france24--2020-05-20--Global CO2 emissions could fall 7 percent in 2020 due to Covid-19, study shows

Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are set to drop by up to seven percent in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic , but even this dramatic decline – the sharpest since WWII – would barely dent longterm global warming , researchers reported Tuesday .
In early April , coronavirus lockdowns led to a 17 percent reduction worldwide in carbon pollution compared to the same period last year , according to the first peer-reviewed assessment of the pandemic 's impact on CO2 emissions , published in Nature Climate Change .
Four countries or blocs – China , the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounted for two-thirds of the downturn across the first four months of 2020 , equivalent to more than one billion tonnes of CO2 .
Total emissions from industry and energy last year came to a record 37 billion tonnes .
`` Population confinement has led to drastic changes in energy use and CO2 emissions , '' said lead author Corinne Le Quere , a professor at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia .
`` These extreme decreases are likely to be temporary , however , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economic , transport or energy systems . ''
If the global economy recovers to pre-pandemic conditions by mid-June – an unlikely scenario – CO2 emissions in 2020 are projected to drop only four percent , Le Quere and her team calculated .
But if lockdown restrictions persist throughout the year , the decline will be around seven percent .
With nearly five million confirmed infections and 320,000 deaths , the Covid-19 pandemic has deflected attention from the climate crisis that dominated global concerns in 2019 .
But the climate threat remains , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make barely a dent in the ongoing build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere , '' said Richard Betts , head of climate impacts research at Britain 's Met Office Hadley Centre .
`` We need to stop putting it there altogether , not just put it there more slowly , '' he said .
`` It 's like we 're filling a bath and have turned down the tap slightly – but not turned it off .
The water is still rising , just not as fast . ''
Earth 's average @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels – enough to amplify deadly droughts , heatwaves and superstorms engorged by rising seas .
Under the 2015 Paris climate treaty , nearly 200 nations pledged to cap global warming at `` well below '' 2C .
But the UN 's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) subsequently determined that 1.5C is a far safer temperature guardrail .
The pandemic has underscored just how difficult it will be to hit that more ambitious target .
Emissions must fall 7.6 percent – in line with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year this decade to ensure the 1.5C cap , unless other means are found to remove carbon from the atmosphere , scientists calculate .
`` The pandemic has shown us that major structural changes in the transport and energy systems are required , '' noted Mark Maslin , a professor of climatology at University College London .
Some experts have suggested the pandemic could speed up that transition .
`` Fossil fuels seem to be getting hit harder relative to renewables , '' Glen Peters , research director of the Center for International @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` If this ( continues ) we may come out of Covid with emissions going down , since renewables have been able to take more relative space , pushing out some of the most polluting fossil fuels , especially coal . ''
But the multi-trillion dollar rescue packages – especially in the United States and China – hastily assembled to stave off another Great Depression send mixed signals when it comes to building a green global economy .
`` There is a high risk that short-sightedness will lead governments to lose track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into highly polluting sectors that have no place in a zero-carbon society , '' said Joeri Rogelj , a researcher at Grantham Institute and Imperial College London .
Different sectors of the economy have been hit unevenly by measures taken to halt the pandemic , the study revealed .
On April 7 – the day global CO2 pollution dropped the most – emissions from land transport accounted for more than 40 percent of the decrease , while industry , electricity generation , and aviation accounted for 25 , 19 and 10 percent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and methane – another potent greenhouse gas – usually takes months or longer , but methods used in the study could help guide decision-making , the authors said .
`` If we can see the effect of a policy in the space of months as opposed to years then we can refine policies more quickly , '' said Peters .

Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are set to drop by up to seven percent in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but even this dramatic decline – the sharpest since WWII – would barely dent longterm global warming, researchers reported Tuesday.
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In early April, coronavirus lockdowns led to a 17 percent reduction worldwide in carbon pollution compared to the same period last year, according to the first peer-reviewed assessment of the pandemic's impact on CO2 emissions, published in Nature Climate Change.
Four countries or blocs – China, the United States, the European Union and India – accounted for two-thirds of the downturn across the first four months of 2020, equivalent to more than one billion tonnes of CO2.
Total emissions from industry and energy last year came to a record 37 billion tonnes.
"Population confinement has led to drastic changes in energy use and CO2 emissions," said lead author Corinne Le Quere, a professor at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.
"These extreme decreases are likely to be temporary, however, as they do not reflect structural changes in the economic, transport or energy systems."
If the global economy recovers to pre-pandemic conditions by mid-June – an unlikely scenario – CO2 emissions in 2020 are projected to drop only four percent, Le Quere and her team calculated.
But if lockdown restrictions persist throughout the year, the decline will be around seven percent.
With nearly five million confirmed infections and 320,000 deaths, the Covid-19 pandemic has deflected attention from the climate crisis that dominated global concerns in 2019.
But the climate threat remains, other experts warn.
"This will make barely a dent in the ongoing build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," said Richard Betts, head of climate impacts research at Britain's Met Office Hadley Centre.
Like filling a bathtub
"We need to stop putting it there altogether, not just put it there more slowly," he said.
"It's like we're filling a bath and have turned down the tap slightly – but not turned it off. The water is still rising, just not as fast."
Earth's average surface temperature has so far risen by one degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels – enough to amplify deadly droughts, heatwaves and superstorms engorged by rising seas.
Under the 2015 Paris climate treaty, nearly 200 nations pledged to cap global warming at "well below" 2C.
But the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) subsequently determined that 1.5C is a far safer temperature guardrail.
The pandemic has underscored just how difficult it will be to hit that more ambitious target.
Emissions must fall 7.6 percent – in line with the worst-case lockdown scenario for 2020 – every year this decade to ensure the 1.5C cap, unless other means are found to remove carbon from the atmosphere, scientists calculate.
"The pandemic has shown us that major structural changes in the transport and energy systems are required," noted Mark Maslin, a professor of climatology at University College London.
Some experts have suggested the pandemic could speed up that transition.
"Fossil fuels seem to be getting hit harder relative to renewables," Glen Peters, research director of the Center for International Climate Research in Oslo, told AFP.
Sectors hit unevenly
"If this (continues) we may come out of Covid with emissions going down, since renewables have been able to take more relative space, pushing out some of the most polluting fossil fuels, especially coal."
But the multi-trillion dollar rescue packages – especially in the United States and China – hastily assembled to stave off another Great Depression send mixed signals when it comes to building a green global economy.
"There is a high risk that short-sightedness will lead governments to lose track of the bigger picture and put money into highly polluting sectors that have no place in a zero-carbon society," said Joeri Rogelj, a researcher at Grantham Institute and Imperial College London.
Different sectors of the economy have been hit unevenly by measures taken to halt the pandemic, the study revealed.
On April 7 – the day global CO2 pollution dropped the most – emissions from land transport accounted for more than 40 percent of the decrease, while industry, electricity generation, and aviation accounted for 25, 19 and 10 percent, respectively.
Calculating global emissions of CO2 and methane – another potent greenhouse gas – usually takes months or longer, but methods used in the study could help guide decision-making, the authors said.
"If we can see the effect of a policy in the space of months as opposed to years then we can refine policies more quickly," said Peters.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-20--British coronavirus fundraising hero Captain Tom to become ‘Sir’

IN THE PAPERS - Wednesday , May 20 : We look at how the illustrated press is responding to revelations by Donald Trump that he 's been taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative for Covid-19 .
Also , will the easing of lockdowns change the work structure as we know it ?
And finally , Captain Tom Moore , British coronavirus fundraising hero , is to be knighted .
With the global race to find a vaccine for the coronavirus well underway , French paper L ’ Humanité today says France has 800 studies and 600 clinical trials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the country .
There ’ s more mockery of Donald Trump after he revealed he was taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative .
Cartoonist Ed Wexler depicts Trump as a poster boy for the drug with the disclaimer , “ do not consult your physician and in case of death , you can always blame Obama !
” Dave Brown , the Independent ’ s cartoonist shows Trump injecting himself with toilet disinfectant , “ clinically proven to distract and divert and kills 99 percent of real news !
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his usual mop of blond-orange hair .
French daily Le Figaro wonders if French employees will have to work longer in the future and whether the crisis will see the end of the famous 35-hour work week .
In New Zealand , Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has flagged the introduction of a four-day work week or more public holidays to boost local tourism and enable a better work/life balance .
Finally , the UK 's coronavirus hero Captain Tom Moore is to be knighted .
After being promoted to honorary colonel for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised over €35m for the National Health Service by walking around his garden , is to become SIR Tom Moore .

IN THE PAPERS - Wednesday, May 20: We look at how the illustrated press is responding to revelations by Donald Trump that he's been taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative for Covid-19. Also, will the easing of lockdowns change the work structure as we know it? And finally, Captain Tom Moore, British coronavirus fundraising hero, is to be knighted.
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With the global race to find a vaccine for the coronavirus well underway, French paper L’Humanité today says France has 800 studies and 600 clinical trials in the works – a record number for the country.
There’s more mockery of Donald Trump after he revealed he was taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative. Cartoonist Ed Wexler depicts Trump as a poster boy for the drug with the disclaimer, “do not consult your physician and in case of death, you can always blame Obama!” Dave Brown, the Independent’s cartoonist shows Trump injecting himself with toilet disinfectant, “clinically proven to distract and divert and kills 99 percent of real news!” And yes, a pangolin has replaced his usual mop of blond-orange hair.
French daily Le Figaro wonders if French employees will have to work longer in the future and whether the crisis will see the end of the famous 35-hour work week. In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has flagged the introduction of a four-day work week or more public holidays to boost local tourism and enable a better work/life balance.
Finally, the UK's coronavirus hero Captain Tom Moore is to be knighted. After being promoted to honorary colonel for his 100th birthday, the war veteran who raised over €35m for the National Health Service by walking around his garden, is to become SIR Tom Moore.
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france24--2020-05-20--Burundi votes in election marred by reports of violence and rights violations

An election official prepares ballot papers at a voting station during the Presidential , Legislative and Communal council elections in Gitega , Burundi , on May 20 , 2020 .
Burundi holds on Wednesday its first competitive presidential election since a civil war erupted in 1993 , despite simmering political violence and the new coronavirus pandemic .
President Pierre Nkurunziza , whose government has repeatedly been accused of rights abuses , will step down after 15 years .
His ruling CNDD-FDD party candidate , retired army general Evariste Ndayishimiye , is running against opposition leader Agathon Rwasa and five others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first democratic transition in 58 years of independence for the impoverished east African nation , after widespread international criticism of its last election in 2015 , when Nkurunziza ran for a third term .
His opponents said the move violated a peace deal that ended the civil war and boycotted the poll .
The election sparked violent protests that drove hundreds of thousands of Burundians into exile .
U.N. reports documented hundreds of killings and the torture and gang-rape of opposition activists .
Donors withdrew funding in protest .
Rwasa , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned about possible electoral fraud in his final rally on Sunday .
`` We know there is plan of election fraud , some are even intimidating people asking for their voter cards to vote for them , '' he said .
`` All of that is worthless . ''
The U.N. and the African Union said they `` remain concerned about reports of intimidation and violent clashes between supporters of opposing sides '' , in a joint statement on Sunday .
There will be few election monitors after the government said they would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus .
The government expelled the national head of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) last week following public criticism that all parties were holding rallies despite the disease .
So far , the tiny East African nation has reported only 42 coronavirus case and one death .
Testing remains very low , however - the nation of 11 million has carried out only 633 tests , according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention .

Burundi holds on Wednesday its first competitive presidential election since a civil war erupted in 1993, despite simmering political violence and the new coronavirus pandemic.
An election official prepares ballot papers at a voting station during the Presidential, Legislative and Communal council elections in Gitega, Burundi, on May 20, 2020.
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President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose government has repeatedly been accused of rights abuses, will step down after 15 years. His ruling CNDD-FDD party candidate, retired army general Evariste Ndayishimiye, is running against opposition leader Agathon Rwasa and five others.
The election is meant to usher in the first democratic transition in 58 years of independence for the impoverished east African nation, after widespread international criticism of its last election in 2015, when Nkurunziza ran for a third term.
His opponents said the move violated a peace deal that ended the civil war and boycotted the poll. The election sparked violent protests that drove hundreds of thousands of Burundians into exile. U.N. reports documented hundreds of killings and the torture and gang-rape of opposition activists. Donors withdrew funding in protest.
The government denies accusations of rights violations.
Rwasa, like Nkurunziza a former rebel leader, warned about possible electoral fraud in his final rally on Sunday.
"We know there is plan of election fraud, some are even intimidating people asking for their voter cards to vote for them," he said. "All of that is worthless."
The U.N. and the African Union said they "remain concerned about reports of intimidation and violent clashes between supporters of opposing sides", in a joint statement on Sunday.
There will be few election monitors after the government said they would have to go into a 14-day quarantine to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
The government expelled the national head of the World Health Organization (WHO) last week following public criticism that all parties were holding rallies despite the disease.
So far, the tiny East African nation has reported only 42 coronavirus case and one death. Testing remains very low, however - the nation of 11 million has carried out only 633 tests, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--Leading NGOs criticise UN over ‘shameful’ inaction towards Covid-19 crisis

Leading non-governmental organisations on Tuesday blasted the UN Security Council 's `` shameful '' inaction towards the Covid-19 crisis , especially over a call for truces in some conflict zones during the pandemic .
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for ceasefires in fighting around the world two months ago .
But the Security Council – debilitated by a confrontation between China and the United States – has failed to agree on a resolution supporting the initiative in the conflicts which fall under its mandate , the NGOs said in a statement .
`` The paralysis of the Security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shameful .
To millions of people , it is also incomprehensible , '' said David Miliband , CEO of the International Rescue Committee .
For Rob Malley , president and CEO of the International Crisis Group , Washington and Beijing `` have treated these negotiations as an opportunity for a blame-game over the origins of Covid-19 rather than an opening to make a straightforward call for a reduction in violence during the pandemic . ''
Neither country `` seems able or willing to show leadership at the UN during a global crisis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEO of Save the Children , said the Security Council `` has a historic opportunity to stop the fighting globally and to ensure aid workers have full access to those most in need . ''
Security Council negotiations have been at an impasse since May 8 , when Washington rejected compromise text proposed by France and Tunisia which would urge a halt to fighting in countries like Afghanistan and Yemen .
The United States is rejecting any mention of the World Health Organization in the resolution , while China has threatened to veto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WHO .
Guterres 's wider call has the support of 200 NGOs and individually some 140 countries of the 193 UN members .
Unlike the Security Council , the UN General Assembly has adopted two pandemic-related resolutions , one on April 3 aimed at strengthening international cooperation and the other on April 20 to call for equal access to any future vaccines .

Leading non-governmental organisations on Tuesday blasted the UN Security Council's "shameful" inaction towards the Covid-19 crisis, especially over a call for truces in some conflict zones during the pandemic.
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United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for ceasefires in fighting around the world two months ago.
But the Security Council – debilitated by a confrontation between China and the United States – has failed to agree on a resolution supporting the initiative in the conflicts which fall under its mandate, the NGOs said in a statement.
"The paralysis of the Security Council in the face of Covid is shameful. To millions of people, it is also incomprehensible," said David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee.
For Rob Malley, president and CEO of the International Crisis Group, Washington and Beijing "have treated these negotiations as an opportunity for a blame-game over the origins of Covid-19 rather than an opening to make a straightforward call for a reduction in violence during the pandemic."
Neither country "seems able or willing to show leadership at the UN during a global crisis," Malley said.
Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children, said the Security Council "has a historic opportunity to stop the fighting globally and to ensure aid workers have full access to those most in need."
Security Council negotiations have been at an impasse since May 8, when Washington rejected compromise text proposed by France and Tunisia which would urge a halt to fighting in countries like Afghanistan and Yemen.
The United States is rejecting any mention of the World Health Organization in the resolution, while China has threatened to veto any resolution that does not reference the WHO.
Guterres's wider call has the support of 200 NGOs and individually some 140 countries of the 193 UN members.
Unlike the Security Council, the UN General Assembly has adopted two pandemic-related resolutions, one on April 3 aimed at strengthening international cooperation and the other on April 20 to call for equal access to any future vaccines.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-20--Syria seizes assets of Assad’s tycoon cousin Rami Makhlouf

The Syrian government ordered the seizure of assets belonging to President Bashar al-Assad 's cousin Rami Makhlouf , one of Syria 's richest men , as well as to his wife and children , according to a government document reviewed by Reuters .
The document , stamped May 19 and signed by the finance minister , said the `` precautionary seizure '' aimed to guarantee payment of sums owed to the telecom regulatory authority .
Once at the heart of Assad 's inner circle , Makhlouf has quarrelled with the authorities over funds which they say are owed by his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public tussle has uncovered a rift in the ruling elite .
Makhlouf has addressed the dispute in three video messages in which he has appealed to Assad himself to help save his firm .
In his last appearance , released on Sunday , Makhlouf said he had been told to quit as the head of Syriatel .
Makhlouf , in a Facebook post , said the asset seizure was illegal .
He also said the courts had been asked to appoint a legal guardian to manage Syriatel , calling this an attempt to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All of this with the excuse that we had n't agreed to pay the sum .
As you know , that is incorrect ... ( they ) want the company and the only thing they see is controlling it '' .
The government says Syriatel owes 134 billion pounds , around $ 77 million at the current exchange rate on the parallel market .
A separate order has banned Makhlouf from government contracts for five years .
Makhlouf , a maternal cousin of Assad , played a big role in financing Assad 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He is under US and EU sanctions .
Syria experts say the row could mark the first major rift in decades within the family that has ruled the country since Assad 's father Hafez took power 50 years ago .

The Syrian government ordered the seizure of assets belonging to President Bashar al-Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf, one of Syria's richest men, as well as to his wife and children, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters.
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The document, stamped May 19 and signed by the finance minister, said the "precautionary seizure" aimed to guarantee payment of sums owed to the telecom regulatory authority.
Once at the heart of Assad's inner circle, Makhlouf has quarrelled with the authorities over funds which they say are owed by his mobile phone company Syriatel. The unprecedented public tussle has uncovered a rift in the ruling elite.
Makhlouf has addressed the dispute in three video messages in which he has appealed to Assad himself to help save his firm. In his last appearance, released on Sunday, Makhlouf said he had been told to quit as the head of Syriatel.
Makhlouf, in a Facebook post, said the asset seizure was illegal.
He also said the courts had been asked to appoint a legal guardian to manage Syriatel, calling this an attempt to exclude him from the company.
"All of this with the excuse that we hadn't agreed to pay the sum. As you know, that is incorrect ... (they) want the company and the only thing they see is controlling it".
The government says Syriatel owes 134 billion pounds, around $77 million at the current exchange rate on the parallel market.
A separate order has banned Makhlouf from government contracts for five years.
Makhlouf, a maternal cousin of Assad, played a big role in financing Assad's war effort, Western officials have said. He is under US and EU sanctions.
Syria experts say the row could mark the first major rift in decades within the family that has ruled the country since Assad's father Hafez took power 50 years ago.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--Volkswagen bosses avoid trial over ‘Dieselgate’ with €9m settlement

The VW logo seen at the site of the first hearing of a consumer group 's class action suit on behalf of Volkswagen owners against VW over the diesel emissions cheating scandal , at the Higher Regional Court in Braunschweig , Germany , on September 30 , 2019 .
Volkswagen put to bed one of the most potentially damaging cases in its `` Dieselgate '' scandal , paying 9 million euros in an out-of-court settlement to prevent its two bosses going to trial over market manipulation charges .
The German car giant 's chief executive Herbert Diess and supervisory board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged for allegedly failing to inform shareholders in a timely manner about the pollution cheating scandal in 2015 .
On Tuesday , the group said a deal had been struck to end the proceedings against the two top managers .
`` According to the assessment of the supervisory board , it is in the best interest of the company for the proceedings to be terminated , '' VW said .
It therefore agreed to pay 4.5 million euros ( $ 4.9 million ) to settle the charges against each of the top executives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found no indications that the managers breached their duties towards the company .
The case had been one of many legal entanglements that Volkswagen had found itself in over its stunning revelation in 2015 that it had installed devices in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide to make them seem less polluting when they were undergoing emission tests .
Dubbed Dieselgate , the cheating scandal plunged Germany 's once vaunted auto industry into one of the biggest crises in its existence .
German prosecutors last year charged the two VW bosses , along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` market manipulation '' .
Prosecutors argued that the VW chiefs should have informed shareholders about the investigation into the so-called defeat devices as soon as they learnt of it , not wait until US authorities dropped the bombshell news on September 18 , 2015 , sharply driving down the VW share price .
In their statement on Tuesday , Volkswagen 's board said that `` both at the time of the indictment ... and today , the criminal law advisors and representatives of the company asserted that the accusations of the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Diess are not founded . ''
Diess has run the entire group – which includes the Audi , Porsche and Skoda brands – since April 2018 , but joined the board as Volkswagen brand chief in July 2015 .
Winterkorn was at the controls from 2007 to 2015 , stepping down soon after the scandal broke .
In April last year , he was charged with serious fraud , unfair competition and breach of trust by prosecutors in Brunswick , alongside four other suspects .
Winterkorn 's lawyers have reiterated that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and `` will continue defending himself '' .
According to German media reports , the market manipulation proceedings against Winterkorn may also be halted in a settlement .
The dieselgate scandal shook Volkswagen to its foundations , and with it Germany 's flagship car sector , a pillar of the economy that employs around 800,000 people .
It has already cost VW more than 30 billion euros ( $ 33 billion ) in fines , legal costs and compensation payments to car owners -- the vast majority in the United States .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's biggest lawsuit in an out-of-court settlement in which it agreed to pay around 750 million euros in compensation to some 235,000 customers , or between 1,350 and 6,250 euros per car .
But the group remains entangled in a web of legal woes , including a case from investors in Germany who have joined forces to demand billions of euros in compensation over VW 's steep share price plunge in the days after the scandal became public knowledge .

Volkswagen put to bed one of the most potentially damaging cases in its "Dieselgate" scandal, paying 9 million euros in an out-of-court settlement to prevent its two bosses going to trial over market manipulation charges.
The VW logo seen at the site of the first hearing of a consumer group's class action suit on behalf of Volkswagen owners against VW over the diesel emissions cheating scandal, at the Higher Regional Court in Braunschweig, Germany, on September 30, 2019.
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The German car giant's chief executive Herbert Diess and supervisory board chief Hans Dieter Poetsch were in September charged for allegedly failing to inform shareholders in a timely manner about the pollution cheating scandal in 2015.
On Tuesday, the group said a deal had been struck to end the proceedings against the two top managers.
"According to the assessment of the supervisory board, it is in the best interest of the company for the proceedings to be terminated," VW said.
It therefore agreed to pay 4.5 million euros ($4.9 million) to settle the charges against each of the top executives, it said, adding that it found no indications that the managers breached their duties towards the company.
The case had been one of many legal entanglements that Volkswagen had found itself in over its stunning revelation in 2015 that it had installed devices in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide to make them seem less polluting when they were undergoing emission tests.
Dubbed Dieselgate, the cheating scandal plunged Germany's once vaunted auto industry into one of the biggest crises in its existence.
German prosecutors last year charged the two VW bosses, along with former chief executive Martin Winterkorn, with "market manipulation".
Prosecutors argued that the VW chiefs should have informed shareholders about the investigation into the so-called defeat devices as soon as they learnt of it, not wait until US authorities dropped the bombshell news on September 18, 2015, sharply driving down the VW share price.
In their statement on Tuesday, Volkswagen's board said that "both at the time of the indictment... and today, the criminal law advisors and representatives of the company asserted that the accusations of the public prosecutor's office against Mr. Poetsch and Dr. Diess are not founded."
Legal woes
Diess has run the entire group – which includes the Audi, Porsche and Skoda brands – since April 2018, but joined the board as Volkswagen brand chief in July 2015.
Winterkorn was at the controls from 2007 to 2015, stepping down soon after the scandal broke.
In April last year, he was charged with serious fraud, unfair competition and breach of trust by prosecutors in Brunswick, alongside four other suspects.
Winterkorn's lawyers have reiterated that he is "blameless in this matter" and "will continue defending himself".
According to German media reports, the market manipulation proceedings against Winterkorn may also be halted in a settlement.
The dieselgate scandal shook Volkswagen to its foundations, and with it Germany's flagship car sector, a pillar of the economy that employs around 800,000 people.
It has already cost VW more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, legal costs and compensation payments to car owners -- the vast majority in the United States.
In late April, the group settled Germany's biggest lawsuit in an out-of-court settlement in which it agreed to pay around 750 million euros in compensation to some 235,000 customers, or between 1,350 and 6,250 euros per car.
But the group remains entangled in a web of legal woes, including a case from investors in Germany who have joined forces to demand billions of euros in compensation over VW's steep share price plunge in the days after the scandal became public knowledge.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-20--France mulls holding final round of municipal elections at end of June, or do-over in January

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe arrives to attend a meeting with all the political party leaders as the country began a gradual end to the nationwide lockdown following the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) outbreak , at the Hotel Matignon in Paris , France May 20 , 2020 .
The French government is considering holding the final round of mayoral elections at the end of June or redoing the elections completely in January 2021 , Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told all party leaders on Wednesday .
Out of the 35,000 cities , towns and villages that France counts , about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first round .
But many French large cities are among the 5,000 remaining , including Paris , Lyon and Marseille .
Philippe said the elections could only be held at the end of June if conditions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic would allow it and that no final decision had been made , according to party leaders .
A postponement beyond July 1 would require cancelling the results of elections held in March for the cities that did not elect a mayor at the first round and organising a new ballot .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the start of a nationwide lockdown , to the bewilderment of many as Philippe then said the vote would go ahead even as he declared all cafes , bars , cinemas and non-essential shops would close until further notice .
France is the world 's fourth worst-hit country in terms of deaths from the novel coronavirus .
Its lockdown started to ease last week .
`` The majority of the participants are in favour of a ballot on 28 June , '' the head of centrist UDI party Jean-Christophe Lagarde told Reuters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 2021 .
The organisation of a second round at the end of June `` is the preferred option , it seems , '' said Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure .

The French government is considering holding the final round of mayoral elections at the end of June or redoing the elections completely in January 2021, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told all party leaders on Wednesday.
French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe arrives to attend a meeting with all the political party leaders as the country began a gradual end to the nationwide lockdown following the coronavirus disease outbreak, at the Hôtel Matignon in Paris, France, May 20, 2020.
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Out of the 35,000 cities, towns and villages that France counts, about 30,000 have already elected their mayor in the first round. But many French large cities are among the 5,000 remaining, including Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
Philippe said the elections could only be held at the end of June if conditions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic would allow it and that no final decision had been made, according to party leaders.
A postponement beyond July 1 would require cancelling the results of elections held in March for the cities that did not elect a mayor at the first round and organising a new ballot.
The first round was just two days before the start of a nationwide lockdown, to the bewilderment of many as Philippe then said the vote would go ahead even as he declared all cafes, bars, cinemas and non-essential shops would close until further notice.
France is the world's fourth worst-hit country in terms of deaths from the novel coronavirus. Its lockdown started to ease last week.
"The majority of the participants are in favour of a ballot on 28 June," the head of centrist UDI party Jean-Christophe Lagarde told Reuters, asking for a postponement of the vote to 2021.
The organisation of a second round at the end of June "is the preferred option, it seems," said Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--Cyclone Amphan pounds India, Bangladesh after millions evacuate

Indian emergency workers remove a branch of a tree uprooted by Cyclone Amphan in Digha , near the border between the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha , on May 20 , 2020 .
The Bay of Bengal 's fiercest cyclone in decades pounded eastern India and Bangladesh on Wednesday , killing at least 14 people and destroying thousands of homes , officials said , as authorities struggled to mount relief efforts amid a surging coronavirus outbreak .
The populous Indian state of West Bengal took the brunt of Cyclone Amphan , which barrelled out of the Bay of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 185 km per hour ( 115 mph ) and a storm surge of around five metres .
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at least 10 people had died in the state , and two districts been completely battered by one of the strongest storms to hit the region in several years .
`` Area after area has been devastated .
Communications are disrupted , '' Banerjee said , adding that although 500,000 people had been evacuated , state authorities had not entirely anticipated the ferocity of the storm .
With rains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas were not immediately accessible .
Federal authorities said they could only make a proper assessment of the destruction on Thursday morning .
`` We are facing greater damage and devastation than the Covid-19 , '' Banerjee said , referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , which has so far killed 250 people in the state .
In West Bengal 's capital city , Kolkata , strong winds upturned cars and felled trees and electricity poles .
Parts of the city were plunged into darkness .
In neighbouring Bangladesh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials said , with power supplies cut off in some districts .
Authorities there had shifted around 2.4 million people to more than 15,000 storm shelters this week .
But officials said they feared that standing crops could be damaged and large tracts of fertile land in the densely-populated country washed away .
`` Fortunately , the harvesting of the rice crop has almost been completed .
Still it could leave a trail of destruction , '' said Mizanur Rahman Khan , a senior official in the Bangladesh agriculture ministry .
Surging waters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bangladesh 's Noakhali district , destroying more than 500 homes , local official Rezaul Karim said .
`` We could avoid casualties as people were moved to cyclone centres earlier , '' Karim said .
Embankments were also breached in West Bengal 's Sundarban delta , where weather authorities had said the surge whipped up by the cyclone could inundate up to 15 km inland .
The ecologically-fragile region straddling the Indian-Bangladesh border is best known for thick mangrove forests that are a critical tiger habitat , and is home to around 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Danda , a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think-tank who has extensively studied the Sundarbans , said that embankments across the area may have been breached .
`` The cyclone surge coincided with the new moon high tides .
It is devastation in the coastal belt , '' he told REUTERS .
Bangladesh 's low-lying coast , home to 30 million people , and India 's east are regularly battered by cyclones that have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in recent decades .
The eastern Indian state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cyclone that left nearly 10,000 dead in 1999 , eight years after a typhoon , tornadoes and flooding killed 139,000 in Bangladesh .
In 1970 Cyclone Bhola killed half a million .
While the storms ' frequency and intensity have increased – a phenomenon blamed partly on climate change – deaths have fallen thanks to faster evacuations , better technology and more shelters .
But Bangladesh authorities still fear that Amphan will be the most powerful storm front since Cyclone Sidr devastated the country in 2007 , killing about 3,500 people and causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside the predicted direct path of the storm , there are fears for the safety of almost a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in southeastern Bangladesh – most living in vast camps and housed in flimsy and makeshift shacks .
The first coronavirus cases were reported there last week , and by Tuesday there were six confirmed infections .
The UN said emergency items such as food , tarpaulins and water purification tablets had been stockpiled , while authorities said the refugees would be moved to sturdier buildings like schools .
`` Heavy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destruction of homes and farmland , will increase the likelihood of the virus spreading , particularly in densely populated areas like the refugee camps in Cox 's Bazar , '' ActionAid said .
`` It will also undoubtedly increase the number of lives and livelihoods already lost to this pandemic . ''

At least 22 people died as the fiercest cyclone to hit parts of Bangladesh and eastern India this century sent trees flying and flattened houses, with millions crammed into shelters despite the risk of coronavirus.
Indian emergency workers remove a branch of a tree uprooted by Cyclone Amphan in Digha, near the border between the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha, on May 20, 2020.
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Millions were left without power after Cyclone Amphan, packing winds of around 150 kilometres per hour (95 miles), carried away electricity pylons, walls and roofs, officials said Thursday as they began to assess the damage.
Residents in the Indian city of Kolkata, the capital of the hard-hit West Bengal state, awoke to flooded streets with some cars window-deep in water and television footage showed the airport inundated.
"The impact of Amphan is worse than coronavirus," Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, told local media, saying that at least 12 people had died in the state.
"Thousands of mud huts have been levelled, trees uprooted, roads washed away and crops destroyed," she said.
Bangladesh officials said at least 10 people had died, including a five-year-old boy and a 75-year-old man both hit by falling trees and a cyclone emergency volunteer who drowned.
Officials said they were waiting for reports from the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site famed for its mangrove forest and population of endangered Bengal tigers, which bore the brunt of the storm.
"We still haven't got the actual picture of the damage. We are particularly concerned over some wild animals. They can be washed away during a storm surge in high tide," forest chief Moyeen Uddin Khan told AFP.
Cyclones are an annual and growing hazard along the Bay of Bengal coast, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in recent decades.
But in recent years, despite an increase in their frequency blamed partly on climate change, improved warning systems have enabled authorities to be much better prepared.
'Massive destruction'
The cyclone was weakening as it moved northwards through Bangladesh but still unleashed heavy rains and fierce winds in Cox's Bazar, the district which houses about one million Rohingya refugees from violence in Myanmar.
Amphan was the first "super cyclone" to form over the Bay of Bengal since 1999, and packed winds gusting up to 185 kph at sea.
It brought a storm surge -- a wall of ocean water that is often one of the main killers in major weather systems -- that roared inland.
Anwar Hossain Howlader, an official in the Khulna coastal district of Bangladesh, said a three-metre (10-feet) surge had destroyed embankments protecting villages despite locals toiling through the night.
"It caused massive destruction. Thousands of trees have been uprooted. Embankments have broken down at many places, inundating many villages. The damage and destruction of crops and fish farms have been huge," he said.
At the village of Purba Durgabati in Satkhira district, hundreds of villagers spend the night trying to mend a breach in the embankment that protected several villages from the Kholpetua river.
But the surge unleashed by the cyclone washed away some two kilometres of the embankment, which also doubled as a village road. As a result sea water inundated some 600 homes and washed away thousands of shrimp and crab farms.
"My home has gone under water. My shrimp farm is gone. I don't know how I am going to survive," Omar Faruq, 28, told AFP.
Virus complications
The last super cyclone in 1999 left nearly 10,000 dead in India's Odisha state, eight years after a typhoon, tornadoes and flooding killed 139,000 in Bangladesh.
In 1970, half a million perished.
More than three million people were evacuated from coastal villages in both countries.
Because of coronavirus, authorities said they used extra shelter space to reduce crowding, while making face masks compulsory and setting aside isolation rooms.
But many stayed put.
Sulata Munda, a villager in Bangladesh on the edge of the Sundarbans, said she and fellow villagers decided not to go to a shelter.
"We fear the cyclone but we also fear the coronavirus," the mother of four said.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-20--Covid-19 creates bumps in China’s ‘New Silk Road’

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivering a speech via video link at the World Health Assembly virtual meeting from the WHO headquarters in Geneva , May 18 , 2020 .
An increasing number of developing countries that have joined Beijing ’ s “ New Silk Road ” initiative are facing economic problems sparked by the coronavirus crisis .
China now finds itself facing a dilemma between trying to salvage its own economy or forgiving and renegotiating its partners ’ loans .
One of Chinese President Xi Jinping ’ s flagship projects is turning into a painful thorn in Beijing 's side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s signature infrastructure project aims to connect business between Asia , Europe and Africa .
But the Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI ) – dubbed `` The New Silk Road '' – is putting China in a very uncomfortable position .
With an increasing number of countries reporting difficulties reconciling their economic support plans with loan repayments to China , Beijing must now avoid fulfilling the prophecies of sceptics who have warned the project is merely a debt trap in the guise of assistance .
The initiative , launched in 2013 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to invest more than $ 450 billion in nearly 140 countries in Asia , Europe , South America and Africa .
There have been project name adjustments along the way : the initial One Belt One Road ( OBOR ) name was changed since the word “ one ” was deemed misleading for a project prone to mission creep .
But the promise of the project has been consistent : Beijing lends money to its partners to build vital infrastructure – railways , roads , ports , factories – in exchange for Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the pandemic , clouds have started to gather over the programme .
The problems first came to light when Pakistan sent an official letter to China in mid-April calling for a review of the terms and conditions of repayment of over $ 100 million , set for May .
Beijing assured Islamabad on May 17 that it would make an effort for its “ Pakistani friend '' .
But there was no follow-up or details on the promised goodwill gesture .
`` We understand a lot of countries are looking to renegotiate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a process that will take time , '' a researcher at the China Development Bank – a “ policy bank ” that spearheads several BRI project loans – told the Financial Times .
“ But it takes time to strike a new deal and we can not even travel abroad right now .
The BRI loans are not foreign aid .
We need to at least recoup principal and a moderate interest , ” said the researcher , who did not want to be named .
Most of these requests come from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heart of China 's investment programme but are also economically weak and among the least prepared to cope with the current crisis , the New York Times noted in a May 18 article .
For China – facing questions about its handling of the viral outbreak in Wuhan and under pressure from US President Donald Trump ’ s trade threats – this comes at an inopportune moment .
None of the choices available to Beijing are good ones .
On the one hand , China can hardly refuse to renegotiate loans to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the international stage .
On the other hand , conceding repayment extensions or even debt relief , as the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) has done to its 25 poorest member countries , is costly for China .
It 's `` a tricky balancing act '' , said Mary-Françoise Renard , director of the Institut de recherche sur l ’ économie chinoise ( IDREC ) , in an interview with FRANCE 24 .
China `` already put in place a number of measures to support its economy last year , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more , which reduces its budgetary room for maneuver '' , she noted .
Beijing is caught between two imperatives : supporting its economy , which has been hard hit by the health crisis and `` which remains its No .
1 priority '' , according to Renard , and helping its `` Silk Road friends '' , to whom the Asian superpower has promised much in exchange for their BRI membership .
Renard notes that , fortunately for China , the country still has the means to make this great financial leap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will have to manage two problems : repayments that wo n't arrive when Beijing needs them most and infrastructure projects that will be delayed due to slowing economies .
`` The railway between China and Malaysia and the high-speed train project in Thailand , financed by Beijing , have already had to be put on hold , '' noted an April report by Fitch Solutions , the research department of the Fitch rating agency .
These are setbacks that may also have a political impact for Xi .
The Chinese leader has made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Beijing has already faced criticism in recent years for the lack of transparency on loan terms and the questions about the real benefits for countries participating in the project .
Following these complaints , Xi `` was forced to reboot ” the programme in 2019 , promising , in particular , greater transparency by ensuring its projects “ follow international procurement guidelines ” , wrote Felix Chang , China specialist for the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute .
Xi needs results to justify the money invested , and with the Covid-19 crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , added Chang .
Above all , these difficulties – coupled with Washington 's anti-China campaign – could lead some countries to reconsider their BRI participation or deter others from signing up , the New York Times suggested .
This would be particularly damaging for China in Africa , where Beijing is locked in stiff competition with the US and Europe .
Renard , however , says Beijing could overcome these challenges in Africa .
The majority of African countries `` believe there ’ s more to be expected from China , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , than from the United States or Europe '' , she said .
These African countries , she noted , would only slam the door on BRI “ if they had problems directly with Beijing or thought that the benefits , especially in terms of jobs , of these infrastructure projects would not materialise '' .
Hence the importance of Beijing waging a perception campaign to placate and cajole countries in its New Silk Roads initiative .
The Covid-19 pandemic could also present opportunities for China .
On Monday , at a virtual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Organization ( WHO ) , Xi reiterated that his country would not let down its `` friends '' .
In addition , the crisis could also push China to “ implement a Health Silk Road ” initiative to create “ opportunities in the construction of healthcare facilities and increase trade in healthcare-related goods between China and BRI countries ” , noted the Fitch Solutions report .
Instead of building only roads , railways or ports , the Health Silk Road could be “ an extension of the BRI ” , the rating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which focuses on improving healthcare infrastructure , enhancing the flow of healthcare-related goods and services and the exchanging of medical ideas and practices between BRI countries ” .
China proposed a similar extension of the project at a WHO summit in 2017 .
This article has been translated from the original in French

An increasing number of developing countries that have joined Beijing’s “New Silk Road” initiative are facing economic problems sparked by the coronavirus crisis. China now finds itself facing a dilemma between trying to salvage its own economy or forgiving and renegotiating its partners’ loans.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivering a speech via video link at the World Health Assembly virtual meeting from the WHO headquarters in Geneva, May 18, 2020.
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One of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship projects is turning into a painful thorn in Beijing's side due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Xi’s signature infrastructure project aims to connect business between Asia, Europe and Africa. But the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – dubbed "The New Silk Road" – is putting China in a very uncomfortable position. With an increasing number of countries reporting difficulties reconciling their economic support plans with loan repayments to China, Beijing must now avoid fulfilling the prophecies of sceptics who have warned the project is merely a debt trap in the guise of assistance.
The initiative, launched in 2013 by Xi, has already led China to invest more than $450 billion in nearly 140 countries in Asia, Europe, South America and Africa. There have been project name adjustments along the way: the initial One Belt One Road (OBOR) name was changed since the word “one” was deemed misleading for a project prone to mission creep. But the promise of the project has been consistent: Beijing lends money to its partners to build vital infrastructure – railways, roads, ports, factories – in exchange for Chinese companies finding new overseas markets.
But since the pandemic, clouds have started to gather over the programme.
The problems first came to light when Pakistan sent an official letter to China in mid-April calling for a review of the terms and conditions of repayment of over $100 million, set for May. Beijing assured Islamabad on May 17 that it would make an effort for its “Pakistani friend". But there was no follow-up or details on the promised goodwill gesture.
‘Tricky balancing act’
"We understand a lot of countries are looking to renegotiate the terms of these loans; it is a process that will take time," a researcher at the China Development Bank – a “policy bank” that spearheads several BRI project loans – told the Financial Times. “But it takes time to strike a new deal and we cannot even travel abroad right now. The BRI loans are not foreign aid. We need to at least recoup principal and a moderate interest,” said the researcher, who did not want to be named.
Most of these requests come from African countries, which are at the heart of China's investment programme but are also economically weak and among the least prepared to cope with the current crisis, the New York Times noted in a May 18 article.
For China – facing questions about its handling of the viral outbreak in Wuhan and under pressure from US President Donald Trump’s trade threats – this comes at an inopportune moment.
None of the choices available to Beijing are good ones. On the one hand, China can hardly refuse to renegotiate loans to its partners without further tarnishing its image on the international stage. On the other hand, conceding repayment extensions or even debt relief, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has done to its 25 poorest member countries, is costly for China.
It's "a tricky balancing act", said Mary-Françoise Renard, director of the Institut de recherche sur l’économie chinoise (IDREC), in an interview with FRANCE 24. China "already put in place a number of measures to support its economy last year, and the pandemic has forced it to spend even more, which reduces its budgetary room for maneuver", she noted.
A problem for Xi
Beijing is caught between two imperatives: supporting its economy, which has been hard hit by the health crisis and "which remains its No. 1 priority", according to Renard, and helping its "Silk Road friends", to whom the Asian superpower has promised much in exchange for their BRI membership.
Renard notes that, fortunately for China, the country still has the means to make this great financial leap. But to do that, Xi will have to manage two problems: repayments that won't arrive when Beijing needs them most and infrastructure projects that will be delayed due to slowing economies.
"The railway between China and Malaysia and the high-speed train project in Thailand, financed by Beijing, have already had to be put on hold," noted an April report by Fitch Solutions, a macroeconomic and country risk research institute.
These are setbacks that may also have a political impact for Xi. The Chinese leader has made the initiative the economic pillar of reign. Beijing has already faced criticism in recent years for the lack of transparency on loan terms and the questions about the real benefits for countries participating in the project.
Following these complaints, Xi "was forced to reboot” the programme in 2019, promising, in particular, greater transparency by ensuring its projects “follow international procurement guidelines”, wrote Felix Chang, China specialist for the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute. Xi needs results to justify the money invested, and with the Covid-19 crisis, that will take longer than expected, added Chang.
‘Health Silk Road’
Above all, these difficulties – coupled with Washington's anti-China campaign – could lead some countries to reconsider their BRI participation or deter others from signing up, the New York Times suggested. This would be particularly damaging for China in Africa, where Beijing is locked in stiff competition with the US and Europe.
Renard, however, says Beijing could overcome these challenges in Africa. The majority of African countries "believe there’s more to be expected from China, which has so far helped them to develop, than from the United States or Europe", she said. These African countries, she noted, would only slam the door on BRI “if they had problems directly with Beijing or thought that the benefits, especially in terms of jobs, of these infrastructure projects would not materialise". Hence the importance of Beijing waging a perception campaign to placate and cajole countries in its New Silk Roads initiative.
The Covid-19 pandemic could also present opportunities for China. On Monday, at a virtual meeting of member states of the World Health Organization (WHO), Xi reiterated that his country would not let down its "friends".
In addition, the crisis could also push China to “implement a Health Silk Road” initiative to create “opportunities in the construction of healthcare facilities and increase trade in healthcare-related goods between China and BRI countries”, noted the Fitch Solutions report.
Instead of building only roads, railways or ports, the Health Silk Road could be “an extension of the BRI”, the rating agency’s analysts noted, “which focuses on improving healthcare infrastructure, enhancing the flow of healthcare-related goods and services and the exchanging of medical ideas and practices between BRI countries”. China proposed a similar extension of the project at a WHO summit in 2017.
This article has been translated from the original in French
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france24--2020-05-20--WHO reports most coronavirus cases in a day, sees steep rise in poor countries

A wall painted with a slogan calling for action against the coronavirus in the Kibera slum of Nairobi , Kenya , pictured on May 18 , 2020 .
The World Health Organization expressed concern on Wednesday about the rising number of new coronavirus cases in poor countries , even as many rich nations have begun emerging from lockdown .
The global health body said 106,000 new cases of infections of the novel coronavirus had been recorded in the past 24 hours , the most in a single day since the outbreak began .
`` We still have a long way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference .
`` We are very concerned about rising cases in low and middle income countries . ''
Dr. Mike Ryan , head of WHO 's emergencies programme , said : `` We will soon reach the tragic milestone of 5 million cases . ''
The WHO has come under fire from US President Donald Trump , who accuses it of having mishandled the outbreak and of favouring China , where the virus is believed to have emerged late last year .
This week Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permanently withhold funding .
Tedros acknowledged receiving a letter from Trump , but declined to comment further .
Tedros said he was committed to accountability and would carry out a review into the response to the pandemic .
Such a review was demanded by member states in a resolution this week that was passed by consensus , although the United States expressed reservations about some elements of it .
`` I said it time and time again that WHO calls for accountability more than anyone .
It has to be done and when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a comprehensive one , '' Tedros said of the review , while declining to say when it would start .
Ryan said such assessments are normally conducted after an emergency is over .
`` I for one would prefer , right now , to get on with doing the job of an emergency response , of epidemic control , of developing and distributing vaccines , of improving our surveillance , of saving lives and distributing essential PPE to workers and finding medical oxygen for people in fragile settings , reducing the impact of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he said .
Tedros said he had long been looking for other sources of funding for the WHO , saying its $ 2.3 billion budget was `` very , very small '' for a global agency , around that of a medium sized hospital in the developed world .
In comments that could further annoy Trump , Ryan , said people should avoid using the malaria medicine hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent coronavirus infection , except as part of a clinical trial to study it .
Trump has said he is taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At this stage , ( neither ) hydroxychloroquine nor chloroquine have been as yet found to be effective in the treatment of Covid-19 nor in the prophylaxis against coming down with the disease , '' Ryan said .
`` In fact , the opposite , in that warnings have been issued by many authorities regarding the potential side effects of the drug . ''

The World Health Organization expressed concern on Wednesday about the rising number of new coronavirus cases in poor countries, even as many rich nations have begun emerging from lockdown.
A wall painted with a slogan calling for action against the coronavirus in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, pictured on May 18, 2020.
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The global health body said 106,000 new cases of infections of the novel coronavirus had been recorded in the past 24 hours, the most in a single day since the outbreak began.
"We still have a long way to go in this pandemic," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. "We are very concerned about rising cases in low and middle income countries."
Dr. Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies programme, said: "We will soon reach the tragic milestone of 5 million cases."
The WHO has come under fire from US President Donald Trump, who accuses it of having mishandled the outbreak and of favouring China, where the virus is believed to have emerged late last year. This week Trump threatened to withdraw from the WHO and permanently withhold funding.
Tedros acknowledged receiving a letter from Trump, but declined to comment further.
Tedros said he was committed to accountability and would carry out a review into the response to the pandemic. Such a review was demanded by member states in a resolution this week that was passed by consensus, although the United States expressed reservations about some elements of it.
"I said it time and time again that WHO calls for accountability more than anyone. It has to be done and when it's done it has to be a comprehensive one," Tedros said of the review, while declining to say when it would start.
Ryan said such assessments are normally conducted after an emergency is over.
"I for one would prefer, right now, to get on with doing the job of an emergency response, of epidemic control, of developing and distributing vaccines, of improving our surveillance, of saving lives and distributing essential PPE to workers and finding medical oxygen for people in fragile settings, reducing the impact of this disease on refugees and migrants," he said.
Tedros said he had long been looking for other sources of funding for the WHO, saying its $2.3 billion budget was "very, very small" for a global agency, around that of a medium sized hospital in the developed world.
In comments that could further annoy Trump, Ryan, said people should avoid using the malaria medicine hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent coronavirus infection, except as part of a clinical trial to study it.
Trump has said he is taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus infection.
"At this stage, (neither) hydroxychloroquine nor chloroquine have been as yet found to be effective in the treatment of Covid-19 nor in the prophylaxis against coming down with the disease," Ryan said. "In fact, the opposite, in that warnings have been issued by many authorities regarding the potential side effects of the drug."
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--Covid-19: France records a further 110 deaths over 24 hours

A nurse tends to a patient infected with Covid-19 at the intensive care service of the Nantes CHU Hospital in western France , on May 19 , 2020 .
France ’ s total death toll from the coronavirus pandemic rose to 28,132 on Wednesday , the world ’ s fifth-highest tally , as the number of Covid-19 patients in the country ’ s hospitals continued to fall .
France ’ s health ministry reported 110 new fatalities at hospitals and care homes for the elderly , a day after revising the total death toll downwards due to adjustments reported by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases increased by 418 to 143,845 on Wednesday , an increase of 0.3 % , in line with the average rise per day seen since the end of a lockdown on May 11 .
The ministry said the number of people in hospitals fell to 17,941 from 18,468 on Tuesday and the number of people in intensive care units dropped to 1,794 from 1,894 .
Both numbers — key indicators for the French health system ’ s ability to cope with the pandemic — have been on a downtrend for five weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 7,000 respectively in early to mid-April .
In an interview with newspaper Le Parisien , Geneviève Chêne , head of health authority Santé publique France ( SPF ) , said there were no signs the pandemic is picking up , despite some new infection clusters , though warning that the virus `` is still there '' .
`` We will have to wait until the end of next week to know if contaminations are on the rise again '' , she said , adding that time frame represented the delay between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reliable infections data .

France’s total death toll from the coronavirus pandemic rose to 28,132 on Wednesday, the world’s fifth-highest tally, as the number of Covid-19 patients in the country’s hospitals continued to fall.
A nurse tends to a patient infected with Covid-19 at the intensive care service of the Nantes CHU Hospital in western France, on May 19, 2020.
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France’s health ministry reported 110 new fatalities at hospitals and care homes for the elderly, a day after revising the total death toll downwards due to adjustments reported by regional health centres.
The number of confirmed cases increased by 418 to 143,845 on Wednesday, an increase of 0.3%, in line with the average rise per day seen since the end of a lockdown on May 11.
The ministry said the number of people in hospitals fell to 17,941 from 18,468 on Tuesday and the number of people in intensive care units dropped to 1,794 from 1,894.
Both numbers — key indicators for the French health system’s ability to cope with the pandemic — have been on a downtrend for five weeks and peaked at more than 32,000 and more than 7,000 respectively in early to mid-April.
In an interview with newspaper Le Parisien, Geneviève Chêne, head of health authority Santé publique France (SPF), said there were no signs the pandemic is picking up, despite some new infection clusters, though warning that the virus "is still there".
"We will have to wait until the end of next week to know if contaminations are on the rise again", she said, adding that time frame represented the delay between incubation of the disease and the gathering of reliable infections data.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--France’s Macron 'willing’ to attend G7 summit in US if pandemic allows

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the US in June `` if sanitary conditions allow '' , his office said Wednesday .
French President Emmanuel Macron is open to travelling to the United States for an in-person meeting of G7 leaders if the coronavirus pandemic allows it , his office said on Wednesday , after the US president said he was considering hosting the event after all .
`` He 's open , he 's even willing to go there , but obviously with this caveat : only if the sanitary conditions allow , '' an Élysée Palace official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump talked on the phone .
Trump , who is head of the G7 this year , had planned to hold this year 's summit at the presidential retreat of Camp David , Maryland , in June , before cancelling the event in March amid the worsening health situation .
On Wednesday , he said he may again host the G7 summit in Washington or Camp David , because it would be a “ great sign to all ” of things returning to normal .
If the summit happens , the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to minimum personnel and would curtail nonessential events like the spousal program , a senior White House official told the Associated Press .
A final decision would be needed in the coming days to ensure adequate time to prepare for the high-level meeting , the official said .
“ Whatever form the G7 meeting takes , whether it ’ s a video conference or otherwise , I will definitely fight for multilateralism , that ’ s very clear , both in the G7 and the G20 , '' said German Chancellor Angela Merkel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would consider an actual trip to the US , Merkel said : “ I chose my words with care.
” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it an interesting idea , but said leaders need a lot more details .
He said it was important that G7 leaders meet in June so they can discuss the pandemic and restoring economic activity .

French President Emmanuel Macron is open to travelling to the United States for an in-person meeting of G7 leaders if the coronavirus pandemic allows it, his office said on Wednesday, after the US president said he was considering hosting the event after all.
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the US in June "if sanitary conditions allow", his office said Wednesday.
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"He's open, he's even willing to go there, but obviously with this caveat: only if the sanitary conditions allow," an Élysée Palace official said, after Macron and US President Donald Trump talked on the phone.
Trump, who is head of the G7 this year, had planned to hold this year's summit at the presidential retreat of Camp David, Maryland, in June, before cancelling the event in March amid the worsening health situation.
On Wednesday, he said he may again host the G7 summit in Washington or Camp David, because it would be a “great sign to all” of things returning to normal.
If the summit happens, the US would request that delegations be pared back to minimum personnel and would curtail nonessential events like the spousal program, a senior White House official told the Associated Press.
A final decision would be needed in the coming days to ensure adequate time to prepare for the high-level meeting, the official said.
“Whatever form the G7 meeting takes, whether it’s a video conference or otherwise, I will definitely fight for multilateralism, that’s very clear, both in the G7 and the G20," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Pressed by AP on whether she would consider an actual trip to the US, Merkel said: “I chose my words with care.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it an interesting idea, but said leaders need a lot more details. He said it was important that G7 leaders meet in June so they can discuss the pandemic and restoring economic activity.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
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france24--2020-05-20--Haftar's forces pull out of parts of Tripoli after losing strategic airbase

Destroyed vehicles are seen outside a hangar at Al-Watiya airbase , southwest of Tripoli , which was seized by forces loyal to Libya 's UN-recognised government on May 18 , 2020 .
Eastern Libyan forces pulled out of parts of Tripoli overnight , they said , after losing one of their main strongholds in western Libya on Monday , in a major blow to their year-long campaign to seize the capital .
Libyan National Army ( LNA ) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said the force had carried out a `` redistribution and repositioning in the battle fronts , disengaging from some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been fighting for more than a year to capture Tripoli , seat of the Government of National Accord ( GNA ) , which is recognised by the United Nations and has moved onto the front foot in the war since January with military help from Turkey .
The LNA , under Khalifa Haftar , is supported by the United Arab Emirates , Russia and Egypt .
On Monday , pro-GNA forces took the Watiya airbase west of the capital after weeks of attempts , their biggest advance in a year that deprives the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After taking the base , they paraded what they said was a captured Russian-made Pantsir air defence system mounted on a truck , along with an Arabic manual .
Mismari said the base had been abandoned as part of a long-planned strategic decision and that only old , obsolete equipment was left there .
GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha said on Twitter that `` Haftar 's chance of success is now effectively zero '' following his loss of Watiya .
On Tuesday , the acting UN Libya envoy urged the Security Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop helping the North African country 's warring parties , warning that the flood of weapons and mercenaries will only intensify fighting .
Libya has been under a UN arms embargo since 2011 .
`` From what we are witnessing in terms of the massive influx of weaponry , equipment and mercenaries to the two sides , the only conclusion that we can draw is that this war will intensify , broaden and deepen , '' acting UN Libya envoy Stephanie Williams told the council .
`` We must not let Libya slip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This council can ensure the collective security it is mandated to maintain by applying consistent and credible pressure on those regional and international actors that are fueling the conflict . ''
Russian private military contractor Wagner Group has up to 1,200 people deployed in Libya to strengthen Haftar 's forces , according to a UN report .
`` All actors involved in the conflict in Libya must immediately suspend military operations , '' US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft said .
`` They must halt the ongoing transfer of foreign military equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wagner Group mercenaries . ''

Eastern Libyan forces pulled out of parts of Tripoli overnight, they said, after losing one of their main strongholds in western Libya on Monday, in a major blow to their year-long campaign to seize the capital.
Destroyed vehicles are seen outside a hangar at Al-Watiya airbase, southwest of Tripoli, which was seized by forces loyal to Libya's UN-recognised government on May 18, 2020.
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Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said the force had carried out a "redistribution and repositioning in the battle fronts, disengaging from some crowded residential areas".
It has been fighting for more than a year to capture Tripoli, seat of the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is recognised by the United Nations and has moved onto the front foot in the war since January with military help from Turkey.
The LNA, under Khalifa Haftar, is supported by the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt.
On Monday, pro-GNA forces took the Watiya airbase west of the capital after weeks of attempts, their biggest advance in a year that deprives the LNA of its only airfield near Tripoli.
After taking the base, they paraded what they said was a captured Russian-made Pantsir air defence system mounted on a truck, along with an Arabic manual.
Mismari said the base had been abandoned as part of a long-planned strategic decision and that only old, obsolete equipment was left there.
GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha said on Twitter that "Haftar's chance of success is now effectively zero" following his loss of Watiya.
Foreign arms fuelling Libya conflict, says UN envoy
On Tuesday, the acting UN Libya envoy urged the Security Council on Tuesday to pressure foreign actors to stop helping the North African country's warring parties, warning that the flood of weapons and mercenaries will only intensify fighting.
Libya has been under a UN arms embargo since 2011.
"From what we are witnessing in terms of the massive influx of weaponry, equipment and mercenaries to the two sides, the only conclusion that we can draw is that this war will intensify, broaden and deepen," acting UN Libya envoy Stephanie Williams told the council.
"We must not let Libya slip away," she said. "This council can ensure the collective security it is mandated to maintain by applying consistent and credible pressure on those regional and international actors that are fueling the conflict."
Russian private military contractor Wagner Group has up to 1,200 people deployed in Libya to strengthen Haftar's forces, according to a UN report.
"All actors involved in the conflict in Libya must immediately suspend military operations," US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft said. "They must halt the ongoing transfer of foreign military equipment and personnel to Libya, including ... Wagner Group mercenaries."
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--Covid-19: Inventive social distancing around the world

People around the world have turned to inventive social distancing methods to keep safe during the coronavirus crisis .
From unusual headwear to unique modes of transport , citizens across the world have turned to inventive means to go about their daily lives while still respecting social distancing rules .
In Portugal , a nursing home is using a crane to allow families to visit loved ones confined within the building .
In Canada , one Ontario resident has invented a `` hug glove '' to embrace her mother on Mother ’ s Day .
In India , a mechanic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around during the coronavirus crisis by building a motorbike where the passenger sits more than a metre away from the driver .
“ I thought : ‘ How can I take my daughter to school when it re-opens , while maintaining social distancing on a bike ?
’ '' Partha Saha told AFP .
“ That ’ s when I was struck with this idea that I can extend a bike in such a way that my daughter can ride as a passenger , but more than one metre away from me.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit by the crisis .
With a view to soon reopening bars and restaurants , one Spanish entrepreneur has come up with the idea of using perspex partitions and temperature-checking cameras to keep customers safe .
A German bar , meanwhile , is using a less sophisticated method , offering customers hats fitted with swimming pool floats to maintain social distancing .
And in the Netherlands , the restaurant of an Amsterdam arts centre has installed miniature greenhouses for a secure dining experience “ Corona now forces us to rethink how we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other things in our art centre have to be reconsidered but serving food is one of our programmes , ” Willem Velthove , director of Mediametic art centre , told AFP .
`` We thought : ‘ Ok let 's try what happens if we sit in these small places , does it feel good and can we serve in a safe way ?
’ And it goes quite well actually . ''

From unusual headwear to unique modes of transport, citizens across the world have turned to inventive means to go about their daily lives while still respecting social distancing rules.
People around the world have turned to inventive social distancing methods to keep safe during the coronavirus crisis.
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In Portugal, a nursing home is using a crane to allow families to visit loved ones confined within the building.
In Canada, one Ontario resident has invented a "hug glove" to embrace her mother on Mother’s Day.
In India, a mechanic has invented a novel way to get around during the coronavirus crisis by building a motorbike where the passenger sits more than a metre away from the driver.
“I thought: ‘How can I take my daughter to school when it re-opens, while maintaining social distancing on a bike?’" Partha Saha told AFP.
“That’s when I was struck with this idea that I can extend a bike in such a way that my daughter can ride as a passenger, but more than one metre away from me.”
The hospitality sector has been particularly hard hit by the crisis.
With a view to soon reopening bars and restaurants, one Spanish entrepreneur has come up with the idea of using perspex partitions and temperature-checking cameras to keep customers safe.
A German bar, meanwhile, is using a less sophisticated method, offering customers hats fitted with swimming pool floats to maintain social distancing.
And in the Netherlands, the restaurant of an Amsterdam arts centre has installed miniature greenhouses for a secure dining experience
“Corona now forces us to rethink how we can do hospitality. Also actually all the other things in our art centre have to be reconsidered but serving food is one of our programmes,” Willem Velthove, director of Mediametic art centre, told AFP.
"We thought: ‘Ok let's try what happens if we sit in these small places, does it feel good and can we serve in a safe way?’And it goes quite well actually."
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france24--2020-05-20--France, UN envoy warn Israel against partial annexation of West Bank

The Jewish settlement of Ramat Givat Zeev in the Israeli-occupied West Bank , pictured on March 19 , 2020 .
France is working with other European nations to dissuade Israel from a partial annexation of the occupied West Bank , its foreign minister said Wednesday , as the UN ’ s Mideast envoy warned Israel against “ closing the door ” to negotiations .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said cabinet discussions will start in July over extending Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank , as was mooted under US President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A partial annexation of the West Bank would constitute a serious violation of international law , French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a parliament hearing on Wednesday .
Le Drian said France was working with European partners to come up with a joint action plan for prevention and reprisal should Israel make such a move .
`` For the past few days we have held several video conferences with European colleagues ( ... ) with a view to deciding on a joint preventive action and eventually a reprisal if such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Also on Wednesday , the UN ’ s Middle East envoy warned that an Israeli move to annex parts of the West Bank would `` close the door ” to negotiations .
`` The continuing threat of annexation by Israel of parts of the West Bank would constitute a most serious violation of international law , deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution , [ and ] close the door to a renewal of negotiations , '' Nickolay Mladenov told the UN Security Council .
`` Israel must abandon its threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ must ] re-engage with all members of the quartet , '' he said , referring to the United States , Russia , the European Union and the United Nations .
Mladenov urged the 15-member council to back a push by UN chief Antonio Guterres against unilateral steps that would hinder diplomatic efforts to renew negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians .
Such a statement by the council is unlikely as it has to be agreed by consensus and the United States traditionally shields its ally Israel from any action .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this conflict .
We can only encourage the parties to sit down together to determine how they wish to make progress , '' said the US ambassador to the United Nations , Kelly Craft .
The Palestinians have rejected a peace plan by the Trump administration as heavily biased in Israel ’ s favour .
Mladenov urged the quartet to `` come forward with a proposal that will enable the quartet to take up its mediation role '' .

France is working with other European nations to dissuade Israel from a partial annexation of the occupied West Bank, its foreign minister said Wednesday, as the UN’s Mideast envoy warned Israel against “closing the door” to negotiations.
The Jewish settlement of Ramat Givat Zeev in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, pictured on March 19, 2020.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said cabinet discussions will start in July over extending Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, as was mooted under US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan.
A partial annexation of the West Bank would constitute a serious violation of international law, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a parliament hearing on Wednesday.
Le Drian said France was working with European partners to come up with a joint action plan for prevention and reprisal should Israel make such a move.
"For the past few days we have held several video conferences with European colleagues (...) with a view to deciding on a joint preventive action and eventually a reprisal if such a decision were taken," he said.
Also on Wednesday, the UN’s Middle East envoy warned that an Israeli move to annex parts of the West Bank would "close the door” to negotiations.
"The continuing threat of annexation by Israel of parts of the West Bank would constitute a most serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, [and] close the door to a renewal of negotiations," Nickolay Mladenov told the UN Security Council.
"Israel must abandon its threat of annexation. And the Palestinian leadership [must] re-engage with all members of the quartet," he said, referring to the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.
Mladenov urged the 15-member council to back a push by UN chief Antonio Guterres against unilateral steps that would hinder diplomatic efforts to renew negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Such a statement by the council is unlikely as it has to be agreed by consensus and the United States traditionally shields its ally Israel from any action.
"This council cannot dictate the end to this conflict. We can only encourage the parties to sit down together to determine how they wish to make progress," said the US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft.
The Palestinians have rejected a peace plan by the Trump administration as heavily biased in Israel’s favour.
Mladenov urged the quartet to "come forward with a proposal that will enable the quartet to take up its mediation role".
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--Rwandan genocide suspect Kabuga appears before French court

A wanted poster with a photograph of Felicien Kabuga is displayed at the French Gendarmerie 's Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity , Genocides and War Crimes ( OCLCH ) in Paris on May 19 , 2020 .
Félicien Kabuga , indicted on charges of genocide related to the 1994 Rwandan massacre of some 800,000 people , appeared before a French court on Wednesday , four days after his arrest following a quarter of a century on the run .
Kabuga is accused of bankrolling and arming the ethnic Hutu militias that waged the 100-day killing spree against Rwanda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's most wanted fugitive , he was arrested on Saturday in a Paris suburb .
In his first appearance in public in more than two decades , Kabuga was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair , dressed in jeans and a blue jumper and wearing a face mask .
The octogenarian 's voice was weak , but audible , as he confirmed through an interpreter his identity and parents ' names .
He gave his date of birth as March 1 , 1933 .
His lawyers said in a statement ahead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be presumed innocent and opposed being transferred from France to a UN tribunal that handles crimes against humanity based in Tanzania .
Defence lawyer Laurent Bayon told the court Kabuga wished to be tried in France .
The court will decide whether to hand Kabuga to the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals ( IRMCT ) .
The international court is based in the Hague , Netherlands and Arusha , Tanzania .
The IRMCT 's chief prosecutor told REUTERS the court had already requested Kabuga be transferred to United Nations custody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Hague rather than Africa due to coronavirus travel restrictions , said prosecutor Serge Brammertz .
The French court granted a request by the defence to defer the hearing and set the next date for May 27 .
Exiting the courtroom , Kabuga raised his fist as several relatives including one son voiced encouragement .
Kabuga 's arrest marked the end of a more than two-decade-long hunt that spanned Africa and Europe .
A one-time tea and coffee tycoon , he is accused of being a main financier of the genocide , paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massacres , as well as importing huge numbers of machetes , according to the UN tribunal 's indictment .
> > Félicien Kabuga : From poverty to alleged financier of the Rwandan genocide He also co-owned Radio Television Milles Collines , the infamous radio station that fanned the ethnic hatred by broadcasting anti-Tutsi messages .
The United States had placed a $ 5 million bounty on his head .

Félicien Kabuga, indicted on charges of genocide related to the 1994 Rwandan massacre of some 800,000 people, appeared before a French court on Wednesday, four days after his arrest following a quarter of a century on the run.
A wanted poster with a photograph of Felicien Kabuga is displayed at the French Gendarmerie's Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity, Genocides and War Crimes (OCLCH) in Paris on May 19, 2020.
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Kabuga is accused of bankrolling and arming the ethnic Hutu militias that waged the 100-day killing spree against Rwanda's Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Rwanda's most wanted fugitive, he was arrested on Saturday in a Paris suburb.
In his first appearance in public in more than two decades, Kabuga was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair, dressed in jeans and a blue jumper and wearing a face mask.
The octogenarian's voice was weak, but audible, as he confirmed through an interpreter his identity and parents' names. He gave his date of birth as March 1, 1933.
His lawyers said in a statement ahead of the hearing that Kabuga had the right to be presumed innocent and opposed being transferred from France to a UN tribunal that handles crimes against humanity based in Tanzania.
Defence lawyer Laurent Bayon told the court Kabuga wished to be tried in France.
Prosecutor seeks transfer to UN custody
The court will decide whether to hand Kabuga to the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). The international court is based in the Hague, Netherlands and Arusha, Tanzania.
The IRMCT's chief prosecutor told REUTERS the court had already requested Kabuga be transferred to United Nations custody.
Kabuga could be held initially in The Hague rather than Africa due to coronavirus travel restrictions, said prosecutor Serge Brammertz.
The French court granted a request by the defence to defer the hearing and set the next date for May 27.
Exiting the courtroom, Kabuga raised his fist as several relatives including one son voiced encouragement.
Genocide 'financier'
Kabuga's arrest marked the end of a more than two-decade-long hunt that spanned Africa and Europe.
A one-time tea and coffee tycoon, he is accused of being a main financier of the genocide, paying for the militias that carried out the massacres, as well as importing huge numbers of machetes, according to the UN tribunal's indictment.
>> Félicien Kabuga: From poverty to alleged financier of the Rwandan genocide
He also co-owned Radio Television Milles Collines, the infamous radio station that fanned the ethnic hatred by broadcasting anti-Tutsi messages.
The United States had placed a $5 million bounty on his head.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--US arrests two men over former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan

Carlos Ghosn pictured in Beirut on January 8 , 2020 , during a press conference given shortly after his daring escape from Japan .
US authorities on Wednesday arrested a former Special Forces soldier and another man wanted by Japan on charges that they helped former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn escape to Lebanon to avoid prosecution .
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said that former US Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son , Peter Taylor , helped Ghosn flee to Lebanon last year to avoid facing trial in Japan over alleged financial wrongdoing .
Japan issued arrest warrants in January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspect , George-Antoine Zayek , in connection with facilitating the daring Dec. 29 , 2019 , escape .
The Taylors are scheduled to appear by video conference before a federal judge later on Wednesday .
> > ' I was scared to stay in Japan , ' Carlos Ghosn tells FRANCE 24 after daring escape Ghosn fled to Lebanon , his childhood home , while awaiting trial on charges of under-reporting his earnings , breach of trust and misappropriation of company funds , all of which he denies .
“ I left Japan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I couldn ’ t have a fair trial there , ” Ghosn told FRANCE 24 in an interview given shortly after his escape , criticising what he described as Japan ’ s “ hostage ” justice system .

US authorities on Wednesday arrested a former Special Forces soldier and another man wanted by Japan on charges that they helped former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn escape to Lebanon to avoid prosecution.
Carlos Ghosn pictured in Beirut on January 8, 2020, during a press conference given shortly after his daring escape from Japan.
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Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said that former US Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, helped Ghosn flee to Lebanon last year to avoid facing trial in Japan over alleged financial wrongdoing.
Japan issued arrest warrants in January for both men along with a third suspect, George-Antoine Zayek, in connection with facilitating the daring Dec. 29, 2019, escape. The Taylors are scheduled to appear by video conference before a federal judge later on Wednesday.
>> 'I was scared to stay in Japan,' Carlos Ghosn tells FRANCE 24 after daring escape
Ghosn fled to Lebanon, his childhood home, while awaiting trial on charges of under-reporting his earnings, breach of trust and misappropriation of company funds, all of which he denies.
“I left Japan because I arrived at the conclusion that I couldn’t have a fair trial there,” Ghosn told FRANCE 24 in an interview given shortly after his escape, criticising what he described as Japan’s “hostage” justice system.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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