france24--2020-06-17--WHO hails 'great news' from Covid-19 steroid treatment, some doctors remain sceptical

A pharmacist displays an ampoule of Dexamethasone at the Erasme Hospital amid the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) outbreak , in Brussels , Belgium , June 16 , 2020 .
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) hailed as `` great news '' initial clinical trial results that showed a cheap and widely used steroid called dexamethasone can help save the lives of critically ill Covid-19 patients .
Researchers in Britain said Tuesday that dexamethasone , used to fight inflammation in other diseases , reduced death rates of the most severely ill Covid-19 patients by around a third .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown to reduce mortality in patients with Covid-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support , '' WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement late on Tuesday .
`` This is great news and I congratulate the government of the UK , the University of Oxford , and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough . ''
The researchers shared initial insights about the results of the trial with WHO , `` and we are looking forward to the full data analysis in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` WHO will coordinate a meta-analysis to increase our overall understanding of this intervention .
WHO clinical guidance will be updated to reflect how and when the drug should be used in Covid-19 , '' the agency added .
The report brought scepticism from some , with doctors saying they wanted to see more data .
Steroids can suppress immune systems , warned Dr. Thomas McGinn , deputy physician-in-chief at New York ’ s largest healthcare system , Northwell Health .
He told Reuters his physicians are using steroids on a case-by-case basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the study looks like given the current environment of retractions , ” said McGinn .
“ I just wait to see the real data , see if it ’ s peer reviewed and gets published in a real journal , he said .
University of Washington professor of medicine Dr Mark Wurfel urged the researchers to put out data before official publication .
“ That would be very , very helpful in terms of helping us align our patient populations with theirs and decide whether it ’ s appropriate to apply this therapy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been burned before , not just during the coronavirus pandemic but even pre-Covid , with exciting results that when we have access to the data are not as convincing , ” said Dr. Kathryn Hibbert , director of the medical intensive care unit at Harvard ’ s Massachusetts General Hospital .
Hibbert said published data would help her evaluate the findings and see which patients benefited the most and at what dose .
South Korea ’ s top health official also cautioned about the use of the drug for Covid-19 patients due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have said they would work to publish full details as soon as possible .

The World Health Organization (WHO) hailed as "great news" initial clinical trial results that showed a cheap and widely used steroid called dexamethasone can help save the lives of critically ill Covid-19 patients.
A pharmacist displays an ampoule of Dexamethasone at the Erasme Hospital amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brussels, Belgium, June 16, 2020.
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Researchers in Britain said Tuesday that dexamethasone, used to fight inflammation in other diseases, reduced death rates of the most severely ill Covid-19 patients by around a third.
"This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with Covid-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement late on Tuesday.
"This is great news and I congratulate the government of the UK, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough."
The researchers shared initial insights about the results of the trial with WHO, "and we are looking forward to the full data analysis in the coming days", it said.
"WHO will coordinate a meta-analysis to increase our overall understanding of this intervention. WHO clinical guidance will be updated to reflect how and when the drug should be used in Covid-19," the agency added.
00:43
The report brought scepticism from some, with doctors saying they wanted to see more data.
Steroids can suppress immune systems, warned Dr. Thomas McGinn, deputy physician-in-chief at New York’s largest healthcare system, Northwell Health. He told Reuters his physicians are using steroids on a case-by-case basis.
“We have to see what the study looks like given the current environment of retractions,” said McGinn. “I just wait to see the real data, see if it’s peer reviewed and gets published in a real journal, he said.
University of Washington professor of medicine Dr Mark Wurfel urged the researchers to put out data before official publication.
“That would be very, very helpful in terms of helping us align our patient populations with theirs and decide whether it’s appropriate to apply this therapy to our patients.”
“We have been burned before, not just during the coronavirus pandemic but even pre-Covid, with exciting results that when we have access to the data are not as convincing,” said Dr. Kathryn Hibbert, director of the medical intensive care unit at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital.
Hibbert said published data would help her evaluate the findings and see which patients benefited the most and at what dose.
South Korea’s top health official also cautioned about the use of the drug for Covid-19 patients due to potential side effects.
Researchers in Britain have said they would work to publish full details as soon as possible.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
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france24--2020-06-17--Young mother shot dead amid growing insecurity in Lebanon’s Shatila camp

“ This is Ariha Street .
This is where we hear about someone or other dying ( ... ) No one controls this street anymore .
We call it the street of death ( … ) Here ’ s the Hangar of shame .
It ’ s the source of our woes and the murders .
There have been more than 15 deaths here , ” says the person who made this video , which was posted on June 8 , the day after Kanjou was killed .
The “ Hangar ” in question was burned down in July 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
This protest calling for a crackdown on the drug and arms dealers who make Shatila camp unsafe was held on June 7 .
“ This child is now an orphan .
Because of who ?
The dealers and those who protect them ( … ) He ( the child ) will hold you to account one day !
” cries the person who filmed this video during the protest .
In the video , you can see the victim ’ s young child .
Magda ( not her real name ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entrance to Shatila , near the street where Wouroud Kanju was shot .
She says life is close to unbearable in this camp , which has already experienced the extreme trauma of the Lebanese Civil War and a massacre All the residents of Shatila , whether they are refugees or workers , have been calling on Lebanese and Palestinian authorities for years to take radical action against the illegal trade of drugs and weapons in the camp , a trade that has resulted in untold civilian deaths The day after Kanju was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets in protest , calling for a permanent security presence in the camp and a major operation against those involved in the illegal trafficking .

LEBANON
Wouroud Kanju is the latest victim of the arms and drugs trafficking that is rampant in Shatila camp. (Screengrabs from security footage)
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A young mother carrying her baby in her arms was shot and killed at the entrance of Shatila camp for Palestinian refugees in Beirut on June 1. Surveillance footage of this horrific incident quickly began to circulate on social media across Lebanon with people calling for justice for the latest victim of the drug trafficking ring controlling the camp.
Surveillance footage captured the horrible incident. A young woman carrying her baby in one arm and a sack of groceries in the other stands at the side of the road, getting ready to cross. She suddenly turns her head to the left, frightened by the sound of gunshots. She tries to move away but then falls to the ground, wounded, while still grasping her baby. Around her, people flee towards the right. The young woman lying on the ground stops moving and the video cuts out.
The FRANCE 24 Observers team decided not to share the video. Here is a screengrab taken from the video before the shots were fired.
The video of the young mother’s death was shared widely on Twitter and Facebook, garnering at least 40,000 views. The many people who shared it, including prominent Lebanese and Palestinian public figures, denounced the extremely dangerous conditions for people living in camps for Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
The evening after the woman was killed, someone involved in the gunfight turned himself into the authorities. Security forces carried out an operation that same night with the aim of arresting drug traffickers, but none of the people involved in the gunfight that killed the young woman have been identified. Further operations were carried out the week after the young woman’s death.
Who was the victim?
The victim, Wouroud Kanju, was only 28 years old. She was Lebanese and lived outside the camp but went there for work every day. The day she died, she took Ariha street, which is at the camp entrance, on her way home. According to media outlet Al Araby Al Jadid, she was brought to the Makassed Hospital in Beirut before dying of injuries sustained from the gunshot wound and her subsequent fall to the ground.
Several Arabic-language media outlets shared surveillance camera footage of the clash, which was between drug dealers in the camp. The Shatila camp was created in 1949 for refugees from northern Palestine and is run by UNRWA, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The principal instigators of the violence in the camp are armed Palestinian factions who were meant to guard the area and most of the clashes are related to drug trafficking.
“Since Wouroud’s death, I haven’t been able to stop thinking that could be me one day”
Magda (not her real name) is Palestinian. She lives right by the entrance to Shatila, near the street where Wouroud Kanju was shot. She says life is close to unbearable in this camp, which has already experienced the extreme trauma of the Lebanese Civil War and a massacre
There is a long history of violent incidents in the camp. But in the past ten years or so, with the arrival of Syrian refugees and a new wave of Palestian refugees, the gunshots – and, thus, the deaths – have increased. It’s really hard to live our daily lives in this context. Everybody is afraid for their friends and family members, especially those who have to work outside the camp and have to go in and out of the camp frequently. Sometimes, when I leave the camp in the morning, everything is calm. But by the time I come back, the situation has escalated and I don’t know if I’ll make it back to my home alive. That’s what happened to Wouroud. Since her death, I haven’t been able to stop thinking that could have been me. To imagine that could happen to me one day as well.
“This is Ariha Street. This is where we hear about someone or other dying (...) No one controls this street anymore. We call it the street of death (…) Here’s the Hangar of shame. It’s the source of our woes and the murders. There have been more than 15 deaths here,” says the person who made this video, which was posted on June 8, the day after Kanjou was killed. The “Hangar” in question was burned down in July 2019, but drug trafficking quickly picked up again.
All the residents of Shatila, whether they are refugees or workers, have been calling on Lebanese and Palestinian authorities for years to take radical action against the illegal trade of drugs and weapons in the camp, a trade that has resulted in untold civilian deaths.
The day after Kanju was killed, residents of Shatila marched through the streets in protest, calling for a permanent security presence in the camp and a major operation against those involved in the illegal trafficking.
This protest calling for a crackdown on the drug and arms dealers who make Shatila camp unsafe was held on June 7.
“This child is now an orphan. Because of who? The dealers and those who protect them (…) He (the child) will hold you to account one day!” cries the person who filmed this video during the protest. In the video, you can see the victim’s young child.
“We need to fight the trafficking happening in the camp”
Hassan Bakir is the head of communication for the Palestinian Fatah movement in Beirut. He says that action in the camp is long overdue.
Shatila is a hotspot for drug traffickers in Beirut. At least 15 deaths have occurred on Ariha Street in the past decade. In 2016, the Palestinian factions who run the camps in Lebanon together created a special committee to tackle this trafficking. But very often, the Lebanese army doesn’t lock up these criminals or they pay a bribe to get out. We need to fight this by bringing together the different Palestinian factions in the camp [Editor’s note: A total of 17 Palestinian factions run the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon]. Right now, all of these factions protect their supporters or avoid arresting traffickers for fear of conflict. This has created a situation of total chaos.
Security forces launched an operation on June 7 targeting traffickers in the camp.
In Lebanon, there are about 31.9 guns per 100 residents, which is a high rate. For Bakir, the high level of violence is linked to an extremely high rate of unemployment amongst Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Palestinians in Lebanon are barred from practising 72 different professions, including engineering and medicine. That leaves many Palestinians without work. In order to provide for themselves and their families, they turn to a market that is happening right outside their front doors and doesn’t require papers or authorisation: drug and weapons trafficking.
Several organisations have called for an investigation into Kanju’s death. However, for the time being, only prosecutor Ghassan Aouidat has released a statement calling for an investigation.
Article by Fatma Ben Hamad.


france24--2020-06-18--Johnson, Macron to honour the 80th anniversary of the French Resistance

Four men who played significant roles in the French Resistance during World War Two will be honoured by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremony in London on Thursday .
Macron , on his first trip outside France since the start of the coronavirus lockdown in March , will also meet Johnson at 10 Downing Street to discuss their governments ' responses to the pandemic .
They are also likely to discuss Brexit , an issue that has been rising back up the political agenda in recent weeks as pressure increases on Britain and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a trade deal before a Dec. 31 deadline .
Macron 's visit marks the 80th anniversary of General Charles de Gaulle 's radio address to the French nation , shortly after the Nazi invasion of France , in which he laid the foundations of the Resistance .
The address was broadcast from London by the BBC on June 18 , 1940 , with permission from Winston Churchill .
To mark the occasion , Britain will bestow awards on four Resistance fighters : Edgard Tupet-Thome , 100 ; Daniel Cordier , 99 ; Hubert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 98 .
They will not be present , but will receive their awards in France later .
The four are the only surviving holders of the Croix de la Liberation ( Cross of Liberation ) , an honour bestowed by De Gaulle on 1,038 men and women who distinguished themselves in the struggle to liberate France .
Johnson said the men symbolised `` the enduring depth and strength '' of Franco-British friendship - which has been tested by Brexit turbulence since Britain voted to quit the European Union in a 2016 referendum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceremonial event with Prince Charles , heir to the British throne , and his wife Camilla .
The French leader will also be treated to a joint flypast by the Red Arrows , the Royal Air Force 's aerobatic team , and their French counterparts , the Patrouille de France .
A statue of Churchill that stands on Parliament Square was uncovered for Macron 's visit .
The statue had been boarded up since last week to prevent it from being damaged by Black Lives Matter protesters .

Four members of the French Resistance were honoured by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron at a ceremony on Thursday marking 80 years since General Charles de Gaulle made his famous appeal for resistance against the Nazis from the BBC in London during World War II.
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"Whatever happens, the flame of the French Resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished."
Thus ended the appeal by a little-known French general, broadcasting to his homeland from the BBC headquarters in London on June 18, 1940, with permission from Winston Churchill.
General Charles de Gaulle's radio address, delivered shortly after the Nazi invasion of France, is credited with laying the foundations of La Résistance.
To mark 80 years from the day, French President Emmanuel Macron attended a ceremony with British leaders in London. On his first trip outside France since the start of the coronavirus lockdown in March, Macron met with Prime Minister Johnson at 10 Downing Street and attended a ceremonial event with Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his wife Camilla.
The French leader was also treated to a joint flypast by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force's aerobatic team, and their French counterparts, the Patrouille de France.
04:54
To mark the anniversary Britain bestowed awards on four Resistance fighters: Edgard Tupet-Thome, 100; Daniel Cordier, 99; Hubert Germain, 99, and Pierre Simonet, 98. They were not present at the ceremony but will receive their awards in France later.
The four are the only surviving holders of the Croix de la Libération (Cross of Liberation), an honour bestowed by De Gaulle on 1,038 men and women who distinguished themselves in the struggle to liberate France.
Johnson said the men symbolised "the enduring depth and strength" of Franco-British friendship, which has been tested anew since Britain voted to quit the European Union in a 2016 referendum.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-12--Looking back at the rise of the French Resistance

This week , we 're following in the unmistakable stride of Charles de Gaulle as we mark 80 years since his June 18 appeal to the French people to join the Free French Forces against Nazi occupation .
Of course , it was actually from London , on the BBC airwaves , that the general launched his call to action , just four days after victorious German troops paraded down Paris 's Champs-Élysées .
But while the date is forever ingrained in France 's collective memory , the truth is that it did n't immediately play out as hoped .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Winston Churchill gave him and his rebel army of volunteers asylum .
And while only a handful of people actually made it across the Channel in immediate response to that fateful appeal , among those who did were all the able-bodied men of the little Breton island of Sein .
In recognition , the community was awarded the prestigious Resistance Medal .
We find out more about these pathfinders of Free France .
To learn more about the Resistance Medal awarded to these pioneers of the French Resistance , and the significance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to the Museum of the Order of Liberation , at the Invalides , to meet historian and museum curator Vladimir Trouplin .
And the Resistance movement also went quite literally underground in the final weeks of combat , some twenty metres below Paris .
Curator Sylvie Zaidman tells us more .

This week, we're following in the unmistakable stride of Charles de Gaulle as we mark 80 years since his June 18 appeal to the French people to join the Free French Forces against Nazi occupation. Of course, it was actually from London, on the BBC airwaves, that the general launched his call to action, just four days after victorious German troops paraded down Paris's Champs-Élysées. But while the date is forever ingrained in France's collective memory, the truth is that it didn't immediately play out as hoped.
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Alongside the general, his British ally Winston Churchill gave him and his rebel army of volunteers asylum. And while only a handful of people actually made it across the Channel in immediate response to that fateful appeal, among those who did were all the able-bodied men of the little Breton island of Sein. In recognition, the community was awarded the prestigious Resistance Medal. We find out more about these pathfinders of Free France.
To learn more about the Resistance Medal awarded to these pioneers of the French Resistance, and the significance of such a prestigious accolade, we take you to the Museum of the Order of Liberation, at the Invalides, to meet historian and museum curator Vladimir Trouplin.
And the Resistance movement also went quite literally underground in the final weeks of combat, some twenty metres below Paris. Curator Sylvie Zaidman tells us more.
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france24--2020-06-18--Merkel urges EU to agree on €750 billion recovery plan by end of July

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the lower house of parliament in Berlin , Germany , on June 18 , 2020 .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday urged the European Union to reach an agreement on a recovery plan worth €750 billion ( $ 843 billion ) by the end of July to kickstart an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic .
“ It would be best if we could reach an agreement before the summer break , ” Merkel said , calling for compromise from member states to enable the deal to be ratified by the end of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and decisively , ” she said .
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen proposed the huge fund to help the EU out of its deepest-ever recession , but the plan was immediately met with fierce opposition from fiscally conservative member states including Austria and the Netherlands .
The proposed package consists of €500 billion in grants and €250 billion in loans , but requires unanimous EU approval .
“ The starting position is far from easy but I hope that all member states will act in a spirit of compromise in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Merkel said .
“ Cohesion and solidarity have never been more important than today .
The crisis can only be overcome if we act for and with each other , ” she said .
The European Council is due to hold a video summit on June 19 on the controversial stimulus package , the EU ’ s largest to date .
However , a decision is not expected until the leaders have met in person , said Merkel , whose country assumes the EU presidency in July .
The German chancellor had in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with French President Emmanuel Macron the plan for €500 billion in grants to help the hardest hit EU members to get their economies back on track .
That proposal , now making up the bulk of von der Leyen ’ s package , shattered a long-standing German taboo as it included taking on shared debt , a dramatic U-turn after years of obstinate German opposition to joint borrowing .

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday urged the European Union to reach an agreement on a recovery plan worth €750 billion ($843 billion) by the end of July to kickstart an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the lower house of parliament in Berlin, Germany, on June 18, 2020.
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“It would be best if we could reach an agreement before the summer break,” Merkel said, calling for compromise from member states to enable the deal to be ratified by the end of the year.
“We must act quickly and decisively,” she said.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen proposed the huge fund to help the EU out of its deepest-ever recession, but the plan was immediately met with fierce opposition from fiscally conservative member states including Austria and the Netherlands.
The proposed package consists of €500 billion in grants and €250 billion in loans, but requires unanimous EU approval.
“The starting position is far from easy but I hope that all member states will act in a spirit of compromise in the face of this unprecedented situation,” Merkel said.
“Cohesion and solidarity have never been more important than today. The crisis can only be overcome if we act for and with each other,” she said.
The European Council is due to hold a video summit on June 19 on the controversial stimulus package, the EU’s largest to date.
However, a decision is not expected until the leaders have met in person, said Merkel, whose country assumes the EU presidency in July.
The German chancellor had in late May stunned observers by proposing along with French President Emmanuel Macron the plan for €500 billion in grants to help the hardest hit EU members to get their economies back on track.
That proposal, now making up the bulk of von der Leyen’s package, shattered a long-standing German taboo as it included taking on shared debt, a dramatic U-turn after years of obstinate German opposition to joint borrowing.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-06-18--Trump asked China to help him win re-election, writes former advisor Bolton in tell-all

FILE PHOTO : US President Donald Trump with his former national security advisor John Bolton , in Washington , D.C. on February 7 , 2019 .
In a withering behind-the-scenes portrayal , President Donald Trump 's former national security adviser John Bolton accused him of sweeping misdeeds that included explicitly seeking Chinese President Xi Jinping 's help to win re-election .
Bolton , a longtime foreign policy hawk who Trump fired in September over policy differences , also said that the U.S. president had expressed a willingness to halt criminal investigations to give `` personal favors to dictators he liked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published in the New York Times .
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on excerpts from `` The Room Where It Happened : A White House Memoir '' published on Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal , the New York Times and the Washington Post .
The accusations are part of a book that the U.S. government on Tuesday sued to block Bolton from publishing , arguing it contained classified information and would compromise national security .
Together , they portray a U.S. president mocked by his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more extensive accusations of impropriety than those that drove the Democratic-led House of Representatives to impeach Trump last year .
The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in early February .
Trump was accused of withholding U.S. military aid last year to put pressure on newly-elected Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to provide damaging information on Democratic political opponent Joe Biden .
`` Had Democratic impeachment advocates not been so obsessed with their Ukraine blitzkrieg in 2019 , had they taken the time to inquire more systematically about Trump ’ s behavior across his entire foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been different , '' Bolton wrote , according to excerpts of his book published in the Wall Street Journal .
Critics of Bolton note he declined to testify before the House inquiry when his disclosures could have been critical , adhering instead to White House guidance .
Representative Adam Schiff , the California Democrat who led the prosecution of Republican Trump , slammed Bolton for saying at the time that `` he 'd sue if subpoenaed . ''
`` Instead , he saved it for a book , '' Schiff said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ author , but he 's no patriot . ''
Still , Bolton 's allegations provide new ammunition to critics ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election , including his behind-the-scenes accounts of Trump 's conversations with China 's Xi - which , in one case , broached the topic of the U.S. vote .
`` Trump then , stunningly , turned the conversation to the coming U.S. presidential election , alluding to China 's economic capability and pleading with Xi to ensure he 'd win , '' Bolton wrote , in the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration insider to date and just days after former defense secretary Jim Mattis accused the president of trying to divide America .
Biden said in a statement : `` If these accounts are true , it ’ s not only morally repugnant , it ’ s a violation of Donald Trump ’ s sacred duty to the American people . ''
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in Senate testimony that Bolton 's account was `` absolutely untrue . ''
`` I was at the meeting .
Would I recollect something as crazy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Lighthizer said .
`` This never happened in it for sure .
Completely crazy . ''
Although Trump 's administration had been strongly critical of China 's mass detention of mostly Muslim Uighur minority and other Muslim groups , Trump gave Xi a green light in that same meeting , Bolton said .
`` According to our interpreter , Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps , which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do , '' Bolton wrote , adding another top White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his November 2017 trip to China .
Bolton cited an innumerable number of conversations in which Trump demonstrated `` fundamentally unacceptable behavior that eroded the very legitimacy of the presidency . ''
A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Fox News television commentator , Bolton 's hawkish approach had worn on a president weary of foreign military entanglements , officials say .
Trump would sometimes chide Bolton in meetings , introducing him to visiting foreign leaders by saying , “ You all know the great John Bolton .
He ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out your whole country.
” In excerpts published in the Washington Post , Bolton writes that Trump said invading Venezuela would be `` cool '' and that it was `` really part of the United States . ''
The U.S. government has publicly said it does not favor using force to topple Venezuela 's socialist President Nicolas Maduro .
The book also exposed the sometimes dim view that Trump 's advisers have of him .
During a 2018 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un , Bolton says he got a note @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
`` He is so full of shit , '' Pompeo 's note said , according to a Bolton excerpt in the Washington Post .
Although Trump is publicly critical of journalists , Bolton 's book quotes the U.S. president making some of his most alarming remarks to date .
In a summer 2019 meeting in New Jersey , Trump allegedly said journalists should be jailed so they have to divulge their sources : `` These people should be executed .
They are scumbags , ” according to another excerpt in the @ @

In a withering behind-the-scenes portrayal, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton accused him of sweeping misdeeds that included explicitly seeking Chinese President Xi Jinping's help to win re-election.
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump with his former national security advisor John Bolton, in Washington, D.C. on February 7, 2019.
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Bolton, a longtime foreign policy hawk who Trump fired in September over policy differences, also said that the U.S. president had expressed a willingness to halt criminal investigations to give "personal favors to dictators he liked," according to a book excerpt published in the New York Times.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on excerpts from "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir" published on Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post.
01:56
The accusations are part of a book that the U.S. government on Tuesday sued to block Bolton from publishing, arguing it contained classified information and would compromise national security.
Together, they portray a U.S. president mocked by his top advisers who exposed himself to far more extensive accusations of impropriety than those that drove the Democratic-led House of Representatives to impeach Trump last year.
The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in early February. Trump was accused of withholding U.S. military aid last year to put pressure on newly-elected Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to provide damaging information on Democratic political opponent Joe Biden.
"Had Democratic impeachment advocates not been so obsessed with their Ukraine blitzkrieg in 2019, had they taken the time to inquire more systematically about Trump’s behavior across his entire foreign policy, the impeachment outcome might well have been different," Bolton wrote, according to excerpts of his book published in the Wall Street Journal.
Critics of Bolton note he declined to testify before the House inquiry when his disclosures could have been critical, adhering instead to White House guidance.
Representative Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who led the prosecution of Republican Trump, slammed Bolton for saying at the time that "he'd sue if subpoenaed."
"Instead, he saved it for a book," Schiff said on Twitter. "Bolton may be an author, but he's no patriot."
Still, Bolton's allegations provide new ammunition to critics ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election, including his behind-the-scenes accounts of Trump's conversations with China's Xi - which, in one case, broached the topic of the U.S. vote.
"Trump then, stunningly, turned the conversation to the coming U.S. presidential election, alluding to China's economic capability and pleading with Xi to ensure he'd win," Bolton wrote, in the most in-depth, damaging portrayal by a Trump administration insider to date and just days after former defense secretary Jim Mattis accused the president of trying to divide America.
Biden said in a statement: "If these accounts are true, it’s not only morally repugnant, it’s a violation of Donald Trump’s sacred duty to the American people."
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in Senate testimony that Bolton's account was "absolutely untrue."
"I was at the meeting. Would I recollect something as crazy as that? Of course I would," Lighthizer said. "This never happened in it for sure. Completely crazy."
Trump 'eroded' presidency
Although Trump's administration had been strongly critical of China's mass detention of mostly Muslim Uighur minority and other Muslim groups, Trump gave Xi a green light in that same meeting, Bolton said.
"According to our interpreter, Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do," Bolton wrote, adding another top White House official said Trump made similar comments during his November 2017 trip to China.
Bolton cited an innumerable number of conversations in which Trump demonstrated "fundamentally unacceptable behavior that eroded the very legitimacy of the presidency."
A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Fox News television commentator, Bolton's hawkish approach had worn on a president weary of foreign military entanglements, officials say.
Trump would sometimes chide Bolton in meetings, introducing him to visiting foreign leaders by saying, “You all know the great John Bolton. He’ll bomb you. He’ll take out your whole country.”
In excerpts published in the Washington Post, Bolton writes that Trump said invading Venezuela would be "cool" and that it was "really part of the United States."
The U.S. government has publicly said it does not favor using force to topple Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
The book also exposed the sometimes dim view that Trump's advisers have of him. During a 2018 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Bolton says he got a note from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mocking Trump.
"He is so full of shit," Pompeo's note said, according to a Bolton excerpt in the Washington Post.
Although Trump is publicly critical of journalists, Bolton's book quotes the U.S. president making some of his most alarming remarks to date. In a summer 2019 meeting in New Jersey, Trump allegedly said journalists should be jailed so they have to divulge their sources: "These people should be executed. They are scumbags,” according to another excerpt in the Post.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-17--WHO halts hydroxychloroquine trial for Covid-19 over lack of proven benefit

FILE PHOTO : The drug hydroxychloroquine , pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump and others in recent months as a possible treatment to people infected with the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) , is displayed by a pharmacist at the Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo , Utah , U.S. , May 27 , 2020 .
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that testing of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in its large multi-country trial of treatments for COVID-19 patients had been halted after new data and studies showed no benefit .
WHO expert Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo said investigators leading the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which had been promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump - had reviewed recent evidence and decided to stop recruiting new patients .
`` After deliberation , they have concluded that the hydroxychloroquine arm will be stopped from the Solidarity Trial , '' Henao-Restrepo told a media briefing .
In a statement issued later on Wednesday , the WHO said the decision was based on evidence from the Solidarity Trial itself , as well as from a UK-led trial that had found the drug did not help COVID-19 patients , and from a review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from those studies `` showed that hydroxychloroquine does not result in the reduction of mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients , '' the WHO statement said .
It said Solidarity Trial investigators would not add any more patients to the hydroxychloroquine arm .
But it added : `` Patients who had already started hydroxychloroquine but who have not yet finished their course in the trial may complete their course or stop at the discretion of the supervising physician . ''
Data from a UK-led clinical trial known as the Recovery trial found last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for patients with COVID-19 .
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday revoked its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 , saying it was no longer reasonable to believe that hydroxychloroquine and the related drug chloroquine would be effective in treating the disease .

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that testing of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in its large multi-country trial of treatments for COVID-19 patients had been halted after new data and studies showed no benefit.
FILE PHOTO: The drug hydroxychloroquine, pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump and others in recent months as a possible treatment to people infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is displayed by a pharmacist at the Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S., May 27, 2020.
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WHO expert Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo said investigators leading the so-called Solidarity Trial testing the drug - which had been promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump - had reviewed recent evidence and decided to stop recruiting new patients.
"After deliberation, they have concluded that the hydroxychloroquine arm will be stopped from the Solidarity Trial," Henao-Restrepo told a media briefing.
In a statement issued later on Wednesday, the WHO said the decision was based on evidence from the Solidarity Trial itself, as well as from a UK-led trial that had found the drug did not help COVID-19 patients, and from a review of other evidence on hydroxychloroquine.
Data from those studies "showed that hydroxychloroquine does not result in the reduction of mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients," the WHO statement said.
It said Solidarity Trial investigators would not add any more patients to the hydroxychloroquine arm.
But it added: "Patients who had already started hydroxychloroquine but who have not yet finished their course in the trial may complete their course or stop at the discretion of the supervising physician."
Data from a UK-led clinical trial known as the Recovery trial found last week that the anti-malaria drug showed no benefit for patients with COVID-19.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday revoked its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, saying it was no longer reasonable to believe that hydroxychloroquine and the related drug chloroquine would be effective in treating the disease.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-18--Diasporas in the coronavirus era, Part 4: American restaurateur Craig Carlson

This week , FRANCE 24 looks at how immigrants who ’ ve come to France from all parts of the world have coped with the Covid-19 lockdown .
In the fourth of a five-part daily series , Craig Carlson , an American who runs two restaurants in Paris , shared his views on how the Covid-19 crisis was handled in France and the US .
Since 2003 Craig Carlson has run two restaurants in Paris based on a simple formula , American breakfasts all day long .
When France locked down in March , he thought of returning to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with his husband and business partner .
With the French confined to their homes , Carlson was struck by the different conditions for his loved ones across the Atlantic and said the US 's handling of the pandemic has been a disaster .
`` I was just amazed at how my family and friends were taking it so lightly and not worried at all , '' he said .
But Carlson 's focus now is on getting his French business up and running again .
One of his restaurants remains closed after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To watch the report from FRANCE 24 's Jonathan Walsh and Chris Moore , click on the video player above .

This week, FRANCE 24 looks at how immigrants who’ve come to France from all parts of the world have coped with the Covid-19 lockdown. In the fourth of a five-part daily series, Craig Carlson, an American who runs two restaurants in Paris, shared his views on how the Covid-19 crisis was handled in France and the US.
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Since 2003 Craig Carlson has run two restaurants in Paris based on a simple formula, American breakfasts all day long.
When France locked down in March, he thought of returning to the US, but then decided to stay, with his husband and business partner.
With the French confined to their homes, Carlson was struck by the different conditions for his loved ones across the Atlantic and said the US's handling of the pandemic has been a disaster.
"I was just amazed at how my family and friends were taking it so lightly and not worried at all," he said.
But Carlson's focus now is on getting his French business up and running again. One of his restaurants remains closed after a lockdown that cost him €400,000.
To watch the report from FRANCE 24's Jonathan Walsh and Chris Moore, click on the video player above.
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france24--2020-06-18--Eiffel Tower to re-open after lockdown, but visitors will have to use the stairs

A sign reading , `` Wearing a mask is mandatory '' at the entrance of the Eiffel Tower on June 17 , 2020 , as workers prepare to re-open it to the public following a lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus .
The Eiffel Tower is preparing to welcome back visitors after the Covid-19 lockdown , but they will need to be fit : Because of lingering concerns about infection , the elevators will initially be off-limits .
Workers at the Parisian landmark , which looms 324 metres ( 1,062 feet ) over the French capital , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 25 , after three months of shutdown .
It has been the site ’ s longest period out of action since World War Two .
Managers said they hoped to get operations fully back to normal later in the summer .
In the meantime , a series of safety measures will be in place .
Visitors will not be able to go any higher than the second level of the tower , and until the start of July access will be only via the staircases .
The elevators , with their confined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transmission .
There will also be a one-way traffic system in force on the staircases , and all visitors over the age of 11 will be required to wear a face covering .
A stringent cleaning operation is in place and will continue daily from next week .
“ There is a new protocol , ” said Eiffel Tower hygiene consultant Alain Miralles .
“ The day cleaning teams will be able to clean all the points of contact every two hours , from the opening of the site to its closing.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Light are advised to book tickets to visit the Eiffel Tower online once the ticket office reopens Thursday .
Paris tourism officials have expressed muted optimism about the city ’ s reemergence as a travel destination .
Since confinement measures were imposed in March , tourism levels have dropped by around 80 percent compared to the same month in previous years , they say .
“ To attract people , the most important thing is that security measures are taken , and that 's why we 're promoting safe distances , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eiffel Tower 's operating company .
He said that with foreign travel yet to recover from restrictions put in place to slow the pandemic , most of the visitors would in the initial stage be domestic .
“ For the French public , this is the moment to come to the Eiffel Tower , ” he added .

The Eiffel Tower is preparing to welcome back visitors after the Covid-19 lockdown, but they will need to be fit: Because of lingering concerns about infection, the elevators will initially be off-limits.
A sign reading, "Wearing a mask is mandatory" at the entrance of the Eiffel Tower on June 17, 2020, as workers prepare to re-open it to the public following a lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
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Workers at the Parisian landmark, which looms 324 metres (1,062 feet) over the French capital, were on Wednesday making preparations to re-open on June 25, after three months of shutdown. It has been the site’s longest period out of action since World War Two.
Managers said they hoped to get operations fully back to normal later in the summer. In the meantime, a series of safety measures will be in place.
Visitors will not be able to go any higher than the second level of the tower, and until the start of July access will be only via the staircases. The elevators, with their confined space, represent a risk of disease transmission.
There will also be a one-way traffic system in force on the staircases, and all visitors over the age of 11 will be required to wear a face covering.
A stringent cleaning operation is in place and will continue daily from next week.
“There is a new protocol,” said Eiffel Tower hygiene consultant Alain Miralles. “The day cleaning teams will be able to clean all the points of contact every two hours, from the opening of the site to its closing.”
[#THREAD]
🇫🇷 J'aurai le plaisir de vous accueillir à nouveau à partir du 25 juin ! 😃 Des mesures particulières sont mises en place pour assurer votre sécurité 👇
🇬🇧 I'll be glad to welcome you again from June 25th! 😃Specific measures are put in place to ensure your safety 👇 — La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) June 9, 2020
Tourists planning trips to the City of Light are advised to book tickets to visit the Eiffel Tower online once the ticket office reopens Thursday.
Paris tourism officials have expressed muted optimism about the city’s reemergence as a travel destination. Since confinement measures were imposed in March, tourism levels have dropped by around 80 percent compared to the same month in previous years, they say.
“To attract people, the most important thing is that security measures are taken, and that's why we're promoting safe distances,” said Patrick Branco Ruivo, director of the Eiffel Tower's operating company.
He said that with foreign travel yet to recover from restrictions put in place to slow the pandemic, most of the visitors would in the initial stage be domestic.
“For the French public, this is the moment to come to the Eiffel Tower,” he added.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AP)
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france24--2020-06-17--Trump signs bill threatening China sanctions over persecution of Uighur Muslims

US non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch charges that Chinese officials have sought to muzzle discussion on Beijing 's treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities before the UN Human Rights Council China threatened retaliation after U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday calling for sanctions over the repression of China 's Uighurs , as excerpts from a book by his former national security adviser alleged he had approved of their mass detention .
The bill , which Congress passed with only one `` no '' vote , was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of members of China 's Muslim minority .
The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps in the Xinjiang region .
The U.S. State Department has accused Chinese officials of subjecting Muslims to torture , abuse `` and trying to basically erase their culture and their religion . ''
China denies mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training .
Trump signed the bill as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held his first face-to-face meeting since last year with China 's top diplomat , Yang Jiechi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the bill 's requirements might limit his constitutional authority to conduct diplomacy so he would regard them as advisory , not mandatory .
Trump did not hold a ceremony to mark his signing , which came as newspapers published excerpts the new book by his former national security adviser , Bolton .
Among other allegations , the book says Trump sought Chinese President Xi Jinping 's help to win re-election during a closed-door 2019 meeting and that Trump said Xi should go ahead with building the camps in Xinjiang .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a request for comment .
The Uighur law for the first time calls for sanctions on a member of China 's powerful Politburo , Xinjiang 's Communist Party secretary , Chen Quanguo , as responsible for `` gross human rights violations . ''
It also calls on U.S. companies operating in Xinjiang to take steps to ensure they do not use parts made with forced labor .

China threatened retaliation after U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday calling for sanctions over the repression of China's Uighurs, as excerpts from a book by his former national security adviser alleged he had approved of their mass detention.
US non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch charges that Chinese officials have sought to muzzle discussion on Beijing's treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities before the UN Human Rights Council
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The bill, which Congress passed with only one "no" vote, was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by mandating sanctions against those responsible for oppression of members of China's Muslim minority.
The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps in the Xinjiang region. The U.S. State Department has accused Chinese officials of subjecting Muslims to torture, abuse "and trying to basically erase their culture and their religion."
China denies mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training.
Trump signed the bill as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held his first face-to-face meeting since last year with China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi.
Trump issued a signing statement that some of the bill's requirements might limit his constitutional authority to conduct diplomacy so he would regard them as advisory, not mandatory.
Trump did not hold a ceremony to mark his signing, which came as newspapers published excerpts the new book by his former national security adviser, Bolton.
Among other allegations, the book says Trump sought Chinese President Xi Jinping's help to win re-election during a closed-door 2019 meeting and that Trump said Xi should go ahead with building the camps in Xinjiang.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Uighur law for the first time calls for sanctions on a member of China's powerful Politburo, Xinjiang's Communist Party secretary, Chen Quanguo, as responsible for "gross human rights violations."
It also calls on U.S. companies operating in Xinjiang to take steps to ensure they do not use parts made with forced labor.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-18--Rockets hit Baghdad's Green Zone for the fifth time in ten days

A general view of the U.S. Embassy at the Green zone in Baghdad , Iraq January 7 , 2020 .
Rockets hit Baghdad 's Green Zone , home to the US embassy , on Thursday , the fifth such attack in 10 days , security sources inside the high-security district told AFP .
AFP journalists heard at least three explosions , followed by the sound of sirens in the Green Zone .
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage .
Like previous attacks , there was no claim of responsibility .
Since October , at least 32 attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US has blamed on Iran-backed factions among Iraq 's security forces .
It was the second rocket attack near the US embassy since June 8 while other attacks have targeted Baghdad airport , where US troops are stationed , and a base north of the capital .
Tensions between Washington and Tehran reached boiling point in January when the US killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike in Baghdad .
Since then , Iraq has a new , US-friendly prime minister and there had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent months .
The resumption of attacks after weeks of calm coincides with the launch on June 11 of a strategic dialogue between Washington and Baghdad that aims to better define their military , economic and cultural relationship , although experts do not expect great results .
As part of the talks , Washington has already pledged to continue reducing in-country troop levels , which numbered about 5,200 last year .
In response to the US drone attack , Baghdad 's parliament voted to expel all foreign soldiers from Iraqi territory , but @ @ @ @ @ @

Rockets hit Baghdad's Green Zone, home to the US embassy, on Thursday, the fifth such attack in 10 days, security sources inside the high-security district told AFP.
A general view of the U.S. Embassy at the Green zone in Baghdad, Iraq January 7, 2020.
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AFP journalists heard at least three explosions, followed by the sound of sirens in the Green Zone.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Like previous attacks, there was no claim of responsibility.
Since October, at least 32 attacks have targeted American interests in Iraq that the US has blamed on Iran-backed factions among Iraq's security forces.
It was the second rocket attack near the US embassy since June 8 while other attacks have targeted Baghdad airport, where US troops are stationed, and a base north of the capital.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran reached boiling point in January when the US killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike in Baghdad.
Since then, Iraq has a new, US-friendly prime minister and there had been a lull in rocket attacks in recent months.
The resumption of attacks after weeks of calm coincides with the launch on June 11 of a strategic dialogue between Washington and Baghdad that aims to better define their military, economic and cultural relationship, although experts do not expect great results.
As part of the talks, Washington has already pledged to continue reducing in-country troop levels, which numbered about 5,200 last year.
In response to the US drone attack, Baghdad's parliament voted to expel all foreign soldiers from Iraqi territory, but the decision was never implemented.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-06-18--French police discriminate against black and Arab men, rights group says

A protester is detained in Lille , France , on June 4 , 2020 , during a demonstration in memory of Adama Traore , a black Frenchman who died in a 2016 police operation .
French police conduct discriminatory identity checks on black and Arab men , Human Rights Watch charged on Thursday , as angry protests over alleged racism in the security forces sweep across the country .
France has seen numerous demonstrations in recent weeks protesting the actions of police , many coalescing around the 2016 death of young black man Adama Traore in police custody , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US .
Human Rights Watch said in a report that the French police have “ overly broad ” powers “ to conduct discriminatory and abusive checks on black and Arab boys and men ” , leaving too much room for arbitrary and biased decisions .
“ There is ample evidence that identity checks in France drive a deep and sharp wedge between communities and the police , while doing virtually nothing to deter or detect crime , ” HRW ’ s France director Bénédicte Jeannerod said .
The report comes as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism in the ranks of its police , an accusation vehemently rejected by police forces who say the problems are down to individual security force members .
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged in a national address Sunday that France had to fight against the fact that “ the name , the address , the colour of the skin ” can affect a person 's chances in their lives .
But Macron defended France ’ s under-fire police force , saying they “ deserve public support and the recognition of the nation for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a ban on the use of chokeholds by the police after a backlash by police unions , who demonstrated across France and threw down their handcuffs in protest .
HRW ’ s report – based on interviews with 90 men and boys belonging to minority groups in Paris , Grenoble , Strasbourg and Lille – says the stop-and-search checks “ often involved invasive and humiliating body pat-downs.
” The 44-page document includes 12-year-old Koffi ’ s account , who says his class was subjected to an identity check in front of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in northeastern Paris , as they were leaving on a field trip to the famous Louvre museum .
He said three police officers searched their bags .
“ They put their hands in my pockets .
They spread my legs and touched my genitals , ” Koffi said .
Children as young as 10 are targeted , the HRW report said .
There are no official statistics on the racial profiles of those stopped by the police , as a 1978 French law prohibits the collection of data on a person ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious opinions .

French police conduct discriminatory identity checks on black and Arab men, Human Rights Watch charged on Thursday, as angry protests over alleged racism in the security forces sweep across the country.
A protester is detained in Lille, France, on June 4, 2020, during a demonstration in memory of Adama Traore, a black Frenchman who died in a 2016 police operation.
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France has seen numerous demonstrations in recent weeks protesting the actions of police, many coalescing around the 2016 death of young black man Adama Traore in police custody, which activists say echoes George Floyd's killing in the US.
Human Rights Watch said in a report that the French police have “overly broad” powers “to conduct discriminatory and abusive checks on black and Arab boys and men”, leaving too much room for arbitrary and biased decisions.
“There is ample evidence that identity checks in France drive a deep and sharp wedge between communities and the police, while doing virtually nothing to deter or detect crime,” HRW’s France director Bénédicte Jeannerod said.
The report comes as France is reeling from allegations of institutionalised racism in the ranks of its police, an accusation vehemently rejected by police forces who say the problems are down to individual security force members.
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged in a national address Sunday that France had to fight against the fact that “the name, the address, the colour of the skin” can affect a person's chances in their lives.
But Macron defended France’s under-fire police force, saying they “deserve public support and the recognition of the nation for their work.”
On Tuesday his government backtracked on a ban on the use of chokeholds by the police after a backlash by police unions, who demonstrated across France and threw down their handcuffs in protest.
‘Invasive and humiliating’
HRW’s report – based on interviews with 90 men and boys belonging to minority groups in Paris, Grenoble, Strasbourg and Lille – says the stop-and-search checks “often involved invasive and humiliating body pat-downs.”
The 44-page document includes 12-year-old Koffi’s account, who says his class was subjected to an identity check in front of their school in Bobigny, a disadvantaged neighbourhood in northeastern Paris, as they were leaving on a field trip to the famous Louvre museum.
He said three police officers searched their bags.
“They put their hands in my pockets. They spread my legs and touched my genitals,” Koffi said.
Children as young as 10 are targeted, the HRW report said.
There are no official statistics on the racial profiles of those stopped by the police, as a 1978 French law prohibits the collection of data on a person’s race, ethnicity, or political or religious opinions.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-06-18--US stymies key OECD talks on taxing digital corporate giants, blaming Covid-19

Entrance of the Google offices in London , on January 18 , 2019 .
The Trump administration has called for a break in talks on how to tax digital giants internationally , the US Treasury announced Wednesday , citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason .
`` The United States has suggested a pause in the OECD talks on international taxation while governments around the world focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and safely reopening their economies , '' stated Treasury spokeswoman Monica Crowley .
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sent a letter to his French , British , Spanish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them of this break , a source told AFP , confirming a report in the Financial Times .
In January , 137 countries had agreed to reach a deal on the taxation of multinationals by the end of 2020 under the aegis of the OECD .
Taxation must take into account the actual activity carried out in each country , to prevent large groups such as Google , Amazon or Facebook from paying their taxes where the tax on profits is lightest .
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer did not rule out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House of Representatives earlier Wednesday .
`` I think there 's clearly room for a negotiated settlement , '' he said .
`` We need an international regime that not only focuses on certain sides and certain industries , but where we generally agree how we 're going to tax people internationally . ''
France has decided to impose a tax on large digital companies of up to three percent of their turnover as of January 1 , 2019 , pending the adoption of international taxation .

The Trump administration has called for a break in talks on how to tax digital giants internationally, the US Treasury announced Wednesday, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason.
Entrance of the Google offices in London, on January 18, 2019.
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"The United States has suggested a pause in the OECD talks on international taxation while governments around the world focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and safely reopening their economies," stated Treasury spokeswoman Monica Crowley.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sent a letter to his French, British, Spanish and Italian counterparts in which he informed them of this break, a source told AFP, confirming a report in the Financial Times.
In January, 137 countries had agreed to reach a deal on the taxation of multinationals by the end of 2020 under the aegis of the OECD.
Taxation must take into account the actual activity carried out in each country, to prevent large groups such as Google, Amazon or Facebook from paying their taxes where the tax on profits is lightest.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer did not rule out a multilateral agreement when he appeared before the House of Representatives earlier Wednesday.
"I think there's clearly room for a negotiated settlement," he said. "We need an international regime that not only focuses on certain sides and certain industries, but where we generally agree how we're going to tax people internationally."
France has decided to impose a tax on large digital companies of up to three percent of their turnover as of January 1, 2019, pending the adoption of international taxation.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-06-18--Further US Covid-19 lockdowns not needed, says top US epidemiologist Fauci

Further US Covid-19 lockdowns not needed , says top US epidemiologist Fauci The United States does not require more widespread @ @ @ @ @ outbreak under control , despite the fact that the daily infection rate has remained relatively @ @ @ @ @ Anthony Fauci told AFP on Thursday .
`` I do n't think we 're going @ @ @ @ @ back to lockdown , '' he said .
`` I think we 're going to @ @ @ @ @ better control those areas of the country that seem to be having a surge of @ @ @ @ @ news everywhere with you !
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The United States does not require more widespread lockdowns to get its Covid-19 outbreak under control, despite the fact that the national daily infection rate is not showing signs of decline, leading government expert Anthony Fauci told AFP in an interview Thursday.
Top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said one thing that bothered him was a lack of compliance to authorities' recommendations about wearing masks.
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"I don't think we're going to be talking about going back to lockdown," he said when asked whether places like California and Texas that are seeing a surge in their caseload should reissue stay-at-home orders.
"I think we're going to be talking about trying to better control those areas of the country that seem to be having a surge of cases."
The US leads the world in the number of confirmed infections and in deaths – with the fatality toll approaching 120,000.
But while former epicenters New York and New Jersey have succeeded in controlling their outbreaks, the virus is now increasing in 20 states – creating a plateau in the national case graph.
Fauci stressed a localized approach would be required as the country takes further steps to return to normal – including on the crucial question of when to reopen schools.
"Counties where there are certainly no cases at all, there's no problem with the schools opening," he said.
"There are other parts where there's a modest amount of infection (where) you may delay school openings.
"And there are other parts of the country where there's minimum infection, where you want to make some modification of the process, namely: alternate days, morning versus afternoon, seating people apart from each other wearing masks."
Fauci, who has led America's response to every major epidemic since the outbreak of AIDS in the 1980s, said one thing that bothered him was a lack of compliance to authorities' recommendations about wearing masks.
"We have a country where even when the recommendations are to wear a mask, a recommendation that I've been involved in making, there are some groups that actually do the recommendations very strictly and they adhere to it.
"And then... you see pictures of people in bars and in congregations without that. So again, it's a mixed bag. Some people are doing it fine, and some are not."
(AFP)
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france24--2020-06-18--Anglican Church, Bank of England apologise for historical roles in slave trade

FILE PHOTO : A general view of The Bank of England and the Royal Exchange as the spread of the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) continues , in London , Britain , March 19 , 2020 .
Two of the UK 's biggest institutions -- the Church of England and the Bank of England -- apologised Thursday for their historic links to slavery with the church calling it `` a source of shame '' .
The apologies , reported by the Telegraph newspaper , come after analysis of figures compiled by University College London ( UCL ) found that individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The UCL research found that nearly 100 clergymen and six governors plus four directors of the bank benefitted from slavery , reported the Telegraph .
In response , a Church of England spokesman told the newspaper : `` While we recognise the leading role clergy and active members of the Church of England played in securing the abolition of slavery , it is a source of shame that others within the church actively perpetrated slavery and profited from it . ''
A Bank of England spokesman said : `` As an institution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved in the slave trade , but is aware of some inexcusable connections involving former governors and directors and apologises for them . ''
The bank added it would remove any images on display of former executives who were involved with the slave trade .
The global explosion of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations , following the killing in the US of African-American George Floyd , has led to a reassessment in the UK of its central role in the slave trade .
Recent demonstrations in the southwestern city of Bristol saw the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trader Edward Colston .
On Wednesday it was announced that Oxford University 's Oriel College had voted to take down a statue of colonialist Cecil Rhodes .
There has also been a backlash against attacks on statues with some demonstrators protecting memorials in parts of the country .
The UCL research is reportedly focusing on logging details of up to 47,000 people involved in the slave trade who received compensation totalling 20 million pounds -- worth more than two billion pounds today -- when slavery was abolished by the UK in 1833 .

Two of the UK's biggest institutions – the Church of England and the Bank of England – apologised Thursday for their historic links to slavery with the church calling it "a source of shame".
A general view of The Bank of England and the Royal Exchange as the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues, in London, Britain, on March 19, 2020.
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The apologies, reported by the Telegraph newspaper, come after analysis of figures compiled by University College London (UCL) found that individual members of both institutions profited from slavery.
The UCL research found that nearly 100 clergymen and six governors plus four directors of the bank benefitted from slavery, reported the Telegraph.
In response, a Church of England spokesman told the newspaper: "While we recognise the leading role clergy and active members of the Church of England played in securing the abolition of slavery, it is a source of shame that others within the church actively perpetrated slavery and profited from it."
A Bank of England spokesman said: "As an institution, the Bank was never itself directly involved in the slave trade, but is aware of some inexcusable connections involving former governors and directors and apologises for them."
The bank added it would remove any images on display of former executives who were involved with the slave trade.
The global explosion of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, following the killing in the US of African-American George Floyd, has led to a reassessment in the UK of its central role in the slave trade.
Recent demonstrations in the southwestern city of Bristol saw the toppling of a memorial to the slave trader Edward Colston.
On Wednesday it was announced that Oxford University's Oriel College had voted to take down a statue of colonialist Cecil Rhodes.
There has also been a backlash against attacks on statues with some demonstrators protecting memorials in parts of the country.
The UCL research is reportedly focusing on logging details of up to 47,000 people involved in the slave trade who received compensation totalling 20 million pounds -- worth more than two billion pounds today -- when slavery was abolished by the UK in 1833.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-18--Australia under nationwide cyberattack from 'state actor', says PM

A `` sophisticated state-based actor '' has been attempting to hack a wide range of Australian organisations for months and had stepped up its efforts recently , Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday .
The attacks have targeted all levels of the government , political organisations , essential service providers and operators of other critical infrastructure , Morrison said in a media briefing in Canberra .
`` We know it is a sophisticated state-based cyber actor because of the scale and nature of the targeting , '' he said .
Morrison said there were not a lot of state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack , but Australia will not identify which country was responsible .
Australia 's Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said advice showed no large-scale personal data breaches from the attack .
The revelation comes after Reuters reported Canberra had determined in March last year that China was responsible for a hacking attack on Australia 's parliament .
Australia never publicly identified that source of the attack and China denied it was responsible .
A U.S. security ally , Australia strained ties with its largest trading partner , China , by pushing for an international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 that first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year .

A "sophisticated state-based actor" has been attempting to hack a wide range of Australian organisations for months and had stepped up its efforts recently, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.
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The attacks have targeted all levels of the government, political organisations, essential service providers and operators of other critical infrastructure, Morrison said in a media briefing in Canberra.
"We know it is a sophisticated state-based cyber actor because of the scale and nature of the targeting," he said.
Morrison said there were not a lot of state actors that could launch this sort of attack, but Australia would not identify which country was responsible.
Australia's Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said advice showed no large-scale personal data breaches from the attack.
The revelation comes after Reuters reported Canberra had determined in March last year that China was responsible for a hacking attack on Australia's parliament. Australia never publicly identified that source of the attack and China denied it was responsible.
A U.S. security ally, Australia strained ties with its largest trading partner, China, by pushing for an international inquiry into the source and spread of Covid-19 that first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-18--Hidalgo, Dati, Buzyn: Three women, three strategies in race for Paris City Hall

Three women are contending for the Paris mayor 's office in a run-off election delayed by the coronavirus and now set for June 28 : Socialist incumbent Anne Hidalgo ; conservative Rachida Dati , who served as former president Nicolas Sarkozy 's justice minister ; and Agnès Buzyn , who was centrist President Emmanuel Macron 's health minister until February .
FRANCE 24 takes a look at their plans – and their chances .
Vying for a new six-year term , Hidalgo stands as the favourite .
She topped the voting in the first round on March 15 , two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But challengers Dati and Buzyn may also have a shot at running Paris City Hall .
For all three , turnout is key .
With virus fears hanging over the first-round ballot in March -- Macron had already announced the closure of schools , many of which were polling stations on voting day -- abstention was high .
Only 44.66 percent of French voters turned out for the municipal elections nationwide .
In Paris , the figure was even lower , at 42.3 percent .
Three months on , voters seem just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ box a week from Sunday .
In a survey by the Ifop polling firm released Monday , only 38 percent of those called to the polls are planning to vote in the 4,827 mayoralty races that were n't decided after the first round .
A full 29 percent of those who say they do n't want to go cast a ballot attribute the decision `` solely to the risk of being affected by coronavirus '' .
Still , many traditionally make up their minds about voting within days of an election .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buzyn are each betting on very distinct electoral strategies .
Each had the opportunity to showcase her campaign during a televised debate on Wednesday evening .
Anne Hidalgo , the environment first and foremost With her 29.33 percent score in the first round , Mayor Hidalgo has a relatively comfortable advance heading into the run-off , especially after sealing an alliance with greens leader David Belliard , the Europe Écologie-Les Verts candidate , who finished fourth on March 15 with 10.79 percent of the vote .
The alliance was not unexpected -- the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during her first term .
The agreement sees Hidalgo become the sole candidate remaining on the left and the torchbearer for green issues .
The united platform , presented on Tuesday , pledges the renovation of social housing , the implementation of the `` first bioclimatic local urban masterplan in France '' ( bioclimatic design adapts a project 's architecture to its environment ) and the creation of a municipal energy authority ( on the model of the city 's water utility , Eau de Paris ) .
Hidalgo is also proposing an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limits by 2024 , capping the speed limit at 30 km/h almost everywhere in the French capital , creating a network of `` vélopolitain '' cycle highways for biking across the greater Paris area and transforming half of the city 's street-parking in order to widen sidewalks .
She also wants to `` pedestrianise and plant greenery on the spaces surrounding 300 schools '' and to create at least one pedestrian centre in each of the city 's 20 arrondissements .
The Périphérique ring road would also be transformed , Hidalgo pledges , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bike path .
As for the economy , the Socialist incumbent wants to `` accompany '' its post-lockdown relaunch .
The city of Paris is putting €60 million towards the cause , including €5 million to support `` positive-impact tourism '' ( green tourism compatible with the fight against climate change ) , €15 million for artists and cultural players , €6 million towards cultural start-ups , shops and business , and €4 million towards the solidarity economy .
Outpaced by Hidalgo in the first round on 22.72 percent , Les Républicains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ useful vote , hoping to consolidate Hidalgo 's detractors to put her over the top on June 28 .
To do that , she will need to lure voters who preferred La République en Marche candidate Agnès Buzyn on March 15 .
The political calculus is simple : An Ifop-Fiducial poll for the second round lends Hidalgo 44 percent of the vote , versus 33 percent for Dati and 20 percent for Buzyn .
Dati reasons that more than half of voters want to give their say to someone other than the incumbent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' , the conservative Dati is encouraging turnout with a website aimed at facilitating voting by proxy so her voters wo n't see the election `` stolen '' from them .
The two-term mayor of Paris 's affluent seventh arrondissement , Dati 's platform addresses conservative voters first and foremost , calling for armed municipal police , family-centric policy proposing notably that the highest means-based school lunch fees be scrapped and , coronavirus oblige , a relaunch plan `` for businesses at risk of closure '' .
Dati has slammed Hidalgo for her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for creating cleaning brigades that could be called on to intervene 24/7 .
But Dati also needs Buzyn 's more centrist voters to win the race for Paris City Hall .
She has repeatedly called her own bid `` the only one capable of bringing change to Paris '' and levied stinging jabs at her centrist foe .
`` I do n't need a ball-and-chain for baggage , '' she said last week to explain the absence of any alliance with Buzyn 's LREM , which had rebuffed the notion .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Buzyn clashed over the endorsement the conservative received from far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen .
The populist Le Pen said last week she 'd vote for Dati herself if she had any say in the Paris race , calling Hidalgo `` the worst mayor that could exist '' .
On Wednesday , Buzyn , who had accused Dati of reconciling Marine Le Pen with her estranged far-right-icon father Jean-Marie with her platform , reproached Dati for having supported Sens commun , a group opposed to gay marriage , and for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dati retorted that Buzyn 's volley was `` a serious attack on my honour and on who I am '' , recalling a time when Dati `` worked with Simone Veil '' , the late Holocaust survivor and revered French stateswoman .
Buzyn interrupted , demanding `` a bit of decency '' of Dati and telling her `` you are obliged to cite a French icon to justify yourself '' .
( Buzyn , it bears noting , was married to Veil 's son Pierre-François , with whom she has three children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Madame Buzyn 's values are lying to the French . ''
Agnès Buzyn , in line with the government With just 17.26 percent of the vote , Buzyn placed well behind the frontrunning pair in the first round .
She had only stepped down as health minister in February , in the middle of the global coronavirus crisis , to replace Benjamin Griveaux as the party 's candidate for Paris City Hall .
President Macron 's party had found itself without a flagbearer after Griveaux , a longtime Macron ally , suddenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations .
After the March 15 ballot , Buzyn dropped off the radar for weeks , having called the campaign a `` masquerade '' amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak .
She eventually returned to the spotlight , in late May , to confirm she would stay on as LREM 's candidate for Paris in the upcoming run-off .
The French press made hay of the revelation of text messages by one of Buzyn 's former cabinet colleagues reportedly considering a Buzyn victory impossible .
But the centrist candidate says she 's in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Letting settle in the idea that we are third is false , '' members of Buzyn 's entourage insist , pointing out that `` there are two arrondissements where we are in front ( the 5th and the 9th ) , seven where we are second '' .
To come out on top , Buzyn is betting on Parisians ' support of the government , with a vast mailing campaign targeting half the city 's households .
`` Anne Hidalgo and Rachida Dati systematically criticise the government 's action .
All Parisians who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our economy and vulnerable people must mobilise '' for Buzyn 's candidates , spokesman Pierre-Yves Bournazel told reporters on Tuesday .
Buzyn has also highlighted her economic relaunch plan for the French capital , where she expects the post-coronavirus period to be `` very tough '' .
The plan , which she would set in motion on July 1 , consists of €400 million , including €170 million towards a solidarity fund entrusted to the mayors of the 20 arrondissements .
`` It is about helping shopkeepers , artisans and restaurateurs to survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxes the first year , and even next year if the crisis persists , '' she promised in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche newspaper .
Buzyn also wants to test the liberalisation of business hours in Paris for a year , during evenings and weekends , in order to spread out the busy shopping times for consumers as well as rush hours for public transit .
Where Buzyn and Dati align , as showcased during Wednesday 's debate , is in their contempt for Hidalgo 's brand of green policies .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ paved over [ Paris ] and the green candidates had to swallow their pride for a few eligible places [ on Hidalgo 's candidate lists ] , '' Dati said Wednesday of the alliance on the left side of Paris 's political spectrum .
`` You practice a window-dressing sort of ecology , '' Buzyn sniped at Hidalgo during the debate , criticising her `` giant flower pots that do n't make a policy for adding greenery '' .
Hidalgo , for her part , retorted to both her rivals on Wednesday evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if your allies had n't opposed a strong measure like pedestrianising the banks of the Seine . ''
This article has been translated and updated from the original in French .

Three women are contending for the Paris mayor's office in a run-off election delayed by the coronavirus and now set for June 28: Socialist incumbent Anne Hidalgo; conservative Rachida Dati, who served as former president Nicolas Sarkozy's justice minister; and Agnès Buzyn, who was centrist President Emmanuel Macron's health minister until February. FRANCE 24 takes a look at their plans – and their chances.
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Vying for a new six-year term, Hidalgo stands as the favourite. She topped the voting in the first round on March 15, two days before France withdrew into Covid-19 lockdown. But challengers Dati and Buzyn may also have a shot at running Paris City Hall.
For all three, turnout is key. With virus fears hanging over the first-round ballot in March -- Macron had already announced the closure of schools, many of which were polling stations on voting day -- abstention was high. Only 44.66 percent of French voters turned out for the municipal elections nationwide. In Paris, the figure was even lower, at 42.3 percent.
Three months on, voters seem just as reticent to head to the ballot box a week from Sunday. In a survey by the Ifop polling firm released Monday, only 38 percent of those called to the polls are planning to vote in the 4,827 mayoralty races that weren't decided after the first round. A full 29 percent of those who say they don't want to go cast a ballot attribute the decision "solely to the risk of being affected by coronavirus". Still, many traditionally make up their minds about voting within days of an election.
In the meantime, Hidalgo, Dati and Buzyn are each betting on very distinct electoral strategies. Each had the opportunity to showcase her campaign during a televised debate on Wednesday evening.
Anne Hidalgo, the environment first and foremost
With her 29.33 percent score in the first round, Mayor Hidalgo has a relatively comfortable advance heading into the run-off, especially after sealing an alliance with greens leader David Belliard, the Europe Écologie-Les Verts candidate, who finished fourth on March 15 with 10.79 percent of the vote.
The alliance was not unexpected -- the incumbent Socialist governed together with the greens during her first term. The agreement sees Hidalgo become the sole candidate remaining on the left and the torchbearer for green issues. The united platform, presented on Tuesday, pledges the renovation of social housing, the implementation of the "first bioclimatic local urban masterplan in France" (bioclimatic design adapts a project's architecture to its environment) and the creation of a municipal energy authority (on the model of the city's water utility, Eau de Paris).
Très heureux d'être avec @Anne_Hidalgo et les équipes de @ParisEnCommun à la rencontre des commerçants et des habitant.e.s du 9ème arrondissement ! Pour présenter le projet ambitieux que nous portons ensemble et écrire une nouvelle page de l'histoire de Paris 🌳🌻 pic.twitter.com/IFXCARqbvx — David Belliard (@David_Belliard) June 2, 2020
Hidalgo is also proposing an end to diesel vehicles inside Paris city limits by 2024, capping the speed limit at 30 km/h almost everywhere in the French capital, creating a network of "vélopolitain" cycle highways for biking across the greater Paris area and transforming half of the city's street-parking in order to widen sidewalks. She also wants to "pedestrianise and plant greenery on the spaces surrounding 300 schools" and to create at least one pedestrian centre in each of the city's 20 arrondissements. The Périphérique ring road would also be transformed, Hidalgo pledges, with carpool/bus/taxi lanes and, eventually, a bike path.
As for the economy, the Socialist incumbent wants to "accompany" its post-lockdown relaunch. The city of Paris is putting €60 million towards the cause, including €5 million to support "positive-impact tourism" (green tourism compatible with the fight against climate change), €15 million for artists and cultural players, €6 million towards cultural start-ups, shops and business, and €4 million towards the solidarity economy.
Rachida Dati, tactical voting as a strategy
Outpaced by Hidalgo in the first round on 22.72 percent, Les Républicains' Dati is wagering on the so-called useful vote, hoping to consolidate Hidalgo's detractors to put her over the top on June 28. To do that, she will need to lure voters who preferred La République en Marche candidate Agnès Buzyn on March 15.
The political calculus is simple: An Ifop-Fiducial poll for the second round lends Hidalgo 44 percent of the vote, versus 33 percent for Dati and 20 percent for Buzyn. Dati reasons that more than half of voters want to give their say to someone other than the incumbent. Convinced that "everything is open", the conservative Dati is encouraging turnout with a website aimed at facilitating voting by proxy so her voters won't see the election "stolen" from them.
Comme tous les WE, les équipes #DatiPourParis étaient à votre rencontre dans tous les #arrondissements, dans le respect des gestes barrières, pour porter notre #projet pour #Paris!
🗳 RDV le 28 juin #EngagésPourChangerParis
👇https://t.co/pQt1qw6BVZ pic.twitter.com/sWwT9bPnwR — Rachida Dati ن (@datirachida) June 15, 2020
The two-term mayor of Paris's affluent seventh arrondissement, Dati's platform addresses conservative voters first and foremost, calling for armed municipal police, family-centric policy proposing notably that the highest means-based school lunch fees be scrapped and, coronavirus oblige, a relaunch plan "for businesses at risk of closure". Dati has slammed Hidalgo for her record on security and cleanliness and has called for creating cleaning brigades that could be called on to intervene 24/7.
But Dati also needs Buzyn's more centrist voters to win the race for Paris City Hall. She has repeatedly called her own bid "the only one capable of bringing change to Paris" and levied stinging jabs at her centrist foe. "I don't need a ball-and-chain for baggage," she said last week to explain the absence of any alliance with Buzyn's LREM, which had rebuffed the notion.
During the televised debate on Wednesday, Dati and Buzyn clashed over the endorsement the conservative received from far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen. The populist Le Pen said last week she'd vote for Dati herself if she had any say in the Paris race, calling Hidalgo "the worst mayor that could exist".
On Wednesday, Buzyn, who had accused Dati of reconciling Marine Le Pen with her estranged far-right-icon father Jean-Marie with her platform, reproached Dati for having supported Sens commun, a group opposed to gay marriage, and for making "unspeakable remarks" about migrants. Dati retorted that Buzyn's volley was "a serious attack on my honour and on who I am", recalling a time when Dati "worked with Simone Veil", the late Holocaust survivor and revered French stateswoman.
Buzyn interrupted, demanding "a bit of decency" of Dati and telling her "you are obliged to cite a French icon to justify yourself". (Buzyn, it bears noting, was married to Veil's son Pierre-François, with whom she has three children.) To which Dati retorted, "Madame Buzyn's values are lying to the French."
Agnès Buzyn, in line with the government
With just 17.26 percent of the vote, Buzyn placed well behind the frontrunning pair in the first round. She had only stepped down as health minister in February, in the middle of the global coronavirus crisis, to replace Benjamin Griveaux as the party's candidate for Paris City Hall. President Macron's party had found itself without a flagbearer after Griveaux, a longtime Macron ally, suddenly withdrew from the race over sex tape allegations. After the March 15 ballot, Buzyn dropped off the radar for weeks, having called the campaign a "masquerade" amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak. She eventually returned to the spotlight, in late May, to confirm she would stay on as LREM's candidate for Paris in the upcoming run-off.
The French press made hay of the revelation of text messages by one of Buzyn's former cabinet colleagues reportedly considering a Buzyn victory impossible. But the centrist candidate says she's in the race "to win". "Letting settle in the idea that we are third is false," members of Buzyn's entourage insist, pointing out that "there are two arrondissements where we are in front (the 5th and the 9th), seven where we are second".
To come out on top, Buzyn is betting on Parisians' support of the government, with a vast mailing campaign targeting half the city's households. "Anne Hidalgo and Rachida Dati systematically criticise the government's action. All Parisians who think the government is acting to protect our economy and vulnerable people must mobilise" for Buzyn's candidates, spokesman Pierre-Yves Bournazel told reporters on Tuesday.
J’étais ce matin dans le 17è, rue de Lévis avec @SylvainMaillard et les colistiers et marcheurs pour échanger avec les habitants du quartier.
Ces échanges nous confortent dans notre engagement pour Paris : les Parisiens veulent du changement. pic.twitter.com/t7zo7ZKMKo — Agnès Buzyn (@agnesbuzyn) June 7, 2020
Buzyn has also highlighted her economic relaunch plan for the French capital, where she expects the post-coronavirus period to be "very tough". The plan, which she would set in motion on July 1, consists of €400 million, including €170 million towards a solidarity fund entrusted to the mayors of the 20 arrondissements. "It is about helping shopkeepers, artisans and restaurateurs to survive, notably through an exoneration of all taxes the first year, and even next year if the crisis persists," she promised in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche newspaper. Buzyn also wants to test the liberalisation of business hours in Paris for a year, during evenings and weekends, in order to spread out the busy shopping times for consumers as well as rush hours for public transit.
Where Buzyn and Dati align, as showcased during Wednesday's debate, is in their contempt for Hidalgo's brand of green policies.
"You are the mayor who most paved over [Paris] and the green candidates had to swallow their pride for a few eligible places [on Hidalgo's candidate lists]," Dati said Wednesday of the alliance on the left side of Paris's political spectrum.
"You practice a window-dressing sort of ecology," Buzyn sniped at Hidalgo during the debate, criticising her "giant flower pots that don't make a policy for adding greenery".
Hidalgo, for her part, retorted to both her rivals on Wednesday evening, "I would have loved it if your allies hadn't opposed a strong measure like pedestrianising the banks of the Seine."
This article has been translated and updated from the original in French.
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