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>> a calmer day in the egyptian capital. supporters of the ousted pre mohammedorsi go ahead with their protests. others citing security concerns. ready to begin their work, a team of 20 u.n. chemical weapons experts arrived in the syrian capital to investigate claims and counterclaims of the weapons use. and an anti-gay rights law is center stage in moscow as the world athletic championships wrap up. they sate entire issue has been invented by the western media. those are the top stories. i'm tom and thank you very much for joining us. we begin in the egyptian capital, where there are signs that things are slowly returning to normal. shops and banks re-opened for the first time since wednesday and traffic is flowing once again. supporters of the ousted

president, mohammed morsi, went ahead with some of the planned marches today but cancelled others citing security threats. the security chief gave a television statement earlier on today. "france 24"'s correspondent tell us more bit. >> paying tribute to the man currently in charge of egypt, the army's most prominent members gathered in cairo for a much anticipated speech. they have come under intense criticism following the violent crackdown on supporters of the ousted president, mohammed morsi. now is the chance for the head of the egyptian army to clarify some points. the egyptian people want freedom. their will is free. they can choose whoever they want to rule them, and we are the guardians of this will. >> accused by his opponents of acting like a dictator, the general defended the army's reputation and vowed not to bow

to violence. >> we will not betray and we will not conspire. we will not set up schemes. we are an honorable and patriotic institution. >> in the last days they have sufered their worst bloodshed in modern history. the streets of cairo are empty at night but relatively busy during the day. residents want life to return to normal. >> to be honest, what he said was correct. we reject violence whether it's on one side or the other. who are the ones dying? the egyptians. >> we want to see reconciliation for egypt. >> the muslim brotherhood has accused the army and other institutions of sabotaging that time in government. a protest in cairo was staged and called for the reinstatement of the deposed president. but other planned marches had

to be cancelled due to security fears. >> well, the deadly violence in egypt and events these past few days have strained relations between washington and cairo. there are even growing calls for total rethinks surrounding aid which the united states provides egypt. "france 24"'s correspondent phillip joins us now. phillip, what sort of noises have been made there in d.c. vis-a-vis the situation in egypt? >> well, tell you what, no change of opinion from the obama administration, which has kept largely quiet about this. but there are a lot of u.s. senators now voicing their opinions about a potential suspension of any aid going to egypt, maybe a temporary postponement. that is the $1.5 billion in total aid per year that goes from the united states to egypt, most of that military aid. that's $1.3 billion per year. now, those voiceness the senate come from all sides, largely republican, and they include

senators john mccain and lindsey graham. remember, they were the two senators who were in fact sent to cairo by president barack obama to discuss things, to maybe come up with a domestic solution. deputy secretary of state burns was also there. all of them came back empty-handed. these are the senators who already in egypt call what happened there a coup and who are now calling for a suspension of that aid. whether this is a general shift in opinion remains to be seen, though, because again, the obama administration certainly is not shifting. and let me just remind you, there has already been a vote in the senate on this, on the suspension of aid that was handsomely defeated. >> phillip, why is washington acting more decisively and taking more firm action to get his point across to the generals there in cairo? >> well, let me get you another quote from song that sums it up pretty nicely. representative peter king of new york, a republican, came out today and said this --

"there are no good choices in egypt. the fact is, there are no good guys there." that is what the obama administration pretty much is doing here as well. it's to youing the line. it doesn't side with one side or the other. instead it sides with the egyptian people that. is the line from the white house and from the state department. that is why this military aid, simple as that, will continue, because this is such an important relationship between the two and also because there is an important peace treaty between israel and egypt. that is crucial, because the united states also wants to make absolutely certain that there are no al qaeda elements that might make their way into egypt. plenty of reasons for that military aid to continue. >> phillip crowder in washington, thank you very much indeed. well, another developing story we're following out of egypt. the state media is reporting that more than 35 people have been killed while attempt together escape from a prison truck convoy. that was in an area to the north of cairo.

we understand that those killed were all members of the muslim brotherhood. according to police sources, those killed died from tear gas suffocation. well, as egypt's working week began on sunday, it's been all eyes on the country's economy, which has been dealt a very serious blow by weeks of unrest. the tourist sector, which accounts for 11% of europe's g.d.p. is in meltdown. "france 24"'s correspondent tells us more. >> tension lingered in cairo's streets as they began their working week on sunday. despite a curfew cutting back their working hours, thearp upbeat in the face of violent unrest. in general the stock market's performance at the current state is, to an extent, detached from the political situation and it's been performing for the better. it's a positive time of trading between the rise and fall in stock prices. >> however, egypt's economy has

taken a beating since the revolution years ago cut from 5% to 2%. it's also yet to see a nearly $5 billion loan from the monetary fund approved, not to mention losses in a vital tourist sector worth some 11% of the economy. >> in terms of tourists, work or business, there's nothing for us here, nothing. >> many of the tourist attractions around capital cairo are desserted, though some tourists have continue to arrive a little further afield. >> just at check-in a couple in front of us pulled out of the trip. we were very close to doing the same thing. then we came anyway. >> i feel ok being here because it's very peaceful. but it's tough to think that in this very country just 500 kilometers away people are being shot in the streets. >> many countries in europe have issued travel warnings for

people headed to egypt and several tour operators have cancelled upcoming trips. >> let's go to some other news now. we head to the border between syria and iraq. thousands of syrian kurds have been pouring out of the country and into iraq as they try to escape from deadly clashes. the u.n. says that more than 15,000 refugees have crossed into iraq since thursday. and many of them are women, children and the elderly. that's adding, of course, to the two million syrians who have been forced from their homeland these past two years. in another development in syria today, a team of 20 u.n. chemical weapons experts has arrived in damascus. they're expected to get down to work on monday to investigate whether or not chemical weapons have been used to syria's civil war. president assad's government are accusing each other of using the weapons during the 30 month-long conflict. >> he was once one of china's

powerful leader and a former rising political star. today the news agency announced that the disgraced chinese politician xilai will go on trial next thursday. bo found himself at the center of one of china's biggest political scandals in decades and he faces charges of bribery, graft and abuse of power. spanish fishermen have been staging a protest this sunday close to gibraltar, a 6.8 square kilometer piece of territory governed by britain for 300 years. the fishermen are angry at a decision to build and artificial reve in the city. that initiative is going to cost them dearly. frans 24's correspondent has the story. >> a standoff on the high seas. spanish fishermen circle en masse off the coast of gibraltar protesting an artificial reef. they gathered near the disputed

territory with spanish police vessels in attendance. the british government dropped 70 concrete blocks into the sea in july to form a protective reef, a move that has resulted in a diplomatic spat between the u.k. and spain. despite having built similar reefs along the coastlines for new militiaries, spain complained that the move was an environmental disaster and illegal. they retaliated by ramping up border checks with the british overseas territory. the extra controls caused long delays for thousands of tourists and locals on the island and led the british prime minister, david cameron, to appeal directly to the european commission. britain claims the measures are politically motivated and disproportionate. they say they will sue for environmental damage from the reef. they are also threatening to impose border fees on tourists, restrict air space or even block the lucrative ship-building business. as wrangling continues, spanish fishermen are worried their

life lee hoods are at risk -- livelihoods are at risk. >> we've lost a whole bay full of seafood. that's where we used to all fish and now it's full of blocks so we can't fish anymore. >> they have persistently sought to regain the enclave. tensions between the countries are nothing new, but recent events have led to real domestic breakdown. >> the controversy over russia's law banning the promotion of sexuality rumbles on. the russian sportsmen reignited the debate calling it a problem. the law was passed in june and it leaves those people who hold gay pride rallies liable for prosecution. the issue has been brought to the fore by the world athletic championships being hosted by moscow. "france 24"'s julia seger reports. >> a kiss to sell great their victory and to protest against their country's latest law banning the promotion of

homosexuality. like these two russian relay runners, other athletes expressed their support for the russian gay community during the world athletic championships. earlier this week a swedish high jumper painted her fingernails in the colors of the rainbow flag. but game officials told her not to repeat the gesture as it violates the competition's code of conduct. >> i choose to respect them and their rules, but that's the color of love for me. so i still have my opinion. >> her move comes just two days after popular russian athlete publicly slams the high jumper for disrespecting her country and brought her support to the russian government. >> we consider ourselves like normal standards people. boys with women, women with boys and everything must be

fine. it comes from the history. >> adding to the controversy, the russian sports minister likened homosexual relations to substance abuse during a press conference. >> we want to protect our children whose minds have not yet been shaped up from propaganda of drug abuse, alcoholism and nontraditional sexual relationships. we want them to make their own decisions when they grow up. that's what this law is directed at. >> the law has attracted international condemnation and raised questions about whether it will be applied to athletes and spectators at next year's winter olympics in sochi. >> and we wend in cuba. and the country is famous for its vintage cars. in havana in sunday there were more than usual. the antique automobile rally got started today with more than 60 antique cars and 15 classic motor bikes all taking

part in the 17-kilometer rally. we're going to leave you with those pictures. there will be more news here in a quarter of an hour. please stay tuned. >> hello, and welcome to this sunday night sports roundup on "france 24." over the next 10 minutes we'll be bringing you the best of the weekend's action, including the last day of the world athletics championships. all the scores from day one of the english premier league and some tennis with the cincinnati open. and we start, of course, with the world athletics championships in moscow. the week-long event came to an event this sunday. and the last race of the competition was the men's 100-meter relay. jamaica dominated the scene. nest carter, cole, and, of course, usain bolt for the finish were the fastest in 37

second, 36. they finished ahead of the u.s. the canadian relay team picked up the bronze after great britain was disqualified for an exchange violation. that's bolt's third gold in moscow after the 100 meters and the 200 meters titles. with that final gold, bolt is in the sprint race with two other men, both having won eight world titles. bolt was very happy with his performance in moscow, take a listen. >> you go into a championship with a focus. i came here to achieve gold medals. that's my focus. i came here, dominated, and now i'm leaving. >> and later during a press conference bolt gave his impressions on moscow and its people. take a listen. >> personally, they don't smile a lot. i must say. but they're cool people. i had no problems while i was here.

a lot of women, a lot of beautiful women here. so i'll definitely tell my friends about that. >> in the women's 100-meter relay, another jamaican showed it wasn't all about usain bolt, after winning gold on the 100 meters and 200-meter races. she won a third gold with the relay. jamaica won the race in 41.29 seconds, the second fastest time in history and the championship record. they finished 1.44 seconds ahead. the first time a teach finished with a winning margin of more than a second. behind the jailans the race was chaotic. the u.s. had a very bad last exchange losing a lot of time. they finished just behind the french team. that was before france was disqualified for an exchange violation. the u.s., therefore, take the silver medal and britain the bronze. jamaica proved they really are the fastest nation this year. they took the gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and the

100-meter relay in the men's and women's races. here's what frazer-price had to say -- >> it was a jamaica an championship, of course, you know? we're small as a nation, but when we go on the track, we are big, we are very big. we represent and we love our country. >> jamaica may have been winning a lot of gold, but france was still waiting for its first gold medal of the championships and it came on the last day, this sunday, in the triple jump. he won the gold medal in style, breaking the world record with 18 meters, and he also made history becoming only the third man to pass the 18-meter mark behind jonathan edwards of britain. no surprises, however, in the men's 1500 meters, with the gold going to a kenyan athlete. three kenyans at the start, but

the fastest won the gold. an american came in second and a south african man took the bronze. in the women's 800-meter race another kenyan took the gold. savinova took the silver and brenda martinez of the u.s. completes the podium. we'll now take a look at the final medal table. russian athletes didn't disappoint in front of the home crowd. they finished first with a total of 17 medals, including seven golds. the united states are second with more medals, 25, but fewer gold medals, six. thanks to usain bolt and shelly ann frazer-price who won three golds each, two individual medals and one relay. jamaica finishes third. france made a last-minute comeback in the rankings. ranked 18th season day morning, france finishes 10th thanks to a gold in the triple jump.

the competition, as you saw, was definitely a success on the track for host russia, but it wasn't controversy-free. several athletes used the stage to protest against a recent law banning what russian officials call gay propaganda. the issue has even divided the russian team itself. on saturday as they were receiving their gold medal for the 400-meter relay, two athletes shared a kiss on the podium just days after the country's star pole vaulter supported the law. julie seger has more. >> a kiss to celebrate their victory and to protest against their country's latest law banning the promotion of homosexuality. like these two russian relay runners, other athletes expressed their support for the russian gay community during the world athletics championships. earlier this week a swedish high jumper painted her fingernails in the colors of the rainbow flag. but game officials told her not

to repeat the gesture as it violates the competition's code of conduct. >> i choose not to, to respect them and their rules, but i painted them red. and that's the color of love for me. so i still have my opinion. >> her move comes just two days after a popular russian athlete publicly slams the high jumper for disrespecting her country and brought her support to the russian government. >> we consider ourselves like normal standards people. we just live with the boys with women, women with boys and everything must be fine. so it comes from the history. >> add together the controversy, the russian sports minister likened homosexual relations to substance abuse during a press conference. >> we want to protect our children whose minds have not yet been shaped up from prap began da of drug abuse,

alcoholism and non-traditional sexual relationships. we want them to make their own decisions when they grow up. that's what this law is directed at. >> the law has attracted international condemnation and raised questions about whether it will be applied to athletes and spectators at next year's winter olympics in the russian black sea resort of sochi. >> to football now, starting with day two of the french la liga. they were playing at home for the first time in the season, and for his big debut, he saved his team from a defeat. the ure causewayian is the most expensive transfer and scored with minutes left in the game. but there was a score early on from the other team. final score 1-1. not a great result for the defending champions afteraire 1-1 draw against montpelier in the season opener last week. that's just two points in two games.

earlier in the day p.s.g.'s number-one rivals, monaco, secured a win over montpelier with a gold. and a hat trick. mike monaco, two other heavyweights had a perfect start to their season, securing second victory in a row. the english premier league kicked off this weekend and manchester united started their season in the best way possible with a clear win, 4-s, over swansea thanks to doubles by van persie and welbeck. liverpool and tottenham all secured a win. arsenal, however, lost at home 3-1 against aston villa. for his first game back at stanford, marino lived up to his new nickname "the happy one" after chelsea beat their opponent 2-0.

manchester city will play new castle on monday. and we finish with some tennis. with the u.s. open a week away, rafael nadal proved he is ready for the final grand slam tournament. spant yard was facing john isner in the cincinnati open final, and though he had to work hard for his first victory there, he won in straight sets 7-6, 7-6 in about two hours. that's nadal's 26th win in a masters, the fourth in a row this year, after madrid, rome and montreal. and with this win he's back at world number two. that's all the sports for now. thanks for watching "france 24." stay tuned for more news. >> be part of "france 24"'s experience iphone. just download the new

application. it's free and simple to install. sends your photos and stories to our photo editorial team and become our eyes on the ground. and it will keep you up to date on international news in real time. "france 24" on the iphone, more coverage than ever before. news accessible anywhere, any time, in english, french and arabic. >> "france 24" on the iphone, your part of the news. >> we're in front of the cathedral of christ of save yomplet it was inside this church that we gave our performance on february 21, 2012, which led to the criminal investigation and then the prosecution. >> at the place of her supposed

crime nobody recognizes her. but katja is one of the members of pusy riot, the band that caused a huge scandal with their anti-punk prayer. the authorities said the women had desecrated the at tar. they were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. nadya and maria were given two-year sentences, while katja was released on appeal. >> what conclusions did i draw from the whole affair? the same as a year ago. the case against us was completely fabricated and had clear political motives. we were arrested just hours before the start of voting in the presidential election, which was won by vladimir puteip. -- putin. >> for some people they have become a symbol of heroic opposition. but the majority of russians believe that the women deserve to be punished. dmitry is one of their most staunch opponents. during the trial orthodox activists came to court every day to protest against the women.

now dmitry is head of god's will, a movement that defends orthodox christian values. >> it was their attack against the church and their act of sacrilege in our main cathedral that shocked us and brought us all together. when we saw young people against the church and people from the gay community come to support them we decided to unite against them. >> he hasn't finished with pusy riot. in a recent demonstration he lashed out after the opposition leader had demanded the release of the women. >> how can he defend these blasphemers? it's obvious that people that behave this way are not part of the future. >> since the case, dozens of organizations have emerged. there are even orthodox militias that enjoy the support of the kremlin. the image of the punk rockers was also used in this video game. the idea is simple -- whack the

young women on the head with a cross. >> these girls were turned into an incarnation of the devil. a symbol is something that people should fight against. but ultimately, i think they won. they refuse to repent and they've shown that they believe in their ideas. they've come out stronger than the repressive machine that's persecuting them. >> nadya and maria have been refused parole, but the young women keep in high spirits and even participated in writing a brand-new album, produced with the help of their supporters. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

welcome to "newsline." it's august 19th. egypt's defense minister said the interim government will severely crack down on what it sees as any terrorist activities. more than 800 people have died in egypt since last wednesday. that's when troops forcibly removed pro-morsi protesters