france24--2020-09-24--French Open to allow just 1,000 people a day at Roland Garros

A maximum of only 1,000 people will be allowed each day at Roland Garros after the French government insisted Thursday on tougher restrictions to counter the resurgence of the coronavirus .
Organisers of the French Open , which gets underway four months later than planned in Paris on Sunday , had hoped for a maximum of 5,000 .
That figure had already been reduced from 20,000 and then 11,500 .
The decision by the French government will be a huge blow to Roland Garros which last year attracted on average around 37,000 fans a day .
French Prime Minister Jean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , insisted that the Grand Slam tournament must be subject to the same restrictions imposed Thursday on sports events taking place in designated 'red zones ' where the coronavirus is showing signs of resurgence .
`` We will apply the same rules at Roland Garros as elsewhere , '' said Castex .
`` We go from 5,000 to 1,000 . ''
Sources told AFP , however , that the figure does not include credential holders such as officials , media , players and staff .
Earlier Thursday , French Open chief Guy Forget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5,000 limit .
`` We still hope to have 5,000 spectators , '' said the tournament director .
Forget believed that the nature of the Roland Garros complex would work in the tournament 's favour .
`` We are able to accommodate 5,000 , as small as it is , on a 12-hectare area , '' he added .
`` Even if we must remain extremely careful , we have all the guarantees so that this tournament takes place in maximum security conditions .
`` We are responsible , but all this must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government . ''
He added : `` We stage the tournament on the equivalent of 15 football fields , outdoors .
Everyone wears a mask , even the ball boys and girls and chair umpires . ''
The US Open in New York , which ended just under two weeks ago , banned all spectators from its sprawling Flushing Meadows complex .
Wimbledon , meanwhile , was cancelled for the first time since the Second World War .

Paris (AFP) –
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A maximum of only 1,000 people will be allowed each day at Roland Garros after the French government insisted Thursday on tougher restrictions to counter the resurgence of the coronavirus.
Organisers of the French Open, which gets underway four months later than planned in Paris on Sunday, had hoped for a maximum of 5,000.
That figure had already been reduced from 20,000 and then 11,500.
The decision by the French government will be a huge blow to Roland Garros which last year attracted on average around 37,000 fans a day.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex, speaking on France 2 TV, insisted that the Grand Slam tournament must be subject to the same restrictions imposed Thursday on sports events taking place in designated 'red zones' where the coronavirus is showing signs of resurgence.
"We will apply the same rules at Roland Garros as elsewhere," said Castex. "We go from 5,000 to 1,000."
Sources told AFP, however, that the figure does not include credential holders such as officials, media, players and staff.
Earlier Thursday, French Open chief Guy Forget said he had hoped to protect the 5,000 limit.
"We still hope to have 5,000 spectators," said the tournament director.
Forget believed that the nature of the Roland Garros complex would work in the tournament's favour.
"We are able to accommodate 5,000, as small as it is, on a 12-hectare area," he added.
"Even if we must remain extremely careful, we have all the guarantees so that this tournament takes place in maximum security conditions.
"We are responsible, but all this must be done with the approval of the government."
He added: "We stage the tournament on the equivalent of 15 football fields, outdoors. Everyone wears a mask, even the ball boys and girls and chair umpires."
The US Open in New York, which ended just under two weeks ago, banned all spectators from its sprawling Flushing Meadows complex.
Wimbledon, meanwhile, was cancelled for the first time since the Second World War.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-25--One suspect arrested in Paris stabbing attack

A suspect was arrested on Friday after a knife attack took place near the former office of satirical magazine Charlie @ @ @ @ @ Chris Moore tells us more .

One suspect arrested in Paris stabbing attack
01:50
A suspect was arrested on Friday after a knife attack took place near the former office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. FRANCE 24's Chris Moore tells us more.


france24--2020-09-25--Four stabbed in Paris attack, schoolchildren being kept inside in area

Four stabbed in Paris attack , schoolchildren being kept inside in area Four people were stabbed on Friday near the @ @ @ @ @ Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in # Paris that was attacked by # Islamist militants over @ @ @ @ @ Minister Jean Castex said , and police said a suspect had been arrested .
# @

Four stabbed in Paris attack, schoolchildren being kept inside in area
04:35
Four people were stabbed on Friday near the former offices of the #Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in #Paris that was attacked by #Islamist militants over five years ago, Prime Minister Jean Castex said, and police said a suspect had been arrested. #Breaking


france24--2020-09-25--Four injured in Paris machete attack near former offices of Charlie Hebdo

Four injured in Paris machete attack near former offices of Charlie Hebdo French Prime Minister Jean # Castex said on @ @ @ @ @ injured , including two seriously , in a knife # attack that took place near @ @ @ @ @ magazine # Charlie Hebdo .

Four injured in Paris machete attack near former offices of Charlie Hebdo
00:47
French Prime Minister Jean #Castex said on Friday that four people were injured, including two seriously, in a knife #attack that took place near the former office of satirical magazine #Charlie Hebdo.


france24--2020-09-25--Unlucky 13 for Guardiola as injuries mount for Man City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has just 13 senior players to choose from for Sunday 's visit of Leicester Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claims to have just 13 fit senior players for Sunday 's Premier League clash with Leicester .
Sergio Aguero , Bernardo Silva , Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been sidelined by injury , while Ilkay Gundogan has tested positive for coronavirus and Aymeric Laporte 's pre-season was also delayed when he contracted COVID-19 .
Guardiola turned to youth for Thursday 's 2-1 League Cup victory over Bournemouth and expects to have to call on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The situation we have right now , we have just 13 players available in the first team , '' said Guardiola .
`` We need the academy , not just for the training sessions .
They can be selected during the games . ''
One youngster who caught the eye was 17-year-old striker Liam Delap - son of former Stoke midfielder Rory - who opened the scoring with a fine strike from just inside the area .
With Aguero possibly out for another two months as he recovers from knee surgery , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming weeks .
`` With the problems we have up front , of course Liam will stay with us .
We 'll see if we need him or use him , '' added Guardiola .
`` But we can not forget , like the same way we spoke about Phil Foden in previous seasons , he 's just 17 years old .
He has a lot of things to improve , steps need their own time . ''
Now 20 , Foden has shone as a first-team regular since English football returned from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been questioned for not handing the England midfielder more minutes earlier in his career , but he believes Foden shows homegrown talents will be given their chance at City despite the club 's spending in the transfer market .
`` We congratulate the academy .
I am the last step , but before there are a lot of people in the club working for this and it is a big success for them , '' said Guardiola .
`` That 's why you have the academy .
When you need players we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the quality of the player .
`` When they have desire , work ethic and the quality is good , they will have chances . ''

London (AFP) –
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claims to have just 13 fit senior players for Sunday's Premier League clash with Leicester.
Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been sidelined by injury, while Ilkay Gundogan has tested positive for coronavirus and Aymeric Laporte's pre-season was also delayed when he contracted COVID-19.
Guardiola turned to youth for Thursday's 2-1 League Cup victory over Bournemouth and expects to have to call on the club's academy resources again.
"The situation we have right now, we have just 13 players available in the first team," said Guardiola. "We need the academy, not just for the training sessions. They can be selected during the games."
One youngster who caught the eye was 17-year-old striker Liam Delap - son of former Stoke midfielder Rory - who opened the scoring with a fine strike from just inside the area.
With Aguero possibly out for another two months as he recovers from knee surgery, the teenager could see more action in the coming weeks.
"With the problems we have up front, of course Liam will stay with us. We'll see if we need him or use him," added Guardiola.
"But we cannot forget, like the same way we spoke about Phil Foden in previous seasons, he's just 17 years old. He has a lot of things to improve, steps need their own time."
Now 20, Foden has shone as a first-team regular since English football returned from the coronavirus shutdown in June.
Guardiola had been questioned for not handing the England midfielder more minutes earlier in his career, but he believes Foden shows homegrown talents will be given their chance at City despite the club's spending in the transfer market.
"We congratulate the academy. I am the last step, but before there are a lot of people in the club working for this and it is a big success for them," said Guardiola.
"That's why you have the academy. When you need players we can use it. It depends on the quality of the player.
"When they have desire, work ethic and the quality is good, they will have chances."
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-25--Four people injured in knife attack in Paris, one suspect arrested

Four people injured in knife attack in Paris , one suspect arrested French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Friday @ @ @ @ @ , including two seriously , in a knife # attack that took place near the @ @ @ @ @ # Charlie Hebdo .
FRANCE 24 's Chris Moore tells us more .

Four people injured in knife attack in Paris, one suspect arrested
06:11
French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Friday that four people were injured, including two seriously, in a knife #attack that took place near the former office of satirical magazine #Charlie Hebdo. FRANCE 24's Chris Moore tells us more.


france24--2020-09-25--'Nothing surprise me anymore,' says Messi lamenting Suarez departure

Team-mates : Lionel Messi made clear he did not want Barcelona to let Luis Suarez go Lionel Messi bid an emotional farewell on Friday to Luis Suarez , the day after the Uruguayan striker had said tearful goodbyes to Barcelona after the club sent him to Atletico Madrid .
`` Today I went into the dressing room and the awful truth hit me , '' Messi posted on Instagram , before renewing his criticism of club management .
`` You deserved to be sent off as what you are : one of the most important players in the history of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` And not to be fired in the way they did it . ''
`` The truth is that at this point nothing surprises me anymore . ''
Messi has a long-running feud with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu which intensified after Barcelona were humiliated 8-2 by Bayern in a Champions League quarter-final in August .
Messi tried to force his exit from Barcelona but finally accepted that he would have to see out the final year of his contract .
Meanwhile , two of his closest friends on the team , Suarez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 33-year-old Suarez moves to Atletico on a two-year contract on a free transfer , although , if he does well , Barcelona could receive some money .
Suarez , who hit 198 goals for Barca , becoming the third highest goalscorer in the history of the club , cried as he bid an impromptu farewell to the club on Thursday .
`` I 'm going to keep playing , with fresh motivation , with the objective to show I can continue competing , '' Suarez said .
`` Everyone knows the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I 've already played against him in the Uruguay-Argentina matches , playing against each other is not going to change the feelings we have for each other , '' Suarez said .
Messi and Suarez were neighbours in the beachside suburb of Castelldefels and would arrive at training together .
`` How difficult it is going to be not to continue to share the days with you , both on the pitch and off it '' wrote Messi in a post accompanied by seven pictures of the two men together , sometimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to miss you very much .
It 's been many years , many cups of mate , lunches , dinners ...
Many things that I will never forget . ''
`` It 's going to be weird to see you with another shirt and much more to face you , '' wrote Messi .
`` But I wish you all the best in this new challenge .
I love you very much , I love you very much .
See you soon , my friend . ''

Madrid (AFP) –
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Lionel Messi bid an emotional farewell on Friday to Luis Suarez, the day after the Uruguayan striker had said tearful goodbyes to Barcelona after the club sent him to Atletico Madrid.
"Today I went into the dressing room and the awful truth hit me," Messi posted on Instagram, before renewing his criticism of club management.
"You deserved to be sent off as what you are: one of the most important players in the history of the club," Messi wrote. "And not to be fired in the way they did it."
"The truth is that at this point nothing surprises me anymore."
Messi has a long-running feud with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu which intensified after Barcelona were humiliated 8-2 by Bayern in a Champions League quarter-final in August.
Messi tried to force his exit from Barcelona but finally accepted that he would have to see out the final year of his contract. Meanwhile, two of his closest friends on the team, Suarez and the Chilean Arturo Vidal have left.
The 33-year-old Suarez moves to Atletico on a two-year contract on a free transfer, although, if he does well, Barcelona could receive some money.
Suarez, who hit 198 goals for Barca, becoming the third highest goalscorer in the history of the club, cried as he bid an impromptu farewell to the club on Thursday.
"I'm going to keep playing, with fresh motivation, with the objective to show I can continue competing," Suarez said.
"Everyone knows the relationship we have, Leo and me. I've already played against him in the Uruguay-Argentina matches, playing against each other is not going to change the feelings we have for each other," Suarez said.
Messi and Suarez were neighbours in the beachside suburb of Castelldefels and would arrive at training together.
"How difficult it is going to be not to continue to share the days with you, both on the pitch and off it" wrote Messi in a post accompanied by seven pictures of the two men together, sometimes with their families. "We are going to miss you very much. It's been many years, many cups of mate, lunches, dinners...Many things that I will never forget."
"It's going to be weird to see you with another shirt and much more to face you," wrote Messi. "But I wish you all the best in this new challenge. I love you very much, I love you very much. See you soon, my friend."
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-25--Greta calls for more climate pressure on decision-makers

`` We need to treat the climate crisis as a crisis , '' says Greta Thunberg Teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg demonstrated outside parliament in her native Sweden on Friday as a new set of worldwide protests to fight climate change kicked off .
More than 3,000 rallies by the Fridays for Future movement were scheduled to take place around the world , from Iceland to Australia and both online and in the streets depending on coronavirus restrictions .
`` The main hope is , as always , to try to have an impact on the level of awareness and public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more aware of the climate crisis , so that we build up this pressure on people in power so that something happens , '' the 17-year-old , surrounded by a dozen other activists , told reporters .
`` We need to treat the climate crisis as a crisis , it 's just as simple as that , '' she said , holding her now-famous `` School Strike for the Climate '' poster and wearing a face mask .
In Sweden , more than 200 events are planned , though corona restrictions will limit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thunberg said the Swedish demonstrations would `` focus on being few people in many places and keeping distance . ''
Previous global Fridays for Future school strikes have seen millions of young people pour into the streets to demand action .
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic , however , much of the group 's actions moved online .
Greta herself resumed her Friday school strikes on September 4 , after returning to high school following a year spent campaigning for the climate around the world .
Meanwhile , Greenpeace marked the day by releasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Arctic of 18-year-old ornithologist Mya-Rose Craig , known as `` birdgirl '' , standing on an ice floe holding a poster `` Youth Strike for Climate '' -- in what it said was the world 's most northerly climate strike .
`` I 'm here because I want to see for myself what 's at stake as this crucial protector of the planet , the Arctic Ocean , melts away at a terrifying rate , '' she said from the Svalbard archipelago in a Greenpeace statement .

Stockholm (AFP) –
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Teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg demonstrated outside parliament in her native Sweden on Friday as a new set of worldwide protests to fight climate change kicked off.
More than 3,000 rallies by the Fridays for Future movement were scheduled to take place around the world, from Iceland to Australia and both online and in the streets depending on coronavirus restrictions.
"The main hope is, as always, to try to have an impact on the level of awareness and public opinion so that people will start becoming more aware of the climate crisis, so that we build up this pressure on people in power so that something happens," the 17-year-old, surrounded by a dozen other activists, told reporters.
"We need to treat the climate crisis as a crisis, it's just as simple as that," she said, holding her now-famous "School Strike for the Climate" poster and wearing a face mask.
In Sweden, more than 200 events are planned, though corona restrictions will limit each to fewer than 50 participants.
Thunberg said the Swedish demonstrations would "focus on being few people in many places and keeping distance."
Previous global Fridays for Future school strikes have seen millions of young people pour into the streets to demand action.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, however, much of the group's actions moved online.
Greta herself resumed her Friday school strikes on September 4, after returning to high school following a year spent campaigning for the climate around the world.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace marked the day by releasing a photo taken several days ago in the Arctic of 18-year-old ornithologist Mya-Rose Craig, known as "birdgirl", standing on an ice floe holding a poster "Youth Strike for Climate" -- in what it said was the world's most northerly climate strike.
"I'm here because I want to see for myself what's at stake as this crucial protector of the planet, the Arctic Ocean, melts away at a terrifying rate," she said from the Svalbard archipelago in a Greenpeace statement.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-25--Suspect arrested after knife attack outside Charlie Hebdo's former office in Paris

French police special forces ( GSO ) kit-up near the former offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo following an alleged attack by a man wielding a knife in Paris on September 25 , 2020 .
At least two people were wounded in a knife attack Friday near the former offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris , police said Friday .
A suspect has been arrested .
Two victims were in a critical condition , the Paris police department said .
Police said one suspect had been detained after the attack , which occurred as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack .
A Paris police official said that while authorities initially thought two attackers were involved , they now believe it was only one person , who was detained near the Place de la Bastille in eastern Paris .
Police initially announced that four people were wounded in the attack , but the official told The Associated Press that there are in fact only two confirmed wounded .
Police could not explain the discrepancies .
“ A serious event has taken place in Paris , ” said Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters when the attack occured and cut short a visit to northern Paris to head instead to the crisis centre of the interior ministry .
“ Four people have been wounded and it seems that two are in a serious condition , ” he said at that time .
The prime minister added the attack had taken place “ in front of ” the weekly ’ s former offices in the 11th district of central Paris .
The magazine ’ s current address is kept secret for security reasons .
The stabbing came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital for alleged accomplices of the authors of the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo .
Twelve people , including some of France ’ s most celebrated cartoonists , were killed in the attack by brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi and claimed by a branch of Al Qaeda .
A female police officer was killed a day later , followed the next day by the killing of four men in a hostage-taking at a Jewish supermarket by gunman Amedy Coulibaly .
The 14 defendants stand accused of having aided and abetted the perpetrators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves killed in the wake of the massacres .
The magazine , defiant as ever , had marked the start of the trial by republishing hugely controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that had angered Muslims around the world .
Al-Qaeda then threatened Charlie Hebdo with a repeat of the 2015 massacre of its staff .
The trial in Paris had resumed Friday after a suspect ’ s coronavirus test came back negative .
The hearing for the fourteen suspects , which opened on September 2 , was postponed Thursday after Nezar Mickael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His lawyer Marie Dose said her client had suffered from “ a lot of fever , coughing , vomiting and headaches ” .
He was back in the box on Friday , after the presiding judge informed defence and prosecution lawyers by SMS late Thursday that the test results allowed for the trial to go ahead .

French prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation after two people were wounded in a knife attack in Paris on Friday near the former offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The suspected perpetrator, as well as six other men, have been taken into custody.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin arrive at the scene of a stabbing attack near the former offices of French magazine Charlie Hebdo, in Paris, France, on September 25, 2020.
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Two victims were seriously injured, the Paris police department said. The main suspect was caught and taken into custody almost immediately after the attack, along with another man whose links to the suspected perpetrator is currently being investigated. Later Friday, police also detained five other men who were apprehended as officers searched a home in the Paris suburbs believed to belong to the main suspect.
France’s counterterrorism prosecutor said authorities suspect a terrorist motive because of the place and timing of the stabbings: in front of the building where Charlie Hebdo was based until the Islamic extremist attack on its cartoonists and at a time when suspects in the 2015 attack are on trial across town.
Prosecutor Jean-François Ricard said that the chief suspect in Friday’s stabbings was arrested, along with another person. Ricard said the assailant did not know the people who were stabbed, two workers in a documentary production company who had stepped outside for a cigarette break.
The suspects’ identities have not been released, and it is unclear exactly what prompted the attack. An investigation was opened into “attempted murder in relation with a terrorist enterprise”, according to an official at the terrorism prosecutor’s office.
“All the team at Charlie offers support and solidarity to its former neighbours and colleagues at PLTVfilms and to the people hit by this odious attack,” Charlie Hebdo tweeted.
Toute l'équipe de Charlie apporte son soutien et sa solidarité à ses anciens voisins et confrères @PLTVfilms et aux personnes touchées par cette odieuse attaque. — Charlie Hebdo (@Charlie_Hebdo_) September 25, 2020
‘Symbolic’
Later Friday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex arrived at the scene after cutting short a visit to northern Paris. He underscored the “symbolic site” of the attack, “at the very moment where the trial into the atrocious acts against Charlie Hebdo is under way”. He promised the government’s “unfailing attachment to freedom of the press, and its determination to fight terrorism”.
Castex also added that the injuries the two victims had sustained in the attack were “not life-threatening”. Charlie Hebdo's current address is kept secret for security reasons.
The two people confirmed injured worked for documentary film company Premières Lignes, according to founder Paul Moreira. He told BFM television that the attacker fled into the subway, and the company’s staff members were evacuated.
Moreira said a man in the street “attacked two people who were in front of the building, didn’t enter the building, and who attacked them with an axe and who left”. He said the company had not received any threats.
Police cordoned off the area, including the former Charlie Hebdo offices, after a suspect package was noticed nearby, but the package was found to be harmless and no explosives were found, according a police official.
01:08
‘Looks improvised’
Citing corroborative sources close to the investigation, FRANCE 24’s terror expert Wassim Nasr said that the main suspect has confessed to the attack and is an 18-year-old man of Pakistani origin. He is not believed to have been known to police previously.
“We don’t know much about him because up to this point, no [terror] organisation has claimed the attack,” said Nasr.
Nasr said the second suspect, who is being probed for his links to the Pakistani man and who several news outlets have identified as an Algerian national, is expected to be released shortly.
Another five men, born between 1983 and 1996, were seized in the Paris suburb of Pantin on Friday evening as police searched what they believe is the main suspect’s home.
Nasr said the attack indeed seemed symbolic and that it may have been triggered by Charlie Hebdo’s decision in September to republish the controversial cartoons, including of Prophet Mohammed, that led to the deadly attack at the weekly´s offices in 2015. Many Muslims consider is blasphemous to depict the prophet.
“Not only did al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issue statements calling for [new] attacks (…) but many voices in the Muslim world spoke out against the republication of those cartoons,” he said.
No terror organisation has yet claimed the attack, and according to Nasr, several details point to it being improvised and having been organised only by the main suspect.
“Look at the details of this attack: it was carried out with a butcher´s knife, it doesn’t look like the attacks that were prepared by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and perpetrated by the Karachi brothers back in 2015.”
“It looks improvised. It doesn’t mean that al Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) group aren´t preparing attacks, but improvised attacks tell us more about the kind of attack that we are talking about [here]. So the person who committed this attack could have acted on his own.”
‘Screams of terror’
A witness told FRANCE 24: “We heard screaming in the street. Clearly they were screams of terror and one of the men that worked here came out, and very quickly we understood that someone had been attacked. We realised that someone had been stabbed next door. He was taken aside for emergency treatment.”
Reporting from the scene, FRANCE 24 journalist Christophe Dansette said one of the suspects was "covered in blood" after being apprehended by police near the Place de la Bastille in eastern Paris.
Friday´s stabbing came as a trial was underway in the capital for alleged accomplices of the instigators of the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo. Twelve people, including some of France’s most celebrated cartoonists, were killed in the attack by brothers Said and Chérif Kouachi, who claimed to be part of a branch of al Qaeda.
A female police officer was killed a day later, followed the next day by the killing of four men in a hostage-taking at a Jewish supermarket by gunman Amedy Coulibaly.
The 14 defendants stand accused of having aided and abetted the perpetrators of the 2015 attacks, who were themselves killed in the wake of the massacres.
The magazine, defiant as ever, had marked the start of the trial by republishing hugely controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that had angered Muslims around the world.
Al Qaeda then threatened Charlie Hebdo with a repeat of the 2015 massacre of its staff.
The trial in Paris had resumed Friday after a suspect’s coronavirus test came back negative.
The hearing for the 14 suspects, which opened on September 2, was postponed Thursday after Nezar Mickael Pastor Alwatik fell ill in the stand.
His lawyer, Marie Dose, said her client had suffered from “a lot of fever, coughing, vomiting and headaches”.
He was back in the box on Friday, after the presiding judge informed defence and prosecution lawyers by SMS late Thursday that the test results allowed for the trial to go ahead.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP
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france24--2020-09-25--Tottenham handed League Cup bye due to Covid outbreak

Leyton Orient were forced to forfeit their League Cup tie against Tottenham due to a number of positive tests for coronavirus Tottenham have been awarded a bye into the fourth round of the League Cup after their tie with Leyton Orient was called off on Tuesday following a spate of coronavirus cases at the League Two club .
Fourth-tier Orient tried to rearrange the game but League Cup rules mean that they must forfeit the tie , allowing Spurs to go through to play Chelsea .
Competition organisers the EFL said in a statement : `` The Round Three tie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orient and Tottenham Hotspur could not take place following the issue by Waltham Forest Borough Council of an order preventing the match being played as planned .
This followed a number of Leyton Orient players testing positive for Covid-19 .
`` The EFL Board has determined that in line with Carabao Cup Rule 5.1 , the club was unable to fulfil its obligations to complete the fixture by virtue of the Council 's order and shall therefore forfeit the tie . ''
Orient 's League Two game with Walsall this weekend has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spurs will now prepare for four games in eight days , starting with the visit of Newcastle on Sunday .
Jose Mourinho 's men then travel to Chelsea on Tuesday , host Maccabi Haifa in Europa League qualifying on Thursday and travel to Manchester United a week on Sunday .

London (AFP) –
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Tottenham have been awarded a bye into the fourth round of the League Cup after their tie with Leyton Orient was called off on Tuesday following a spate of coronavirus cases at the League Two club.
Fourth-tier Orient tried to rearrange the game but League Cup rules mean that they must forfeit the tie, allowing Spurs to go through to play Chelsea.
Competition organisers the EFL said in a statement: "The Round Three tie scheduled for Tuesday 22 September between Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur could not take place following the issue by Waltham Forest Borough Council of an order preventing the match being played as planned. This followed a number of Leyton Orient players testing positive for Covid-19.
"The EFL Board has determined that in line with Carabao Cup Rule 5.1, the club was unable to fulfil its obligations to complete the fixture by virtue of the Council's order and shall therefore forfeit the tie."
Orient's League Two game with Walsall this weekend has also been postponed as their squad self-isolate.
Spurs will now prepare for four games in eight days, starting with the visit of Newcastle on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho's men then travel to Chelsea on Tuesday, host Maccabi Haifa in Europa League qualifying on Thursday and travel to Manchester United a week on Sunday.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-25--Week in Review: Lebanon's deadlock, a Supreme Court battle and Covid-19 clampdowns in France

A poster depicting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah ( left ) and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri ( right ) .
A tribute to late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
A woman wears a protective face mask in Bordeaux , France .
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 's death just weeks ahead of the US presidential election has triggered a fierce battle at the Capitol and exposed the frailties of the country 's justice system .
Also this week , Covid-19 caused the UN to hold its first virtual General Assembly and France to impose deeply unpopular restrictions in hard-hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at the continuing political deadlock in Lebanon , the trial of suspected accomplices in the January 2015 Paris attacks , the latest scandal roiling the financial world , and the death of iconic French singer Juliette Gréco .
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s mortality haunted liberals in recent years and the death of the country ’ s beloved “ RBG ” has exposed the frailties of the US judicial selection process .
But can the world ’ s leading democracy shed the American exceptionalism woven into its national DNA and heed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Paris kosher supermarket in a gruesome attack in January 2015 had “ no empathy whatsoever ” , a former police chief told a court in the French capital this week , as victims and their loved ones relived the horror of the final chapter in a three-day killing spree that shocked the world .
‘ Paris thinks we ’ re small fry ’ : Marseille seething over order to shut bars and restaurants The French government ’ s highly publicised efforts to decentralise the country ’ s Covid-19 response ran into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders in Marseille responded furiously to the closure of the city ’ s bars and restaurants , saying they had not been consulted .
The Shiite bloc , composed of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement , are stalling the formation of Lebanon 's new government by insisting that the Finance Minister post be given to a person from their community .
Their stance has isolated them from the rest of the country 's political class , as well as Hezbollah 's Christian ally , President Michel Aoun .
World should not be dominated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UN World leaders must not let themselves be dominated by a geopolitical power struggle between the US and China , French President Emmanuel Macron told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday as the annual global diplomatic gathering went online amid the Covid-19 pandemic .
'It was the most horrible four hours of my life , ' says survivor of Hyper Cacher attack Zarie Sibony was working as a cashier at a Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris when it became the scene of a gruesome attack and hostage-taking by a jihadist gunman in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ahead of her hearing in the trial of 14 suspects accused of aiding the gunmen in the January 2015 Paris attacks Over the past year , anti-femicide posters have been appearing on walls all around France and across Paris .
The campaign , which denounces violence against women and aims to raise awareness , has been praised but also criticised .
FRANCE 24 met some members of “ the Gluers ” group running the campaign .
Some four hundred whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia , an occurence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factor appears to be whales ' tight social cohesion : the bond between them is so strong that even once they are rescued , many turn around and beach themselves again .
'In some areas , IS group activities are increasing , ' says Iraqi FM Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein spoke to FRANCE 24 about the challenges facing his country and the whole region .
He said the Islamic State ( IS ) group was still a threat and that the number of IS group fighters and their networks was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10,000 in Iraq and Syria .
Tributes to Juliette Gréco : 'Her life was like no other' She personified the spirit and style of post-war Paris with a career spanning more than seven decades .
Music critic Marjorie Hache tells us about the legacy of actress and singer Juliette Gréco , who died this week aged 93 .
Venice is widely considered to be the centre of European art and architecture .
But after six months of Covid-19 , including three months of lockdown that crushed the tourism industry , our culture editor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out how it 's changed .
On patrol with Nigeria 's 'Agro Rangers ' , who protect farmers from Boko Haram The rainy season is the best time to grow rice and corn in Borno , one of Nigeria 's agricultural regions , but farmers are frequently targeted by Boko Haram attacks .
In a bid to improve security , teams of so-called `` Agro Rangers '' were set up a year ago by authorities .
Our correspondent Moïse Gomis went on patrol with them on the outskirts of Maiduguri and elsewhere in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dissolution of parliament over lack of women lawmakers Kenya 's top judge has advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve the country 's male-dominated parliament , saying lawmakers have failed to meet a constitutional provision which would allow for one-third of seats to be occupied by women .
A controversial debate rages in the French medical community as the government prepares to pass legislation that would punish doctors who issue certificates of virginity to young women .
We also look at how a group of Israeli teenage girls campaigning for the right to wear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate on the growing influence of religion in the country .
Another financial scandal rocks the banking world , sending shares tumbling .
After nearly a decade of leaks , what lessons have we learned ?
Also in this week 's show , contact-tracing apps could help contain the coronavirus pandemic — but how to convince the public to use them ?
We speak to the developer of Ireland 's breakout system about its success .

WEEK IN REVIEW
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death just weeks ahead of the US presidential election has triggered a fierce battle at the Capitol and exposed the frailties of the country's justice system. Also this week, Covid-19 caused the UN to hold its first virtual General Assembly and France to impose deeply unpopular restrictions in hard-hit areas. In other news, we look at the continuing political deadlock in Lebanon, the trial of suspected accomplices in the January 2015 Paris attacks, the latest scandal roiling the financial world, and the death of iconic French singer Juliette Gréco.
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ARTICLES
Ginsburg’s death sparks notorious divisions, exposes frailty of US judicial system
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s mortality haunted liberals in recent years and the death of the country’s beloved “RBG” has exposed the frailties of the US judicial selection process. But can the world’s leading democracy shed the American exceptionalism woven into its national DNA and heed the lessons?
A woman waves an 'RBG' flag outside the US Supreme Court at a makeshift memorial for late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 21, 2020. AFP - ALEX EDELMAN
Paris terror attacks trial recalls ‘terror’ and ‘cruelty’ of kosher store rampage
The gunman who stormed a Paris kosher supermarket in a gruesome attack in January 2015 had “no empathy whatsoever”, a former police chief told a court in the French capital this week, as victims and their loved ones relived the horror of the final chapter in a three-day killing spree that shocked the world.
Police outside the Hyper Cacher supermarket in eastern Paris on January 9, 2015. AFP Archives
‘Paris thinks we’re small fry’: Marseille seething over order to shut bars and restaurants
The French government’s highly publicised efforts to decentralise the country’s Covid-19 response ran into the sand on Thursday as politicians and business leaders in Marseille responded furiously to the closure of the city’s bars and restaurants, saying they had not been consulted.
Lebanon's Shiite parties stall formation of new government
The Shiite bloc, composed of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, are stalling the formation of Lebanon's new government by insisting that the Finance Minister post be given to a person from their community. Their stance has isolated them from the rest of the country's political class, as well as Hezbollah's Christian ally, President Michel Aoun.
A poster depicting Lebanese Shiite leaders, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (left) and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri (right). © Ramzi Haidar, AFP file photo
World should not be dominated by US-China 'rivalry', Macron tells UN
World leaders must not let themselves be dominated by a geopolitical power struggle between the US and China, French President Emmanuel Macron told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday as the annual global diplomatic gathering went online amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
VIDEO REPORTS
'It was the most horrible four hours of my life,' says survivor of Hyper Cacher attack
Zarie Sibony was working as a cashier at a Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris when it became the scene of a gruesome attack and hostage-taking by a jihadist gunman in 2015. She spoke to FRANCE 24 ahead of her hearing in the trial of 14 suspects accused of aiding the gunmen in the January 2015 Paris attacks
Hyper Cacher attack survivor Zarie Sibony. © AFP / FRANCE 24
‘The Gluers’: French group denounces femicide with a poster campaign
Over the past year, anti-femicide posters have been appearing on walls all around France and across Paris. The campaign, which denounces violence against women and aims to raise awareness, has been praised but also criticised. FRANCE 24 met some members of “the Gluers” group running the campaign.
Whale beachings puzzle scientists as hundreds die in Australia mass stranding
Some four hundred whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia, an occurence that continues to bafflle scientists. One key factor appears to be whales' tight social cohesion: the bond between them is so strong that even once they are rescued, many turn around and beach themselves again.
A pod of pilot whales, some 500 strong, trapped on the western shore of Tasmania. © AFP pools
THE INTERVIEW
'In some areas, IS group activities are increasing,' says Iraqi FM
Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein spoke to FRANCE 24 about the challenges facing his country and the whole region. He said the Islamic State (IS) group was still a threat and that the number of IS group fighters and their networks was higher than a recent UN estimate of 10,000 in Iraq and Syria.
ENCORE!
Tributes to Juliette Gréco: 'Her life was like no other'
She personified the spirit and style of post-war Paris with a career spanning more than seven decades. Music critic Marjorie Hache tells us about the legacy of actress and singer Juliette Gréco, who died this week aged 93.
Juliette Gréco, the iconic French singer and actress, died on Wednesday aged 93. © AFP
Venice in times of Covid-19
Venice is widely considered to be the centre of European art and architecture. But after six months of Covid-19, including three months of lockdown that crushed the tourism industry, our culture editor Eve Jackson visits the city to find out how it's changed.
FOCUS
On patrol with Nigeria's 'Agro Rangers', who protect farmers from Boko Haram
The rainy season is the best time to grow rice and corn in Borno, one of Nigeria's agricultural regions, but farmers are frequently targeted by Boko Haram attacks. In a bid to improve security, teams of so-called "Agro Rangers" were set up a year ago by authorities. Our correspondent Moïse Gomis went on patrol with them on the outskirts of Maiduguri and elsewhere in Borno.
EYE ON AFRICA
Kenya's top judge demands dissolution of parliament over lack of women lawmakers
Kenya's top judge has advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve the country's male-dominated parliament, saying lawmakers have failed to meet a constitutional provision which would allow for one-third of seats to be occupied by women.
EYE ON AFRICA © FRANCE 24
THE 51 PERCENT
French doctors fight proposed government ban on virginity certificates
A controversial debate rages in the French medical community as the government prepares to pass legislation that would punish doctors who issue certificates of virginity to young women. We also look at how a group of Israeli teenage girls campaigning for the right to wear shorts to school has triggered a national debate on the growing influence of religion in the country.
PEOPLE & PROFIT
Dirty money: FinCEN scandal rocks global banking sector
Another financial scandal rocks the banking world, sending shares tumbling. After nearly a decade of leaks, what lessons have we learned? Also in this week's show, contact-tracing apps could help contain the coronavirus pandemic — but how to convince the public to use them? We speak to the developer of Ireland's breakout system about its success.
The financial sector has been hit hard by a report alleging that a number of banks have continued to profit from illicit dealings with criminal networks despite warnings from regulators. © istock
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france24--2020-09-25--London officer shot dead while detaining suspect at station

A British police officer was shot dead inside a London police station early Friday while detaining a suspect , who @ @ @ @ @ .
FRANCE 24 's Benedicte Paviot tells us more .

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france24--2020-09-25--London to host 2022 Laver Cup

London to host 2022 Laver Cup

London will host the fifth edition of the Laver Cup men 's team tennis event in September 2022 , organisers announced on Friday .
The tournament , inspired by golf 's Ryder Cup , pits teams from Europe and the rest of the world against each other and was first held in 2017 .
The event will be held at the O2 Arena , which is hosting the ATP Finals for the last time this year at the end of a 12-year run .
Roger Federer , whose sports agency promotes the Laver Cup , has won two of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` London has always held a special place in my heart and it 's going to be incredible to bring the Laver Cup to one of my favourite cities in the world , '' he said .
`` I know the British fans will love the way the Laver Cup brings together the top players in the world while paying respect and recognition to the legends of our game . ''
Boston had been due to host this year 's edition but it was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city .

London (AFP) –
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London will host the fifth edition of the Laver Cup men's team tennis event in September 2022, organisers announced on Friday.
The tournament, inspired by golf's Ryder Cup, pits teams from Europe and the rest of the world against each other and was first held in 2017.
The event will be held at the O2 Arena, which is hosting the ATP Finals for the last time this year at the end of a 12-year run.
Roger Federer, whose sports agency promotes the Laver Cup, has won two of his six ATP Finals titles at the O2.
"London has always held a special place in my heart and it's going to be incredible to bring the Laver Cup to one of my favourite cities in the world," he said.
"I know the British fans will love the way the Laver Cup brings together the top players in the world while paying respect and recognition to the legends of our game."
Boston had been due to host this year's edition but it was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled for September, 2021 in the US city.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-25--Thousands of mosques in China's Xinjiang region demolished in recent years, report says

This picture taken on June 26 , 2017 shows police patrolling as Muslims leave the Id Kah Mosque after the morning prayer on Eid al-Fitr in the old town of Kashgar in China 's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region .
Chinese authorities have demolished thousands of mosques in Xinjiang , an Australian think tank said Friday , in the latest report of widespread human rights abuses in the restive region .
Rights groups say more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking people have been incarcerated in camps across the northwestern territory , with residents pressured to give up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mosques had been destroyed or damaged , according to an Australian Strategic Policy Institute ( ASPI ) report based on satellite imagery documenting hundreds of sacred sites and statistical modelling .
Most of the destruction had taken place in the last three years and an estimated 8,500 mosques had been completely destroyed , the report said , with more damage outside the urban centres of Urumqi and Kashgar .
Many mosques that escaped demolition had their domes and minarets removed , according to the research , which estimated fewer than 15,500 intact and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If correct , it would be the lowest number of Muslim houses of worship in the region since the decade of national upheaval sparked by the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s .
By contrast , none of the Christian churches and Buddhist temples in Xinjiang that were studied by the think tank had been damaged or destroyed .
ASPI also said nearly a third of major Islamic sacred sites in Xinjiang—including shrines , cemeteries and pilgrimage routes—had been razed .
An AFP investigation last year found dozens of cemeteries had been destroyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and bricks from broken tombs scattered across the land .
China has insisted that residents of Xinjiang enjoy full religious freedom .
Asked about the research on Friday , China ’ s foreign ministry said the research institute had “ no academic credibility ” and was producing “ anti-China reports and anti-China lies ” .
Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said there were about 24,000 mosques in the region .
“ Xinjiang ’ s total number of mosques is more than ten times the number in the US , and the average number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in some Muslim countries , ” Wang told a regular press briefing .
Friday ’ s report comes a day after ASPI said it had identified a network of detention centres in the region much larger than previous estimates .
Beijing has said its network of camps are vocational training centres , which are necessary for countering poverty and anti-extremism .

Chinese authorities have demolished thousands of mosques in Xinjiang, an Australian think tank said Friday, in the latest report of widespread human rights abuses in the restive region.
This picture taken on June 26, 2017 shows police patrolling as Muslims leave the Id Kah Mosque after the morning prayer on Eid al-Fitr in the old town of Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
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Rights groups say more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking people have been incarcerated in camps across the northwestern territory, with residents pressured to give up traditional and religious activities.
Around 16,000 mosques had been destroyed or damaged, according to an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) report based on satellite imagery documenting hundreds of sacred sites and statistical modelling.
Most of the destruction had taken place in the last three years and an estimated 8,500 mosques had been completely destroyed, the report said, with more damage outside the urban centres of Urumqi and Kashgar.
Many mosques that escaped demolition had their domes and minarets removed, according to the research, which estimated fewer than 15,500 intact and damaged mosques were left standing around Xinjiang.
If correct, it would be the lowest number of Muslim houses of worship in the region since the decade of national upheaval sparked by the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.
By contrast, none of the Christian churches and Buddhist temples in Xinjiang that were studied by the think tank had been damaged or destroyed.
ASPI also said nearly a third of major Islamic sacred sites in Xinjiang—including shrines, cemeteries and pilgrimage routes—had been razed.
THREAD. An estimated 16,000 mosques in Xinjiang (roughly 2 in 3) have been demolished or damaged. For the second part of our Xinjiang Data Project release we look at nearly 1,000 significant cultural sites in Xinjiang and find a staggering number gone.https://t.co/85JDxDk8a2 pic.twitter.com/jwyPXV6dza — Nathan Ruser (@Nrg8000) September 25, 2020
An AFP investigation last year found dozens of cemeteries had been destroyed in the region, leaving human remains and bricks from broken tombs scattered across the land.
China has insisted that residents of Xinjiang enjoy full religious freedom.
Asked about the research on Friday, China’s foreign ministry said the research institute had “no academic credibility” and was producing “anti-China reports and anti-China lies”.
Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said there were about 24,000 mosques in the region.
“Xinjiang’s total number of mosques is more than ten times the number in the US, and the average number of mosques per Muslim person is higher than in some Muslim countries,” Wang told a regular press briefing.
Friday’s report comes a day after ASPI said it had identified a network of detention centres in the region much larger than previous estimates.
Beijing has said its network of camps are vocational training centres, which are necessary for countering poverty and anti-extremism.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-09-25--'Strike for climate': Youth protests make a return

Like many of her # generation , Mya-Rose Craig feels strongly that adults have failed to take the urgent action @ @ @ @ @ and so she has headed to the # Arctic Ocean to # protest .
Armed @ @ @ @ @ Strike for # Climate '' , the 18-year-old British # activist is staging the most @ @ @ @ @ of youth strikes worldwide .

'Strike for climate': Youth protests make a return
01:30
Video by: Yinka OYETADE
Like many of her #generation, Mya-Rose Craig feels strongly that adults have failed to take the urgent action needed to tackle global warming and so she has headed to the #Arctic Ocean to #protest. Armed with a placard reading 'Youth Strike for #Climate", the 18-year-old British #activist is staging the most northerly protest in a series of youth strikes worldwide.


france24--2020-09-25--Bottas on top, Hamilton 19th in opening Sochi practice

Valtteri Bottas was fastest in the first practice at Sochi Valtteri Bottas topped the times for Mercedes ahead of Renault 's Daniel Ricciardo in Friday morning 's crash-hit opening free practice at this weekend 's Russian Grand Prix .
The Finn , who is 55 points adrift of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the title race , clocked a best lap in one minute and 34.923 seconds .
This left him half a second clear of the Australian on the smooth-surfaced circuit and six-tenths ahead of third-placed Max Verstappen of Red Bull .
Defending six-time champion Hamilton , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Schumacher 's career record 91 victories , remained in the Mercedes team garage for much of the session after flat-spotting his tyres and did not clock a truly competitive lap time .
He was classified down in 19th .
Sergio Perez was fourth ahead of his Racing Point team-mate Lance Stroll , Esteban Ocon in the second Renault , local hero Daniil Kvyat of Alpha Tauri and Alex Albon in the second Red Bull .
Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel , in his last season with Ferrari , was ninth in the leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Alpha Tauri .
The session was run in bright and warm conditions at the Olympic Park circuit , which was built to host the 2014 Olympic Winter Games .
Bottas soon set the pace , although Perez in his Racing Point briefly interrupted with a fast time .
After complaining on Thursday that he was being ostracised , the Mexican settled his differences with the team – which will run in new British racing green livery as Aston Martin next season – after overnight talks .
Ricciardo was briefly top for Renault @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrows ' team-mate Hamilton remained in the garage .
Carlos Sainz damaged the rear wing of his McLaren when he smacked the barriers at turn seven after 34 minutes , prompting a Virtual Safety Car period before local hero Daniil Kvyat spun his Alpha Tauri to give the sparse crowd a thrill .
Once the action resumed , at full pace , Canadian rookie Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams at turn ten , the impact causing the session to be red-flagged .
`` I crashed , '' he reported .
`` I 'm @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) –
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Valtteri Bottas topped the times for Mercedes ahead of Renault's Daniel Ricciardo in Friday morning's crash-hit opening free practice at this weekend's Russian Grand Prix.
The Finn, who is 55 points adrift of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the title race, clocked a best lap in one minute and 34.923 seconds.
This left him half a second clear of the Australian on the smooth-surfaced circuit and six-tenths ahead of third-placed Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
Defending six-time champion Hamilton, who is one win short of equalling seven-time champion Michael Schumacher's career record 91 victories, remained in the Mercedes team garage for much of the session after flat-spotting his tyres and did not clock a truly competitive lap time.
He was classified down in 19th.
Sergio Perez was fourth ahead of his Racing Point team-mate Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon in the second Renault, local hero Daniil Kvyat of Alpha Tauri and Alex Albon in the second Red Bull.
Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, in his last season with Ferrari, was ninth in the leading scarlet car ahead of Pierre Gasly in his Alpha Tauri.
The session was run in bright and warm conditions at the Olympic Park circuit, which was built to host the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Bottas soon set the pace, although Perez in his Racing Point briefly interrupted with a fast time.
After complaining on Thursday that he was being ostracised, the Mexican settled his differences with the team – which will run in new British racing green livery as Aston Martin next season – after overnight talks.
Ricciardo was briefly top for Renault before Bottas regained the summit while 'black arrows' team-mate Hamilton remained in the garage.
Carlos Sainz damaged the rear wing of his McLaren when he smacked the barriers at turn seven after 34 minutes, prompting a Virtual Safety Car period before local hero Daniil Kvyat spun his Alpha Tauri to give the sparse crowd a thrill.
Once the action resumed, at full pace, Canadian rookie Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams at turn ten, the impact causing the session to be red-flagged.
"I crashed," he reported. "I'm ok. Sorry, guys."
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-26--Military plane carrying 27 crashes in Ukraine, killing most on board

Rescuers inspect wreckages of the Ukrainian military Antonov An-26 plane after crashing outside of Chuhuiv town , Ukraine , September 25 , 2020 .
A military transport plane carrying air force cadets crashed and burst into flames near a highway in northeastern Ukraine on Friday evening , killing at least 22 people on board , officials said .
The Antonov An-26 aircraft crashed while trying to land during a training exercise , the General Staff of the Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak said in a statement , adding that at least two more people were critically injured .
Video posted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed the plane in flames lying near a road and smoke billowing upwards in the night sky .
Footage taken later showed rescue workers inspecting the smoking wreckage near the town of Chuhuiv .
An investigation has started on what caused the crash .
One pilot reported failure in the left engine of the twin-engined plane , said Oleksiy Kucher , the governor of the Kharkiv region , according to Interfax Ukraine , adding this would not have been a critical situation for an experienced pilot .
Citing preliminary information , Kucher said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managed to jump out of the plane when it was at low altitude .
An eyewitness who was driving along the road towards Chuhuiv told Reuters he saw a man in flames running from the plane after it crashed .
“ Another car stopped behind us .
We took a fire extinguisher and ran with another driver to help him , ” said Yaroslav , who gave only his first name .
“ Another man came from the plane .
He had a cut on his head .
We pulled him to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The one who was on fire , we put the fire out.
” The crash happened around 2 km ( 1.2 miles ) from a military airport , the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a statement .
It said 27 people had been on board the plane .
The cadets were from the Kharkiv University of Air Force , which is run by the defence ministry .
“ A state commission is being created to identify all the circumstances and causes of this disaster .
Search and rescue work continues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zelenskiy ’ s office said .
Zelenskiy will travel to the area on Saturday .

A military transport plane carrying air force cadets crashed and burst into flames near a highway in northeastern Ukraine on Friday evening, killing at least 22 people on board, officials said.
Rescuers inspect wreckages of the Ukrainian military Antonov An-26 plane after crashing outside of Chuhuiv town, Ukraine, September 25, 2020.
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The Antonov An-26 aircraft crashed while trying to land during a training exercise, the General Staff of the Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak said in a statement, adding that at least two more people were critically injured.
Video posted by Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko on Facebook showed the plane in flames lying near a road and smoke billowing upwards in the night sky.
Footage taken later showed rescue workers inspecting the smoking wreckage near the town of Chuhuiv.
An investigation has started on what caused the crash.
One pilot reported failure in the left engine of the twin-engined plane, said Oleksiy Kucher, the governor of the Kharkiv region, according to Interfax Ukraine, adding this would not have been a critical situation for an experienced pilot.
Citing preliminary information, Kucher said that some of the people on board managed to jump out of the plane when it was at low altitude.
An eyewitness who was driving along the road towards Chuhuiv told Reuters he saw a man in flames running from the plane after it crashed.
“Another car stopped behind us. We took a fire extinguisher and ran with another driver to help him,” said Yaroslav, who gave only his first name.
“Another man came from the plane. He had a cut on his head. We pulled him to the opposite side (of the road). The one who was on fire, we put the fire out.”
The crash happened around 2 km (1.2 miles) from a military airport, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a statement. It said 27 people had been on board the plane.
The cadets were from the Kharkiv University of Air Force, which is run by the defence ministry.
“A state commission is being created to identify all the circumstances and causes of this disaster. Search and rescue work continues on the spot,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said. Zelenskiy will travel to the area on Saturday.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-09-26--Trump to name Amy Coney Barrett to US Supreme Court: reports

President Donald Trump intends to name Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court , US media reported Friday , who if confirmed would cement a solid conservative majority on the high court .
The president said this week he will announce his pick to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday , and various media outlets said it would be the 48-year-old conservative judge .
Citing sources close to the process , various media outlets , including The New York Times and CNN , said Trump would nominate Barrett .
If she is confirmed , the court would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asked by journalists if Barrett will indeed be nominated , Trump responded : `` I have n't said that . ''
But he added that he had already made a decision `` in my own mind '' and that Barrett is `` outstanding . ''
The media reports noted the mercurial Trump could still change his mind before the official announcement , expected at 5 pm ( 2100 GMT ) Saturday .
Democratic opponents , led by presidential candidate Joe Biden , have demanded that Republicans back off on replacing liberal icon Ginsburg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the November 3 election , after it 's determined whether Trump will get a second term .
Leaders of the Republican majority in the Senate , which is tasked with confirming Supreme Court nominees , said they have enough support to hold a vote on the nomination either before the election or at worst during the `` lame duck '' session between the election and the inauguration of the next president in January .
`` We will certainly do that this year , '' Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said .
Barrett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was only appointed to the bench for the first time in 2017 .
Deeply conservative , she is considered hostile to abortion rights -- a key issue for many Republicans .
In 2018 , the mother of seven was on the shortlist presented by Trump for a seat vacated by the retirement of justice Anthony Kennedy , a position ultimately filled by Brett Kavanaugh after a ferocious confirmation battle .
Earlier Friday , Ginsburg became the first woman and first Jewish person to lie in state at the US Capitol , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dignitaries including Biden paid their respects .
Ginsburg 's last wish , reportedly relayed to her granddaughter , was for her seat to be decided by whoever wins the next election .
Trump cast doubt upon the veracity of that in an interview Monday , suggesting it could have been a ploy made up Democratic leaders .
Republican leaders have said that if the fate of a disputed election rests with the Supreme Court , they will need a full bench of judges to prevent a deadlock .
The Democrats have vowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent the confirmation of a new justice before the election , but with a 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate , there is little they can do to stop it .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week the Democrats `` have arrows in our quiver that I 'm not about to discuss right now , '' prompting speculation that if the Democrats win big in Congress but lose the White House , they could try to impeach the president a second time or expand the number of judges on the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Washington (AFP) –
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President Donald Trump intends to name Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, US media reported Friday, who if confirmed would cement a solid conservative majority on the high court.
The president said this week he will announce his pick to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday, and various media outlets said it would be the 48-year-old conservative judge.
Citing sources close to the process, various media outlets, including The New York Times and CNN, said Trump would nominate Barrett.
If she is confirmed, the court would shift to a 6-3 conservative majority.
Asked by journalists if Barrett will indeed be nominated, Trump responded: "I haven't said that."
But he added that he had already made a decision "in my own mind" and that Barrett is "outstanding."
The media reports noted the mercurial Trump could still change his mind before the official announcement, expected at 5 pm (2100 GMT) Saturday.
Democratic opponents, led by presidential candidate Joe Biden, have demanded that Republicans back off on replacing liberal icon Ginsburg -- who died last week -- until after the November 3 election, after it's determined whether Trump will get a second term.
Leaders of the Republican majority in the Senate, which is tasked with confirming Supreme Court nominees, said they have enough support to hold a vote on the nomination either before the election or at worst during the "lame duck" session between the election and the inauguration of the next president in January.
"We will certainly do that this year," Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said.
Barrett, a practicing Catholic and law professor, was only appointed to the bench for the first time in 2017. Deeply conservative, she is considered hostile to abortion rights -- a key issue for many Republicans.
In 2018, the mother of seven was on the shortlist presented by Trump for a seat vacated by the retirement of justice Anthony Kennedy, a position ultimately filled by Brett Kavanaugh after a ferocious confirmation battle.
- A full bench -
Earlier Friday, Ginsburg became the first woman and first Jewish person to lie in state at the US Capitol, where the justice's relatives, US lawmakers and dignitaries including Biden paid their respects.
Ginsburg's last wish, reportedly relayed to her granddaughter, was for her seat to be decided by whoever wins the next election.
Trump cast doubt upon the veracity of that in an interview Monday, suggesting it could have been a ploy made up Democratic leaders.
Republican leaders have said that if the fate of a disputed election rests with the Supreme Court, they will need a full bench of judges to prevent a deadlock.
The Democrats have vowed to do everything in their power to prevent the confirmation of a new justice before the election, but with a 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate, there is little they can do to stop it.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week the Democrats "have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss right now," prompting speculation that if the Democrats win big in Congress but lose the White House, they could try to impeach the president a second time or expand the number of judges on the Supreme Court to 15 from its current nine.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-26--Trump will pick Amy Coney Barrett to fill Ginsburg Supreme Court seat, GOP sources say

File photo : US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett , a law professor at Notre Dame University , poses in an undated photograph obtained from Notre Dame University September 19 , 2020 .
President Donald Trump is expected to announce Saturday that he is nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court as he aims to put a historic conservative stamp on the high court just weeks before the election .
Trump said Friday he had made up his mind and it was “ very exciting , ” without giving away the name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his personal announcement .
But the White House indicated to congressional Republicans and outside allies that the pick was Barrett .
“ Well I haven ’ t said it was her , but she ’ s outstanding , ” Trump said of the Indiana federal judge .
Conservative groups and congressional allies are laying the groundwork for a swift confirmation process for her , even before Trump makes the selection official in a Rose Garden ceremony Saturday evening .
They , like the president , are wasting little time moving to replace the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multimillion-dollar ad campaigns and marshalling supporters both to confirm the pick and to boost Trump to a second term .
The likely shift in the court ’ s makeup — from Ginsburg , a liberal icon , to an outspoken conservative — would be the sharpest ideological swing since Clarence Thomas replaced Justice Thurgood Marshall nearly three decades ago .
Ever the showman , Trump remained coy about his choice Friday evening as he returned from a campaign swing .
When asked whether lawmakers were being told it was Barrett , Trump responded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joint Base Andrews , before replying , “ Is that what they ’ re telling you ?
” “ You ’ ll find out tomorrow , ” he went on to say , flashing a wide smile .
“ Look , they ’ re all great .
It could be any of one them .
It could be actually anyone on the list.
” For Trump , it will provide a much-needed political assist as he tries to fire up his base .
For conservatives , it will mark a long-sought payoff for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And for Democrats , it will be another moment of reckoning , with their party locked in a bitter battle to retake the White House and the Senate .
Senate Republicans are readying for confirmation hearings in two weeks , with a vote in the full chamber now expected before Election Day .
Democrats are essentially powerless to block the votes .
“ I ’ m confident he ’ s going to make an outstanding nomination , ” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News .
“ The American people are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and conclude , as we are likely to conclude , that she well deserves to be confirmed to the US Supreme Court.
” “ They ’ re hell-bent on getting this done as fast as possible , ” said Democratic Senate whip Dick Durbin .
“ They think it helps Donald Trump get reelected.
” Outside conservative groups , who have been preparing for this moment for 40 years , are planning to spend more than $ 25 million to support Trump and his nominee .
The Judicial Crisis Network has organized a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Susan B. Anthony List , the Club for Growth and the group Catholic Vote .
“ One of the things we ’ ve learned from the histories of confirmation processes , the intensity of the fight has more to do with the previous occupant of the seat than who the nominee is , ” said JCN ’ s Carrie Severino .
“ We expect this to be a very high stakes confirmation.
” Within hours of Ginsburg ’ s death , Trump made clear his intention to nominate a woman in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the court and as he struggles to mitigate an erosion in support among suburban women .
Trump ’ s announcement Saturday will come before Ginsburg is buried beside her husband next week at Arlington National Cemetery .
On Friday , she was the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol , and mourners flocked to the Supreme Court for two days before that to pay respects .
The White House has already concluded a round of vetting this month , as Trump released an additional 20 names he would consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat Joe Biden to list possible nominees , too .
Trump had said he was considering five women for Ginsburg ’ s seat , but Barrett was at the White House at least twice this week , including for a Monday meeting with Trump .
He is not known to have met with any of the other contenders .
The staunch conservative ’ s 2017 appeals court confirmation on a party-line vote included allegations that Democrats were attacking her Catholic faith .
Trump allies see that as a political windfall for them should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Catholic voters in Pennsylvania , in particular , are viewed as a pivotal demographic in the swing state that Democratic nominee Joe Biden , also Catholic , is trying to recapture .
Vice President Mike Pence defended Barrett when asked whether her affiliation with People of Praise , a charismatic Christian community , would complicate her ability to serve on the high court .
“ I must tell you the intolerance expressed during her last confirmation about her Catholic faith I really think was a disservice to the process and a disappointment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told ABC News .
Though the court can break down along ideological lines in high-profile cases , Chief Justice John Roberts and his colleagues resist the idea they are politicians in robes and emphasize that they agree more than they disagree .
Still , Barrett ’ s appointment would make the court more conservative .
It would be transformed from a court divided 5-4 between conservatives and liberals to one in which six members are conservatives appointed by Republican presidents .
Barrett has been hailed as a justice in the mold of Antonin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump played up the power to make judicial nominations with conservative voters in 2016 , when Republican senators kept open the seat vacated by the death of Scalia rather than let President Barack Obama fill the opening .
Trump ’ s decision to release lists of accomplished conservative jurists for potential elevation was rewarded by increased enthusiasm among white evangelical voters , many of whom had been resistant to supporting the candidacy of the one-time New York Democrat .
Trump 's campaign is preparing to use the latest confirmation fight for maximum political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuel on our base , ” said Bill Schuette , a former Michigan attorney general and now a Trump campaign surrogate .
“ This is going to fire up our base in order to support the responsibility of the Senate and the president to make the nomination , the Senate to confirm .
”

President Donald Trump is expected to announce Saturday that he is nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court as he aims to put a historic conservative stamp on the high court just weeks before the election.
File photo: US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a law professor at Notre Dame University, poses in an undated photograph obtained from Notre Dame University September 19, 2020.
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Trump said Friday he had made up his mind and it was “very exciting,” without giving away the name, aiming to maintain some suspense around his personal announcement. But the White House indicated to congressional Republicans and outside allies that the pick was Barrett.
“Well I haven’t said it was her, but she’s outstanding,” Trump said of the Indiana federal judge.
Conservative groups and congressional allies are laying the groundwork for a swift confirmation process for her, even before Trump makes the selection official in a Rose Garden ceremony Saturday evening. They, like the president, are wasting little time moving to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, organizing multimillion-dollar ad campaigns and marshalling supporters both to confirm the pick and to boost Trump to a second term.
The likely shift in the court’s makeup — from Ginsburg, a liberal icon, to an outspoken conservative — would be the sharpest ideological swing since Clarence Thomas replaced Justice Thurgood Marshall nearly three decades ago.
Ever the showman, Trump remained coy about his choice Friday evening as he returned from a campaign swing. When asked whether lawmakers were being told it was Barrett, Trump responded with a nod on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, before replying, “Is that what they’re telling you?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow,” he went on to say, flashing a wide smile. “Look, they’re all great. It could be any of one them. It could be actually anyone on the list.”
For Trump, it will provide a much-needed political assist as he tries to fire up his base. For conservatives, it will mark a long-sought payoff for their at-times uncomfortable embrace of Trump. And for Democrats, it will be another moment of reckoning, with their party locked in a bitter battle to retake the White House and the Senate.
Senate Republicans are readying for confirmation hearings in two weeks, with a vote in the full chamber now expected before Election Day. Democrats are essentially powerless to block the votes.
“I’m confident he’s going to make an outstanding nomination,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News. “The American people are going to take a look at this nominee and conclude, as we are likely to conclude, that she well deserves to be confirmed to the US Supreme Court.”
“They’re hell-bent on getting this done as fast as possible,” said Democratic Senate whip Dick Durbin. “They think it helps Donald Trump get reelected.”
Outside conservative groups, who have been preparing for this moment for 40 years, are planning to spend more than $25 million to support Trump and his nominee. The Judicial Crisis Network has organized a coalition that includes American First Policies, the Susan B. Anthony List, the Club for Growth and the group Catholic Vote.
“One of the things we’ve learned from the histories of confirmation processes, the intensity of the fight has more to do with the previous occupant of the seat than who the nominee is,” said JCN’s Carrie Severino. “We expect this to be a very high stakes confirmation.”
Within hours of Ginsburg’s death, Trump made clear his intention to nominate a woman in her stead, after previously putting two men on the court and as he struggles to mitigate an erosion in support among suburban women.
Trump’s announcement Saturday will come before Ginsburg is buried beside her husband next week at Arlington National Cemetery. On Friday, she was the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol, and mourners flocked to the Supreme Court for two days before that to pay respects.
The White House has already concluded a round of vetting this month, as Trump released an additional 20 names he would consider for the court. He has challenged Democrat Joe Biden to list possible nominees, too.
Trump had said he was considering five women for Ginsburg’s seat, but Barrett was at the White House at least twice this week, including for a Monday meeting with Trump. He is not known to have met with any of the other contenders.
The staunch conservative’s 2017 appeals court confirmation on a party-line vote included allegations that Democrats were attacking her Catholic faith. Trump allies see that as a political windfall for them should Democrats attempt to do so once again. Catholic voters in Pennsylvania, in particular, are viewed as a pivotal demographic in the swing state that Democratic nominee Joe Biden, also Catholic, is trying to recapture.
Vice President Mike Pence defended Barrett when asked whether her affiliation with People of Praise, a charismatic Christian community, would complicate her ability to serve on the high court.
“I must tell you the intolerance expressed during her last confirmation about her Catholic faith I really think was a disservice to the process and a disappointment to millions of Americans,” he told ABC News.
Though the court can break down along ideological lines in high-profile cases, Chief Justice John Roberts and his colleagues resist the idea they are politicians in robes and emphasize that they agree more than they disagree. Still, Barrett’s appointment would make the court more conservative. It would be transformed from a court divided 5-4 between conservatives and liberals to one in which six members are conservatives appointed by Republican presidents. Barrett has been hailed as a justice in the mold of Antonin Scalia, for whom she clerked.
Trump played up the power to make judicial nominations with conservative voters in 2016, when Republican senators kept open the seat vacated by the death of Scalia rather than let President Barack Obama fill the opening. Trump’s decision to release lists of accomplished conservative jurists for potential elevation was rewarded by increased enthusiasm among white evangelical voters, many of whom had been resistant to supporting the candidacy of the one-time New York Democrat.
Trump's campaign is preparing to use the latest confirmation fight for maximum political effect.
“This is big jet fuel on our base,” said Bill Schuette, a former Michigan attorney general and now a Trump campaign surrogate. “This is going to fire up our base in order to support the responsibility of the Senate and the president to make the nomination, the Senate to confirm.”
(AP)
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france24--2020-09-25--Senegalese town fights losing battle against trash

The view from Bargny : The small Senegalese village is caught between a cement victory , artisanal fish smokers and the plastic-strewn tide of the Atlantic Medza remembers the coastline of his native Senegalese town of Bargny as a place where he fished and played as a child before it became a festering rubbish dump .
The beach bordering the fishing settlement , about 30 kilometres ( 18 miles ) south of the capital Dakar , is now permanently choked with plastic waste and rotten fish carcasses .
Wedged in by a motorway and industrial sites , Bargny typifies Senegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as its seemingly endless struggle against pollution and trash .
The town borders one of West Africa 's largest cement factories and a power plant , and a mineral port is being built nearby .
But its 60,000 inhabitants have seen little in the way of beneficial development .
Residents tip out buckets of waste onto the beach for lack of disposal facilities .
Local fishermen and industrial trawlers toss refuse overboard which washes back on the beach , according to Medza , whose real name is Medoune Ndoye .
`` It shocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this because it 's evil and it 's shameful , '' Medza , a 29-year-old environmental activist , said .
For months , he and other local activists have been pushing to clean up the town .
On August 15 -- after raising money online for wheelbarrows , bags and shovels -- they spent three days clearing the beach .
But they were fighting a losing battle : after little over a week , the beach was freshly covered with plastic detritus and other waste .
`` Everything is dirty again , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scattered plastic bottles and pieces of old fish netting surrounding him .
`` We feel as if our efforts are in vain '' .
Much of the coast of Senegal , a poor nation of some 16 million people , is polluted .
The government has made attempts to tackle the problem -- such as banning single-use plastics this year -- but the impact on the ground appears limited .
Bargny 's trash problem is particularly severe .
The town has a spotty garbage-collection service , but no rubbish bins or sewage system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ town hall , Daouda Moustafa Diouf , told AFP that local authorities had begun to take the problem seriously .
`` We made very serious investments last year because we became aware of what existed here , it was really in an indescribable state , '' Diouf said .
The town hall is designating rubbish collection points across town , which it hopes will discourage people from dumping on the beach .
Pape Ndoye , an unemployed father in his fifties , pointed to a lack of infrastructure as a driver of pollution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put their garbage on the beach , '' he said , just as a girl nearby emptied a bucket onto the sand .
Bins can do nothing against trash floating in from the sea , however .
Medza , the environmental activist , said he remained determined .
`` As long as the beach is n't clean , we wo n't give up , '' he said .

Bargny (Sénégal) (AFP) –
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Medza remembers the coastline of his native Senegalese town of Bargny as a place where he fished and played as a child before it became a festering rubbish dump.
The beach bordering the fishing settlement, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the capital Dakar, is now permanently choked with plastic waste and rotten fish carcasses.
Wedged in by a motorway and industrial sites, Bargny typifies Senegal's jagged economic development -- as well as its seemingly endless struggle against pollution and trash.
The town borders one of West Africa's largest cement factories and a power plant, and a mineral port is being built nearby. But its 60,000 inhabitants have seen little in the way of beneficial development.
Residents tip out buckets of waste onto the beach for lack of disposal facilities. Local fishermen and industrial trawlers toss refuse overboard which washes back on the beach, according to Medza, whose real name is Medoune Ndoye.
"It shocks me. It can't continue like this because it's evil and it's shameful," Medza, a 29-year-old environmental activist, said.
For months, he and other local activists have been pushing to clean up the town.
On August 15 -- after raising money online for wheelbarrows, bags and shovels -- they spent three days clearing the beach.
But they were fighting a losing battle: after little over a week, the beach was freshly covered with plastic detritus and other waste.
"Everything is dirty again," Medza said, looking down at the scattered plastic bottles and pieces of old fish netting surrounding him.
"We feel as if our efforts are in vain".
- Pink canal water -
Much of the coast of Senegal, a poor nation of some 16 million people, is polluted.
The government has made attempts to tackle the problem -- such as banning single-use plastics this year -- but the impact on the ground appears limited.
Bargny's trash problem is particularly severe. The town has a spotty garbage-collection service, but no rubbish bins or sewage system.
The deputy mayor of Bargny's town hall, Daouda Moustafa Diouf, told AFP that local authorities had begun to take the problem seriously.
"We made very serious investments last year because we became aware of what existed here, it was really in an indescribable state," Diouf said.
The town hall is designating rubbish collection points across town, which it hopes will discourage people from dumping on the beach.
Pape Ndoye, an unemployed father in his fifties, pointed to a lack of infrastructure as a driver of pollution.
"People come from distant neighbourhoods to put their garbage on the beach," he said, just as a girl nearby emptied a bucket onto the sand.
Bins can do nothing against trash floating in from the sea, however.
Medza, the environmental activist, said he remained determined.
"As long as the beach isn't clean, we won't give up," he said.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-09-25--US Republican senators confront Netflix over Chinese sci-fi show

US Republicans have pointed out that Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings is a significant Democratic donor Five Republican US senators have confronted Netflix over the streaming giant 's plan to adapt a Chinese sci-fi book trilogy , expressing concern over the original author 's comments about claims of forced labor in Xinjiang .
Liu Cixin 's bestselling `` The Three-Body Problem , '' which tells the story of humanity 's first contact with aliens , is set to become a major Netflix series co-written by the creators of `` Game of Thrones . ''
In a letter to content boss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of `` parroting dangerous [ Communist Party ] propaganda '' and suggested Netflix was `` providing a platform to Mr Liu in producing this project . ''
They highlighted a New Yorker article from last year in which Liu is quoted defending mass internment in China 's northwestern Xinjiang region , where activists say more than one million Uighurs and other Muslim Turkic-speaking people have been incarcerated in camps .
`` Would you rather that they be hacking away at bodies at train stations and schools in terrorist attacks ? ''
Liu told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government is helping their economy and trying to lift them out of poverty . ''
According to the senators ' letter , adapting Liu 's work would represent `` the normalization of , or apologism for , these crimes . ''
`` We ask Netflix to seriously reconsider the implications of providing a platform to Mr Liu in producing this project , '' it concluded .
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
President Donald Trump 's administration has ramped up pressure on China on a wide range @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Xinjiang .
With Trump 's reelection bid looming closer , Republicans recently pulled Netflix into the US election fray with a separate row over French film `` Cuties , '' accused of sexualizing little girls .
Conservative activists say the drama is a by-product of an overly liberal culture often associated with Hollywood -- and that it promotes pedophilia .
Its director denied the charges and said the movie is a critique of the over-sexualization of young girls .
Republicans have also pointed out that Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joined the Communists during China 's civil war , but was later sent to work in coal mines in the country 's north , while the author himself is described as `` no dissident '' in the New Yorker profile .
The trilogy by Liu -- whose famous fans include former president Barack Obama -- imagines an alternate history in which a female Chinese astrophysicist makes contact with an alien civilization , prompting global fears of an invasion .
Netflix announced its adaptation earlier this month , with `` Star Wars : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an executive producer , along with Brad Pitt 's Plan B Entertainment company .
`` Game of Thrones '' duo David Benioff and D.B .
Weiss will co-write the series .
In an official statement at the time , Liu said the apocalyptic series `` transcends time and the confines of nations , cultures and races . ''

Los Angeles (AFP) –
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Five Republican US senators have confronted Netflix over the streaming giant's plan to adapt a Chinese sci-fi book trilogy, expressing concern over the original author's comments about claims of forced labor in Xinjiang.
Liu Cixin's bestselling "The Three-Body Problem," which tells the story of humanity's first contact with aliens, is set to become a major Netflix series co-written by the creators of "Game of Thrones."
In a letter to content boss Ted Sarandos, the senators accused Liu of "parroting dangerous [Communist Party] propaganda" and suggested Netflix was "providing a platform to Mr Liu in producing this project."
They highlighted a New Yorker article from last year in which Liu is quoted defending mass internment in China's northwestern Xinjiang region, where activists say more than one million Uighurs and other Muslim Turkic-speaking people have been incarcerated in camps.
"Would you rather that they be hacking away at bodies at train stations and schools in terrorist attacks?" Liu told the magazine. "If anything, the government is helping their economy and trying to lift them out of poverty."
According to the senators' letter, adapting Liu's work would represent "the normalization of, or apologism for, these crimes."
"We ask Netflix to seriously reconsider the implications of providing a platform to Mr Liu in producing this project," it concluded.
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Donald Trump's administration has ramped up pressure on China on a wide range of issues, imposing sanctions over policies in Xinjiang.
With Trump's reelection bid looming closer, Republicans recently pulled Netflix into the US election fray with a separate row over French film "Cuties," accused of sexualizing little girls.
Conservative activists say the drama is a by-product of an overly liberal culture often associated with Hollywood -- and that it promotes pedophilia.
Its director denied the charges and said the movie is a critique of the over-sexualization of young girls.
Republicans have also pointed out that Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings is a significant Democratic donor.
Liu's father joined the Communists during China's civil war, but was later sent to work in coal mines in the country's north, while the author himself is described as "no dissident" in the New Yorker profile.
The trilogy by Liu -- whose famous fans include former president Barack Obama -- imagines an alternate history in which a female Chinese astrophysicist makes contact with an alien civilization, prompting global fears of an invasion.
Netflix announced its adaptation earlier this month, with "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson serving as an executive producer, along with Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment company.
"Game of Thrones" duo David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will co-write the series.
In an official statement at the time, Liu said the apocalyptic series "transcends time and the confines of nations, cultures and races."
© 2020 AFP