Prototype spacesuit for future NASA mission to Moon unveiled

Axiom Space chief engineer Jim Stein models the new spacesuit that will be used on the next mission to the Moon in 2025 © Mark Felix / AFP

Issued on: 15/03/2023 - 

Houston (AFP) – NASA and the private aerospace company Axiom Space unveiled a prototype on Wednesday of the next-generation spacesuit that astronauts will wear on the next walk on the Moon.

The suit revealed at an event at the Johnson Space Center in Houston features greater flexibility and thermal protection than those worn by the Apollo astronauts who first stepped foot on the lunar surface more than 50 years ago.

The pressurized garment has multiple protective layers, a backpack with life support systems, and lights and a high-definition video camera mounted on top of the bubble-shaped helmet.

The US space agency's Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon in late 2025 for the first time since the historic Apollo missions ended in 1972, an initial step towards an eventual voyage to Mars.

Axiom Space was awarded a $228.5 million contract to design the suit -- the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit in space jargon -- for the mission known as Artemis III.

Axiom Space chief engineer Jim Stein appeared on stage at the NASA facility wearing the suit, waving his arms, performing squats and dropping to one knee to display the range of motion it provides.

The spacesuit modeled by Stein featured a cover layer in all black with blue and orange trim which Axiom Space said was required to "conceal the suit's proprietary design."

The final version will be in the traditional white used to reflect heat from the Sun and protect astronauts from the temperatures of the harsh lunar environment.

The suit features a backpack Axios Space described as a "portable life support system."

Axiom Space chief engineer Jim Stein displays the boots on the spacesuit that will be used by astronauts for the next mission to the Moon © Mark Felix / AFP

"Inside of this box are all the parts and the components to keep you alive," said Russell Ralston, deputy program manager for extravehicular activity at Axiom Space.

"You can think of it as like a very fancy scuba tank and air conditioner kind of combined into one."

The suit is designed to be worn for up to eight hours at a time.

It features multiple layers -- an inner layer called a bladder layer that holds air inside the spacesuit like a balloon and a restraint layer that maintains its shape.

An insulation layer made of different fabrics protects the astronauts against the huge temperature fluctuations on the Moon while the outer layer is designed to be resistant to dust and potential tears from sharp rocks.

'More functionality, more performance'

Vanessa Wyche, the Johnson Space Center director, said the new suit has "more functionality, more performance, more capability" than the bulky version worn by Apollo astronauts.

The spacesuit modeled by Jim Stein featured a cover layer in all black with blue and orange trim which Axiom Space said was required to 'conceal the suit's proprietary design' © Mark Felix / AFP

"We have not had a new suit since the suits that we designed for the space shuttle and those suits are currently in use on the space station," Wyche said. "So for 40 years we've been using the same suit based on that technology."

Artemis III is scheduled to take place in late 2025, about 12 months after Artemis II, which is to see four astronauts -- three Americans and one Canadian -- fly in a spacecraft called Orion around the Moon without landing on it.

NASA is to reveal the names of the four astronauts for the Artemis II mission on April 3.

The first Artemis mission wrapped up in December with an uncrewed Orion capsule returning safely to Earth after a 25-day journey around the Moon.

The Artemis III astronauts will land for the first time on the south pole of the Moon.

NASA is planning to send a woman and a person of color to the Moon for the first time as part of the Artemis program.

Only 12 people -- all of them white men -- have set foot on the Moon.

NASA hopes to establish a lasting human presence on the lunar surface and later launch a years-long trip to Mars.

While Axiom Space described the spacesuit unveiled on Wednesday as "revolutionary," one thing has not changed since the days of Apollo.

"We're still using diapers in the spacesuits," Ralston said. "They're just honestly a very effective solution.

"Sometimes simplicity is best and this is one of those cases."

© 2023 AFP

MORE PHOTOS AND VIDEO 

Future NASA moonwalkers to sport sleeker spacesuits | AP News

French Bulldogs topple Labradors as most popular US breed: AKC

Issued on: 16/03/2023 - 

New York (AFP) – The lovable Labrador Retriever is no longer the most popular dog breed in the United States, as French Bulldogs take over the top spot, the American Kennel Club (AKC) announced Wednesday.

Labs, which the New York-based registry describes as "famously friendly" and "an enthusiastic athlete," had been the most popular dog breed for 31 years prior to 2022.

But Frenchies had "been quietly climbing the charts for many years," the AKC said in a statement.

The small-dog breed, which like Labs are considered great pets for families, are described by AKC as "one-of-a-kind," with their trademark feature being their "large bat ears."

"They get on well with other animals and enjoy making new friends of the human variety," the AKC says, adding "it is no wonder that city folk from Paris to Peoria swear by this vastly amusing and companionable breed."

After Frenchies and Labs, rounding out the top five breeds for 2022 were the Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, and Poodle.

French Bulldogs -- like their English cousins and squish-faced pugs -- have a short snout, which can lead to trouble breathing and other health complications.

The Dutch agriculture minister in January said he would seek to ban ownership of animals which "suffer from his or her appearance."

The Netherlands banned the breeding of pets that are affected by their appearance in 2014, but some animals were still being traded illegally or bought from abroad.

Frenchies also made headlines in 2021, when pop star Lady Gaga had two French Bulldogs stolen while a dog-walker was taking them for a stroll.

They were later returned, while the three robbers were later caught and jailed for the incident, during which the dog-walker was shot.

© 2023 AFP

Dozens of rare manta rays caught off Gaza coast

Issued on: 13/03/2023 - 

Fishing is a major commercial activity in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-led blockade since 2007 © MAHMUD HAMS / AFP

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Dozens of manta rays were laid out Monday on a beach in the blockaded Gaza Strip as local Palestinian fishermen celebrated the mass catch.

The rare fish flock to the Mediterranean waters off the coast of Gaza every year in March and April.

Fishing is a major commercial activity in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-led blockade since 2007, when Islamist movement Hamas took over the territory.

Fisherman Bashir Shoueikh caught more than 10 of the rays, each weighing between 200 and 300 kg (440-660 pounds).

They sell for around 12 shekels ($3.30) per kilo.

Manta rays flock to the Mediterranean waters off the coast of Gaza every year in March and April 

© MAHMUD HAMS / AFP

"Each boat carries between 20 and 30 of these fish," Shoueikh told AFP. "People like them a lot."

The fishing zone off Gaza, determined by Israel, varies from five to 16 nautical miles, depending on the security situation.

The two species of manta ray -- manta alfredi and manta birostris -- are both on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species due to their declining numbers.

© 2023 AFP

Greek unions launch 24-hour walkout over train tragedy

A total of 57 people died after two trains collided on the same line near Larissa on February 28 

© Sakis MITROLIDIS / AFP

Issued on: 16/03/2023 -

Athens (AFP) – Greek unions on Thursday begin a 24-hour walkout with demonstrations planned in major cities to voice outrage over last month's train disaster, which claimed 57 lives.

The strike called by the country's leading private and public sector unions will disrupt transport and the civil service.

With air traffic controllers joining the strike, no passenger flights to or from Greece will take off on Thursday, airports said. Ferry services will also be suspended.

The fatal crash occurred shortly before midnight on February 28 when a passenger train crashed head-on into a freight train in central Greece after both were mistakenly left running on the same track.

Most of the passengers were students returning from a holiday weekend.

Several people remain in hospital, including one passenger who is fighting for his life.

The tragedy has exposed decades of safety failings in Greek railways and has put major pressure on the conservative government ahead of national elections.

The stationmaster and three other railway officials have been charged, but public anger has focused on long-running mismanagement of the network and the country has been rocked by a series of sometimes violent mass protests.

Last week, some 65,000 people took part in demonstrations around the country, including around 40,000 in Athens.

Greece's transport minister resigned after the crash and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has sought to soothe public anger by repeatedly apologising and vowing a transparent probe.

Acting transport minister Giorgos Gerapetritis this week said rail traffic will gradually resume from March 22.

Gerapetritis on Wednesday said a report by a committee of experts investigating the tragedy will be delivered in a month's time.

Investigators have separately opened a probe into possible railway funds mismanagement over the last 15 years.

Gerapetritis and former transport ministers will appear before a parliament committee on Monday to answer MPs' questions on the tragedy.

With public anger mounting weeks before elections, Mitsotakis has seen a 7.5-point lead in polls cut to half in the latest surveys.

The PM has come under fire for initially pointing to "human error" for the accident and blaming the stationmaster on duty at the time, who allegedly routed the trains onto the same stretch of track by accident.

But railway unions had long been warning about problems on the underfunded and understaffed train network.

Mitsotakis had been expected to set an April election date. Ballots are now expected in May.

© 2023 AFP

Greek unions stage general strike over rail deaths


Firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers.

 (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A general strike in Greece called in response to a rail disaster last month grounded flights and extensively disrupted services, with protests in cities across the country planned for Thursday.

The strike also kept ferries to the Greek islands at port, left public hospitals running with emergency staff, halted public transport services and led to class cancellations at state-run schools.

Unions have rallied behind railway workers’ associations that have staged rolling walkouts since the head-on train collision in northern Greece on Feb. 28 that left 57 people dead and dozens injured.

The government, which faces parliamentary elections before the summer, says rail services will restart on March 22 and be restored gradually through April 11, with additional staff to monitor safety and mandatory speed reduction rules along sections of the track.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government has seen a strong lead in opinion polls reduced in recent weeks over its main rival, the left-wing Syriza party, with the two sides also locked in an ideological debate over how to reform Greece’s antiquated rail network.

Mitsotakis has promised clearer boundaries between privatized services and the authorities overseeing them, seeking assistance from European Union experts in drawing up the changes. His political opponents argue that the poorly managed dismantling of agencies under state control has ultimately compromised rail safety.

Sweden rediscovers poverty as inflation soars

Issued on: 16/03/2023 - 

Stockholm (AFP) – It's not yet 6 am and dozens of homeless people are already queuing outside Stockholm's central station for breakfast, their numbers bigger than ever, charities say

Hit by the highest inflation in more than 30 years and poised for recession, Sweden's visible signs of poverty are mounting amid rising inequality.

"So many people are coming here to breakfast," said Kavian Ferdowsi who runs a charity helping the homeless.

"In the 13 years that I've run this, we've never had so many people," he told AFP as his colleagues served up cinnamon buns and coffee.

Sweden has been hit hard by the effects of the war in Ukraine. Its currency, the krona, is weaker than it has ever been against the euro, and aggressive interest rate hikes have left many households with hefty mortgages payments.

Long stable and prosperous, Sweden's economy is now one of the worst performers in Europe.

After a spike in electricity prices at the start of the winter, food prices are now Swedes' main concern, up 20 percent from a year ago.

Inflation has hovered stubbornly around 12 percent since November, according to official statistics on Wednesday.

"The first wave of inflation was just energy prices and some import prices. But now it has spread to the entire economy," said Annika Alexius, a Stockholm University economist.
Making ends meet

Low-income households that were already struggling to make ends meet are most affected, but even the country's middle class -- who due to years of low interest rates are now among the most indebted in Europe -- are finding it difficult to cope with skyrocketing mortgage payments.

Poverty and inequality are mounting in Sweden 

A shop run by the Red Cross in the capital sells leftover supermarket items at cut-rate prices.

Marianne Orberg, a 73-year-old former lawyer, has picked up a few radishes and bread rolls on her twice-weekly shop there.

While the pensioner insisted that she's not among those worst off, she is mindful not to strain her savings.

"People have changed their eating habits. You eat different kinds of food nowadays, to make ends meet," Orberg said.

Red Cross officials say new groups of people now need help.

"Previously we mostly saw people living on the true margins of society," the secretary general of the Swedish Red Cross, Martin Arnlov, told AFP.

"Now that has changed. It's also families with children, elderly people, people who are on sick leave, all are struggling."

Headed for recession

Almost one in eight low-income single-parent households say they struggle to feed their children and have gone hungry, according to the organisation.


Sweden has long been one of the world's most egalitarian countries known for its generous cradle-to-grave welfare state.

But its wealth gap has widened significantly in 30 years, following decades of reforms to tighten public finances that have made it one of the most robust economies in Europe, but have left large swathes of Swedes worse off.

Data from Statistics Sweden show that almost 15 percent of Swedes are at risk of poverty, defined as those with less than 60 percent of the median income of 33,200 kronor ($3,140) a month.

Humanitarian organisations this week called on the government to raise social benefits to help those most in need and urged schools to offer breakfast so children don't start the day hungry.

Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson said she would summon the three biggest grocery store chains to stress that the government will not tolerate any "unnecessary" price hikes.

According to the European Commission's most recent forecast, Sweden is expected to be the only EU country to enter into recession in 2023.

But economist Annika Alexius predicts that the Scandinavian country may just be the tip of the iceberg.

"Let's say that we are a bit earlier than other European countries in this recession," she said.

"We are a bit like the United States in that inflation came early... Other European countries are also going to face a worsening situation."

© 2023 AFP

Mahsa Amini 'a symbol' in Iran six months after her death

01:56

Iranian magazines Sazandegi (L) and Andisheh feature Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police" in September 2022, Tehran, March 14, 2023. © Atta Kenare, AFP

Text by:  NEWS WIRES
Issued on: 16/03/2023 -

Six months ago this week, Mahsa Amini was arrested for allegedly flouting Iran's strict dress code for women. Within days she was dead, sparking the country's biggest protests in years.

The 22-year ethnic Kurd became a household name inside Iran, a rallying point for demands for change. Around the world, she became a hero for women's rights campaigners and a symbol for Western opponents of the Islamic republic.

Amini was visiting the capital Tehran with her brother and cousins when she was arrested as they were leaving a metro station in the city centre last September.

Accused of wearing "inappropriate" attire, she was taken to a police station by officers of the morality police.

There she collapsed after a quarrel with a policewoman, according to a short surveillance video released by the authorities.

She spent three days in hospital in a coma before her death on September 16, which the authorities blamed on underlying health issues.

For many, the young woman from the western city of Saqez personified the fight against the obligation to wear the headscarf. Her name became the rallying point for a protest movement that gripped the country for months.

The epitaph engraved on her tomb reads: "You are not dead Mahsa, your name has become a symbol".

Almost overnight, her portrait became ubiquitous in Iran's cities, fly-postered on walls and held aloft by protesters. It even made the cover of some magazines published inside Iran, including the March edition of the monthly Andisheh Pouya.

"Unknown before her death, Mahsa has become a symbol of oppression and her innocent face reinforces this image," said political scientist Ahmad Zeidabadi.
Call for openness

The protests over her death in custody, which began in the capital and in her native Kurdistan province, swiftly mushroomed into a nationwide movement for change.

Public anger over her death merged with "a series of problems, including the economic crisis, attitudes toward the morality police, or political issues such as the disqualification of candidates for election" by Iran's conservative-dominated vetting body the Guardian Council, said sociologist Abbas Abdi.

Spearheaded by young people demanding gender equality and greater openness without a leader or political programme, the street protests peaked late last year.

Hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of security force personnel. Thousands more were arrested for participating in what officials described as "riots" and blamed on hostile forces linked to the United States, Israel and their allies.

In February, after the protests abated and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decreed a partial amnesty, the authorities began to release thousands of people arrested in connection with the protests.

Some 22,600 people "linked to the riots" have so far been released, the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said this week.

But Abdi said protesters could return to the streets again as the underlying grievances remained unaddressed.

"The demonstrations are over, but I doubt the protest has ended," he said, noting that "the main causes of the crisis remain.

"In the current situation, any incident can trigger new protests."

He cited as an example the public anger sparked by a spate of mystery poisonings that have affected thousands of pupils at more than 200 girls' schools over the past three months.

Quiet change

The mass demonstrations inside Iran, among the largest since the 1979 revolution, prompted some in the exiled opposition to talk of an imminent change of regime.

"Some people, especially in the diaspora, have mistakenly bet on the fall of the Islamic republic in the very near future," political scientist Zeidabadi said.

Zeidabadi argued that the emigres had misunderstood the nature of the protest movement which he said was more "civic" than political.

He stressed that, viewed in that fashion, the movement had produced "results", notably a quiet relaxation in enforcement of the dress code for women.

"A certain degree of freedom from the hijab is tolerated even if the law and the rules have not changed," Zeidabadi said.

He predicted similarly discreet and cautious reforms in other areas, notably the economy, which has been blighted by inflation of around 50 percent and a record depreciation of the rial against the dollar.

"It seems that the Islamic republic has realised the need for a change of policy, although there is no consensus within it on a lasting response to meet the challenge."

SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-kurdish-feminist-revolution-by.html

(AFP)

Funeral held in UK for stabbed transgender girl

Wed, March 15, 2023 


Family and friends of a 16-year-old British transgender girl who was stabbed to death in a park paid their last respects on Wednesday at her funeral.

Brianna Ghey was found fatally stabbed in broad daylight in Warrington, northwest England, on February 11, drawing international attention.

Cheshire Police have charged two 15-year-olds, a boy and a girl, with her murder and they are due to go on trial at Liverpool Crown Court in July. Neither accused can be named because of their age.

Police previously said officers were exploring whether Ghey was the victim of an anti-transgender hate crime.

At a pink-themed funeral at a Warrington church, mourners turned out in all shades of the colour to honour her "colourful personality".

The late teenager's mother, Esther, wore a pink suit, other family wore pink ties and dresses while many attendees carried pink balloons and flowers.

Ghey's pink coffin, topped with roses and carnations, was borne in a carriage drawn by two white horses festooned in pink plumes.

Local priest Debbie Lovatt asked for prayers for the family and friends and for "light in the darkness" of her death.

"Inspire us to create a world where all people are valued and safe and all your creation is honoured," she told those gathered.

Thousands of people attended candlelit vigils across the country after Ghey's death, in a show of support for the LGBTQ community.

The teenager had created a large following on social media site TikTok.

An online fundraising page set up for her grieving family has since raised more than £113,000 ($136,000).

Relatives have said they want to dedicate any money raised to a project to train school staff in mindfulness, as a legacy to Ghey.

jj/phz/lcm

Court gives Bolsonaro 5 days to hand over Saudi jewels

Issued on: 15/03/2023 

Jewelry gifted to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro by the Saudi government and seized by customs officials © Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP

Brasília (AFP) – A Brazilian court ruled Wednesday ex-president Jair Bolsonaro has five days to hand over pricey jewelry he received as a present from Saudi Arabia, and ordered an audit of all official gifts during his presidency.

The Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), which oversees the government coffers, also ordered the far-right ex-army captain to hand over to the presidential palace collection two guns he received as presents from the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

Under Brazilian law, public officials can only keep gifts that are "both highly personal and of minimal monetary value," said the court's president, Bruno Dantas, in a public hearing, giving Bolsonaro "five days to return all items involved in this case to... the rightful owner, the presidential palace."

The unanimous ruling from the court is the latest chapter in a drama that has dominated headlines in Brazil since allegations emerged earlier this month that Bolsonaro tried to illegally import millions of dollars' worth of jewelry he and his wife received as gifts from Saudi Arabia.

The episode has turned into a legal and political headache for the ex-president, who is currently in the United States and expected to return soon to Brazil, hoping to lead the opposition to his leftist successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro, who denies wrongdoing, had proposed via his lawyers that he hand the jewels over to authorities pending the outcome of investigations.

The scandal erupted when newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo reported that customs officers intercepted an aide to Bolsonaro's then-mines and energy minister trying to enter Brazil with a backpack containing diamond jewelry from Swiss luxury firm Chopard after an official trip to Saudi Arabia in October 2021.

It later emerged Bolsonaro had kept a second set of jewels, also from Chopard, that entered Brazil undetected after the same trip.

Travelers entering Brazil with goods worth more than $1,000 are required to declare them and pay hefty import taxes.

Media reports have placed the value of the jewels at $3.2 million for the first set, and at least $75,000 for the second.

They could also have entered Brazil tax-free as official gifts to the nation. But then they would have belonged to the presidential palace collection, not the first family.

© 2023 AFP

'Revolutionary': Scientists create mice with two fathers

Issued on: 15/03/2023 - 

Paris (AFP) – Scientists have created eggs using the cells of male mice for the first time, leading to the birth of seven mice with two fathers, according to research Wednesday hailed as "revolutionary".

The technique pioneered in the proof-of-concept experiment is a long way from potentially being used in humans, with obstacles including a low success rate, adaptation concerns and wide-ranging ethical considerations.

But the breakthrough raises the prospect of a raft of new reproductive possibilities, including that gay male couples -- or even a single man -- could have a biological child without needing a female egg.

The research, published in the journal Nature, was carried out by a team of scientists in Japan led by developmental biologist Katsuhiko Hayashi of the Osaka and Kyushu universities.

Hayashi and his team previously found a way to take skin cells from a female mouse and transform them into an egg that could be used to give birth to healthy pups.

For their latest research, the team aimed to do the same for male cells.

Just like humans, male mice have both an X and Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes.

The scientists took skin cells from the tail of a male mouse and, in a dish, turned them into what are called induced pluripotent stem cells, which can become any type of cell.

During this process around six percent of the cells lost their Y chromosome, leaving only an X chromosome -- meaning they were what is known as XO.

Using a fluorescent protein and a drug called reversine, the researchers managed to duplicate the existing X chromosome in these cells, creating an XX set.

One percent success rate

The cells were then used to create eggs, which were fertilised with the sperm of a different male mouse and implanted into the uteruses of surrogate female mice.

Out of 630 attempts, seven pups were born, representing a success rate of just over one percent.

The pups do not show any sign of abnormalities and are fertile themselves, the study said.

Hayashi, who first presented the findings at the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing in London last week, warned that many obstacles remained before the technology could be used for humans.

"There is a big difference between a mouse and a human," he told the summit.

Nitzan Gonen, the head of the sex determination laboratory at Israel's Bar-Ilan University, told AFP that it was a "revolutionary paper", while cautioning that there was a long way to go.

Theoretically, the technique could allow two same-sex male partners to have a baby, one providing the sperm and the other the egg, said Gonen, who was not involved in the research.

One man could even provide both the sperm and the egg, which Gonen said could be "a bit more like cloning, like what they did with Dolly the sheep".

'Milestone'

Jonathan Bayerl and Diana Laird, stem cell and reproductive experts at the University of California, San Francisco, said it was not yet known if the process would even work with human stem cells.

Nonetheless, the research marks "a milestone in reproductive biology", they commented in Nature.

One potential future application could be to bring an endangered species with only one surviving male back from the brink, provided there was a suitable female surrogate from another species, they said.

But Gonen warned that the process was currently "extremely inefficient", with 99 percent of the embryos not surviving.

And while pregnancy takes only three weeks in mice, it lasts nine months in humans, creating much more time for something to go wrong, she added.

If she had to guess, Gonen estimated that "scientifically speaking" the technique could be ready for humans in around 10 to 15 years.

But that did include the time it could take to wade through the ethical considerations that may arise, she added.

"The fact that we can do something does not necessarily mean we want to do it -- especially when we are talking about a new human being."

© 2023 AFP

FRANCE 24 concludes audit of four journalists from its Arabic language service

Issued on: 15/03/2023 - 
France 24

After a journalist and three Arabic-language correspondents of FRANCE 24 were accused of certain comments posted on their personal social media pages, the management of the channel immediately launched an audit.

Pending the results of this audit, the four concerned were excused from their job duties to protect the integrity of the work of the entire Arabic language channel editorial staff of FRANCE 24, whose content, both on-air and on digital platforms, make it a balanced, non-partisan channel, verifying facts and cultivating constructive debates through the professionalism of its journalists. As in all the language services of FRANCE 24, a multilingual and multicultural channel, the Arabic-language channel distinguishes itself every day by its commitment to the fight against anti-Semitism, racism, and discrimination, and its respect for secularism.

Following the audit that authenticated the posts, FRANCE 24 notified the production company which employs Joëlle Maroun in Lebanon that the channel is ending all collaboration with this journalist because of the intolerant messages posted on her personal accounts, which are the antithesis of the values defended by the international channel and are criminally reprehensible. FRANCE 24 will also file a complaint against her for the damage done to the channel’s reputation and to the professionalism of its newsroom.

As for the three other journalists, some of their messages posted on social media appear to be incompatible with the standards of impartiality set out in FRANCE 24’s code of ethics, particularly regarding the principles governing personal accounts. Management has issued a reminder: personal use of social networks must strictly respect these ethical guidelines, and these journalists are expected to clearly adhere to it. Their collaboration with FRANCE 24 will be able to continue within this framework.

In addition, joint work will be undertaken by the management and the journalists' associations, within the framework of the France Médias Monde’s ethics commission, to further develop the principles of the charter that govern the use of the personal accounts of employees on social networks. The scope of the monitoring of the channel's "e-reputation" will also be expanded in the coming days.