france24--2020-08-08--Lebanon’s president rejects international probe into Beirut blast

A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra on May 6 , 2020 shows Lebanon 's President Michel Aoun Diab attending a meeting with the heads of the parliamentary blocs at the presidential palace in Baabda , east of Beirut .
Lebanon 's president has rejected any international probe into the catastrophic Beirut port blast , saying a missile or negligence could have been responsible as rescuers desperately combed the rubble for survivors .
The entrenched ruling class has come under fire once again since Tuesday 's explosion , which killed at least 154 people and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revelation that a huge shipment of hazardous ammonium nitrate had languished for years in a warehouse in the heart of the capital served as shocking proof to many Lebanese of the rot at the core of their political system .
Even Lebanese President Michel Aoun admitted Friday that the `` paralysed '' system needed to be `` reconsidered '' .
He pledged `` swift justice '' , but rejected widespread calls for an international probe , telling a reporter he saw it as an attempt to `` dilute the truth '' .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened : it was either negligence or foreign interference through a missile or bomb , '' he said , the first time a top Lebanese official raised the possibility that the port had been attacked .
What ignited the massive shipment of the chemical remains unclear -- officials have said work had recently begun on repairs to the warehouse , while others suspected fireworks stored either in the same place or nearby .
Near the site of the explosion , by the carcass of the port 's giant grain silos , rescue teams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italy and other countries coordinated their search efforts .
The World Food Programme has promised food for affected families and wheat imports to replace lost stocks from the silos , and US President Donald Trump said he would join other leaders in a conference call Sunday to discuss coordinating international aid .
Four bodies were uncovered near the port 's control room Friday , where a significant number of people were expected to have been working at the time of the blast .
No one has been found alive .
`` I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rescued alive , my dear , '' tweeted Emilie Hasrouty , whose brother is among the missing .
At the port , reduced to an enormous scrapyard , excavators removed mangled shipping containers to clear a path for rescuers .
Beirut has received a stream of international assistance since the blast .
On Friday , relief flights from Iran , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates landed in Lebanon , following others from France , Kuwait , Qatar and Russia .
International police agency Interpol has said it will send a team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims .
The World Health Organization , meanwhile , called for $ 15 million to cover immediate health needs .
Lebanon 's hospitals , already strained by rising coronavirus cases and a severe economic crisis , were heavily damaged by the blast and overwhelmed by casualties .
Two days after the explosion , Lebanese were flocking to a 20-tent Russian field hospital newly established in the capital 's largest sports stadium .
The United Nations said up to 100,000 children are among the 300,000 people made homeless , including many who have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing' With destruction from the blast engulfing half of the capital and estimated to cost more than $ 3 billion , world leaders , advocacy groups and Lebanese have demanded an international probe to ensure impartiality .
But Lebanon 's powerful Hezbollah movement said Friday the army should lead such a probe because it was `` trusted '' by all .
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah denied accusations the Shiite party had been storing arms at the port , saying : `` We have nothing in the port . ''
Lebanon 's probe has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the port 's general manager Hassan Koraytem , other customs officials and port engineers , a judicial source told AFP .
Dozens more were being interrogated by Lebanon 's military court , which is focusing on administrative and security officials at the port as well as government authorities who may have ignored warnings about explosive materials .
`` The list of arrests will reach the top guys , who are now among the suspects , '' the source said .
Lebanon 's central bank also ordered asset freezes for seven port and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banking source told AFP .
The measures did not dampen the anger in Beirut 's streets , where dozens of demonstrators scuffled with security forces firing tear gas late Thursday .
And volunteers clearing debris have chased out two government ministers who tried to visit devastated neighbourhoods with furious chants of `` resign '' .
An anti-government protest is planned for Saturday afternoon under the slogan , `` Hang them by the gallows '' .

Lebanon's president has rejected any international probe into the catastrophic Beirut port blast, saying a missile or negligence could have been responsible as rescuers desperately combed the rubble for survivors.
A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra on May 6, 2020 shows Lebanon's President Michel Aoun Diab attending a meeting with the heads of the parliamentary blocs at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut.
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The entrenched ruling class has come under fire once again since Tuesday's explosion, which killed at least 154 people and devastated swathes of the capital.
The revelation that a huge shipment of hazardous ammonium nitrate had languished for years in a warehouse in the heart of the capital served as shocking proof to many Lebanese of the rot at the core of their political system.
Even Lebanese President Michel Aoun admitted Friday that the "paralysed" system needed to be "reconsidered".
03:41
He pledged "swift justice", but rejected widespread calls for an international probe, telling a reporter he saw it as an attempt to "dilute the truth".
"There are two possible scenarios for what happened: it was either negligence or foreign interference through a missile or bomb," he said, the first time a top Lebanese official raised the possibility that the port had been attacked.
What ignited the massive shipment of the chemical remains unclear -- officials have said work had recently begun on repairs to the warehouse, while others suspected fireworks stored either in the same place or nearby.
Near the site of the explosion, by the carcass of the port's giant grain silos, rescue teams from France, Russia, Germany, Italy and other countries coordinated their search efforts.
The World Food Programme has promised food for affected families and wheat imports to replace lost stocks from the silos, and US President Donald Trump said he would join other leaders in a conference call Sunday to discuss coordinating international aid.
Four bodies were uncovered near the port's control room Friday, where a significant number of people were expected to have been working at the time of the blast.
No one has been found alive.
01:34
"I am waiting to hear that you have been rescued alive, my dear," tweeted Emilie Hasrouty, whose brother is among the missing.
"I am paralysed with fear."
100,000 children homeless
At the port, reduced to an enormous scrapyard, excavators removed mangled shipping containers to clear a path for rescuers.
Civil defence teams anxiously watched a sniffer dog pace around a gap under a fallen crane.
Beirut has received a stream of international assistance since the blast.
On Friday, relief flights from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates landed in Lebanon, following others from France, Kuwait, Qatar and Russia.
International police agency Interpol has said it will send a team of experts who are specialised in identifying victims.
The World Health Organization, meanwhile, called for $15 million to cover immediate health needs.
Lebanon's hospitals, already strained by rising coronavirus cases and a severe economic crisis, were heavily damaged by the blast and overwhelmed by casualties.
Two days after the explosion, Lebanese were flocking to a 20-tent Russian field hospital newly established in the capital's largest sports stadium.
The United Nations said up to 100,000 children are among the 300,000 people made homeless, including many who have been separated from their families.
'We have nothing'
With destruction from the blast engulfing half of the capital and estimated to cost more than $3 billion, world leaders, advocacy groups and Lebanese have demanded an international probe to ensure impartiality.
But Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement said Friday the army should lead such a probe because it was "trusted" by all.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah denied accusations the Shiite party had been storing arms at the port, saying: "We have nothing in the port."
Lebanon's probe has so far led to 21 arrests, including the port's general manager Hassan Koraytem, other customs officials and port engineers, a judicial source told AFP.
Dozens more were being interrogated by Lebanon's military court, which is focusing on administrative and security officials at the port as well as government authorities who may have ignored warnings about explosive materials.
"The list of arrests will reach the top guys, who are now among the suspects," the source said.
Lebanon's central bank also ordered asset freezes for seven port and customs officials, an official and a banking source told AFP.
The measures did not dampen the anger in Beirut's streets, where dozens of demonstrators scuffled with security forces firing tear gas late Thursday.
And volunteers clearing debris have chased out two government ministers who tried to visit devastated neighbourhoods with furious chants of "resign".
An anti-government protest is planned for Saturday afternoon under the slogan, "Hang them by the gallows".
(AFP)
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france24--2020-08-08--Belarus opposition candidate predicts rigged vote as president seeks to prolong 26-year rule

Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya leads her campaign rally in the town of Maladzechna , some 70 kilometres northwest of Minsk , on July 31 , 2020 .
The surprise opposition candidate mounting the most serious challenge in years to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that her country was waking up , but warned that the strongman planned to rig the vote .
Political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has emerged as the rising star of the opposition in her ex-Soviet nation , ruled by Lukashenko since 1994 and sometimes described as Europe 's last dictatorship .
Speaking to AFP in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has seen her attract big crowds of supporters , Tikhanovskaya said it seemed something in her country had changed ahead of Sunday 's election .
`` People are waking up , rediscovering their self-respect , '' the 37-year-old said , wearing the white bracelet that has become the symbol of Belarus 's opposition .
Tikhanovskaya decided to run after her 41-year-old blogger husband , Sergei Tikhanovsky , ended up in jail and could not submit his own presidential bid in time .
She said she expected Lukashenko to rig the election but warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he lost .
`` We wo n't be able to prevent falsifications .
We 've seen over the past couple of days how brazenly this election is being falsified .
There is no hope that they will count honestly .
We have to be realistic . ''
Early voting began in the country of 9.5 million people on Tuesday , with official turnout over the past three days already at more than 22 percent .
Tikhanovskaya said the opposition would conduct an alternative count and would know if the election had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urge her supporters to take to the streets .
`` At this stage each one has to decide for himself , '' she said , warning that Lukashenko would only encourage protests by quashing dissent .
`` They are doing everything for the peaceful protests to become bloody ones .
And I do n't want this . ''
Switching from Russian to English , a language in which she trained as a teacher , Tikhanovskaya said : `` People are tired .
Twenty-six years is enough . ''
She said that if an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the 65-year-old strongman should `` step away peacefully '' and let the country `` move forward with a new leader '' .
`` It 's very simple .
We do n't want blood , '' she said .
Tikhanovskaya only made the decision to stand for president in May and was allowed to after the electoral commission dropped two stronger opposition candidates .
Despite a lack of political experience , she has quickly emerged as the country 's top opposition figure , with tens of thousands rallying to support her bid .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get her jailed husband out of prison and win much-needed freedom for her country .
Their five-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son have been taken abroad for their own safety .
When she spoke of her husband and children , tears welled up in her eyes .
She said the campaign has been tough on her , adding that the separation with her children -- including her son who is hearing impaired -- was difficult .
`` I am afraid , every day I am afraid , '' she said .
Her husband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in prison but she was confident that he would pull through .
`` He believes in Belarusians , he believes in me , '' she said .
She accused Lukashenko of showing blatant disregard for the people during the coronavirus epidemic , which the strongman has dismissed as a hoax .
While people were dying and doctors lacked protective gear , Lukashenko encouraged Belarusians to drink vodka and drive tractors as a way to overcome the coronavirus , she noted .
`` That really really affected me , '' Tikhanovskaya said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his country but he says these things . ''
Tikhanovskaya challenged Lukashenko to a face-to-face debate but he refused , accusing her of being backed by Russian interests .
She rubbished the claim .
`` If they had any proof , I am sure they would have long produced it . ''
Tikhanovskaya said she wanted to help build a new Belarus but that she saw herself not as a politician , but as a symbol .
`` I have become the embodiment of people 's hope , their longing for change .
@

The surprise opposition candidate mounting the most serious challenge in years to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that her country was waking up, but warned that the strongman planned to rig the vote.
Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya leads her campaign rally in the town of Maladzechna, some 70 kilometres northwest of Minsk, on July 31, 2020.
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Political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has emerged as the rising star of the opposition in her ex-Soviet nation, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994 and sometimes described as Europe's last dictatorship.
Speaking to AFP in central Minsk after a gruelling campaign that has seen her attract big crowds of supporters, Tikhanovskaya said it seemed something in her country had changed ahead of Sunday's election.
"People are waking up, rediscovering their self-respect," the 37-year-old said, wearing the white bracelet that has become the symbol of Belarus's opposition.
Tikhanovskaya decided to run after her 41-year-old blogger husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, ended up in jail and could not submit his own presidential bid in time.
She said she expected Lukashenko to rig the election but warned that he needed to quit power peacefully if he lost.
"We won't be able to prevent falsifications. We've seen over the past couple of days how brazenly this election is being falsified. There is no hope that they will count honestly. We have to be realistic."
Early voting began in the country of 9.5 million people on Tuesday, with official turnout over the past three days already at more than 22 percent.
'We don't want blood'
Tikhanovskaya said the opposition would conduct an alternative count and would know if the election had been rigged, but said she would not urge her supporters to take to the streets.
"At this stage each one has to decide for himself," she said, warning that Lukashenko would only encourage protests by quashing dissent.
"They are doing everything for the peaceful protests to become bloody ones. And I don't want this."
Switching from Russian to English, a language in which she trained as a teacher, Tikhanovskaya said: "People are tired. Twenty-six years is enough."
She said that if an alternative candidate ends up winning the vote, the 65-year-old strongman should "step away peacefully" and let the country "move forward with a new leader".
"It's very simple. We don't want blood," she said.
Tikhanovskaya only made the decision to stand for president in May and was allowed to after the electoral commission dropped two stronger opposition candidates.
Despite a lack of political experience, she has quickly emerged as the country's top opposition figure, with tens of thousands rallying to support her bid.
Tikhanovskaya said she is contesting the election to get her jailed husband out of prison and win much-needed freedom for her country.
Their five-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son have been taken abroad for their own safety.
When she spoke of her husband and children, tears welled up in her eyes.
She said the campaign has been tough on her, adding that the separation with her children -- including her son who is hearing impaired -- was difficult.
"I am afraid, every day I am afraid," she said.
'Embodiment of hope'
Her husband was also "under huge pressure" in prison but she was confident that he would pull through.
"He believes in Belarusians, he believes in me," she said.
She accused Lukashenko of showing blatant disregard for the people during the coronavirus epidemic, which the strongman has dismissed as a hoax.
While people were dying and doctors lacked protective gear, Lukashenko encouraged Belarusians to drink vodka and drive tractors as a way to overcome the coronavirus, she noted.
"That really really affected me," Tikhanovskaya said. "He says he loves his people and his country but he says these things."
Tikhanovskaya challenged Lukashenko to a face-to-face debate but he refused, accusing her of being backed by Russian interests.
She rubbished the claim. "If they had any proof, I am sure they would have long produced it."
Tikhanovskaya said she wanted to help build a new Belarus but that she saw herself not as a politician, but as a symbol.
"I have become the embodiment of people's hope, their longing for change."
(AFP)
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france24--2020-08-07--Several killed after Air India Express plane skids off runway in Kerala

The Air India Express jet skidded off the runway at Kozhikode airport in the southern state of Kerala , India .
( File photo ) The death toll has risen to 18 people killed when a passenger jet ripped in two after it overshot and skidded off the runway upon landing in southern India on Friday , a senior government official said Saturday .
Dozens of people were also injured , 15 of them seriously , after the Air India Express Boeing 737 from Dubai – a coronavirus evacuation flight – plunged down a slope in heavy rain on its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to the airline , more than 190 passengers and crew were on board the plane , which left from Dubai and landed at Kozhikode airport in the southern state of Kerala .
Television pictures showed part of the fuselage of the jet ripped apart , although there was no sign of any fire .
`` We have at least 89 people , many of them with serious injuries , admitted at different Kozhikode hospitals .
The ambulances are still coming in , '' said Sujith Das , a senior police official .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who have survived the crash also have some form of injuries . ''
One of those killed was one of the two pilots , a Kerala state deputy said .
Aviation regulator DGCA said the plane skidded off the end of the runway and `` fell down in the valley and broke down in two pieces '' .
An Air India Express spokesperson said the aircraft appeared to have overshot the runway .
One television channel reported there had been a problem with the jet 's landing gear .
'No fire at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a statement that there was `` no fire reported at the time of landing '' .
It said there were 174 adult passengers , 10 infants , two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft .
`` As per the initial reports , rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care , '' it said .
An emergency services official , speaking on condition of anonymity , told AFP : `` Rescue operations are on but the rains are making it difficult . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the dark and spraying the wreckage with water .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences : `` My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones .
May the injured recover at the earliest ...
Authorities are at the spot , providing all assistance to the affected . ''
The last major plane crash in India was in 2010 when an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 from Dubai to Mangalore overshot the runway and burst into flames .
The crash killed 158 people and left eight survivors .
Kerala has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days .
At least 15 people were killed on Friday after a landslide triggered by heavy rains flattened a row of huts elsewhere in the state .
Around 50 other people were feared trapped in the debris .
The dead included two children .

The death toll has risen to 18 people killed when a passenger jet ripped in two after it overshot and skidded off the runway upon landing in southern India on Friday, a senior government official said Saturday.
The Air India Express jet skidded off the runway at Kozhikode airport in the southern state of Kerala, India. (File photo)
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Dozens of people were also injured, 15 of them seriously, after the Air India Express Boeing 737 from Dubai – a coronavirus evacuation flight – plunged down a slope in heavy rain on its second attempt to land in Kozhikode.
According to the airline, more than 190 passengers and crew were on board the plane, which left from Dubai and landed at Kozhikode airport in the southern state of Kerala.
Television pictures showed part of the fuselage of the jet ripped apart, although there was no sign of any fire.
"We have at least 89 people, many of them with serious injuries, admitted at different Kozhikode hospitals. The ambulances are still coming in," said Sujith Das, a senior police official.
"We have been told that all those who have survived the crash also have some form of injuries."
One of those killed was one of the two pilots, a Kerala state deputy said.
Aviation regulator DGCA said the plane skidded off the end of the runway and "fell down in the valley and broke down in two pieces".
An Air India Express spokesperson said the aircraft appeared to have overshot the runway.
One television channel reported there had been a problem with the jet's landing gear.
'No fire at time of landing'
Air India Express said in a statement that there was "no fire reported at the time of landing".
It said there were 174 adult passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft.
"As per the initial reports, rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care," it said.
An emergency services official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: "Rescue operations are on but the rains are making it difficult."
Television pictures showed emergency services personnel working in the dark and spraying the wreckage with water.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences: "My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest... Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."
Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020
The last major plane crash in India was in 2010 when an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 from Dubai to Mangalore overshot the runway and burst into flames. The crash killed 158 people and left eight survivors.
Kerala has been battered by heavy rains in recent days.
At least 15 people were killed on Friday after a landslide triggered by heavy rains flattened a row of huts elsewhere in the state. Around 50 other people were feared trapped in the debris. The dead included two children.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-08-08--Lyon hold off surging Ronaldo to beat Juventus and reach Champions League quarter-finals

Lyon 's Dutch forward Memphis Depay ( C ) celebrates scoring his team 's first goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match between Juventus and Olympique Lyonnais ( OL ) in Turin on August 7 , 2020 .
Lyon qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Friday despite losing 2-1 in Turin .
A goal up after winning February 's first leg , French side Lyon will face Manchester City at the final tournament in Lisbon after drawing 2-2 on aggregate and going through on away goals .
Lyon squeezed past the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12th-minute penalty which put Rudi Garcia 's side two goals ahead in the tie and left Juve with a mountain to climb .
Needing to score three unanswered goals in order to go through , Cristiano Ronaldo tried his best to drag the Italian champions over the line .
He levelled the scores on the night with a penalty of his own with two minutes left in the opening period before crashing a second home on the hour mark .
However Juve performed poorly and Lyon managed to hold on to set up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who put out 13-time winners Real Madrid , on August 15 .
Despite their nine consecutive Italian league titles in a row , Juventus could not get past a French side that finished seventh in Ligue 1 this season .
Ronaldo spearheaded the Juventus attack as the five-time Champions League winner pushed for the last eight spot in his native Portugal .
Lyon 's early breakthrough came after Rodrigo Bentancur was judged to have fouled Houssem Aouar , and Depay calmly slotted past Wojciech Szczesny from the spot .
Juventus had dominated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Lyon defense after 19 minutes before Marcelo deflected the shot clear of goal .
Ronaldo sent a header wide after 21 minutes with Lopes denying a curling Ronaldo free kick , but he drew Juve level from the spot just before the break when Depay handballed a Miralem Pjanic free-kick .
The Portuguese then scored a second long range effort , with Leonardo Bonucci missing a chance minutes later .
Paulo Dybala came on with 20 minutes to go but failed to lift the Italians , with the Argentine who had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarter of an hour later .
Ronaldo missed to win the tie when he sent a header wide , ending Juventus ' hopes of a first Champions League title since 1996 .
Juve , who had won only two of their last eight league games , end the season in the worst possible way , exhausted by the accumulation of matches at the end of a season interrupted for three months because of coronavirus .
The Ligue 1 season did not finish with Lyon 's only hope of qualifying for next year 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 edition .

Lyon qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Friday despite losing 2-1 in Turin.
Lyon's Dutch forward Memphis Depay (C) celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match between Juventus and Olympique Lyonnais (OL) in Turin on August 7, 2020.
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A goal up after winning February's first leg, French side Lyon will face Manchester City at the final tournament in Lisbon after drawing 2-2 on aggregate and going through on away goals.
Lyon squeezed past the Italian champions thanks to Memphis Depay's 12th-minute penalty which put Rudi Garcia's side two goals ahead in the tie and left Juve with a mountain to climb.
Needing to score three unanswered goals in order to go through, Cristiano Ronaldo tried his best to drag the Italian champions over the line.
He levelled the scores on the night with a penalty of his own with two minutes left in the opening period before crashing a second home on the hour mark.
However Juve performed poorly and Lyon managed to hold on to set up a clash with Pep Guardiola's City, who put out 13-time winners Real Madrid, on August 15.
Despite their nine consecutive Italian league titles in a row, Juventus could not get past a French side that finished seventh in Ligue 1 this season.
Ronaldo leads attack
Ronaldo spearheaded the Juventus attack as the five-time Champions League winner pushed for the last eight spot in his native Portugal.
Lyon's early breakthrough came after Rodrigo Bentancur was judged to have fouled Houssem Aouar, and Depay calmly slotted past Wojciech Szczesny from the spot.
Juventus had dominated play early with Federico Bernardeschi dribbling through the Lyon defense after 19 minutes before Marcelo deflected the shot clear of goal.
Ronaldo sent a header wide after 21 minutes with Lopes denying a curling Ronaldo free kick, but he drew Juve level from the spot just before the break when Depay handballed a Miralem Pjanic free-kick.
The Portuguese then scored a second long range effort, with Leonardo Bonucci missing a chance minutes later.
Paulo Dybala came on with 20 minutes to go but failed to lift the Italians, with the Argentine who had been carrying a thigh injury, limping off quarter of an hour later.
Ronaldo missed to win the tie when he sent a header wide, ending Juventus' hopes of a first Champions League title since 1996.
Juve, who had won only two of their last eight league games, end the season in the worst possible way, exhausted by the accumulation of matches at the end of a season interrupted for three months because of coronavirus.
The Ligue 1 season did not finish with Lyon's only hope of qualifying for next year's Champions League now resting on winning the 2020 edition.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-08-08--Chinese fishing fleet raises fears on protected Galapagos Islands

This screengrab , taken on the Marine Traffic site on Aug. 5 , 2020 , shows the fleet in international waters , very near to the Galapagos marine reserve .
On the map , orange is used to indicate what the vessels are doing .
The vessel in this image was being used for fishing .
This screengrab , taken by Global Fishing Watch , uses an algorithm to show where fishing likely took place between July 10 and Aug. 5 , 2020 , along the border of the Galapagos marine reserve ( above ) and in Ecuador ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vessels that fly the Chinese flag are shown on this map ( in orange ) .
This shows the path that the `` Zhou Hong Yuan 1 '' travelled around the Galapagos reserve between July 2 and 25 , 2020 .
A fisherman posted this video , which was verified by our team , as a story on his Instagram account on July 29 .
Each of the many lights in the footage represents a squid-fishing boat .
This video was filmed from a helicopter by an employee of a fishing company on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese-made plastic bottles pile up on the beaches of the Galapagos Juliette Miranda , a receptionist at a hotel on the Galapagos ' Isabela island , found these bottles .
She believes that fishermen in the Chinese fleet tossed them into the ocean : `` I ’ ve been living here for a year and I ’ ve never seen so much rubbish and never in such a good condition .
That ’ s why I think that they are coming from the Chinese fleet . ''
`` This industrial-scale fishing has serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photo shows one of the many bags that volunteers filled during a beach cleaning campaign organized on the archipelago between July 27 and August 2 .
( Photo by Ivonne Torres . )
`` I spend five days at sea to bring in the amount that I could have fished in just a day in the past ” These metal barrels , marked with Chinese characters , were discovered in the sea .
Photos posted on Facebook on July 24 .
`` This large-scale fishing will affect certain protected species , like sharks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Galapagos Islands , which are located in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 kilometres off of Ecuador , discovered that a commercial fleet made up of hundreds of boats , including fishing vessels , freighters and factory vessels , were fishing on an industrial scale not far from the Galapagos marine reserve , which is a UNESCO world heritage site.The vessels appeared on sites like Marine Traffic and Global Fishing Watch , which track the location of ships around the world .
Any ship with its automatic identification system ( AIS ) activated appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AIS also provides info on the ship itself and its operations .
`` We ’ ve detected between 280 and 300 vessels in this giant fleet that is operating near the Galapagos Islands , though they never stray into the reserve .
Several of the vessels in the group have been used in illegal fishing operations in the past , ” says Tony Long , CEO of Global Fishing Watch.These tools also provide information about the vessels , including their port of origin , and often include photos , usually contributed by amateurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipped to fish for squid on an industrial scale.This vessel , called `` Zhou Hong Yuan 1 '' , is equipped for industrial squid fishing .
The side of the vessel is fixed with winches and there are multiple lamps on the deck , which are used to attract squid at night The marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd says that while the presence of this fleet in international waters between the Galapagos and Ecuador isn ’ t “ technically illegal ” it “ violates the spirit of the law protecting the marine reserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are migratory and regularly leave this sanctuary to reach the high seas ” .Ecuadorian fisherman , furious at the arrival of this fleet , filmed the boats out on the open seas .
Their footage shows some fishing squid , while others practice longlining , which involves using lines that can reach up to 100 kilometres in length and are equipped with tens of thousands of baited hooks to catch large fish like sharks and tuna.The fishermen who spoke to The Observers team asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.The presence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as it is operating in international waters .
However , local activities say that they have seen them break other international laws.A group of fishermen filmed the fleet from aboard a helicopter .
The video below shows two squid-fishing boats next to a large vessel , the Yong Xiang 9 , which flies the Panamanian flag but has a Chinese name.Activist Nicolas Schieff is a member of a group called Frente Insular de la Reserva Marina de Galápagos ( Insular Front for the Galapagos Marine Reserve ) .
Schieff has been working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He is particularly interested in the Yong Xiang 9.This isn ’ t the first time that this particular boat has gotten close to the Galapagos marine reserve .
Back in 2018 , theEcuadorian army filmed it during a surveillance operation The fleet , which is located more than 360 kilometres from the archipelago , isn ’ t visible from the coast .
But residents knew it was there when they started discovering plastic bottles marked with Chinese characters on their beaches.Ivonne Torres is a 55-year-old tour guide and a naturalist who lives on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' 18 principal islands.Sixty-four-year-old Donato Rendon is a small-scale fisherman who is based in the Galapagos archipelago .
He ’ s married to guide Ivonne Torres and used to serve as the president of the Fisherman ’ s Cooperative in the Galapagos.Alex Hearn is a professor of marine biology at the University of San Francisco de Quito and a member of the MigraMar network .
He has been studying the effects of this fleet.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Aug. 2 criticised China for the fleet ’ s activities and offered support to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economies and natural resources are threatened by PRC-flagged vessels ’ disregard for the rule of law and responsible fishing practices ” .The Chinese embassy in Ecuador responded with their own statement : `` According to verified information , all of the ships that were criticized by Mike Pompeo are currently operating legally in international waters outside of the Galapagos Islands economic zone and aren ’ t a threat to anyone.
” Article by Liselotte Mas

ECUADOR
At left, a screengrab of a video showing three Chinese vessels operating near the Galapagos marine reserve. The footage was filmed by Ecuadorian fishermen on July 21, 2020. The image on the right shows the fleet’s location mapped by Global Fishing Watch.
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Since mid-July, a fleet of more than 280 fishing vessels has been working near the border of the Galapagos marine reserve, which is home to dozens of protected species, including several types of sharks. Environmental activists say they are afraid that this massive fleet could turn the fragile ecosystem upside down. Local fishermen have already noticed a reduction in their catches.
In mid-July, residents of the Galapagos Islands, which are located in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 kilometres off of Ecuador, discovered that a commercial fleet made up of hundreds of boats, including fishing vessels, freighters and factory vessels, were fishing on an industrial scale not far from the Galapagos marine reserve, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
The vessels appeared on sites like Marine Traffic and Global Fishing Watch, which track the location of ships around the world. Any ship with its automatic identification system (AIS) activated appears on the maps on these sites. AIS also provides info on the ship itself and its operations.
"We’ve detected between 280 and 300 vessels in this giant fleet that is operating near the Galapagos Islands, though they never stray into the reserve. Several of the vessels in the group have been used in illegal fishing operations in the past,” says Tony Long, CEO of Global Fishing Watch.
This screengrab, taken on the Marine Traffic site on Aug. 5, 2020, shows the fleet in international waters, very near to the Galapagos marine reserve. On the map, orange is used to indicate what the vessels are doing. The vessel in this image was being used for fishing.
This screengrab, taken by Global Fishing Watch, uses an algorithm to show where fishing likely took place between July 10 and Aug. 5, 2020, along the border of the Galapagos marine reserve (above) and in Ecuador’s territorial waters (right). Only vessels that fly the Chinese flag are shown on this map (in orange).
These tools also provide information about the vessels, including their port of origin, and often include photos, usually contributed by amateurs. Some of the photos indicate vessels equipped to fish for squid on an industrial scale.
This vessel, called "Zhou Hong Yuan 1", is equipped for industrial squid fishing. The side of the vessel is fixed with winches and there are multiple lamps on the deck, which are used to attract squid at night.
This shows the path that the "Zhou Hong Yuan 1" travelled around the Galapagos reserve between July 2 and 25, 2020.
The marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd says that while the presence of this fleet in international waters between the Galapagos and Ecuador isn’t “technically illegal” it “violates the spirit of the law protecting the marine reserve because numerous species, including sharks, are migratory and regularly leave this sanctuary to reach the high seas”.
Ecuadorian fisherman, furious at the arrival of this fleet, filmed the boats out on the open seas. Their footage shows some fishing squid, while others practice longlining, which involves using lines that can reach up to 100 kilometres in length and are equipped with tens of thousands of baited hooks to catch large fish like sharks and tuna.
The fishermen who spoke to The Observers team asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.
A fisherman posted this video, which was verified by our team, as a story on his Instagram account on July 29. Each of the many lights in the footage represents a squid-fishing boat.
A large cargo ship illegally deactivates its automatic identification system
The presence of the Chinese fleet isn’t illegal, as it is operating in international waters. However, local activities say that they have seen them break other international laws.
A group of fishermen filmed the fleet from aboard a helicopter. The video below shows two squid-fishing boats next to a large vessel, the Yong Xiang 9, which flies the Panamanian flag but has a Chinese name.
This video was filmed from a helicopter by an employee of a fishing company on July 21, 2020.
Activist Nicolas Schieff is a member of a group called Frente Insular de la Reserva Marina de Galápagos (Insular Front for the Galapagos Marine Reserve). Schieff has been working with locals to find out more. He is particularly interested in the Yong Xiang 9.
These images show the large vessel picking up hauls from the smaller vessels so they don’t have to travel back to the port. When this video was filmed on July 21, the Yong Xiang 9 had its automatic identification system turned off, which is illegal [Editor’s note: Vessels that have a gross tonnage higher than 500 must keep their AIS turned on at all times. The tonnage of the Yong Xiang 9 is 9,298].
This isn’t the first time that this particular boat has gotten close to the Galapagos marine reserve. Back in 2018, the
Ecuadorian army filmed it during a surveillance operation.
Hundreds of Chinese-made plastic bottles pile up on the beaches of the Galapagos
The fleet, which is located more than 360 kilometres from the archipelago, isn’t visible from the coast. But residents knew it was there when they started discovering plastic bottles marked with Chinese characters on their beaches.
Juliette Miranda, a receptionist at a hotel on the Galapagos' Isabela island, found these bottles. She believes that fishermen in the Chinese fleet tossed them into the ocean: "I’ve been living here for a year and I’ve never seen so much rubbish and never in such a good condition. That’s why I think that they are coming from the Chinese fleet."
"This industrial-scale fishing has serious consequences on the entire ecosystem”
Ivonne Torres is a 55-year-old tour guide and a naturalist who lives on Santa Cruz, one of the Galapagos' 18 principal islands.
I was already really angry about having to manage the rubbish from all over the world that washes up on our beaches all year, but with this Chinese fleet, it is even worse than usual. Guides like me often help out the national park by cleaning up the beaches and the week of July 27 a group of us volunteered. We picked up bags and bags of Chinese-made plastic bottles.
This photo shows one of the many bags that volunteers filled during a beach cleaning campaign organized on the archipelago between July 27 and August 2. (Photo by Ivonne Torres.)
The problem is even more serious with this industrial-scale fishing. It’s not just tuna and endangered sharks that will be caught but also lots of little fish that will be used as bait. These fish are an important food source for marine birds, like pelicans or blue-footed boobies, who will have fewer young if they don’t get enough food. We are already suffering negative effects of the climate crisis and we’ve been seeing these giant fleets of fishing boats getting closer and closer to our shores for the past few years. That has serious consequences for the entire ecosystem, including, for example, a significant decrease in new offspring and nesting on the archipelago.
"I spend five days at sea to bring in the amount that I could have fished in just a day in the past”
Sixty-four-year-old Donato Rendon is a small-scale fisherman who is based in the Galapagos archipelago. He’s married to guide Ivonne Torres and used to serve as the president of the Fisherman’s Cooperative in the Galapagos.
This fleet is causing us so many problems. A fellow fisherman found empty barrels of petrol floating in the sea. They had Chinese characters on them.
These metal barrels, marked with Chinese characters, were discovered in the sea. Photos posted on Facebook on July 24.
These vessels have longlines that are up to 100 kilometres in length and capture everything in their wake, both large and small fish. They follow the currents and the schools of fish and create a barrier between them and the Galapagos Islands. So we have fewer fish to catch than normal. Currently, I have to spend five days at sea to bring in what I used to catch in a day or two before.
"This large-scale fishing will affect certain protected species, like sharks”
Alex Hearn is a professor of marine biology at the University of San Francisco de Quito and a member of the MigraMar network. He has been studying the effects of this fleet.
In fact, it’s not just one fleet; it’s several that are grouped together and are using different fishing techniques. A lot of these vessels are either squid-fishing or longlining. Each has a different impact on the environment. The sharp decrease in the squid population is going to upset the ecosystem because they are a source of food for many other species. Longline fishing will directly impact certain protected species, like sharks. Sharks are an essential link in the animal food chain, but the people who live on the islands depend on them as well because they make a living through tourism. And when tourists come, that’s the animal they want to see.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Aug. 2 criticised China for the fleet’s activities and offered support to Ecuador and any other states “whose economies and natural resources are threatened by PRC-flagged vessels’ disregard for the rule of law and responsible fishing practices”.
The Chinese embassy in Ecuador responded with their own statement: "According to verified information, all of the ships that were criticized by Mike Pompeo are currently operating legally in international waters outside of the Galapagos Islands economic zone and aren’t a threat to anyone.”
Article by Liselotte Mas


france24--2020-08-09--Macron, UN host virtual donor conference to secure international aid for Lebanon

Humanitarian aid bound for Beirut is loaded on an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar on August 6 , 2020 .
French President Emmanuel Macron and the United Nations will co-host a virtual donors ' conference on Sunday to solicit international aid for Lebanon , whose capital Beirut was devastated by explosions on Tuesday that left more than 150 people dead and a quarter of a million homeless .
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday hosts US President Donald Trump and other representatives for a UN-backed virtual conference to drum up aid for Lebanon after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday became the first world leader to visit Beirut after Tuesday 's explosion and warned Lebanese leaders that while international aid would be forthcoming deep change was needed to resolve the country 's problems .
The blast at the Beirut port , blamed on a vast store of ammonium nitrate that was allowed to rot for years in a warehouse , destroyed entire neighbourhoods .
It has amplified the anger of many Lebanese against a ruling class allegedly mired in corruption and cronyism .
Macron will be hoping that pledges made at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1200 GMT , will be translated into concrete donations and the funds spent transparently and for the right purpose .
Speaking in Beirut after his visit on Thursday , Macron said that the conference aimed to mobilise funding from Europe , the US and regional states to provide medicine , care , food , and housing .
`` We will also put in place clear and transparent governance so that all of this aid -- whether it is French aid or international -- is directly chanelled to the people , to NGOs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need it , without any possible opacity or diversion , '' he said .
He said that the need for profound change meant `` it is the time of responsibility for Lebanon today and its leaders '' who required `` a new pact with the Lebanese people in the coming weeks . ''
Prime Minister Hassan Diab said Saturday that he would call for early elections .
Trump , confirming his attendance at the conference , tweeted that `` everyone wants to help ! ''
.
A French presidential source , who asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the EU , Britain , China , Russia , Jordan and Egypt would all be represented , although it was not immediately clear at what level .
Israel , with whom Lebanon has no diplomatic relations , is not expected to take part .
Key Arab states in the Gulf , including Saudi Arabia , Qatar and the UAE are expected to take part but Iran , which wields huge influence in Lebanon through the Shiite group Hezbollah , had not shown a desire to participate , said the official .
Echoing Macron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that `` it is necessary that this is not a blank cheque for the Lebanese government '' , adding that `` it is not a question of how much is raised but how efficient it is . ''
Macron , who will host the conference from his summer residence on the Mediterranean , had also underlined he would be returning to Lebanon on September 1 to check its progress .
In a new sign of the anger , a group of protesters led by retired Lebanese army officers stormed the foreign ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The demonstrations show the `` exasperation , distress of the population and need for things to change , '' said the French official .

French President Emmanuel Macron and the United Nations co-hosted a virtual donors' conference Sunday to solicit international aid for Lebanon, whose capital Beirut was devastated by explosions on Tuesday that left more than 150 people dead and a quarter of a million homeless.
Humanitarian aid bound for Beirut is loaded on an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar on August 6, 2020.
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"We must act quickly and efficiently so that this aid goes directly to where it is needed," Macron said in his opening remarks for the UN-backed donors' conference, which was being held by video link.
Macron also called on the Lebanese government to act responsibly to safeguard the country's future.
"It is up to the authorities of the country to act so that the country does not sink, and to respond to the aspirations that the Lebanese people are expressing right now, legitimately, in the streets of Beirut," Macron said.
"We must all work together to ensure that neither violence nor chaos prevails," he added. "It is the future of Lebanon that is at stake."
The conference succeeded to raise pledges worth nearly €253 million euros for immediate humanitarian relief on Sunday, Macron’s office said.
01:03
France has so far committed 55 security personnel and 6 tonnes of health equipment to Lebanon as well as urgent care doctors. The European Commission on Sunday added €30 million to the €33 million it pledged on Friday to finance emergency aid to Lebanon.
But some foreign governments have been wary about writing blank cheques to a government perceived by its own people to be deeply corrupt.
The blast at the Beirut port, blamed on a vast store of ammonium nitrate that was allowed to rot for years in a warehouse, killed more than 150 people and left a quarter of a million homeless.
The explosions amplified the anger of many Lebanese. The political class was already under enormous pressure from a protest movement that rejects it as inept, corrupt and beholden to the country's myriad sectarian groups rather than the national interest.
Battling runaway inflation, mass unemployment and rising poverty, the government is struggling. Many have seen their life savings simply evaporate. And despite weeks of talks, the cabinet failed to reached a deal with the International Monetary Fund on a rescue package after Lebanon defaulted on its debt earlier this year.
01:52
Calls for transparency
Macron on Thursday became the first world leader to visit Beirut after Tuesday's double explosion and warned Lebanese leaders that while international aid would be forthcoming deep change was needed to resolve the country's problems.
Speaking in Beirut during his visit, Macron said that the conference aimed to mobilise funding from Europe, the US and regional states to provide medicine, care, food and housing, but he also called for transparency and said any aid would go "directly to the people" as well as relief groups.
"We will also put in place clear and transparent governance so that all of this aid – whether it is French aid or international – is directly channelled to the people, to NGOs, to the teams in the field who need it, without any possible opacity or diversion," he said.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab has said he would soon be calling for early elections amid the anger of many Lebanese, thousands of whom took to the streets in anti-government protests on Saturday. A group of protesters led by retired Lebanese army officers also stormed the foreign ministry.
Emergency response
An "emergency response framework" drafted by the United Nations said $66.3 million was needed for immediate humanitarian aid for Lebanon, including health services for the injured, emergency shelter for those whose homes were destroyed, food distribution and programmes to "prevent further spread of Covid-19".
Phase II of the plan will require $50.6 million to rebuild public infrastructure, rehabilitate private homes and prevent disease outbreaks.
More than 30 international leaders and government officials took part in the video conference co-organised by France and the United Nations on Sunday, including US President Donald Trump, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
Key Arab states in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and the UAE were represented as were Britain and China.
Turkey and Russia, absent from the conference, are expected to provide aid as well, Macron said in his opening speech.
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, UN aid coordinator Mark Lowcock and representatives of the World Bank, the Red Cross, the IMF and European nations also took part.
Iran, which wields huge influence in Lebanon through the Shiite group Hezbollah, was not on the list of participants. Israel, with whom Lebanon has no diplomatic relations, was not at the conference but has offered aid.
Macron, who helped host the conference from his summer residence on the Mediterranean, has said he will be returning to Lebanon on September 1 to check on the country's progress.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
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france24--2020-08-09--Belarus opposition figures detained as Lukashenko faces challenge in presidential vote

A voting soldier looks at information on candidates at a polling station in Minsk during the presidential election on August 9 , 2020 .
Belarus began voting in an election on Sunday pitting President Alexander Lukashenko against a former teacher who emerged from obscurity to lead the biggest challenge in years against the man once dubbed `` Europe 's last dictator '' by Washington .
The 65-year-old Lukashenko is almost certain to win a sixth consecutive term but could face a new wave of protests amid anger over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic , the economy and his human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opposition could hurt Lukashenko 's attempts to mend fences with the West amid fraying ties with traditional ally Russia , which has tried to press Belarus into closer economic and political union .
A former Soviet collective farm manager , Lukashenko has ruled since 1994 .
He faces a surprise rival in Svetlana Tikhanouskaya , a former English teacher who entered the race after her husband , an anti-government blogger who intended to run , was jailed .
Her rallies have drawn some of the biggest crowds since the fall of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups say more than 1,300 people have been detained in a widening crackdown .
Foreign observers have not judged an election to be free and fair in Belarus for a quarter of a century .
Despite an election commission ban on the opposition holding an alternative vote count , Tikhanouskaya urged her supporters to monitor polling stations .
`` We are in the majority and we do n't need blood on the city streets , '' she said on Saturday .
`` Let 's defend our right to choose together . ''
Portraying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lukashenko says the opposition protesters are in cahoots with foreign backers , including a group of 33 suspected Russian mercenaries detained in July and accused of plotting `` acts of terrorism '' .
Analysts said their detention could be used as a pretext for a sharper crackdown after the vote .
`` Lukashenko a priori made it clear that he intends to retain his power at any cost .
The question remains what the price will be , '' said political analyst Alexander Klaskovsky .

Belarus began voting in an election on Sunday pitting President Alexander Lukashenko against a former teacher who emerged from obscurity to lead the biggest challenge in years against the man once dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by Washington.
A voting soldier looks at information on candidates at a polling station in Minsk during the presidential election on August 9, 2020.
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The 65-year-old Lukashenko is almost certain to win a sixth consecutive term but could face a new wave of protests amid anger over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy and his human rights record.
An ongoing crackdown on the opposition could hurt Lukashenko's attempts to mend fences with the West amid fraying ties with traditional ally Russia, which has tried to press Belarus into closer economic and political union.
A former Soviet collective farm manager, Lukashenko has ruled since 1994.
01:15
He faces a surprise rival in Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who entered the race after her husband, an anti-government blogger who intended to run, was jailed.
Her rallies have drawn some of the biggest crowds since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Human rights groups say more than 1,300 people have been detained in a widening crackdown.
>> Belarus opposition figures detained on eve of presidential vote
Foreign observers have not judged an election to be free and fair in Belarus for a quarter of a century. Despite an election commission ban on the opposition holding an alternative vote count, Tikhanouskaya urged her supporters to monitor polling stations.
"We are in the majority and we don't need blood on the city streets," she said on Saturday. "Let's defend our right to choose together."
Opposition candidate in Belarus's presidential elections Svetlana Tikhanouskaya at a campaign rally in Minsk on July 30,2020. © AFP / FRANCE 24
Portraying himself as a guarantor of stability, Lukashenko says the opposition protesters are in cahoots with foreign backers, including a group of 33 suspected Russian mercenaries detained in July and accused of plotting "acts of terrorism".
Analysts said their detention could be used as a pretext for a sharper crackdown after the vote.
"Lukashenko a priori made it clear that he intends to retain his power at any cost. The question remains what the price will be," said political analyst Alexander Klaskovsky.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-08-09--Brazil's coronavirus death toll surpasses 100,000

Crosses , red balloons and Brazil flags are placed in the sand on Copacabana beach to honour the victims of Covid-19 in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , on August 8 , 2020 .
Brazil on Saturday surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths and three million cases of infection , crossing the grim milestone after President Jair Bolsonaro said he had a `` clear conscience '' on his response to the outbreak .
With 100,477 fatalities and 3,012,412 confirmed cases , the South American nation of 212 million people is the second hardest-hit country in the global pandemic , after the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new deaths in the past 24 hours , as well as 49,970 fresh cases .
But the official figures are most likely an undercount , with experts estimating that the total number of infections could be up to six times higher due to insufficient testing .
Brazil has seen 478 deaths per million people , a figure roughly equivalent to that of the United States ( 487 ) , but lower than that of Spain ( 609 ) or Italy ( 583 ) .
Senate speaker Davi Alcolumbre announced four days of mourning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country 's 100,000-plus virus victims .
The coronavirus outbreak in Brazil is showing no sign of slowing as it enters its sixth month .
The country 's first confirmed COVID-19 case was identified in Sao Paulo on February 26 , with the first death on March 12 , also in the city .
Brazil marked 50,000 deaths a hundred days later , but then doubled that total in just half the time .
Infections have accelerated in recent weeks in the countryside as well as inland regions and areas where the virus was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ south and center-west .
In southeastern states such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro , hardest-hit by the virus in absolute numbers , the situation has stabilized , while the virus ' presence has declined in northern regions after reaching catastrophic levels in April and May .
At Copacabana beach in Rio , activists from the NGO Rio de Paz released 1,000 red balloons Saturday while standing between 100 black crosses stuck in the sand , in a tribute to Brazilians who have died of coronavirus .
Former president Luiz Inacio Lula @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on Twitter denounced `` the arrogance of a president who has chosen to describe this cruel virus as a little flu , defying science and even death , and who bears in his soul the responsibility for all the lives lost . ''
The contagion has cast a harsh light on Brazil 's inequalities , with the virus wreaking particular havoc on the country 's favelas and hitting black populations especially hard .
The country 's indigenous Amazon populations have also been hard hit , with one of Brazil 's leading chiefs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of respiratory complications caused by COVID-19 .
Bolsonaro 's government , which has been criticized for managing the epidemic in a chaotic fashion , is on its third health minister since the virus reached the country .
The right-wing leader , who tested positive for the virus last month but has since recovered , said Thursday he had `` a clear conscience '' and had done `` everything possible to save lives . ''
Bolsonaro also called the governors of states that took containment measures which he opposed for economic reasons `` dictators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ championship on Saturday , three months behind schedule .

Brazil on Saturday surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths and three million cases of infection, crossing the grim milestone after President Jair Bolsonaro said he had a "clear conscience" on his response to the outbreak.
Crosses, red balloons and Brazil flags are placed in the sand on Copacabana beach to honour the victims of Covid-19 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 8, 2020.
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With 100,477 fatalities and 3,012,412 confirmed cases, the South American nation of 212 million people is the second hardest-hit country in the global pandemic, after the United States.
The health ministry reported 905 new deaths in the past 24 hours, as well as 49,970 fresh cases.
But the official figures are most likely an undercount, with experts estimating that the total number of infections could be up to six times higher due to insufficient testing.
Brazil has seen 478 deaths per million people, a figure roughly equivalent to that of the United States (487), but lower than that of Spain (609) or Italy (583).
Most coronavirus deaths.
USA: 165,000
Brazil: 100,477
Mexico: 51,311
UK: 46,566
India: 43,453
Italy: 35,203
France: 30,324
Spain: 28,503
Peru: 20,649
Iran: 18,264
Russia: 14,854
Colombia: 12,250
South Africa: 10,210
Chile: 10,011
Belgium: 9,866
Germany: 9,261 — The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) August 8, 2020
Senate speaker Davi Alcolumbre announced four days of mourning in Congress to pay tribute to the country's 100,000-plus virus victims.
The coronavirus outbreak in Brazil is showing no sign of slowing as it enters its sixth month.
The country's first confirmed COVID-19 case was identified in Sao Paulo on February 26, with the first death on March 12, also in the city.
Brazil marked 50,000 deaths a hundred days later, but then doubled that total in just half the time.
Infections have accelerated in recent weeks in the countryside as well as inland regions and areas where the virus was late arriving, particularly the country's south and center-west.
01:06
In southeastern states such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, hardest-hit by the virus in absolute numbers, the situation has stabilized, while the virus' presence has declined in northern regions after reaching catastrophic levels in April and May.
'Arrogance'
At Copacabana beach in Rio, activists from the NGO Rio de Paz released 1,000 red balloons Saturday while standing between 100 black crosses stuck in the sand, in a tribute to Brazilians who have died of coronavirus.
Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro's leftist nemesis, on Twitter denounced "the arrogance of a president who has chosen to describe this cruel virus as a little flu, defying science and even death, and who bears in his soul the responsibility for all the lives lost."
The contagion has cast a harsh light on Brazil's inequalities, with the virus wreaking particular havoc on the country's favelas and hitting black populations especially hard.
The country's indigenous Amazon populations have also been hard hit, with one of Brazil's leading chiefs, 71-year-old Aritana Yawalapiti, dying Wednesday of respiratory complications caused by COVID-19.
Bolsonaro's government, which has been criticized for managing the epidemic in a chaotic fashion, is on its third health minister since the virus reached the country.
The right-wing leader, who tested positive for the virus last month but has since recovered, said Thursday he had "a clear conscience" and had done "everything possible to save lives."
Bolsonaro also called the governors of states that took containment measures which he opposed for economic reasons "dictators."
Brazil resumed its national football championship on Saturday, three months behind schedule.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-08-09--Afghanistan to release 400 'hard-core' Taliban as precondition to peace talks

A soldier walks past a mural with images of US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad ( left ) and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar .
Afghanistan agreed on Sunday to release 400 `` hard-core '' Taliban prisoners , paving the way for the beginning of peace talks aimed at ending more than 19 years of war .
Under election-year pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for a deal allowing him to bring home American troops , the war-torn country 's grand assembly , or Loya Jirga , on Sunday approved the release , a controversial condition raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talks .
`` In order to remove an obstacle , allow the start of the peace process and an end of bloodshed , the Loya Jirga approves the release of 400 Taliban , '' the assembly said in a resolution .
Minutes later , Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said , `` Today , I will sign the release order of these 400 prisoners . ''
Last week Ghani invited some 3,200 Afghan community leaders and politicians to Kabul amid tight security and concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic to advise the government on whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the release , the Afghan government will fulfil its pledge to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners .
Talks between the warring Taliban and government will start in Doha this week , Western diplomats said .
Ghani appealed to the hardline Islamist group to pledge to a complete ceasefire ahead of talks .
Deliberation over the release of last batch of Taliban prisoners , accused of conducting some of the bloodiest attacks across Afghanistan , had triggered outrage among civilians and rights groups who questioned the morality of the peace process .
In 2019 alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or injured in the conflict in Afghanistan , putting total casualties in the past decade over 100,000 , a United Nations report said last year .
Ahead of the Loya Jirga , Human Rights Watch cautioned that many of the prisoners had been jailed under `` overly broad terrorism laws that provide for indefinite preventive detention '' .
Ahead of November U.S. elections , Trump is determined to fulfil a major campaign promise of ending America 's longest war .
The drawdown will bring the number of U.S. troops to `` a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of November , Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview broadcast on Saturday .
In a February pact allowing for the withdrawal of U.S. troops , Washington and the Taliban agreed on the release of the Taliban prisoners as a condition for the talks with Kabul .

Afghanistan agreed on Sunday to release 400 "hard-core" Taliban prisoners, paving the way for the beginning of peace talks aimed at ending more than 19 years of war.
A soldier walks past a mural with images of US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad (left) and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
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Under election-year pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for a deal allowing him to bring home American troops, the war-torn country's grand assembly, or Loya Jirga, on Sunday approved the release, a controversial condition raised by the Taliban militants to join peace talks.
"In order to remove an obstacle, allow the start of the peace process and an end of bloodshed, the Loya Jirga approves the release of 400 Taliban," the assembly said in a resolution.
Minutes later, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said, "Today, I will sign the release order of these 400 prisoners."
Last week Ghani invited some 3,200 Afghan community leaders and politicians to Kabul amid tight security and concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic to advise the government on whether the prisoners should be freed.
With the release, the Afghan government will fulfil its pledge to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners.
Talks between the warring Taliban and government will start in Doha this week, Western diplomats said. Ghani appealed to the hardline Islamist group to pledge to a complete ceasefire ahead of talks.
Deliberation over the release of last batch of Taliban prisoners, accused of conducting some of the bloodiest attacks across Afghanistan, had triggered outrage among civilians and rights groups who questioned the morality of the peace process.
In 2019 alone, more than 10,000 civilians were killed or injured in the conflict in Afghanistan, putting total casualties in the past decade over 100,000, a United Nations report said last year.
Ahead of the Loya Jirga, Human Rights Watch cautioned that many of the prisoners had been jailed under "overly broad terrorism laws that provide for indefinite preventive detention".
Ahead of November U.S. elections, Trump is determined to fulfil a major campaign promise of ending America's longest war.
The drawdown will bring the number of U.S. troops to "a number less than 5,000" by the end of November, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview broadcast on Saturday.
In a February pact allowing for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Washington and the Taliban agreed on the release of the Taliban prisoners as a condition for the talks with Kabul.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-08-09--Nagasaki marks 75th anniversary of atomic bombing

In this September 1945 , file photo , a Japanese man pushes his loaded bicycle down a path that had been cleared of rubble after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki , Japan , on August 9 , 1945 .
The Japanese city of Nagasaki on Sunday commemorated the 75th anniversary of its destruction by a US atomic bomb , with its mayor and the head of the United Nations warning against a nuclear arms race .
Nagasaki was flattened in an atomic inferno three days after Hiroshima -- twin nuclear attacks that rang in the nuclear age and gave Japan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country to be struck by atomic weapons .
Survivors , their relatives and a handful of foreign dignitaries attended a remembrance ceremony in Nagasaki where they called for world peace .
Participants offered a silent prayer at 11:02 am ( 0202 GMT ) , the time the second and last nuclear weapon used in wartime was dropped over the city .
`` The true horror of nuclear weapons has not yet been adequately conveyed to the world at large '' despite decades of effort by survivors telling of their `` hellish experience '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a speech afterwards .
`` If , as with the novel coronavirus -- which we did not fear until it began to spread among our immediate surroundings -- humanity does not become aware of the threat of nuclear weapons until they are used again , we will find ourselves in an irrevocable predicament . ''
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres , in a message read by his undersecretary Izumi Nakamitsu , warned that `` the prospect of nuclear weapons being used intentionally , by accident or miscalculation , is dangerously high . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is in jeopardy ...
This alarming trend must be reversed , '' he said .
The number of participants in this year 's ceremony was reduced to roughly one tenth the figure in previous years due to coronavirus fears , with proceedings broadcast live online in Japanese and English .
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refreshed his pledge that Japan would lead `` the international community 's efforts towards the realisation of a nuclear-free world '' .
Terumi Tanaka , 88 , who was 13 and at his hillside home when the bomb hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white with a flash of light , and the aftermath .
`` I saw many people with terrible burns and wounds evacuating ... people who were already dead in a primary school-turned shelter , '' Tanaka told AFP in a recent interview , saying his two aunts died .
Atomic bomb survivors `` believe that the world must abandon nuclear arms because we never want younger generations to experience the same thing '' , he said .
The remembrance comes as worries linger over the nuclear threat from North Korea and growing tensions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including security and trade .
`` I 'm determined to keep appealing ( to the world ) that Nagasaki must be the last atomic bomb-hit city , '' survivor Shigemi Fukahori , 89 , said at the ceremony .
`` I hope young people will receive this baton of peace and keep running . ''
The US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6 , 1945 , killing around 140,000 people .
The toll includes those who survived the explosion itself but died soon after from radiation exposure .
Three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plutonium bomb on the port city of Nagasaki , killing 74,000 people .
Japan announced its surrender in World War II on August 15 , 1945 .
The United States has never acceded to demands in Japan for an apology for the loss of innocent lives in the atomic bombings , which many Western historians believe were necessary to bring a quick end to the war and avoid a land invasion that could have been even more costly .
Others see the attacks as unnecessary and even experimental atrocities .
Last year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki , paying tribute to the `` unspeakable horror '' suffered by the victims .
In 2016 , Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima .
He offered no apology for the attack but embraced survivors and called for a world free of nuclear weapons .

The Japanese city of Nagasaki on Sunday commemorated the 75th anniversary of its destruction by a US atomic bomb, with its mayor and the head of the United Nations warning against a nuclear arms race.
In this September 1945, file photo, a Japanese man pushes his loaded bicycle down a path that had been cleared of rubble after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945.
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Nagasaki was flattened in an atomic inferno three days after Hiroshima -- twin nuclear attacks that rang in the nuclear age and gave Japan the bleak distinction of being the only country to be struck by atomic weapons.
Survivors, their relatives and a handful of foreign dignitaries attended a remembrance ceremony in Nagasaki where they called for world peace.
Participants offered a silent prayer at 11:02 am (0202 GMT), the time the second and last nuclear weapon used in wartime was dropped over the city.
75 years ago today, a 21-kiloton bomb was dropped over Nagasaki.
This is what it did to the city.
60,000 – 70,000 people were killed.
6.7 km² destroyed.
By 1950, the numbers had risen to 140,000 dead. pic.twitter.com/4CpIYoENyP — ICRC (@ICRC) August 9, 2020
"The true horror of nuclear weapons has not yet been adequately conveyed to the world at large" despite decades of effort by survivors telling of their "hellish experience", Nagasaki mayor Tomihisa Taue said in a speech afterwards.
"If, as with the novel coronavirus -- which we did not fear until it began to spread among our immediate surroundings -- humanity does not become aware of the threat of nuclear weapons until they are used again, we will find ourselves in an irrevocable predicament."
75 since the last atomic bombing, let us remain committed to ensuring Nagasaki is the last place on Earth to suffer such devastation.
The total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only absolute guarantee against their use. — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 9, 2020
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a message read by his undersecretary Izumi Nakamitsu, warned that "the prospect of nuclear weapons being used intentionally, by accident or miscalculation, is dangerously high."
"The historic progress in nuclear disarmament is in jeopardy... This alarming trend must be reversed," he said.
'Nuclear-free world'
The number of participants in this year's ceremony was reduced to roughly one tenth the figure in previous years due to coronavirus fears, with proceedings broadcast live online in Japanese and English.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refreshed his pledge that Japan would lead "the international community's efforts towards the realisation of a nuclear-free world".
Terumi Tanaka, 88, who was 13 and at his hillside home when the bomb hit Nagasaki, remembers the moment everything went white with a flash of light, and the aftermath.
PHOTO OF THE DAY. A clock from #Nagasaki, frozen at the time the atomic bomb dropped #OTD in 1945. pic.twitter.com/XmpUNHbpNZ — Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 9, 2020
"I saw many people with terrible burns and wounds evacuating ... people who were already dead in a primary school-turned shelter," Tanaka told AFP in a recent interview, saying his two aunts died.
Atomic bomb survivors "believe that the world must abandon nuclear arms because we never want younger generations to experience the same thing", he said.
The remembrance comes as worries linger over the nuclear threat from North Korea and growing tensions between the US and China over issues including security and trade.
"I'm determined to keep appealing (to the world) that Nagasaki must be the last atomic bomb-hit city," survivor Shigemi Fukahori, 89, said at the ceremony.
"I hope young people will receive this baton of peace and keep running."
The US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killing around 140,000 people. The toll includes those who survived the explosion itself but died soon after from radiation exposure.
Three days later, the US dropped a plutonium bomb on the port city of Nagasaki, killing 74,000 people.
On this day in 1945, the U.S. drops a second atom bomb on Japan. The 21-kiloton weapon explodes over Nagasaki at 11:02 am local time. pic.twitter.com/tgGWK6HVCz — Military History Now (@MilHistNow) August 9, 2020
Japan announced its surrender in World War II on August 15, 1945.
The United States has never acceded to demands in Japan for an apology for the loss of innocent lives in the atomic bombings, which many Western historians believe were necessary to bring a quick end to the war and avoid a land invasion that could have been even more costly.
Others see the attacks as unnecessary and even experimental atrocities.
Last year, Pope Francis met with several survivors on visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, paying tribute to the "unspeakable horror" suffered by the victims.
In 2016, Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima. He offered no apology for the attack but embraced survivors and called for a world free of nuclear weapons.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-08-09--Europe swelters under a heatwave complicated by Covid-19 restrictions

Boating in Paris offers some respite from the heat .
Sun-seekers flocked to beaches over the weekend as parts of Western Europe sweltered in a heatwave , but authorities urged people to avoid crowded areas and keep wearing masks despite the heat over concern for the rising numbers of coronavirus cases across the continent .
A day after Britain recorded its hottest August day in 17 years at 36.4° Celsius ( 97.5° Fahrenheit ) much of its southern coastline was packed with visitors , many of whom had been forced to abandon more exciting foreign holidays because of Covid-19 travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a seven-mile golden stretch of beach , warned that most of the beach was so busy that `` safe social distancing is not possible '' and urged people to stay away .
There was a similar story across other parts of Europe , where many residents endured weeks of lockdown earlier this year .
Crowds of Germans also headed for the coast on Saturday , but local authorities warned residents that some beaches and lakes would be closed if there are too many people .
Police in the capital Berlin told residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beach at Prenzlau lake in Brandenburg state was turning people away .
`` First time I 've experienced that in 30 years , '' said the manager of the Prenzlau site , Ronny Klein .
France has also been sweltering through a heatwave since Thursday , with temperatures pushing towards 40°C ( 104°F ) in several areas .
In the southwest , Brive-la-Gaillarde broke its own record with temperatures of 40.8°C on Friday as did Cognac with 39.8°C while Nantes posted a new all-time record of 39.6°C .
No relief is expected until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pressure as the country 's coronavirus outbreak worsens , the number of daily infections hitting 2,288 on Friday .
Authorities reminded sweltering citizens that masks must continue to be worn where they have been mandated , despite the heat , with a new mask rule for crowded areas even outdoors set to come into effect in Paris on Monday .
Last year was France 's hottest on record .
Researchers warned this week that climate change would likely bring more hot weather to Europe .
A drought that affected more than half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 and 2019 was `` unprecedented in the last 250 years '' , according to a study published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports .
It predicted that if greenhouse gas emissions continue their inexorable rise , the number of extreme two-year droughts will increase sevenfold in Europe in the second half of this century .

Sun-seekers flocked to beaches over the weekend as parts of Western Europe sweltered in a heatwave, but authorities urged people to avoid crowded areas and keep wearing masks despite the heat over concern for the rising numbers of coronavirus cases across the continent.
Boating in Paris offers some respite from the heat.
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A day after Britain recorded its hottest August day in 17 years at 36.4° Celsius (97.5° Fahrenheit) much of its southern coastline was packed with visitors, many of whom had been forced to abandon more exciting foreign holidays because of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Authorities in Bournemouth, home to a seven-mile golden stretch of beach, warned that most of the beach was so busy that "safe social distancing is not possible" and urged people to stay away.
There was a similar story across other parts of Europe, where many residents endured weeks of lockdown earlier this year.
Crowds of Germans also headed for the coast on Saturday, but local authorities warned residents that some beaches and lakes would be closed if there are too many people.
Police in the capital Berlin told residents to avoid popular lake Mueggelsee while the beach at Prenzlau lake in Brandenburg state was turning people away.
"First time I've experienced that in 30 years," said the manager of the Prenzlau site, Ronny Klein.
France has also been sweltering through a heatwave since Thursday, with temperatures pushing towards 40°C (104°F) in several areas.
In the southwest, Brive-la-Gaillarde broke its own record with temperatures of 40.8°C on Friday as did Cognac with 39.8°C while Nantes posted a new all-time record of 39.6°C.
No relief is expected until Wednesday, with the soaring temperatures compounding the pressure as the country's coronavirus outbreak worsens, the number of daily infections hitting 2,288 on Friday.
Authorities reminded sweltering citizens that masks must continue to be worn where they have been mandated, despite the heat, with a new mask rule for crowded areas even outdoors set to come into effect in Paris on Monday.
Last year was France's hottest on record.
Researchers warned this week that climate change would likely bring more hot weather to Europe.
A drought that affected more than half of central Europe during the summers of 2018 and 2019 was "unprecedented in the last 250 years", according to a study published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.
It predicted that if greenhouse gas emissions continue their inexorable rise, the number of extreme two-year droughts will increase sevenfold in Europe in the second half of this century.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-08-09--Trump signs executive orders extending financial relief for Americans amid pandemic

President Donald Trump signs executive orders extending coronavirus economic relief during a news conference at his golf club in Bedminster , New Jersey , on August 8 , 2020 President Donald Trump on Saturday signed executive actions extending financial relief to Americans hit by the coronavirus pandemic as polls showed a large majority of voters unhappy with his handling of the crisis .
The four measures marked a presidential show of strength after Trump 's Republican party and White House team failed to agree with opposition Democrats in Congress on a new stimulus package aimed at stopping vulnerable Americans from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've had it and we 're going to save American jobs and provide relief to the American workers , '' Trump said at a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster , New Jersey , where he was spending the weekend .
With double digit unemployment , disruption to businesses from social distancing rules , and persistent coronavirus spread , many Americans had been relying on relief measures approved earlier by Congress , but which mostly expired in July .
Trump said his decision to circumvent Congress with executive actions would mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' In reality , his measures are likely to face court challenges because Congress controls federal spending , and in any case they may add up to less money than initially appears .
For Trump , lagging badly in the polls against his Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the November 3 presidential election , the orders were partly about showing he is in charge .
He turned the signing ceremony in the ballroom of the golf club into an assault on his opponents and threw in several false claims about his accomplishments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members invited to watch the event , Trump insulted the Democratic `` crazy '' leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi , denounced Biden as `` far left , '' and claimed that Democrats want to `` steal the election . ''
`` They are just another cynical ploy designed to deflect responsibility , '' Biden said , adding that Americans need a `` real leader '' who would work to hammer out a deal with lawmakers .
One key Trump order promises to get $ 400 a week added to Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer some protection from evictions and relief for student loans .
The $ 400 assistance is below the $ 600 offered in the expired stimulus package .
It may also end up amounting only to $ 300 extra a week , because Trump said $ 100 would be provided from state , not federal , budgets -- and only if states were willing or able to do so .
A fourth measure -- opposed by many Republicans as well as Democrats -- ordered a freeze in payroll taxes .
This makes a big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deferral , rather than a cut in the tax .
`` Today 's meager announcements show President Trump still does not comprehend the seriousness or the urgency of the health and economic crises facing working families , '' Pelosi said on Twitter Saturday .
`` These policies provide little real help for families . ''
Democrats , Republicans and White House negotiators had worked all last week without coming close to a deal on an overall congressional relief bill for those struggling to make ends meet in the world 's richest economy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 trillion stimulus package aimed at propping up the economy , repairing the tattered postal system in time for the presidential election and giving the unemployed an extra $ 600 a week .
Democrats later announced they could drop the price tag but refused the Republicans ' offer of a $ 1 trillion package .

President Donald Trump on Saturday signed executive actions extending financial relief to Americans hit by the coronavirus pandemic as polls showed a large majority of voters unhappy with his handling of the crisis.
President Donald Trump signs executive orders extending coronavirus economic relief during a news conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on August 8, 2020
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The four measures marked a presidential show of strength after Trump's Republican party and White House team failed to agree with opposition Democrats in Congress on a new stimulus package aimed at stopping vulnerable Americans from falling through the cracks.
"We've had it and we're going to save American jobs and provide relief to the American workers," Trump said at a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he was spending the weekend.
President @realDonaldTrump's first executive order today provides a payroll tax holiday to Americans earning less than $100,000 per year. pic.twitter.com/0VQGowNmx2 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 8, 2020
With double digit unemployment, disruption to businesses from social distancing rules, and persistent coronavirus spread, many Americans had been relying on relief measures approved earlier by Congress, but which mostly expired in July.
Trump said his decision to circumvent Congress with executive actions would mean relief money getting "rapidly distributed."
In reality, his measures are likely to face court challenges because Congress controls federal spending, and in any case they may add up to less money than initially appears.
For Trump, lagging badly in the polls against his Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the November 3 presidential election, the orders were partly about showing he is in charge.
He turned the signing ceremony in the ballroom of the golf club into an assault on his opponents and threw in several false claims about his accomplishments in office.
Instead of putting in the work to solve Americans’ problems, Pres. Trump chose to stay on his golf course to announce unworkable, weak & narrow policy announcements to slash the unemployment benefits that millions desperately need and endanger seniors’ Social Security & Medicare pic.twitter.com/QNwu3HEcbi — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 9, 2020
To cheers from club members invited to watch the event, Trump insulted the Democratic "crazy" leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, denounced Biden as "far left," and claimed that Democrats want to "steal the election."
Biden called Trump's orders Saturday "a series of half-baked measures."
"They are just another cynical ploy designed to deflect responsibility," Biden said, adding that Americans need a "real leader" who would work to hammer out a deal with lawmakers.
Haggling in Congress
One key Trump order promises to get $400 a week added to Americans' unemployment benefits, while two others offer some protection from evictions and relief for student loans.
The $400 assistance is below the $600 offered in the expired stimulus package. It may also end up amounting only to $300 extra a week, because Trump said $100 would be provided from state, not federal, budgets -- and only if states were willing or able to do so.
A fourth measure -- opposed by many Republicans as well as Democrats -- ordered a freeze in payroll taxes. This makes a big headline for Trump but is only a deferral, rather than a cut in the tax.
Today’s meager announcements show President Trump still does not comprehend the seriousness or the urgency of the health and economic crises facing working families. These policies provide little real help for families. — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 8, 2020
"Today's meager announcements show President Trump still does not comprehend the seriousness or the urgency of the health and economic crises facing working families," Pelosi said on Twitter Saturday. "These policies provide little real help for families."
Democrats, Republicans and White House negotiators had worked all last week without coming close to a deal on an overall congressional relief bill for those struggling to make ends meet in the world's richest economy.
Democrats pushed for a massive new $3 trillion stimulus package aimed at propping up the economy, repairing the tattered postal system in time for the presidential election and giving the unemployed an extra $600 a week.
Democrats later announced they could drop the price tag but refused the Republicans' offer of a $1 trillion package.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-08-08--Paris makes masks compulsory in busy outdoors areas from Monday

People wearing protective masks walk near the Louvre Museum as France reinforces mask-wearing as part of efforts to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) across the country , in Paris , France August 6 , 2020 .
Paris authorities have announced that face masks will be mandatory in busy outdoor areas of the French capital starting on Monday to curb a rise in the rate of coronavirus infections .
The order applies to people aged 11 and over , the Paris prefecture said in a statement , adding that indicators showed the virus had begun circulating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be worn along the banks of the River Seine and along the Canal St Martin as well as in open-air markets and other places where social distancing is difficult .
This order will remain in place for one month , the prefecture said .
The rate of positive tests in the greater Paris region now stands at 2.4 % compared with a national average of 1.6 % , it said .
The zones where masks must be worn will be detailed separately , and evaluated on a regular basis , the prefecture said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas in the capital 's lower-income suburbs .
After tough lockdown measures slowed infection rates , many European countries are now watching new clusters flare up after easing restrictions to try to limit the economic damage and alleviate public frustration .
France has made it compulsory to wear a face mask in closed public spaces such as shops and banks since July 21 , and Paris joins a growing list of cities ordering people to wear masks in busy zones outdoors including Toulouse , Lille and Biarritz .
The number of people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Friday , a new post-lockdown high .

Paris authorities have announced that face masks will be mandatory in busy outdoor areas of the French capital starting on Monday to curb a rise in the rate of coronavirus infections.
People wearing protective masks walk near the Louvre Museum as France reinforces mask-wearing as part of efforts to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) across the country, in Paris, France August 6, 2020.
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The order applies to people aged 11 and over, the Paris prefecture said in a statement, adding that indicators showed the virus had begun circulating more widely since mid-July.
Masks must be worn along the banks of the River Seine and along the Canal St Martin as well as in open-air markets and other places where social distancing is difficult. This order will remain in place for one month, the prefecture said.
The rate of positive tests in the greater Paris region now stands at 2.4% compared with a national average of 1.6%, it said.
The zones where masks must be worn will be detailed separately, and evaluated on a regular basis, the prefecture said. They will include some densely populated areas in the capital's lower-income suburbs.
After tough lockdown measures slowed infection rates, many European countries are now watching new clusters flare up after easing restrictions to try to limit the economic damage and alleviate public frustration.
France has made it compulsory to wear a face mask in closed public spaces such as shops and banks since July 21, and Paris joins a growing list of cities ordering people to wear masks in busy zones outdoors including Toulouse, Lille and Biarritz.
The number of people in France infected with coronavirus rose by 2,288 on Friday, a new post-lockdown high.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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