2023-08-20 18:49:52
If you are one of the Augustians and have picked up the news over the past two days, “l’Obs” offers you a summary of the main information to remember from August 19 and 20.
Zelensky finally has his planes
He has been asking for them for a long time: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued his European tour this Sunday, making surprise visits to Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Skrydstrup in Denmark. The day after a deadly Russian strike on the city of Chernihiv (7 dead, 147 injured), the Ukrainian head of state obtained guarantees from his two allies. Two days after the American green light, the Netherlands and Denmark formalized the delivery of F-16 planes.
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“The Netherlands and Denmark agree to transfer F-16s to Ukraine (…) once the conditions for such a transfer are met”Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said from the Dutch military base in Eindhoven.
“It’s absolutely historic, powerful and motivating for us. This is another step towards strengthening Ukraine’s air shield”replied Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Netherlands and Denmark confirm that they will deliver F-16 planes to Ukraine
“I am proud that Denmark and the Netherlands are donating F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine’s freedom struggle against Russia and its meaningless aggression”reacted, for his part the Danish Minister of Defense Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. “Denmark’s support for Ukraine is unwavering and with the donation of F-16 aircraft Denmark is showing the way forward”.
The United States on Friday approved the sending by Denmark and the Netherlands of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine once the Ukrainian pilots have been trained. That training, by a coalition of 11 countries, was due to start this month, and officials said they hope the pilots will be ready by early 2024.
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The death of the rebuilder of Notre-Dame
Former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces chosen by Emmanuel Macron to orchestrate the reconstruction of Notre-Dame, General Jean-Louis Georgelin died Friday evening at the age of 74 during a hike in the Pyrenees. The PGHM (high mountain gendarmerie platoon) discovered “the corpse of a man who has been positively identified as General Georgelin” said a representative of the Foix public prosecutor’s office on Saturday, referring to an accident.
The PGHM had been alerted by the guardian of the Estagnous refuge (2,246 m), below Mont-Valier, who had informed him that a hiker had not returned. “The investigations establish that his death was the result of a major fall during the descent (from Mont Valier, editor’s note), around 8 p.m., at the level of a particularly steep rocky passage”said the prosecution on Saturday evening.
General Georgelin, in charge of the restoration of Notre-Dame, is dead
The announcement of his death sparked a shower of tributes. Notre Dame loses “the architect of its rebirth”reacted the President of the Republic on the X network (ex-Twitter). “He knew how to create the human and organizational conditions to carry out the reconstruction of Notre-Dame”estimated on the same network the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo.
Daniel Cohen is no more
The readers of the “Obs” knew him as a columnist. Economist Daniel Cohen is dead this Sunday, August 20 in Paris at the age of 70. Winner of the economics book prize in 2000 and 2012, he was a sovereign debt specialist, professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and founding member of the Paris School of Economics.
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Daniel Cohen: “The digital man is both liberal and anti-system”
An observer of the transformations of contemporary capitalism, Daniel Cohen was an internationally recognized figure and his work was translated into a dozen languages.
Member of the Conseil d’analyse économique from 2000 to 2012 and adviser to Banque Lazard, he notably wrote “Wealth of the world, poverty of nations” (Flammarion) in 1997, « Homo Economicus » in 2012 and A numerical man. La « civilisation » who is coming » (Albin Michel, 2022).
Support and economic adviser to François Hollande during the 2012 presidential election, he had supported another socialist candidate, Benoît Hamon, in 2017.
A “heat dome” that sets in
The heat wave extended its stifling hold this Sunday, a large half of southern France and 49 departments against 28 the day before experiencing abnormally high temperatures which should rise further at the start of the week. In the afternoon, Météo France recorded for example 35°C in Montpellier (Hérault), Bourg-Saint-Maurice (Savoie) or Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales), and up to 37°C in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne ), Montpellier (Hérault) or Gap (Hautes-Alpes).
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But it was in the Drôme that it was the hottest on Sunday, the mercury peaking at 40°C in Montélimar. Like this city where the temperature was 9 to 10 degrees above average, the seasonal norms were largely exceeded everywhere. On Monday, the number of departments placed on heat wave orange vigilance will reach 50, with Charente-Maritime joining the 49 on Sunday.
A “heat dome” planned until mid-week, half of the country on heatwave vigilance
“The heat wave peak is expected between Tuesday and Wednesday”underlines Météo-France in its afternoon bulletin which specifies that “absolute records are likely to be broken, especially on Tuesday towards the Rhône valley, with 40 to 42 degrees expected”. This episode of heat is the most intense of the summer of 2023 and “one of the latest with such a level of intensity”according to the public establishment.
Curtain on the World Cup
Spain won their first FIFA Women’s World Cup on Sunday. The Spaniards disposed of their English opponents in the final (1-0), at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Guided by captain Olga Carmona, scorer in the 29th minute, the players of La Roja made a very good copy against the Lionesses. Spain becomes the second country to see its two selections, male and female, crowned world champions (after Germany).
Spain wins the World Cup: why this World Cup propelled women’s football into a new era
Shaken by a conflict with their federation and their coach Jorge Vilda, Alexia Putellas and her teammates were not favorites in this competition. They thwarted the odds until the end by signing several major performances, such as in the semi-final against Sweden. The reigning European champions, expected to lift the trophy, have never been able to impose their game.
75,000 supporters filled the Stadium Australia in Sydney for the final, as for a month where the attendance of the stadiums was widely welcomed, in particular for the matches of Australia, carried by an entire country. In New Zealand, land of rugby, more than 700,000 people went to the matches, even if all the stadiums sometimes sounded hollow, in the middle of the southern winter. The defeat of « Matilda’s » in the semi-finals was the most-watched event on television in Australian history, peaking at 11.5 million viewers, almost half of Australia’s population.
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