france24--2020-06-28--Virtual summit of world leaders, celebrities raises nearly $7 billion for Covid-19

World leaders including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ( R ) and entertainers such as Miley Cyrus , Jennifer Hudson and Dwayne `` The Rock '' Johnson came together Saturday in an online fundraiser to help poorer countries worldwide fight Covid-19 .
A summit that included a star-studded virtual concert hosted by Dwayne Johnson has raised nearly $ 7 billion in cash and loan guarantees to assist the poor around the globe whose lives have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic .
Global Citizen said its summit with world leaders had raised $ 1.5 billion to help COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a promise of 250 million doses of a vaccine for those nations if one is successfully developed .
The group said it had secured $ 5.4 billion in loans and guarantees from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank to support fragile economies worldwide .
The event included a Johnson-hosted concert with performances by Jennifer Hudson , Miley Cyrus , Coldplay and Chloe x Halle .
Cyrus performed The Beatles ’ “ Help !
” in an empty stadium and Hudson performed “ Where Peaceful Waters Flow ” from a boat in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was pledged today to support the world ’ s poorest and most marginalized communities is an incredible next step on our journey out of the COVID-19 era , but there is more still to be done , as no one is safe until everyone is safe , '' Hugh Evans , CEO of Global Citizen , said after the event Saturday .
“ As we fight this virus , we also need to take care of the most vulnerable people and address the challenges they ’ re facing right now , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the event .
> > Read : Covid-19 in Latin America : From health to hunger crisis ?
Speakers also included the leaders of New Zealand , El Salvador , Sweden , South Africa and Barbados .
Organizers said the show was not just a fundraiser , but aimed to draw awareness to the disproportionate impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on marginalized communities .
French President Emmanuel Macron said shared action was needed to defeat the virus .
“ Let ’ s mobilize , let ’ s refuse an ‘ every man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s continue to move forward together .
France and Europe take their responsibility today and will do so tomorrow , ” Macron said .
Worldwide , nearly 10 million people have been reported infected by the virus , and nearly a half million have died , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University .
Experts say those figures seriously understate the true toll of the pandemic , due to limited testing and missed mild cases .
About a dozen potential COVID-19 vaccines are in early stages of testing .
While some could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if all goes well , it ’ s unlikely any would be licensed before early next year at the earliest .

A summit that included a star-studded virtual concert hosted by Dwayne Johnson has raised nearly $7 billion in cash and loan guarantees to assist the poor around the globe whose lives have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic.
World leaders including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) and entertainers such as Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson came together on 27 June, 2020 in an online fundraiser to help poorer countries worldwide fight Covid-19.
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Global Citizen said its summit with world leaders had raised $1.5 billion to help COVID-19 efforts in poor countries, along with a promise of 250 million doses of a vaccine for those nations if one is successfully developed.
The group said it had secured $5.4 billion in loans and guarantees from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank to support fragile economies worldwide.
The event included a Johnson-hosted concert with performances by Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus, Coldplay and Chloe x Halle. Cyrus performed The Beatles’ “Help!” in an empty stadium and Hudson performed “Where Peaceful Waters Flow” from a boat in Chicago.
The #GlobalGoalUnite Concert is LIVE, hosted by Dwayne @therock Johnson! Tune in to watch artists, comedians, activists, and more unite to support equal access to COVID-19 aid for everyone, everywhere. Let’s build a better future: https://t.co/AQFKWGWXjE https://t.co/KhzbVh71sD — Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) June 27, 2020
“The $6.9 billion that was pledged today to support the world’s poorest and most marginalized communities is an incredible next step on our journey out of the COVID-19 era, but there is more still to be done, as no one is safe until everyone is safe," Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, said after the event Saturday.
“As we fight this virus, we also need to take care of the most vulnerable people and address the challenges they’re facing right now,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during the event.
>>Read: Covid-19 in Latin America: From health to hunger crisis?
Speakers also included the leaders of New Zealand, El Salvador, Sweden, South Africa and Barbados.
Organizers said the show was not just a fundraiser, but aimed to draw awareness to the disproportionate impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on marginalized communities.
.@therock said it best: Each of us are change agents with a responsibility to bring people together, and to make a difference. We can all do our part to help everyone, everywhere stay healthy. Take action against COVID-19 now: https://t.co/AQFKWGWXjE #GlobalGoalUnite pic.twitter.com/USIiHAwiIJ — Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) June 28, 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron said shared action was needed to defeat the virus.
“Let’s mobilize, let’s refuse an ‘every man for himself’ approach, let’s continue to move forward together. France and Europe take their responsibility today and will do so tomorrow,” Macron said.
Worldwide, nearly 10 million people have been reported infected by the virus, and nearly a half million have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say those figures seriously understate the true toll of the pandemic, due to limited testing and missed mild cases.
About a dozen potential COVID-19 vaccines are in early stages of testing. While some could move into late-stage testing later this year if all goes well, it’s unlikely any would be licensed before early next year at the earliest.
(AP)
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france24--2020-06-28--As it happened: France's local elections see Hidalgo win Paris again, far-right win Perpignan

As it happened : France 's local elections see Hidalgo win Paris again , far-right win Perpignan In France 's @ @ @ @ @ Marine Le Pen 's far-right party has won in Perpignan , Anne Hidalgo has been @ @ @ @ @ France 's green party is on the rise .

As it happened: France's local elections see Greens surge, far-right win Perpignan
In France's second round of local elections on Sunday, Marine Le Pen's far-right party the Front National has won in Perpignan, Anne Hidalgo has been re-elected mayor of Paris and France's green party is on the rise.
Scrutineers, wearing protective face masks, count votes at a polling station for the second round of the mayoral elections in Perpignan, southern France on June 28, 2020. © Raymond Roig, AFP
Text by: Tom WHEELDON
Advertising Read more Incumbent Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has once more taken the capital, with 50.2 percent of the vote.
The far-right National Rally candidate Louis Aliot, a former partner of the party's leader Marine Le Pen, has won the mayor's race in Perpignan.
The country's green party, the EELV, has had a successful election. Its candidate Bruno Bernardin has won in France's third city, Lyon, while Pierre Hurmic has claimed victory in Bordeaux.
France's Prime Minister Édouard Philippe has won back his old job as mayor of Le Havre.
This second round of local elections were held in 4,827 cities and towns across France on Sunday. The first round of voting was on March 15.
According to figures published at 5pm, the participation rate was around 34.7 percent; the first round's was 38.8 percent. Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app


france24--2020-06-28--Global Covid-19 death toll tops half a million

Activists of the NGO Rio de Paz in protective gear dig graves on Copacabana beach to symbolise the dead from the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) during a demonstration in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , June 11 , 2020 .
The death toll from Covid-19 reached half a million people on Sunday , according to a Reuters tally , a grim milestone for the global pandemic that seems to be resurgent in some countries even as other regions are still grappling with the first wave .
The respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus has been particularly dangerous for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children are also among the 500,000 fatalities and more than 10 million reported cases .
While the overall rate of death has flattened in recent weeks , health experts have expressed concerns about record numbers of new cases in countries like the United States , India and Brazil , as well as new outbreaks in parts of Asia .
More than 4,700 people are dying every 24 hours from Covid-19-linked illness , according to Reuters calculations based on an average from June 1 to 27 .
That equates to 196 people per hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
About one-quarter of all the deaths so far have been in the United States , the Reuters data shows .
The recent surge in cases have been most pronounced in a handful of Southern and Western states that reopened earlier and more aggressively .
The number of cases in Latin America on Sunday surpassed those diagnosed in Europe , making the region the second most affected by the pandemic , after North America .
The first recorded death from the new virus was on Jan. 9 , a 61-year-old man from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regular shopper at a wet market that has been identified as the source of the outbreak .
In just five months , the COVID-19 death toll has overtaken the number of people who die annually from malaria , one of the most deadly infectious diseases .
The death rate averages out to 78,000 per month , compared with 64,000 AIDS-related deaths and 36,000 malaria deaths , according to 2018 figures from the World Health Organization .
The high number of deaths has led to changes to traditional and religious burial rites around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overwhelmed and loved ones often barred from bidding farewell in person .
In Israel , the custom of washing the bodies of Muslim deceased is not permitted , and instead of being shrouded in cloth , they must be wrapped in a plastic body bag .
The Jewish tradition of Shiva where people go to the home of mourning relatives for seven days has also been disrupted .
In Italy , Catholics have been buried without funerals or a blessing from a priest .
In New York , city crematories were at one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the night as officials scouted for temporary interment sites .
In Iraq , former militiamen have dropped their guns to instead dig graves for coronavirus victims at a specially created cemetery .
They have learned how to conduct Christian , as well as Muslim , burials .
Public health experts are looking at how demographics affect the death rates in different regions .
Some European countries with older populations have reported higher fatality rates , for instance .
An April report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control looked at more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that about 46 % of all fatalities were over the age of 80 .
In Indonesia , hundreds of children are believed to have died , a development health officials have attributed to malnutrition , anemia and inadequate child health facilities .
Health experts caution that the official data likely does not tell the full story , with many believing that both cases and deaths have likely been underreported in some countries .

The death toll from Covid-19 reached half a million people on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, a grim milestone for the global pandemic that seems to be resurgent in some countries even as other regions are still grappling with the first wave.
Activists of the NGO Rio de Paz dig symbolic graves on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 11, 2020, during a demonstration.
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The respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus has been particularly dangerous for the elderly, although other adults and children are also among the 500,000 fatalities and more than 10 million reported cases.
While the overall rate of death has flattened in recent weeks, health experts have expressed concerns about record numbers of new cases in countries like the United States, India and Brazil, as well as new outbreaks in parts of Asia.
More than 4,700 people are dying every 24 hours from Covid-19-linked illness, according to Reuters calculations based on an average from June 1 to 27.
That equates to 196 people per hour, or one person every 18 seconds.
About one-quarter of all the deaths so far have been in the United States, the Reuters data shows. The recent surge in cases have been most pronounced in a handful of Southern and Western states that reopened earlier and more aggressively.
The number of cases in Latin America on Sunday surpassed those diagnosed in Europe, making the region the second most affected by the pandemic, after North America.
The first recorded death from the new virus was on January 9, a 61-year-old man from the Chinese city of Wuhan who was a regular shopper at a wet market that has been identified as the source of the outbreak.
In just five months, the Covid-19 death toll has overtaken the number of people who die annually from malaria, one of the most deadly infectious diseases.
The death rate averages out to 78,000 per month, compared with 64,000 AIDS-related deaths and 36,000 malaria deaths, according to 2018 figures from the World Health Organization.
Changing burial rites
The high number of deaths has led to changes to traditional and religious burial rites around the world, with morgues and funeral businesses overwhelmed and loved ones often barred from bidding farewell in person.
In Israel, the custom of washing the bodies of Muslim deceased is not permitted, and instead of being shrouded in cloth, they must be wrapped in a plastic body bag. The Jewish tradition of Shiva where people go to the home of mourning relatives for seven days has also been disrupted.
In Italy, Catholics have been buried without funerals or a blessing from a priest. In New York, city crematories were at one point working overtime, burning bodies into the night as officials scouted for temporary interment sites.
In Iraq, former militiamen have dropped their guns to instead dig graves for coronavirus victims at a specially created cemetery. They have learned how to conduct Christian, as well as Muslim, burials.
Elderly at risk
Public health experts are looking at how demographics affect the death rates in different regions. Some European countries with older populations have reported higher fatality rates, for instance.
An April report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control looked at more than 300,000 cases in 20 countries and found that about 46 percent of all fatalities were over the age of 80.
In Indonesia, hundreds of children are believed to have died, a development health officials have attributed to malnutrition, anemia and inadequate child health facilities.
Health experts caution that the official data likely does not tell the full story, with many believing that both cases and deaths have likely been underreported in some countries.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-28--France's Greens make gains, Macron loses ground in low-turnout local elections

French ecologist party Europe Ecologie – Les Verts ( EELV ) candidate for Bordeaux mayor , Pierre Hurmic ( C ) , celebrates on June 28 , 2020 in Bordeaux , following his victory after the second round of the French municipal elections .
France 's Greens appeared set for major gains Sunday in local elections marked by record-low turnout and the failure of President Emmanuel Macron 's ruling party to make any significant impact .
Projections based on early vote counts showed Europe Ecology , The Greens party ( EELV ) , poised to take the key cities of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very close contest for Lille .
Macron expressed his concern over the high abstention rate , estimated at about 60 percent , and acknowledged that the elections were marked by a `` green wave '' , the presidency said .
Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye spoke of `` disappointment '' over the poor showing of the centrist Republic on the Move ( LREM ) party Macron created shortly before his successful 2017 presidential run .
This is the first time it had competed in nationwide local elections .
`` There are places ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to results that were extremely disappointing , '' Ndiaye told French television .
The party 's candidate in Paris , Agnes Buzyn , was projected to come a distant third with incumbent Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo on course to easily win a second term as mayor of the French capital .
Marine Le Pen 's National Rally , meanwhile , claimed victory in the southern city of Perpignan , in what would be the first far-right takeover of a French city of more than 100,000 inhabitants since 1995 .
The biggest coup for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martine Aubry as mayor of the northern city of Lille .
But her entourage insisted to AFP that she had clung on in a knife-edge vote .
Some 16.5 million eligible voters cast ballots in nearly 5,000 cities and towns where the first round of municipal voting , on March 15 , had failed to yield a decisive outcome .
This represents about 15 percent of the country 's municipal councils where power remained up for grabs .
But estimates showed that only two in five voters turned up , an abstention rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' and far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said amounted to `` a civic strike '' .
Macron said the low turnout was `` not very good news , '' according to the Elysee .
The first election round , which took place as the COVID-19 pandemic was gaining deadly momentum , already yielded a record-low 55-percent abstention rate .
The second phase , originally scheduled for March 22 , was postponed after France went into lockdown .
Most restrictions have now been eased .
With a national death toll approaching 30,000 , France has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with some voters angry over the government 's failure to provide protective material like masks rapidly .
The new polling date was set after the government 's scientific council said it was possible to hold another round safely , but voters were required to wear face masks and urged to bring their own pens to lower the contamination risk .
Many voters and election officials sported germ-blocking plastic visors , and plexiglass screens were erected between them at several polling stations , which also provided sanitising hand gel .
Macron is widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reshuffle after Sunday 's results , and the future of Prime Minister Edouard Philippe , who won his race for mayor in the Normandy port city of Le Havre , appeared unsure .
Though French law allows for the holding of two executive posts , observers expect Macron to use the occasion to axe the premier , whose popularity exceeds his own according to opinion polls .
Firing Philippe would allow Macron `` to claim he is delivering on his promise to ensure the 'second act ' of his presidency takes note of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 crisis , '' said Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group risk consultancy .
With just 22 months to the next presidential election , Macron 's main challenger nationwide is Le Pen .
Analysts say disillusion with the LREM and Macron , who critics say is a president of the rich out of touch with ordinary people , may have dissuaded people from going out to vote in already complicated circumstances .

France’s Greens made major gains Sunday in local elections marked by record-low turnout and the failure of President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party to make any significant impact.
French ecologist party Europe Ecologie – Les Verts (EELV) candidate for Bordeaux mayor, Pierre Hurmic, centre, celebrates on June 28, 2020, in Bordeaux, following his victory in the second round of the French municipal elections.
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Projections based on early vote counts showed Europe Ecology, The Greens party (EELV), poised to take the key cities of Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg and in a very close contest for Lille.
Macron expressed his concern over the high abstention rate, estimated at about 60 percent, and acknowledged that the elections were marked by a "green wave", the presidency said.
Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye spoke of "disappointment" over the poor showing of the centrist Republic on the Move (LREM) party Macron created shortly before his successful 2017 presidential run.
This is the first time it had competed in nationwide local elections.
"There are places... where our own internal divisions brought us to results that were extremely disappointing," Ndiaye told French television.
The party's candidate in Paris, Agnes Buzyn, was projected to come a distant third with incumbent Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo on course to easily win a second term as mayor of the French capital.
Marine Le Pen's National Rally, meanwhile, claimed victory in the southern city of Perpignan, in what would be the first far-right takeover of a French city of more than 100,000 inhabitants since 1995.
The biggest coup for the Greens would be ousting former minister Martine Aubry as mayor of the northern city of Lille. But her entourage insisted to AFP that she had clung on in a knife-edge vote.
'Not very good news'
Some 16.5 million eligible voters cast ballots in nearly 5,000 cities and towns where the first round of municipal voting, on March 15, had failed to yield a decisive outcome.
This represents about 15 percent of the country's municipal councils where power remained up for grabs.
But estimates showed that only two in five voters turned up, an abstention rate that Le Pen described as "astonishing" and far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said amounted to "a civic strike".
Macron said the low turnout was "not very good news," according to the Elysee.
The first election round, which took place as the Covid-19 pandemic was gaining deadly momentum, already yielded a record-low 55-percent abstention rate.
The second phase, originally scheduled for March 22, was postponed after France went into lockdown. Most restrictions have now been eased.
With a national death toll approaching 30,000, France has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, with some voters angry over the government's failure to provide protective material like masks rapidly.
The new polling date was set after the government's scientific council said it was possible to hold another round safely, but voters were required to wear face masks and urged to bring their own pens to lower the contamination risk.
Many voters and election officials sported germ-blocking plastic visors, and plexiglass screens were erected between them at several polling stations, which also provided sanitising hand gel.
Reshuffle?
Macron is widely rumoured to be preparing for a cabinet reshuffle after Sunday's results, and the future of Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who won his race for mayor in the Normandy port city of Le Havre, appeared unsure.
Though French law allows for the holding of two executive posts, observers expect Macron to use the occasion to axe the premier, whose popularity exceeds his own according to opinion polls.
Firing Philippe would allow Macron "to claim he is delivering on his promise to ensure the 'second act' of his presidency takes note of failings revealed by his handling of the Covid-19 crisis," said Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group risk consultancy.
With just 22 months to the next presidential election, Macron's main challenger nationwide is Le Pen.
Analysts say disillusion with the LREM and Macron, who critics say is a president of the rich out of touch with ordinary people, may have dissuaded people from going out to vote in already complicated circumstances.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-06-28--Socialist Anne Hidalgo declares victory in re-election as Paris mayor

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo reacts to victory in the second round of the mayoral elections , in Paris , France , June 28 , 2020 .
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo declared victory in her fight to win re-election in the French capital on Sunday , which will allow her to oversee the 2024 Summer Olympics .
Hidalgo , a Socialist Party member , beat conservative candidate Rachida Dati in France ’ s municipal elections , according to estimations based on partial results .
She was first elected as Paris mayor in 2014 .
She is backed by the Europe Ecology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which gained strong influence nationwide in Sunday ’ s voting .
The second round of the municipal elections , which had been postponed amid the coronavirus crisis , has seen a record low turnout amid concerns over the pandemic .
Only 40 percent of voters cast ballots as French voters were required to wear masks , maintain social distancing while in queues and carry their own pens to sign voting registers .
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner , in charge of organising the elections , said that “ today , everywhere across France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be respected .
That is a satisfaction.
” Yet he “ regretted ” the low turnout .
Voting was suspended after the first round of the nationwide municipal elections on March 15 , which produced decisive outcomes in 30,000 mostly small communes .
French President Emmanuel Macron 's critics say he should n't have allowed the first round to go ahead at all , since it was held just as infections were exploding across Europe and just two days before France introduced sweeping nationwide lockdown measures .
The spread of the coronavirus has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and almost all restrictions on social and business activity have been gradually lifted over the last month .
France has reported nearly 200,000 confirmed cases and 29,781 deaths in the pandemic but experts believe all reported figures are undercounts due to limited testing and missed mild cases .
The elections , though ostensibly focused on local concerns , are also seen as a key political indicator ahead of the 2022 French presidential election .
Macron had said he was n't considering the elections as a pro- or anti-government vote .
Yet a government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as Macron seeks a new political boost amid the economic difficulties prompted by the virus crisis .

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo declared victory in her fight to win re-election in the French capital on Sunday, which will allow her to oversee the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo reacts to victory in the second round of the mayoral elections, in Paris, France, June 28, 2020.
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Hidalgo, a Socialist Party member, beat conservative candidate Rachida Dati in France’s municipal elections, according to estimations based on partial results. She was first elected as Paris mayor in 2014.
She is backed by the Europe Ecology – The Greens party (EELV), which gained strong influence nationwide in Sunday’s voting.
Votre confiance sera notre force. Merci Paris ! pic.twitter.com/5g5o9VXZhi — Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) June 28, 2020
The second round of the municipal elections, which had been postponed amid the coronavirus crisis, has seen a record low turnout amid concerns over the pandemic.
Only 40 percent of voters cast ballots as French voters were required to wear masks, maintain social distancing while in queues and carry their own pens to sign voting registers.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, in charge of organising the elections, said that “today, everywhere across France, health measures ... were able to be respected. That is a satisfaction.” Yet he “regretted” the low turnout.
Macron's government under the spotlight
Voting was suspended after the first round of the nationwide municipal elections on March 15, which produced decisive outcomes in 30,000 mostly small communes. French President Emmanuel Macron's critics say he shouldn't have allowed the first round to go ahead at all, since it was held just as infections were exploding across Europe and just two days before France introduced sweeping nationwide lockdown measures.
The spread of the coronavirus has slowed significantly in France in recent weeks and almost all restrictions on social and business activity have been gradually lifted over the last month. France has reported nearly 200,000 confirmed cases and 29,781 deaths in the pandemic but experts believe all reported figures are undercounts due to limited testing and missed mild cases.
The elections, though ostensibly focused on local concerns, are also seen as a key political indicator ahead of the 2022 French presidential election.
Macron had said he wasn't considering the elections as a pro- or anti-government vote.
Yet a government reshuffle is expected in the coming weeks, as Macron seeks a new political boost amid the economic difficulties prompted by the virus crisis.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
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france24--2020-06-28--Global coronavirus cases top 10 million led by the United States

People wear masks as they wait in line to undergo Covid-19 coronavirus swab tests at a testing station in Beijing on June 28 , 2020 .
More than 10 million cases of the new coronavirus have been officially declared around the world , Johns Hopkins and media sources reported Sunday , half of them in Europe and the United States .
A tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University registered the grim milestone on Sunday after India and Russia added thousands of new cases .
Because Johns Hopkins reports only confirmed coronavirus cases , some medical experts believe the true number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be as much as 10 times higher since many people can ’ t get tested or may have the virus without showing symptoms .
Many countries are testing only symptomatic patients and simply do not have the capacity to carry out largescale testing .
Europe remains the hardest-hit continent with 2,637,546 cases and 195,975 fatalities while the United States has 2,510,323 infections and 125,539 deaths .
The US leads the nations of the world in cases by far , accounting for well over a third of the global total .
On Saturday alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , according to Johns Hopkins .
US deaths now exceed 125,000 , approximately one-fourth the global total of more than 495,000 .
Florida recorded 9,585 new cases in 24 hours on Saturday , a new daily record .
Georgia , Nevada and South Carolina also reported new daily records of infections that day while Arizona broke its previous record for hospitalisations .
The EU has delayed a final decision on a list of `` safe countries '' from which travellers can visit Europe starting from next week – a list that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set a daily record on Saturday with more than 18,500 new cases and 385 deaths , bringing its total of registered cases to 500,000 .
Brazil – the second-hardest-hit country in the world after the United States – recorded more than 1,000 deaths in 24 hours , the health ministry said on Saturday .
Some researchers have said the death toll in Latin America could rise to more than 380,000 by October .
The 10-million milestone comes as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns while making extensive alterations to work and social life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more until a vaccine is available .
Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections , leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into next year .
China , New Zealand and Australia have seen new outbreaks in the past month , despite largely stifling local transmission .
The rate of infections worldwide continues to rise .
Speaking by video link to the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday , WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that it took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reach 1 million infections but that another million cases were recorded in just the previous eight days .

More than 10 million cases of the new coronavirus have been officially declared around the world, Johns Hopkins and media sources reported Sunday, half of them in Europe and the United States.
People wear masks as they wait in line to undergo Covid-19 coronavirus swab tests at a testing station in Beijing on June 28, 2020.
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A tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University registered the grim milestone on Sunday after India and Russia added thousands of new cases.
Because Johns Hopkins reports only confirmed coronavirus cases, some medical experts believe the true number of people who have been infected could be as much as 10 times higher since many people can’t get tested or may have the virus without showing symptoms.
Many countries are testing only symptomatic patients and simply do not have the capacity to carry out largescale testing.
Europe remains the hardest-hit continent with 2,637,546 cases and 195,975 fatalities while the United States has 2,510,323 infections and 125,539 deaths.
The US leads the nations of the world in cases by far, accounting for well over a third of the global total. On Saturday alone the US recorded more than 43,000 new cases, according to Johns Hopkins. US deaths now exceed 125,000, approximately one-fourth the global total of more than 495,000.
Florida recorded 9,585 new cases in 24 hours on Saturday, a new daily record. Georgia, Nevada and South Carolina also reported new daily records of infections that day while Arizona broke its previous record for hospitalisations.
The EU has delayed a final decision on a list of "safe countries" from which travellers can visit Europe starting from next week – a list that is likely to exclude American travellers.
Infections on the rise
India set a daily record on Saturday with more than 18,500 new cases and 385 deaths, bringing its total of registered cases to 500,000.
Brazil – the second-hardest-hit country in the world after the United States – recorded more than 1,000 deaths in 24 hours, the health ministry said on Saturday. Some researchers have said the death toll in Latin America could rise to more than 380,000 by October.
The 10-million milestone comes as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last for a year or more until a vaccine is available.
Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into next year.
China, New Zealand and Australia have seen new outbreaks in the past month, despite largely stifling local transmission.
The rate of infections worldwide continues to rise. Speaking by video link to the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that it took more than three months for the world to reach 1 million infections but that another million cases were recorded in just the previous eight days.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters and AP)
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france24--2020-06-28--French PM Édouard Philippe elected Le Havre mayor in municipal elections

French Prime Minister and successful candidate for Le Havre city hall Édouard Philippe is pictured campaigning in Le Havre , Normandy , on June 26 , 2020 .
French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe was elected mayor of the northern port city of Le Havre on Sunday , a rare bright spot for President Emmanuel Macron on a day of nationwide municipal elections in which his party is projected to perform poorly .
Philippe 's victory could lead to a government reshuffle , although the French constitution allows him to appoint someone else to act as mayor while he remains prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the municipal elections without winning a single contest in a big city , congratulated his premier for a `` beautiful victory '' .
His Elysee Palace office said the two men would meet on Monday .
`` We will celebrate this victory , '' Philippe told supporters .
People voted in low numbers and wearing face masks in the second round of the municipal elections , which had been delayed for months by the coronavirus crisis lockdown .
An early exit poll showed Marine Le Pen 's far-right Rassemblement National ( National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if confirmed would be the first time the party takes control of a town with a population of more than 100,000 people .
A year ago Macron had hoped the local elections would help anchor his young centrist party in towns and cities across France , including Paris , ahead of an anticipated 2022 re-election bid .
But more recently , presidential aides have been playing down expectations .
France 's 35,000 mayors set policy on issues from urban planning to education and the environment .
While local factors typically drive voter choices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support or punish a president mid-mandate .
`` We have a government that is completely disconnected from reality , '' said Naouel , a voter in Paris ' 9th district who said she was backing the centre-right opposition candidate .

French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe was elected mayor of the northern port city of Le Havre on Sunday, a rare bright spot for President Emmanuel Macron on a day of nationwide municipal elections in which his party is projected to perform poorly.
French Prime Minister and successful candidate for Le Havre city hall Édouard Philippe is pictured campaigning in Le Havre, Normandy, on June 26, 2020.
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Philippe's victory could lead to a government reshuffle, although the French constitution allows him to appoint someone else to act as mayor while he remains prime minister.
Macron, who could emerge from the municipal elections without winning a single contest in a big city, congratulated his premier for a "beautiful victory". His Elysee Palace office said the two men would meet on Monday.
"We will celebrate this victory," Philippe told supporters.
« Les résultats sont nets ! Sincères remerciements aux Havraises et aux Havrais qui nous ont chargés de poursuivre la transformation engagée avec Antoine Rufenacht ! » - Edouard Philippe pic.twitter.com/tGm2hpdwlq — Edouard Philippe 2020 (@ephilippe2020) June 28, 2020
People voted in low numbers and wearing face masks in the second round of the municipal elections, which had been delayed for months by the coronavirus crisis lockdown.
An early exit poll showed Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) winning in Perpignan, which if confirmed would be the first time the party takes control of a town with a population of more than 100,000 people.
A year ago Macron had hoped the local elections would help anchor his young centrist party in towns and cities across France, including Paris, ahead of an anticipated 2022 re-election bid. But more recently, presidential aides have been playing down expectations.
France's 35,000 mayors set policy on issues from urban planning to education and the environment. While local factors typically drive voter choices, they give the electorate an opportunity to support or punish a president mid-mandate.
"We have a government that is completely disconnected from reality," said Naouel, a voter in Paris' 9th district who said she was backing the centre-right opposition candidate.
Turnout was just 40.5%, interior ministry data showed.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-28--Election exit poll shows victory for incumbent Polish President Duda

Polish President and presidential candidate of the Law and Justice ( PiS ) party Andrzej Duda gestures as he speaks after the announcement of the first exit poll results on the first round of presidential elections in Warsaw , Poland , June 28 , 2020 .
Incumbent Andrzej Duda won the most votes in the first round of the Polish presidential election on Sunday , an exit poll showed , setting the stage for a tight run-off vote that may shape Poland 's relations with the European Union for years to come .
The re-election of government ally Duda , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rafal Trzaskowski in a run-off , is crucial if ruling nationalists Law and Justice ( PiS ) are to implement their conservative agenda , including reforms the EU says undermine the independence of the judiciary .
The president has the right to veto laws and Trzaskowski , the candidate of the largest opposition party , the centrist Civic Platform ( PO ) , has vowed to stop reforms which he says erode democracy .
`` I want to thank everyone for voting , '' Duda told supporters after the exit poll was released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ round are expected later in the week .
Duda got 41.8 % of the votes , the exit poll showed , while Trzaskowski came second with 30.4 % .
With none of the 11 candidates scoring more than 50 % in the first round , the run-off between the two frontrunners will take place on July 12 .
Duda had long been seen as the clear favourite to win the election , but some recent polls have shown Trzaskowski winning in the second round .

Poland's nationalist incumbent Andrzej Duda won the first round of a presidential election on Sunday but will have to face the centrist mayor of Warsaw in a run-off on July 12, in a race that could transform the nation's ties with the European Union.
Polish President and presidential candidate of the Law and Justice (PiS) party Andrzej Duda gestures as he speaks after the announcement of the first exit poll results on the first round of presidential elections in Warsaw, Poland, on June 28, 2020.
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Poland's nationalist incumbent Andrzej Duda won the first round of a presidential election on Sunday but will have to face the centrist mayor of Warsaw in a run-off on July 12, in a race that could transform the nation's ties with the European Union.
The re-election of government ally Duda is crucial if the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party is to implement further its socially conservative agenda, including judiciary reforms the EU says contravene democratic standards.
An exit poll showed Duda winning 41.8% of ballots on Sunday, against 30.4% for Rafal Trzaskowski from the Civic Platform party. Final results could differ slightly but any changes are not expected to affect who will compete in the second round.
Two opinion polls conducted late on Sunday for private broadcaster TVN and the state-run TVP showed Duda having a lead of less than 2 percentage points over Trzaskowski in two weeks.
PiS has cast Duda as the guardian of its generous welfare programmes, which have helped it win national elections in 2015 and 2019, and of its pledge to protect traditional family values in predominantly Catholic Poland.
A devout believer himself, Duda had campaigned on a promise to ban classes about gay rights in schools, saying LGBT "ideology" was worse than communist doctrine.
"The campaign goes on because Poland needs it," Duda told jubilant supporters in the central town of Lowicz. "Some people have a complex and think we are not Europeans. We are, and have been... since we converted to Christianity."
But his long-held lead crumbled in the weeks ahead of the election, after a late entry by Trzaskowski who appears to have galvanised many voters keen to end Poland's isolation within the EU or angry over Duda's allegiance to PiS.
Fragile majority
The Civic Platform, a party once led by former EU Council president Donald Tusk, replaced its flagging candidate with Trzaskowski after the election was postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic by seven weeks.
A former EU emissary for his party, Trzaskowski has promised to work towards repairing relations with Poland's European allies, and to oppose any government efforts to tighten already restrictive abortion rules.
The election is being closed watched in Brussels.
Under PiS, Poland became the only EU state to refuse to commit to the bloc's 2050 climate goal in December 2019, which critics said could undermine its ambition to take on the leading role in the global fight with climate change.
If he wins the election in July, Trzaskowski will have limited scope to direct policy, but will be able to veto legislation proposed by the government.
This could give him a chance to block efforts by the government of prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki to deepen court reforms, which the EU has said politicise the judiciary, or refuse appointments of new judges.
"We will soon decide whether we will have a strong president who will hold the government to account or a president who doesn't respect his own signature," Trzaskowski said during an election-night rally in Warsaw.
Observers say a win by Trzaskowski could undermine the fragile majority PiS has in parliament, and force Morawiecki to govern as a minority cabinet, or even face an early national election.
"The second round is expected to be closer than it has been in a long time," said Agnieszka Kwiatkowska, a sociologist at the SWPS university.
"Duda will have the support of the entire government, with its ability to make election promises and offer financial incentives to voters ... The question is will he be able to use it."
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-28--Dozens arrested as Hong Kongers protest against proposed national security law

Police stop and search people during a protest in Hong Kong against China 's planned national security law on June 28 , 2020 .
Hong Kong police arrested at least 53 people on Sunday after scuffles erupted during a relatively peaceful protest against planned national security legislation to be implemented by the mainland Chinese government .
Armed riot police were present as a crowd of several hundred moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district , staging what was intended as a `` silent protest '' against the planned law .
However , chanting and slogans were shouted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Mong Kok , prompting police to use pepper spray to subdue parts of the crowd .
Hong Kong police said on Facebook that 53 people had been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly , adding that earlier some protesters tried to blockade roads in the area .
The proposed national security law has raised concerns among Hong Kong democracy activists and some foreign governments that Beijing is further eroding the extensive autonomy promised when Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997 .
`` The governments wants to shut us up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one protester , Roy Chan , 44 , said .
`` We must stand up and strike down all those people who deprive Hong Kong people ’ s freedom . ''
China has said the law will target only a small group of troublemakers as it tackles separatism , subversion , terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong .
China 's National People 's Congress Standing Committee reviewed a draft of the bill on Sunday , according to state media Xinhua .
Sunday 's event came a day after Hong Kong police refused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on July 1 to mark the 1997 handover , citing a ban on large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic .

Hong Kong police arrested at least 53 people on Sunday after scuffles erupted during a relatively peaceful protest against planned national security legislation to be implemented by the mainland Chinese government.
Police stop and search people during a protest in Hong Kong against China's planned national security law on June 28, 2020.
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Armed riot police were present as a crowd of several hundred moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, staging what was intended as a "silent protest" against the planned law.
However, chanting and slogans were shouted towards police and later scuffles broke out in Mong Kok, prompting police to use pepper spray to subdue parts of the crowd.
Hong Kong police said on Facebook that 53 people had been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, adding that earlier some protesters tried to blockade roads in the area.
The proposed national security law has raised concerns among Hong Kong democracy activists and some foreign governments that Beijing is further eroding the extensive autonomy promised when Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997.
"The governments wants to shut us up and to kick us out," one protester, Roy Chan, 44, said. "We must stand up and strike down all those people who deprive Hong Kong people’s freedom."
China has said the law will target only a small group of troublemakers as it tackles separatism, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong.
China's National People's Congress Standing Committee reviewed a draft of the bill on Sunday, according to state media Xinhua.
Sunday's event came a day after Hong Kong police refused permission for an annual march usually held on July 1 to mark the 1997 handover, citing a ban on large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-28--UK city of Leicester could be the first to face local lockdown after virus surge

A police car is pictured parked in an almost empty square in Leicester , central England , on April 25 , 2020 , during lockdown .
The central English city of Leicester could be the country 's first to face a local lockdown due to a rise in coronavirus cases , the UK 's Home Secretary Priti Patel said Sunday .
The Midlands city recorded 658 new cases in the two weeks up to June 16 , many linked to fresh outbreaks at food production plants .
Patel told the BBC that there have been `` flare-ups across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last three or four weeks in particular '' .
`` For local outbreaks , it is appropriate to have local solutions in terms of infection control , social distancing , screening and many tools , '' she added .
`` There will be support going into Leicester . ''
Reports in the Sunday Times newspaper said the government was set to reimpose strict lockdown rules on Leicester `` within the next few days '' .
Leicester 's population stands at around 340,000 people , according to official figures .
The news comes at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a country badly affected by the pandemic .
Boris Johnson 's government is set to ease lockdown restrictions from July 4 -- despite fears of a second wave of infections -- by opening pubs , restaurants and hairdressers among others across England .
In the last few days , Britain has seen tens of thousands of people ignore social distancing rules to flood the beaches and hold street parties .
Liverpool fans also crowded that city after their football club won the Premier League .
Leading medical experts warned earlier this month of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second coronavirus wave this winter .
`` I think nothing would be more damaging for our country , for our economy if we do have a second wave , '' Patel said .
More than 43,500 people have died due to the coronavirus in Britain , official figures show .

The central English city of Leicester could be the country's first to face a local lockdown due to a rise in coronavirus cases, the UK's Home Secretary Priti Patel said Sunday.
A police car is pictured parked in an almost empty square in Leicester, central England, on April 25, 2020, during lockdown.
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The Midlands city recorded 658 new cases in the two weeks up to June 16, many linked to fresh outbreaks at food production plants.
Patel told the BBC that there have been "flare-ups across the country in recent weeks, in just the last three or four weeks in particular".
"For local outbreaks, it is appropriate to have local solutions in terms of infection control, social distancing, screening and many tools," she added.
"There will be support going into Leicester."
Reports in the Sunday Times newspaper said the government was set to reimpose strict lockdown rules on Leicester "within the next few days".
Leicester's population stands at around 340,000 people, according to official figures.
Lockdown restrictions set to ease
The news comes at a worrying time for the UK, a country badly affected by the pandemic.
Boris Johnson's government is set to ease lockdown restrictions from July 4 -- despite fears of a second wave of infections -- by opening pubs, restaurants and hairdressers among others across England.
In the last few days, Britain has seen tens of thousands of people ignore social distancing rules to flood the beaches and hold street parties. Liverpool fans also crowded that city after their football club won the Premier League.
Leading medical experts warned earlier this month of the "real risk" of a second coronavirus wave this winter.
"I think nothing would be more damaging for our country, for our economy if we do have a second wave," Patel said.
More than 43,500 people have died due to the coronavirus in Britain, official figures show.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-06-28--Iceland’s president re-elected with 92 percent of the vote

Incumbent Gudni Johannesson gives an interview after casting his vote in Iceland 's presidential election in Gardabaer , Iceland on June 27 , 2020 .
Iceland 's President Gudni Johannesson has been re-elected with a whopping 92 percent of the vote , according to final results released on Sunday .
The former history professor won his second four-year term in the largely symbolic position in Saturday 's vote , the second election held by a European country after coronavirus lockdowns were lifted .
Since suffering spectacular bank failures in 2008 , the volcanic North Atlantic island of 365,000 inhabitants has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which worked in the 52-year-old independent 's favour .
The final results showed he took 92.2 percent of the 168,821 votes cast , crushing rightwing challenger Gudmundur Franklin Jonsson .
`` I am honoured and proud , '' the president told AFP in Reykjavik on election night .
`` This result of this election is , to me , proof of the fact that my fellow Icelanders ... have approved of how I have approached this office . ''
The dominant win had been predicted by opinion polls , which had shown the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Voter Hjalmtyr Heiddal told AFP on Sunday that he `` very happy '' with the winning margin because `` it means that 92 percent of Icelanders want this type of president who does not take sides and is simply neutral . ''
It is the second-highest margin of victory in the history of Iceland 's presidential elections .
Vigdis Finnbogadottir , the first woman in the world to be democratically elected as head of state , holds the record , winning re-election in 1988 with 94.6 percent of the vote .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely symbolic , but he or she does have the power to veto legislation or submit it to a referendum .
There are no term limits -- Johannesson 's predecessor Olafur Ragnar Grimsson served for five terms .
However Johannesson has said he would limit himself to two or three terms at the most .
Turnout for Saturday 's vote was 66.9 percent , dropping from 75.7 percent during Johannesson 's first election victory in 2016 , when he became the country 's youngest president since independence in 1944 .
The coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as the country has been only mildly infected .
It has reported 10 deaths , and currently has around 11 active cases .
Challenger Jonsson is a former Wall Street broker close to Icelandic nationalists and a vocal fan of US President Donald Trump .
He campaigned on wanting Iceland 's president to play a more active role by exercising the right to veto legislation campaigns , but struggled to gain traction with voters .
`` I send my congratulations to Gudni and his family , '' Jonsson told public broadcaster RUV @

Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson has been re-elected with a whopping 92 percent of the vote, according to final results released on Sunday.
Incumbent Gudni Johannesson gives an interview after casting his vote in Iceland's presidential election in Gardabaer, Iceland on June 27, 2020.
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The former history professor won his second four-year term in the largely symbolic position in Saturday's vote, the second election held by a European country after coronavirus lockdowns were lifted.
Since suffering spectacular bank failures in 2008, the volcanic North Atlantic island of 365,000 inhabitants has recovered some economic and political stability, which worked in the 52-year-old independent's favour.
The final results showed he took 92.2 percent of the 168,821 votes cast, crushing rightwing challenger Gudmundur Franklin Jonsson.
"I am honoured and proud," the president told AFP in Reykjavik on election night.
"This result of this election is, to me, proof of the fact that my fellow Icelanders... have approved of how I have approached this office."
The dominant win had been predicted by opinion polls, which had shown the president winning between 90 to 94 percent.
Voter Hjalmtyr Heiddal told AFP on Sunday that he "very happy" with the winning margin because "it means that 92 percent of Icelanders want this type of president who does not take sides and is simply neutral."
It is the second-highest margin of victory in the history of Iceland's presidential elections.
Vigdis Finnbogadottir, the first woman in the world to be democratically elected as head of state, holds the record, winning re-election in 1988 with 94.6 percent of the vote.
Largely symbolic role
In this parliamentary republic, the president is largely symbolic, but he or she does have the power to veto legislation or submit it to a referendum.
There are no term limits -- Johannesson's predecessor Olafur Ragnar Grimsson served for five terms.
However Johannesson has said he would limit himself to two or three terms at the most.
Turnout for Saturday's vote was 66.9 percent, dropping from 75.7 percent during Johannesson's first election victory in 2016, when he became the country's youngest president since independence in 1944.
The coronavirus pandemic had not been expected to affect voting, as the country has been only mildly infected. It has reported 10 deaths, and currently has around 11 active cases.
Challenger Jonsson is a former Wall Street broker close to Icelandic nationalists and a vocal fan of US President Donald Trump.
He campaigned on wanting Iceland's president to play a more active role by exercising the right to veto legislation campaigns, but struggled to gain traction with voters.
"I send my congratulations to Gudni and his family," Jonsson told public broadcaster RUV.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-06-29--After green wave in local elections, is France’s left back on track?

From left : French ecologist party Europe Ecologie Les Verts ( EELV ) national secretary Julien Bayou , mayoral candidate of left-wing alliance 'Printemps Marseillais ' Michele Rubirola , first secretary of the French Socialist Party ( PS ) Olivier Faure and PS 's Benoit Payan , walk in Le Panier district of Marseille , southern France , on June 22 , 2020 .
Nationwide local elections on Sunday in France saw a green wave wash through Marseille , Lyon , Strasbourg and Bordeaux , while Socialist incumbents scored re-election in Paris , Nantes , Lille and Rennes .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the national stage after a long spell in French political purgatory .
Suddenly , leftists in France are allowed to dream again .
After winning the day in most major French cities on Sunday in run-off elections long-delayed by the coronavirus outbreak , leftists could let themselves forget , at least for one election night , their historic losses in 2017 .
That spring , centrist newcomer Emmanuel Macron – who had served as an Élysée Palace advisor to Socialist incumbent François Hollande and then as his economy minister – completed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Socialist candidate , Benoît Hamon , allied with the green Europe Écologie-Les Verts ( EELV ) party , crashed out of the presidential election 's first round on an anonymous 6.36 percent of the vote in a thundering defeat for the leftist mainstream .
The Socialist Party lost a monumental 250 seats in the legislative polls that followed , while EELV were swept out of the lower-house National Assembly altogether .
But the greens had little to envy of rivals on Sunday night .
While EELV had run only one major city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last local elections in 2014 , the party chalked up one City Hall after another in this election : Lyon , Strasbourg , Bordeaux ( a conservative bastion for 73 years ) , Tours , Annecy , Besançon , Poitiers and , pending a vote by freshly elected city councillors on Friday , perhaps even Marseille .
Never had France 's greens known such success at the municipal ballot box .
A year after their strong showing in 2019 's European Parliament elections – on a night that saw a green wave sweep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' newfound status at the heart of the left-wing is now well-established .
The EELV candidates ' glittering performances are all the more spectacular knowing they were , for the most part , not household names and that they won , most often , against alliances formed between the conservative Les Républicains and Macron 's centrist La République en Marche party .
Few , even among EELV brass , would have wagered on Pierre Hurmic winning Bordeaux against one such alliance and toppling an incumbent long-allied with conservative former prime minister Alain Juppé @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
In Strasbourg , too , the greens could legitimately fear that the centrist-conservative alliance might get the better of the first-round lead they had built way back in March , especially after not managing to seal an alliance with the Socialists locally .
But EELV 's Jeanne Barseghian crushed the competition , winning the eastern French city for the greens by eight points .
`` What won was a desire for concrete ecology , in action , that proposes solutions for commuting , housing , food , how to rebuild local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who led the EELV list in last year 's EU elections , told TF1 on Sunday .
But beyond the so-called green wave on Sunday night , a closer look at the ecology candidates ' wins shows that they were made possible by alliances forged with the Socialist Party , the far-left La France Insoumise , the French Communist Party and ex-Socialist Hamon 's Génération.s party .
Alone , EELV was vulnerable to defeat , as in Lille where green candidate Stéphane Baly missed out by a handful of votes on winning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aubry .
`` Between now and 2022 , for the mid-terms in between , let 's continue to cultivate what we have in common , more than dogmatic differences , '' said EELV party chief Julien Bayou .
The greens leader likely had in mind the case of EELV candidate Michèle Rubirola in Marseille .
She was initially suspended from the party for having refused its logic to go it alone , before eliciting support after topping the first-round vote in March on the strength of left-wing alliances .
The Socialist Party , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Anne Hidalgo won re-election in Paris , while Socialist incumbents also prevailed in cities such as Nantes , Rennes , Dijon and Le Mans , and the party won City Hall away from an ex-Socialist in Montpellier .
Sunday nights ' results also vindicate Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure who , since taking the helm in 2018 , has championed left-wingers joining forces .
With two years to go before the next presidential election , Faure clearly hopes these local elections mark a turning point for leftist political fortunes .
`` Enormous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Faure declared .
`` All of the left and the ecologists are scoring formidable victories .
That is what is happening .
We have something emerging in this country , a social-ecological bloc , that we must now consolidate . ''
Leaders of the various left-wing political forces in the country made similar remarks on Sunday night , each making the most of a share of the spotlight .
`` A democratic breath of fresh air for climate and social justice issues is possible with the ecologists and the left , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Let 's be equal to the task , let 's prepare together to rally for change in 2022 , '' he tweeted .
`` This is a turning point for more social justice and more ecology , '' said Communist Party chief Fabien Roussel , even as the party lost Saint-Denis , a traditional Communist bastion north of Paris , to a Socialist .
`` Despite record abstention , the signal sent to the president and his government is clear : The French do not want his policies , neither in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Socialist Party spokesman Pierre Jouvet called it `` the first big victory for the left in eight years '' , since Hollande won the presidency in 2012 .
`` The issue is n't whether the greens or the Socialists won .
We showed that when we join together , we are able to elicit hope .
This must be the first stage of the reconstruction of a left wing able to win in 2022 , '' Jouvet added .
The left would be wise , however , not to base a potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A recent Ifop-Fiducial poll testing support ahead of the 2022 presidential election saw EELV 's Jadot scoring only eight percent in the first round .
And as Émeric Bréhier , who heads the Observatory of Political Life at the Jean-Jaurès Foundation , told AFP , the greens ' performance is `` a lot less good outside or in areas surrounding big cities '' .
This article has been adapted from the original in French .

Nationwide local elections on Sunday in France saw a green wave wash through Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux, while Socialist incumbents scored re-election in Paris, Nantes, Lille and Rennes. The results breathe new hope into the left on the national stage after a long spell in French political purgatory.
From left: French ecologist party Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV) national secretary Julien Bayou, mayoral candidate of left-wing alliance 'Printemps Marseillais' Michele Rubirola, first secretary of the French Socialist Party (PS) Olivier Faure and PS's Benoit Payan, walk in Le Panier district of Marseille, southern France, on June 22, 2020.
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Suddenly, leftists in France are allowed to dream again. After winning the day in most major French cities on Sunday in run-off elections long-delayed by the coronavirus outbreak, leftists could let themselves forget, at least for one election night, their historic losses in 2017.
That spring, centrist newcomer Emmanuel Macron – who had served as an Élysée Palace advisor to Socialist incumbent François Hollande and then as his economy minister – completed his meteoric rise to the presidency. But the Socialist candidate, Benoît Hamon, allied with the green Europe Écologie-Les Verts (EELV) party, crashed out of the presidential election's first round on an anonymous 6.36 percent of the vote in a thundering defeat for the leftist mainstream. The Socialist Party lost a monumental 250 seats in the legislative polls that followed, while EELV were swept out of the lower-house National Assembly altogether.
But the greens had little to envy of rivals on Sunday night. While EELV had run only one major city in France, Grenoble, after the last local elections in 2014, the party chalked up one City Hall after another in this election: Lyon, Strasbourg, Bordeaux (a conservative bastion for 73 years), Tours, Annecy, Besançon, Poitiers and, pending a vote by freshly elected city councillors on Friday, perhaps even Marseille.
🟢 #France's green party, the EELV, is having a successful election, which includes victories in some of the country's biggest cities such as #Lyon and #Bordeaux #Municipales2020 pic.twitter.com/H4Tie51t4f — FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) June 28, 2020
Never had France's greens known such success at the municipal ballot box. A year after their strong showing in 2019's European Parliament elections – on a night that saw a green wave sweep across the European Union – the ecologists' newfound status at the heart of the left-wing is now well-established.
The EELV candidates' glittering performances are all the more spectacular knowing they were, for the most part, not household names and that they won, most often, against alliances formed between the conservative Les Républicains and Macron's centrist La République en Marche party.
Few, even among EELV brass, would have wagered on Pierre Hurmic winning Bordeaux against one such alliance and toppling an incumbent long-allied with conservative former prime minister Alain Juppé, who ran the city for 22 years.
In Strasbourg, too, the greens could legitimately fear that the centrist-conservative alliance might get the better of the first-round lead they had built way back in March, especially after not managing to seal an alliance with the Socialists locally. But EELV's Jeanne Barseghian crushed the competition, winning the eastern French city for the greens by eight points.
"What won was a desire for concrete ecology, in action, that proposes solutions for commuting, housing, food, how to rebuild local economies," green MEP Yannick Jadot, who led the EELV list in last year's EU elections, told TF1 on Sunday.
Commonalities over differences
But beyond the so-called green wave on Sunday night, a closer look at the ecology candidates' wins shows that they were made possible by alliances forged with the Socialist Party, the far-left La France Insoumise, the French Communist Party and ex-Socialist Hamon's Génération.s party.
Alone, EELV was vulnerable to defeat, as in Lille where green candidate Stéphane Baly missed out by a handful of votes on winning City Hall away from Socialist heavyweight Martine Aubry.
"Between now and 2022, for the mid-terms in between, let's continue to cultivate what we have in common, more than dogmatic differences," said EELV party chief Julien Bayou. The greens leader likely had in mind the case of EELV candidate Michèle Rubirola in Marseille. She was initially suspended from the party for having refused its logic to go it alone, before eliciting support after topping the first-round vote in March on the strength of left-wing alliances.
The Socialist Party, too, had a very good night. Anne Hidalgo won re-election in Paris, while Socialist incumbents also prevailed in cities such as Nantes, Rennes, Dijon and Le Mans, and the party won City Hall away from an ex-Socialist in Montpellier.
"You've chosen hope, you've chosen rally, you've chosen a breathing Paris, a united city where no one is left behind," said Anne Hidalgo after being re-elected mayor of Paris pic.twitter.com/GzL7h6Tsd6 — FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) June 28, 2020
Sunday nights' results also vindicate Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure who, since taking the helm in 2018, has championed left-wingers joining forces. With two years to go before the next presidential election, Faure clearly hopes these local elections mark a turning point for leftist political fortunes.
"Enormous momentum is building all over France," Faure declared. "All of the left and the ecologists are scoring formidable victories. That is what is happening. We have something emerging in this country, a social-ecological bloc, that we must now consolidate."
Greens less successful outside urban areas
Leaders of the various left-wing political forces in the country made similar remarks on Sunday night, each making the most of a share of the spotlight.
"A democratic breath of fresh air for climate and social justice issues is possible with the ecologists and the left," Génération.s spokesman Benjamin Lucas said on Twitter. "Let's be equal to the task, let's prepare together to rally for change in 2022," he tweeted.
"This is a turning point for more social justice and more ecology," said Communist Party chief Fabien Roussel, even as the party lost Saint-Denis, a traditional Communist bastion north of Paris, to a Socialist. "Despite record abstention, the signal sent to the president and his government is clear: The French do not want his policies, neither in their cities nor in the country."
Socialist Party spokesman Pierre Jouvet called it "the first big victory for the left in eight years", since Hollande won the presidency in 2012. "The issue isn't whether the greens or the Socialists won. We showed that when we join together, we are able to elicit hope. This must be the first stage of the reconstruction of a left wing able to win in 2022," Jouvet added.
The left would be wise, however, not to base a potential national political dynamic on local election results. A recent Ifop-Fiducial poll testing support ahead of the 2022 presidential election saw EELV's Jadot scoring only eight percent in the first round. And as Émeric Bréhier, who heads the Observatory of Political Life at the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, told AFP, the greens' performance is "a lot less good outside or in areas surrounding big cities".
This article has been adapted from the original in French.
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france24--2020-06-29--Macron pledges €15 billion to make France’s economy greener

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a meeting with members of the Citizens ' Convention on Climate ( @ @ @ @ @ proposals at the Elysée Palace in Paris , on June 29 , 2020 .
France @ @ @ @ @ billion euros ( $ 16.9 billion ) over two years to make its economy greener @ @ @ @ @ said on Monday .
Macron was responding to proposals put forward by a Citizens ’ @ @ @ @ @ to help set a new course on France ’ s ecological agenda .
The president @ @ @ @ @ after his centrist party received a drubbing in Sunday ’ s municipal elections , with @ @ @ @ @ big cities including Lyon , Bordeaux and Strasbourg .
However , Macron said he disagreed @ @ @ @ @ proposal for a 4 % tax on dividends to help fund new environmental policies , @ @ @ @ @ .

French President Emmanuel Macron promised 15 billion euros of new funding on Monday to speed up the move to a greener economy, a day after the Greens trounced his party and took control of major cities in local elections.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a meeting with members of the Citizens' Convention on Climate (CCC) to discuss environment proposals at the Elysée Palace in Paris, on June 29, 2020.
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Macron said he would move faster on environment-friendly policymaking and that he was ready to call a referendum on revising the constitution to include climate aims if parliament allowed it.
He was responding to propositions put forward by a Citizens’ Climate Council as the Greens’ sweeping wins in towns and cities put him under pressure to act on the environment.
“The challenge to our climate demands we do more,” Macron told members of the Climate Council in a meeting at the Elysée Palace.
He also backed a proposal for a moratorium on new commercial zones in city outskirts, and said he would consider bringing in a new law against “ecocide”.
The Climate Council defined ecocide as any action causing serious environmental damage and proposed the crime be punishable by jail and a fine of up to 10 million euros ($11.27 million).
However, Macron told the council he disagreed with its proposal for a 4% tax on dividends to help finance new greener policies, saying such a levy would discourage investments.
France’s Green party - officially known as Europe Ecology - The Greens (EELV) - stunned Macron and France in Sunday’s vote when it won control of large cities including Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg, often in alliance with leftist allies.
It is a junior partner in the winning Socialist-led alliance in Paris and may still emerge victorious in Marseille.
Macron’s ruling party emerged from the vote without a single victory in a big city, an outcome that leaves the president without a local power-base as he eyes a re-election bid in 2022.
Macron set up the Citizens’ Climate Council in the wake of ‘yellow vest’ protests, which erupted over a hike in diesel taxes but morphed into a wider rebellion against the president and his pro-business reform agenda.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-29--China forces birth control on Uighurs to curb Muslim population growth

This photo taken on May 31 , 2019 , shows Uighur children waiting with their parents outside a restaurant in Hotan in China 's northwest Xinjiang region .
The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population , even as it encourages some of the country ’ s Han majority to have more children .
While individual women have spoken out before about forced birth control , the practice is far more widespread and systematic than previously known , according to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state documents and interviews with 30 ex-detainees , family members and a former detention camp instructor .
The campaign over the past four years in the far west region of Xinjiang is leading to what some experts are calling a form of “ demographic genocide.
” The state regularly subjects minority women to pregnancy checks , and forces intrauterine devices , sterilization and even abortion on hundreds of thousands , the interviews and data show .
Even while the use of IUDs and sterilization has fallen nationwide , it is rising sharply in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backed by mass detention both as a threat and as a punishment for failure to comply .
Having too many children is a major reason people are sent to detention camps , the AP found , with the parents of three or more ripped away from their families unless they can pay huge fines .
'They want to destroy us as a people' After Gulnar Omirzakh , a Chinese-born Kazakh , had her third child , the government ordered her to get an IUD inserted .
Two years later , in January 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knocking at her door anyway .
They gave Omirzakh , the penniless wife of a detained vegetable trader , three days to pay a $ 2,685 fine for having more than two children .
If she didn ’ t , they warned , she would join her husband and a million other ethnic minorities locked up in internment camps — often for having too many children .
“ To prevent people from having children is wrong , ” said Omirzakh , who went deep in debt to scrape together the money and later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to destroy us as a people.
” Birth rates in the mostly Uighur regions of Hotan and Kashgar plunged by more than 60 % from 2015 to 2018 , the latest year available in government statistics .
The hundreds of millions of dollars the government pours into birth control have transformed Xinjiang from one of China ’ s fastest-growing regions into one of its slowest in just a few years , according to new research obtained by The Associated Press in advance of publication by China scholar Adrian Zenz .
“ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subjugate the Uighurs , ” said Zenz , an independent contractor with the nonprofit Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington , D.C .
The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Xinjiang government did not respond to multiple requests for comment .
However , Beijing has said in the past that the new measures are merely meant to be fair , allowing both Han Chinese and ethnic minorities the same number of children .
Under China ’ s now-abandoned ‘ one child ’ policy , the authorities had long encouraged , sometimes forced , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese .
But minorities were allowed two children — three if they came from the countryside .
That changed under President Xi Jinping , China ’ s most authoritarian leader in decades .
Soon after he came to power , the government revised birth regulations so Xinjiang ’ s Han Chinese could have two or three children , just like minorities .
While equal on paper , in practice Han Chinese are largely spared the abortions , sterilizations , IUD insertions and detentions for having too many children that are forced on Xinjiang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data show .
Some rural Muslims , like Omirzakh , were punished even for having the three children allowed by the law .
Fifteen Uighurs and Kazakhs told the AP they knew people interned or jailed for having too many children .
Many received years , even decades in prison .
Once in the detention camps , women are subjected to forced IUDs and what appear to be pregnancy prevention shots , interviews and data show .
One former detainee , Tursunay Ziyawudun , said she was injected until she stopped having her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stomach during interrogations .
She now can ’ t have children and often doubles over in pain , bleeding from her womb , she said .
Ziyawudun said women at her camp were made to undergo gynecology exams and get IUDs , and their “ teacher ” told them they would face abortions if found pregnant .
In 2014 , just over 200,000 IUDs were inserted in Xinjiang .
By 2018 , that jumped more than 60 percent to nearly 330,000 IUDs .
At the same time , IUD use fell sharply elsewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the devices removed .
Budget documents obtained by Zenz show that starting in 2016 , the Xinjiang government began pumping tens of millions of dollars into a birth control surgery program .
Even while sterilization rates plummeted in the rest of the country , they surged seven-fold in Xinjiang from 2016 to 2018 , to more than 60,000 procedures .
Zumret Dawut , a Uighur mother of three , said after her release from a camp in 2018 , authorities forced her to get sterilized .
If she didn ’ t , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent back to the camp .
“ I was so angry , ” she said .
“ I wanted another son.
” The birth control campaign is fueled by government worries that high birth rates among Muslims leads to poverty and extremism in Xinjiang , an arid , landlocked region that has struggled in recent years with knifings and bombings blamed on Islamic terrorists .
Though the program adopts tactics from China ’ s ‘ one child ’ policy , the campaign unfolding in Xinjiang differs in that it is ethnically targeted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fully eliminate the Uighur population , but it will sharply diminish their vitality , making them easier to assimilate , ” said Darren Byler , an expert on Uighurs at the University of Colorado .
Some experts take it a step further .
“ It ’ s genocide , full stop , ” said Uighur expert Joanne Smith Finley , who works at Newcastle University in the U.K. “ It ’ s not immediate , shocking , mass-killing on the spot type genocide , but it ’ s slow , painful , creeping @ @ @

The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have more children.
This photo taken on May 31, 2019, shows Uighur children waiting with their parents outside a restaurant in Hotan in China's northwest Xinjiang region.
Advertising Read more
While individual women have spoken out before about forced birth control, the practice is far more widespread and systematic than previously known, according to an AP investigation based on government statistics, state documents and interviews with 30 ex-detainees, family members and a former detention camp instructor.
The campaign over the past four years in the far west region of Xinjiang is leading to what some experts are calling a form of “demographic genocide.”
The state regularly subjects minority women to pregnancy checks, and forces intrauterine devices, sterilization and even abortion on hundreds of thousands, the interviews and data show. Even while the use of IUDs and sterilization has fallen nationwide, it is rising sharply in Xinjiang.
05:10
The population control measures are backed by mass detention both as a threat and as a punishment for failure to comply. Having too many children is a major reason people are sent to detention camps, the AP found, with the parents of three or more ripped away from their families unless they can pay huge fines.
'They want to destroy us as a people'
After Gulnar Omirzakh, a Chinese-born Kazakh, had her third child, the government ordered her to get an IUD inserted. Two years later, in January 2018, four officials in military camouflage came knocking at her door anyway. They gave Omirzakh, the penniless wife of a detained vegetable trader, three days to pay a $2,685 fine for having more than two children.
If she didn’t, they warned, she would join her husband and a million other ethnic minorities locked up in internment camps — often for having too many children.
“To prevent people from having children is wrong,” said Omirzakh, who went deep in debt to scrape together the money and later fled to Kazakhstan. “They want to destroy us as a people.”
Birth rates in the mostly Uighur regions of Hotan and Kashgar plunged by more than 60% from 2015 to 2018, the latest year available in government statistics. The hundreds of millions of dollars the government pours into birth control have transformed Xinjiang from one of China’s fastest-growing regions into one of its slowest in just a few years, according to new research obtained by The Associated Press in advance of publication by China scholar Adrian Zenz.
“This is part of a wider control campaign to subjugate the Uighurs,” said Zenz, an independent contractor with the nonprofit Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Xinjiang government did not respond to multiple requests for comment. However, Beijing has said in the past that the new measures are merely meant to be fair, allowing both Han Chinese and ethnic minorities the same number of children.
Under China’s now-abandoned ‘one child’ policy, the authorities had long encouraged, sometimes forced, contraceptives, sterilizations and abortions on Han Chinese. But minorities were allowed two children — three if they came from the countryside.
That changed under President Xi Jinping, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades. Soon after he came to power, the government revised birth regulations so Xinjiang’s Han Chinese could have two or three children, just like minorities.
While equal on paper, in practice Han Chinese are largely spared the abortions, sterilizations, IUD insertions and detentions for having too many children that are forced on Xinjiang’s other ethnicities, interviews and data show. Some rural Muslims, like Omirzakh, were punished even for having the three children allowed by the law.
Fifteen Uighurs and Kazakhs told the AP they knew people interned or jailed for having too many children. Many received years, even decades in prison.
Once in the detention camps, women are subjected to forced IUDs and what appear to be pregnancy prevention shots, interviews and data show.
One former detainee, Tursunay Ziyawudun, said she was injected until she stopped having her period and kicked repeatedly in the lower stomach during interrogations. She now can’t have children and often doubles over in pain, bleeding from her womb, she said. Ziyawudun said women at her camp were made to undergo gynecology exams and get IUDs, and their “teacher” told them they would face abortions if found pregnant.
Sterilization boom in Xinjiang
In 2014, just over 200,000 IUDs were inserted in Xinjiang. By 2018, that jumped more than 60 percent to nearly 330,000 IUDs. At the same time, IUD use fell sharply elsewhere in China, as many women began getting the devices removed.
Chinese health statistics also show a sterilization boom in Xinjiang.
Budget documents obtained by Zenz show that starting in 2016, the Xinjiang government began pumping tens of millions of dollars into a birth control surgery program. Even while sterilization rates plummeted in the rest of the country, they surged seven-fold in Xinjiang from 2016 to 2018, to more than 60,000 procedures.
Zumret Dawut, a Uighur mother of three, said after her release from a camp in 2018, authorities forced her to get sterilized. If she didn’t, they told her she’d be sent back to the camp.
“I was so angry,” she said. “I wanted another son.”
The birth control campaign is fueled by government worries that high birth rates among Muslims leads to poverty and extremism in Xinjiang, an arid, landlocked region that has struggled in recent years with knifings and bombings blamed on Islamic terrorists. Though the program adopts tactics from China’s ‘one child’ policy, the campaign unfolding in Xinjiang differs in that it is ethnically targeted.
“The intention may not be to fully eliminate the Uighur population, but it will sharply diminish their vitality, making them easier to assimilate,” said Darren Byler, an expert on Uighurs at the University of Colorado.
Some experts take it a step further.
“It’s genocide, full stop,” said Uighur expert Joanne Smith Finley, who works at Newcastle University in the U.K. “It’s not immediate, shocking, mass-killing on the spot type genocide, but it’s slow, painful, creeping genocide.”
(AP)
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france24--2020-06-29--Anne Hidalgo, the socialist mayor of Paris who waged war against cars

A victorious Anne Hidalgo after being elected to another term as Paris mayor on June 28 , 2020 .
Anne Hidalgo , re-elected Paris mayor on Sunday , is a Spanish-born socialist who has waged a divisive but ambitious campaign to push cars out of the centre of the French capital .
Hidalgo , 61 , became in 2014 the first-ever woman to head the French capital ’ s city hall that had once been the political springboard for late president Jacques Chirac .
She doggedly rose through the ranks despite having been told as a girl that her Spanish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Retaining the Paris mayor position is a boost for the left in France after its dismal showing in the 2017 presidential election .
As mayor , Hidalgo has pushed to reduce car use in the capital and boost biking .
She has reduced lanes and speed limits , closing off dozens of streets to cars completely .
In her latest campaign , she has proposed transforming 60,000 roadside parking spaces into cycling lanes .
But the move has proved controversial among many drivers who complain the city is a perpetual building site .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parisians for choosing “ a Paris that breathes , a Paris that is more agreeable to live in , a more caring city that leaves no one by the wayside.
” Hidalgo has also pledged to improve sanitation in the city plagued by rats , bed bugs and dirty streets .
Her unsuccessful challenger Agnes Buzyn of President Emmanuel Macron ’ s Republic on the Move ( LREM ) party described Paris during her campaign as “ brutal for its inhabitants , a city whose condition has deteriorated ” .
Hidalgo has said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( $ 1.12 billion ) city budget .
Another challenge is the sky-high property costs driving some 12,000 people out of Europe ’ s densest city each year .
Hidalgo has promised major investment in housing , transport and green spaces , seeking to reverse the middle- and working-class exodus to the suburbs .
Hidalgo was born in San Fernando , a town in Andalusia , Spain , to an electrician father and a mother who worked as a seamstress .
Two years later the family moved to Lyon in southeast France – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when she was 14 .
“ One day in second grade , my teacher told me : ‘ little Spanish girls don ’ t make it to the top of the class.
’ That only made me want to take up the challenge , ” Hidalgo told the Parisien newspaper in March .
After graduating from university , Hidalgo had a career as a labour inspector before becoming an advisor to former labour minister Martine Aubry , the architect of France ’ s 35-hour working week .
Hidalgo became the deputy mayor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held for 13 years until claiming the top job in one of the world ’ s most visited cities – winning with a convincing 55 percent of second round votes .
Having had to endure taunts from her political opponents about her modest origins and lack of Parisian roots , Hidalgo has been known to quote the words of writer Sacha Guitry : “ Being a Parisian is not about being born in Paris , it is about being reborn there.
” When she finally emerged from the shadow of her fellow Socialist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tenure as Paris mayor began with a baptism of fire .
In January 2015 jihadist gunmen shot dead cartoonists and journalists at the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo .
Just 10 months later , 130 people were killed in Paris when gunmen and suicide bombers from the Islamic State jihadist group attacked bars , restaurants , a concert hall and the Stade de France national stadium .
Then last year brought another blow when fire partially destroyed the Notre-Dame cathedral , a beloved monument intrinsic to the very fabric of Paris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : in 2017 Paris was crowned the host of the 2024 Summer Olympics , which Hidalgo should now preside over .

Anne Hidalgo, re-elected Paris mayor on Sunday, is a Spanish-born socialist who has waged a divisive but ambitious campaign to push cars out of the centre of the French capital.
A victorious Anne Hidalgo after being elected to another term as Paris mayor on June 28, 2020.
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Hidalgo, 61, became in 2014 the first-ever woman to head the French capital’s city hall that had once been the political springboard for late president Jacques Chirac.
She doggedly rose through the ranks despite having been told as a girl that her Spanish roots would forever hold her back.
Retaining the Paris mayor position is a boost for the left in France after its dismal showing in the 2017 presidential election.
As mayor, Hidalgo has pushed to reduce car use in the capital and boost biking.
She has reduced lanes and speed limits, closing off dozens of streets to cars completely.
In her latest campaign, she has proposed transforming 60,000 roadside parking spaces into cycling lanes.
But the move has proved controversial among many drivers who complain the city is a perpetual building site.
Claiming victory on Sunday, Hidalgo thanked Parisians for choosing “a Paris that breathes, a Paris that is more agreeable to live in, a more caring city that leaves no one by the wayside.”
Hidalgo has also pledged to improve sanitation in the city plagued by rats, bed bugs and dirty streets.
Her unsuccessful challenger Agnes Buzyn of President Emmanuel Macron’s Republic on the Move (LREM) party described Paris during her campaign as “brutal for its inhabitants, a city whose condition has deteriorated”.
Hidalgo has said sanitation will require a yearly €1 billion ($1.12 billion) city budget.
Another challenge is the sky-high property costs driving some 12,000 people out of Europe’s densest city each year.
Hidalgo has promised major investment in housing, transport and green spaces, seeking to reverse the middle- and working-class exodus to the suburbs.
‘Take the challenge’
Hidalgo was born in San Fernando, a town in Andalusia, Spain, to an electrician father and a mother who worked as a seamstress.
Two years later the family moved to Lyon in southeast France – Ana became Anne and French citizenship came when she was 14.
“One day in second grade, my teacher told me: ‘little Spanish girls don’t make it to the top of the class.’ That only made me want to take up the challenge,” Hidalgo told the Parisien newspaper in March.
After graduating from university, Hidalgo had a career as a labour inspector before becoming an advisor to former labour minister Martine Aubry, the architect of France’s 35-hour working week.
Hidalgo became the deputy mayor of Paris in 2001, a post she held for 13 years until claiming the top job in one of the world’s most visited cities – winning with a convincing 55 percent of second round votes.
Having had to endure taunts from her political opponents about her modest origins and lack of Parisian roots, Hidalgo has been known to quote the words of writer Sacha Guitry: “Being a Parisian is not about being born in Paris, it is about being reborn there.”
Olympics on horizon
When she finally emerged from the shadow of her fellow Socialist predecessor Bertrand Delanoë in 2014, her tenure as Paris mayor began with a baptism of fire.
In January 2015 jihadist gunmen shot dead cartoonists and journalists at the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
Just 10 months later, 130 people were killed in Paris when gunmen and suicide bombers from the Islamic State jihadist group attacked bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France national stadium.
Then last year brought another blow when fire partially destroyed the Notre-Dame cathedral, a beloved monument intrinsic to the very fabric of Paris.
But there have been victories too: in 2017 Paris was crowned the host of the 2024 Summer Olympics, which Hidalgo should now preside over.
(AFP)
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