france24--2020-02-03--Bernie vs Biden: two septuagenarians lead Democratic field ahead of Iowa caucuses

He ’ s the oldest candidate in the White House race , but Bernie Sanders has managed , yet again , to energise young voters with polls showing him running neck and neck with former US vice president Joe Biden in the Iowa caucuses .
But the first test of the US presidential race is known for throwing up surprises .
As the first vote in the 2020 Democratic race to challenge US President Donald Trump kicks off in the Midwestern state of Iowa Monday , Sanders has emerged as a candidate on the rise , with the 78-year-old Vermont @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in several polls .
Biden and Sanders were tied at 25 percent as the first choice nominee , according to a CBS News poll conducted by YouGov released Sunday .
Pete Buttigieg , the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , came in third with 21 percent while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren ranked fourth with 16 percent .
The results largely match other polls conducted in the key state .
The two frontrunners represent two separate wings of the party : Sanders the progressive wing , and Biden the moderate establishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with people under the age of 35 in some polls .
Those voters formed the core base of his support in 2016 and they are still “ feeling the Bern ” this year .
The self-proclaimed socialist ’ s supporters are being rallied by social media to attend the caucuses , whereas older voters , who are more likely to favour Biden , are less likely to turn up .
Sanders also stands a good chance of winning the upcoming primary in New Hampshire , where , as the senator of a neighbouring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local .
Biden , a moderate with decades of Washington experience , is under pressure to put up a strong performance in Iowa , as centrist Democrats fret about how to deal with the rise of Sanders .
'Maybe we need a dangerous communist' At a Sanders campaign rally Sunday , supporters listened enthusiastically as the candidate went through his policy priorities and explained what ’ s at stake in the 2020 elections .
“ This might be the election that is the most consequential in modern American history .
What we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracy , ” he said .
Sanders promised he would defeat Trump and unite people together “ around an agenda that works for all of us , not just the 1 percent.
” Josiah Sutton , a 22-year-old history student at Lincoln College , is helping the Sanders campaign in Iowa .
He says a lot of young people in the service industry are backing the Vermont senator because he is addressing trade union issues .
When asked for his response to critics who call Sanders a “ dangerous communist , ” Sutton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ dangerous communist ’ .
We ’ ve been in a dangerous capitalist situation for too long.
” Tyler Birch , 26 , a press operator from Columbus , Ohio , spends most of his days on the factory floor but he ’ s taken time out to come to Iowa and canvas for Sanders .
Breathless and passionate , he explained Sanders ’ s revolutionary appeal : “ I believe that we need to build a working-class movement in America .
I think we need to live up to the original precept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is a democracy for everybody by everybody not just special interests , lobbyists , big banks , pharma and the insurance companies .
“ If that means he ’ s for the working people of the US , for unions , for people like me and my family , and immigrants - we need to go from the bottom up and that is how we all rise .
Not a system that creates wealth for just the 1 percent , where most income goes to them and not to us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ re gon na take Iowa , we ’ re gon na take South Carolina , we ’ re gon na take the presidency , ” said Birch .
At a Sanders field office in Des Moines , a sign reading “ IA loves Bernie ” adorns the wall .
Volunteers mill around exchanging canvassing techniques to convince voters to caucus for Sanders .
Cidney Macmillan , a 35-year-old business analyst from Iowa , is canvassing for Sanders .
He ’ s been trying to convince people who are on the fence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cidney supported Sanders in the last electoral cycle as well .
“ This year more than others , there ’ s a lot of progressive people .
In my opinion , Bernie brought that out .
Progressives seem to like Bernie , Warren and [ Andrew ] Yang .
I feel Bernie ’ s the right guy , he ’ s been on the right side of history for the last 30 , 40 years .
He ’ s been trying to break up the big corporations , trying to fight for nature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is breaking up banks , corporations .
There ’ s a lot of money in politics .
A lot of that comes from big banks , oil companies , the finance sector , pharmaceuticals , they are able to lobby and get a lot of different things that help them out but don ’ t benefit 95 percent of the population.
” Macmillan thinks it will even be possible to convince Trump supporters to convert to Sanders as he is an ‘ anti-establishment ’ figure .
Biden is ‘ the only one who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A crowd of about a thousand people gathered to hear Joe Biden at a middle school in Des Moines on Sunday .
The atmosphere felt flat before Biden appeared but picked up once he got on stage and flashed his smile .
Biden appeared somewhat frail , compared to the younger candidates in the race , and used notes as a prompt for his speech .
“ The next president is going to inherit a country divided and a world in disarray , ” Biden said , “ There ’ s no time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attorney from West Des Moines , told FRANCE 24 that he will caucus for Biden on Monday evening .
“ He said himself we need a president who can start from day one .
I want a certain level of statesmanship in a president .
I think he ’ ll be able to pull in both the disillusioned and disenfranchised and the other side as well , and I think Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are going to have a hard time doing that .
He ’ s got a better chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president has a way of looking right into the eyes of audience members .
He took time to greet all of those jostling to shake his hand , staying true to his reputation for having a personal touch .
James A. Benzoni , an immigration attorney who stayed on after Biden ’ s speech to shake the candidate ’ s hand , explained why he is supporting him .
“ The main reason , besides his experience , is because we are so divided right now and we need to deal with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama brought racial prejudice back to the surface and right now Biden is the only one who can bring both sides back together.
” At the end of his rally , Biden told FRANCE 24 , “ I ’ m the best candidate because I know what we have to do .
I can unite the country.
” The majority of Democratic voters FRANCE 24 spoke with said that if Biden ultimately gets the nomination they will back him against Trump .
But Rafaela Perez , a 20-year-old Warren supporter who travelled from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FRANCE 24 that she does not think young people will support Biden .
“ He has some good points but I don ’ t really think he ’ s the Democrat of the day anymore , '' she explained .
Perez then showed FRANCE 24 a video that has gone viral , which features a young man in a tie-dye T-shirt doing the `` Running Man '' dance and chanting , `` Please don ’ t make me vote for Joe Biden . ''
The popularity of the video reflects a sentiment felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the United States .

He’s the oldest candidate in the White House race, but Bernie Sanders has managed, yet again, to energise young voters with polls showing him running neck and neck with former US vice president Joe Biden in the Iowa caucuses. But the first test of the US presidential race is known for throwing up surprises.
Advertising Read more
As the first vote in the 2020 Democratic race to challenge US President Donald Trump kicks off in the Midwestern state of Iowa Monday, Sanders has emerged as a candidate on the rise, with the 78-year-old Vermont senator tied with Biden, 77, in several polls.
Biden and Sanders were tied at 25 percent as the first choice nominee, according to a CBS News poll conducted by YouGov released Sunday.
Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, came in third with 21 percent while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren ranked fourth with 16 percent.
03:07
The results largely match other polls conducted in the key state.
The two frontrunners represent two separate wings of the party: Sanders the progressive wing, and Biden the moderate establishment wing.
Sanders had a double-digit lead with people under the age of 35 in some polls. Those voters formed the core base of his support in 2016 and they are still “feeling the Bern” this year.
The self-proclaimed socialist’s supporters are being rallied by social media to attend the caucuses, whereas older voters, who are more likely to favour Biden, are less likely to turn up.
Sanders also stands a good chance of winning the upcoming primary in New Hampshire, where, as the senator of a neighbouring state, the veteran politician is a local.
Biden, a moderate with decades of Washington experience, is under pressure to put up a strong performance in Iowa, as centrist Democrats fret about how to deal with the rise of Sanders.
'Maybe we need a dangerous communist'
At a Sanders campaign rally Sunday, supporters listened enthusiastically as the candidate went through his policy priorities and explained what’s at stake in the 2020 elections. “This might be the election that is the most consequential in modern American history. What we are talking about is the future of American democracy,” he said.
Sanders promised he would defeat Trump and unite people together “around an agenda that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent.”
Josiah Sutton, a 22-year-old history student at Lincoln College, is helping the Sanders campaign in Iowa. He says a lot of young people in the service industry are backing the Vermont senator because he is addressing trade union issues. When asked for his response to critics who call Sanders a “dangerous communist,” Sutton replied, “Maybe we need a ‘dangerous communist’. We’ve been in a dangerous capitalist situation for too long.”
Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders campaigns at Lincoln College in Indianapolis, Iowa. © Jessica Le Masurier
Tyler Birch, 26, a press operator from Columbus, Ohio, spends most of his days on the factory floor but he’s taken time out to come to Iowa and canvas for Sanders.
Breathless and passionate, he explained Sanders’s revolutionary appeal: “I believe that we need to build a working-class movement in America. I think we need to live up to the original precept that our country was set up on, which is a democracy for everybody by everybody not just special interests, lobbyists, big banks, pharma and the insurance companies.
“If that means he’s for the working people of the US, for unions, for people like me and my family, and immigrants - we need to go from the bottom up and that is how we all rise. Not a system that creates wealth for just the 1 percent, where most income goes to them and not to us, the real people who work here. We’re gonna take Iowa, we’re gonna take South Carolina, we’re gonna take the presidency,” said Birch.
A Bernie Sander's campaign field office in Des Moines, Iowa, February 3rd 2020. © Jessica Le Masurier
At a Sanders field office in Des Moines, a sign reading “IA loves Bernie” adorns the wall. Volunteers mill around exchanging canvassing techniques to convince voters to caucus for Sanders.
Cidney Macmillan, a business analyst from Iowa who is campaigning for Bernie Sanders, February 2nd 2020. © Jessica Le Masurier
Cidney Macmillan, a 35-year-old business analyst from Iowa, is canvassing for Sanders. He’s been trying to convince people who are on the fence to come and support the candidate. Cidney supported Sanders in the last electoral cycle as well.
“This year more than others, there’s a lot of progressive people. In my opinion, Bernie brought that out. Progressives seem to like Bernie, Warren and [Andrew] Yang. I feel Bernie’s the right guy, he’s been on the right side of history for the last 30, 40 years. He’s been trying to break up the big corporations, trying to fight for nature. For me the most important thing is breaking up banks, corporations. There’s a lot of money in politics. A lot of that comes from big banks, oil companies, the finance sector, pharmaceuticals, they are able to lobby and get a lot of different things that help them out but don’t benefit 95 percent of the population.”
Macmillan thinks it will even be possible to convince Trump supporters to convert to Sanders as he is an ‘anti-establishment’ figure.
Biden is ‘the only one who can bring both sides back together’
A crowd of about a thousand people gathered to hear Joe Biden at a middle school in Des Moines on Sunday.
The atmosphere felt flat before Biden appeared but picked up once he got on stage and flashed his smile. Biden appeared somewhat frail, compared to the younger candidates in the race, and used notes as a prompt for his speech.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden at a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa. © Jessica Le Masurier
“The next president is going to inherit a country divided and a world in disarray,” Biden said, “There’s no time for on-the-job training.”
Marshall Orsini, an attorney from West Des Moines, told FRANCE 24 that he will caucus for Biden on Monday evening. “He said himself we need a president who can start from day one. I want a certain level of statesmanship in a president. I think he’ll be able to pull in both the disillusioned and disenfranchised and the other side as well, and I think Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are going to have a hard time doing that. He’s got a better chance of beating Trump.”
The former vice president has a way of looking right into the eyes of audience members. He took time to greet all of those jostling to shake his hand, staying true to his reputation for having a personal touch.
James A. Benzoni, an immigration attorney who supports Joe Biden, at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, February 2nd 2020. © Jessica Le Masurier, France 24
James A. Benzoni, an immigration attorney who stayed on after Biden’s speech to shake the candidate’s hand, explained why he is supporting him. “The main reason, besides his experience, is because we are so divided right now and we need to deal with the racial divide. The election of Barack Obama brought racial prejudice back to the surface and right now Biden is the only one who can bring both sides back together.”
At the end of his rally, Biden told FRANCE 24, “I’m the best candidate because I know what we have to do. I can unite the country.”
The majority of Democratic voters FRANCE 24 spoke with said that if Biden ultimately gets the nomination they will back him against Trump.
But Rafaela Perez, a 20-year-old Warren supporter who travelled from Kansas to see her candidate, told FRANCE 24 that she does not think young people will support Biden. “He has some good points but I don’t really think he’s the Democrat of the day anymore," she explained.
'Please don't make me vote for Joe Biden' video on TikTok. © Jessica Le Masurier
Perez then showed FRANCE 24 a video that has gone viral, which features a young man in a tie-dye T-shirt doing the "Running Man" dance and chanting, "Please don’t make me vote for Joe Biden." The popularity of the video reflects a sentiment felt by many young Democrats in Iowa and across the United States.
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france24--2020-02-03--Skating rape accusations ‘only the tip of the iceberg’ for French sport

Sarah Abitbol , a 10-time French figure skating champion , has accused her former coach of raping her when she was aged 15 to 17 .
French sport officials used to claim they had fewer sex abuse scandals than others because their flagging system worked better .
With that belief now shattered , the government is promising forceful action to tackle a crisis roiling France ’ s ice skating federation .
When former sports minister Laura Flessel stated in late 2017 , at the height of the # MeToo backlash , that “ there is no code of silence in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismay among experts in the field , who had long warned that widespread abuse was taking place under a veil of secrecy .
Just over two years later , the # MeToo wave has finally caught up with French sport , threatening to submerge the longtime head of France ’ s skating federation , nicknamed “ the Unsinkable ” .
On Monday , Flessel ’ s successor Roxana Maracineanu summoned Didier Gailhaguet , the boss of French ice sports for over two decades , over a spate of rape accusations that have rattled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his resignation .
The move followed days of explosive revelations set in motion by 10-time national skating champion Sarah Abitbol , who accused her former coach – himself a former champion – of raping her in the early 1990s , when she was aged 15 to 17 .
On Wednesday , the day Abitbol released a book detailing her ordeal , sports daily L ’ Equipe ran a lengthy report into sexual abuse in skating , swimming and tennis .
Under the headline “ The End of Omerta ( code of silence ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of three other skaters who accused the same coach , and two others , of abuse and rape when they were minors .
`` The weight of facts and their continuation over time illustrate that a general dysfunction exists within the federation , '' Maracineanu told reporters after Monday ’ s talks .
`` Didier Gailhaguet can not absolve himself of his moral and personal responsibility , so I have asked him to assume all his responsibilities and resign . ''
Brandishing further threats , the minister said she would refer the matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a criminal investigation can be conducted '' , threatened to withdraw state recognition of the federation , and promised to help in the creation of an `` association of victims '' .
Gailhaguet made only a limited apology as he left the ministry , saying : `` I made mistakes , not errors . ''
Asked if he would resign , he added : `` We 'll think about all that . ''
Coming just a week after a French court jailed tennis coach Andrew Geddes for 18 years for raping four underage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a surprise , says Philippe Liotard , a sociologist at the University of Lyon , who has written numerous articles on sexual abuse in sport .
“ Rumours of what happens in skating have been circulating for some time now , ” Liotard told FRANCE 24 .
“ What is interesting is that there are now people willing to listen to these accounts , including in the media.
” According to Professor Greg Décamps , who heads the psychology department at Bordeaux University , experts have been arguing for years “ that these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federations ” , with French skating marking “ a particularly sordid case ” .
“ On one side you have a federation run like a mafia , where managers cover , protect and threaten each other , ” he says of the skating federation .
“ And on the other you have the victims , who were silenced , and the others who knew what was happening but were too scared to speak out.
” In her book and in an interview with French weekly L ’ Obs , Abitbol said she had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s behaviour but was “ faced with an organised silence ” .
She added : “ Basically , everyone said to me ‘ Take your meds and be quiet !
’ I obeyed .
I took my meds and I fell silent.
” The former skater , now 44 , told L ’ Obs that after she retired she mentioned her claims against her coach to the then minister of sport , Jean-Francois Lamour , who allegedly replied : “ Yes , we have a file on him , but we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former minister told the French weekly he did not remember this conversation .
Abitbol ’ s coach , Gilles Beyer , continued his career as director of the French team and national coach for several more years .
According to L ’ Equipe , he was the subject of two investigations in the early 2000s , following complaints by parents .
After the second inquest , the sports ministry terminated his contract as a technical advisor , but he continued coaching in another capacity and remained close to the skating federation , whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contacted by the press .
On Friday , Beyer admitted to having had `` intimate '' and `` inappropriate '' relations with the former skating champion , telling AFP he was `` sincerely sorry '' .
The confession prompted a swift rebuke from Abitbol , who stressed that her coach had not confessed to raping her .
At their coaches ’ mercy Commentators have described the revelations rocking the skating federation as “ just the tip of the iceberg ” , noting that other sports also have a dismal record when it comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upon them .
Late last year , the investigative website Disclose published a report documenting 77 cases of “ major dysfunctions ” across 28 different sports .
The cases involved at least 276 victims , most of them children under the age of 15 .
Young athletes are particularly vulnerable , says Décamps , noting that youths eager for sporting success can easily end up under the thumb of coaches , many of them former champions idolized by their would-be successors .
“ All sportsmen and women fear for their careers , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves that enduring such abuse is a necessary step on the path to winning gold , because ‘ everyone has been through this ’ .
They want to be accompanied and coached from A to Z by someone who can turn them into champions , and to attain this objective they are willing to be ‘ rough-handled ’ .
This creates a context in which a coach ’ s influence can easily morph into something sinister.
” Lyotard likens athletes ’ submission to their coaches ’ authority to that of ballet dancers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The fact that trainers help “ shape ” and “ transform ” young athletes ’ bodies can sometimes foster ambiguity .
“ Sport can expose youths to intimate relationships with adults : training sessions can stretch late into the evening , coaches often drive the kids home , and then there ’ s the nights spent in hotels for away games , ” he adds .
Stamping out any possible ambiguity is the aim of a “ charter of good conduct ” drawn up by the NGO Colosse aux pieds d ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of clay '' .
Distributed to schools and academies across the country , the charter lists 16 things a coach should never do , such as showering with youths or placing them on the front seat of their car .
“ If our charter is respected by both the children and their coaches no-one will find themselves in a position of danger , ” says the NGO ’ s founder Sébastien Boueilh , a former rugby player who was himself abused in his youth .
In seven years of touring primary and secondary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boueilh says he is yet to visit a single establishment without meeting a victim of abuse .
“ Last year we visited 300 institutions , ” he says , “ and in each one at least two people opened up about their experiences.
” The former rugbyman is hoping more people will speak out in the wake of Abitbol ’ s revelations , including officials – most of them male , like the coaches – in France ’ s 92 sports federation and the thousands of clubs , both professional and amateur , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clubs and federations prefer to ‘ move ’ the problem elsewhere rather than report it , so as not to tarnish their name and their sport , ” he explains .
According to Disclose ’ s findings , in 77 % of cases the perpetrators of sexual abuse were able to continue their job while a judicial investigation was pending , or switch to another post following a criminal conviction – despite the fact that it is illegal for people found guilty of a sexual offense to coach minors .
To ensure problems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government must provide officials with guarantees that their careers will not be affected when they report cases of sexual abuse ” .
Décamps and other experts have been invited to attend a conference organised by Sports Minister Maracineanu on February 20 to discuss ways to tackle sex abuse in sports , including by tightening controls on coaches , many of them volunteers .
French sport is heavily reliant on the personal investment of some 3.5 million volunteer workers , from the directors of small sports clubs to the drivers who accompany children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of a legal framework makes it hard to weed out past offenders .
Volunteers wishing to coach an amateur team need not produce a criminal record , nor are their employers required to check the national register for sex offenders .
“ We are talking about paedophilia , clearly about inadmissible things in society , ” Maracineanu , France ’ s first swimming world champion , told French state radio in the wake of the Abitbol revelations .
“ In sport it is even less acceptable since parents , each year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves this question .
They need to be able to continue doing that , ” she added .
Her commitment marks a welcome change of tack for the likes of Boueilh , long accustomed to government inaction .
Arguing that her predecessors had done “ precious little ” , he added : “ It is heartening to see we finally have a minister who has decided to take the bull by the horns .
”

French sport officials used to claim they had fewer sex abuse scandals than others because their flagging system worked better. With that belief now shattered, the government is promising forceful action to tackle a crisis roiling France’s ice skating federation.
Sarah Abitbol, a 10-time French figure skating champion, has accused her former coach of raping her when she was aged 15 to 17.
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When former sports minister Laura Flessel stated in late 2017, at the height of the #MeToo backlash, that “there is no code of silence in French sport”, her claim prompted dismay among experts in the field, who had long warned that widespread abuse was taking place under a veil of secrecy.
Just over two years later, the #MeToo wave has finally caught up with French sport, threatening to submerge the longtime head of France’s skating federation, nicknamed “the Unsinkable”.
On Monday, Flessel’s successor Roxana Maracineanu summoned Didier Gailhaguet, the boss of French ice sports for over two decades, over a spate of rape accusations that have rattled the figure skating world, and demanded his resignation.
The move followed days of explosive revelations set in motion by 10-time national skating champion Sarah Abitbol, who accused her former coach – himself a former champion – of raping her in the early 1990s, when she was aged 15 to 17.
On Wednesday, the day Abitbol released a book detailing her ordeal, sports daily L’Equipe ran a lengthy report into sexual abuse in skating, swimming and tennis. Under the headline “The End of Omerta (code of silence)”, the newspaper published the accounts of three other skaters who accused the same coach, and two others, of abuse and rape when they were minors.
"The weight of facts and their continuation over time illustrate that a general dysfunction exists within the federation," Maracineanu told reporters after Monday’s talks. "Didier Gailhaguet cannot absolve himself of his moral and personal responsibility, so I have asked him to assume all his responsibilities and resign."
Brandishing further threats, the minister said she would refer the matter to the public prosecutor "so that a criminal investigation can be conducted", threatened to withdraw state recognition of the federation, and promised to help in the creation of an "association of victims".
Gailhaguet made only a limited apology as he left the ministry, saying: "I made mistakes, not errors." Asked if he would resign, he added: "We'll think about all that."
The next day, prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into the allegations made by Abitbol and others. In addition, the probe "will aim to identify all the other victims who may have suffered similar abuse", Paris prosecutor Rémy Heitz said in a statement.
‘Run like a mafia’
Coming just a week after a French court jailed tennis coach Andrew Geddes for 18 years for raping four underage players, the shocking allegations are hardly a surprise, says Philippe Liotard, a sociologist at the University of Lyon, who has written numerous articles on sexual abuse in sport.
“Rumours of what happens in skating have been circulating for some time now,” Liotard told FRANCE 24. “What is interesting is that there are now people willing to listen to these accounts, including in the media.”
According to Professor Greg Décamps, who heads the psychology department at Bordeaux University, experts have been arguing for years “that these things happen in all sports and all federations”, with French skating marking “a particularly sordid case”.
“On one side you have a federation run like a mafia, where managers cover, protect and threaten each other,” he says of the skating federation. “And on the other you have the victims, who were silenced, and the others who knew what was happening but were too scared to speak out.”
In her book and in an interview with French weekly L’Obs, Abitbol said she had repeatedly tried to flag her coach’s behaviour but was “faced with an organised silence”. She added: “Basically, everyone said to me ‘Take your meds and be quiet!’ I obeyed. I took my meds and I fell silent.”
The former skater, now 44, told L’Obs that after she retired she mentioned her claims against her coach to the then minister of sport, Jean-Francois Lamour, who allegedly replied: “Yes, we have a file on him, but we’re going to close our eyes.”
The former minister told the French weekly he did not remember this conversation.
Abitbol’s coach, Gilles Beyer, continued his career as director of the French team and national coach for several more years. According to L’Equipe, he was the subject of two investigations in the early 2000s, following complaints by parents. After the second inquest, the sports ministry terminated his contract as a technical advisor, but he continued coaching in another capacity and remained close to the skating federation, whose president Didier Gailhaguet declined to comment when contacted by the press.
On Friday, Beyer admitted to having had "intimate" and "inappropriate" relations with the former skating champion, telling AFP he was "sincerely sorry". The confession prompted a swift rebuke from Abitbol, who stressed that her coach had not confessed to raping her.
At their coaches’ mercy
Commentators have described the revelations rocking the skating federation as “just the tip of the iceberg”, noting that other sports also have a dismal record when it comes to cases of sex abuse and acting upon them.
Late last year, the investigative website Disclose published a report documenting 77 cases of “major dysfunctions” across 28 different sports. The cases involved at least 276 victims, most of them children under the age of 15.
Young athletes are particularly vulnerable, says Décamps, noting that youths eager for sporting success can easily end up under the thumb of coaches, many of them former champions idolized by their would-be successors.
“All sportsmen and women fear for their careers,” he explains. “Some even persuade themselves that enduring such abuse is a necessary step on the path to winning gold, because ‘everyone has been through this’. They want to be accompanied and coached from A to Z by someone who can turn them into champions, and to attain this objective they are willing to be ‘rough-handled’. This creates a context in which a coach’s influence can easily morph into something sinister.”
Liotard likens athletes’ submission to their coaches’ authority to that of ballet dancers and pupils in the most competitive music schools. The fact that trainers help “shape” and “transform” young athletes’ bodies can sometimes foster ambiguity.
“Sport can expose youths to intimate relationships with adults: training sessions can stretch late into the evening, coaches often drive the kids home, and then there’s the nights spent in hotels for away games,” he adds.
Flagging abuse
Stamping out any possible ambiguity is the aim of a “charter of good conduct” drawn up by the NGO Colosse aux pieds d’argile, or "Giant with feet of clay". Distributed to schools and academies across the country, the charter lists 16 things a coach should never do, such as showering with youths or placing them on the front seat of their car.
“If our charter is respected by both the children and their coaches no-one will find themselves in a position of danger,” says the NGO’s founder Sébastien Boueilh, a former rugby player who was himself abused in his youth.
In seven years of touring primary and secondary schools in metropolitan France and overseas, Boueilh says he is yet to visit a single establishment without meeting a victim of abuse. “Last year we visited 300 institutions,” he says, “and in each one at least two people opened up about their experiences.”
The former rugbyman is hoping more people will speak out in the wake of Abitbol’s revelations, including officials – most of them male, like the coaches – in France’s 92 sports federation and the thousands of clubs, both professional and amateur, spread across the country.
“Some clubs and federations prefer to ‘move’ the problem elsewhere rather than report it, so as not to tarnish their name and their sport,” he explains.
According to Disclose’s findings, in 77% of cases the perpetrators of sexual abuse were able to continue their job while a judicial investigation was pending, or switch to another post following a criminal conviction – despite the fact that it is illegal for people found guilty of a sexual offense to coach minors.
To ensure problems are properly flagged, Décamps says “the government must provide officials with guarantees that their careers will not be affected when they report cases of sexual abuse”.
Swimming champ raises hopes
Décamps and other experts have been invited to attend a conference organised by Sports Minister Maracineanu on February 20 to discuss ways to tackle sex abuse in sports, including by tightening controls on coaches, many of them volunteers.
French sport is heavily reliant on the personal investment of some 3.5 million volunteer workers, from the directors of small sports clubs to the drivers who accompany children to competitions. In their case, the lack of a legal framework makes it hard to weed out past offenders. Volunteers wishing to coach an amateur team need not produce a criminal record, nor are their employers required to check the national register for sex offenders.
“We are talking about paedophilia, clearly about inadmissible things in society,” Maracineanu, France’s first swimming world champion, told French state radio in the wake of the Abitbol revelations. “In sport it is even less acceptable since parents, each year, confidently entrust their children without asking themselves this question. They need to be able to continue doing that,” she added.
Her commitment marks a welcome change of tack for the likes of Boueilh, long accustomed to government inaction.
Arguing that her predecessors had done “precious little”, he added: “It is heartening to see we finally have a minister who has decided to take the bull by the horns.”
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france24--2020-02-03--Female genital mutilation kills 12-year-old in Egypt as illegal practice resists eradication

The arrest of the parents of a 12-year-old Egyptian girl who died after undergoing genital mutilation and the doctor who performed the procedure highlight the difficulty of eradicating the increasingly medicalized felony practice .
procedure highlight the difficulty of eradicating the practice .
A 12-year-old girl died in the Assiut governance of Upper Egypt last week due to complications she suffered after a retired doctor removed part of her genitals , a practice known as female genital mutilation ( FGM ) , also sometimes referred to as female circumcision .
“ The doctor tried to save her but she passed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office said in a statement issued late Thursday , vowing “ firm action ” against anyone carrying out the procedure in the future .
The girl ’ s aunt was also detained .
FGM was outlawed in Egypt in 2008 and was upgraded to a felony in 2016 after a 17-year-old girl bled to death .
The updated law mandates jail sentences of up to seven years for those who carry out the procedure and up to three years for anyone requesting it .
Religious leaders have also said genital cutting is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service campaigns to warn of the danger of FGM , but instead of curbing the practice the campaigns have prompted parents to turn to medical personnel to do it , the United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA ) said in November .
“ About 75 per cent of female genital mutilation in the country is performed by doctors , ” FGM expert Dr. Ayman Sadek said in the UNFPA statement .
The medicalization of FGM brings with it a new set of challenges , lending the appearance of legitimacy and safety despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risks—including haemorrhage , chronic urinary problems and complications in childbirth .
Indeed , the girl in Assiut , whom local news sources identified as Nada Abdul Maksoud , underwent the procedure in a clinic where it was performed by a retired doctor .
Parents and practitioners are often not punished for the crime , activists say , but in Maksoud ’ s case women ’ s rights groups expressed outrage and pushed authorities to take action .
FGM generally involves the removal of the labia but can also include sewing up the vaginal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Diminishing sexual pleasure , it is viewed as a way to assure that girls remain pure .
In rural areas in Egypt , husbands ask that their young brides undergo the procedure before marriage .
More than 40 percent of respondents in a 2014 survey said they believed the practice prevents women from committing adultery .
Egypt continues to have one of the highest rates of FGM in the world , with 87 percent of girls and women between the ages of 15 and 49 having been genitally cut , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eldanbouki , executive director of the Women ’ s Centre for Guidance and Legal Awareness , said that judges and police often treat the perpetrators of FGM cases with leniency .
“ Most of them do not take the cases seriously because they believe that it is for the benefit of the girl to undergo female circumcision for the protection of her chastity , ” he said .
Despite the most recent prosecution , authorities have largely failed to take clear measures that would eliminate FGM .
For starters , the law has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the practice only in cases where there is no medical justification .
“ This clause opens the door to parents as well as physicians to claim that they were not conducting female circumcision but simply removing allegedly discomforting skin growth , ” he said .
Until authorities on all level take the crime more seriously , little is likely to change , activist say .
“ Many more Egyptian girls will be forced to undergo the procedure , and many of them will die — as long as there is no clear strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the practice , ” said Amel Fahmy , managing director of Tadwein Gender Research Center .
Globally , at least 200 million women have been subjected to FGM , according to UNICEF .
FGM is prevalent in 30 countries , in which at least 30 percent of girls under the age 15 have been cut , according to United Nations statistics .
The UN hopes to eradicate the practice by 2030 .
February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation .

The arrest of the parents of a 12-year-old Egyptian girl who died after undergoing genital mutilation and the doctor who performed the procedure highlight the difficulty of eradicating the increasingly medicalised felony practice.
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A 12-year-old girl died in the Assiut governance of Upper Egypt last week due to complications she suffered after a retired doctor removed part of her genitals, a practice known as female genital mutilation (FGM), also sometimes referred to as female circumcision.
“The doctor tried to save her but she passed away,” the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement issued late Thursday, vowing “firm action” against anyone carrying out the procedure in the future. The girl’s aunt was also detained.
FGM was outlawed in Egypt in 2008 and was upgraded to a felony in 2016 after a 17-year-old girl bled to death. The updated law mandates jail sentences of up to seven years for those who carry out the procedure and up to three years for anyone requesting it. Religious leaders have also said genital cutting is forbidden.
The government regularly runs public service campaigns to warn of the danger of FGM, but instead of curbing the practice the campaigns have prompted parents to turn to medical personnel to do it, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in November. “About 75 per cent of female genital mutilation in the country is performed by doctors,” FGM expert Dr. Ayman Sadek said in the UNFPA statement.
The medicalisation of FGM brings with it a new set of challenges, lending the appearance of legitimacy and safety despite the practice having no medical benefits and significant risks—including haemorrhage, chronic urinary problems and complications in childbirth.
Indeed, the girl in Assiut, whom local news sources identified as Nada Abdul Maksoud, underwent the procedure in a clinic where it was performed by a retired doctor.
Parents and practitioners are often not punished for the crime, activists say, but in Maksoud’s case women’s rights groups expressed outrage and pushed authorities to take action.
FGM generally involves the removal of the labia but can also include sewing up the vaginal opening and cutting or removing the clitoris. Diminishing sexual pleasure, it is viewed as a way to assure that girls remain pure. In rural areas in Egypt, husbands ask that their young brides undergo the procedure before marriage. More than 40 percent of respondents in a 2014 survey said they believed the practice prevents women from committing adultery.
Egypt continues to have one of the highest rates of FGM in the world, with 87 percent of girls and women between the ages of 15 and 49 having been genitally cut, according to a 2016 survey by UNICEF.
Reda Eldanbouki, executive director of the Women’s Centre for Guidance and Legal Awareness, said that judges and police often treat the perpetrators of FGM cases with leniency. “Most of them do not take the cases seriously because they believe that it is for the benefit of the girl to undergo female circumcision for the protection of her chastity,” he said.
Despite the most recent prosecution, authorities have largely failed to take clear measures that would eliminate FGM. For starters, the law has loopholes, according to Eldanbouki, criminalising the practice only in cases where there is no medical justification. “This clause opens the door to parents as well as physicians to claim that they were not conducting female circumcision but simply removing allegedly discomforting skin growth,” he said.
Until authorities on all levels take the crime more seriously, little is likely to change, activist say. “Many more Egyptian girls will be forced to undergo the procedure, and many of them will die — as long as there is no clear strategy from the state and a true criminalisation of the practice,” said Amel Fahmy, managing director of Tadwein Gender Research Center.
Globally, at least 200 million women have been subjected to FGM, according to UNICEF. FGM is prevalent in 30 countries, in which at least 30 percent of girls under the age 15 have been cut, according to United Nations statistics. The UN hopes to eradicate the practice by 2030. February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
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france24--2020-02-03--French police shoots knife assailant who entered police station in eastern France

Gendarmes control the access to the gendarmerie headquarters of Dieuze , eastern France , on February 3 , 2020 , after a man was shot by a gendarme after attacking him with a knife .
- The gendarme was lightly wounded in the arm by the attacker , a 19-year-old serviceman .
Police shot and wounded a man armed with a knife after he attacked officers inside a police barracks in eastern France on Monday .
Shortly before the knifeman struck the police facility in Dieuze , near Metz , the local police operations centre received warning that an atrocity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Islamic State , French news agency AFP quoted the local prosecutor as saying .
`` We must relate the facts to a call received by the operational center of the gendarmerie shortly before , in which an individual declared that he was a soldier , that there was going to be carnage in Dieuze and that he was a member of Islamic State , '' prosecutor Christian Mercuri was quoted as telling a news conference in the area .
Several hours after the attack , there had been no claims of responsibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antiterrorist prosecutor was not investigating the case at this stage .
The knifeman wounded one officer in the hand before he was shot and later taken to hospital , a spokesman for the gendarmerie said .
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner praised the cool response of the officers who accosted the attacker .
The incident in Dieuze will raise further questions over security at police facilities .
In October , an information technology assistant at the police headquarters in central Paris went on a knife rampage inside the building , killing four people before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ converted to Islam a decade earlier .
In Britain on Monday , Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would act to stop the early release of convicted terrorists from jail after an Islamist militant stabbed two people in a street attack in south London .
Paris has suffered major attacks by Islamist militants in recent years .
Coordinated bombings and shootings in November 2015 at the Bataclan theatre and other sites around Paris killed 130 people - the deadliest attacks in France since World War Two .

Police shot and wounded a man armed with a knife after he attacked officers inside a police barracks in eastern France on Monday.
Gendarmes control the access to the gendarmerie headquarters of Dieuze, eastern France, on February 3, 2020, after a man was shot by a gendarme after attacking him with a knife. - The gendarme was lightly wounded in the arm by the attacker, a 19-year-old serviceman.
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Shortly before the knifeman struck the police facility in Dieuze, near Metz, the local police operations centre received warning that an atrocity was to be committed in the name of Islamic State, French news agency AFP quoted the local prosecutor as saying.
"We must relate the facts to a call received by the operational center of the gendarmerie shortly before, in which an individual declared that he was a soldier, that there was going to be carnage in Dieuze and that he was a member of Islamic State," prosecutor Christian Mercuri was quoted as telling a news conference in the area.
Several hours after the attack, there had been no claims of responsibility. A judicial source said the national antiterrorist prosecutor was not investigating the case at this stage.
The knifeman wounded one officer in the hand before he was shot and later taken to hospital, a spokesman for the gendarmerie said.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner praised the cool response of the officers who accosted the attacker.
The incident in Dieuze will raise further questions over security at police facilities.
In October, an information technology assistant at the police headquarters in central Paris went on a knife rampage inside the building, killing four people before he was shot dead. He had converted to Islam a decade earlier.
In Britain on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would act to stop the early release of convicted terrorists from jail after an Islamist militant stabbed two people in a street attack in south London.
Paris has suffered major attacks by Islamist militants in recent years.
Coordinated bombings and shootings in November 2015 at the Bataclan theatre and other sites around Paris killed 130 people - the deadliest attacks in France since World War Two.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-02-03--Coronavirus: China builds hospital in 10 days

An aerial view of a hospital under construction in Wuhan , China , to treat patients infected with a new form of coronavirus .
A 60,000-square metre structure with space for 1,000 beds and 30 intensive care wards , all built in just ten days .
According to Chinese state media , the construction of a new hospital in virus-hit Wuhan has been completed , just a little over a week after it began .
A team of 7,000 carpenters , plumbers , electricians and other specialists worked around the clock to build the Huoshenshan hospital , Chinese state media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23 and being completed on Sunday .
The hospital , which will be staffed by around 1,400 army medics dispatched to Wuhan , is due to start treating its first patients on Monday .
Wuhan , a city of around 11 million , has been on lockdown since January 23 after it became the scene of the first outbreak of the previously unknown form of coronavirus – a group of illnesses that includes SARS .
China on Monday increased the death toll from the virus to 361 , with more than 17,000 infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under construction in Wuhan and set to be completed on February 5 .

A 60,000-square-metre structure with space for 1,000 beds and 30 intensive care wards, all built in just 10 days. According to Chinese state media, the construction of a new hospital in virus-hit Wuhan has been completed – just a little over a week after it began.
An aerial view of a hospital under construction in Wuhan, China, to treat patients infected with a new form of coronavirus.
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A team of 7,000 carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists worked around the clock to build the Huoshenshan hospital, Chinese state media said, with construction beginning on January 23 and completed on Sunday.
The hospital, which will be staffed by around 1,400 army medics dispatched to Wuhan, began treating its first patients on Monday.
Wuhan, a city of around 11 million, has been on lockdown since January 23 after it became the scene of the first outbreak of the previously unknown form of coronavirus – a group of illnesses that includes SARS.
A second new hospital is currently under construction in Wuhan and set to be completed on February 5.
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france24--2020-02-03--Chechen opposition blogger stabbed to death in French hotel

This aerial view taken early on June 8 , 2013 shows Lille 's town hall and its belfry .
A Chechen blogger and vocal critic of Chechnya 's President Ramzan Kadyrov died of multiple stab wounds in an attack at a hotel in northern France last week , a source close to the inquiry said Monday .
Imran Aliev , a 44-year-old who used the pseudonym Mansur Staryi , was found dead Thursday morning in the hotel room near the train station in central Lille .
He had arrived from Belgium the day before with another man , `` who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the source told AFP .
Aliev had been stabbed several times in the throat , and the knife was found close to the body .
Given his outspoken critiques of Kadyrov 's government , the killing `` bears all the hallmarks of having a political motive , '' the source said .
The prosecutor 's office in Lille said no one had been detained so far in the investigation but declined to provide further details .
Kadyrov , a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin , has governed Chechnya since 2007 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed in suspicious circumstances in recent years , including outside the Russian republic .
Last August , a former Chechen rebel commander , Zelimkhan Khangoshvili , was shot and killed in Berlin , prompting Germany to expel two Russian diplomats , though Moscow denied any role in the murder .

A Chechen blogger and vocal critic of Chechnya's President Ramzan Kadyrov died of multiple stab wounds in an attack at a hotel in northern France last week, a source close to the inquiry said Monday.
This aerial view taken early on June 8, 2013 shows Lille's town hall and its belfry.
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Imran Aliev, a 44-year-old who used the pseudonym Mansur Staryi, was found dead Thursday morning in the hotel room near the train station in central Lille.
He had arrived from Belgium the day before with another man, "who presumably had the same nationality," the source told AFP.
Aliev had been stabbed several times in the throat, and the knife was found close to the body.
Given his outspoken critiques of Kadyrov's government, the killing "bears all the hallmarks of having a political motive," the source said.
The prosecutor's office in Lille said no one had been detained so far in the investigation but declined to provide further details.
Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has governed Chechnya since 2007, and several of his rivals have been killed in suspicious circumstances in recent years, including outside the Russian republic.
Last August, a former Chechen rebel commander, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, was shot and killed in Berlin, prompting Germany to expel two Russian diplomats, though Moscow denied any role in the murder.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-02-03--France’s Macron visits Poland in bid to warm frosty ties

French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda shake hands during a news conference after their meeting , in Warsaw , Poland February 3 , 2020 .
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday sought a `` turning point '' in strained ties with Poland , saying Brexit requires a new dynamic among the remaining members of the European Union .
The French leader announced a summit with Poland and EU heavyweight Germany in the coming months under the `` Weimar Triangle '' framework which had fallen out of favour in recent years .
Poland 's controversial judicial reforms , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule of law , and its position on EU climate goals , injected tension into ties with Paris and other EU members in recent years .
But Macron said Monday he hoped his visit `` will mark a real turning point in the role that together we can play for the Europe of tomorrow '' following talks in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda .
Macron urged cooperation to `` make the European project stronger , because indeed today ... after Brexit , fragility and doubt have set in . ''
Cooperation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge and support Poland , which faces a challenge that I do not underestimate , '' Macron added , referring to Warsaw 's uphill battle to wean itself off coal .
Duda spoke of a `` breakthrough '' in ties and welcomed the signing of a Polish-French cooperation program as part of their `` strategic partnership '' .
Relations between Paris and Warsaw have been cool at best .
Judicial reforms have set the right-wing populist Law and Justice ( PiS ) government on a collision course with Brussels over rule of law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members , including France .
Macron said on Monday that he had urged Warsaw to pursue dialogue with Brussels to safeguard the rule of law .
An agreement by EU leaders in December to try to make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050 was undermined by Poland 's rejection .
Macron in 2018 himself accused Poland 's PiS government and Hungary 's populist Premier Viktor Orban of `` lying to their people '' about the EU 's powers to interfere in domestic affairs .
But Brexit has made good relations with Poland all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavyweight will now be the EU 's fifth-largest member in terms of population and sixth in terms of GDP .
The interests of Paris and Warsaw line up neatly on the key issue of continued generous funding for the EU 's Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP ) in the bloc 's upcoming 2021-27 budget .
Despite political differences , economic ties between the two EU partners remain strong and stable .
France ranks sixth among Poland of trade partners , having exchanged nearly 21 billion euros worth of goods in 2018 .
French @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign investor ranking , with 18 billion euros from 1,100 companies , according to Polish data .
Macron also meets Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as well as the speakers of both houses of parliament in Warsaw on Monday .

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday sought a "turning point" in strained ties with Poland, saying Brexit requires a new dynamic among the remaining members of the European Union.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda shake hands during a news conference after their meeting, in Warsaw, Poland February 3, 2020.
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The French leader announced a summit with Poland and EU heavyweight Germany in the coming months under the "Weimar Triangle" framework which had fallen out of favour in recent years.
Poland's controversial judicial reforms, which the EU has warned undermine the rule of law, and its position on EU climate goals, injected tension into ties with Paris and other EU members in recent years.
But Macron said Monday he hoped his visit "will mark a real turning point in the role that together we can play for the Europe of tomorrow" following talks in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda.
Macron urged cooperation to "make the European project stronger, because indeed today... after Brexit, fragility and doubt have set in."
Cooperation must serve to "meet the climate challenge and support Poland, which faces a challenge that I do not underestimate," Macron added, referring to Warsaw's uphill battle to wean itself off coal.
Duda spoke of a "breakthrough" in ties and welcomed the signing of a Polish-French cooperation program as part of their "strategic partnership".
Relations between Paris and Warsaw have been cool at best.
Judicial reforms have set the right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) government on a collision course with Brussels over rule of law violations and drawn concern from fellow EU members, including France.
Macron said on Monday that he had urged Warsaw to pursue dialogue with Brussels to safeguard the rule of law.
Progress
An agreement by EU leaders in December to try to make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050 was undermined by Poland's rejection.
Macron in 2018 himself accused Poland's PiS government and Hungary's populist Premier Viktor Orban of "lying to their people" about the EU's powers to interfere in domestic affairs.
But Brexit has made good relations with Poland all the more important as the central European heavyweight will now be the EU's fifth-largest member in terms of population and sixth in terms of GDP.
The interests of Paris and Warsaw line up neatly on the key issue of continued generous funding for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the bloc's upcoming 2021-27 budget.
Despite political differences, economic ties between the two EU partners remain strong and stable.
France ranks sixth among Poland of trade partners, having exchanged nearly 21 billion euros worth of goods in 2018.
French companies take fourth spot on Warsaw's foreign investor ranking, with 18 billion euros from 1,100 companies, according to Polish data.
Macron also meets Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as well as the speakers of both houses of parliament in Warsaw on Monday.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-02-03--Israel’s Netanyahu pushes to ‘normalise’ relations with Sudan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during a news conference at the State House in Entebbe , Uganda February 3 , 2020 .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Sudan 's leader Monday to discuss `` normalisation '' between the two states , his office said .
Netanyahu met Abdel Fattah al-Burhan , chairman of Sudan 's ruling sovereign council , in the Ugandan city of Entebbe , a statement from his office said .
The two `` agreed to start cooperation leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries . ''
The countries are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only the third Arab state to recognise Israel .
There was no immediate confirmation from Khartoum .
`` History , '' Netanyahu said in a tweet announcing the meeting .
Sudan 's sovereign council is a transitional body of military officials and civilians that is currently headed by Burhan , an army general .
It was created as part of a power-sharing agreement between the military and civilians following the overthrow of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir last year .
The statement from Netanyahu 's office said the prime minister believed `` Sudan is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Burhan is eager to help his country modernise by taking it out of isolation and putting it on the world 's map , '' it added .
Sudan under Bashir was part of the decades-long Arab boycott of Israel over the Jewish state 's treatment of the Palestinians .
In 1967 Arab leaders met in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to announce what was called the 'three noes ' - rejecting peace or negotiations with and recognition of Israel .
Since then both Egypt and Jordan have recognised the country , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not .
Israeli officials say relations with Arab states are improving over a shared concern with Iran 's role in the region .
Netanyahu visited the Gulf Arab state Oman in 2018 and he frequently says the boycott of his country is ending , despite no peace deal with the Palestinians .
Netanyahu also met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni Monday and called for the opening of missions in each other ’ s countries , during a visit aimed at boosting ties .
`` You open an embassy in Jerusalem , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he added .
Israel considers all of Jerusalem its capital while the Palestinians see the eastern part of the holy city as the capital of their future state .
Traditionally , most diplomatic missions in Israel have been in Tel Aviv as countries maintained a neutral stance over the status of Jerusalem .
But US President Donald Trump , a close ally of Netanyahu , moved his country 's embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018 .
He has since pressured other countries to follow suit and last week released a peace plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annex parts of the West Bank , the largest part of the occupied Palestinian territories .
Netanyahu last visited Uganda in July 2016 to mark the 40th anniversary of a hostage rescue at Entebbe airport , in which his brother Yonatan died .
In recent years , Israel has improved ties with African nations , following a difficult period when many post-independence African leaders sided with Israel 's Arab rivals , and viewed with hostility Israel 's support for apartheid South Africa .
Israel now has diplomatic relations with 39 of 47 sub-Saharan @ @ @

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Sudan's leader Monday to discuss "normalisation" between the two states, his office said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during a news conference at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda February 3, 2020.
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Netanyahu met Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's ruling sovereign council, in the Ugandan city of Entebbe, a statement from his office said.
The two "agreed to start cooperation leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries."
The countries are technically at war and Sudan could become only the third Arab state to recognise Israel.
There was no immediate confirmation from Khartoum.
"History," Netanyahu said in a tweet announcing the meeting.
Sudan's sovereign council is a transitional body of military officials and civilians that is currently headed by Burhan, an army general.
It was created as part of a power-sharing agreement between the military and civilians following the overthrow of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir last year.
The statement from Netanyahu's office said the prime minister believed "Sudan is headed in a new positive direction".
"Burhan is eager to help his country modernise by taking it out of isolation and putting it on the world's map," it added.
Sudan under Bashir was part of the decades-long Arab boycott of Israel over the Jewish state's treatment of the Palestinians.
In 1967 Arab leaders met in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to announce what was called the 'three noes' - rejecting peace or negotiations with and recognition of Israel.
Since then both Egypt and Jordan have recognised the country, though other Arab and many Muslim countries still do not.
Israeli officials say relations with Arab states are improving over a shared concern with Iran's role in the region.
Netanyahu visited the Gulf Arab state Oman in 2018 and he frequently says the boycott of his country is ending, despite no peace deal with the Palestinians.
Jerusalem
Netanyahu also met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni Monday and called for the opening of missions in each other’s countries, during a visit aimed at boosting ties.
"You open an embassy in Jerusalem, I'll open an embassy in Kampala," he added.
Israel considers all of Jerusalem its capital while the Palestinians see the eastern part of the holy city as the capital of their future state.
Traditionally, most diplomatic missions in Israel have been in Tel Aviv as countries maintained a neutral stance over the status of Jerusalem.
But US President Donald Trump, a close ally of Netanyahu, moved his country's embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018.
He has since pressured other countries to follow suit and last week released a peace plan that gave Israel the green light to annex parts of the West Bank, the largest part of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Netanyahu last visited Uganda in July 2016 to mark the 40th anniversary of a hostage rescue at Entebbe airport, in which his brother Yonatan died.
In recent years, Israel has improved ties with African nations, following a difficult period when many post-independence African leaders sided with Israel's Arab rivals, and viewed with hostility Israel's support for apartheid South Africa.
Israel now has diplomatic relations with 39 of 47 sub-Saharan African states.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-02-03--Syrian govt shelling kills Turkish troops in Idlib, Ankara says, prompting retaliatory strike

A Turkish military convoy of tanks and armoured vehicles passes through the Syrian town of Dana , east of the Turkish-Syrian border in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib , on February 2 , 2020 .
At least four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others were wounded in `` intensive shelling '' in the northwestern region of Idlib on Monday by Syrian government forces , Turkey 's National Defense Ministry said .
A Turkish retaliation killed six Syrian soldiers , according to a monitor group .
The ministry said the shelling in Syria 's Idlib province took place despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkish forces that were sent to the province as reinforcements .
It said Turkish forces responded to the attack .
The incident comes amid a Syrian government offensive into the country 's last rebel stronghold , located in Idlib and parts of the nearby Aleppo region .
Turkish troops are deployed in some of those rebel-held areas to monitor an earlier cease-fire that was agreed to but that has since collapsed .
Responding to the Syrian shelling , Turkey launched an immediate counterattack .
The Turkish strike on regime positions south of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regime fighters , the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it an `` ongoing operation '' , and said that 30 to 35 Syrian forces were killed in the counterattack .
He urged regime ally Russia not to stand in the way of Ankara 's response .
`` I want to especially tell the Russian authorities that our interlocutor here is not you but the ( Syrian ) regime , and do not stand in our way , '' Erdogan told reporters .
The clash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Turkish soldiers who are based in parts of Syria 's north and northwest where Ankara backs a host of rebel groups .
It risks a serious escalation in a region that has come under heightened attacks by Damascus and Moscow in recent weeks , displacing hundreds of thousands of people .
Erdogan last week warned that Ankara would use military force against Damascus if any of its positions in Idlib were threatened by attacks .
Turkey has 12 observation posts in the region as part of its deal with Russia to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sunday reported that Turkey 's military sent reinforcements to the region to bolster the forces stationed at the posts .
( FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP )

At least four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others were wounded in "intensive shelling" in the northwestern region of Idlib on Monday by Syrian government forces, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said. A Turkish retaliation killed six Syrian soldiers, according to a monitor group.
A Turkish military convoy of tanks and armoured vehicles passes through the Syrian town of Dana, east of the Turkish-Syrian border in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, on February 2, 2020.
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The ministry said the shelling in Syria's Idlib province took place despite prior notification of the coordinates of the Turkish forces that were sent to the province as reinforcements. It said Turkish forces responded to the attack.
The incident comes amid a Syrian government offensive into the country's last rebel stronghold, located in Idlib and parts of the nearby Aleppo region. Turkish troops are deployed in some of those rebel-held areas to monitor an earlier cease-fire that was agreed to but that has since collapsed.
Responding to the Syrian shelling, Turkey launched an immediate counterattack. The Turkish strike on regime positions south of the flashpoint town of Saraqeb wounded another 20 regime fighters, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
02:36
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it an "ongoing operation", and said that 30 to 35 Syrian forces were killed in the counterattack.
He urged regime ally Russia not to stand in the way of Ankara's response. "I want to especially tell the Russian authorities that our interlocutor here is not you but the (Syrian) regime, and do not stand in our way," Erdogan told reporters.
Rare confrontation
The clash is a rare confrontation between Syrian forces and Turkish soldiers who are based in parts of Syria's north and northwest where Ankara backs a host of rebel groups.
It risks a serious escalation in a region that has come under heightened attacks by Damascus and Moscow in recent weeks, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
01:42
Erdogan last week warned that Ankara would use military force against Damascus if any of its positions in Idlib were threatened by attacks.
Turkey has 12 observation posts in the region as part of its deal with Russia to prevent a Syrian government offensive.
Turkish media on Sunday reported that Turkey's military sent reinforcements to the region to bolster the forces stationed at the posts.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)
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france24--2020-02-04--Iowa loses patience as Democrats delay release of caucus results

The US Democratic presidential nominating race got off to a chaotic start in Iowa on Monday with the results of the state 's caucuses delayed for hours as party officials double-checked `` inconsistencies '' in the initial count .
Several precincts said that workers had trouble using a new app to report the results .
As news came in that the results of the Iowa caucuses would not be released until later on Tuesday a handful of Bernie Sanders supporters danced and chanted outside the Holiday Inn hotel in the south of Iowa 's capital Des Moines , where their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The people united , will never be defeated , '' they sang .
`` Get up , Get down , DSM ( Des Moines ) is a Bernie town . ''
Although they felt cheated of their victory party they believed Bernie had taken Iowa , and would go on to take New Hampshire as well .
One supporter , who asked to remain anonymous , described the confusion over a malfunctioning vote count app as a `` shit show '' but said it was mostly caused by incompetence .
Others were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy .
Supporters of the Vermont Senator believe the Democratic party establishment backs former vice president Joe Biden as the best candidate to take on Donald Trump in the November election .
Following Monday ’ s problems , those suspicions re-emerged among Sanders supporters .
`` They weren ’ t ready for the turnout , the new app .
They are doing anything they can now to delay the results , '' said Adam , a 29-year-old New Yorker who travelled to Iowa to canvas for Sanders .
His friend Daniel , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also helping the Bernie campaign , agreed .
“ Last time it was a mess so I was expecting a little bit of high jinks .
I think the Democratic party is worried .
It ’ s the beginning of the snowball .
Biden ’ s electability argument is capsizing .
The fact he wasn ’ t even viable in some precincts was insane , '' said Daniel .
'Get that sucker out of the White House ’ At precinct 56 in Sherman Hill , just west of downtown Des Moines , Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 646 caucus-goers picking the Vermont Senator as their candidate .
The precinct co-chair , Deb Copeland , explained that the area was not necessarily reflective of the whole state of Iowa .
`` We have a lot of downtown housing here , a lot of young people , '' Copeland said .
Polls suggested that young people had mobilised en masse for the caucuses which could partly explain why Sanders , who has a large support base among the youth , appeared to have done so well .
But older voters had also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steele , 86 , said that she would be elated if Bernie Sanders wins Iowa `` because he is the only one who can get that sucker out of the White House '' .
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts came in second with 215 supporters at precinct 56 and former South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg got 133 .
Biden was not even viable at the precinct -- the space reserved for him in the school auditorium was almost empty .
The former US vice president and seasoned politician fared badly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Although the official results were not released , Sanders claimed victory and released his own vote count , which put Biden in fourth place in Iowa .
Sanders ' supporters also expressed dismay at what they called `` Buttigieg ’ s victory speech '' on Monday night , when the former mayor got on stage and said : `` Iowa , you have shocked the nation .
By all indications , we are going on to New Hampshire victorious . ''
Danielle Palmer , a logistics account manager who supports Buttigieg , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iowa would `` take him all the way to the White House '' .
Buttigieg came first in precinct 66 , at Lincoln College in Indianapolis , where Palmer was helping out .
`` People are ready for change , '' she said .
`` He ’ s human .
Not your typical politician . ''
A post-caucus dispute at precinct 56 seemed to be a microcosm of the bigger picture .
Sanders ' supporters argued with Buttigieg supporters , telling them they had miscounted their numbers and accusing them of fiddling the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re paranoid after the last electoral cycle , '' said supporters of the septuagenarian senator who lost the 2019 Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton .
Biden tried to play things down at his caucus night party and his supporters remained confident despite his apparent loss in Iowa .
`` I don ’ t see Sanders taking any southern states , '' said Joe Moore , a former member of Chicago city council , who travelled to Des Moines to knock on doors for Biden .
He said that although he liked Buttigieg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` his inability to attract black voters '' .
It is often said that `` there are three tickets out of Iowa '' .
Final results are not out yet but it is looking like Biden did not get one .

ON THE GROUND
The US Democratic presidential nominating race got off to a chaotic start in Iowa on Monday with the results of the state's caucuses delayed for hours as party officials double-checked "inconsistencies" in the initial count. Several precincts said that workers had trouble using a new app to report the results.
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As news came in that the results of the Iowa caucuses would not be released until later on Tuesday a handful of Bernie Sanders supporters danced and chanted outside the Holiday Inn hotel in the south of Iowa's capital Des Moines, where their candidate had planned his victory celebration.
Sanders supporters -‘Get up, get down. DSM is a Bernie town.’ pic.twitter.com/ULqPouI9Wp — Jessica Le Masurier (@lemasurierjess) February 4, 2020
"The people united, will never be defeated," they sang. "Get up, Get down, DSM (Des Moines) is a Bernie town."
Although they felt cheated of their victory party they believed Bernie had taken Iowa, and would go on to take New Hampshire as well.
One supporter, who asked to remain anonymous, described the confusion over a malfunctioning vote count app as a "shit show" but said it was mostly caused by incompetence.
Others were more sceptical, saying they suspected a conspiracy. Supporters of the Vermont Senator believe the Democratic party establishment backs former vice president Joe Biden as the best candidate to take on Donald Trump in the November election. Following Monday’s problems, those suspicions re-emerged among Sanders supporters.
"They weren’t ready for the turnout, the new app. They are doing anything they can now to delay the results," said Adam, a 29-year-old New Yorker who travelled to Iowa to canvas for Sanders.
Bernie Sanders supporters Adam (L) and Daniel (R) in Des Moines, Iowa, after the caucuses on February 3rd 2020. © Jessica Le Masurier
His friend Daniel, a software engineer from California, who was also helping the Bernie campaign, agreed.
“Last time it was a mess so I was expecting a little bit of high jinks. I think the Democratic party is worried. It’s the beginning of the snowball. Biden’s electability argument is capsizing. The fact he wasn’t even viable in some precincts was insane," said Daniel.
'Get that sucker out of the White House’
At precinct 56 in Sherman Hill, just west of downtown Des Moines, Sanders came in first with 252 of the 646 caucus-goers picking the Vermont Senator as their candidate.
The precinct co-chair, Deb Copeland, explained that the area was not necessarily reflective of the whole state of Iowa. "We have a lot of downtown housing here, a lot of young people," Copeland said.
Polls suggested that young people had mobilised en masse for the caucuses which could partly explain why Sanders, who has a large support base among the youth, appeared to have done so well.
But older voters had also come out to support him. Reena Steele, 86, said that she would be elated if Bernie Sanders wins Iowa "because he is the only one who can get that sucker out of the White House".
Reena Steele, a Bernie Sanders supporter at precinct 56 in downtown Des Moines, Iowa on February 3rd, 2020. © Jessica Le Masurier
‘Excuse us if we’re paranoid’
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts came in second with 215 supporters at precinct 56 and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg got 133. Biden was not even viable at the precinct -- the space reserved for him in the school auditorium was almost empty.
The former US vice president and seasoned politician fared badly in a lot of other precincts. Although the official results were not released, Sanders claimed victory and released his own vote count, which put Biden in fourth place in Iowa.
The Bernie Sanders campaign released their own vote count on Monday evening. © Bernie Sanders campaign
Sanders' supporters also expressed dismay at what they called "Buttigieg’s victory speech" on Monday night, when the former mayor got on stage and said: "Iowa, you have shocked the nation. By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious."
Danielle Palmer, a logistics account manager who supports Buttigieg, said she hoped that his strong showing in Iowa would "take him all the way to the White House". Buttigieg came first in precinct 66, at Lincoln College in Indianapolis, where Palmer was helping out. "People are ready for change," she said. "He’s human. Not your typical politician."
A post-caucus dispute at precinct 56 seemed to be a microcosm of the bigger picture. Sanders' supporters argued with Buttigieg supporters, telling them they had miscounted their numbers and accusing them of fiddling the statistics. "Excuse us if we’re paranoid after the last electoral cycle," said supporters of the septuagenarian senator who lost the 2019 Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton.
Biden tried to play things down at his caucus night party and his supporters remained confident despite his apparent loss in Iowa. "I don’t see Sanders taking any southern states," said Joe Moore, a former member of Chicago city council, who travelled to Des Moines to knock on doors for Biden. He said that although he liked Buttigieg he was concerned about his inexperience and "his inability to attract black voters".
It is often said that "there are three tickets out of Iowa". Final results are not out yet but it is looking like Biden did not get one.
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france24--2020-02-04--Hong Kong records first coronavirus death amid medical workers' strike

Hong Kong reported its first death from the China coronavirus Tuesday as hospitals cut services due a strike by medical workers demanding the border with mainland China be completely shut .
The toll in the mainland meanwhile continued to mount with 425 deaths and more than 20,000 confirmed infections announced Tuesday .
All but two of Hong Kong 's land and sea crossings with the mainland were closed at midnight after more than 2,000 hospital workers went on strike this week with as many as 9,000 medical workers expected to join a bigger walkout Tuesday to demand closure of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hospital Authority said it was cutting back services because “ a large number of staff members are absent from duty ” and “ emergency services in public hospitals have been affected.
” The mainland 's latest figures of 425 deaths and 20,438 confirmed infections of the new coronavirus were up from 361 deaths and 17,205 cases the previous day .
Outside mainland China , at least 180 cases have been confirmed , including two fatalities , in Hong Kong and the Philippines .
The patient who died in Hong Kong was a 39-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mainland city that has been the epicentre of the outbreak , before being hospitalised .
The Hospital Authority said Tuesday he had existing health conditions but did not give details .
Most cases of the illness have been mild , but most who died have been older people with other ailments such as diabetes or heart disease .
China has struggled to maintain supplies of masks to filter out the virus , along with protective suits and other key articles , as it seeks to enforce temperature checks at homes , offices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be worn in public and keep more than 50 million people from leaving home in Wuhan and neighbouring cities .
WHO chief says complete China bans not needed China is facing increasing international isolation due to restrictions on flights to and from the country , and bans on travellers from China .
Despite calls from Hong Kong residents for a complete shutdown , World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday there was no need for measures that `` unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade '' in trying to halt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent , '' Tedros told the WHO executive board , reiterating his message from last week when he declared an international emergency .
EU sends equipment to China China meanwhile has struggled to maintain supplies of masks to filter out the virus , along with protective suits and other key articles , as it seeks to enforce temperature checks at homes , offices , shops and restaurants , require masks be worn in public and keep more than 50 million people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan , and neighbouring cities .
To help meet demand , the European Union office in Beijing said member states have shipped 12 tons of protective equipment to China , with more on the way .
On Monday , China 's President Xi Jinping presided over a special meeting of the top Communist Party body for the second time since the crisis started , saying “ we have launched a people 's war of prevention of the epidemic.
” Xi threatened punishments for those who neglect their duties will be punished , state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continuing evacuations and restricting the entry of Chinese or people who have recently traveled in the country .
A plane carrying Malaysians from Wuhan arrived in Kuala Lumpur and the 133 people on board were to be screened and quarantined for 14 days , the maximum incubation period for the virus .
Taiwan on Monday flew home 247 of its citizens from Wuhan and had sent three passengers for treatment after they were found to have fever or sore throats .
The other passengers are being quarantined at medical facilities for the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the latest international airline to suspend flights to China , and several countries are barring Chinese travelers or people who passed through China recently .
Patients transferred to new Wuhan hospital In Wuhan , patients were being transferred to a new 1,000-bed hospital that officials hope will improve isolation to stem the virus 's spread .
It was built in just 10 days , its prefabricated wards equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and ventilation systems .
A 1,500-bed hospital also specially built for patients infected with the new virus is due to open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outbreak in sight , authorities in Hubei and elsewhere extended the Lunar New Year holiday break , due to end this week , well into February to try to keep people at home and reduce the spread of the virus .
All Hubei schools are postponing the start of the new semester until further notice , as are many in Beijing , Shanghai and elsewhere .
Chinese scientists said they have more evidence the virus originated in bats .
In a study published in the journal Nature , Shi Zhen-Li and colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that genome sequences from seven patients were 96 percent identical to a bat coronavirus .
On Tuesday , the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said a 42-year-old South Korean woman tested positive for the virus , days after she returned from a trip to Thailand with chills and other symptoms .
It is South Korea 's 16th case .
Thailand has confirmed 19 cases , mostly Chinese tourists but also in a Thai taxi driver .
A passenger on a Japanese-operated cruise ship tested positive after leaving the vessel while it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials were conducting medical checks on the more than 3,000 people on board Tuesday .

Hong Kong reported its first death from the China coronavirus Tuesday as hospitals cut services due a strike by medical workers demanding the border with mainland China be completely shut. The toll in the mainland meanwhile continued to mount with 425 deaths and more than 20,000 confirmed infections announced Tuesday.
Advertising Read more
All but two of Hong Kong's land and sea crossings with the mainland were closed at midnight after more than 2,000 hospital workers went on strike this week with as many as 9,000 medical workers expected to join a bigger walkout Tuesday to demand closure of the border with China.
Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said it was cutting back services because “a large number of staff members are absent from duty” and “emergency services in public hospitals have been affected.”
The mainland's latest figures of 425 deaths and 20,438 confirmed infections of the new coronavirus were up from 361 deaths and 17,205 cases the previous day. Outside mainland China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, in Hong Kong and the Philippines.
The patient who died in Hong Kong was a 39-year-old man who had traveled to Wuhan, the mainland city that has been the epicentre of the outbreak, before being hospitalised. The Hospital Authority said Tuesday he had existing health conditions but did not give details.
Most cases of the illness have been mild, but most who died have been older people with other ailments such as diabetes or heart disease.
China has struggled to maintain supplies of masks to filter out the virus, along with protective suits and other key articles, as it seeks to enforce temperature checks at homes, offices, shops and restaurants, require masks be worn in public and keep more than 50 million people from leaving home in Wuhan and neighbouring cities.
WHO chief says complete China bans not needed
China is facing increasing international isolation due to restrictions on flights to and from the country, and bans on travellers from China.
Despite calls from Hong Kong residents for a complete shutdown, World Health Organisation chief
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday there was no need for measures that "unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade" in trying to halt the spread of the virus.
"We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent," Tedros told the WHO executive board, reiterating his message from last week when he declared an international emergency.
EU sends equipment to China
China meanwhile has struggled to maintain supplies of masks to filter out the virus, along with protective suits and other key articles, as it seeks to enforce temperature checks at homes, offices, shops and restaurants, require masks be worn in public and keep more than 50 million people from leaving home in the epicentre, Wuhan, and neighbouring cities.
To help meet demand, the European Union office in Beijing said member states have shipped 12 tons of protective equipment to China, with more on the way.
On Monday, China's President Xi Jinping presided over a special meeting of the top Communist Party body for the second time since the crisis started, saying “we have launched a people's war of prevention of the epidemic.” Xi threatened punishments for those who neglect their duties will be punished, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Other countries are continuing evacuations and restricting the entry of Chinese or people who have recently traveled in the country. A plane carrying Malaysians from Wuhan arrived in Kuala Lumpur and the 133 people on board were to be screened and quarantined for 14 days, the maximum incubation period for the virus.
Taiwan on Monday flew home 247 of its citizens from Wuhan and had sent three passengers for treatment after they were found to have fever or sore throats. The other passengers are being quarantined at medical facilities for the next two weeks.
Germany's Lufthansa became the latest international airline to suspend flights to China, and several countries are barring Chinese travelers or people who passed through China recently.
Patients transferred to new Wuhan hospital
In Wuhan, patients were being transferred to a new 1,000-bed hospital that officials hope will improve isolation to stem the virus's spread. It was built in just 10 days, its prefabricated wards equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and ventilation systems. A 1,500-bed hospital also specially built for patients infected with the new virus is due to open within days.
With no end to the outbreak in sight, authorities in Hubei and elsewhere extended the Lunar New Year holiday break, due to end this week, well into February to try to keep people at home and reduce the spread of the virus. All Hubei schools are postponing the start of the new semester until further notice, as are many in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere.
Chinese scientists said they have more evidence the virus originated in bats. In a study published in the journal Nature, Shi Zhen-Li and colleagues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology reported that genome sequences from seven patients were 96 percent identical to a bat coronavirus.
On Tuesday, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said a 42-year-old South Korean woman tested positive for the virus, days after she returned from a trip to Thailand with chills and other symptoms.
It is South Korea's 16th case. Thailand has confirmed 19 cases, mostly Chinese tourists but also in a Thai taxi driver.
A passenger on a Japanese-operated cruise ship tested positive after leaving the vessel while it was in Hong Kong, and Japanese officials were conducting medical checks on the more than 3,000 people on board Tuesday.
(FRANCE 24 with AP and REUTERS)
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france24--2020-02-04--WHO forecasts 81% cancer jump in low, middle-income countries

The WHO has warned cancer cases would rise by 81 percent in low- and middle-income countries by 2040 .
The UN health agency on Tuesday warned cancer cases would rise by 81 percent in low- and middle-income countries by 2040 because of a lack of investment in prevention and care .
The Geneva-based World Health Organization ( WHO ) said in a report that these countries had focused their limited resources on combating infectious diseases and improving maternal and child health instead of fighting cancer .
It said they often had the highest cancer mortality too .
`` This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tackle the unacceptable inequalities between cancer services in rich and poor countries , '' Ren Minghui , a WHO Assistant Director General , said in the report .
`` If people have access to primary care and referral systems then cancer can be detected early , treated effectively and cured .
Cancer should not be a death sentence for anyone , anywhere , '' he said .
The report , timed to coincide with World Cancer Day , said an investment of $ 25 billion ( 23 billion euros ) over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from cancer .
`` Controlling cancer does not have to be expensive , '' Andre Ilbawi , of the WHO 's department for management of non-communicable diseases , told journalists .
The annual report found that overall cancer cases in the world would rise by 60 percent by 2040 and said tobacco use was responsible for 25 percent of cancer deaths .
Elisabete Weiderpass , director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer , which works with the WHO , said better cancer treatment in high-income countries had resulted in a 20-percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But in poorer countries , the reduction was just five percent .
`` We need to see everyone benefiting equally , '' she said .
While cancer had long been considered a disease of wealthy countries , this was no longer the case , the report said .
It pointed out that one in five people worldwide would face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime .

The UN health agency on Tuesday warned cancer cases would rise by 81 percent in low- and middle-income countries by 2040 because of a lack of investment in prevention and care.
The WHO has warned cancer cases would rise by 81 percent in low- and middle-income countries by 2040.
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The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report that these countries had focused their limited resources on combating infectious diseases and improving maternal and child health instead of fighting cancer.
It said they often had the highest cancer mortality too.
"This is a wake-up call to all of us to tackle the unacceptable inequalities between cancer services in rich and poor countries," Ren Minghui, a WHO Assistant Director General, said in the report.
"If people have access to primary care and referral systems then cancer can be detected early, treated effectively and cured. Cancer should not be a death sentence for anyone, anywhere," he said.
The report, timed to coincide with World Cancer Day, said an investment of $25 billion (23 billion euros) over the next decade could save seven million lives from cancer.
"Controlling cancer does not have to be expensive," Andre Ilbawi, of the WHO's department for management of non-communicable diseases, told journalists.
The annual report found that overall cancer cases in the world would rise by 60 percent by 2040 and said tobacco use was responsible for 25 percent of cancer deaths.
Elisabete Weiderpass, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which works with the WHO, said better cancer treatment in high-income countries had resulted in a 20-percent drop in mortality between 2000 and 2015.
But in poorer countries, the reduction was just five percent.
"We need to see everyone benefiting equally," she said.
While cancer had long been considered a disease of wealthy countries, this was no longer the case, the report said. It pointed out that one in five people worldwide would face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
"It's a global burden," Ren said.
(AFP)
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