U.S. pedestrian deaths fall for first time since pandemic

By Ernie Mundell, HealthDay News

Pedestrian deaths in the United States declined in 2023 but remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to new data. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News

For the first time since the pandemic, it got a little safer to cross America's streets in 2023, new statistics show.

According to data released Monday from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 7,318 American pedestrians were killed by motor vehicles last year -- a dip of 5.4% from 2022 and the first such decline seen since the pandemic ended.

But it's no time for celebration: The 2023 number for pedestrian deaths is still 14.1% above pre-pandemic levels.

Still, the news is somewhat heartening, said GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins.

"A decline in pedestrian deaths offers hope that, after years of rising fatalities, a new trend is starting," he said in a GHSA news release. "Each death is tragic and preventable. We know how to improve safety for people walking -- more infrastructure, vehicles designed to protect people walking, lower speeds and equitable traffic enforcement. It will take all this, and more, to keep the numbers going in the right direction."

The new data comes from the State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the GHSA said.

The report also gave insights into how and where pedestrians are most often killed:

There's been no big change in the kinds of vehicles driven when a pedestrian dies, only that the percentage of deaths involving light trucks (SUVs, pickups and vans) is rising as they take up a bigger share of the motor vehicle market.

You're far more likely to be hit by a car at night (78% of pedestrian deaths in 2022) than in the daytime, and "nighttime fatal pedestrian crashes nearly doubled from 3,030 in 2010 to 5,798 in 2022," GHSA said. That's a much steeper rise than happened for deaths occurring during the day.

Sidewalks are crucial. In 2022, 66% of pedestrian deaths occurred in locales without sidewalks. "Sidewalks can help protect people walking by providing a physical separation between them and motor vehicle traffic," GHSA said. "But they are missing or in poor condition in many parts of the country." Three-quarters of pedestrian deaths in 2022 were not at an intersection.

You're most endangered when walking on what the GHSA called "non-freeway arterial roads," where 60% of deaths happened in 2022. But 1,300 Americans died while walking along freeways that year, too. "Stranded motorists exiting their vehicles, first responders and tow truck drivers are all examples of pedestrians who have been killed on freeways," the GHSA said. "All states have Move Over laws, but they are difficult to enforce."

Alcohol is too often a factor, as well. "In 2022, 30% of pedestrians 16 and older killed in motor vehicle crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher," the GHSA said. That was true for 19% of drivers who killed a pedestrian.

What can be done to bring these numbers down and prevent senseless tragedies on America's roadways?

According to the GHSA, "traffic safety cameras and engaging with unhoused populations" who are at special risk of roadside deaths is crucial. Adding in or repairing sidewalks could also help, as could digital alerts that warn drivers of vehicles parked on the roadside.

More information

Find out more about pedestrian safety at the National Safety Council

Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Philippines court drops final charge against opposition lawmaker Leila de Lima


A Philippines court on Monday dismissed the final charge against former senator Leila De Lima (C), who was arrested in February 2017. 

File Photo by Joseph Vidal/Philippine Senate Public Relations and information bureau/EPA


June 24 (UPI) -- Former senator and human rights advocate Leila de Lima had her third and final drug trafficking-related charge dismissed by a Philippines court on Monday, ending her more than half decade legal ordeal that followed her criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial and deadly war on drugs.

De Lima was detained in February 2017 on three drug-related charges that she described as political, stemming from her outspoken criticism of then-President Duterte's violent crack down on drug traffickers and users. Her arrest was condemned by Democratic nations and human rights advocates.

A court dismissed one of the three charges against her in 2021, with the second charge falling in May 2023. De Lima was then released on bail in November.

Her third and final charged was dismissed Monday by the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 206, granting de Lima's request on accusations the government lacked evidence.

After the hearing, Judge Gener Gito told de Lima that she now has "unmitigated freedom," Rappler reported.

"My heart is full with all the love pouring in today after the dismissal of all my cases," deLima said in a statement Monday.

"Thank you to everyone who believed in my innocence and that one day I will be finally vindicated. Today is that day of sweet and just freedom."

De Lima was one of the most outspoken critics of Duterte and his regime and she was arrested amid her efforts to open an investigation into his controversial war on drugs campaign that began in 2016 and, which, according to estimates from the International Criminal Court, resulted in the killings of between 12,000 and 30,000 people.

"This is full freedom and vindication, finally, for human rights defender Leila de Lima, after her nearly seven years of arbitrary detention, as well as relentless political persecution," Montse Ferrer, deputy regional director of for research at Amnesty International, said Monday in a statement.

Ferrer described de Lima's detention as a "gross injustice" and that Monday's dismissal "is a clear rejection of concerted government efforts to silence her and undermine her human rights work."

She is also calling on the government of President Ferdinand Marcos to improve conditions in the country for human rights defenders and to investigate those responsible for de Lima's detention.

According to the U.S. State Department's annual report on human rights conditions in the Philippines, human rights advocates and non-government organizations experienced a chilling under Duterte that has continued at a "lower level" under the Marcos administration, which began in June 2022.

It said significant human rights issues are present in the country, including arbitrary or unlawful killings as well as arbitrary detention.

The U.S. State Department on Monday welcomed de Lima's acquittal.

"We continue to urge the Philippines to resolve politically motivated cases, including those against journalists and civil society, in a manner consistent with its international human rights obligations and commitments," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

 

LA protesters march to 'activate' on second anniversary of Roe vs. Wade reversal

By Sheri Walsh

1 of 5 | Hundreds protest the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade in Los Angeles on Monday on the steps of City Hall, calling it an "anniversary that we activate" as they urge women to "walk out and speak out about the importance of reproductive rights." Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

June 24 (UPI) -- Hundreds of demonstrators marched through downtown Los Angeles on Monday to the steps of City Hall to protest the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

"This is not an anniversary that we celebrate. This is an anniversary that we activate," said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who represents California's 37th district in Los Angeles.

The protesters chanted and carried signs to urge women to "walk out and speak out about the importance of reproductive rights," as more than a dozen states have either banned or restricted abortions since the Supreme Court ruling.

"It's been two years since Dobbs," Kamlager-Dove wrote Monday in a post on X.

"[Twenty-one] states have banned abortion. Many have criminalized patients and providers. One in three women now live in states where their reproductive freedom is under attack, placing burdens on states like California," Kamlager-Dove added. "We must act to ensure access to reproductive care for all."

"The reversal of Roe vs. Wade, a landmark decision, is a stark reminder of how quickly our freedoms can be eroded," Emiliana Guereca, president of the Women's March Foundation which organized Monday's rally, said in a statement.

"We stand united and resolute, continuing to demand that every woman has the right to make decisions about her own body," Guereca added. "Our fight is far from over, and we will persist until justice and equality prevail for all."

While many protested the anniversary of the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, others celebrated the Supreme Court's decision two years later.

"The reversal of Roe vs. Wade brought new opportunities to protect innocent human life," Rev. Michael F. Burbidge, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in a statement Monday. "Each of us must rededicate ourselves to serving the cause of life."

Economic stress affects pets in Detroit and beyond
By Laura A. Reese, Michigan State University


Inequities and economic stress in humans contribute to "animal welfare deserts" in Detroit and other cities. 

Photo by Claudio Olivares Medina/Pexels

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. households have at least one pet. More than ever before, companion animals are a part of life -- particularly in cities, where the majority of Americans live.

Cities offer access to many resources, but often it's not distributed evenly. Some scholars describe parts of U.S. cities with few or no grocery stores as food deserts. Others have identified zones they call transit deserts, where reliable and convenient public transit is scarce or nonexistent.

While the "desert" framing is controversial, there is little disagreement that access to goods and services in many U.S. cities is unequal. I have studied urban animal welfare issues for the past 15 years, and I have found that the inequities and economic stress humans face affect animals as well.

Recently, University of Nebraska geographer Xiaomeng Li and I explored access to animal welfare services in Detroit. We found that pet resources were significantly more likely to be located in ZIP codes with more highly educated residents, higher incomes, fewer children under 18 and higher median rents.

If households with pets were located mainly in these areas, it would make sense for pet resources to be similarly concentrated. However, while many Detroit households own animals, some parts of the city offer much more access to basic pet supplies and care than others.

Pets come with costs and benefits

Detroit had 639,111 residents as of 2020. Assuming that pet ownership in Detroit resembles the national average, nearly two-thirds of its 249,518 households would have at least one pet, which would total just over 157,000 companion animals in the city.

Detroit is more economically distressed than the U.S. overall, with a median household income of $36,140, compared with the U.S. median of $67,521. Nearly one-third (30%) of Detroit residents are in poverty, compared with 11.4% nationwide. Racial segregation and income inequality are also high.

Detroit's well-publicized economic and fiscal struggles undermine the city's ability to provide services, including animal care and control. Other factors, including housing vacancy and abandonment and a high number of stray and feral dogs, add to the animal welfare challenge.

Still, there is good reason for Detroit and other cities to support pet ownership. Studies show that having companion animals in the home boosts human mental and physical well-being. Dog owners report getting more exercise than non-dog owners. And surveys conducted during the pandemic suggested that animals reduced the stress and anxiety of lockdowns.

Mapping pet care resources

For our analysis, we compiled data on locations of pet stores and veterinarians from the ReferenceUSA Business Historical Data Files and Google Maps. We combined it with census data to see how pet resources correlated with the demographic characteristics of Detroit ZIP codes. We also mapped demand for animal support services, which we defined as dog bites and animal cruelty cases, in each ZIP code.

Our main finding was that Detroit has few dedicated pet stores and veterinary clinics, and these resources are not evenly distributed. Eleven of the city's 26 ZIP codes, clustered in contiguous areas, have no pet stores or vet clinics. They form two large areas: a band stretching across the mid-city, and a zone in southwest Detroit.

We identified 11 specialty pet supply stores that serve Detroit's 243,000 households. Four of these stores are in the downtown/midtown area -- which, due to gentrification, has an increasing number of younger, white and higher-income residents.

This map show the locations of dedicated pet supply stores in Detroit, with circles identifying areas within 1 mile of each store. Photo by Laura A. Reese/CC BY-ND

The other seven stores are scattered around the periphery of the city. This distribution leaves a large underserved area in between, with many residents living a mile or more away from a pet store.

Veterinary practices are not clustered in the same way. While there are very few vet offices relative to our estimated number of pets, these offices are spread relatively evenly across the city and are more likely than pet stores to be located in middle- or lower-income ZIP codes.

Overall, we found that Detroit ZIP codes with more young, single and highly educated residents and higher median rents have significantly more pet resources per capita. More densely populated areas -- such as Mexican Town, with high numbers of Hispanic residents, and the city's far east side, with a high proportion of African Americans -- have significantly fewer.

Overtasked animal shelters

Lack of access to pet food and supplies is a problem in low-income areas, even in the age of online providers such as Amazon and Chewy. Shopping online requires internet access and credit card payment. People who can't mail-order pet supplies need physical access to stores.

There's no official data source on Detroit's pet abandonment rates, but the city has a long-standing and significant stray dog problem.

In 2022, the four largest animal shelters in Detroit took in 7,095 dogs. For comparison, Animal Rescue League shelters in Boston, which has a similar population size, took in 1,049 dogs in 2019.

The collective 2022 dog euthanasia rate for the four Detroit shelters was about 22%, although it varied widely among the shelters. Animal shelters that are designated "no-kill" generally aim to euthanize no more than 10% of the animals they take in, and to do so only when irreparable health or behavioral issues prevent the animals from finding new homes. Detroit Animal Care and Control, a city agency, regularly operates beyond capacity and has to euthanize animals due to lack of space.

Having ready access to pet resources could encourage Detroit residents of all income levels to adopt pets and help prevent relinquishment to shelters.

Getting more help to pet owners

Encouraging more pet-related businesses to open in distressed and underserved areas is an economic development challenge. Small-business incubators could support prospective pet store owners and vets who are open to locating in lower-income areas. These organizations typically provide locations for new businesses, offering below-market rents, startup capital and small revolving loan programs.

Incubators are generally run by local governments or public-private partnerships. These organizations could use incentives funded by local taxes to attract businesses in the pet care sector.

Community programs also have a role to play. In high-poverty areas, simply educating people about what kinds of resources are available is a useful starting point.

Many national organizations have programs to help pet owners who are struggling financially. For example, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals provides services in underserved communities, including low-cost veterinary care, supplies and information. Other nonprofit organizations operate mobile veterinary clinics that provide services in areas of need.

In Detroit, organizations such as Dog Aide and C.H.A.I.N.E.D., Inc. provide resources for pet owners, including pet food, outdoor housing, fencing, medications such as heart worm pills and flea preventatives, and low-cost spay and neuter services.

Many food banks and pantries provide free food for pets -- an especially effective way to help both animals and humans. Some home delivery programs, such as Meals on Wheels, partner with pet suppliers to bring pet food and medications to elderly and disabled clients.

Supporting humans and their four-legged companions can promote human and animal health and reduce pressure on animal shelters. Our research shows that cities like Detroit, where many people are financially distressed and don't have easy access to transportation or online shopping, can meaningfully improve residents' lives by helping them meet their pets' basic needs.

Laura A. Reese is a professor emeritus of urban and regional planning at Michigan State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

German giant Siemens to revive historic base in Berlin

Berlin (AFP) – German industrial giant Siemens on Tuesday launched an urban development project worth 4.5 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in the area of Berlin known as Siemensstadt, where the company enjoyed its pre-war heyday.


Issued on: 25/06/2024 - 

Siemens CEO Roland Busch showed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other officials plans for the redevelopment of Siemensstadt Square in Berlin 

© RALF HIRSCHBERGER / POOL/AFP

The Siemensstadt Square "district of the future" will include new living space for up to 7,000 people and create 20,000 additional jobs at the site, where Siemens still manufactures today, the company said.

Siemensstadt Square "aims to link the worlds of work and research, housing and life in a new way -- worlds that were already brought together in the historic Siemensstadt", Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the launch of the project.

The development embodies "the future of Berlin and German industry", he said.

The 76-hectare site, due to be completed by 2035, will include homes, factories and research centres as well as offices, shops and educational, sports and leisure facilities.

The project is a way of "reconciling uses" and showing that "industrial activity still has a place in our cities", said Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens.

Siemens built a series of factories on the outskirts of Berlin at the turn of the 20th century, with thousands of employees working in them to produce cables, motors and electric pumps.

They were soon followed by housing for workers and the area became known as Siemensstadt (Siemens town) from 1914, a name it still bears today.

The area prospered until the 1930s but the destruction of World War II, the division of the city and then the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 put the brakes on further development.

With some 380,000 employees, Siemens has in recent years refocused its business towards digital technology, moving away from the production of heavy industrial equipment.

In another sign of the changing times, the group will not be building housing for its employees in the new development as it did a century ago.

Instead, the 2,500 homes planned will be built by developers.

But Siemens is still billing the development as a return to its Berlin roots, stressing that the company's 750- million-euro contribution to the project is its "largest-ever single investment in Berlin".

© 2024 AFP

‘Love France or leave it’: the small-town voters driving support for Le Pen’s far right

The Seine-et-Marne area southeast of Paris has emerged as a bastion of support for the National Rally in a region that was previously hostile towards Marine Le Pen’s party. Fresh from its triumph in European elections, the far right is riding a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in the French capital’s outlying suburbs as it aims for a historic win in upcoming legislative elections.


Issued on: 25/06/2024 - 

The far-right National Rally is eyeing a breakthrough in Champagne-sur-Seine, southeast of Paris, after it topped the vote here in European elections. 

© Bahar Makooi, FRANCE 24

By: Bahar MAKOOI

Nestled in a loop of the Seine some 80 kilometres upstream from Paris, the town of Champagne-sur-Seine is a prime target for Le Pen’s National Rally (RN).

Over the past decade, the far-right party has seen its share of the vote grow steadily in this town of 6,500 inhabitants, culminating in a crushing victory in European elections on June 9, when it took over 37 percent of the vote.

With the country heading back to polls in snap elections on June 30 and July 7, the RN is now hoping to snatch the local seat at the National Assembly, just two years after it narrowly missed out on a second-round runoff.

At the train station in Champagne-sur-Seine, commuters make no secret of their support for a party that has largely succeeded in “detoxifying” its brand – though many are still reluctant to give their name.

Returning from the inner suburbs of Paris, rail worker Laurent* points to a badge on his jacket bearing the blue, white and red colours of the French flag.

“It sums it up: either you love France or you leave it,” he says. “And that applies to both you and me, whether you’re an 'aspirin tablet' (slang for a White person) or a foreigner who spits on France.”

Like many of Le Pen’s voters, Laurent, 50, cites immigration as his primary concern.

“We can’t even provide food and shelter to those already in the country,” he says. “They should be helped first, instead of bringing more people in.”
‘Troublemakers should be kicked out’

The far right’s ascent in Champagne-sur-Seine is in step with a country-wide surge in support for the National Rally, which has its best chance yet of seizing power following President Emmanuel Macron’s shock decision to dissolve the National Assembly.

Voter surveys suggest Le Pen’s party is poised to win the largest share of votes in the upcoming elections, possibly even clinching an absolute majority of seats in France’s lower house of parliament, which wields greater powers than the Senate.

The latter outcome would lead to France’s first far-right government since the Nazi-allied Vichy Regime – capping an extraordinary turnaround for an extremist party that was co-founded by Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie, a Vichy supporter and convicted anti-Semite.

“Jean-Marie Le Pen was too extreme for me, but Marine has a softer approach,” says Laurent, who began voting for the far right a decade ago, with Marine Le Pen at the party’s helm.

“She says foreigners who are willing to integrate are welcome, but that troublemakers should be kicked out,” he adds.

Read moreHow France’s far right changed the debate on immigration

Fellow commuter Jeremy, 37, says he will also vote for the National Rally, though he is more wary of the far right’s message and its “scary” history.

“I want the National Rally to have a greater presence in parliament but I don’t necessarily want Jordan Bardella as prime minister,” he says, referring to the RN president and poster boy whom Le Pen has named as her candidate for PM.

A former supporter of the mainstream conservative camp, Jeremy says he is “not entirely opposed to immigration”, noting that the “history of this country is built on immigration”.

However, the technician for energy company EDF says he moved to a nearby area because he no longer feels “at home” in his native Champagne-sur-Seine.

A patisserie gone out of business in the centre of Champagne-sur-Seine. 

© Bahar Makooi, FRANCE 24

“My childhood friends here have changed,” he says. “We used to all play together and dress the same, but then they started growing beards, dressing in djellabas and talking about their faith. Now they lecture people about drinking alcohol, eating pork or going out with girls.”

And while a Halal butcher, a kebab stall and two pizzerias have helped revitalise the town’s run-down centre, Jeremy is nostalgic of the traditional shops that vanished years ago, including Champagne-sur-Seine’s old fishing store and a patisserie known for its local specialties.
‘They’ve brought people in from all over the place’

Nostalgia for the “Champagne of old” is a recurring topic of conversation among voters in this former industrial hub, home to a Schneider factory that built shells during World War I and powered the first Paris métro lines at the start of the 20th century.

The factory was both the pride of Champagne-sur-Seine and its main employer, says 70-year-old Jacquot, the town’s former postman, while shopping at the local food market which has shrunk over the years to just a few stalls.

Schneider built the large millstone blocks that surround the market square and once housed the factory’s workers. The company also brought in a large immigrant workforce, changing the town’s demographics.

But the factory closed down in 1989 and was taken over by a Swedish-Swiss company, ABB, which kept only a fraction of the workforce. The local economy took a huge blow and the workers’ homes were converted into social housing.

The blocks that once housed workers at the Schneider factory are now used for social housing. © Bahar Makooi, FRANCE 24

That’s when Jacquot, a former Communist voter, switched allegiance to the RN’s predecessor, the National Front, which lured working-class voters away from the left with its pledge to give French nationals priority access to jobs and welfare.

“They’ve brought people in from all over the place,” says Jacquot, accusing successive governments of favouring immigrants over French nationals. “Prices have gone up and they (immigrants) are given priority over us.”

Crime and incivility are also on the rise, according to the pensioner, who says he was slapped in the face two years ago after lecturing a young person who was cycling on a pavement.

Jaquot, 70, says French nationals should be given priority over immigrants. 

© Bahar Makooi, FRANCE 24

Pierrette Walter, a former deputy mayor, disagrees with Jacquot’s assessment.

“We do have many economically vulnerable residents, but it doesn’t mean they will hurt anyone,” she says, noting that almost half of all homes in Champagne-sur-Seine are classified as social housing.

“It’s going to be a tough election,” adds the former nurse, who “usually” votes left-wing. “But one thing is certain: I will never cast a ballot for the far right.”
‘They didn’t want Blacks and Arabs’

Anne*, a 57-year-old cleaner, has been casting ballots for the far right since the age of 18.

“The only time I tried something different was for (François) Mitterrand in 1981,” says the mother of five, who was soon “disappointed” with the former Socialist president.

From her home, Anne can spot a shelter for asylum seekers that opened in 2015, at the height of Europe’s refugee crisis. Run by the Red Cross, it houses mostly single men, many of them Afghans, who make daily trips to Paris alongside the town’s commuters.

“Here I am struggling to make ends meet, while the lights stay on all night at the migrant hostel. And what’s more, they get food stamps,” she seethes. “We could at least ask them to make a token contribution, to the town’s community work scheme, for instance.”

She adds: “I’m not racist. I have grandchildren of foreign origin. I’m not discriminating against anyone, but I do want (immigrants) to respect the country that took them in. Today, I think too many people trash it.”

The former Schneider factory, now home to a dozen small companies. 

© Bahar Makooi, FRANCE 24

The decision to open an emergency shelter in the town has stoked tensions among local residents, says Sara*, a 40-year-old mother who lives in a middle-class area of Champagne-sur-Seine and whose neighbours frequently complain about immigrants.

“What bothers them is that most of these new arrivals are men of colour or from visible minorities,” she says. “They think there are too many foreigners.”

She recalled a neighbourhood meeting that “got out of hand” last year when residents were consulted on plans to create a playground linking their residential quarters to nearby social housing projects.

“Some residents opposed the plan because they didn’t want ‘Blacks and Arabs’ squatting in the area,” says Sara, whose parents are of North African origin. She blames parts of the media for spreading the far right’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.

“We’ve been lynched in the media for a while now, it’s become commonplace,” she says. “You can now attack a whole section of the population without getting into trouble.”

A teacher, Sara says she will do her bit to “block the far right” and encourage others to go out and vote. But she is pessimistic about the outcome of the election and alarmed at the rise in support for Le Pen’s among young voters.

“I can excuse older voters and those who struggle to pay their bills, but I cannot understand this new generation of RN voters,” she says. “When it’s your own childhood friends, those who used to come over to your place for a meal – that’s when it really hurts.”

*Names have been changed

This article is a translation of the original in French.

No French fries, lots of lentils for Paris Olympic athletes

Paris (AFP) – There will be no French fries but plenty of lentils offered to athletes attending the Paris Olympics, with organisers unveiling their food offering on Tuesday that combines eco-minded recipes with French gastronomy.


Issued on: 25/06/2024 

A fruit stand at the Olympic village's restaurant for athletes 

© Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
ADVERTISING

The giant 3,300-seat restaurant at the Paris Olympic village, which will welcome athletes next month, was given its first test-run on Tuesday by a hungry crowd of sports figures, officials and journalists.

Based in a vast former power station, the food hall includes six different dining areas offering meals from around the globe, with half of the 50 dishes available each day being 100 percent vegetarian.

"People are going to meet here in France, with its culture, its heritage but also its gastronomy and so there are expectations," chief Paris 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet told reporters.

Although many athletes would stick to their usual nutrition before competing, they will also be offered the chance to discover France's famed food, with several Michelin-starred chefs taken on as advisors.

"We've allowed ourselves to put French gastronomy in pride of place so that curious athletes from around the world can try French culinary excellence," Estanguet added.

The giant warm-food buffets will not include French fries, however.

McDonalds, a long-time Olympics sponsor, had its own fast-food restaurant in the Olympic village until the Rio Olympics in 2016, but athletes wanting a hit of junk food will have to look elsewhere in Paris.

"For technical reasons, we can't offer fries," said Estelle Lamotte, deputy director of village catering at food group Sodexo, told reporters.

She explained deep-fat fryers were not allowed in the temporary kitchens at the site, which is usually used as a film studio.

Gregoire Bechu, head of sustainable food at the Paris organising committee, stressed the quality of the "delicious" lentil dal recipe that has been developed for athletes.

"One of the major commitments by Paris 2024 was offering vegetarian meals in order to halve the carbon footprint of each meal on average," he said.

"We wanted vegetarian meals everywhere."

At sports venues, 60 percent of food offered to fans will be vegetarian and the temporary stadium hosting skateboarding, BMX and breakdancing at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris will be entirely meat-free.

Comfortably warm?

In a further bid to lower carbon emissions, only two of the six restaurant areas at the village will be air-conditioned, with the rest in outdoor courtyards sheltered by fabric sun shades and ventilated with overhead fans.

An interior view of the Olympic and Paralympic village restaurant

 © Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

Tuesday's test event, held under fierce sunshine and in 27C (80F) heat, saw some people visibly sweating.

"I think we've found a good compromise between offering the right temperature but also reducing our carbon emissions," Estanguet said. "It's one of the main challenges of the Paris 2024 edition."

The Olympic and Paralympic village restaurant is on the site of a former power station

 © Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

In a break from Olympic tradition, the 2,800 apartments at the village do not come with air-conditioning as standard.

But many Olympic teams have decided to install portable coolers at their own cost.

Paris has suffered a series of record heatwaves in recent years with temperatures peaking above 40C in July and August, but 2024 has so far been wet and cool.

The Paris Olympics run from July 26-August 11 followed by the Paralympics August 28-September 8.

© 2024 AFP

At Paris Olympics, women athletes finally reach parity

Agence France-Presse
June 25, 2024 

Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir wins the last women's Olympic marathon (Giuseppe CACACE/AFP)

Once seen as a "celebration of manly virtue" without women athletes, the modern Olympics will reach gender parity for the first time during this year's Paris Games, 128 years since its first edition.

When the ancient Greek event was revived by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin in the late 19th century, he saw it as a celebration of gentlemanly athleticism "with female applause as its reward."

In 1924, the last time the Olympics were held in Paris, just four percent of competitors were female and they were restricted to sports considered suitable for them, such as swimming, tennis and croquet.

"For the first time in Olympic history we are going to have gender parity on the field," Marie Sallois, IOC director in charge of gender equality, told journalists about the Paris 2024 Games on International Women's Day in March.

The milestone is the result of incremental jumps in female participation at each Games, mirroring broader societal trends in most parts of the world that have gradually opened up male-only domains from the board room to the voting booth.

"It took a very long time for us to finally get to 44 percent (of women) in London in 2012, the first edition at which women could take part in all the sports, then 48 percent in Tokyo (in 2021)," Sallois added.

- Men only -

The barriers for women were once so high that they were forced to compete in a rival "Women's Olympics" in the 1920s, before the event was absorbed by today's International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In 1928 in Amsterdam, they were allowed to compete in athletics for the first time, but the sight of exhausted female runners after the 800m final appalled male onlookers so much that they were excluded again.

Until 1968 -- forty years later -- women were barred from competing in any race of more than 200 metres, and even in 1976 women's events made up only a quarter of the Olympic program.

Long considered unable to cope with the physical demands of the marathon, they were allowed to take part for the first time at the Los Angeles Games in 1984.

"We've come a long way over a relatively short space of time," the head of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, said recently in Paris.


- Prime-time -

The Paris 2024 Olympics will not only feature as many women as men, it will also give greater prominence to women's events.

Instead of the men's marathon being the athletics event, leading up to the closing ceremony, it will be the women's event instead.

"We've made a lot of effort to organise the women's events to ensure they get visibility, meaning over the weekend when there are more viewers, or during prime-time," Sallois added.

For the opening ceremony, the IOC has also suggested each national delegation nominate two flag carriers, a man and a woman.

Sallois conceded elite sport still had lots of work to do to achieve genuine gender parity.

Among coaching staff at the last Olympics in Tokyo, just 13 percent of coaches were women.

Sports administration remains overwhelmingly male, including in national Olympic delegations and in the federations that run sports.

The IOC has never had a female leader and its membership -- made up of 106 delegates who vote on key decisions -- remains 59 percent male.


But the organization has ensured gender parity on its internal commissions and the number of women members has increased significantly in recent years.

"The IOC needs to be a role model and set an example," Sallois added

THE COST OF GREENWASHING

Lufthansa to add environmental charge to fares

Frankfurt (Germany) (AFP) – German airline giant Lufthansa said Tuesday it would add an environmental charge of up to 72 euros ($77) to fares in Europe to cover the cost of increasing EU climate regulations.

NOT TO COVER THE COST OF SUSTAINABLE FUEL

Issued on: 25/06/2024 - 

The extra cost will be added to all flights departing from EU countries as well as Britain, Norway and Switzerland

 © Adrian DENNIS / AFP

The extra cost will be added to all flights sold and operated by the group departing from EU countries as well as Britain, Norway and Switzerland, it said in a statement.

It will apply to flights from January next year and, depending on the route and fare, will vary from one to 72 euros.

"The airline group will not be able to bear the successively increasing additional costs resulting from regulatory requirements in the coming years on its own," said Lufthansa.

The group -- whose airlines include Lufthansa, Eurowings, Austrian, Swiss and Brussels Airlines -- said it is facing extra costs from EU regulations related to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The EU legislation requires airlines to gradually increase use of the fuel on routes departing EU airports.

Carriers will need to include two percent of SAF in their fuel mix from next year, rising to six percent in 2030 and then soaring to 70 percent from 2050.

The aviation sector is among the toughest to decarbonise and SAF -- a biofuel that produces lower carbon emissions than traditional jet fuel -- is seen as a crucial ingredient to hitting emissions targets but is currently more expensive to produce.

In March, Airlines for Europe, which represents the continent's largest airline groups including Lufthansa, complained that production of the fuel in Europe is minimal and lags far behind projects launched in the United States.

Lufthansa said it also faces extra costs from changes to the EU's emissions trading system, and other regulatory measures.

The group aims to halve its net carbon emissions by 2030 compared to 2019, and to go carbon neutral by 2050.

After having to be bailed out by the German government during the coronavirus pandemic, Lufthansa racked up healthy profits in 2022 and 2023 as travel demand roared back.

But it was hard hit by a series of strikes at the start of this year, reporting a hefty first-quarter loss.

© 2024 AFP

CRIMINAL CAPPLETALI$M

Initial EU probe into App Store 'anti-steer' rules finds Apple in breach of competition law



European Union anti-trust regulators notified Apple on Monday that App Store rules preventing developers from "steering" consumers to offers and content outside of the app breach the bloc's 2022 

Digital Markets Act. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

June 24 (UPI) -- European Union anti-trust regulators notified Apple on Monday that App Store rules preventing developers from "steering" consumers to offers and content outside of the app breach the bloc's Digital Markets Act.

The preliminary finding of a three-month probe found that Apple's terms of business infringe the legal right of developers distributing their apps via the App Store to, without being charged, inform their customers of cheaper alternatives, steer them to those offers and allow them to make purchases, the European Commission said in a news release.

"None of these business terms allow developers to freely steer their customers. For example, developers cannot provide pricing information within the app or communicate in any other way with their customers to promote offers available on alternative distribution channels," the EC said.

Regulators said steering that was allowed, via so-called "link-outs" where app developers include an in-app link to a web page where customers can sign up for a contract, was subject to several restrictions preventing developers from communicating, promoting offers and concluding contracts through the distribution channel of their choice.

The commission also ruled that the fees Apple charged developers for acquiring customers via the App Store went beyond what was reasonable and fair, such as an additional fee for every purchase a customer makes within seven days of a link-out from the store.

It announced a parallel DMA non-compliance probe into Apple's new contractual terms for developers providing alternative app stores or apps for iPhones including a so-called Core Technology Fee, hoops consumers are required to jump through to successfully download and install alternative app stores or apps, and whether strict eligibility requirements are necessary and proportionate.

Hailing the move in the enforcement of the DMA -- which Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft had to comply with in full by March 7 -- the commission's executive vice president for competition policy, Margrethe Vestager, said the notification was a "very important day for the effective enforcement of the DMA."

"Our preliminary position is that Apple does not fully allow steering. Steering is key to ensure that app developers are less dependent on gatekeepers' app stores and for consumers to be aware of better offers," Vestager said.

"We have also opened proceedings against Apple in relation to its so-called core technology fee and various rules for allowing third-party app stores and sideloading. The developers' community and consumers are eager to offer alternatives to the App Store. We will investigate to ensure Apple does not undermine these efforts."

The commission said if its provisional findings on steering become final, all three sets of Apple's business terms would be in breach of the DMA and it would adopt a non-compliance decision within 12 months from the date it opened its probe March 25.

Under the 2022 law, the commission can impose fines of up to 10% of a "gatekeeper's" total worldwide turnover for each infringement, rising to as much as 20% for repeated offenses and in the case of systematic abuses, breaking them up or banning takeovers of related businesses.

In March, the EU fined Apple at least $1.95 billion for exploiting its market dominance to illegally block music subscription providers directing App Store users toward cheaper prices for the same subscription elsewhere.

The EC said it had imposed the penalty after an anti-trust investigation found Apple had "anti-steering provisions" in place that prevented streaming services such as Spotify from telling owners of iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad about other services.

EU accuses Microsoft of abusing dominant position with Teams

Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – Microsoft violated EU antitrust rules by bundling its Teams communications app with its popular Office suite, Brussels said on Tuesday, as the US tech giant vowed to do what it takes to address competition concerns.

Issued on: 25/06/2024 - 

The European Commission launched a probe into Microsoft's Teams last year triggered by a complaint from Slack

 © Pau BARRENA / AFP/File

The charge sheet comes after the European Commission, the EU's influential antitrust regulator, launched a probe last year triggered by a 2020 complaint from Slack.

The commission informed Microsoft of its "preliminary view" that it had "breached EU antitrust rules" by bundling Teams with its cloud-based Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites, which include Word, Excel and Powerpoint programmes.

Even before the charges, Microsoft tried to assuage the EU's concerns by untying Teams in Europe before expanding the policy to around the world in April.

The EU also had worries that Microsoft may have limited interoperability between Teams' competitors and its own offerings, although the company in September 2023 introduced "improvements" to make it easier for rivals.

But the commission said Microsoft's changes did not go far enough.

"The commission preliminarily finds that these changes are insufficient to address its concerns and that more changes to Microsoft's conduct are necessary to restore competition," it said in a statement.

The EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said "Microsoft now has the opportunity to reply to our concerns".

The company will be able to offer commitments to avoid a large fine and president Brad Smith has indicated Microsoft would be willing to take further steps.

"Having unbundled Teams and taken initial interoperability steps, we appreciate the additional clarity provided today and will work to find solutions to address the commission's remaining concerns," Smith said in a statement.

Slack had lodged its complaint as its market share diminished, and it has since been bought by the company Salesforce.

There is no deadline for the formal inquiry to wrap up.

Should the outcome of the probe go against Microsoft, it could face a heavy fine or other ordered remedies.

Microsoft has come under greater European scrutiny in recent months.

EU regulators are looking into Microsoft's partnership with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to determine whether it is a disguised merger.

The commission also received a separate complaint in late 2022 from Amazon-backed cloud trade group CISPE against Microsoft over its cloud licensing practices.

The two sides are currently seeking to resolve the issue through talks.

© 2024 AFP