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HEAT WAVE – Very deadly summer 2022 in Europe

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Summer 2022 was the warmest on record in Europe. It has also been particularly deadly since more than 60,000 deaths are attributable to this heat, according to a study published on Monday that calls for redoubling efforts to cope with the heatwaves to come.

Against a backdrop of global warming, the European continent last year experienced an intense series of heat waves that broke temperature records, causing drought and forest fires.

Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, had already reported unusually high excess mortality, but the share of mortality due to heat had not been quantified until now.

This is now done: scientists from the French National Institute of Health (Inserm) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) have obtained temperature and mortality data for the period 2015-2022 in 823 regions in 35 European countries, a total population of over 543 million people.

These data were used to estimate epidemiological models to predict temperature-related mortality for each region and week of the summer period.

In total, their analysis, published in the journal Nature Medicine, estimates that between May 30 and September 4, 2022, there were 61,672 heat-related deaths in Europe.

– “Protecting populations” –
During this period there was a particularly intense heat wave, between 18 and 24 July, with a total of 11,637 deaths associated.

“This is a very high number of deaths,” comments AFP researcher Hicham Achebak, co-author of the study. The effects of heat on mortality were known from the 2003 precedent, but with this analysis, there is still much work to be done to protect populations. ‘

The excess mortality in the summer of 2003, during which Europe experienced one of the greatest heat waves in its history, had exceeded the figure of 70,000 deaths in Europe. However, it is difficult to make a comparison, as the methodologies vary between these estimates.

For summer 2022, broken down by country, France recorded the largest increase in temperature compared to the season averages, with +2.43ºC above the 1991-2020 average, followed by Switzerland (+2.30ºC), Italy (+2.28ºC), Hungary (+2.13 ºC) and Spain (+2.11 ºC).

But in absolute terms, the country with the highest number of deaths was Italy, with 18,010 deaths, followed by Spain (11,324) and Germany (8,173). France comes in 4th position, with 4,807 deaths. The agency Santé publique France had estimated 3,000 excess deaths recorded in the summer of 2022 in the country, for only three heat peaks last summer.

– 80 years and over –
The study published in Nature Medicine states that the vast majority of deaths are concentrated in people 80 years of age and older. Another teaching: mortality due to heat was 63% higher among women than men. This greater vulnerability is particularly evident among those over 80, with a mortality rate 27% higher than that of men.

Europe is the continent experiencing the greatest warming, up to 1°C higher than the global average. In this context, the estimates made by the research teams suggest that in the absence of an effective response, the continent will face an average of over 68,000 excess deaths each summer by 2030 and over 94,000 by 2040.

‘These predictions are based on the current level of vulnerability and the temperatures of the future,’ says Achebak. ‘If very effective measures are taken, vulnerability can be reduced,’ he added.

‘This study shows that heat prevention strategies need to be re-evaluated, with particular regard to sex and age,’ said Chloe Brimicombe, climate researcher at the University of Graz in Austria., in a note from the British Science Media Center.

It illustrates “an urgent need to protect the most vulnerable populations,” stressed Raquel Nunes, a professor at the University of Warwick (England).

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CULTURE

NINETEENTH FRANCOPHONIE SUMMIT – La Francophonie, un espace d’influence

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On 4 and 5 October 2024, France became the world’s cultural epicenter. It hosted the 19th Francophonie Summit, an event that had not been held in France for 33 years. With the theme “Créer, innover, entreprendre en français”, more than a hundred delegations, including several heads of African states, arrived in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris to promote the French language and address major contemporary issues such as politics, the economy, digital and especially culture.

Under the sign of linguistic and cultural diversity
On 4 October, French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife and Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), received several personalities at the Village de la Francophonie at CENTQUATRE-PARIS, from various parts of the world and sharing the French language. It was a unique immersion in the Francophone cultural diversity. More than 30 countries and regions of the world were represented through pavilions, shows and performances, illustrating the creativity and richness of living arts from five continents as well as the vitality and plurality of francophone cultures.

Major diplomatic and political issues
The summit was not only a cultural event. It was also a major political platform, as more than 321 million people around the world share this language. Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Louise Mushikiwabo, opened the event with a fiery speech in Villers-Cotterêts. He highlighted the resilience and reinvention of the French language. “La Francophonie is a space of diplomatic influence that allows us to embrace the challenges of the century,” said the French president, stressing that the French language is a tool for “resistance” and “combat”. True to his style, he used strong language while emphasizing the role of the Francophonie in defending sovereignty and territorial integrity, referring to the conflict in Ukraine and the crises in the Middle East.

Institutions that are stumbling
Founded in 1970, the OIF brings together 88 states and governments and is committed to the promotion of French and international cooperation. This year’s summit sees the addition of two new members, Ghana and Cyprus, strengthening the organization’s global reach. However, the current geopolitical tensions, especially with the Sahelian countries in the grip of coups (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), are also at the heart of the discussions. These states, suspended from the OIF’s bodies, were not invited to the event. The summit also addresses crucial issues such as digital regulation. In response to the spread of hate speech online, the OIF launched “l’Appel de Villers-Cotterêts”, a call to digital giants to build a safer and more diverse digital space.

A booming Francophonie
The number of French speakers could grow exponentially, especially in Africa where population is expanding. By 2050, this figure could reach 715 million, placing the Francophonie at the heart of global educational and economic issues. However, this ambition requires a significant investment in French language education and support, especially in developing countries. Although the Francophonie is sometimes criticized for its lack of visibility or limited influence, Louise Mushikiwabo remains optimistic about her ability to “move things forward” despite the challenges.

A memorable international event
The year 2024 is a great year for the Francophonie. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day and the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, these historic moments can be said to reinforce the importance of the French language on the international stage. In order to show that the Francophonie is not limited to the French language, several English-speaking countries, such as Ghana, were invited. In a world resolutely turned towards the use of English, the French language still has good days ahead.

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EUROPE

FRANCE – A French national arrested in Niamey

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Stéphane Jullien was arrested on Friday, 08 September 2023 in Niamey. This French national has lived in Niger for eighteen years. He is the advisor of the French abroad in the country.

According to RFI, his arrest occurred while he was leaving the French Embassy. The Nigerien security forces found in his vehicle several cases including uniforms in the colors of the Burkina Faso army, says the same source.

Detained at the Niamey Prison

This import-export entrepreneur is held at the Niamey Prison. According to a French diplomatic source, Mr Jullien is accused of “complicity in the attack on the security of the territory”.

His case is managed by the Directorate General of External Security, according to RFI. This structure would be attached to the Nigerien Presidency.

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“Our embassy is mobilized to ensure consular protection for our compatriot”

Yesterday Tuesday, September 12, Paris demanded his «immediate release» via a statement made public by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. «Since the first day, our embassy has been fully mobilized to ensure consular protection for our compatriot» assures the Quai d’Orsay.

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EUROPE

FRANCE – The government formally bans Abaya at school

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The wearing of the abaya will be banned at school in France, announced the Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal, a decision made in the name of secularism and supposed to put an end to the controversies around this traditional long dress worn by some Muslim students. «I decided that we could no longer wear abaya to school,» Gabriel Attal told TF1 on Sunday, August 28, 2023.

The minister, who had since he took office this summer, wished firmness on questions of secularism, had judged that going to school in abaya was «a religious gesture, aiming to test the resistance of the Republic on the secular sanctuary that the School must constitute», promising firmness about it. «You enter a classroom, you must not be able to identify the religion of the students by watching them», he explained Sunday on TF1. The question of this traditional garment is sensitive, the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) believes that the abaya, a long dress covering the female body, is not a Muslim religious sign. Its port is «more ambivalent than a veil» according to Haoues Seniguer, lecturer at the IEP of Lyon and specialist in Islamism.

In France, according to the law of 15 March 2004, «in public schools, colleges and high schools, the wearing of signs or dress by which students ostensibly manifest a religious affiliation is prohibited», a circular specifying these signs «the Islamic veil (..) the kippa or a cross of manifestly excessive dimension». The National Education had already seized the abaya in November, in a circular that considered this garment – like bandanas and long skirts, also cited – as outfits that can be prohibited if they are «worn so as to manifest ostensibly a religious affiliation».

The predecessor of Gabriel Attal, Pap Ndiaye, questioned by the unions of heads of establishment on the increase of the incidents related to these outfits, had however refused to «publish endless catalogues to specify the lengths of dresses».
increased attacks on secularism.

According to a note from the state services, of which AFP has obtained a copy, the attacks on secularism, much more numerous since the assassination in 2020 around his college of Professor Samuel Paty, increased by 120% between the academic year 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. The wearing of signs and clothing, which represents the majority of attacks, increased by more than 150% throughout the last school year.

The minister wanted to pay tribute on Sunday to the heads of schools “who are on the front line on these questions of secularism”, and promised to meet “as early as next week (…) to give them all the keys so that they can enforce this rule”. Bruno Bobkiewicz, Secretary General of the National Union of Management Personnel of the National Education Authority, responded to AFP, “The instruction was not clear now and we welcome it.” “Now that the message is out, it has to be implemented in the institutions (…) the heads of schools must not be alone against the abayas,” he added.

On the opposition side, the decision was applauded on the right, with Eric Ciotti (LR) leading on X (formerly Twitter): «We had repeatedly called for the ban of abayas in our schools. I welcome the decision of the Minister of National Education, who agrees with us.” On the left, however, Clémentine Autain (LFI) was outraged by the «clothing police», judging «unconstitutional» the announcement of Gabriel Attal, «contrary to the founding principles of secularism. Symptomatic of the obsessive rejection of Muslims.

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