france24--2020-07-06--French firm accused of selling deadly diet pill faces millions in fines as trial ends

French lawyer Martine Verdier ( L ) uses tissue after washing her hands with hydroalcoholic gel next to French pulmonologist Irene Frachon ( R ) , at Paris ' courthouse on June 9 , 2020 , prior to a hearing of the trial of France 's medicines watchdog and pharmaceutical firm Servier on fraud and negligence charges linked to the deaths of hundreds of people who were prescribed a diabetes pill for weight loss despite safety concerns .
Accused of favoring profits over patients ’ lives , French pharmaceutical company Servier Laboratories is facing millions of euros in potential fines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6,500 plaintiffs who say the company allowed a diabetes drug to be widely and irresponsibly prescribed as a diet pill — with deadly consequences .
The popular drug , called Mediator , became one of France ’ s biggest modern health scandals , and the trial is wrapping up Monday after more than six months of proceedings targeting both Servier and France ’ s medicines watchdog .
Servier says it didn ’ t know about the drug ’ s risks .
The trial was interrupted by another health crisis : the coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities and of drugs being rushed out as treatments or vaccines .
In the 33 years that Mediator was on the market , it was suspected in 1,000-2,000 deaths among millions who took it as an appetite suppressant , according to a 2010 study .
Doctors linked it to heart and lung problems .
One doctor flagged concerns as far back as 1998 , and testified that he was bullied into retracting them .
Facing questions about the drug 's side effects from medical authorities in Switzerland , Spain and Italy , Servier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 2004 .
But it took an independent investigation by another worried French doctor before the company suspended sales in its main market in France in 2009 .
It was n't sold in the U.S. “ There are men and women who put a deadly poison on the market , ” the whistleblower , Dr. Irene Frachon , told the court .
She published a book detailing her findings , and her efforts were profiled in a 2016 film , “ The Girl from Brest.
” Servier is accused of manslaughter , involuntary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other charges .
Investigating magistrates concluded that Servier for decades covered up Mediator ’ s effects on patients .
The national medicines agency is suspected of colluding in masking its dangers .
Lawyers for Servier argued that the company was n't aware of the risks associated with Mediator before 2009 , and said the company never pretended it was a diet pill .
They argued for acquittal .
Prosecutors asked last week for nearly 15 million euros ( around $ 16.9 million ) in fines for Servier , and a three-year prison sentence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Servier executive accused of involvement , Dr. Jean-Philippe Seta .
In addition , the 6,500 plaintiffs want a total of 1 billion euros in damages .
Lisa Boussinot , whose mother died after taking Mediator , wants more — she wants the company ’ s labs shut down .
She said she wants a strong signal “ that shows that our justice system protects us '' from powerful companies that do n't brook criticism .
Prosecutor Anne Le Guilcher asked for a fine of 200,000 euros against the French medicines agency , accusing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect patients and of being too close to Servier .
The agency , since reformed and renamed , is accused of manslaughter by negligence and causing unintentional harm .
The agency 's lawyers said it acknowledged some responsibility but said Servier misled medical authorities .
Also on trial are 12 representatives of the pharma giant and the medicines agency .
“ Patient safety was not at the heart of Servier ’ s policy , ” the prosecutor told the court last week , saying the drug should have been withdrawn in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interested in money.
” The central witness in the extensive trial was Frachon , a pulmonologist in the western city of Brest who investigated Mediator 's effects after treating an obese patient in 2007 who later died .
“ What I did was not a scientific feat , it was just a clinical trial .
As I did not have the correct information from Servier , I turned into an investigator , “ Frachon said .
She maintains that Servier knew about problems with the drug since 1993 .
After she spoke out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the drug agency experts said to me , you ’ re going to pay for this .
He wanted to punish me ... Servier ’ s pressure was omnipresent .
I become persona non-grata in many scientific events.
” She wasn ’ t the first to ask questions about Mediator .
In 1998 , Dr. Georges Chiche , a cardiologist in Marseille , received an overweight colleague with heart problems who had been prescribing himself Mediator for weight loss .
Chiche filed a report expressing his concerns , and testified that two people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Then , Chiche told the court , a former professor told him the same thing , calling his report shoddy “ nonsense.
” “ After that , I didn ’ t report again , ” he said .
He later learned that his former professor had organized jazz festivals paid for by Servier .
The company 's CEO and founder , Jacques Servier , was indicted early in the legal process but died in 2014 .
The exceptional trial was spread across five rooms at the Paris courthouse , connected by video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working the case .
It ’ s expected to take several months to reach a verdict , expected early next year .

Accused of favoring profits over patients’ lives, French pharmaceutical company Servier Laboratories is facing millions of euros in potential fines and damages after a huge trial involving 6,500 plaintiffs who say the company allowed a diabetes drug to be widely and irresponsibly prescribed as a diet pill — with deadly consequences.
French lawyer Martine Verdier (L) uses tissue after washing her hands with hydroalcoholic gel next to French pulmonologist Irene Frachon (R), at Paris' courthouse on June 9, 2020, prior to a hearing of the trial of France's medicines watchdog and pharmaceutical firm Servier on fraud and negligence charges linked to the deaths of hundreds of people who were prescribed a diabetes pill for weight loss despite safety concerns.
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The popular drug, called Mediator, became one of France’s biggest modern health scandals, and the trial is wrapping up Monday after more than six months of proceedings targeting both Servier and France’s medicines watchdog. Servier says it didn’t know about the drug’s risks.
The trial was interrupted by another health crisis: the coronavirus, which has prompted new scrutiny of health authorities and of drugs being rushed out as treatments or vaccines.
In the 33 years that Mediator was on the market, it was suspected in 1,000-2,000 deaths among millions who took it as an appetite suppressant, according to a 2010 study. Doctors linked it to heart and lung problems.
One doctor flagged concerns as far back as 1998, and testified that he was bullied into retracting them. Facing questions about the drug's side effects from medical authorities in Switzerland, Spain and Italy, Servier withdrew it from those markets between 1997 and 2004.
But it took an independent investigation by another worried French doctor before the company suspended sales in its main market in France in 2009. It wasn't sold in the U.S.
'Deadly poison'
“There are men and women who put a deadly poison on the market,” the whistleblower, Dr. Irene Frachon, told the court. She published a book detailing her findings, and her efforts were profiled in a 2016 film, “The Girl from Brest.”
Servier is accused of manslaughter, involuntary injury, fraud, influence trading and other charges. Investigating magistrates concluded that Servier for decades covered up Mediator’s effects on patients. The national medicines agency is suspected of colluding in masking its dangers.
Lawyers for Servier argued that the company wasn't aware of the risks associated with Mediator before 2009, and said the company never pretended it was a diet pill. They argued for acquittal.
Prosecutors asked last week for nearly 15 million euros (around $16.9 million) in fines for Servier, and a three-year prison sentence and 278,000-euro fine for the only surviving Servier executive accused of involvement, Dr. Jean-Philippe Seta.
In addition, the 6,500 plaintiffs want a total of 1 billion euros in damages.
Lisa Boussinot, whose mother died after taking Mediator, wants more — she wants the company’s labs shut down. She said she wants a strong signal “that shows that our justice system protects us" from powerful companies that don't brook criticism.
Prosecutor Anne Le Guilcher asked for a fine of 200,000 euros against the French medicines agency, accusing it of failing to take adequate measures to protect patients and of being too close to Servier.
The agency, since reformed and renamed, is accused of manslaughter by negligence and causing unintentional harm. The agency's lawyers said it acknowledged some responsibility but said Servier misled medical authorities.
Also on trial are 12 representatives of the pharma giant and the medicines agency.
“Patient safety was not at the heart of Servier’s policy,” the prosecutor told the court last week, saying the drug should have been withdrawn in the 1990s. “The firm was only interested in money.”
The central witness in the extensive trial was Frachon, a pulmonologist in the western city of Brest who investigated Mediator's effects after treating an obese patient in 2007 who later died.
“What I did was not a scientific feat, it was just a clinical trial. As I did not have the correct information from Servier, I turned into an investigator, “ Frachon said. She maintains that Servier knew about problems with the drug since 1993.
After she spoke out, she said, “One of the drug agency experts said to me, you’re going to pay for this. He wanted to punish me ... Servier’s pressure was omnipresent. I become persona non-grata in many scientific events.”
She wasn’t the first to ask questions about Mediator.
In 1998, Dr. Georges Chiche, a cardiologist in Marseille, received an overweight colleague with heart problems who had been prescribing himself Mediator for weight loss.
Chiche filed a report expressing his concerns, and testified that two people from Servier pressured him to withdraw it. Then, Chiche told the court, a former professor told him the same thing, calling his report shoddy “nonsense.”
“After that, I didn’t report again,” he said.
He later learned that his former professor had organized jazz festivals paid for by Servier.
The company's CEO and founder, Jacques Servier, was indicted early in the legal process but died in 2014.
The exceptional trial was spread across five rooms at the Paris courthouse, connected by video link, and nearly 400 lawyers were working the case.
It’s expected to take several months to reach a verdict, expected early next year.
(AP)
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france24--2020-07-06--Climate change blamed for surge in India's deadly lightning strikes

Lightning strikes have killed 147 people in the last ten days in the north Indian state of Bihar local authorities said Sunday July 5 , 2020 .
Lightning strikes have killed 147 people in just ten days in the north Indian state of Bihar , local authorities said Sunday , an unprecedented surge in deaths caused by lightning that has been blamed on climate change .
The latest deaths bring the number of those killed by lightning in the state to around 215 since late March , already surpassing the total number of deaths for the whole of last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the monsoon season but the season in Bihar , which typically runs from June to September , has only just begun and authorities have warned of more thunderstorms to come .
The deadly trend has been blamed on rising temperatures caused by climate change .
Elevated heat and excessive moisture are causing large-scale instability in the atmosphere , fuelling thunder and lightning storms , Bihar agrometeorologist Abdus Sattar told AFP .
The last decade was the hottest on record in India , with temperatures averaging 0.36 degrees above normal .
The rising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heatwaves followed by delayed but more intense monsoons .
A report last year from India ’ s Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council warned the changing weather patterns are making deadly lightning strikes “ the new normal ” in many parts of the country .

Lightning strikes have killed 147 people in just ten days in the north Indian state of Bihar, local authorities said Sunday, an unprecedented surge in deaths caused by lightning that has been blamed on climate change.
Lightning strikes have killed 147 people in the last ten days in the north Indian state of Bihar local authorities said Sunday July 5, 2020.
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The latest deaths bring the number of those killed by lightning in the state to around 215 since late March, already surpassing the total number of deaths for the whole of last year.
Lightning strikes are common in India during the monsoon season but the season in Bihar, which typically runs from June to September, has only just begun and authorities have warned of more thunderstorms to come.
The deadly trend has been blamed on rising temperatures caused by climate change.
Elevated heat and excessive moisture are causing large-scale instability in the atmosphere, fuelling thunder and lightning storms, Bihar agrometeorologist Abdus Sattar told AFP.
The last decade was the hottest on record in India, with temperatures averaging 0.36 degrees above normal. The rising temperatures have been linked to increasingly frequent heatwaves followed by delayed but more intense monsoons.
A report last year from India’s Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council warned the changing weather patterns are making deadly lightning strikes “the new normal” in many parts of the country.
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france24--2020-07-06--Lockdown in Colombia leads to spike in domestic violence

This video was posted online on June 27 .
This video was posted online on June 23 .
The first video shows a man entering a home and dragging a woman out by her hair and then , still gripping her hair , spinning her around him several times , her back on the ground .
You can hear the woman screaming .
When she eventually gets up , starts to hit her .
The video was filmed in Puerto Wilches , in the northern Colombian department of Santander , and was posted online on June 27.People were shocked by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also expressed anger that the person filming the scene did not intervene .
A few days later , local authorities announced that the man in the video had been jailed and that he had had previous domestic violence convictions.A few days before the video emerged , another video showing domestic violence circulated widely on social media in Colombia .
This video , filmed in Pueblo Bello in the northern Colombian department of Cesar , shows a man sitting on the side of the road next to a parked car , holding a struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney general opened an investigation after the video was posted online and the authorities later said the man , a radio journalist , had been detained .
According to a local media outlet , the woman was in a relationship with her abuser and did not want to speak out against him .
But the police arrested him based on testimony by friends and family , the video and a photo of the woman with an injury to her face.Most domestic violence is not caught on camera , but such incidents have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into lockdown on March 25 in an attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19.On June 26 , Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez said that calls to a special hotline ( 155 ) for victims of domestic violence were up 150 percent from the same period last year .
Ramírez added that calls reporting domestic violence to the traditional emergency number ( 123 , for police , fire department , etc . )
also increased by about 39 percent during lockdown.However , the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal reported that at least 8,972 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence and 164 were killed between March 25 and June 23 , 2020 , which represents a decrease from the same period last year .
But a close analysis of these numbers reveals a gradual increase in reports of violence in the weeks following lockdown .
For example , statistics show that at least 1,241 women were victims of domestic violence during the first month of lockdown but that the number rose to 1,859 the next month .

COLOMBIA
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Across Colombia people reacted in horror to two videos that circulated widely on social media in June, showing men violently abusing women. But the videos were just the tip of the iceberg: Statistics show an increase in domestic violence since the country went into lockdown, making it even harder for women to escape or report abuse.
The first video shows a man entering a home and dragging a woman out by her hair and then, still gripping her hair, spinning her around him several times, her back on the ground. You can hear the woman screaming. When she eventually gets up, he starts to hit her. The video was filmed in Puerto Wilches, in the northern Colombian department of Santander, and was posted online on June 27.
No sé cómo y por qué pasan estas cosas. Qué Ira ????
Esto fue en Santander. pic.twitter.com/p7oIl7THAo La Paz, Dijo Colombianito.???? ???????? ???? (@LaPazColombiani) June 27, 2020
This video was posted online on June 27.
People were shocked by the abuser’s violence. They also expressed anger that the person filming the scene did not intervene. A few days later, local authorities announced that the man in the video had been jailed and that he had had previous domestic violence convictions.
A few days before the video emerged, another video showing domestic violence circulated widely on social media in Colombia. This video, filmed in Pueblo Bello in the northern Colombian department of Cesar, shows a man sitting on the side of the road next to a parked car, holding a struggling woman across his knees.
???????????????????? ????????????????????????????????
Autoridades en Pueblo Bello, - Cesar ayuden a esta mujer victima de su marido, quien es un locutor de radio Edgardo José Carreño Pavajeau de esta región. @gobcesar @FiscaliaCol @DefensoriaCol @SismaMujer #NoMasFeminicidios pic.twitter.com/d4LXpfaYE3 Fiallo-Arake Nancy ???????????????????????????????????????????????? (@NancyFiallo) June 23, 2020
This video was posted online on June 23.
The office of the attorney general opened an investigation after the video was posted online and the authorities later said the man, a radio journalist, had been detained. According to a local media outlet, the woman was in a relationship with her abuser and did not want to speak out against him. But the police arrested him based on testimony by family, the video and a photo of the woman with an injury to her face.
Increase in reports of domestic violence
Most domestic violence is not caught on camera, but such incidents have been on the rise since the country went into lockdown on March 25 in an attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19.
On June 26, Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez said that calls to a special hotline (155) for victims of domestic violence were up 150 percent from the same period last year. Ramírez added that calls reporting domestic violence to the traditional emergency number (123, for police, fire department, etc.) also increased by about 39 percent during lockdown.
However, the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal reported that at least 8,972 women were victims of domestic or sexual violence and 164 were killed between March 25 and June 23, 2020, which represents a decrease from the same period last year. But a close analysis of these numbers reveals a gradual increase in reports of violence in the weeks following lockdown. For example, statistics show that at least 1,241 women were victims of domestic violence during the first month of lockdown but that the number rose to 1,859 the next month.
"Incidents of violence against women during lockdown have been vastly underreported”
Carlos Fernando Galván Becerra works at the Organización Feminina Popular , a women’s rights organization based in Magdalena, northern Colombia.
We think that incidents of violence against women during the pandemic have been vastly underreported, firstly, because many women don’t report their abusers, especially because lockdown makes this process even more complicated than usual, even though lockdown restrictions have been loosened these past few weeks. Lockdown makes it more difficult for women to leave the house. And while women can theoretically report domestic violence online or by calling a special number, this is not always possible. Many homes in Colombia don’t have internet access. And it isn’t easy to make a phone call reporting abuse if you live under the same roof with your abuser. Moreover, if a woman lives with her abuser and she has to return to the home after reporting him, there is the risk that he might become even more violent if he finds out. This is especially dangerous because when women report domestic violence, institutions rarely respond immediately. There are also very few shelters where women can go stay. "With Covid-19, help for victims of domestic violence is not really a priority" This increase in violence can be explained by the fact that confinement can cause immense stress. Aside from physical violence, we’ve also recorded an increase in psychological violence. Right now, the authorities are focused on the fight against Covid-19, so help for victims of domestic violence is not really a priority. Not to mention that there is historic, structural violence against women in Colombia.
In early May, an initiative called #ElTrapoAvisa (#ClothAlert) was launched to encourage victims of domestic violence to hang up a black piece of cloth in their window to indicate that they need help.
A similar initiative encouraged families who were going hungry to hang a piece of red cloth in their window to indicate that they needed food.
>> READ ON THE OBSERVERS: Out of work and hungry, Colombians protest during Covid-19 lockdown
In late June, the Colombian vice president announced that new measures would be introduced to fight the epidemic of violence against women. Colombian women’s rights organizations have consistently highlighted major failures in terms of prevention, care for victims and the response of the judicial system to these matters.
Article by Chloé Lauvergnier.


france24--2020-07-07--Star lawyer Dupond-Moretti named justice minister in French reshuffle surprise

French President Emmanuel Macron and his new prime minister , Jean Castex , named a new government on Monday evening that might not have been long on surprises .
But the appointment of leading criminal defence lawyer Éric Dupond-Moretti , a dreaded figure in French courtrooms , to head the justice ministry was assuredly chief among them .
The 59-year-old Dupond-Moretti is no stranger to the spotlight .
Known for his outspokenness , as well as a certain venomous hostility towards judges , the star counsel is nicknamed the `` Acquittator '' — a portmanteau of Acquittal and Terminator — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He replaces Socialist jurist Nicole Belloubet in the job .
Dupond-Moretti has featured in many of the highest profile trials in recent years .
He defended politicians Patrick Balkany and Jérôme Cahuzac in their tax fraud cases .
In 2017 , he took on the controversial defence of Abdelkader Merah , the brother of Toulouse terrorist Mohamed Merah .
`` It is the most difficult trial of my career , '' Dupond-Moretti said at the time .
`` I got a right bollocking , I was insulted .
People said I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened my children . ''
But it was `` an honour for me '' to defend him , he said .
The lawyer also explained that his task was n't morals but the law and said he could have defended `` Hitler as a person '' if he had asked him , but `` on the condition of not justifying Nazi ideology '' .
Dupond-Moretti began his career in Douai , northern France , in 1984 .
Over the course of more than 30 years in the courtroom , he has won more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Acquittator mantle .
He defended baker Roselyne Godard in the notorious Outreau child sex abuse case , university professor Jacques Viguier who was accused of killing his wife , and Jean Castela , accused of ordering the killing of Claude Érignac , the highest-ranking representative of the French state in Corsica , successfully obtaining acquittals in each case .
Famously , Dupond-Moretti does n't pull punches in the courtroom .
He makes use of his imposing physical stature at trial to put pressure on witnesses for the prosecution .
During extremely tense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the defence .
Naming the star lawyer to head the justice ministry , on the Place Vendôme in the heart of Paris , comes as a surprise not least in light of the hardline stances Dupond-Moretti has taken against judges in France .
Politically , he had until now always been considered left-leaning and had backed , at least in private , Socialist Party leader Martine Aubry for the party 's nomination ahead of the 2012 presidential election .
Dupond-Moretti , whose partner is Canadian pop star Isabelle Boulay , had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning radio for Europe 1 in the fall .
`` This nomination is a soothing gesture towards lawyers , '' Christiane Féral-Schuhl , president of the National Bar Council , told AFP .
`` Lawyers expect strong political measures , a minister who supports them , who knows what it is to be a lawyer .
Éric Dupond-Moretti incarnates that , '' added Féral-Schuhl , whose organisation represents 70,000 French lawyers .
`` Ever since Robert Badinter [ the widely respected figure who shepherded the end of capital punishment in France ] , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice minister , '' noted Estellia Araez , president of the left-leaning Lawyer 's Union of France ( SAF ) .
`` It is auspicious that a colleague that has always defended liberties , the spoken word , the place of lawyers at trial and who took part in the battle against the pension reform be named minister of justice , '' she added .
Judges , however , appear less keen .
Lucille Rouet , who heads the left-leaning Magistrature Union ( SM ) , said she `` wonders about this signal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little with regard to his most recent remarks about the PNF [ national prosecution service specialised in financial crime ] and about certain judges , '' the judge said , saying she hopes Dupond-Moretti will `` have his heart set on reconciling judicial actors '' , lawyers and judges , in his new post .
Indeed , the naming of such a strong personality to head the justice ministry comes after Dupond-Moretti filed a legal complaint in the wake of revelations over secret wiretapping by the national financial crime prosecution office .
Late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crimes prosecutors ' office of acting like `` spooks '' spying on him by going through his and other lawyers ' telephone records to identify a so-called mole in a wiretapping scandal .
He also denounced judges ' power and called for sweeping consultations on the justice system .

French President Emmanuel Macron and his new prime minister, Jean Castex, named a new government on Monday evening that might not have been long on surprises. But the appointment of leading criminal defence lawyer Éric Dupond-Moretti, a dreaded figure in French courtrooms, to head the justice ministry was assuredly chief among them.
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The 59-year-old Dupond-Moretti is no stranger to the spotlight. Known for his outspokenness, as well as a certain venomous hostility towards judges, the star counsel is nicknamed the "Acquittator" — a portmanteau of Acquittal and Terminator — for his impressive record in defending clients. He replaces Socialist jurist Nicole Belloubet in the job.
Dupond-Moretti has featured in many of the highest profile trials in recent years. He defended politicians Patrick Balkany and Jérôme Cahuzac in their tax fraud cases. In 2017, he took on the controversial defence of Abdelkader Merah, the brother of Toulouse terrorist Mohamed Merah. Merah killed three French paratroopers and then three children and a rabbi at a Jewish school in the Toulouse region in 2012 before dying in a police raid. His brother was accused of terrorism-related offences for inspiring and aiding his brother and subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison.
"It is the most difficult trial of my career," Dupond-Moretti said at the time. "I got a right bollocking, I was insulted. People said I was a shame to my profession. People threatened my children." But it was "an honour for me" to defend him, he said.
The lawyer explained that his responsibility was not to uphold morality but only the law, adding that he could have even defended "Hitler as a person" if he had been asked, although "on the condition of not justifying Nazi ideology".
Earlier this year, Dupond-Moretti joined WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's international defence team.
Unstoppable force
Dupond-Moretti began his career in Douai, northern France, in 1984. Over the course of more than 30 years in the courtroom he has won more than 120 acquittals for clients. Among his clients were Roselyne Godard, one of the accused in the notorious Outreau child sex abuse case; university professor Jacques Viguier, who was accused of killing his wife; and Jean Castela, accused of ordering the killing of Claude Érignac, the highest-ranking representative of the French state in Corsica — successfully obtaining acquittals in each case.
Dupond-Moretti is known for not pulling punches in the courtroom. He makes use of his imposing physical stature at trial to pressure witnesses for the prosecution.
Naming him to head the justice ministry on the Place Vendôme in the heart of Paris comes as a surprise, not least in light of the hardline stances Dupond-Moretti has taken against judges in France. Politically he had always been considered left-leaning and had backed, at least in private, then Socialist Party leader Martine Aubry for the party's nomination ahead of the 2012 presidential election. Dupond-Moretti, whose partner is Canadian pop star Isabelle Boulay, had been slated to begin an opinion segment on morning radio for Europe 1 in the fall.
Lawyers pleased, judges worried
"This nomination is a gesture aimed at reassuring lawyers," Christiane Féral-Schuhl, president of the National Bar Council, told AFP. "Lawyers expect strong political measures — a minister who supports them, who knows what it is to be a lawyer. Éric Dupond-Moretti embodies that," added Féral-Schuhl, whose organisation represents 70,000 French lawyers.
"Ever since Robert Badinter (the widely respected figure who oversaw the end of capital punishment in France), no judicial lawyer had been named as justice minister," noted Estellia Araez, president of the left-leaning Lawyer's Union of France. "It is auspicious that a colleague who has always defended liberties, freedom of speech, the place of lawyers at trial, and who took part in the battle against the pension reform, be named minister of justice," she added.
Judges, however, appear less keen. Lucille Rouet, who heads the left-leaning Magistrature Union, said she "wonders about this signal". "We are wondering a little with regard to his most recent remarks about the PNF (the national prosecutors' office that specialises in financial crimes) and about certain judges," Rouet said, adding that she hopes Dupond-Moretti will do everything possible to "reconcile" lawyers and judges in his new post.
Indeed, the naming of such a strong personality to head the justice ministry comes after Dupond-Moretti filed a legal complaint over revelations of secret wiretapping by the PNF in June.
Dupond-Moretti accused the financial crimes office of acting like "spooks", spying on him and other lawyers by going through telephone records to identify a so-called mole in a wiretapping scandal.
He also denounced the sweeping power of judges and called for broad consultations on the justice system.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-07-07--French economy to plunge 10% as EU forecasts deeper hit from Covid-19

The eurozone economy will plunge 8.7 percent in 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis , the European Commission said Tuesday in more pessimistic forecasts that do not see a complete rebound next year .
The new forecasts see the eurozone economy bouncing back by 6.1 percent in 2021 , still leaving the region worse off than before the countries were forced to implement lockdowns in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19 .
`` The economic impact of the lockdown is more severe than we initially expected , '' said Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis in a statement accompanying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Looking forward to this year and next , we can expect a rebound but we will need to be vigilant about the differing pace of the recovery , '' he added .
Germany , the EU 's biggest economy , is expected to see a 6.3 percent contraction this year and 5.3 percent growth in 2021 .
The economies of France , Italy and Spain will each contract by more than 10 percent , and then partially recover .
France , the eurozone 's second-largest economy , is expected to contract by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7.6 percent in 2021 .
Italy , which should suffer a 11.2-percent drop this year , is only forecast to rebound by 6.1 percent in 2021 .
Spain 's economy is seen as contracting by 10.9 percent before bouncing back by 7.1 percent .
`` The policy response across Europe has helped to cushion the blow for our citizens , yet this remains a story of increasing divergence , inequality and insecurity , '' said the EU 's economy commissioner , Paolo Gentiloni .
`` This is why it is so important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan proposed by the Commission -- to inject both new confidence and new financing into our economies at this critical time , '' he added .

The eurozone economy will plunge 8.7 percent in 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis, the European Commission said Tuesday in more pessimistic forecasts that do not see a complete rebound next year.
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The new forecasts see the eurozone economy bouncing back by 6.1 percent in 2021, still leaving the region worse off than before the countries were forced to implement lockdowns in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19.
"The economic impact of the lockdown is more severe than we initially expected," said Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis in a statement accompanying the release of the updated forecasts.
"Looking forward to this year and next, we can expect a rebound but we will need to be vigilant about the differing pace of the recovery," he added.
Germany, the EU's biggest economy, is expected to see a 6.3 percent contraction this year and 5.3 percent growth in 2021.
The economies of France, Italy and Spain will each contract by more than 10 percent, and then partially recover.
France, the eurozone's second-largest economy, is expected to contract by 10.6 percent this year and grow by 7.6 percent in 2021.
Italy, which should suffer a 11.2-percent drop this year, is only forecast to rebound by 6.1 percent in 2021.
Spain's economy is seen as contracting by 10.9 percent before bouncing back by 7.1 percent.
"The policy response across Europe has helped to cushion the blow for our citizens, yet this remains a story of increasing divergence, inequality and insecurity," said the EU's economy commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni.
"This is why it is so important to reach a swift agreement on the recovery plan proposed by the Commission -- to inject both new confidence and new financing into our economies at this critical time," he added.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-07--TikTok to exit Hong Kong market as security law curbs online freedoms

Tik Tok , which is owned by Chinese company Byte Dance , announced it was pulling out of Hong Kong altogether .
The Chinese-owned video app TikTok will exit the Hong Kong market within days , a spokesman announced late on Monday , as other technology companies including Facebook suspend processing government requests for user data in the region .
The short form video app owned by China-based ByteDance has made the decision to exit the region following Beijing 's establishment of a sweeping new national security law for the semi-autonomous city .
`` In light of recent events , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the TikTok app in Hong Kong , '' a TikTok spokesman said in response to a Reuters question about its commitment to the market .
The company , now run by former Walt Disney Co executive Kevin Mayer , has said in the past that the app 's user data is not stored in China .
TikTok has also said previously that it would not comply with any requests made by the Chinese government to censor content or for access to TikTok 's user data , nor has it ever been asked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a small , loss-making market for the company , one source familiar with the matter said .
Last August , TikTok reported it had attracted 150,000 users in Hong Kong .
Globally , TikTok has been downloaded more than 2 billion times through the Apple and Google app stores after the first quarter this year , according to analytics firm Sensor Tower .
The source said the move was made because it was not clear if Hong Kong would now fall entirely under Beijing 's jurisdiction in light of the new law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be accessed by mainland China .
That was part of a strategy to appeal to a more global audience .
Its equivalent on the mainland is called Douyin .
There are no plans currently to introduce Douyin to the Hong Kong market , a ByteDance spokesman said .
The move comes as US tech giants Facebook , Google and Twitter said Monday they had suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong .
Facebook , which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram , said in a statement it was pausing reviews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further assessment of the National Security Law . ''
Google , a unit of Alphabet Inc , and Twitter said they suspended their reviews of data requests from Hong Kong authorities immediately after the law went into effect last week .
Google said it would continue reviewing Hong Kong government requests for removals of user-generated content from its services .
Twitter declined to comment , while Facebook did not respond to a request for comment .
Social networks often apply localised restrictions to posts that violate local laws but not their own rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such pieces of content in Hong Kong in the second half of 2019 , up from eight in the first half of the year , according to its transparency report .
Tech companies have long operated freely in Hong Kong , a financial hub where internet access has been unaffected by the firewall imposed in mainland China , which blocks Google , Twitter and Facebook .

The Chinese-owned video app TikTok will exit the Hong Kong market within days, a spokesman announced late on Monday, as other technology companies including Facebook suspend processing government requests for user data in the region.
Tik Tok, which is owned by Chinese company Byte Dance, announced it was pulling out of Hong Kong altogether.
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The short form video app owned by China-based ByteDance has made the decision to exit the region following Beijing's establishment of a sweeping new national security law for the semi-autonomous city.
"In light of recent events, we've decided to stop operations of the TikTok app in Hong Kong," a TikTok spokesman said in response to a Reuters question about its commitment to the market.
The company, now run by former Walt Disney Co executive Kevin Mayer, has said in the past that the app's user data is not stored in China.
TikTok has also said previously that it would not comply with any requests made by the Chinese government to censor content or for access to TikTok's user data, nor has it ever been asked to do so.
🇭🇰🔊🇨🇳Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam says the highly controversial new security las is not all doom and gloom for the city. The newly revealled detail includes sweeping new powers for the police our correspondent @ofarry told me. #HongKong #F24 pic.twitter.com/KRvNXRTlIn — Stuart Norval (@StuartNorval) July 7, 2020
The Hong Kong region is a small, loss-making market for the company, one source familiar with the matter said. Last August, TikTok reported it had attracted 150,000 users in Hong Kong.
Globally, TikTok has been downloaded more than 2 billion times through the Apple and Google app stores after the first quarter this year, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.
The source said the move was made because it was not clear if Hong Kong would now fall entirely under Beijing's jurisdiction in light of the new law.
TikTok was designed so it could not be accessed by mainland China. That was part of a strategy to appeal to a more global audience. Its equivalent on the mainland is called Douyin.
There are no plans currently to introduce Douyin to the Hong Kong market, a ByteDance spokesman said.
'Grave concerns'
The move comes as US tech giants Facebook, Google and Twitter said Monday they had suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong.
Facebook, which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram, said in a statement it was pausing reviews for all of its services "pending further assessment of the National Security Law."
Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, and Twitter said they suspended their reviews of data requests from Hong Kong authorities immediately after the law went into effect last week.
Twitter cited "grave concerns" about the law's implications.
Google said it would continue reviewing Hong Kong government requests for removals of user-generated content from its services. Twitter declined to comment, while Facebook did not respond to a request for comment.
Social networks often apply localised restrictions to posts that violate local laws but not their own rules for acceptable speech. Facebook restricted 394 such pieces of content in Hong Kong in the second half of 2019, up from eight in the first half of the year, according to its transparency report.
Tech companies have long operated freely in Hong Kong, a financial hub where internet access has been unaffected by the firewall imposed in mainland China, which blocks Google, Twitter and Facebook.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-07-07--Hong Kong police granted sweeping security surveillance powers under Beijing's new law

Police officers escort a prison van which is carrying Tong Ying-kit , the first person charged under the new national security law , as he leaves West Kowloon Magistrates ' Courts , in Hong Kong , China July 6 , 2020 .
Hong Kong 's police have been granted vastly expanded powers to conduct warrantless raids and surveillance -- as well as issue internet takedown notices -- under Beijing 's new national security law .
The announcement comes as major tech companies including Facebook , Google and Twitter said they were suspending requests from the Hong Kong government and law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok said late Monday it is stopping its popular video snippet-sharing app from working in Hong Kong due to `` recent events . ''
TikTok has consistently denied sharing any user data with authorities in China , and was adamant it did not intend to begin to agree to such requests .
The new provisions , disclosed late Monday in a 116-page document , remove much of the judicial oversight that previously governed police surveillance powers .
Officers will be able to conduct a search without a warrant if they deem a threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The city 's police chief has also been granted powers to control and remove online information if there are `` reasonable grounds '' to suspect the data breaches the national security law .
Police can order internet firms and service providers to remove the information and seize their equipment , with fines and up to one year in jail if they refuse to comply .
The companies are also expected to provide identification records and decryption assistance .
Hong Kong 's leader Carrie Lam has been given broad oversight over covert surveillance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communication interception , according to the document .
The police chief can ask international political organisations -- including those in Taiwan -- to supply information on their activities in Hong Kong including personal data , sources of income and expenditure .
The powers are controversial because Beijing 's new national security law has effectively outlawed certain political views in semi-autonomous Hong Kong , such as support for independence or greater autonomy .
Legal experts said the new surveillance powers were broad and lacked proper oversight .
`` The new rules are scary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force that are normally guarded by the judiciary , '' barrister Anson Wong Yu-yat told the South China Morning Post .
`` For example , in emergency and special circumstances police do not need a warrant under one rule , but it never explains what it means by special circumstances .
They can also ask anyone to delete messages online only because it 's 'likely ' to be violating the law . ''
The national security law is the most radical shift in how Hong Kong is run since it was handed back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The content was kept secret until the moment it was imposed on Hong Kong one week ago , bypassing the city 's legislature .
It targets crimes under four categories : subversion , secession , terrorism and colluding with foreign forces , and gives China jurisdiction in some especially serious cases .
Legal analysts , critics and many western nations warn the broadly-worded categories criminalise many peaceful dissenting opinions .
Beijing says the law will restore stability after a year of pro-democracy protests .

Hong Kong's police have been granted vastly expanded powers to conduct warrantless raids and surveillance -- as well as issue internet takedown notices -- under Beijing's new national security law.
Police officers escort a prison van which is carrying Tong Ying-kit, the first person charged under the new national security law, as he leaves West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, in Hong Kong, China July 6, 2020.
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The announcement comes as major tech companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter said they were suspending requests from the Hong Kong government and law enforcement authorities for information on users.
TikTok said late Monday it is stopping its popular video snippet-sharing app from working in Hong Kong due to "recent events."
TikTok has consistently denied sharing any user data with authorities in China, and was adamant it did not intend to begin to agree to such requests.
The new provisions, disclosed late Monday in a 116-page document, remove much of the judicial oversight that previously governed police surveillance powers.
Officers will be able to conduct a search without a warrant if they deem a threat to national security is "urgent".
The city's police chief has also been granted powers to control and remove online information if there are "reasonable grounds" to suspect the data breaches the national security law.
Police can order internet firms and service providers to remove the information and seize their equipment, with fines and up to one year in jail if they refuse to comply.
The companies are also expected to provide identification records and decryption assistance.
🇭🇰🔊🇨🇳Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam says the highly controversial new security las is not all doom and gloom for the city. The newly revealled detail includes sweeping new powers for the police our correspondent @ofarry told me. #HongKong #F24 pic.twitter.com/KRvNXRTlIn — Stuart Norval (@StuartNorval) July 7, 2020
Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has been given broad oversight over covert surveillance powers for national security cases, including communication interception, according to the document.
The police chief can ask international political organisations -- including those in Taiwan -- to supply information on their activities in Hong Kong including personal data, sources of income and expenditure.
The powers are controversial because Beijing's new national security law has effectively outlawed certain political views in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, such as support for independence or greater autonomy.
Legal experts said the new surveillance powers were broad and lacked proper oversight.
"The new rules are scary, as they grant powers to the police force that are normally guarded by the judiciary," barrister Anson Wong Yu-yat told the South China Morning Post.
"For example, in emergency and special circumstances police do not need a warrant under one rule, but it never explains what it means by special circumstances. They can also ask anyone to delete messages online only because it's 'likely' to be violating the law."
The national security law is the most radical shift in how Hong Kong is run since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.
The content was kept secret until the moment it was imposed on Hong Kong one week ago, bypassing the city's legislature.
It targets crimes under four categories: subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces, and gives China jurisdiction in some especially serious cases.
Legal analysts, critics and many western nations warn the broadly-worded categories criminalise many peaceful dissenting opinions.
Beijing says the law will restore stability after a year of pro-democracy protests.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-07-06--US says foreign students must leave if classes go fully online due to Covid-19

Students and pedestrians walk through the Yard at Harvard University , after the school asked its students not to return to campus after Spring Break and said it would move to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes , in Cambridge , Massachusetts , U.S. , March 10 , 2020 .
The United States said Monday it would not allow foreign students to remain in the country if all of their classes are moved online in the fall because of the coronavirus crisis .
`` Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States , '' US Immigration and Custom Enforcement said in a statement .
`` Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures , such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status , '' ICE said .
`` If not , they may face immigration consequences including , but not limited to , the initiation of removal proceedings . ''
ICE said the State Department `` will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall semester nor will US Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States . ''
F-1 students pursue academic coursework and M-1 students pursue `` vocational coursework , '' according to ICE .
Most US colleges and universities have not yet announced their plans for the fall semester .
A number of schools are looking at a hybrid model of in-person and online instruction but some , including Harvard University , have said all classes will be conducted online .
Harvard said 40 percent of undergraduates would be allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be online .
There were more than one million international students in the United States for the 2018-19 academic year , according to the Institute of International Education ( IIE ) .
That accounted for 5.5 percent of the total US higher education population , the IIE said , and international students contributed $ 44.7 billion to the US economy in 2018 .
The largest number of international students came from China , followed by India , South Korea , Saudi Arabia and Canada .

The United States said Monday it would not allow foreign students to remain in the country if all of their classes are moved online in the fall because of the coronavirus crisis.
Students and pedestrians walk through the Yard at Harvard University, after the school asked its students not to return to campus after Spring Break and said it would move to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., March 10, 2020.
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"Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States," US Immigration and Custom Enforcement said in a statement.
"Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status," ICE said.
"If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings."
ICE said the State Department "will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will US Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States."
F-1 students pursue academic coursework and M-1 students pursue "vocational coursework," according to ICE.
Most US colleges and universities have not yet announced their plans for the fall semester.
A number of schools are looking at a hybrid model of in-person and online instruction but some, including Harvard University, have said all classes will be conducted online.
Harvard said 40 percent of undergraduates would be allowed to return to campus but their instruction would be online.
There were more than one million international students in the United States for the 2018-19 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE).
That accounted for 5.5 percent of the total US higher education population, the IIE said, and international students contributed $44.7 billion to the US economy in 2018.
The largest number of international students came from China, followed by India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Canada.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-06--Second Act: Will Macron reshuffle set a new course?

A reset button to propel Emmanuel Macron to re-election in 2022 or does the naming of the unheralded Jean Castex @ @ @ @ @ even lonelier at the top in France ?
A centre-right technocrat , Castex shares a @ @ @ @ @ Édouard Philippe .
But why the new face ?
Why did the popular Philippe have @ @ @ @ @ for his management of the Covid crisis ?
With the worst of the recession still @ @ @ @ @ panel asks if the new team can succeed in rallying the nation as it faces @ @ @ @ @ recession .
Moreover , will Macron 's promise of a Jupiterean presidency come back to @ @ @ @ @ can the president deliver on his promise of a `` new roadmap '' for the @ @ @ @ @ mandate ?

A reset button to propel Emmanuel Macron to re-election in 2022 or does the naming of the unheralded Jean Castex as prime minister make it even lonelier at the top in France?
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A centre-right technocrat, Castex shares a similar profile to his predecessor Édouard Philippe. But why the new face? Why did the popular Philippe have to go after rave reviews for his management of the Covid crisis?
With the worst of the recession still ahead, François Picard's panel asks if the new team can succeed in rallying the nation as it faces the prospect of a brutal recession. Moreover, will Macron's promise of a Jupiterean presidency come back to haunt him? And, can the president deliver on his promise of a "new roadmap" for the final 21 months of his mandate?
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france24--2020-07-07--Israel reimposes restrictions amid new surge in coronavirus cases

A masked bartender pictured on July 6 in Ashdod , Isreal , where authorities have ordered the immediate shuttering of bars and other social venues amid a spike in infections .
Israel on Monday reimposed a series of restrictions to fight a spike in coronavirus infections , including the immediate closure of bars , gyms and event halls , while also redeploying a contentious phone surveillance programme used to order people into quarantine .
After largely containing the coronavirus in May and reopening schools , beaches and businesses , Israel has been hit by a sharp rise in infections .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ new cases a day , higher than its peak during the previous wave .
In public remarks at a special cabinet session on the health crisis , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had to reverse course to avoid a wider lockdown that could paralyse its economy , where unemployment is just above 20 % .
The Bank of Israel on Monday forecast a 6 % economic contraction in 2020 .
`` The pandemic is spreading — that 's as clear as day .
It is rising steeply daily and it is dragging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been told , a trail of critically ill patients , '' Netanyahu said .
A government announcement said that in addition to the immediate shuttering of bars , night clubs , gyms , event halls and cultural events , the number of diners in restaurants would be limited to 20 indoors and 30 outdoors .
Attendance at synagogues was capped at 19 worshippers , and buses can carry up to 20 passengers , the statement said .
With its contact tracing apparatus struggling to keep up with the mounting caseload , Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programme piloted by the Shin Bet domestic security agency .
The agency 's sophisticated phone surveillance technology , normally used to monitor Palestinian militants , is being used to track Israelis who have come in contact with infected people and then notify them that they must enter home quarantine .
Israel ’ s Health Ministry said Sunday that “ many ” messages had been sent to Israelis following the renewed involvement of the Shin Bet .
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that more than 30,000 people were notified they must enter quarantine since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outbreak first emerged earlier this year , and when civil rights groups challenged it in the country 's Supreme Court , the court threatened to halt its use unless it was put under legislative oversight .
The Israeli Knesset has since done so twice using temporary legislation , most recently Wednesday .
While officials have defended the practice as a life-saving measure , civil rights groups attacked it as an assault on privacy rights .
Only 37 % of Israelis trust the government 's handling of the crisis , according to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , against 59 % who distrust it .
Epidemiologist Hagai Levine said Israel did not prepare well for the day after lockdown .
`` Israel 's experience should be a lesson to all countries : You can not move from one extreme to another , from total lockdown to a quick , sweeping removal of restrictions without proper planning , '' the professor at the Hebrew University-Hadasdah School of Public Health said .
`` We have to act based on data and focus on high-risk populations , epicentres and specific activities in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be with us for a long while .
This is a marathon , not a sprint , '' Levine said .
In Israel , more than 30,000 have tested positive and 332 have died .
Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank imposed a full lockdown on Friday as cases surged .
Nearly 4,300 cases and 16 deaths have been reported in the West Bank , and 72 cases and one death in Gaza .

Israel on Monday reimposed a series of restrictions to fight a spike in coronavirus infections, including the immediate closure of bars, gyms and event halls, while also redeploying a contentious phone surveillance programme used to order people into quarantine.
A masked bartender pictured on July 6 in Ashdod, Isreal, where authorities have ordered the immediate shuttering of bars and other social venues amid a spike in infections.
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After largely containing the coronavirus in May and reopening schools, beaches and businesses, Israel has been hit by a sharp rise in infections. The country is now reporting around 1,000 new cases a day, higher than its peak during the previous wave.
In public remarks at a special cabinet session on the health crisis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had to reverse course to avoid a wider lockdown that could paralyse its economy, where unemployment is just above 20%. The Bank of Israel on Monday forecast a 6% economic contraction in 2020.
"The pandemic is spreading — that's as clear as day. It is rising steeply daily and it is dragging with it, contrary to what we had been told, a trail of critically ill patients," Netanyahu said.
🇮🇱🔊🇮🇱 Much anger and criticism in Israel as far stricter lockdown measures imposed amid coronavirus spike. Many saying lockdown initially imposed well, but the end of it came far too early and was badly managed says our correspondent @irris. #Israel #coronavirus #F24 pic.twitter.com/60YR7uJP1S — Stuart Norval (@StuartNorval) July 7, 2020
A government announcement said that in addition to the immediate shuttering of bars, night clubs, gyms, event halls and cultural events, the number of diners in restaurants would be limited to 20 indoors and 30 outdoors.
Attendance at synagogues was capped at 19 worshippers, and buses can carry up to 20 passengers, the statement said.
Surveillance technology
With its contact tracing apparatus struggling to keep up with the mounting caseload, Israel last week redeployed a contentious phone surveillance programme piloted by the Shin Bet domestic security agency.
The agency's sophisticated phone surveillance technology, normally used to monitor Palestinian militants, is being used to track Israelis who have come in contact with infected people and then notify them that they must enter home quarantine.
Israel’s Health Ministry said Sunday that “many” messages had been sent to Israelis following the renewed involvement of the Shin Bet. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that more than 30,000 people were notified they must enter quarantine since Thursday.
The scheme was used when the outbreak first emerged earlier this year, and when civil rights groups challenged it in the country's Supreme Court, the court threatened to halt its use unless it was put under legislative oversight. The Israeli Knesset has since done so twice using temporary legislation, most recently Wednesday.
While officials have defended the practice as a life-saving measure, civil rights groups attacked it as an assault on privacy rights.
'A lesson to all countries'
Only 37% of Israelis trust the government's handling of the crisis, according to a survey published on Monday by N12 News, against 59% who distrust it.
Epidemiologist Hagai Levine said Israel did not prepare well for the day after lockdown.
"Israel's experience should be a lesson to all countries: You cannot move from one extreme to another, from total lockdown to a quick, sweeping removal of restrictions without proper planning," the professor at the Hebrew University-Hadasdah School of Public Health said.
"We have to act based on data and focus on high-risk populations, epicentres and specific activities in which contagion risk is high. The coronavirus will be with us for a long while. This is a marathon, not a sprint," Levine said.
In Israel, more than 30,000 have tested positive and 332 have died.
Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank imposed a full lockdown on Friday as cases surged. Nearly 4,300 cases and 16 deaths have been reported in the West Bank, and 72 cases and one death in Gaza.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AP)
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france24--2020-07-07--Italy's La Scala opera house reopens after four-month shutdown

The world-famous theatre has reopened with strict social distancing and hygiene rules .
Milan 's centuries-old La Scala opera house @ @ @ @ @ social distancing measures in place , after four months of closure due to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ operated at under a third of capacity to allow for distancing , with an audience @ @ @ @ @ opposed to the regular 2,000 .
`` You enter half empty theatres , it honestly @ @ @ @ @ we do it because we have to , '' said concertgoer Patrizia Fassina .
The @ @ @ @ @ said that admitting so few guests was only sustainable for one-off shows .
`` For @ @ @ @ @ not sustainable , it would ruin the theatre , '' said Dominique Meyer .
After @ @ @ @ @ Scala returns in September with a performance of Verdi 's Requiem in Milan 's Duomo @ @ @ @ @ virus dead , followed by Beethoven 's 9th in the theater on September 5 .

Milan's centuries-old La Scala opera house reopened on Monday evening with social distancing measures in place, after four months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The world-famous theatre has reopened with strict social distancing and hygiene rules.
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Both staff and guests wore protective gear, including face masks.
The cultural venue operated at under a third of capacity to allow for distancing, with an audience of just 600, as opposed to the regular 2,000.
"You enter half empty theatres, it honestly breaks your heart, but we do it because we have to," said concertgoer Patrizia Fassina.
We wait for you at La Scala for the reopening concerts on 6, 8, 13 and 15 July. Find out more on https://t.co/R2Ebce9oOF pic.twitter.com/nnWyFymOzT — Teatro alla Scala (@teatroallascala) July 2, 2020
The opera house's general manager said that admitting so few guests was only sustainable for one-off shows.
"For normal work, this is not sustainable, it would ruin the theatre," said Dominique Meyer.
After the August break, La Scala returns in September with a performance of Verdi's Requiem in Milan's Duomo cathedral to remember Italy's virus dead, followed by Beethoven's 9th in the theater on September 5.
(AP)
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france24--2020-07-07--WHO reviewing study on concerns over airborne spread of Covid-19

World Health Organization ( WHO ) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference organized by Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents ( ACANU ) amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Geneva Switzerland July 3 , 2020 .
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) is reviewing a report urging it to update guidance on the novel coronavirus after more than 200 scientists , in a letter to the health agency , outlined evidence the virus can spread in tiny airborne particles .
The WHO says SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes Covid-19 , spreads primarily through small droplets expelled from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person that quickly sink to the ground .
But in an open letter to the Geneva-based agency , published on Monday in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal , 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined evidence that they say shows floating virus particles can infect people who breathe them in .
Because those smaller particles can linger in the air , the scientists are urging WHO to update its guidance .
`` We are aware of the article and are reviewing its contents with our technical experts , '' WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently the coronavirus can spread by the airborne or aerosol route - as opposed to by larger droplets in coughs and sneezes - is not clear .
Any change in the WHO 's assessment of risk of transmission could affect its current advice on keeping 1-metre ( 3.3 feet ) of physical distancing .
Governments , which rely on the agency for guidance policy , may also have to adjust public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus .
Although the WHO has said it is considering aerosols as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet to be convinced that the evidence warrants a change in guidance .
Dr. Michael Osterholm , an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota , said the WHO has long been reluctant to acknowledge aerosol transmission of influenza , `` in spite of compelling data , '' and sees the current controversy as part of that simmering debate .
`` I think the frustration level has finally boiled over with regard to the role that airborne transmission plays in diseases like influenza and SARS-CoV-2 , '' Osterholm said .
Professor Babak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cambridge University Hospitals , said airborne transmission of the virus is possible and even likely , but said evidence over how long the virus stays airborne is lacking .
If it can hang in the air for long periods of time , even after an infected person leaves that space , that could affect the measures healthcare workers and others take to protect themselves .
WHO guidance to health workers , dated June 29 , says SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets and on surfaces .
But airborne transmission is possible in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intubation and aerosol-generating procedures , the WHO says .
They advise medical workers performing such procedures to wear heavy duty N95 respiratory masks and other protective equipment in an adequately ventilated room .
Dr. William Hanage , an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , said the report under review at the WHO `` makes many reasonable points about the evidence that this mode of transmission can happen , and they should be taken seriously . ''
But how often airborne transmission happens , which is unknown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is possible but rare , then eliminating it wouldn ’ t have a huge impact , '' he said in emailed comments .
Officials at South Korea 's Centers for Disease Control said on Monday they were continuing to discuss various issues about Covid-19 , including the possibility of airborne transmission .
They said more investigations and evidence were needed .

The World Health Organization (WHO) is reviewing a report urging it to update guidance on the novel coronavirus after more than 200 scientists, in a letter to the health agency, outlined evidence the virus can spread in tiny airborne particles.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference organized by Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Geneva Switzerland July 3, 2020.
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The WHO says SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, spreads primarily through small droplets expelled from the nose and mouth of an infected person that quickly sink to the ground.
But in an open letter to the Geneva-based agency, published on Monday in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined evidence that they say shows floating virus particles can infect people who breathe them in.
Because those smaller particles can linger in the air, the scientists are urging WHO to update its guidance.
"We are aware of the article and are reviewing its contents with our technical experts," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said on Monday in an email.
How frequently the coronavirus can spread by the airborne or aerosol route - as opposed to by larger droplets in coughs and sneezes - is not clear.
Any change in the WHO's assessment of risk of transmission could affect its current advice on keeping 1-metre (3.3 feet) of physical distancing. Governments, which rely on the agency for guidance policy, may also have to adjust public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.
Although the WHO has said it is considering aerosols as a possible route of transmission, it has yet to be convinced that the evidence warrants a change in guidance.
Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, said the WHO has long been reluctant to acknowledge aerosol transmission of influenza, "in spite of compelling data," and sees the current controversy as part of that simmering debate.
"I think the frustration level has finally boiled over with regard to the role that airborne transmission plays in diseases like influenza and SARS-CoV-2," Osterholm said.
Professor Babak Javid, an infectious disease consultant at Cambridge University Hospitals, said airborne transmission of the virus is possible and even likely, but said evidence over how long the virus stays airborne is lacking.
If it can hang in the air for long periods of time, even after an infected person leaves that space, that could affect the measures healthcare workers and others take to protect themselves.
WHO guidance to health workers, dated June 29, says SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets and on surfaces.
But airborne transmission is possible in some circumstances, such as when performing intubation and aerosol-generating procedures, the WHO says. They advise medical workers performing such procedures to wear heavy duty N95 respiratory masks and other protective equipment in an adequately ventilated room.
Dr. William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the report under review at the WHO "makes many reasonable points about the evidence that this mode of transmission can happen, and they should be taken seriously."
But how often airborne transmission happens, which is unknown, also matters.
"If airborne transmission is possible but rare, then eliminating it wouldn’t have a huge impact," he said in emailed comments.
Officials at South Korea's Centers for Disease Control said on Monday they were continuing to discuss various issues about Covid-19, including the possibility of airborne transmission. They said more investigations and evidence were needed.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-07-07--Pompeo calls China's censorship moves in Hong Kong 'Orwellian'

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington , U.S. , July 1 , 2020 .
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday lashed out at what he called China 's `` Orwellian '' moves to censor activists , schools and libraries in Hong Kong under a new sweeping security law .
Authorities in the financial hub have ordered schools to remove books for review under the new law , which has criminalised certain opinions such as calls for independence or autonomy .
Libraries in Hong Kong said they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-democracy activists .
`` The Chinese Communist Party 's destruction of free Hong Kong continues , '' Pompeo said in a sharply worded statement .
`` With the ink barely dry on the repressive National Security Law , local authorities -- in an Orwellian move -- have now established a central government national security office , started removing books critical of the CCP from library shelves , banned political slogans , and are now requiring schools to enforce censorship , '' he said .
He condemned what he called the `` latest assaults @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of Hong Kong . ''
`` Until now , Hong Kong flourished because it allowed free thinking and free speech , under an independent rule of law .
No more , '' Pompeo said .
Beijing has faced a groundswell of criticism from primarily Western nations over its decision to impose the security law , which outlaws acts of subversion , secession , terrorism and colluding with foreign forces in Hong Kong .
US Vice President Mike Pence told CNBC last week that the security law was a `` betrayal '' and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world . ''
Last week , the US Congress passed tough new sanctions targeting banks over violations of Hong Kong 's autonomy .
The act would punish banks -- including blocking loans from US institutions -- if they conduct `` significant transactions '' with violators of Hong Kong 's autonomy .
President Donald Trump must sign the legislation for it to take effect .

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday lashed out at what he called China's "Orwellian" moves to censor activists, schools and libraries in Hong Kong under a new sweeping security law.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., July 1, 2020.
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Authorities in the financial hub have ordered schools to remove books for review under the new law, which has criminalised certain opinions such as calls for independence or autonomy.
Libraries in Hong Kong said they were pulling titles written by a handful of pro-democracy activists.
"The Chinese Communist Party's destruction of free Hong Kong continues," Pompeo said in a sharply worded statement.
"With the ink barely dry on the repressive National Security Law, local authorities -- in an Orwellian move -- have now established a central government national security office, started removing books critical of the CCP from library shelves, banned political slogans, and are now requiring schools to enforce censorship," he said.
He condemned what he called the "latest assaults on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong."
"Until now, Hong Kong flourished because it allowed free thinking and free speech, under an independent rule of law. No more," Pompeo said.
Beijing has faced a groundswell of criticism from primarily Western nations over its decision to impose the security law, which outlaws acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces in Hong Kong.
US Vice President Mike Pence told CNBC last week that the security law was a "betrayal" and "unacceptable to freedom-loving people around the world."
Last week, the US Congress passed tough new sanctions targeting banks over violations of Hong Kong's autonomy.
The act would punish banks -- including blocking loans from US institutions -- if they conduct "significant transactions" with violators of Hong Kong's autonomy.
President Donald Trump must sign the legislation for it to take effect.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-07--Trump moves to formally withdraw US from World Health Organisation

U.S. President Donald Trump hosts an event on reopening schools amid the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) pandemic in the East Room at the White House in Washington , U.S. , July 7 , 2020 .
The United States , the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic , has formally launched its withdrawal from the World Health Organisation .
In Washington , a senior US official said the United States had informed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres of its intention to leave the WHO effective July 6 , 2021 .
President Donald Trump has been critical of the coronavirus response of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward China and ignoring early signs of human-to-human transmission of the deadly virus .
The United States is the largest financial contributor to the WHO -- which leads the fight on global maladies from polio and measles to mental health -- providing $ 400 million annually .
Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee , is virtually certain to reverse the decision and stay in the WHO if he defeats Trump in the November election .
Senator Robert Menendez , the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee , criticised the WHO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's response to Covid chaotic and incoherent does n't do it justice , '' Menendez said .
`` This wo n't protect American lives or interests -- it leaves Americans sick & America alone . ''
Critics say Trump is seeking to deflect criticism from his own handling of the pandemic , which has killed nearly 131,000 people in the United States , by far the highest death toll of any nation .
Experts are still struggling to understand Covid-19 and WHO said it was open to new research after scientists lobbied for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the air far beyond the two meters ( six feet ) referenced in social distancing guidelines .
An average of some 190,000 new cases have been registered daily globally during the last week , according to an AFP tally .
As nations scramble to stop the pandemic , Australia on Tuesday ordered five million people locked down in Melbourne , its second-biggest city , to combat a surge in cases .
`` We ca n't pretend '' the crisis is over , said Daniel Andrews , premier of Victoria state , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours .
`` These are unsustainably high numbers . ''
The restrictions in the Melbourne area will last at least six weeks , while Victoria state will be effectively sealed off from the rest of the country .
Cases are also surging in India and four new coronavirus field hospitals were opened on Tuesday in the financial capital Mumbai as the nationwide death toll jumped past 20,000 .
In the United States , top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned the country is still `` knee-deep '' in the first coronavirus wave .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the country are in danger of being overwhelmed , with many states hit particularly hard after they eased virus restrictions .
Some mayors have said their cities exited lockdown too early , as Trump tried to downplay the severity of the crisis , instead prioritizing economic reopening .
Around the world , governments are struggling to balance the need to reopen economies wrecked by weeks of lockdown measures with the risk of new infections .

President Donald Trump on Tuesday formally started the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, making good on threats to deprive the UN body of its top funding source over its response to the coronavirus.
US President Donald Trump hosts an event at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 7, 2020, on reopening schools amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
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Public health advocates and Trump's political opponents voiced outrage at the departure from the Geneva-based body, which leads the global fight on maladies from polio to measles to mental health – as well as Covid-19, at a time when cases have again been rising around the world.
After threatening to suspend the $400 million in annual US contributions and then announcing a withdrawal, the Trump administration has formally sent a notice to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, a State Department spokesperson said.
The withdrawal of the key WHO founding member is effective in one year – July 6, 2021. Joe Biden, Trump's presumptive Democratic opponent in November elections, vowed he would immediately end the pullout if he won the White House.
"Americans are safer when America is engaged in strengthening global health. On my first day as President, I will rejoin the WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage," Biden wrote on Twitter.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus responded to the news with a one-word tweet – "Together!" – as he linked to a discussion by US health experts on how leaving the global body could impede efforts to prevent future pandemics.
In line with conditions set when the WHO was set up in 1948, the United States can leave within one year but must meet its remaining assessed financial obligations, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
‘Total control’
In late May, Trump said that China exerted "total control" over the WHO and accused the UN body led by Tedros, an Ethiopian doctor and diplomat, of failing to implement reforms.
Blaming China for the coronavirus, Trump, a frequent critic of the UN, said the United States would redirect funding "to other worldwide and deserving, urgent, global public health needs."
Democratic lawmakers have accused Trump of seeking to deflect criticism from his handling of the pandemic in the United States, which has suffered by far the highest death toll of any nation despite the president's stated hope that the virus will disappear.
"To call Trump's response to COVID chaotic and incoherent doesn't do it justice," said Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
"This won't protect American lives or interests – it leaves Americans sick and America alone," he said.
Representative Ami Bera, himself a physician, said that the US and WHO had worked "hand in hand" to eradicate smallpox and nearly defeat polio.
"Our cases are increasing," Bera said of Covid-19. "If the WHO is to blame: why has the US been left behind while many countries from South Korea to New Zealand to Vietnam to Germany return to normal?"
Even some of Trump's Republican allies had voiced hope that he was exerting pressure rather than making a final decision to abandon the World Health Organization.
The investigative news outlet ProPublica reported last month that most of Trump's aides were blindsided by the WHO withdrawal announcement, which he made during an appearance about China.
The Trump administration has said that the WHO ignored early signs of human-to-human transmission in China, including warnings from Taiwan – which, due to Beijing's pressure, is not part of the UN body.
While many public health advocates share some criticism of the WHO, they question what other options the world body had other than to work with China, where Covid-19 was first detected late last year in the city of Wuhan.
The anti-poverty campaign ONE said the United States should work to reform, not abandon, the WHO.
"Withdrawing from the World Health Organization amidst an unprecedented global pandemic is an astounding action that puts the safety of all Americans the world at risk," it said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-07-07--French feminists criticise choice of justice, interior ministers over sexism and rape claims

Many French feminists reacted strongly on Monday evening to the appointments of Gérald Darmanin as interior minister – who has been accused of rape – and Éric Dupond-Moretti – who has been accused of making sexist remarks – as justice minister in President Emmanuel Macron ’ s revamped cabinet .
French feminists have reacted strongly to the appointment on Monday of Gérald Darmanin as interior minister and Éric Dupond-Moretti as minister of justice in France ’ s reshuffled government .
Dupond-Moretti has been accused of making sexist remarks while judges last year ordered that an investigation be reopened into rape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressing their dismay on social media soon after the appointments were announced on Monday .
“ How can you imagine for one moment that the fight against gender-based and sexual violence will be advanced with the appointment of a rapist at the interior ministry and a sexist at the justice ministry ?
This government is a disgrace , ” tweeted the activist group Osez le féminisme ( Dare to be feminist ) .
Darmanin will take on one of France ’ s highest-profile jobs as interior minister , a dossier that promises to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations of racism and violence while others criticise Macron ’ s government for not doing enough to support the authorities .
Darmanin has been accused of raping a woman after she sought his help in having a criminal record expunged in 2009 .
He has denied the claims – Darmanin admitted having sexual intercourse with the complainant but insisted that relations were consensual – and the charges were dismissed in 2018 .
But in November 2019 judges ordered the investigation to be reopened , with a new inquiry that started on June 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feminist activists gathered outside the interior ministry in Paris with smoke bombs , protesting Darmanin ascension to his new role with chants of , “ Darmanin , rapist ” and “ Darmanin , resign ” .
Later the same day , three members of the Ukrainian feminist group FEMEN burst into the Élysée Palace shortly before the new government ’ s first cabinet meeting , shouting accusations that the government had chosen a “ sexist reshuffle ” .
Police soon arrested the topless demonstrators .
“ The # FEMEN activists came before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condolences to the French Republic , ” tweeted Inna Shevchenko , the group ’ s leader in France .
“ I think opposing these appointments will be our great cause for the remainder of Macron ’ s term , ” tweeted well-known feminist activist Caroline de Haas , in the first of several social media posts in which she criticised remarks by Éric Dupond-Moretti that she deemed sexist .
The famous lawyer came under fire from many quarters during his high-profile defence of Georges Tron , a former member of cabinet , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by two municipal employees .
Upon Tron ’ s acquittal in 2018 , Dupond-Moretti called his accusers “ inconsistent , manipulative ” .
The lawyer has also targeted feminist groups , including the European Association on Violence against Women at Work ( l'Association européenne contre les violences faites aux femmes au travail ) .
Dupond-Moretti has acknowledged that `` there are predatory men '' but said there are also `` women who are attracted to power , who like it '' .
By way of example , he cited a hypothetical `` starlet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herself , ‘ I 'm going to sleep [ with him ] ’ ; 'This is a ‘ couch promotion ' . ''
On Monday evening , many were quoting other remarks made by Dupond-Moretti , including his belief that “ some women regret not being whistled at ” and a lament that actions that would have been considered a misdemeanour in his youth are now considered crimes .
He has also been known to observe that , `` At 30 , a woman is not a bimbo unable to say no to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a “ slap in the face ” by Macron against “ everyone who has campaigned against gender-based violence ” , Laurence Rossingol , a former Socialist minister for the family , told France Info news on Tuesday .
“ It ’ s a very big problem , especially because neither of the two has made a public commitment to tackling such violence.
” However , Élysée Palace sources said on Monday night that the allegations of rape against Darmanin are “ not an obstacle ” to his appointment as interior minister .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in French .

French feminists have reacted strongly to the appointment on Monday of Gérald Darmanin as interior minister and Éric Dupond-Moretti as minister of justice in France’s reshuffled government. Dupond-Moretti has been accused of making sexist remarks while judges last year ordered that an investigation be reopened into rape allegations against Darmanin.
Many French feminists reacted strongly on Monday evening to the appointments of Gérald Darmanin as interior minister – who has been accused of rape – and Éric Dupond-Moretti – who has been accused of making sexist remarks – as justice minister in President Emmanuel Macron’s revamped cabinet.
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Several feminists started expressing their dismay on social media soon after the appointments were announced on Monday.
“How can you imagine for one moment that the fight against gender-based and sexual violence will be advanced with the appointment of a rapist at the interior ministry and a sexist at the justice ministry? This government is a disgrace,” tweeted the activist group Osez le féminisme (Dare to be feminist).
Darmanin will take on one of France’s highest-profile jobs as interior minister, a dossier that promises to be challenging as the police force faces allegations of racism and violence while others criticise Macron’s government for not doing enough to support the authorities.
Darmanin has been accused of raping a woman after she sought his help in having a criminal record expunged in 2009. He has denied the claims – Darmanin admitted having sexual intercourse with the complainant but insisted that relations were consensual – and the charges were dismissed in 2018. But in November 2019 judges ordered the investigation to be reopened, with a new inquiry that started on June 11.
FEMEN protest at Élysée Palace
On Tuesday morning, around 20 feminist activists gathered outside the interior ministry in Paris with smoke bombs, protesting Darmanin ascension to his new role with chants of, “Darmanin, rapist” and “Darmanin, resign”.
Later the same day, three members of the Ukrainian feminist group FEMEN burst into the Élysée Palace shortly before the new government’s first cabinet meeting, shouting accusations that the government had chosen a “sexist reshuffle”. Police soon arrested the topless demonstrators. “The #FEMEN activists came before the Council of Ministers to express their sincere condolences to the French Republic,” tweeted Inna Shevchenko, the group’s leader in France.
“I think opposing these appointments will be our great cause for the remainder of Macron’s term,” tweeted well-known feminist activist Caroline de Haas, in the first of several social media posts in which she criticised remarks by Éric Dupond-Moretti that she deemed sexist.
The famous lawyer came under fire from many quarters during his high-profile defence of Georges Tron, a former member of cabinet, on charges of rape and sexual assault brought by two municipal employees. Upon Tron’s acquittal in 2018, Dupond-Moretti called his accusers “inconsistent, manipulative”.
The lawyer has also targeted feminist groups, including the European Association on Violence against Women at Work (l'Association européenne contre les violences faites aux femmes au travail).
Dupond-Moretti has acknowledged that "there are predatory men" but said there are also "women who are attracted to power, who like it". By way of example, he cited a hypothetical "starlet who wants to succeed and says to herself, ‘I'm going to sleep [with him]’; 'This is a ‘couch promotion'."
On Monday evening, many were quoting other remarks made by Dupond-Moretti, including his belief that “some women regret not being whistled at” and a lament that actions that would have been considered a misdemeanour in his youth are now considered crimes. He has also been known to observe that, "At 30, a woman is not a bimbo unable to say no to a man."
These two appointments are a “slap in the face” by Macron against “everyone who has campaigned against gender-based violence”, Laurence Rossingol, a former Socialist minister for the family, told France Info news on Tuesday. “It’s a very big problem, especially because neither of the two has made a public commitment to tackling such violence.”
However, Élysée Palace sources said on Monday night that the allegations of rape against Darmanin are “not an obstacle” to his appointment as interior minister.
This article was adapted from the original in French.
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