france24--2020-08-28--Banksy funds Mediterranean refugee rescue boat

The boat is named after the 19th-century French anarchist Louise Michel British street artist Banksy has funded a pink-and-white charity vessel rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean , a news report and the ship 's operators said Friday .
Named after the 19th-century French anarchist Louise Michel , the German-flagged vessel on Thursday rescued 89 people from a rubber boat in distress , its crew said on Twitter .
The survivors , including 14 women and two children , `` need a Place of Safety now '' , it said .
The funding of the high-speed boat is the latest move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes scathing judgements on Europe 's hesitant response to the migrant crisis that peaked about five years ago .
Thousands of people are thought to have died making the dangerous crossing across the Mediterranean to flee conflict , repression and poverty in Africa and the Middle East .
On Friday , marinetraffic.com gave the Louise Michel 's position at about 50 kilometres southeast of the Italian island of Lampedusa , and posted Spain as its intended destination .
- ' I ca n't keep the money ' - Painted in hot pink and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Banksy artwork depicting a girl in a life vest holding a heart-shaped safety buoy , pictures of the boat posted on its website showed .
The 31-metre ( 101 feet ) motor yacht , formerly owned by French customs , is smaller but considerably faster than other charity rescue vessels -- enabling it to outrun Libyan coastguard boats , British newspaper The Guardian reported .
It has 10 crew members `` made up of European activists with long experience in search and rescue operations '' and is captained by German human rights activist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other such rescue vessels , the paper said .
Banksy 's involvement in the rescue mission goes back to September 2019 when he sent Klemp an email , The Guardian said .
`` Hello Pia , I 've read about your story in the papers .
You sound like a badass , '' Banksy wrote .
`` I am an artist from the UK and I ’ ve made some work about the migrant crisis , obviously I ca n't keep the money .
Could you use it to buy a new boat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Well done .
Banksy . ''
The Louise Michel was `` bought by the proceeds from the sale of Banksy artwork -- who then decorated her with a fire extinguisher , '' the ship 's website said .
Klemp , who initially thought it was a joke , told the paper she believed she was chosen because of her political stance , The Guardian said .
`` I do n't see sea rescue as a humanitarian action , but as part of an anti-fascist fight , '' she told the paper .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ identify as anti-racist and anti-fascist activists advocating for radical political change , '' The Guardian said .
`` As it is a feminist project , only female crew members are allowed to speak in the name of the Louise Michel , '' it added .
The vessel 's website said it is run `` on a flat hierarchy and a vegan diet '' .
A spokesman for Burriana 's port confirmed that the Louise Michel docked there on June 23 and left on August 18 .
`` During this time , they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they did it by themselves , they did not use the port services '' , he told AFP .
About Banksy , `` if he has been here , he came incognito , '' the official said .
The Louise Michel left Burriana on August 18 `` under the strictest secrecy '' , The Guardian reported .
Early this month , humanitarian organisations said they would resume migrant rescues in the Mediterranean Sea where none have operated since the Ocean Viking docked in Italy in early July .
Before the Ocean Viking 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mediterranean had been suspended for months due to the global coronavirus pandemic .
More than 100,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean last year from north Africa with more than 1,200 dying in the attempt , according to the International Organization for Migration .

Rome (AFP) –
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British street artist Banksy has funded a pink-and-white charity vessel rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean, a news report and the ship's operators said Friday.
Named after the 19th-century French anarchist Louise Michel, the German-flagged vessel on Thursday rescued 89 people from a rubber boat in distress, its crew said on Twitter.
The survivors, including 14 women and two children, "need a Place of Safety now", it said.
The funding of the high-speed boat is the latest move by the artist, whose work often makes scathing judgements on Europe's hesitant response to the migrant crisis that peaked about five years ago.
Thousands of people are thought to have died making the dangerous crossing across the Mediterranean to flee conflict, repression and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
On Friday, marinetraffic.com gave the Louise Michel's position at about 50 kilometres southeast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, and posted Spain as its intended destination.
- 'I can't keep the money' -
Painted in hot pink and white, the Louise Michel features a Banksy artwork depicting a girl in a life vest holding a heart-shaped safety buoy, pictures of the boat posted on its website showed.
The 31-metre (101 feet) motor yacht, formerly owned by French customs, is smaller but considerably faster than other charity rescue vessels -- enabling it to outrun Libyan coastguard boats, British newspaper The Guardian reported.
It has 10 crew members "made up of European activists with long experience in search and rescue operations" and is captained by German human rights activist Pia Klemp, who has also captained other such rescue vessels, the paper said.
Banksy's involvement in the rescue mission goes back to September 2019 when he sent Klemp an email, The Guardian said.
"Hello Pia, I've read about your story in the papers. You sound like a badass," Banksy wrote.
"I am an artist from the UK and I’ve made some work about the migrant crisis, obviously I can't keep the money. Could you use it to buy a new boat or something? Please let me know. Well done. Banksy."
The Louise Michel was "bought by the proceeds from the sale of Banksy artwork -- who then decorated her with a fire extinguisher," the ship's website said.
Klemp, who initially thought it was a joke, told the paper she believed she was chosen because of her political stance, The Guardian said.
"I don't see sea rescue as a humanitarian action, but as part of an anti-fascist fight," she told the paper.
The crew with diverse backgrounds "all identify as anti-racist and anti-fascist activists advocating for radical political change," The Guardian said.
"As it is a feminist project, only female crew members are allowed to speak in the name of the Louise Michel," it added.
The vessel's website said it is run "on a flat hierarchy and a vegan diet".
- 'Incognito' -
A spokesman for Burriana's port confirmed that the Louise Michel docked there on June 23 and left on August 18.
"During this time, they have been repairing and preparing the boat but they did it by themselves, they did not use the port services", he told AFP.
About Banksy, "if he has been here, he came incognito," the official said.
The Louise Michel left Burriana on August 18 "under the strictest secrecy", The Guardian reported.
Early this month, humanitarian organisations said they would resume migrant rescues in the Mediterranean Sea where none have operated since the Ocean Viking docked in Italy in early July.
Before the Ocean Viking's last mission, rescue operations in the Mediterranean had been suspended for months due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
More than 100,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean last year from north Africa with more than 1,200 dying in the attempt, according to the International Organization for Migration.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Tour de France will get to Paris, says Ineos mastermind Brailsford

Colombia 's Egan Bernal ( C ) is Ineos ' sole captain in a race the team expect to last three weeks Ineos chief Dave Brailsford said on the eve of the 2020 Tour de France he was confident the race would make it to Paris despite gloom over Covid-19 .
Brailsford 's assessment comes a day after France put Nice , the start town for the 21-day jaunt around France on a Covid-19 red zone list and one of the competing teams Lotto reported the Tour caravan 's first 'non-negative ' PCR swab tests .
Brailsford heaped praise on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ originally slated to start in June but which embarks from Nice on Saturday .
`` ASO particularly deserve a lot of credit , '' he told a conference with the reduced Tour press corps .
`` They have been terrific . ''
`` They have been working really hard .
We have worked closely with them on this for months and they really have done everything possible to make it work . ''
he said .
Brailsford dismissed the suggestion that he would try and get one of his team into the leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in case the race was abandoned .
`` We do n't know , nobody knows , but we have our strategy and it 's based on three weeks , like every other Tour before , '' he said .
`` If there comes a point when it becomes too much of a risk for riders and teams , to society in general , then people need to take that on board as well , '' he said .
`` ( The Tour ) is important for sport and important for society , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our approach , '' said the 46-year-old Briton .
Brailsford said that prior to Covid-19 his team already operated a strategy he called 'zero days ' aimed , in part , at reducing the possibility of riders catching an infectious illness .
`` We have n't shook hands for years , even fist bumping .
No TV controls nothing .
Its amazing to what extent you can minimise risk if you change your behaviour , '' he said .
Brailsford said his 2020 team had huge potential despite dropping Chris Froome and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You can never look back , '' he said .
`` Now , I 'm very excited about this young team with an experienced support cast . ''
Brailsford , who conceived the strategy for seven Tour de France wins , expressed total belief in his 23-year-old captain Colombia 's Egan Bernal will successfully defend the title to pull on the winner 's yellow jersey in three weeks time .
`` Egan deserves the leadership .
He 's a brilliant rider , a huge talent , '' he said of Bernal , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the peloton .
`` He 's the sole leader and that is clear and simple . ''
Much has been made of Ineos , bearing the name `` Grenadiers '' on their shirts , having a serious rival in the Dutch outfit Jumbo-Visma , but Brailsford said this missed the point .
`` The Tour is contested between the great riders rather than the big teams , he said .
Bernal himself said he was ready to defend his title , and smiled when asked about his chief rival Slovenian Primoz Roglic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the build up , we 'll have to be careful with him , '' he said .

Nice (France) (AFP) –
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Ineos chief Dave Brailsford said on the eve of the 2020 Tour de France he was confident the race would make it to Paris despite gloom over Covid-19.
Brailsford's assessment comes a day after France put Nice, the start town for the 21-day jaunt around France on a Covid-19 red zone list and one of the competing teams Lotto reported the Tour caravan's first 'non-negative' PCR swab tests.
Brailsford heaped praise on ASO, the organisers of a race originally slated to start in June but which embarks from Nice on Saturday.
"ASO particularly deserve a lot of credit," he told a conference with the reduced Tour press corps. "They have been terrific."
"They have been working really hard. We have worked closely with them on this for months and they really have done everything possible to make it work." he said.
Brailsford dismissed the suggestion that he would try and get one of his team into the leader's yellow jersey as soon as possible in case the race was abandoned.
"We don't know, nobody knows, but we have our strategy and it's based on three weeks, like every other Tour before," he said.
"If there comes a point when it becomes too much of a risk for riders and teams, to society in general, then people need to take that on board as well," he said.
"(The Tour) is important for sport and important for society, but equally we all need to be responsable in our approach," said the 46-year-old Briton.
Brailsford said that prior to Covid-19 his team already operated a strategy he called 'zero days' aimed, in part, at reducing the possibility of riders catching an infectious illness.
"We haven't shook hands for years, even fist bumping. No TV controls nothing. Its amazing to what extent you can minimise risk if you change your behaviour," he said.
- Bernal the sole leader -
Brailsford said his 2020 team had huge potential despite dropping Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas from the roster.
"You can never look back," he said.
"Now, I'm very excited about this young team with an experienced support cast."
Brailsford, who conceived the strategy for seven Tour de France wins, expressed total belief in his 23-year-old captain Colombia's Egan Bernal will successfully defend the title to pull on the winner's yellow jersey in three weeks time.
"Egan deserves the leadership. He's a brilliant rider, a huge talent," he said of Bernal, who won in 2019 as the youngest man in the peloton.
"He's the sole leader and that is clear and simple."
Much has been made of Ineos, bearing the name "Grenadiers" on their shirts, having a serious rival in the Dutch outfit Jumbo-Visma, but Brailsford said this missed the point.
"The Tour is contested between the great riders rather than the big teams, he said.
Bernal himself said he was ready to defend his title, and smiled when asked about his chief rival Slovenian Primoz Roglic.
"He was the strongest in the build up, we'll have to be careful with him," he said.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Feuding Lebanon factions to unveil PM picks Monday

So who will lead a new Lebanese government ?
Former prime minister Saad Hariri , who resigned under pressure from the streets last autumn .
has said he does n't want the job Lebanon is to hold parliamentary consultations on the choice of a new prime minister Monday , three weeks after the government resigned over a deadly Beirut blast , the president 's office said .
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to land in Lebanon the same day to hammer home his message of the need for change already made during his last visit on August 6 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 180 people and disfigured the heart of the capital .
Representatives of the country 's parliamentary blocs and independent lawmakers are to head to the presidential palace on Monday morning to announce who they would like to head a new government .
But the country 's deeply divided political class has so far failed to reach any consensus on a suitable candidate to be prime minister , a position always held by a Sunni Muslim .
`` Consultations to shrug off responsibility after the gravest French warning , '' read Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to the rush to start consultations despite the lack of consensus .
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Thursday that Lebanon risked `` disappearing '' as a country if serious reforms were not undertaken .
After the consultations , President Michel Aoun will task the nominee with forming a new cabinet to represent the country 's myriad of political parties and religious sects , an often drawn-out process that can drag on for months .
Among the names circulated in the press is that of independent candidate Nawaf Salam , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But Shiite party Hezbollah , which controls a parliamntary majority with its allies and whose choice will likely be decisive , has rejected a `` neutral government '' , and instead wants one gathering all the country 's political forces .
Parliament speaker and head of the Shiite Amal party , Nabih Berri , suggested again nominating former prime minister Saad Hariri , who resigned under street pressure last autumn .
But Hariri said this week he had no intention of returning to the post .
The explosion of a huge stockpile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Beirut on August 4 also injured thousands of people and left tens of thousands more homeless , piling on new misery after months of economic crisis and coronavirus pandemic .

Beirut (AFP) –
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Lebanon is to hold parliamentary consultations on the choice of a new prime minister Monday, three weeks after the government resigned over a deadly Beirut blast, the president's office said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to land in Lebanon the same day to hammer home his message of the need for change already made during his last visit on August 6, two days after the explosion that killed more than 180 people and disfigured the heart of the capital.
Representatives of the country's parliamentary blocs and independent lawmakers are to head to the presidential palace on Monday morning to announce who they would like to head a new government.
But the country's deeply divided political class has so far failed to reach any consensus on a suitable candidate to be prime minister, a position always held by a Sunni Muslim.
"Consultations to shrug off responsibility after the gravest French warning," read Friday's headline in the An-Nahar daily, referring to the rush to start consultations despite the lack of consensus.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Thursday that Lebanon risked "disappearing" as a country if serious reforms were not undertaken.
After the consultations, President Michel Aoun will task the nominee with forming a new cabinet to represent the country's myriad of political parties and religious sects, an often drawn-out process that can drag on for months.
Among the names circulated in the press is that of independent candidate Nawaf Salam, a former Lebanese ambassor to the United Nations.
But Shiite party Hezbollah, which controls a parliamntary majority with its allies and whose choice will likely be decisive, has rejected a "neutral government", and instead wants one gathering all the country's political forces.
Parliament speaker and head of the Shiite Amal party, Nabih Berri, suggested again nominating former prime minister Saad Hariri, who resigned under street pressure last autumn.
But Hariri said this week he had no intention of returning to the post.
The explosion of a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertiliser in the port of Beirut on August 4 also injured thousands of people and left tens of thousands more homeless, piling on new misery after months of economic crisis and coronavirus pandemic.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--No country for grieving men as artist Ai Weiwei turns a lens on Wuhan outbreak

`` Coronation '' , Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei ’ s latest documentary directed remotely from Europe , probes how ordinary citizens in Wuhan coped during the height of the coronavirus pandemic under the gaze of the all-monitoring state determined to relay a narrative of efficiency , not human loss or sorrow .
An elderly Chinese mother and her adult son under lockdown in her apartment are going through the awards the retired woman won during her loyal service to the Communist Party in the ranks of “ ordinary cadres ” as she describes it .
Merit plaques , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are being plunked , one after the other , on the table .
“ Look !
Look !
Look !
” she mutters with every thump as her son – clearly not a Party believer , but still indulging his mother – chuckles .
Next , a roll of old certificates is flattened on the table .
“ You kept all of them , ” says the son as he rattles out the certification years .
“ This one ’ s torn , ” he suddenly exclaims .
“ This was written by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mao Zedong Thought , ” he reads from the ripped paper .
“ Lin Biao wrote it .
No wonder you tore it , ” he chortles .
“ I didn ’ t .
I didn ’ t , ” replies the old woman unsmiling as her son , an artist , giggles .
The old woman though is not amused .
“ No idea , ” she sternly replies .
And with that , the matter is closed .
Lin Biao was at the peak of his career as First Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( CPC ) when he signed the elderly mother ’ s 1970 certificate .
He was CPC founder Mao Zedong ’ s right-hand man during the excesses of the Cultural Revolution , which decimated the Chinese economy , cultural tradition and killed millions , according to historians still debating death tolls .
When the Cultural Revolution , which was launched by Mao , ended in 1976 , Lin was officially designated a “ traitor ” .
A once loyal party servant was made the fall guy and the chapter was declared closed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from “ ordinary party cadres ” four decades later .
The mother-son conversation occurred in an apartment in the central Chinese province of Hubei earlier this year under a lockdown , better known as the “ Wuhan lockdown ” after the provincial capital and epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic .
It ’ s one of many revealing scenes in Coronation , a nearly two-hour documentary by leading Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei , released this week .
As China experiences yet another turmoil in its long history , the contest for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for grabs .
With Beijing seeking superpower status , the winning interpretation could have national and global implications .
Coronation provides both , the official narrative touted by Chinese authorities , as well as the counter-narrative that Beijing is at pains to conceal .
The historical verdict is likely to focus on Hubei during the December 2019 to January 2020 period , when the first cases of a pneumonia-like infection were detected in Wuhan before the infection tore through the world , killing more than 800,000 people so far and wreaking havoc on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on January 23 , the day Wuhan went into a lockdown , and ends on April 8 , when the restrictions were finally lifted , following five main characters as they navigate the tight constraints .
Ai , who has been living in exile in Europe since 2015 , made Coronation remotely and in secret , providing directions to amateur cinematographers filming in the epicentre as well as securing already filmed material .
The 63-year-old contemporary artist declined to disclose details of the filming or how he accessed footage to protect the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But Ai has past experience in video art projects : his prodigious multimedia oeuvre includes guerrilla-style documentaries and short clips that cast a raw lens on social issues .
Back in 2003 , while he was still in China , Ai produced a 26-minute short , Eat , Drink and Be Merry , during the SARS outbreak , which is believed to have originated in the southern Chinese city of Guangdong .
Beijing ’ s handling of the SARS outbreak , including discouraging press coverage and delayed reporting to the World Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticism .
So , when the news of the latest outbreak in Wuhan started to emerge , Ai immediately plugged into the situation with a clear idea of the medium he would employ for his next project .
“ From the very beginning I was thinking of how to structure a film without being in that city , ” said Ai in an emailed response to FRANCE 24 .
“ Two conditions made it impossible : First , I was forced out from China since 2015 , living almost like a political refugee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan was shut down .
No one was allowed in or out .
Before that , we already began to think of how to achieve a documentary.
” The 2003 experience proved critical , said Ai .
“ Eat , Drink and Be Merry is probably the only independent documentary made about SARS , about Beijing and how the government covered up information which caused a public panic .
So , everything started 17 years ago , ” he noted .
Coronation though is very different from the wry , exuberantly defiant Eat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then China in 2020 is not quite like the China of 2003 .
Beijing ’ s global ambitions , regional expansionism , crackdowns against minorities and clampdowns in autonomous zones have increased under President Xi Jinping .
The mounting human rights violations have also sparked a heightened official defensiveness , marked by China ’ s aggressive “ wolf warrior ” diplomacy on the international stage and increased surveillance inside the country .
Technology has also aided the state ’ s scrutiny of its citizens and the pandemic has provided the perfect justification to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begins with a couple returning from a Chinese New Year break in their ancestral province to Wuhan , where they work , on the night of January 23 .
Driving through desolate , snowy streets , they stop at a petrol station , where a shivering attendant tries but fails to take their temperatures .
Within minutes , a police car pulls up .
The couple ’ s self-isolation papers and IDs are checked and , a few questions later , they are allowed to carry on , a procedure accomplished with utmost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keen to highlight its efficient handling of the crisis and Coronation shows that the single-party state did indeed put up a public health feat by the end of January .
Medical teams arrive from across China to Wuhan , cheered by synchronised “ Go Wuhan !
” chants from masked reception teams at the airport .
Robots disinfect public areas .
Inside hospitals , audio tracks of beeps from medical equipment accompany nursing teams in protective gear as they treat patients in a bleak , dystopian universe .
Wuhan ’ s much touted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks , are also on display in the film .
In one characteristically Ai Weiwei sequence , a doctor enters through the front door of a just-built field hospital and walks for nearly four minutes , the camera following him in a single shot , as he makes his way through labyrinthine corridors , with signs scrawled on the new walls with markers , until he finally reaches his examination door .
Trying to grieve without apparatchiks The state response grows more sinister in the second half of the documentary as a son @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father , a Covid-19 victim , alone , without the deceased ’ s work unit members accompanying the grieving son .
There is no place for grief or a processing of sorrow in the People ’ s Republic of China .
Nothing that can contradict the state narrative of cheery , “ win-win ” efficiency is allowed .
Functionaries , party members , work unit colleagues and sundry officials hustle relatives through a mind-numbing bureaucracy of death , hovering over rushed burials , hurrying loved ones , numbed with grief , along .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the five main characters – a construction worker brought into Wuhan to build hospitals but then barred from returning to his home province – has committed suicide .
Another , a son determined to grieve for his father without hovering , monitoring apparatchiks , is right now “ under heavy surveillance by the public security ” , according to Ai .
The artist in exile has also faced pressure from Chinese authorities due to Coronation .
“ Since the film came out , the public security has contacted my mum , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this film has made for China .
I suggested that they watch the film , inviting them to have a discussion with me on whatever point they disagreed with and why they think a film with such an objective point of view could cause a tremendous crisis in terms of ideological discussion , ” revealed Ai .
Since he rose to national and international prominence in the late 1990s .
Ai has critiqued and provoked the Chinese political establishment with his daring multimedia works , tackling themes such as corruption and the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Communist Party ’ s gigantic structure , employed in the pursuit of stability , a Chinese obsession , has many adherents in the country .
Ai puts it down to state thought-control .
Discussing the generational divide between the elderly , party award-winning mother and her artist son , he noted that , “ It is clear that the elderly generation are in stronger support of the system .
But the younger generation are not much different from the older generation .
You can see how successful the authoritarian regime has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past 70 years .
There is no foundation for questioning or criticism of any sort.
” But if there ’ s censorship inside the country , there ’ s also a form of market-driven self-censorship outside China , Ai believes .
The legendary contemporary artist said he initially wanted to showcase Coronation at film festivals .
But so far , there have been no takers .
“ They are heavily dependent on the sales market and China provides the biggest market , ” he noted .
“ None of them can avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attractive market .
All filmmakers , including the festivals which host their films , desire to have their films presented in China .
That clearly illustrates why all those festivals and production companies self-censor.
” '' Coronation '' can be viewed on ( globally , except the US ) and on in the US .

"Coronation", Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei’s latest documentary directed remotely from Europe, probes how ordinary citizens in Wuhan coped during the height of the coronavirus pandemic under the gaze of the all-monitoring state determined to relay a narrative of efficiency, not human loss or sorrow.
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An elderly Chinese mother and her adult son under lockdown in her apartment are going through the awards the retired woman won during her loyal service to the Communist Party in the ranks of “ordinary cadres” as she describes it.
Merit plaques, in ceremonial red and gold wrapping, are being plunked, one after the other, on the table. “Look! Look! Look!” she mutters with every thump as her son – clearly not a Party believer, but still indulging his mother – chuckles.
Li Wen, an artist, and his mother during the Wuhan lockdown © Ai Weiwei Films
Next, a roll of old certificates is flattened on the table. “You kept all of them,” says the son as he rattles out the certification years. “This one’s torn,” he suddenly exclaims. “This was written by Lin Biao in 1970. Making Revolution. Mao Zedong Thought,” he reads from the ripped paper. “Lin Biao wrote it. No wonder you tore it,” he chortles.
“I didn’t. I didn’t,” replies the old woman unsmiling as her son, an artist, giggles.
“Then who tore it?” teases her son.
The old woman though is not amused. “No idea,” she sternly replies. And with that, the matter is closed.
Lin Biao was at the peak of his career as First Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China (CPC) when he signed the elderly mother’s 1970 certificate. He was CPC founder Mao Zedong’s right-hand man during the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, which decimated the Chinese economy, cultural tradition and killed millions, according to historians still debating death tolls.
When the Cultural Revolution, which was launched by Mao, ended in 1976, Lin was officially designated a “traitor”. A once loyal party servant was made the fall guy and the chapter was declared closed, eliciting tight “No idea” dismissals from “ordinary party cadres” four decades later.
The mother-son conversation occurred in an apartment in the central Chinese province of Hubei earlier this year under a lockdown, better known as the “Wuhan lockdown” after the provincial capital and epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s one of many revealing scenes in Coronation, a nearly two-hour documentary by leading Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, released this week.
As China experiences yet another turmoil in its long history, the contest for the narrative of the coronavirus chapter is up for grabs. With Beijing seeking superpower status, the winning interpretation could have national and global implications.
Coronation provides both, the official narrative touted by Chinese authorities, as well as the counter-narrative that Beijing is at pains to conceal. The historical verdict is likely to focus on Hubei during the December 2019 to January 2020 period, when the first cases of a pneumonia-like infection were detected in Wuhan before the infection tore through the world, killing more than 800,000 people so far and wreaking havoc on the global economy.
‘Everything started 17 years ago’
The documentary begins on January 23, the day Wuhan went into a lockdown, and ends on April 8, when the restrictions were finally lifted, following five main characters as they navigate the tight constraints.
Ai, who has been living in exile in Europe since 2015, made Coronation remotely and in secret, providing directions to amateur cinematographers filming in the epicentre as well as securing already filmed material.
The 63-year-old contemporary artist declined to disclose details of the filming or how he accessed footage to protect the people in China who worked on the project. But Ai has past experience in video art projects: his prodigious multimedia oeuvre includes guerrilla-style documentaries and short clips that cast a raw lens on social issues.
Back in 2003, while he was still in China, Ai produced a 26-minute short, Eat, Drink and Be Merry, during the SARS outbreak, which is believed to have originated in the southern Chinese city of Guangdong. Beijing’s handling of the SARS outbreak, including discouraging press coverage and delayed reporting to the World Health Organization (WHO), drew international criticism.
So, when the news of the latest outbreak in Wuhan started to emerge, Ai immediately plugged into the situation with a clear idea of the medium he would employ for his next project.
“From the very beginning I was thinking of how to structure a film without being in that city,” said Ai in an emailed response to FRANCE 24. “Two conditions made it impossible: First, I was forced out from China since 2015, living almost like a political refugee. Second, on January 23, Wuhan was shut down. No one was allowed in or out. Before that, we already began to think of how to achieve a documentary.”
The 2003 experience proved critical, said Ai. “Eat, Drink and Be Merry is probably the only independent documentary made about SARS, about Beijing and how the government covered up information which caused a public panic. So, everything started 17 years ago,” he noted.
The efficient, all-watching state
Coronation though is very different from the wry, exuberantly defiant Eat, Drink and Be Merry.
But then China in 2020 is not quite like the China of 2003.
Beijing’s global ambitions, regional expansionism, crackdowns against minorities and clampdowns in autonomous zones have increased under President Xi Jinping. The mounting human rights violations have also sparked a heightened official defensiveness, marked by China’s aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy on the international stage and increased surveillance inside the country.
Technology has also aided the state’s scrutiny of its citizens and the pandemic has provided the perfect justification to monitor every move they make.
Coronation begins with a couple returning from a Chinese New Year break in their ancestral province to Wuhan, where they work, on the night of January 23.
Driving through desolate, snowy streets, they stop at a petrol station, where a shivering attendant tries but fails to take their temperatures. Within minutes, a police car pulls up. The couple’s self-isolation papers and IDs are checked and, a few questions later, they are allowed to carry on, a procedure accomplished with utmost calm and efficiency.
Beijing has been keen to highlight its efficient handling of the crisis and Coronation shows that the single-party state did indeed put up a public health feat by the end of January.
Medical teams arrive from across China to Wuhan, cheered by synchronised “Go Wuhan!” chants from masked reception teams at the airport. Robots disinfect public areas. Inside hospitals, audio tracks of beeps from medical equipment accompany nursing teams in protective gear as they treat patients in a bleak, dystopian universe.
Medical teams in Wuhan, China, get disinfected in a still from Ai Weiwei's "Coronation". © Ai Weiwei Films
Wuhan’s much touted emergency field hospitals, constructed within two weeks, are also on display in the film. In one characteristically Ai Weiwei sequence, a doctor enters through the front door of a just-built field hospital and walks for nearly four minutes, the camera following him in a single shot, as he makes his way through labyrinthine corridors, with signs scrawled on the new walls with markers, until he finally reaches his examination door.
Trying to grieve without apparatchiks
The state response grows more sinister in the second half of the documentary as a son tries to collect the ashes of his father, a Covid-19 victim, alone, without the deceased’s work unit members accompanying the grieving son.
There is no place for grief or a processing of sorrow in the People’s Republic of China. Nothing that can contradict the state narrative of cheery, “win-win” efficiency is allowed. Functionaries, party members, work unit colleagues and sundry officials hustle relatives through a mind-numbing bureaucracy of death, hovering over rushed burials, hurrying loved ones, numbed with grief, along.
Since the filming of the documentary, one of the five main characters – a construction worker brought into Wuhan to build hospitals but then barred from returning to his home province – has committed suicide.
Meng Liang, a construction worker, works his phone trying to get home from Wuhan in a still from Ai Weiwei's "Coronation". © Ai Weiwei Films
Another, a son determined to grieve for his father without hovering, monitoring apparatchiks, is right now “under heavy surveillance by the public security”, according to Ai.
The artist in exile has also faced pressure from Chinese authorities due to Coronation. “Since the film came out, the public security has contacted my mum, trying to convey the kind of trouble this film has made for China. I suggested that they watch the film, inviting them to have a discussion with me on whatever point they disagreed with and why they think a film with such an objective point of view could cause a tremendous crisis in terms of ideological discussion,” revealed Ai.
Censorship, self-censorship inside and outside China
Since he rose to national and international prominence in the late 1990s. Ai has critiqued and provoked the Chinese political establishment with his daring multimedia works, tackling themes such as corruption and the state’s assault on personal liberties. The Communist Party’s gigantic structure, employed in the pursuit of stability, a Chinese obsession, has many adherents in the country.
Ai puts it down to state thought-control. Discussing the generational divide between the elderly, party award-winning mother and her artist son, he noted that, “It is clear that the elderly generation are in stronger support of the system. But the younger generation are not much different from the older generation. You can see how successful the authoritarian regime has been in controlling information and in brainwashing over the past 70 years. There is no foundation for questioning or criticism of any sort.”
But if there’s censorship inside the country, there’s also a form of market-driven self-censorship outside China, Ai believes. The legendary contemporary artist said he initially wanted to showcase Coronation at film festivals. But so far, there have been no takers.
“They are heavily dependent on the sales market and China provides the biggest market,” he noted. “None of them can avoid not to bow their heads toward this attractive market. All filmmakers, including the festivals which host their films, desire to have their films presented in China. That clearly illustrates why all those festivals and production companies self-censor.”
"Coronation" can be viewed on Vimeo on Demand (globally, except the US) and on Alamo on Demand in the US.
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france24--2020-08-28--Ibrahimovic agrees to play another season at AC Milan for 7m euros - reports

Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 11 goals for AC Milan after signing in January .
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will remain at AC Milan next season having reached agreement on a new deal reportedly worth 7 million euros ( $ 8.3m ) without bonuses , according to multiple reports in Italy on Friday .
Ibrahimovic , who turns 39 years in October , on Friday posted a photo of himself on social media wearing an AC Milan jersey with the number 11 written over the 21 , and his arms wide : `` As I said , I 'm just warming up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a photo showing him lying relaxing with the caption `` The quiet before the storm '' .
Ibrahimovic rejoined Milan in January on a six-month contract after leaving Los Angeles Galaxy , on a deal worth 3.5 million euros ( $ 3.9 million ) with the option for an additional season .
The former Manchester United , Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona player had a big impact , scoring 11 goals in 20 games .
`` I think that we can all see that Ibra has played an important part in our season and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ivan Gazidis said this week .
`` We are doing everything we can to see that this can continue . ''
The former seven-time European champions moved up from 11th on his arrival to sixth , finishing the season on a 13-game unbeaten run .
Ibrahimovic helped AC Milan to the last of their 18 Serie A titles in 2011 .
He also won three league titles with Inter Milan and two with Juventus which were both revoked because of the 'Calciopoli ' match-fixing scandal .
The Italian season kicks off again on @ @ @

Milan (AFP) –
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic will remain at AC Milan next season having reached agreement on a new deal reportedly worth 7 million euros ($8.3m) without bonuses, according to multiple reports in Italy on Friday.
Ibrahimovic, who turns 39 years in October, on Friday posted a photo of himself on social media wearing an AC Milan jersey with the number 11 written over the 21, and his arms wide: "As I said, I'm just warming up".
The Swedish forward also posted a photo showing him lying relaxing with the caption "The quiet before the storm".
Ibrahimovic rejoined Milan in January on a six-month contract after leaving Los Angeles Galaxy, on a deal worth 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million) with the option for an additional season.
The former Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona player had a big impact, scoring 11 goals in 20 games.
"I think that we can all see that Ibra has played an important part in our season and our growth," AC Milan CEO Ivan Gazidis said this week.
"We are doing everything we can to see that this can continue."
The former seven-time European champions moved up from 11th on his arrival to sixth, finishing the season on a 13-game unbeaten run.
Ibrahimovic helped AC Milan to the last of their 18 Serie A titles in 2011.
He also won three league titles with Inter Milan and two with Juventus which were both revoked because of the 'Calciopoli' match-fixing scandal.
The Italian season kicks off again on September 19.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--'More Than 30' rapists: Israel's #MeToo campaign

Reports of an alleged brutal gang-rape in a seaside resort have prompted women in cities across Israel to protest against sexual violence Allegations of a horrific hotel gang-rape in Israel where 30 men reportedly waited in line to assault a teenage girl have triggered an outraged campaign echoing the global # MeToo movement .
The extreme barbarity of the reported attack in Israel 's Red Sea resort of Eilat has prompted women to come forward to share their testimonies of sexual assault .
The `` More Than 30 '' campaign urges people to show that sexual abuse is far more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell `` the decision-makers that the problem of our society is not just about 30 rapists , '' organisers say .
`` Every woman knows that there are more than 30 rapists in the country , '' said the Mitsad Hanashim -- Women 's March -- group on its Facebook page .
It urges victims of sexual violence to list on social media the first names of their attackers , as well as their age at the time they were assaulted .
`` There is data on violence against women , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with names , '' the group said , writing in both Hebrew and Arabic , Israel 's second language .
`` Yonathan , when I was 17 ; a taxi driver at 20 ; or even Dad when I was five '' , said Ruty Klein , one of initiators of the campaign , reading out a sample of some of the brief but brutal messages .
Campaigners hope that the testimonies will show the scale and impact of sexual attacks .
`` We will give this long list to the government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will ask it to accept the demands of women 's associations to change policy in the face of violence , '' she added .
The alleged gang-rape earlier this month of a 16-year-old girl in the seaside town of Eilat had initially gone unnoticed .
Then on August 20 , local media reported that the alleged perpetrators , said to be in their 20s , had queued outside the teenager 's hotel bedroom , awaiting their turn to rape her .
The same evening , protests broke out in several Israeli cities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on strike , holding a symbolic hour-long work stoppage to protest `` the growing violence against women and girls in Israel , and lack of sufficient punishment , '' organisers said .
`` It is shocking – there is no other word , '' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said .
`` It is not only a crime against the girl , it is a crime against humanity itself that deserves all condemnation – and those responsible must be brought to justice . ''
In less than a week , the `` More Than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mi shloshim '' in Hebrew -- has collected more than a thousand testimonials , said Klein .
`` The shock of the gang-rape in Eilat reminded us that we are all together in the same boat , '' she said .
`` From the moment you no longer feel alone , you begin to speak .
Then another is added , and then another . ''
The list of testimonies `` continues to grow '' , she added .
The protests feed into a wider movement resulting in an `` awakening of conscience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who co-founded the women ’ s rights group HaStickeriot .
Weizman said it was inspired by `` Les Colleuses '' , feminist campaigners in France who daubed streets with the names of the men who had attacked them , and painted slogans denouncing the `` culture of rape '' .
For the past two months , Israeli campaigners have been posting feminist slogans on the walls of cities across the country .
`` Lo ze lo ( no means no ) '' , and `` at lo levad ( you are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` A lot of women come and tell us that they want to write their testimony -- with the name of their rapist , '' Weizman said .
`` That would have been unthinkable a few years ago . ''
But while the shock at the reports from Eilat can act as a `` catalyst '' , Weizman warns it is important not to forget that sexual assault is taking place every day , in homes and in families , hidden from view .
According to The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women assaulted each year in the country at 84,000 , or 230 per day .
`` One in five women will be raped in her lifetime in Israel , and one in three women will be sexually assaulted , '' Weizman said .

Jerusalem (AFP) –
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Allegations of a horrific hotel gang-rape in Israel where 30 men reportedly waited in line to assault a teenage girl have triggered an outraged campaign echoing the global #MeToo movement.
The extreme barbarity of the reported attack in Israel's Red Sea resort of Eilat has prompted women to come forward to share their testimonies of sexual assault.
The "More Than 30" campaign urges people to show that sexual abuse is far more widespread than one outrageous case, to tell "the decision-makers that the problem of our society is not just about 30 rapists," organisers say.
"Every woman knows that there are more than 30 rapists in the country," said the Mitsad Hanashim -- Women's March -- group on its Facebook page.
It urges victims of sexual violence to list on social media the first names of their attackers, as well as their age at the time they were assaulted.
"There is data on violence against women, but it is now time to link the statistics with names," the group said, writing in both Hebrew and Arabic, Israel's second language.
- 'Crime against humanity' -
Victims of attacks provide short but shocking descriptions.
"Yonathan, when I was 17; a taxi driver at 20; or even Dad when I was five", said Ruty Klein, one of initiators of the campaign, reading out a sample of some of the brief but brutal messages.
Campaigners hope that the testimonies will show the scale and impact of sexual attacks.
"We will give this long list to the government," said 29-year-old Klein.
"We will ask it to accept the demands of women's associations to change policy in the face of violence," she added.
The alleged gang-rape earlier this month of a 16-year-old girl in the seaside town of Eilat had initially gone unnoticed.
Then on August 20, local media reported that the alleged perpetrators, said to be in their 20s, had queued outside the teenager's hotel bedroom, awaiting their turn to rape her.
The same evening, protests broke out in several Israeli cities.
Last Sunday, thousands of Israelis went on strike, holding a symbolic hour-long work stoppage to protest "the growing violence against women and girls in Israel, and lack of sufficient punishment," organisers said.
"It is shocking – there is no other word," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
"It is not only a crime against the girl, it is a crime against humanity itself that deserves all condemnation – and those responsible must be brought to justice."
In less than a week, the "More Than 30" campaign -- or "Yoter mi shloshim" in Hebrew -- has collected more than a thousand testimonials, said Klein.
"The shock of the gang-rape in Eilat reminded us that we are all together in the same boat," she said.
"From the moment you no longer feel alone, you begin to speak. Then another is added, and then another."
The list of testimonies "continues to grow", she added.
- 'Catalyst' -
The protests feed into a wider movement resulting in an "awakening of conscience" in Israel, said Ilana Weizman, who co-founded the women’s rights group HaStickeriot.
Weizman said it was inspired by "Les Colleuses", feminist campaigners in France who daubed streets with the names of the men who had attacked them, and painted slogans denouncing the "culture of rape".
For the past two months, Israeli campaigners have been posting feminist slogans on the walls of cities across the country.
"Lo ze lo (no means no)", and "at lo levad (you are not alone)", they read.
"A lot of women come and tell us that they want to write their testimony -- with the name of their rapist," Weizman said.
"That would have been unthinkable a few years ago."
But while the shock at the reports from Eilat can act as a "catalyst", Weizman warns it is important not to forget that sexual assault is taking place every day, in homes and in families, hidden from view.
According to The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, police estimate the number of women assaulted each year in the country at 84,000, or 230 per day.
"One in five women will be raped in her lifetime in Israel, and one in three women will be sexually assaulted," Weizman said.
"Sexual violence affects all women."
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Sri Lanka to ban imports of plastic goods to protect elephants

Plastic in Sri Lankan landfills has become a major killer of elephants Sri Lanka will ban the import of most plastic products in a bid to protect wild elephants and deer that die eating the waste , the environment minister announced Friday .
Plastic in Sri Lankan landfills is a major killer of elephants , with autopsies showing kilos of it in the stomachs of animals who died after rummaging at dumps .
Environment minister Mahinda Amaraweera told parliament legislation was being drafted to stop imports of plastic goods , including polythene , that end up in landfills .
Officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Plastics are doing untold damage to our wildlife -- elephants , deer and other animals , '' Amaraweera told AFP shortly after his announcement .
`` We need to take immediate action to arrest this situation . ''
Sri Lanka has already banned the manufacture or import of non-biodegradable plastic used for wrapping food and shopping bags since 2017 .
Endangered wild elephants are protected in Sri Lanka by law although clashes with farmers are claiming a heavy toll on both sides .
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given wildlife officials two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human-elephant conflict that has claimed the lives of 607 elephants and 184 people since last year .
Amaraweera said the proposed import ban -- that covers mainly toys and household utensils -- will be extended to local manufacturing , but did not give a timeline .

Colombo (AFP) –
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Sri Lanka will ban the import of most plastic products in a bid to protect wild elephants and deer that die eating the waste, the environment minister announced Friday.
Plastic in Sri Lankan landfills is a major killer of elephants, with autopsies showing kilos of it in the stomachs of animals who died after rummaging at dumps.
Environment minister Mahinda Amaraweera told parliament legislation was being drafted to stop imports of plastic goods, including polythene, that end up in landfills. Officials said it would be introduced within months.
"Plastics are doing untold damage to our wildlife -- elephants, deer and other animals," Amaraweera told AFP shortly after his announcement.
"We need to take immediate action to arrest this situation."
Sri Lanka has already banned the manufacture or import of non-biodegradable plastic used for wrapping food and shopping bags since 2017.
Endangered wild elephants are protected in Sri Lanka by law although clashes with farmers are claiming a heavy toll on both sides.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given wildlife officials two years to implement a plan to reduce human-elephant conflict that has claimed the lives of 607 elephants and 184 people since last year.
Amaraweera said the proposed import ban -- that covers mainly toys and household utensils -- will be extended to local manufacturing, but did not give a timeline.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Goldman pays Malaysia $2.5 bn as part of 1MDB deal

Malaysia 's former prime minister Najib Razak was last month handed a 12-year jail term after being convicted on all seven charges in the first of several trials related to 1MDB Goldman Sachs has paid Malaysia $ 2.5 billion as part of a settlement over the US investment bank 's role in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal , officials said Friday .
The agreement , which has a total value of $ 3.9 billion , was announced last month after lengthy negotiations .
Billions of dollars were looted from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad in a fraud that involved former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The cash plundered from state coffers bankrolled a global spending spree , and was used to buy everything from artwork , to real estate and a superyacht .
Goldman 's role came under scrutiny over bond issues totalling $ 6.5 billion it helped arrange for the investment vehicle , with Malaysia claiming large amounts were misappropriated during the process .
The settlement comprises a payment of $ 2.5 billion to Malaysia and a guarantee that at least $ 1.4 billion in assets acquired with misappropriated funds would be recovered .
A spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cash part of the settlement `` has been paid by Goldman Sachs and received via an escrow account '' on Thursday .
Bloomberg News reported the funds will be used to repay outstanding debts of 1MDB , citing a person familiar with the matter .
Najib was voted out of office in 2018 in large part due to public anger over the scandal .
The government that took over charged Goldman and a string of former and current employees over the fraud , as well as demanding hefty compensation .
Under the agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the bank .
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said last month that , combined with 1MDB-linked funds already returned to Malaysia by the United States , the country will receive a total of $ 4.5 billion .
Najib was last month handed a 12-year jail term after being convicted on all seven charges in the first of several trials related to 1MDB .
He remains free on bail while he appeals .

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) –
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Goldman Sachs has paid Malaysia $2.5 billion as part of a settlement over the US investment bank's role in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal, officials said Friday.
The agreement, which has a total value of $3.9 billion, was announced last month after lengthy negotiations.
Billions of dollars were looted from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad in a fraud that involved former prime minister Najib Razak and his cronies.
The cash plundered from state coffers bankrolled a global spending spree, and was used to buy everything from artwork, to real estate and a superyacht.
Goldman's role came under scrutiny over bond issues totalling $6.5 billion it helped arrange for the investment vehicle, with Malaysia claiming large amounts were misappropriated during the process.
The settlement comprises a payment of $2.5 billion to Malaysia and a guarantee that at least $1.4 billion in assets acquired with misappropriated funds would be recovered.
A spokesman for Malaysia's finance ministry confirmed the cash part of the settlement "has been paid by Goldman Sachs and received via an escrow account" on Thursday.
Bloomberg News reported the funds will be used to repay outstanding debts of 1MDB, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Najib was voted out of office in 2018 in large part due to public anger over the scandal.
The government that took over charged Goldman and a string of former and current employees over the fraud, as well as demanding hefty compensation.
Under the agreement, Malaysia will end all criminal proceedings against the bank.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said last month that, combined with 1MDB-linked funds already returned to Malaysia by the United States, the country will receive a total of $4.5 billion.
Najib was last month handed a 12-year jail term after being convicted on all seven charges in the first of several trials related to 1MDB. He remains free on bail while he appeals.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-29--McIlroy seizes share of halfway lead at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy could n't keep the bogeys off his card , but the four-time major winner offset that with five birdies to grab a share of the halfway stage lead at the BMW Championship on Friday .
Northern Ireland 's McIlroy toughed out a one-under 69 to tie Patrick Cantlay at the top of the leaderboard for a one-stroke cushion heading into the final round of the second leg of the PGA Tour 's FedEx Cup playoffs .
McIlroy and Cantlay are at one-under 139 , making them the only players under par on the difficult Olympic Fields Country Club @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won this tournament eight years ago , has carded just one top 30 finish since the Tour restarted , but he can never be counted out in playoff event .
McIlroy has two career FedEx Cup titles .
`` Pars are good out there , '' McIlroy said .
`` I was able to break par which is awesome .
I got myself into a good spot going into the weekend . ''
Dustin Johnson birdied his final two holes for a 69 to vault into a tie for third with Japan 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 73 to reach even-par 140 .
Australia 's Adam Scott , Brendon Todd , Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa , Tony Finau and Billy Horschel are tied for fifth at one-over 141 , two strokes back of the leaders .
The Olympia Fields event features a 69-player field with no cut , and the top 30 in the rankings after this event advance to the Tour Championship .
The suburban Chicago layout , which hosted the 2003 US Open , has proved to be one of the toughest challenges on the Tour this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win this event for the first time since 2012 , had three birdies on his front nine and two on the back .
He started quickly with two birdies on his first four holes , including a five-foot birdie putt on the par three 13th hole followed by an eight-foot putt on the par-four 11th .
McIlroy birdied his seventh hole of the round ( No .
16 ) and his first hole on the back nine to get to three under .
But three bogeys over his final seven holes knocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sails .
After some sub-par results of late , McIlroy said he has been making adjustments with his clubs , especially his driver .
`` I was just trying to find something that I could get it in play , '' he said .
`` I went to higher loft driver and a different shaft .
`` If I can get it in play off the tee , then I can play from there .
I was n't doing that over the last few weeks . ''
Cantlay had four birdies and an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a two under 68 .
He made double bogey on No .
16 but then closed with a birdie to move into a tie with McIlroy .
`` I drove it pretty good actually , and I thought my way around the golf course really well , '' said Cantlay .
`` I got a couple of good breaks , and sometimes that 's what it takes to get up at the top of the leaderboard . ''
Johnson finished up his round with an eight-foot birdie putt on 17 and then a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get within one stroke of McIlroy and Cantlay .
`` I am in a very good position , what with two guys under par it shows you that the golf course is very tough , '' said Johnson .
American Tiger Woods birdied No .
17 then closed with a 37-foot birdie putt on 18 to salvage something from a disappointing five over 75 to move into a tie for 55th .
The birdie on 17 snapped a string of three straight bogeys for the 15-time major winner and reigning Masters champion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 74 and is tied for 45th , eight shots back of the leaders .

Los Angeles (AFP) –
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Rory McIlroy couldn't keep the bogeys off his card, but the four-time major winner offset that with five birdies to grab a share of the halfway stage lead at the BMW Championship on Friday.
Northern Ireland's McIlroy toughed out a one-under 69 to tie Patrick Cantlay at the top of the leaderboard for a one-stroke cushion heading into the final round of the second leg of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs.
McIlroy and Cantlay are at one-under 139, making them the only players under par on the difficult Olympic Fields Country Club course in Illinois.
McIlroy, who won this tournament eight years ago, has carded just one top 30 finish since the Tour restarted, but he can never be counted out in playoff event. McIlroy has two career FedEx Cup titles.
"Pars are good out there," McIlroy said. "I was able to break par which is awesome. I got myself into a good spot going into the weekend."
Dustin Johnson birdied his final two holes for a 69 to vault into a tie for third with Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who shot a three-over 73 to reach even-par 140.
Australia's Adam Scott, Brendon Todd, Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, Tony Finau and Billy Horschel are tied for fifth at one-over 141, two strokes back of the leaders.
The Olympia Fields event features a 69-player field with no cut, and the top 30 in the rankings after this event advance to the Tour Championship.
The suburban Chicago layout, which hosted the 2003 US Open, has proved to be one of the toughest challenges on the Tour this year.
McIlroy, who is trying to win this event for the first time since 2012, had three birdies on his front nine and two on the back.
He started quickly with two birdies on his first four holes, including a five-foot birdie putt on the par three 13th hole followed by an eight-foot putt on the par-four 11th.
McIlroy birdied his seventh hole of the round (No. 16) and his first hole on the back nine to get to three under. But three bogeys over his final seven holes knocked some of the wind out of his sails.
After some sub-par results of late, McIlroy said he has been making adjustments with his clubs, especially his driver.
"I was just trying to find something that I could get it in play," he said. "I went to higher loft driver and a different shaft.
"If I can get it in play off the tee, then I can play from there. I wasn't doing that over the last few weeks."
Cantlay had four birdies and an eagle on the par-four 11th hole for a two under 68. He made double bogey on No. 16 but then closed with a birdie to move into a tie with McIlroy.
"I drove it pretty good actually, and I thought my way around the golf course really well," said Cantlay. "I got a couple of good breaks, and sometimes that's what it takes to get up at the top of the leaderboard."
- Tiger tied for 55th -
Johnson finished up his round with an eight-foot birdie putt on 17 and then a 32 footer on the par-four 18 to get within one stroke of McIlroy and Cantlay.
"I am in a very good position, what with two guys under par it shows you that the golf course is very tough," said Johnson.
American Tiger Woods birdied No. 17 then closed with a 37-foot birdie putt on 18 to salvage something from a disappointing five over 75 to move into a tie for 55th.
The birdie on 17 snapped a string of three straight bogeys for the 15-time major winner and reigning Masters champion.
Defending champion Justin Thomas shot a four-over 74 and is tied for 45th, eight shots back of the leaders.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Peru extends coronavirus state of emergency

A woman looks at photos of health workers in Puno , Peru who died from Covid-19 Peru on Friday extended its national emergency until September 30 and prolonged a lockdown in some of the areas worst affected by the coronavirus , the government said .
The South American country has one of the worst death rates in the world from Covid-19 with 86 fatalities per 100,000 people .
`` The national emergency that was planned until the end of August ... is prolonged for the whole month of September , '' Prime Minister Walter Martos said .
This week Peru @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tiny European state of San Marino as the country with the highest death rate in the world .
Peru has recorded more than 620,000 cases and 28,000 deaths among its 33 million population .
In Latin America , it 's second only to Brazil in terms of total infections , and trails Brazil and Mexico in deaths .
The departments of Cusco , Moquegua , Puno and Tacna will remain in lockdown , as they have been since Peru started lifting restrictions in the rest of the country , including the capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stores selling basic necessities , such as food and medicine , can open .
The country 's borders remain closed and the nighttime curfew in force since March 16 has been extended .
Social and family gatherings remain banned throughout the country and a Sunday curfew is still in place .
A `` health emergency '' has been extended until December 7 .
Infections had fallen in June but climbed again in July once lockdown measures were lifted .
However , they were down again this week .
Peru 's economy is in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shrank by 30 percent in the second quarter .

Lima (AFP) –
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Peru on Friday extended its national emergency until September 30 and prolonged a lockdown in some of the areas worst affected by the coronavirus, the government said.
The South American country has one of the worst death rates in the world from Covid-19 with 86 fatalities per 100,000 people.
"The national emergency that was planned until the end of August... is prolonged for the whole month of September," Prime Minister Walter Martos said.
This week Peru overtook Belgium to sit second only to the tiny European state of San Marino as the country with the highest death rate in the world.
Peru has recorded more than 620,000 cases and 28,000 deaths among its 33 million population.
In Latin America, it's second only to Brazil in terms of total infections, and trails Brazil and Mexico in deaths.
The departments of Cusco, Moquegua, Puno and Tacna will remain in lockdown, as they have been since Peru started lifting restrictions in the rest of the country, including the capital Lima, from July 1.
Only stores selling basic necessities, such as food and medicine, can open.
The country's borders remain closed and the nighttime curfew in force since March 16 has been extended.
Social and family gatherings remain banned throughout the country and a Sunday curfew is still in place.
A "health emergency" has been extended until December 7.
Infections had fallen in June but climbed again in July once lockdown measures were lifted. However, they were down again this week.
Peru's economy is in recession due to the lockdown measures and shrank by 30 percent in the second quarter.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--NBA Pelicans, NFL Saints owner Benson positive for COVID-19

Gayle Benson , owner of the NFL 's New Orleans Saints and NBA 's New Orleans Pelicans , has tested positive for COVID-19 , the NFL club said Friday .
It was not known what symptoms Benson , 73 , has displayed since contracting the deadly virus within the past few weeks .
`` Mrs. Benson did test positive for COVID-19 , '' the Saints said in a statement .
`` She is progressing well and improving daily .
`` She has not missed a daily work call with the Saints and Pelicans staff nor has she missed an NBA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- she was not hospitalized and is recovering at home in New Orleans . ''
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March , the first NFL coach known to have contracted the coronavirus .
Saints players Kaden Ellis , Zach Wood and Deonte Harris tested positive but those were thought to have been false-positives due to their brief time on the reserve/COVID-19 list .
The team is set to open its 2020 NFL season on September 13 at home against the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Williamson , finished their 2019-20 NBA season earlier this month , going 2-6 in the COVID-19 quarantine bubble at Disney World in Orlando , Florida , to finish the campaign 30-42 , 13th in the Western Conference .

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Gayle Benson, owner of the NFL's New Orleans Saints and NBA's New Orleans Pelicans, has tested positive for COVID-19, the NFL club said Friday.
It was not known what symptoms Benson, 73, has displayed since contracting the deadly virus within the past few weeks.
"Mrs. Benson did test positive for COVID-19," the Saints said in a statement. "She is progressing well and improving daily.
"She has not missed a daily work call with the Saints and Pelicans staff nor has she missed an NBA or NFL owner call in recent days -- she was not hospitalized and is recovering at home in New Orleans."
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March, the first NFL coach known to have contracted the coronavirus.
Saints players Kaden Ellis, Zach Wood and Deonte Harris tested positive but those were thought to have been false-positives due to their brief time on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
The team is set to open its 2020 NFL season on September 13 at home against the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Pelicans, sparked by rookie star Zion Williamson, finished their 2019-20 NBA season earlier this month, going 2-6 in the COVID-19 quarantine bubble at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, to finish the campaign 30-42, 13th in the Western Conference.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Venezuela's Guaido banking on US support even if Trump loses

Opposition leader Juan Guaido , pictured in June 2020 , believes that a Joe Biden administration in the US would still support his challenge to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro Venezuela 's opposition leader Juan Guaido said Friday he is counting on the United States to maintain pressure on President Nicolas Maduro no matter who wins the US ' November presidential election .
US President Donald Trump has been a staunch ally of Guaido 's and has cranked up the pressure on the Maduro regime with a series of new sanctions .
Guido said Maduro was hoping to `` deceive '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on whether the Republican Trump or his Democratic rival Joe Biden wins the November 3 election , things `` could get a little better '' for the Venezuelan regime .
`` Your problem is not with the White House , your problem is with the Justice Department ... you 've been accused of drug trafficking and terrorism , '' Guaido said in an interview with Transparency International , addressing Maduro .
National Assembly speaker Guaido , who heads the only government branch in opposition hands , was responding to a question about whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Biden is elected .
The Trump administration was the first government to back Guaido 's January 2019 claim to be Venezuela 's acting president in a challenge to Maduro 's authority .
The National Assembly had declared Maduro a `` usurper '' over his 2018 re-election in a poll widely derided as fraudulent .
Following the US , more than 50 other countries also backed Guaido .
The US has also accused Maduro of `` narcoterrorism '' and placed a $ 15 million bounty on his head .
`` I have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' for `` supporting the Venezuelan cause , '' said Guaido .
Venezuela is also gearing up for elections in December to vote in a new legislature .
But Guaido is leading a boycott by the main opposition parties after the regime-backed Supreme Court appointed new election authorities -- a role that should be fulfilled by parliament .
However , the court has overruled the decision to boycott and handed control of the rebel political groups to Guaido 's opponents .
The US has already said it will not recognize the results of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Union has called for them to be postponed until a `` transparent '' process can be organized .

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Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido said Friday he is counting on the United States to maintain pressure on President Nicolas Maduro no matter who wins the US' November presidential election.
US President Donald Trump has been a staunch ally of Guaido's and has cranked up the pressure on the Maduro regime with a series of new sanctions.
Guido said Maduro was hoping to "deceive" his entourage into believing that, depending on whether the Republican Trump or his Democratic rival Joe Biden wins the November 3 election, things "could get a little better" for the Venezuelan regime.
"Your problem is not with the White House, your problem is with the Justice Department... you've been accused of drug trafficking and terrorism," Guaido said in an interview with Transparency International, addressing Maduro.
National Assembly speaker Guaido, who heads the only government branch in opposition hands, was responding to a question about whether he feared he would lose US support if Biden is elected.
The Trump administration was the first government to back Guaido's January 2019 claim to be Venezuela's acting president in a challenge to Maduro's authority.
The National Assembly had declared Maduro a "usurper" over his 2018 re-election in a poll widely derided as fraudulent.
Following the US, more than 50 other countries also backed Guaido.
The US has also accused Maduro of "narcoterrorism" and placed a $15 million bounty on his head.
"I have to deeply thank the administration of President Trump" for "supporting the Venezuelan cause," said Guaido.
Venezuela is also gearing up for elections in December to vote in a new legislature.
But Guaido is leading a boycott by the main opposition parties after the regime-backed Supreme Court appointed new election authorities -- a role that should be fulfilled by parliament.
However, the court has overruled the decision to boycott and handed control of the rebel political groups to Guaido's opponents.
The US has already said it will not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections, while the European Union has called for them to be postponed until a "transparent" process can be organized.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Cycling to probe object taken from Evenepoel after ravine plunge

Cycing chiefs are to probe the circumstances surrounding the spectacular crash where Remco Evenepoel plunged 10 metres ( 30ft ) into a ravine in Italy two weeks ago , with particular interest in an object taken from the stricken rider by his support staff .
World cycling body the UCI president David Lappartient , speaking on the fringes of the Tour de France in the start town of Nice on Friday , said the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation ( CADF ) had been given the dossier and images of the crash and its aftermath .
`` We have passed the images @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can interview those concerned and understand a little more about an object that was taken from Remco Evenpoel 's back pocket , '' Lappartient told reporters in Nice .
Images from the August 15 fall on the Tour of Lombardy , which left the promising Belgian with a broken pelvis , indicate that the rider 's sports director Davide Bramati took an object from his pocket , sparking debate on social media it could have been some kind of illegal transmitter .
`` The sports director said they were first alerted to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
What data are they talking about here ? ''
the cycling chief asked .
`` It is banned to transmit certain information .
If it 's just about his location then that 's okay , but there can be no other data transmissions . ''
Rising star Evenepoel , just 20 , was leading the classic one-day race when he misjudged a corner and fell into a ravine .
This season he won the Tour of Poland and was slated to race the Giro d'Italia in October where he would have @ @ @ @ @

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Cycing chiefs are to probe the circumstances surrounding the spectacular crash where Remco Evenepoel plunged 10 metres (30ft) into a ravine in Italy two weeks ago, with particular interest in an object taken from the stricken rider by his support staff.
World cycling body the UCI president David Lappartient, speaking on the fringes of the Tour de France in the start town of Nice on Friday, said the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) had been given the dossier and images of the crash and its aftermath.
"We have passed the images and dossier to the CADF so they can interview those concerned and understand a little more about an object that was taken from Remco Evenpoel's back pocket," Lappartient told reporters in Nice.
Images from the August 15 fall on the Tour of Lombardy, which left the promising Belgian with a broken pelvis, indicate that the rider's sports director Davide Bramati took an object from his pocket, sparking debate on social media it could have been some kind of illegal transmitter.
"The sports director said they were first alerted to the crash because they stopped receiving data from him. What data are they talking about here?" the cycling chief asked.
"It is banned to transmit certain information. If it's just about his location then that's okay, but there can be no other data transmissions."
Rising star Evenepoel, just 20, was leading the classic one-day race when he misjudged a corner and fell into a ravine.
This season he won the Tour of Poland and was slated to race the Giro d'Italia in October where he would have been amongst the favourites.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Apple blocks Fortnite maker from game developer tools

Epic Games , the creator of Fortnite , is in a battle with Apple over whether the tech titan 's tight control over the App Store -- and its 30 percent cut of revenue -- counts as monopolistic behavior Apple said Friday it has followed through on its decision to block the maker of Fortnite from developer tools needed to update games on its mobile devices .
The move to suspend Epic Games from the iOS developers program came just days after a US court rejected its bid to have Fortnite reinstated on the App Store , saying its eviction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The ruling against Epic Games comes amid a battle over whether Apple 's tight control over the App Store , and its 30 percent cut of revenue , counts as monopolistic behavior .
`` We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store , '' Apple said in reply to an AFP inquiry .
Apple pulled Fortnite from its online mobile apps marketplace on August 13 after Epic released an update that dodges revenue sharing with the iPhone maker .
Apple does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ download apps from anywhere but its App Store .
The Silicon Valley-based tech giant told Epic it would cut off access to tools needed to tailor software for devices powered by the iPhone maker 's operating systems .
A judge 's ruling this week prevented Apple from also cutting Epic off from access to developers tools for its Unreal Engine that powers graphics on computers .
`` The court recommended that Epic comply with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward , '' Apple said .
`` Epic has refused .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to violate the guidelines of the App Store . ''
Apple contended Epic was putting Fortnite players in the middle of a budding battle involving the companies .
`` Apple is asking that Epic revert Fortnite to exclusively use Apple payments , '' Epic said in reply to an AFP inquiry .
`` As a matter of principle , we wo n't participate in this scheme . ''
Apple is no longer allowing Epic to submit apps or updates via a developer account .
Players with earlier versions of Fortnite can still play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to rely on Apple 's payment system for transactions .

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Apple said Friday it has followed through on its decision to block the maker of Fortnite from developer tools needed to update games on its mobile devices.
The move to suspend Epic Games from the iOS developers program came just days after a US court rejected its bid to have Fortnite reinstated on the App Store, saying its eviction by Apple was a "self-inflicted wound."
The ruling against Epic Games comes amid a battle over whether Apple's tight control over the App Store, and its 30 percent cut of revenue, counts as monopolistic behavior.
"We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store," Apple said in reply to an AFP inquiry.
Apple pulled Fortnite from its online mobile apps marketplace on August 13 after Epic released an update that dodges revenue sharing with the iPhone maker.
Apple does not allow users of its popular devices to download apps from anywhere but its App Store.
The Silicon Valley-based tech giant told Epic it would cut off access to tools needed to tailor software for devices powered by the iPhone maker's operating systems.
A judge's ruling this week prevented Apple from also cutting Epic off from access to developers tools for its Unreal Engine that powers graphics on computers.
"The court recommended that Epic comply with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward," Apple said.
"Epic has refused. Instead they repeatedly submit Fortnite updates designed to violate the guidelines of the App Store."
Apple contended Epic was putting Fortnite players in the middle of a budding battle involving the companies.
"Apple is asking that Epic revert Fortnite to exclusively use Apple payments," Epic said in reply to an AFP inquiry.
"As a matter of principle, we won't participate in this scheme."
Apple is no longer allowing Epic to submit apps or updates via a developer account.
Players with earlier versions of Fortnite can still play on iPhones or iPads, but will have to rely on Apple's payment system for transactions.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--Dow erases 2020 losses as US stocks charge upwards

The Dow is back in the black for 2020 while the S & P and Nasdaq posted their fifth consecutive week of gains Wall Street flexed its muscles on Friday , with the Dow erasing its losses for the year and the S & P and Nasdaq again hitting records as investors shrugged off the ongoing coronavirus crisis , while markets elsewhere saw more moderate trading .
Much of the positive sentiment can be attributed to the Federal Reserve , which made clear that US interest rates will stay ultra-low as long as needed in a major policy shift announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had already climbed following their March Covid-19 downturn , after the Fed offered trillions of dollars in liquidity to keep markets functioning normally , with tech stocks doing particularly well as consumers spent more time at home .
`` The technical picture improved thanks to the Dow 's breakout , and while the industrial average is still below its pre-pandemic high , all of the key trend indicators confirm the bull market , '' Gorilla Trades strategist Ken Berman said .
European stocks closed slightly lower as London , Frankfurt and Paris all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dollar weakened .
Craig Erlam , senior market analyst with OANDA Europe , said that the Fed 's announcement , along with its earlier measures , means `` the taps will be on for the foreseeable future as the economy recovers from the wreckage of the pandemic , hopefully aided by a vaccine later this year . ''
Yet the coronavirus is far from over in the United States , where deaths topped 180,000 this week .
And climbing cases in Europe have also rattled investors , with Germany and Spain imposing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the easing of lockdowns .
Jerome Powell said Thursday the Fed would be in no rush to reel in inflation even if it overshoots the central bank 's two percent target , instead opting for an average that takes into account periods of weak price rises with an aim to benefiting lower-income families .
Mulling the dipping dollar , ThinkMarkets analyst Fawad Razaqzada warned that `` if the Fed allows inflation to overcook by not reacting fast enough , then it may have to tighten its belt more aggressively when it finally does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring prices back under control . ''
`` Such a policy response will stifle economic growth and will most likely send the dollar soaring higher . ''
The yen -- regarded as a safe haven in times of turmoil -- also spiked by more than one percent versus the dollar as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced he would resign .
Tokyo 's Nikkei 225 ended down 1.4 percent ahead of the official confirmation , which ends a record-breaking tenure at the helm of the world 's third-largest economy .
Abe said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ulcerative colitis that forced him to cut short a first term in office , and that he no longer felt able to continue .
Analysts said there would be concerns about the end of his big-spending , easy money policy -- dubbed Abenomics -- that has been credited with supporting the fragile economy for years .
New York - Dow : UP 0.6 percent at 28,653.87 points ( close ) New York - S & P 500 : UP 0.7 percent at 3,508.01 points ( close ) New York - Nasdaq : UP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Euro/dollar : UP at $ 1.1903 from $ 1.1822 at 2100 GMT on Thursday Dollar/yen : DOWN at 105.34 yen from 106.57 yen Pound/dollar : UP at $ 1.3349 from $ 1.3201 Euro/pound : DOWN at 89.13 pence from 89.56 pence

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Wall Street flexed its muscles on Friday, with the Dow erasing its losses for the year and the S&P and Nasdaq again hitting records as investors shrugged off the ongoing coronavirus crisis, while markets elsewhere saw more moderate trading.
Much of the positive sentiment can be attributed to the Federal Reserve, which made clear that US interest rates will stay ultra-low as long as needed in a major policy shift announced Thursday.
That further buoyed stocks that had already climbed following their March Covid-19 downturn, after the Fed offered trillions of dollars in liquidity to keep markets functioning normally, with tech stocks doing particularly well as consumers spent more time at home.
"The technical picture improved thanks to the Dow's breakout, and while the industrial average is still below its pre-pandemic high, all of the key trend indicators confirm the bull market," Gorilla Trades strategist Ken Berman said.
European stocks closed slightly lower as London, Frankfurt and Paris all shed around half a percent, while the dollar weakened.
- Wither the dollar? -
Craig Erlam, senior market analyst with OANDA Europe, said that the Fed's announcement, along with its earlier measures, means "the taps will be on for the foreseeable future as the economy recovers from the wreckage of the pandemic, hopefully aided by a vaccine later this year."
Yet the coronavirus is far from over in the United States, where deaths topped 180,000 this week. And climbing cases in Europe have also rattled investors, with Germany and Spain imposing fresh control measures as infections surge following the easing of lockdowns.
Jerome Powell said Thursday the Fed would be in no rush to reel in inflation even if it overshoots the central bank's two percent target, instead opting for an average that takes into account periods of weak price rises with an aim to benefiting lower-income families.
Mulling the dipping dollar, ThinkMarkets analyst Fawad Razaqzada warned that "if the Fed allows inflation to overcook by not reacting fast enough, then it may have to tighten its belt more aggressively when it finally does start its hiking cycle in an effort to bring prices back under control."
"Such a policy response will stifle economic growth and will most likely send the dollar soaring higher."
- Abe heads for exit -
The yen -- regarded as a safe haven in times of turmoil -- also spiked by more than one percent versus the dollar as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced he would resign.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 ended down 1.4 percent ahead of the official confirmation, which ends a record-breaking tenure at the helm of the world's third-largest economy.
Abe said he is suffering a recurrence of the ulcerative colitis that forced him to cut short a first term in office, and that he no longer felt able to continue.
Analysts said there would be concerns about the end of his big-spending, easy money policy -- dubbed Abenomics -- that has been credited with supporting the fragile economy for years.
- Key figures around 2100 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 28,653.87 points (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.7 percent at 3,508.01 points (close)
New York - Nasdaq: UP 0.6 percent at 11,695.63 points (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 5,963.57 points (close)
Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.5 percent at 13,033.20 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 5,002.94 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,315.54 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.4 percent at 22,882.65 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.6 percent at 25,422.06 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.6 percent at 3,403.81 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1903 from $1.1822 at 2100 GMT on Thursday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 105.34 yen from 106.57 yen
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3349 from $1.3201
Euro/pound: DOWN at 89.13 pence from 89.56 pence
Brent North Sea crude: UNCH at $45.08 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $42.95
burs-cs/to
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--UN extends Lebanon peace mission by one year but reduces troops

A picture taken on July 12 , 2020 near the northern Israeli town of Shtula shows the `` blue line '' sign , a demarcation line drawn by the UN to mark Israel 's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 , near the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab The UN on Friday renewed its peace mission in Lebanon for a year but reduced its troop capacity and requested that Beirut grant access to tunnels under the border with Israel .
The France-drafted resolution to renew the UNIFIL peacekeeping force was adopted unanimously by the Security Council 's 15 members , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reduce the troop limit from 15,000 to 13,000 , the resolution said , recognizing that the mission has `` successfully implemented its mandate since 2006 and has allowed for maintaining peace and security . ''
In practice , the decision does not change much because UNIFIL 's current strength is around 10,500 peacekeepers , a diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity .
During negotiations , Washington had asked for a limit of 11,000 peacekeepers .
The resolution urges Lebanon to give UNIFIL investigators access to areas north of the Blue Line -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- where tunnels allowing armed incursions into Israeli were discovered in 2019 .
Backing Israel , which has accused UNIFIL of bias and ineffectiveness , the US has called since early summer for a troop reduction and access to tunnels attributed to the pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah , which is very influential in southern Lebanon .
The UN has not gained access to the tunnels from the Lebanese side , Washington noted recently .
In the midst of an economic and political crisis , the Lebanese authorities -- aligning themselves with Hezbollah 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be extended without any change .
The resolution calls on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres coordinate with Lebanon and troop-contributing countries within 60 days on a plan for implementing recommendations he made to improve UNIFIL 's performance .
In June , Guterres said the peacekeeping force needed to be `` more agile and mobile , '' and called for an improved surveillance capacity of the force , including thermal-imaging cameras , hi-tech binoculars and drones .
Set up in 1978 , UNIFIL was beefed up after the 2006 war .
The force , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is tasked guaranteeing a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from a demilitarized zone on the border .
Israel said Wednesday it had launched air strikes against Hezbollah observation posts in Lebanon after shots were fired from across the border towards its troops the previous evening .

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The UN on Friday renewed its peace mission in Lebanon for a year but reduced its troop capacity and requested that Beirut grant access to tunnels under the border with Israel.
The France-drafted resolution to renew the UNIFIL peacekeeping force was adopted unanimously by the Security Council's 15 members, according to diplomats.
The council will reduce the troop limit from 15,000 to 13,000, the resolution said, recognizing that the mission has "successfully implemented its mandate since 2006 and has allowed for maintaining peace and security."
In practice, the decision does not change much because UNIFIL's current strength is around 10,500 peacekeepers, a diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. During negotiations, Washington had asked for a limit of 11,000 peacekeepers.
The resolution urges Lebanon to give UNIFIL investigators access to areas north of the Blue Line -- the UN-demarcated border between Israel and Lebanon -- where tunnels allowing armed incursions into Israeli were discovered in 2019.
Backing Israel, which has accused UNIFIL of bias and ineffectiveness, the US has called since early summer for a troop reduction and access to tunnels attributed to the pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is very influential in southern Lebanon.
The UN has not gained access to the tunnels from the Lebanese side, Washington noted recently.
In the midst of an economic and political crisis, the Lebanese authorities -- aligning themselves with Hezbollah's position -- demanded that the UN mission be extended without any change.
The resolution calls on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres coordinate with Lebanon and troop-contributing countries within 60 days on a plan for implementing recommendations he made to improve UNIFIL's performance.
In June, Guterres said the peacekeeping force needed to be "more agile and mobile," and called for an improved surveillance capacity of the force, including thermal-imaging cameras, hi-tech binoculars and drones.
Set up in 1978, UNIFIL was beefed up after the 2006 war.
The force, in coordination with the Lebanese army, is tasked guaranteeing a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from a demilitarized zone on the border.
Israel said Wednesday it had launched air strikes against Hezbollah observation posts in Lebanon after shots were fired from across the border towards its troops the previous evening.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-28--UN Security Council calls for more women peacekeepers

Peacekeepers from Honduras , Maria Sandra Granados ( left ) and Carme Lara , are photographed on a training mission in Talanga , Honduras on July 29 , 2008 before deploying to Haiti The Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution calling on UN members to boost the numbers of women peacekeepers , diplomats said , seeing the move as a way to improve the effectiveness and credibility of the missions .
The proposal put forward by Indonesia , a non-permanent member of the council , called on `` Member States , the United Nations Secretariat and regional organizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the full , effective , and meaningful participation of uniformed and civilian women in peacekeeping operations . ''
The text specified that this effort must lead to the involvement of women `` at all levels and in all positions , including in senior leadership positions . ''
UN member states are invited to develop `` strategies and measures to increase the deployment of uniformed women to peacekeeping operations '' through information campaigns , training and identifying obstacles to the recruitment and promotion of women peacekeepers .
The text highlighted the `` indispensable role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations . ''
`` The presence of women and better balance between men and women among peacekeepers contribute to , among others , greater credibility of the missions among the population , '' the resolution said .
Among the 13 peacekeeper missions currently carried out by the UN around the world , women make up about six percent of the 95,000 uniformed troops .

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The Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution calling on UN members to boost the numbers of women peacekeepers, diplomats said, seeing the move as a way to improve the effectiveness and credibility of the missions.
The proposal put forward by Indonesia, a non-permanent member of the council, called on "Member States, the United Nations Secretariat and regional organizations to strengthen their collective efforts to promote the full, effective, and meaningful participation of uniformed and civilian women in peacekeeping operations."
The text specified that this effort must lead to the involvement of women "at all levels and in all positions, including in senior leadership positions."
UN member states are invited to develop "strategies and measures to increase the deployment of uniformed women to peacekeeping operations" through information campaigns, training and identifying obstacles to the recruitment and promotion of women peacekeepers.
The text highlighted the "indispensable role of women in increasing the overall performance and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations."
"The presence of women and better balance between men and women among peacekeepers contribute to, among others, greater credibility of the missions among the population," the resolution said.
Among the 13 peacekeeper missions currently carried out by the UN around the world, women make up about six percent of the 95,000 uniformed troops.
© 2020 AFP