allen said Saturday ’ s violence was unlike anything Lebanon had witnessed since protests erupted in October .
The demonstrations started fairly peacefully on Saturday afternoon , explained Molana-Allen .
“ Then a group of protesters decided they wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been blocked off by riot police .
When that happened , almost immediately riot police responded by firing water cannons at them .
That ’ s been quite rare in these protests .
That angered protesters who say parliament belongs to us.
” After 5.30 pm local time , the violence escalated and riot police began using tear gas , according to Molana-Allen .
“ One of the things that ’ s been happening is that riot police are not using the tear gas correctly .
There are many images of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protesters .
Now that is illegal under international law , if that can be proven -- human rights watchers are looking into it , ” she explained .
On Sunday , Human Rights Watch described the security force response as “ brutal '' and called for an urgent end to a “ culture of impunity ” for police abuse .
“ There was no justification for the brutal use of force unleashed by Lebanon ’ s riot police against largely peaceful demonstrators in downtown Beirut , '' said Michael Page , deputy Middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police showed a blatant disregard for their human rights obligations , instead launching teargas canisters at protesters ’ heads , firing rubber bullets in their eyes and attacking people at hospitals and a mosque.
” Dozens of protesters were arrested as the Beirut night sky lit up with fireworks set off before riot police lines and thick clouds of smoke engulfed parts of the city .
Frustrated by a deepening economic crisis while efforts remained deadlocked to form a new government to replace the one that had stepped in , protesters on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The scenes from Beirut have since changed , with images of protesters smashing bank windows , expressing their fury over the deteriorating economic situation .
The Lebanese pound has lost nearly half its value since protests began , dollar shortages have driven up prices and confidence in the banks has collapsed .
Political deadlock On October 29 , Saad Hariri announced his resignation as prime minister .
More than a month later , on December 19 , Lebanon ’ s political factions finally agreed on the appointment of former education minister Hassan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has promised to form a technocratic government of “ experts , ” in keeping with the demands of Lebanese citizens weary of the country ’ s archaic confessional system that has seen political factions negotiate to keep a grip on power while failing to deliver basic services .
But Diab ’ s attempts to form a government of independent experts have faced pushback from Lebanon ’ s powerful sectarian groups particularly the Amal Movement , Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Party founded by President Michel Aoun .
Lebanon has been without a government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday to issue a call for politicians to urgently form a new government .
`` There is a roadmap to calm the popular storm .
Stop wasting time , form a government , open the door to political and economic solutions , '' tweeted Hariri .
Three months after protests erupted across the country , a prime minister and his cabinet may have fallen in Lebanon , but the system of patronage and privileges entrenched in a sectarian system has proved much more difficult to dislodge .

After three months of largely peaceful protests across Lebanon, violence erupted this weekend as demonstrators, frustrated with the deteriorating economic crisis and political deadlock, clashed with riot police in the capital, Beirut on Saturday. Lebanon’s ‘week of rage’ has witnessed an outpouring of wrath on the streets that threatens to spiral unless protesters demands are met.
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When protesters across sectarian, geographic and class divides took to the streets of Lebanon in mid-October calling for change, the public display of unity and bonhomie captured the nation.
Demonstrators initially took to the streets to protest the government’s planned tax on WhatsApp and other messaging applications, but they gradually expanded to protests calling for “the fall of the regime”.
The images emerging from the streets of the capital, Beirut, as well as northern cities such as Tripoli and Nabatiyeh in the south, defied the news stereotypes of Arab security officials violently cracking down on protesters.
One image and video clip in particular summed up the mood of the nation and promptly went viral.
On October 23, Lebanese army soldiers tried to open up arterial roads connecting to national highways that protesters had blocked. The setting was ripe for a standoff. Both sides knew that and were determined to avoid it. “Peaceful! Peaceful!” the demonstrators chanted, some offering roses to the soldiers.
In the thick of the protest, a soldier was caught on camera moved to tears, sobbing as the line-up of troops faced protesters. As the demonstrators waved Lebanese flags and broke out into the national anthem, Koulouna lil watan – “All of us for the nation" – a few protesters hugged the emotional young soldier, some sympathetically patting his cheeks.
Within hours, the clip went viral, with social media users noting that the soldiers were also Lebanese, sharing the same dreams of their fellow citizens.
مخيف الشعور اللي عم يحسو العسكري هلق ... ويلو يعمل اللي مطلوب منو ... وويلو اهلو و ناسو اللي واقفين ليطالبو بحقوقو و حقوقهن سوا ... ❤#لبنان_ينتفض #ثورة_لبنان pic.twitter.com/wkgQFroEKQ — zoulfikar harake🎽 (@HarakeZoulfikar) October 23, 2019
Barely three months later, the scenes on the streets of Beirut were starkly different this weekend. Almost 400 people were wounded Saturday in running battles between protesters and security forces in the capital.
Tents burnt during clashes in Beirut, January 18, 2020. © REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Clashes began after dozens of protesters, some concealing their faces with scarves, threw rocks and other objects at anti-riot police guarding the road leading to parliament.
A demonstrator throws a stone during a protest against a ruling elite accused of steering Lebanon towards economic crisis in Beirut, Lebanon January 18, 2020. © Mohamed Azakir, Reuters
Others tried to breach barbed wire barricades to reach the legislature building or charged police lines using traffic signs as weapons.
Protesters use a road sign to ram barricades near the parliament in Beirut on January 18, 2020. © ANWAR AMRO / AFP
Security forces responded with volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds.
Lebanese security forces fire tear gas canisters during clashes with protesters in Beirut, January 18, 2020. AFP - ANWAR AMRO
Reporting from Beirut, FRANCE 24’s Leila Molana-Allen said Saturday’s violence was unlike anything Lebanon had witnessed since protests erupted in October.
The demonstrations started fairly peacefully on Saturday afternoon, explained Molana-Allen. “Then a group of protesters decided they wanted to get into Parliament Square, which has been blocked off by riot police. When that happened, almost immediately riot police responded by firing water cannons at them. That’s been quite rare in these protests. That angered protesters who say parliament belongs to us.”
Demonstrators hit by water canon during clashes with riot police in Beirut, January 18, 2020. REUTERS - MOHAMED AZAKIR
After 5.30 pm local time, the violence escalated and riot police began using tear gas, according to Molana-Allen. “One of the things that’s been happening is that riot police are not using the tear gas correctly. There are many images of them actually shooting tear gas canisters directly at protesters. Now that is illegal under international law, if that can be proven -- human rights watchers are looking into it,” she explained.
On Sunday, Human Rights Watch described the security force response as “brutal" and called for an urgent end to a “culture of impunity” for police abuse.
“There was no justification for the brutal use of force unleashed by Lebanon’s riot police against largely peaceful demonstrators in downtown Beirut," said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW. “Riot police showed a blatant disregard for their human rights obligations, instead launching teargas canisters at protesters’ heads, firing rubber bullets in their eyes and attacking people at hospitals and a mosque.”
Lebanese riot policeman loads tear gas canisters into a launcher during clashes with protesters Jan. 18, 2020. AFP - ANWAR AMRO
Dozens of protesters were arrested as the Beirut night sky lit up with fireworks set off before riot police lines and thick clouds of smoke engulfed parts of the city.
Frustrated by a deepening economic crisis while efforts remained deadlocked to form a new government to replace the one that had stepped in, protesters on Tuesday launched a “week of anger”.
The scenes from Beirut have since changed, with images of protesters smashing bank windows, expressing their fury over the deteriorating economic situation. The Lebanese pound has lost nearly half its value since protests began, dollar shortages have driven up prices and confidence in the banks has collapsed.
Protesters smash a bank window in Beirut, January 14, 2020. © REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Political deadlock
On October 29, Saad Hariri announced his resignation as prime minister. More than a month later, on December 19, Lebanon’s political factions finally agreed on the appointment of former education minister Hassan Diab as the new premier.
Diab has promised to form a technocratic government of “experts,” in keeping with the demands of Lebanese citizens weary of the country’s archaic confessional system that has seen political factions negotiate to keep a grip on power while failing to deliver basic services.
But Diab’s attempts to form a government of independent experts have faced pushback from Lebanon’s powerful sectarian groups particularly the Amal Movement, Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Party founded by President Michel Aoun.
Lebanon has been without a government since October 29, prompting Hariri on Sunday to issue a call for politicians to urgently form a new government.
"There is a roadmap to calm the popular storm. Stop wasting time, form a government, open the door to political and economic solutions," tweeted Hariri.
أخيراً كلمة إلى اهلي في #طرابلس والشمال، يعز عليّ ان يقال انه تم استقدام شبان باسمكم لأعمال العنف أمس. لكنني أعلم ان كرامة بيروت أمانة رفيق الحريري عندكم وانتم خط الدفاع عن سلامتها وضمير التحركات الشعبية ووجهها الطيب. احذروا رفاق السوء وراقبوا ما يقوله الشامتون بتخريب العاصمة ٣/٣ — Saad Hariri (@saadhariri) January 19, 2020
Three months after protests erupted across the country, a prime minister and his cabinet may have fallen in Lebanon, but the system of patronage and privileges entrenched in a sectarian system has proved much more difficult to dislodge.
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france24--2020-01-20--Threatened species even more at risk due to Australia's bushfires

An injured koala sits at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park , at the Wildlife Emergency Response Centre in Parndana , Kangaroo Island , Australia January 19 , 2020 .
Australia 's bushfires have burned more than half the known habitat of 100 threatened plants and animals , including 32 critically endangered species , the government said Monday .
Wildlife experts worry that more than a billion animals have perished in the unprecedented wave of bushfires that have ravaged eastern and southern Australia for months .
Twenty-eight people died in the blazes , which have swept through an area larger than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks to assess the exact toll as many fire grounds remain too dangerous to inspect .
But the government 's Department of the Environment and Energy on Monday issued a preliminary list of threatened species of plants , animals and insects which have seen more than 10 percent of their known habitat affected .
More than 80 percent of the known or likely habitats of 49 species has fallen within fire zones , while another 65 species have seen 50-80 percent of their distribution areas affected .
Sally Box , the department 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results were just a first step in understanding the potential impact of the bushfires on Australia 's wildlife .
“ Some species are more vulnerable to fire than others and some areas were more severely burnt than others , so further analysis will be needed before we can fully assess the impact of the fires on the ground , ” she said .
The threatened species in the path of the fires included 272 plant , 16 mammal , 14 frog , nine bird , seven reptile , four insect , four fish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Of the 32 critically endangered species impacted by the fires , most were plants though they also included frogs , turtles and three types of bird .

Australia's bushfires have burned more than half the known habitat of 100 threatened plants and animals, including 32 critically endangered species, the government said Monday.
An injured koala sits at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, at the Wildlife Emergency Response Centre in Parndana, Kangaroo Island, Australia January 19, 2020.
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Wildlife experts worry that more than a billion animals have perished in the unprecedented wave of bushfires that have ravaged eastern and southern Australia for months.
Twenty-eight people died in the blazes, which have swept through an area larger than Portugal.
Officials say it will take weeks to assess the exact toll as many fire grounds remain too dangerous to inspect.
But the government's Department of the Environment and Energy on Monday issued a preliminary list of threatened species of plants, animals and insects which have seen more than 10 percent of their known habitat affected.
More than 80 percent of the known or likely habitats of 49 species has fallen within fire zones, while another 65 species have seen 50-80 percent of their distribution areas affected.
Sally Box, the department's Threatened Species Commissioner, said the survey results were just a first step in understanding the potential impact of the bushfires on Australia's wildlife.
“Some species are more vulnerable to fire than others and some areas were more severely burnt than others, so further analysis will be needed before we can fully assess the impact of the fires on the ground,” she said.
The threatened species in the path of the fires included 272 plant, 16 mammal, 14 frog, nine bird, seven reptile, four insect, four fish and one spider species, the department said.
Of the 32 critically endangered species impacted by the fires, most were plants though they also included frogs, turtles and three types of bird.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-20--France's controversial bioethics bill reaches senate amid continuing outcry

Thousands of opponents to France 's new bioethics bill , which aims in part to extend medically assisted reproduction , known by the acronym PMA in French , to lesbian couples and single women , demonstrate in Paris on January 19 , 2020 .
France ’ s bioethics reform reaches the Senate floor on Tuesday , three months after lower-house lawmakers passed the controversial legislation .
The bill , which has been considerably amended by senators in committee , could yet change , with the lesbian couples and single women poised to gain legal access to medically assisted reproduction potentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrawn .
Opponents of the reform staged a fresh demonstration against the polemic measures on Sunday in Paris , with tens of thousands of protesters taking to the streets .
The main point of contention is the bill ’ s flagship measure – the extension of legal access to medically assisted procreation to lesbian couples and single women , a measure Emmanuel Macron mooted publicly during his 2017 presidential bid .
The lower-house National Assembly debated the bill at length before passing it on first reading in October and sending it to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Senate floor on Tuesday , the draft lower-house lawmakers adopted in the fall withstood 136 amendments ’ worth of revisions in committee .
What remains of the initial reform and what does Macron ’ s bioethics plan look like today ?
Medically assisted reproduction not covered in certain cases While amendments submitted demanding that access to medically assisted reproduction “ sans père ” , without a father , not be granted after all were rejected , a number of tweaks the senators did okay considerably reshape the bill ’ s headline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reproduction to women regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status remains , it may no longer be systematically covered by social security .
Conservative senator Muriel Jourda , who represents Les Républicains in the upper house , has proposed that medically assisted reproduction be covered for heterosexual couples only when specific medical criteria are met , such as diagnosed infertility or in order to prevent transmission of a serious illness to the child .
As such , lesbian couples and single women would be obliged to foot the full bill for treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s against nature , ’ say French protesters opposed to fertility treatments for single women , lesbians In distinguishing between assisting reproduction in order to overcome infertility from providing assistance to meet a desire for children outside a heterosexual couple , the amendment contradicts France ’ s health minister , Agnès Buzyn , who expressed her support for total coverage for medically assisted procreation , regardless of the circumstances .
On Twitter , one senator , Laurence Rossignol , said that the Socialist group she sits with in the chamber voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amendment ” .
Rossingnol , a former Socialist minister for Family , Childhood and Women ’ s Rights , said the group plans to submit a new amendment in session in a bid to re-establish full coverage .
Measures concerning the cultivation and storage of reproductive tissue ( gametes ) and embryos were also subject to changes in committee .
The bill initially set the maximum period for cultivating an embryo at 14 days , up from the current seven .
That increase was extended via amendment in committee to 21 days .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ meanwhile , is to be prolonged from five to ten years .
Several left-leaning senators submitted , and saw passed , an amendment in committee that would open the task of storing embryos – which had been the exclusive domain of public institutions – to for-profit private facilities .
According to the senators behind the amendment , demand is such that public facilities no longer have the capacity to meet every request , which has led to lengthy delays .
Moreover , authorising medically assisted reproduction for more women will mean further congestion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued that allowing private sector provision of medically assisted reproduction services will also “ diminish , [ or ] end the deregistration of women over 40 on waiting lists and prevent patients , on the basis of financial and age criteria , from turning to private centres abroad.
” Despite fervent conservative opposition , there were no changes to initial text on the establishment of parentage for children born to lesbian couples by medically assisted means .
As agreed in mid-September , the couples will need to officially recognise the child as their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At that point , the woman who will not have carried the child will be legally recognised as one of the child ’ s two parents , on an equal footing with her partner , the biological mother .
Provisions that partially lift the anonymity of sperm , egg and embryo donors – whose contributions , incidentally , are unremunerated in France — have also been subject to intense debate .
The rules in place for maintaining the anonymity of reproductive tissue donors , and those regulating access for people born as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their genetic origins , stirred yet more debate in committee .
Until now , every donor has had to provide consent for the possible transmission of “ non-identifying data ” ( physical appearance , background or age ) as well as for the release of a donor ’ s identity to a child born as a result of the donation .
An amendment to that provision proposes allowing donors to choose whether they reveal their identity .
But donors will be asked before the donation to accept providing irrevocable access to non-identifying data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a result of the donation after they turn 18 .
“ This mechanism preserves in a more balanced way the interests of the person born from a donation of gametes ( access to origins ) , those of the donor ( the donor ’ s right to a private life for themselves and their relations ) and the general interest ( to not discourage gametes donors ) , ” the accepted amendment argued .
Children born from donations would now also benefit from the ability , espoused by the senators , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identity at a later date .
The National Council for Access to Personal Origins ( Cnaop ) could at that point make contact with donors to ask for their agreement in sharing their identity .
The concept of “ saviour babies ” has been a key point of friction throughout the bioethics debate .
Controversially , it means authorising the conception of a child free of the genetic illness afflicting his or her sibling via embryo selection ; the “ saviour ” child – known in French as a “ bébé-médicament ” or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with that of the afflicted sibling , can then go on to help cure the afflicted child with stem cell-rich umbilical blood .
A previous French bioethics law in 2004 had permitted the technique on an experimental basis , but in October the National Assembly voted to put an end to the practice .
In committee this month , the Senate proposed that it be reintroduced into the current bill .
Meanwhile , the preimplantation diagnosis – analysing embryos in vitro before they are implanted – that is part of the embryo selection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pending reform and authorised “ in the search for chromosomal anomalies not compatible with embryonic development ” .
Today , preimplantation diagnosis is authorised only in cases where one parent , or another direct ascendant , carries a genetic illness “ of a particular seriousness recognised as incurable ” .
According to the amendment proposed by the conservative Les Républicains senator Corinne Imbert , the technique could now be allowed for verifying the state of embryos before they are transferred into the uterus when the woman has already suffered repeated miscarriages or implantation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ painful failures ” .
The legal framework for the procedure was , however , maintained and the committee issued a reminder : Any research on an embryo must be subject to prior authorisation by France ’ s biomedicine agency .
As for the subject of surrogacy , which is illegal in France and a perennial hot-button issue among demonstrators , there are no changes in sight .
The opposition , which holds the majority in the Senate , continues to block any movement to allow it .
Indeed , Les Républicains senate leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committee aimed at “ providing full and entire scope to the prohibition of surrogacy in France ” .
Senators are set to debate the bioethics bill through February 4 , after which the reform will shuttle back to the lower house for a second reading .
This article has been translated from the original in French .

France’s bioethics reform reaches the Senate floor on Tuesday, three months after lower-house lawmakers passed the controversial legislation. The bill, which has been considerably amended by senators in committee, could yet change, with the lesbian couples and single women poised to gain legal access to medically assisted reproduction potentially seeing social security coverage for the procedure withdrawn.
Thousands of opponents to France's new bioethics bill, which aims in part to extend medically assisted reproduction, known by the acronym PMA in French, to lesbian couples and single women, demonstrate in Paris on January 19, 2020.
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Opponents of the reform staged a fresh demonstration against the measures on Sunday in Paris, with tens of thousands of protesters taking to the streets. The main point of contention is the bill’s flagship measure – the extension of legal access to medically assisted procreation to lesbian couples and single women, a measure Emmanuel Macron mooted publicly during his 2017 presidential bid.
The lower-house National Assembly debated the bill at length before passing it on first reading in October and sending it to the Senate for review.
But before progressing to the Senate floor on Tuesday, the draft lower-house lawmakers adopted in the fall withstood 136 amendments’ worth of revisions in committee. What remains of the initial reform and what does Macron’s bioethics plan look like today?
Medically assisted reproduction not covered in certain cases
Despite opponents’ vocal opposition, the bill’s emblematic elements endure.
While amendments submitted demanding that access to medically assisted reproduction “sans père”, without a father, not be granted after all were rejected, a number of tweaks the senators did okay considerably reshape the bill’s headline Article 1.
But while extending assisted reproduction to women regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status remains, it may no longer be systematically covered by social security.
Conservative senator Muriel Jourda, who represents Les Républicains in the upper house, has proposed that medically assisted reproduction be covered for heterosexual couples only when specific medical criteria are met, such as diagnosed infertility or in order to prevent transmission of a serious illness to the child. As such, lesbian couples and single women would be obliged to foot the full bill for treatment.
>> Read more: ‘It’s against nature,’ say French protesters opposed to fertility treatments for single women, lesbians
In distinguishing between assisting reproduction in order to overcome infertility from providing assistance to meet a desire for children outside a heterosexual couple, the amendment contradicts France’s health minister, Agnès Buzyn, who expressed her support for total coverage for medically assisted procreation, regardless of the circumstances.
On Twitter, one senator, Laurence Rossignol, said that the Socialist group she sits with in the chamber voted against “this punitive and unjust right-wing amendment”. Rossingnol, a former Socialist minister for Family, Childhood and Women’s Rights, said the group plans to submit a new amendment in session in a bid to re-establish full coverage.
Embryos stored for longer
Measures concerning the cultivation and storage of reproductive tissue (gametes) and embryos were also subject to changes in committee.
The bill initially set the maximum period for cultivating an embryo at 14 days, up from the current seven. That increase was extended via amendment in committee to 21 days. The period allowed for embryo storage, meanwhile, is to be prolonged from five to ten years.
Inside France's Black Market for Sperm, a France 24 web documentary. © France 24
Several left-leaning senators submitted, and saw passed, an amendment in committee that would open the task of storing embryos – which had been the exclusive domain of public institutions – to for-profit private facilities. According to the senators behind the amendment, demand is such that public facilities no longer have the capacity to meet every request, which has led to lengthy delays. Moreover, authorising medically assisted reproduction for more women will mean further congestion in an already saturated system. Senators argued that allowing private sector provision of medically assisted reproduction services will also “diminish, [or] end the deregistration of women over 40 on waiting lists and prevent patients, on the basis of financial and age criteria, from turning to private centres abroad.”
A partial lifting of donors’ anonymity
Despite fervent conservative opposition, there were no changes to initial text on the establishment of parentage for children born to lesbian couples by medically assisted means. As agreed in mid-September, the couples will need to officially recognise the child as their own with a notary before birth. At that point, the woman who will not have carried the child will be legally recognised as one of the child’s two parents, on an equal footing with her partner, the biological mother.
Provisions that partially lift the anonymity of sperm, egg and embryo donors – whose contributions, incidentally, are unremunerated in France — have also been subject to intense debate.
The rules in place for maintaining the anonymity of reproductive tissue donors, and those regulating access for people born as the result of a donation to information on their genetic origins, stirred yet more debate in committee. Until now, every donor has had to provide consent for the possible transmission of “non-identifying data” (physical appearance, background or age) as well as for the release of a donor’s identity to a child born as a result of the donation.
An amendment to that provision proposes allowing donors to choose whether they reveal their identity. But donors will be asked before the donation to accept providing irrevocable access to non-identifying data, available upon request to individuals born as a result of the donation after they turn 18.
“This mechanism preserves in a more balanced way the interests of the person born from a donation of gametes (access to origins), those of the donor (the donor’s right to a private life for themselves and their relations) and the general interest (to not discourage gametes donors),” the accepted amendment argued.
Children born from donations would now also benefit from the ability, espoused by the senators, to request access to the donor’s identity at a later date. The National Council for Access to Personal Origins (Cnaop) could at that point make contact with donors to ask for their agreement in sharing their identity.
‘Saviour babies’ reinstated, preimplantation diagnosis broadened
The concept of “saviour babies” has been a key point of friction throughout the bioethics debate. Controversially, it means authorising the conception of a child free of the genetic illness afflicting his or her sibling via embryo selection; the “saviour” child – known in French as a “bébé-médicament” or medicine-baby – whose immune system is compatible with that of the afflicted sibling, can then go on to help cure the afflicted child with stem cell-rich umbilical blood. A previous French bioethics law in 2004 had permitted the technique on an experimental basis, but in October the National Assembly voted to put an end to the practice. In committee this month, the Senate proposed that it be reintroduced into the current bill.
Meanwhile, the preimplantation diagnosis – analysing embryos in vitro before they are implanted – that is part of the embryo selection process could also be broadened in the pending reform and authorised “in the search for chromosomal anomalies not compatible with embryonic development”.
Today, preimplantation diagnosis is authorised only in cases where one parent, or another direct ascendant, carries a genetic illness “of a particular seriousness recognised as incurable”. According to the amendment proposed by the conservative Les Républicains senator Corinne Imbert, the technique could now be allowed for verifying the state of embryos before they are transferred into the uterus when the woman has already suffered repeated miscarriages or implantation failures “in order to avoid several painful failures”.
The legal framework for the procedure was, however, maintained and the committee issued a reminder: Any research on an embryo must be subject to prior authorisation by France’s biomedicine agency.
As for the subject of surrogacy, which is illegal in France and a perennial hot-button issue among demonstrators, there are no changes in sight. The opposition, which holds the majority in the Senate, continues to block any movement to allow it. Indeed, Les Républicains senate leader Bruno Retailleau had an amendment voted in committee aimed at “providing full and entire scope to the prohibition of surrogacy in France”.
Senators are set to debate the bioethics bill through February 4, after which the reform will shuttle back to the lower house for a second reading.
This article has been translated from the original in French.
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france24--2020-01-20--China confirms human-to-human transmission of new coronavirus

A SARS-like virus that has spread across China and reached three other Asian nations is contagious between humans , a government expert said Monday , fuelling fears of a major outbreak as millions travel for the Lunar New Year holiday .
The new coronavirus strain , first discovered in the central city of Wuhan , has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) , which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003 .
The total number of people diagnosed with the virus rose to 218 , as Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday while more than a dozen more emerged in southern Guangdong province and 136 new ones were found over the weekend in Wuhan , according to state broadcaster CCTV .
A third person died in Wuhan , the local health commission said .
Scientists have scrambled to determine the mode of transmission , with a seafood market in Wuhan believed to be the centre of the outbreak .
But Zhong Nanshan , a renowned scientist at the National Health Commission who helped expose the scale of the SARS outbreak , said patients could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city .
`` Currently , it can be said it is affirmative that there is the phenomenon of human-to-human transmission , '' he said in an interview with CCTV .
In Guangdong , two patients were infected by family members who visited Wuhan , Zhong explained .
Fourteen medical personnel helping with coronavirus patients have also been infected , he said , though he added that more than 95 of the total cases were related to Wuhan .
The World Health Organization said earlier an animal source seemed to be `` the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some limited human-to-human transmission occurring between close contacts '' .
Wuhan has 11 million inhabitants and serves as a major transport hub , including during the annual Lunar New Year holiday which begins later this week and sees hundreds of millions of Chinese people travel across the country to visit family .
Weighing in on the matter for the first time , President Xi Jinping said Monday that safeguarding people 's lives should be given `` top priority '' and that the spread of the epidemic `` should be resolutely contained '' , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was necessary to `` release information on the epidemic in a timely manner and deepen international cooperation , '' and ensure people have a `` stable and peaceful Spring Festival '' , the broadcaster said .
Five cases were reported in Beijing while in Shanghai a 56-year-old woman who had come from Wuhan was hospitalised and in stable condition , local health authorities said .
South Korea on Monday also reported its first case -- a 35-year-old woman who flew in from Wuhan .
Thailand and Japan have previously confirmed a total of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visited the Chinese city .
There are also six suspected cases in Shanghai and four provinces and regions in the east , south and southwest of the country .
The National Health Commission said Sunday that experts believe the epidemic `` can still be controlled '' .
The virus did not slow down the annual holiday travel rush , though some travellers wore masks at crowded railway stations in Beijing and Shanghai .
`` Watching the news , I do feel a little worried .
But I have n't taken precautionary measures beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yang , a 28-year-old account manager who was heading home to the northern region of Inner Mongolia for the Lunar New Year .
Detection measures The WHO said the new cases in China were the result of `` increased searching and testing for ( the virus ) among people sick with respiratory illness '' .
Scientists with the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College in London warned in a paper published Friday that the number of cases in Wuhan was likely to be closer to 1,700 , much higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they have installed infrared thermometers at airports and railway and coach stations across the city .
Passengers with fever were being registered , given masks and taken to medical institutions .
State TV footage showed medical staff working inside an isolation ward at a Wuhan hospital in hazmat suits .
In Hong Kong , health officials said they were expanding enhanced checks on arrivals to include anyone coming in from Hubei province , not just its capital Wuhan .
More than 100 people are being monitored in the city .
Passengers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thailand and the United States .
In Wuhan , 170 people are still being treated at hospital , including nine in critical condition , the city 's health commission said .
Chinese state media moved to calm the mood as discussion about the coronavirus spreading to other Chinese cities swelled on social media .
Nationalist tabloid Global Times called for better handling of the new virus than that of the 2003 SARS outbreak .
( AFP )

A SARS-like virus that has spread across China and reached three other Asian nations is contagious between humans, a government expert said Monday, fuelling fears of a major outbreak as millions travel for the Lunar New Year holiday.
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The new coronavirus strain, first discovered in the central city of Wuhan, has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.
The total number of people diagnosed with the virus rose to 258, as Beijing and Shanghai confirmed their first cases on Monday while more than a dozen more emerged in southern Guangdong province and 136 new ones were found over the weekend in Wuhan, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The death toll from the new outbreak has risen to six in China's central city of Wuhan as of January 20, the city's mayor told state television.
The man died on Sunday after experiencing breathing difficulties in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak, the local health commission said in a statement.
Scientists have scrambled to determine the mode of transmission, with a seafood market in Wuhan believed to be the centre of the outbreak.
But Zhong Nanshan, a renowned scientist at the National Health Commission who helped expose the scale of the SARS outbreak, said patients could contract the new virus without having visited the city.
"Currently, it can be said it is affirmative that there is the phenomenon of human-to-human transmission," he said in an interview with CCTV.
In Guangdong, two patients were infected by family members who visited Wuhan, Zhong explained.
Fourteen medical personnel helping with coronavirus patients have also been infected, he said, though he added that more than 95 of the total cases were related to Wuhan.
The World Health Organization said earlier an animal source seemed to be "the most likely primary source" with "some limited human-to-human transmission occurring between close contacts".
Wuhan has 11 million inhabitants and serves as a major transport hub, including during the annual Lunar New Year holiday which begins later this week and sees hundreds of millions of Chinese people travel across the country to visit family.
Weighing in on the matter for the first time, President Xi Jinping said Monday that safeguarding people's lives should be given "top priority" and that the spread of the epidemic "should be resolutely contained", according to CCTV.
Xi said it was necessary to "release information on the epidemic in a timely manner and deepen international cooperation," and ensure people have a "stable and peaceful Spring Festival", the broadcaster said.
Five cases were reported in Beijing while in Shanghai a 56-year-old woman who had come from Wuhan was hospitalised and in stable condition, local health authorities said.
South Korea on Monday also reported its first case -- a 35-year-old woman who flew in from Wuhan. Thailand and Japan have previously confirmed a total of three cases -- all of whom had visited the Chinese city.
There are also six suspected cases in Shanghai and four provinces and regions in the east, south and southwest of the country.
The National Health Commission said Sunday that experts believe the epidemic "can still be controlled".
The virus did not slow down the annual holiday travel rush, though some travellers wore masks at crowded railway stations in Beijing and Shanghai.
"Watching the news, I do feel a little worried. But I haven't taken precautionary measures beyond wearing regular masks," said Li Yang, a 28-year-old account manager who was heading home to the northern region of Inner Mongolia for the Lunar New Year.
Detection measures
The WHO said the new cases in China were the result of "increased searching and testing for (the virus) among people sick with respiratory illness".
Scientists with the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College in London warned in a paper published Friday that the number of cases in Wuhan was likely to be closer to 1,700, much higher than the official figure.
Wuhan authorities said they have installed infrared thermometers at airports and railway and coach stations across the city. Passengers with fever were being registered, given masks and taken to medical institutions.
State TV footage showed medical staff working inside an isolation ward at a Wuhan hospital in hazmat suits.
In Hong Kong, health officials said they were expanding enhanced checks on arrivals to include anyone coming in from Hubei province, not just its capital Wuhan. More than 100 people are being monitored in the city.
Passengers are also being screened at some airports in Thailand and the United States.
In Wuhan, 170 people are still being treated at hospital, including nine in critical condition, the city's health commission said.
Chinese state media moved to calm the mood as discussion about the coronavirus spreading to other Chinese cities swelled on social media.
Nationalist tabloid Global Times called for better handling of the new virus than that of the 2003 SARS outbreak.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-20--Thousands attend pro-gun rally in Virginia, protest peaceful despite tensions

A man wears a shirt critical of President Trump 's impeachment on a Gun Lobby Day in front of the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond , VA , U.S. January 20 , 2020 .
Several thousand gun rights supporters rallied peacefully Monday near the Virginia state Capitol under heavy security to protest new proposed gun control legislation .
The rally took place without incident under a state of emergency declared by the governor over fears of violence by far-right groups .
Dressed in hunting jackets and caps , rally-goers were checked for weapons as they passed through tight security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Richmond 's Capitol Square for the so-called `` Lobby Day '' event .
Many more gathered in the streets surrounding the Capitol building , some bearing sidearms or long guns , which was permitted outside the designated rally area .
They carried US and Virginia state flags and a huge banner emblazoned with the image of an assault rifle and the legend : `` Come and Take It . ''
Brooks , a 24-year-old Richmond resident who would not give his full name , came with a group of friends , including one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support the Second Amendment . ''
`` It 's our constitutional God-given right to arm ourselves .
Having a gun is for peace of mind .
It 's a protection thing , '' he told AFP .
The rally was organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League ( VCDL ) , which opposes gun control laws proposed by state Democrats who control the Virginia government .
The VCDL has condemned what it considers a breach of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution , which states that `` the right of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shall not be infringed . ''
The amendment has proved controversial over the years and has been subject to many different interpretations .
The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have the right to keep firearms in their households , but left it to states to determine how the weapons could be transported .
President Donald Trump , a major ally of the pro-gun lobby , sent words of encouragement to the protesters via Twitter on Monday .
`` The Democrat Party in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia are working hard to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
`` This is just the beginning .
Do n't let it happen , VOTE REPUBLICAN in 2020 ! ''
Many of those massing near Capitol Square wore `` Trump 2020 '' or `` Make America Great Again '' hats in support of the conservative president .
Some chanted `` four more years '' or `` USA , USA . ''
Richmond was a capital of the pro-slavery Confederacy , and Virginia has traditionally leaned conservative .
But the state , which borders the capital Washington , flipped in November and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promised to tackle what they considered the laxity surrounding firearms carrying laws , particularly after a May 2019 shooting in Virginia Beach that left 12 dead .
The new laws under consideration would prohibit magazines with more than 10 rounds , the purchase of more than one weapon per month , and permit judges to seize weapons from individuals deemed dangerous .
A backlash to the restrictions has spread throughout the state , and more than 100 counties and localities have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries , threatening not to apply the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year old from North Carolina who was dressed in military camo attire , showed off an AR-15 rifle and said , `` there should be nothing wrong with this .
Nothing to be scared of .
It 's just a tool . ''
`` This is just exercising my rights , '' he told AFP .
`` Everybody in the crowd is armed and no crime is being committed .
Gun laws are not going to affect criminals . ''
At the end of last week , the FBI arrested seven alleged members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Base '' suspected of trying to create trouble at the rally .
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for the rally site , which has been in effect since Friday and will continue through Tuesday evening .
Carrying firearms , normally allowed in the streets , is prohibited , as are dangerous objects such as baseball bats and chains .
`` The VCDL ( organisers ) have intended this to be a peaceful event , but they have unleashed something much larger that they might not be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The governor said they have seen `` credible and serious threats '' of `` violence , armed confrontation and assault on our Capitol ( from ) groups with action plans . ''
The groups include out-of-state militias and hate groups , he said .
`` No one wants to see an incident like the one we saw in Charlottesville , '' Northam said , referring to another Virginia city where clashes between white supremacists and anti-racist demonstrators in August 2017 resulted in one dead and dozens wounded .

Several thousand gun rights supporters rallied peacefully Monday near the Virginia state Capitol under heavy security to protest new proposed gun control legislation.
A man wears a shirt critical of President Trump's impeachment on a Gun Lobby Day in front of the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond, VA, U.S. January 20, 2020.
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The rally took place without incident under a state of emergency declared by the governor over fears of violence by far-right groups.
Dressed in hunting jackets and caps, rally-goers were checked for weapons as they passed through tight security before entering a fenced off area of Richmond's Capitol Square for the so-called "Lobby Day" event.
Many more gathered in the streets surrounding the Capitol building, some bearing sidearms or long guns, which was permitted outside the designated rally area.
They carried US and Virginia state flags and a huge banner emblazoned with the image of an assault rifle and the legend: "Come and Take It."
Brooks, a 24-year-old Richmond resident who would not give his full name, came with a group of friends, including one with an AR-15 assault rifle, "to support the Second Amendment."
"It's our constitutional God-given right to arm ourselves. Having a gun is for peace of mind. It's a protection thing," he told AFP.
The rally was organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), which opposes gun control laws proposed by state Democrats who control the Virginia government.
The VCDL has condemned what it considers a breach of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which states that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The amendment has proved controversial over the years and has been subject to many different interpretations.
The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have the right to keep firearms in their households, but left it to states to determine how the weapons could be transported.
President Donald Trump, a major ally of the pro-gun lobby, sent words of encouragement to the protesters via Twitter on Monday.
"The Democrat Party in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia are working hard to take away your 2nd Amendment rights," he said. "This is just the beginning. Don't let it happen, VOTE REPUBLICAN in 2020!"
Many of those massing near Capitol Square wore "Trump 2020" or "Make America Great Again" hats in support of the conservative president. Some chanted "four more years" or "USA, USA."
Richmond was a capital of the pro-slavery Confederacy, and Virginia has traditionally leaned conservative.
But the state, which borders the capital Washington, flipped in November and passed into Democratic hands. State Democrats promised to tackle what they considered the laxity surrounding firearms carrying laws, particularly after a May 2019 shooting in Virginia Beach that left 12 dead.
The new laws under consideration would prohibit magazines with more than 10 rounds, the purchase of more than one weapon per month, and permit judges to seize weapons from individuals deemed dangerous.
A backlash to the restrictions has spread throughout the state, and more than 100 counties and localities have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, threatening not to apply the new laws.
Justin Dorton, a 38 year old from North Carolina who was dressed in military camo attire, showed off an AR-15 rifle and said, "there should be nothing wrong with this. Nothing to be scared of. It's just a tool."
"This is just exercising my rights," he told AFP.
"Everybody in the crowd is armed and no crime is being committed. Gun laws are not going to affect criminals."
Far-right, paramilitaries
At the end of last week, the FBI arrested seven alleged members of the white extremist group "The Base" suspected of trying to create trouble at the rally.
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for the rally site, which has been in effect since Friday and will continue through Tuesday evening.
Carrying firearms, normally allowed in the streets, is prohibited, as are dangerous objects such as baseball bats and chains.
"The VCDL (organisers) have intended this to be a peaceful event, but they have unleashed something much larger that they might not be able to control," Northam said.
The governor said they have seen "credible and serious threats" of "violence, armed confrontation and assault on our Capitol (from) groups with action plans."
The groups include out-of-state militias and hate groups, he said.
"No one wants to see an incident like the one we saw in Charlottesville," Northam said, referring to another Virginia city where clashes between white supremacists and anti-racist demonstrators in August 2017 resulted in one dead and dozens wounded.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-20--Tunisia’s president picks ex-finance minister to form new government

Tunisia ’ s former finance minister Elyes Fakhfakh has been named the country ’ s new PM Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday designated Elyes Fakhfakh as prime minister , a presidency statement said , after the fractured parliament this month rejected a government proposed by an earlier nominee to the post .
The former finance minister now has a month to form a coalition capable of winning a confidence vote in parliament by a simple majority , or there will be another election with urgent economic decisions hanging over the country .
The choice of Fakhfakh , 48 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of low growth , high public debt and declining services since the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy .
Fakhfakh , a former employee of the French energy company Total , served as finance minister in 2012 in the volatile period after the revolution and also worked as tourism minister .
The incumbent government of Youssef Chahed has since 2016 tried to rein in spending while addressing the aftermath of two major militant attacks in 2015 that devastated Tunisia ’ s crucial tourism industry .
However , it has been acting as a caretaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which the largest party , the moderate Islamist Ennahda , took only a quarter of the seats .
It nominated Habib Jemli as prime minister in November , but his proposed government failed to win parliamentary backing and lost a confidence vote on Jan. 10 .
That meant President Saied , who was also elected in October , had the right to designate his own choice of prime minister to try to form a government .
Tunisia ’ s constitution splits power between the head of state and the government , leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political struggles between them .

Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday designated Elyes Fakhfakh as prime minister, a presidency statement said, after the fractured parliament this month rejected a government proposed by an earlier nominee to the post.
Tunisia’s former finance minister Elyes Fakhfakh has been named the country’s new PM
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The former finance minister now has a month to form a coalition capable of winning a confidence vote in parliament by a simple majority, or there will be another election with urgent economic decisions hanging over the country.
The choice of Fakhfakh, 48, underscores the economic priorities following a decade of low growth, high public debt and declining services since the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy.
Fakhfakh, a former employee of the French energy company Total, served as finance minister in 2012 in the volatile period after the revolution and also worked as tourism minister.
The incumbent government of Youssef Chahed has since 2016 tried to rein in spending while addressing the aftermath of two major militant attacks in 2015 that devastated Tunisia’s crucial tourism industry.
However, it has been acting as a caretaker government since the Oct. 6 parliamentary election in which the largest party, the moderate Islamist Ennahda, took only a quarter of the seats.
It nominated Habib Jemli as prime minister in November, but his proposed government failed to win parliamentary backing and lost a confidence vote on Jan. 10.
That meant President Saied, who was also elected in October, had the right to designate his own choice of prime minister to try to form a government.
Tunisia’s constitution splits power between the head of state and the government, leading to several periods in recent years of political struggles between them.
(REUTERS)
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