French police win plaudits after high-risk Olympics

General view of police officers on horses outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, before the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics on August 11, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 12 August 2024
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French police win plaudits after high-risk Olympics

  • There were incidents over the last fortnight but nothing that marred the event overall to the widespread relief of organizers
  • Two weeks of competition saw packed stadiums, with 743,000 people attending sports venues on a single day on July 30

PARIS: The vaulting ambition of the Paris Olympics made them risky and hard to police, but French security forces kept thousands of athletes and millions of fans safe — a “gold medal” performance according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
The two-week sporting extravaganza which finished on Sunday led to a security operation like no other in recent French history, with the mobilization of around 75,000 police, soldiers and private security guards on the opening night on July 26.
There were incidents over the last fortnight — an attack on the French railways, a pitch invader at the 100m men’s final — but nothing that marred the event overall to the widespread relief of organizers.
“These Olympic Games involve both great French medals and a great gold medal for the ministry of the interior and the security forces,” Darmanin said last week as he visited officers on duty in Marseille in southern France.
The sense of satisfaction and self-congratulatory tone of his remarks reflected the immense pressure and doubts raised in the run-up to the Games over whether France’s already stretched resources would be up to the task.

Their first test was securing the Olympic torch relay, a journey through 450 French towns and cities as well as overseas territories.
Then came unexpected parliamentary elections in July, followed by the unprecedented opening ceremony along a six-kilometer (four-mile) stretch of the River Seine which had been giving planners sleepless nights since it was unveiled in 2021.




Police officers stand guard over the Seine River prior to the opening ceremony at the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 26, 2024, in Paris. (AP)

In the end, the 300,000 ticketed spectators who watched from the river banks were troubled by nothing more than torrential rain, with the streets of the capital flooded with uniformed officers.
“For those of us that have been here on the ground, we’ve seen the security footprint here. It is impressive,” Nicole Deal, chief of security for Team USA, said on the day of the ceremony. “I have never seen (one) quite like this in any other Games.”
Two weeks of competition saw packed stadiums, with 743,000 people attending sports venues on a single day on July 30.
Other events from the triathlon to the marathon took place through the streets of the capital.
Around a million people lined the course of the men’s and women’s cycling road races on August 3-4.
“Without any doubt, French security services deserve a gold medal,” French criminologist and university professor Alain Bauer, a vocal critic of the open-air opening ceremony format, told AFP.

He said it was down to “exceptional investment” and “essential changes” which saw organizers notably scale down the size of the opening ceremony crowd under pressure from the interior ministry.

Having been excluded from the Games, Russia was said by French officials to be plotting to destabilize them, with France’s cyber-security agency on high alert for attacks that could disrupt the organizing committee, ticketing or transport.
The arrest of a 40-year-old suspected member of Russian secret services on the eve of the Games set nerves jangling.
The war in Gaza, threats from the Daesh group, and France’s history of home-grown Islamist terror plots and far-right extremism also raised fears about the possibility of an attack that would ruin the party.
Not everyone has found the security operation something to celebrate, however.
Charities complained loudly about repressive policing of the homeless, sex workers and migrants ahead of the Games, while anti-Olympics protest groups say they have been prevented from exercising their democratic rights.
Around 45 activists from the Extinction Rebellion climate change protest group were detained by police the day after the opening ceremony as they prepared to occupy a bridge over the River Seine in central Paris.
The “Saccage 2024” group, which has been running so-called “Toxic Tours” highlighting the downsides of the Games, said it had been prevented from guiding a group of around 20 people to sites in northern Paris last week.
Around 30 riot police and four police cars prevented the tour and three members of the collective were taken to a local police station for questioning.
“No charges were pressed against any of the arrested people at the end of the police custody, further proof that this was in reality an attempt at intimidation,” the group wrote on Instagram.
 


King Charles III and Kate will attend remembrance events as both royals slowly return to duty

Updated 56 min 52 sec ago
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King Charles III and Kate will attend remembrance events as both royals slowly return to duty

  • King Charles III and the Princess of Wales both plan to attend the United Kingdom’s annual ceremony honoring fallen service personnel on Sunday.

LONDON: King Charles III and the Princess of Wales both plan to attend the United Kingdom’s annual ceremony honoring fallen service personnel on Sunday, a sign that the royal family is slowly returning to normal after a year in which two of the most popular royals were sidelined by cancer.
Remembrance Sunday is a totemic event in the UK, with the king leading senior royals, political leaders and envoys from the Commonwealth countries that fought alongside Britain in the two world wars in laying wreaths at the Cenotaph, the Portland stone memorial in central London that serves as the focal point for honoring the nation’s war dead.
The presence of both Charles, who is the commander in chief of the military, and Kate signals that normal royal service has been restored — at least for one day.
“They are showing respect to us, as we’ve shown to them by serving,” said Victor Needham-Crofton, 91, an army veteran who served during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and later in Kenya.
Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February, forcing him to step away from public appearances for two months as he focused on his treatment and recovery. Just a few weeks later, Kate announced her own cancer diagnosis, which sidelined her for much of the year as she underwent chemotherapy.
The king has been in good form in recent months and recently completed a taxing trip to Australia and Samoa. Kate, who made her first post-diagnosis public appearance during the monarch’s birthday parade in June, is slowly returning to public duties.
Prince William, Kate’s husband and the heir to the throne, reflected this week on the strain that the cancer scare has placed on the royal family.
“I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,” William told reporters on Thursday as he wrapped up a four-day trip to South Africa. “But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
Charles’ ceremonial role as commander in chief of the armed forces is a holdover from the days when the monarch led his troops into battle. But the link between the monarchy and the military is still very strong, with service members taking an oath of allegiance to the king and members of the royal family supporting service personnel through a variety of charities. Charles and William both served on active duty in the military before taking up full-time royal duties.
On Sunday, Charles will lay a wreath of poppies at the base of the Cenotaph. William will leave his own floral tribute – featuring the Prince of Wales’ feathers and a new ribbon in Welsh red.
Kate will watch from a balcony of the nearby Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, as is tradition.
All will be present for the culmination of the event, when 10,000 military veterans march past the memorial and lay their own wreaths honoring fallen comrades.
While the Cenotaph is the focus of the national remembrance service, communities throughout the UK will hold their own ceremonies on Sunday.
Needham-Crofton, who served with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers before a truck accident ended his military career, plans to attend a local service in Eastbourne on the south coast of England.
He has spent much of his time honoring veterans and trying to help them, including 20 years as a volunteer for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. Like some of his army tasks, raising cash was rather grueling as it involved standing in front of London subway stations collecting coins to help fund the group’s efforts.
“I like to respect all the veterans and do what I can for them,’’ he told The Associated Press. “It’s a brotherhood really. Even if you don’t know a veteran that you meet, you feel a kinship toward them. That is very important to me. I shall be like that for the rest of my life.’’


Ukraine drone attack sparks fire in Russia’s Bryansk, region’s governor says

Updated 10 November 2024
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Ukraine drone attack sparks fire in Russia’s Bryansk, region’s governor says

  • There was no immediate comment from Ukraine

A Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian border region of Bryansk has set several non-residential buildings on fire, regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Sunday.
“Emergency services and firefighters are on the site,” Bogomaz wrote on the Telegram messaging app, without providing further detail.
He said earlier on Telegram that Russian air defense systems had destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones over the territory of the region overnight.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has often said its drone attacks on Russian territory are aimed at infrastructure key to Moscow’s war efforts and are in response to Russia’s continued attack on Ukraine’s territory.


Mauritius holds election with cost of living on everyone’s minds

Updated 10 November 2024
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Mauritius holds election with cost of living on everyone’s minds

PORT LOUIS: Mauritius was holding a parliamentary election on Sunday with Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and his main rivals all promising to tackle a cost of living crisis in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Polling centers opened at 7 a.m. (0300 GMT), with small numbers of voters seen moving to check their names in the register before picking their ballots, a Reuters witness said. Voting was expected to end at 1400 GMT.
The country of about 1.3 million people markets itself as a link between Africa and Asia, deriving most of its revenues from a flourishing offshore financial sector, tourism and textiles.
It has forecast 6.5 percent economic growth this year compared with 7.0 percent last year but many voters are not feeling the benefits.
Jugnauth’s Alliance Lepep coalition has promised to raise minimum wages, increase pensions and reduce value-added tax on some basic goods.
It says it will use payments from the UK under an October agreement for Britain to cede the Chagos Islands while retaining the US-UK Diego Garcia air base.
Mauritius also receives aid from China.
“The alliance led by the prime minister is selling the economic prosperity card, with promises of more money to different segments of the population,” said political analyst Subash Gobine.
The opposition is also pledging to increase pensions as well as introduce free transport and Internet services and reduce fuel prices.
It is dominated by the Alliance du Changement coalition led by Navin Ramgoolam and two other parties running in the Linion Reform alliance, whose leaders, Nando Bodha and Roshi Bhadain, plan to alternate as prime minister if they win.
“It is the youths who will make the difference in these elections,” voter David Stafford, 36, said in the capital Port Louis, explaining that people were looking for economic innovation and job opportunities as much as fiscal changes.
Just over a million people are expected to choose lawmakers for the islands’ 62 seats in parliament for the next five years from a list of 68 parties and five political alliances.
Last week, Jugnauth’s government blocked social media platforms until a day after the election, when results are expected, citing national security concerns after conversations between public figures were leaked. It lifted the ban a day later after opposition parties criticized the move.
Whichever party or coalition gets more than half the seats in parliament also wins the prime minister’s post.


Canada reports first case of bird flu in a person

Updated 10 November 2024
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Canada reports first case of bird flu in a person

  • The person is receiving treatment in a children’s hospital for H5 avian flu
  • The source of contagion and any possible contacts are being investigated

MONTREAL: A teenager in British Columbia has become the first person in Canada to test positive for bird flu, authorities said Saturday.
This person is receiving treatment in a children’s hospital for H5 avian flu, the provincial health department said.
The source of contagion and any possible contacts are being investigated.
Officials said the infection probably came from a bird or animal.
“This is a rare event,” British Columbia Health Officer Bonnie Henry said.
“We are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the source of exposure here in B.C.”
Bird flu is most commonly found in wild birds and poultry, but has more recently been detected in mammals, with an outbreak in cattle seen across the United States this year.
It can occasionally infect humans through close contact or contaminated environments.
Scientists have voiced concern about the growing number of mammals becoming infected by bird flu, even if cases in humans remain rare.
They fear a high rate of transmission could facilitate a mutation of the virus, which could enable it to be passed from one human to another.
In September officials said a person in Missouri became the first in the United States to test positive for bird flu without a known exposure to infected animals.
All previous bird flu cases in the United States have been among farmworkers, including the very first, in 2022.
In the decades since H5 has been found in humans, there have been rare cases where an animal source cannot be identified.
But there has so far not been evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission, which would significantly increase the threat level.


Trump completes swing state sweep by taking Arizona

Updated 10 November 2024
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Trump completes swing state sweep by taking Arizona

  • CNN and NBC projected Donald Trump had obtained Arizona’s 11 electoral votes
  • Scale and strength of Trump’s comeback sent shockwaves through the defeated Democratic Party

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump won the state of Arizona in this week’s US presidential election, US TV networks projected on Saturday, completing the Republican’s sweep of all seven swing states.
After four days of counting in the southwest state with a large Hispanic population, CNN and NBC projected Trump had obtained its 11 electoral votes as he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.
Outgoing President Joe Biden scored a narrow but crucial victory in Arizona in 2020 that condemned Trump to defeat after his first term in office.
The scale and strength of Trump’s comeback, which also saw the real estate tycoon win the popular vote by a margin of around four million votes, has sent shockwaves through the defeated Democratic Party.
The Republicans have already regained control of the Senate and look well set to retain a majority in the House of Representatives thanks to support from white working class voters and a large share of Hispanics.
CNN has called Republican victories for 213 seats in the House, with 218 needed for a majority in the lower chamber.
The networks’ figures show Democrats on 205 seats, although senior party figures are still hoping they can pull off a slim victory that would significantly curtail Trump’s powers.
NBC sees the Republicans with 212 seats so far, and 204 for the Democrats.
The other six swing states won by Trump in the presidential race are Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Georgia.
The latest good news for Trump came as the White House said Biden would meet with the president-elect at the White House on Wednesday.
Trump — who never conceded his 2020 loss — sealed a remarkable comeback to the presidency in the November 5 vote, cementing what is set to be more than a decade of US politics dominated by his hard-line right-wing stance.
This type of meeting between the outgoing and incoming presidents was considered customary, but Trump did not invite Biden for one after making unsubstantiated election fraud claims that culminated in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Trump also broke with precedent by skipping Biden’s inauguration, but the White House has said the Democratic president will attend the upcoming ceremony.
Biden’s meeting with Trump will take place in the Oval Office, the White House said Saturday, with the clock ticking down to the ex-president’s return to power.
Trump, the 78-year-old ex-reality TV star, won wider margins than before, despite a criminal conviction, two impeachments while in office and warnings from his former chief of staff that he is a fascist.
Exit polls showed that voters’ top concerns remained the economy and inflation that spiked under Biden in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.