♪ anchor: explosions at russian military positions in crimea. observers see a ukrainian push into the peninsula, seized by russia in 2014. coesting t election results in kenya. one candidate is calling for calm the victy is also disputed by half of the election commission in nairobi. china locks down 100,000

tourists, after cases of covid-19 are identified around a popular tourist island. thank you for being with us. explosions at russian military bases in crimea at been denounced by moscow and sabotage. the incidents raise the possibility o ukrainian fight back in the region. it was illegally annexed by russia in 2014. since the invasion in february, moscow has linked crimea to pro-russian territories in the east. ukraine has been threatening to take back territory from russian occupation. crimea would be the next step. our chief or an editor is in ukraine and joins us now. >> it is what the ukrainians have been suggesting they will be doing, hitting russians in the rear, in areas where up until now they have felt reasonably safe. one week ago, we had an attack

on a russian military airfield in crimea. today, another two attacks, one in the north crimea, an arms depot and railway junction and electrical power station. another one at another air base operated by the russian navy. we don't know whether aircraft were destroyed. normally, 24 aircraft are stationed at that airfield, so the possibility remains that happen. the ukrainians are remaining quite tightlipped about what is going on. they prefer, it seems, since the speech made by president zelenskyy a week ago to maintain a policy of strategic ambiguity when it comes to what they are doing and what their intentions are behind russian lines. but it is pretty clear all the same that the idea is to keep the russians feeling insecure, do destroyed munication lines, hidden weapons depots, make sure ey d't feel safe anyway.

it was interesting today than in crimea that a record number of people crossed the bridge linking crimea to russia. the record exceeded 38,000 people leaving crimea to get away to russia, because they no longer feel safe there. that is precisely what the ukrainians are trying to achieve. anchor: is there any sense of what russia's response might be? >> well, russia's response could only be what it has been doing up until now, continued to press the ukrainians wherever they can. we will continue to see them hitting the ukrainians in the donbass, strike against other cities the breakthrough anywhere in the region where they have been pretty much at a standstill over the last month. they have made incremental games, but not much more than that, partly because

they're concerned about the possibility of ukrainian counterattack in the south around one city, you mentioned in your introduction. there is a tactical struggle going on between the ukrainians and the russians in which both sides are holding each other more or less in balance. both sides are trying to change that situation so they can regain the initiative, but at the moment, we have a stalemate. anchor: thank you. the loser in kenya's election is calling on supporters not to resort to violence. he has condemned the results. it gives his opponent a narrow victory. the called it a travesty, coming after four of seven election commission said they stood by the decision to this on the figures announced by the electric commission. a five-time contender for president, he is all too familiar with the process in the past.

>> a budding democracy suffered a major setback. as a result, kenya face a grave legal and political crisis, the result of the actions of him, the chairperson of the committee. what we saw yesterday was a travesty and a blatant disregard of the constitution and the laws of kenya. anchor: he is contesting the results, which gives his opponent a narrow victory in kenya's presidential election. our correspondent joined us earlier from nairobi. >> he spoke at the conference. he says he and his alliance will be using all constitutional and legal measures available.

they said they have found where it is and would challenge the case in court. he says he is disappointed in the chair of the commission has been leading the commission as a dictator, and intimated when the results were being announces today, the other commissioners were kept in the dark until two hours before he annoced the presidential results when he called a meeting and inford them of the numbers, but they did not agree and decided to step aside and not support the chairperson. he says he will not allow the country to be plunged into darkness and ten back to 2007 in 2017, where the country expands postelection violence and says things must be done in the right way. anchor: an al qaeda affiliated jihadist group has claimed to have killed four mercenaries in

an ambush in the center of mali, after the pullout of forces who were in the area to prevent attacks. the mercenaries had been hired by the military junta in order to maintain the hold on power. >> if you come across elements of the wegner group? >> yes, we have come across them in one town between two other towns during patrols. the impression they gave is different from what you see in the media, particularly those we have come across. i do not have experience with all of the wegner group, but the ones we have seen our mercenaries, poor quality soldiers, poorly equipped, forced to rely on the people for food and water.

they seem quite unreliable. we will see what they can do to help the armed forces, but i think the difference will be obvious in operational terms. anchor: a french soccer star has been described as a predatory sex offender at his trial in northern england. a world cup winner for france in 2018 is facing allegations of rape that could see him sentenced to life in prison. his club suspended him when he was for arrested over the allegations. he denies the charges. >> he aives alone to the courthouse in northern england. the 28-year-old french footballer suspended by his team manchester city is accused of eight counts of rape, one rape attempt, and one count of sexual assault. he denies his charges, as does his codefendant, a friend on the ledge. in opening remarks, the

prosecutor told the court that their case has little to do with football. >> it is another chapter in an old story, men who rape and sexual assault women because they think they are powerful and because they think they can get away with it. the defendant pursuit of these 13 women turned them into predators. >> the prosecution says the events took place at his isolated mansion between october 2018 in august of last year. some of the young women said they had their phones taken from him and believe they were locked in rooms. the trial of the 2018 world champion is set the last over two months. currently out on bail, he could face a sentence of life in prison. anchor: and that trial continues. over 100,000 tourists have been lockdown in seaside resorts in china after thousands opposed to cases of covid-19. it centers on one island.

we have this. >> trouble in paradise, after covid cases spiked on the island two weeks ago. luxury hotels have become isolation centers, despite the protests of their customers. >> there is a protest. i think this is because there have been 11 staff who have tested positive for covid was that people want to move out of this hotel. >> they can leave. the local government has barricaded the premises with close police surveillance. >> this is gary. like so scary. >> this u.k. ex-pat has been looking for these holidays for twoears, but now he can't be the room. >> the hotel is very luxurious, a long time to come here, so it is devastating. we can look at it, but we cannot touch it. a little depressing, actually. >> and the cycle repeats.

airport chaos, emergency hospitals and testing centers popping up. >> so every morning we have to line up for a pcr tests beside the beach. >> this man conveyed his holiday home, but a normal life has come to an abrupt halt. >> everything is close, so it is difficult to finfood and drink. >> only two months ago, he was lockdown in shanghai. he was hoping to make up for it with a holiday. >> it was hell in shanghaiso going through it again psychologically and physicay, it is really tough, so my reaction was to find a way to get a flight out of here quickly. >> but the island was cut off in the world for 10 days with all flights canceled as they slowly start back up again, this tourist is finally going home to shanghai. once there, get another quarantine awaits.

>> we don't have any more problems. we will land in shanghai. th both take us to a quarantine hotel for a pcr tests, then we can finally go home. >> at home or on holiday, china lives under constant threat of fresh lockdown's personal numbers of cases, all in the name of a zero covid policy. anchor: law has taken effect in scotland, ensuring. g. . period products, as a new act comes into force. >> they are essential items and free access is now a legal right in scotland. the products bill passed unanimously by scottish parliament in november 2020,

requiring local governments and educators to provide free menstrual products. scotland social justice minister says it comes into effect at a crucial time. >> for women and girls, this makes a huge difference, being able to pick up these products from a range of outlets, schools, colleges, universities, lots of different venues, to be able to make it as easy as possible. >> a free mobile app helps users find the nearest collection point. 10% of young women and the u.k. said they were unable to afford sanitary products. scotland begin providing with these products to students in 2018. the lawmaker who spearheaded the products bill says the benefits are clear. >> this should help to improve attendancet school, help people feel valued, to help

people who have health issues or other disabilities. there are many benefits. doing that.ome emploes are >> efforts to combat poverty have been multiplying around the world. new zealand and south korea have launched similar initiatives, while others have done away with sales tax on sanitary products. anchor: heavy rainfall has hit paris. this follows the recent heat wave. we saw temperatures reaching almost 40. this is the metro station not too far from our studios. this was early this evening, flooding outside on many streets. this is basically the situation in paris, so quite alarming, after people almost praying for rain for many weeks. it has all happened at once. we can tell you that the rain is

set to continue and we understand the south of the country is said to have more torrential rain, but these images, you can see the flooding almost knee-high along certain streets in the french capital. i hope you're managing to keep dry. keep your doors and windows closed. we will keep you across all the develop and says they happen. flooding in paris, that is the story from "france 24." state with us. more news to come. -- stake with us. more news to come. -- stay with us. more news to come. ♪

♪ >> a graphic study of the man with the keys to the kremlin and the leader who has cast a shadow over geopolitics for two decades , vladimir putin is the subject of a graphic novel, originally published as putin's russia, and now in french translation. he joins us now. hello. >> hello. >> this is the story of a schoolyard bully who became a bureaucrat interested with a huge country, someone described as a megalomaniac or dictator. based on her extensive research into putin's early life, were the clues all bear in his childhood.

was this an inevitable trajectory for him? >> it does seem so when you read about his childhood, not just what he says, but the people who knew him as a child. he was a tough kid. he was a smaller kid, but that did not stop him when he got into fights. he grew up in the rough tenements of leningrad. not long after the seizure of leningrad in the second world war. what we know about him is he would win by using any method, by, scratch, all the norms. and he does that today. he just ignores or breaks the norms. >> your graphic style, it really captures his features with no more than a few lines, that inscrutable expression that reveals barely anything. let's get an idea of the aesthetic of the book.

♪ it is an amazing and subtle likeness. how do you go about illustrating his mood, attitude? >> there are photographic references that are incredibly useful. with this book, because of the seriousness of the subjects, terrorism, warfare, assassination. i wanted to take a realistic

approach to the drawing, so i've tried to get a more photographic approach. >> it really captures the likeness. this was published in english before the invasion of ukraine. as someone who has followed vladimir putin's geopolitical strategy, do you think it was shortsighted or naive of the international community not to see this coming are to do more to prevent it? >> absolutely. for 20 plus years they have taken the approach that putin is a regular statesman. he's not a regular statesman. he has x kgb. he is basically a crime cartel that has basely taken over an tire count. hes a mobster. that is his approach. you can't approach? it in the usual way. >> your book recounts the terrifying things that happens to his and poneman's, encounters

with poisonous and radioactive substances, people mysteriously falling out of apartment buildings, particular shocking is that of a journalist who was killed in 2006, and she is one of seven reporters to have been murdered since 2000. how do you judge the russian feeling about the limits on press freedoms? her people actively seeking out information elsewhere? >> it is increasingly difficult for people inside russia to get true information. they basically try to disconnect themselves from the internet now and be completely sealed off, much like north korea. that seems to be the way they are going. they have gone to ridiculous extremes people with a blank signs have been arrested, and people do nothing at all being arrested.

that is how surreal it has become. >> it is definitely quite striking. the criticism of putin has come from artists. in your book, you named one punk group as people who aren't anti-criminal invoice. elsewhere, anti-kremlin voices have spoken out at great risk to their own safety. the belarus free theater was forced into exile after a number of members were jailed, including the cofounder. she told us more about their latest production, dogs of europe, adapted from a dystopian novel and features tily them. here is more from her. >> the particular novel written in 2018alksbout how russia built up a new right. it happened due to european

indifference, because europe stopped reading bks, loss critical thinking,nd as a result lost political will to and up against the major monster from the kremlin. >> [speaking in foreign language] >> now inelarus, there are more artists in jails than human rights defenders and journalists , because dictators are afraid of creativity, because imeans stories about them was stay forever inistory,ecause ns

disappears within hours these days, but was theirorrifying deals that they do now converted into their hearts, it will be staying forever. >> that is an extract from the dystopian play, the dogs of europe. it will be in luxembourg in june. she spoke of the dangers to artists in belarus. reviewed fearful of the consequences was making this work? >> there are many books in the west. this book is among many. i did not give it much thought. we will not be playing in russia anytime soon, but i feel confident i am fine. >> while your book focuses on the russian president, another

world leader is donald trump. you say he aided and abetted donald trump's attack in 2016. why do you think that was? >> the evidence is overwhelming now, the interest of trump and putin line and there is a confluence of interest between them. i said quiuite clearly in the bk and i think making it to clear, but i think it is there. >> a previous book of yours, billionaires, looks into the life of the wealthiest people. vladimir putin almost definitely

qualifies as one of the richest men in the world. you write he could be worth almost $200 billion, but much of that wealth is concealed so it is impossible to be sure. how do you think that immense net worth influences his decisions? >> money is power. one of the problems the west has is we have become addicted to russian money. we see it in places like new york, london, basically running money laundering operations for the russian state, and many other european countries have to use russian oil, especially germany, so we need to detach ourselves from that. he is using this basically against us. >> certainly up for debate at the moment. to wrap up the show, we ask you for a cultural tip on your radar. you suggested a tv series called

"severance." tell us why. >> it is a show in which some corporate workers make the decision that they can separate their work lives and outside lives by severing their memory, so when they are at work, they can't remember what the outside lives are like, and when they are in work, it is the other way around. i think you get the idea that when they are in work, they don't know what the outside world is like. the tv series explores these ideas of what identity is, memory, and i think it is a really good exploration of what our lives are like in the time in which we live. >> sounds suitably dystopian. thank you for joining us today. we leave you with a clip from

"severance." you can get more arts and culture, website. there is more news coming up on "france 24." >> my name >> for friends? >> best friends. nothing is what they say. >> i used to think it would take a monster to put someone in that office, especially if the person was themselves. if you want to know what is going on down there, you will find the beginning of a very long answer. >> what is happening? ♪ >> what is it we actually do here? ♪

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08/16/22 08/16/22 [captioning made possiblby democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> we commenced a lawsuit this morning on behalf of several people who actually went to the ecuadorian embassy to visit julian assange and ueknownst to tm we leaed through several sourcethat in fact all their equipment were taken, imag