♪ phil: this is dw news, live from berlin. was ukraine involved in the sabotage of the nord stream 2 gas pipelines? new footage of explosions rupturing the pipes meant to carry gas from russia to germany. also on the program, the kremlin describes

claims that it orchestrated the death of yevgeny prigozhin as a live. and donald trump turns himself in in fulton county, georgia. he faces charges over conspiring to overturn his election defeat. ♪ phil: ph -- i'm phil gayle, welcome to the program. there are reports that the mysterious attacks on the nord stream 2 gas pipeline might be linked to ukraine. the pipelines were badly damaged by underwater explosions last september, increasing tensions over russia's invasion. germany's public broadcasting's say they have uncovered fresh clues which revolve around six men on a rented yacht, who are believed to have been the saboteurs. >> this recording is from

september 2020 two, moments after the nord stream 2 pipelines exploded and started leaking gas. nord stream pipelines one and two carried natural gas from russia to germany. their destruction 80 meters below the water at the points seen here has been shrouded in mystery. investigators have long suspected that saboteurs rented the charter yacht andromeda and used it to sail to the pipelines and plant explosives. last month, german officials announced they had found traces of hmx on board the boat, the same explosive at the blast sites. russia and ukraine have denied any involvement in the attack. ukraine's allies were wary about jumping to conclusions. >> countries investigating exactly what transpired are our german allies, swedish and danish partners as well. they have opened investigations

into what has happened, those investigations are ongoing. as we always do, we will let those investigations play out before we comment on any potential findings or conclusions. >> as those investigations gather more evidence, the latest reports from german media point more signs to keep. -- kyiv. the same sources say there are no strong links to russian involvement. the case is still open and many questions remain. who ordered the attack? who executed it and who paid for it? and will this new information have any consequences for ukraine and its allies? phil: investigative -- an investigative journalist from der spiegel magazine worked on that report. as evidence concludes that it

leads to ukraine, i asked him if he is accusing ukrainian government? >> investigators are more and more certain that the investigation points towards ukraine, but that does not necessarily mean the ukrainian government was involved or knew about it. i would even say that intelligence and security experts consider it very unlikely that ukrainian president zelenskyy was in on it. the question remains, from how high up was the attack ordered and who knew about it? but it is becoming more and more clear that, there are few remaining dots with investigators that the -- that ukraine was involved. we found more evidence on that. phil: so so we understand more clearly what you have said, no

link to the ukrainian president, but certainly links as far as you can establish to the ukrainian leadership? >> not the leadership, but a commander, a commander located within ukraine before and after the attack. that must have had some kind of expertise and training in what they were doing, but we are not seeing certain evidence that points to the ukrainian leadership. phil: ok. explain to us how kyiv would benefit from sabotaging a pipeline bringing russian natural gas to ukraine's german allies? >> many of germany's allies were heavily against the pipeline project nord stream two. i mean, for them it was pretty clear that nord stream 1 already had tied germany far too close

to russia. ukraine was also radically opposed to a new pipeline, because significant quantities of russian gas, you know, would not be flowing through the country, through ukraine anymore. for them, it was a threat to the country. but you know, that doesn't prove anything at all. for them, it was a project they were have early -- heavily against and that was fairly clear. but our allies have also been against the project, like the u.s. phil: so that is clear. if it can be proven that this was ukraine, then, what would it mean for germany's support for ukraine in their war against this russian invasion? >> it's interesting. when we talked to government officials and politicians in berlin, it almost seemed like

pretty much no one wants to think right now about what actions should be taken if the involvement of ukraine or even the ukrainian government can be proven. i mean, they could not simply brush off such a serious crime but not suspend support for ukraine in the war against russia. that's not an option. everyone is shying away from the question of consequence here. phil: understood. other investigations have pointed fingers at russia, colons, even the united dates. why are you so sure that they are all wrong, you are right, and why not wait for the conclusions of the various investigations and carried out by germany, denmark and sweden? >> we are not saying we are right, we are just saying everything we have found in the weeks and months of investigating was that investigators and intelligence

experts and everyone saying there is more and more proof that points to ukraine, they did not find any proof that russia has done a false flag operation or destroyed pipelines simply to try and blame it on ukraine. to undermine support for the west. a lot of evidence we have found is pointing towards ukraine and the investigators did not find anything that might prove that russia could be behind this, or even less that the u.s. might be behind this attack. there is no evidence at all for this. phil: good talking. that is very interesting. thank you for joining us and talking us through that. investigative journalist from their spiegel magazine -- door spiegel magazine. and the kremlin has denied claims that it was involved in

the plane crash in which yevgeny prigozhin died. moscow has not confirmed prigozhin's death and say they are waiting for test results. he was listed as a passenger on the private jet that crashed in moscow on wednesday. the incident happened two months to the day prigozhin attempted to lead a failed revolt. president putin broke his silence, offering his condolences to the prigozhin family, and bodies have been recovered from the crash site. i spoke with a scholar at the carnegie pressure eurasia center here in religion, who specializes in russia's legislative process.

she moved here to germany after russia launched its full-scale invasion of ukraine. >> good evening. today being friday, a list of foreign adjuncts have been published, and among them are various esteemed colleagues and journalists, it happens every friday, to give you a bit of context. phil: and that makes you an enemy of the russian state? >> it for bid me to teach at a university, college or a school, and if i publish anything, i have to put an announcement out that i am in the registry of foreign agents. so you are interviewing a foreign agent at the moment. phil: i am quite excited by that prospect. let's start with vladimir putin's statement on prigozhin. what did you make of what he had to say? >> he is making this public

announcement and made a cue to every other loyalist speaker as to the way these events have to be explained. he has been described as a figure with a checkered past two made steaks but wanted the best for his country, so not a hero, not a traitor, but something in between. condolences were announced to his family and the families of others, the victims of this catastrophe. he has not declared, frankly, that we have killed him because he was an enemy or flying to continue his revolt, so whoever did it remains unclear. according to the official version. i think the impression they want to create is that there was some sort of calm on the lane -- bomb on the plane. i expect the investigation will lead this way too. phil: so his announcement, this

is the official line, take notice of this is what we are saying. your cynicism was apparent in that. can we presume that you presume that he was behind this? >> well, there are two alternatives, all of which are bad for this official version. you cannot very well say we blew up a civic plane on russian territory because there were some bad people on board, but you can hardly say that the westerners, the people anglo-saxons -- evil anglo-saxons or ukrainians did it. you have to wiggle in between those two extremes, which are equally harmful for your official worldview and picture of how things happen in russia. you have to throw some kind of fog of war over this whole thing. phil: i get that. as far as you were concerned,

this is a putin ordered hit? >> well, if the plane was hit from the ground, this could only be done by the minister of defense, because the orders lead from the minister of defense. if there was a bomb on the plane, that could be the work of the fsp. usually poison people, but they could blow them up in this way. is it possible for some other commercial rivals or old enemies or whomever of prigozhin to do such a thing? no, it is not. it is not a physical impossibility, but given the exact two month state of the date of the revolt, in june, and given that it happened between moscow and st. petersburg, on the territory of russia in central russia, not somewhere in africa, it is hard to imagine that such a thing could have been done by some private actor rather than by an official or an

at-home player acting on official orders. phil: the same day, earlier on the same day, it was announced that general s survey survive again -- srgey surovigen has been dismissed. we see this change happen often in russia's forces. is this indicative of terming -- turmoil at the top? disputant have a problem with his military? >> we have seen no public accusations against anyone in the military. people have been demoted, like the one who spoke publicly about problems on the front line, but there have been no criminal cases, arrests, or repressive actions against them. it's interesting, because usually if you have a failed

revolt, you have a wave of repercussions, where there was a wild scale -- widescale campaign. nothing so far happened in russia, and i suspect it will not happen. we will have people quietly stepping down, but not publicly accused of being traitors or whatever, enemies of the people. perhaps the only ones probably punished will be prigozhin and his guys, and we will have some nonpublic activity, but not a public campaign. i think this will be done to avoid the turmoil and the impression -- you have mentioned there was a problem between political leadership and military command. phil: thank you for outlining that for us, ekaterina schulman. at least a dozen people have

been killed in a stadium stampede in madagascar ours -- madagascar ours capital -- madagascar's capital. because of the stampede is not known. and antiregime protesters have taken to the streets in the southern syrian city of s udan. other protests have been reported in syria's rebel held north. and niger has entered into a defense pact with mali and burkina faso. they are in talks with niger's military government, and have threatened to use force to reinstate civilian rule. residents of the u.s. state of louisiana have been

evacuated from their homes after i kneel by oil -- after a meal -- after a nearby oil factory burst into flames. no injuries have been reported. donald trump has been arrested after surrendering to authorities in the u.s. state of georgia. it is his fourth time the mugshot has been taken. former president trump is accused of trying to over turn legal election results. >> this time is different. this photo of trump, along with an inmate number, is sitting in the public records of fulton county jail. it's the first mugshot ever taken of a former u.s. president. >> it shows that even if you have all this money and all the power, and of the most powerful person in the united states, you are not above the law and not

above consequences. it's great. >> trump surrendered at the olanta jail -- atlanta jail. in a phone call, trump had asked a republican secretary of state to find him both to change the outcome. trump says he is being prosecuted for making a "perfect phone call." >> when you have that great freedom to challenge, you have to, or you will have very dishonest elections. it was a travesty what is taking place here. >> instead of letting his latest scandal damage his candidacy, he is taking it as a photo op. he posted his own mugshot with a link to raise money, and repeating claims of election

interference, which many of his republican supporters believe. >> this country is too important to lose. we have to have donald trump. it is trump her death -- trump or death. >> trump was released with a grand total of 90 charges across four criminal cases. the former president escalating legal troubles. phil: will this hurt the former president? we asked our reporter. >> what doesn't kill him makes him stronger, i guess you could say. he has been through many troubles right now, the four legal cases against him, and his supporters love him. he uses it to burst his -- boost his personality on a national stage. all news is good news and he gets a lot of media attention, as this conversation is very evident.

for donald trump, this can only be good, because he feeds off of this kind of attention. phil: the mugshot. what do you make of that? is that one for the presidential library? >> it's one for american history , that's for sure. it has a very pop art 5-2 my layman's view. other people have been likening it to a clockwork orange, the famous gaze that we know from that film, from the character that is certainly someone that you might not want to be compared to. there are memes going around of this photo and you have to assume donald trump, who is a master of media and media manipulation, who knew he would be getting this mugshot unlike the other three cases, he knew what he wanted to look like, how he wanted to look, and the tone he wanted to express.

given the way we know he acts and responds to the media and has used social media, he must've known how to make the most of this mugshot for his supporters. phil: and he is using it to try and raise funds for his election campaign. is it working? >> it has in the past. this is the first mugshot, the first visual evidence of the so-called perp walk of him being charged as a criminal. he has used other elements -- indictments, other states in -- statements against him from prosecutors, send them out in campaign emails to a positive response from his base. the republican party as the party of trump, as we have seen in the polls that more than 50% of these primary poles are in his favor and the other candidates who were debating the other night among themselves are only in the single digits -- not

much higher than that. this is clearly working to his benefit, at least right now in a republican only context. phil: william, thank you so much for that. william glucroft. ♪ phil: the president of the spanish football federation has sent shockwaves across the sport and beyond by refusing to resign after kissing a player on the lips. he was widely expected to quit following the incident, after spain's victory in the world cup final. she said in no moment did she consent. she told an emergency meeting of the federation that false feminism and social assassination were at play. the spanish government has launched legal proceedings to have him removed from office and

the newly crowned world champions say they will not play again for spain until he is gone . the men's basketball world cup is underway, and for the first time ever, being held in three countries. japan and indonesia are two of the host swallow all of the final rounds are taking place in the philippines. the country's mask -- country is basketball mad and many street kids dream of lifting their families out of poverty. >> few places in the world are as obsessed with basketball as the philippines. it is loved by people of all ages. the rich and the poor adore the sport equally. makeshift basketball courts have sprung up everywhere. the sport has its origins in the united states, which was controlled the philippines. but that is only half the reason why they call it the basketball bug. >> i think the popularity of the game was brought about by the fact that we learn how to play the game early.

compared to our other asian neighbors, we are beginning to learn the game and many american coaches could teach them the game. it seemed like there was a natural flare of filipinos for the game. >> women also love basketball in the philippines, and one prominent name said she was lost without it. >> basketball actually changed my life. it changed my life and brought me to where i am today. in my high school days, i was involved in a lot of foolish actions. i didn't study much. i was more focused on spending time with friends rather than my family. >> the philippines might not be the favorites for the men's world cup, with spain and the u.s. taking part, but that will not stop the locals from seeing the tournament as a slam dunk for their country did phil: --

country. phil: more stories from the world of sports, where the track and field and olympic javelin trials are continuing. football, a first goal has been scored in saudi arabia to help his club beat el riyadh 4-0. a throng of footballers are headed to saudi this year. and in major league baseball, what about this for a cat? from a fan? one-handed, barehanded, and without dropping his food in the other hand. a homerun from the oakland slugger helped beat the white sox 8-5. finally, india's lunar rover has

begun to explore the surface of the moon, after they became the first country to land a craft near the largely unexplored south pole. the mission success sparked massive celebrations in india, the fourth country to pull off a lunar landing at a relatively low cost, around $75 million. india says an exit attempts -- it next will attempt a manned mission to the moon. german media are reporting that last year's attack that damage the nord stream 2 pipeline might be linked to ukraine. durr spiegel magazine has uncovered evidence believed to be linked to the saboteurs. and donald trump has been arrested in the u.s. state of georgia over attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

a historic first, a police photo was taken of the president, which he posted on social media. that's world news. i will be back in just a moment with an in-depth look at some top stories, paying particular attention to the trump arrest and where that leaves the republican party, that's the day in just a moment. have a good day. ♪

>> the kremlin calls accusations that it ordered the death of wagner chief yevgeny prigozhin an absolute lie as pressure confirms that the bodies of all 10 victims have been recovered from a plane crash wednesday along with flight recorders. prosecutors announced former french president nicolas sarkozy will stand trial on corruption charges in 2025. he is accused of illegally accepting funding from libya in

2007, charges he denies. and a scandal over a case spirals in spain as a dozens of players in the women's championship football team refused to take the field until the head of the organization is fired. hi, everyone. thanks for joining us here on france 24. the kremlin is pushing back against accusations this friday that it orchestrated the death of yevgeny prigozhin. the head of the private military group wagner is presumed dead and among the 10 people killed in a plane crash wednesday. he was a former ally of vladimir putin who led a short-lived mutiny against putin in june. u.s. officials say there are indications that explosives on board brought on the plane, and western officials have

speculated that putin ordered prigozhin's killing. the equipment spokesman called the accusation an absolute lie. >> the reported death of wagner leader yevgeny prigozhin still shrouded in mystery. because of wednesday's plane crash is still not known, but on friday, russian investigators said that they have recovered flight recorders and 10 bodies. on friday, the kremlin labeled allegations that vladimir putin orchestrated the crash an outright lie. >> there's lots of speculation around the plane crash and the tragic deaths of those on board the plane, including guinea pig ocean. of course in the west, those speculations are put out under a search angle, and all of this is an outright lie, and of course,

it is necessary when covering this issue to be based on fact. >> wagner's second in command is also presumed dead in the crash, and no moscow has announced a decree meaning paramilitary fighters will be obliged to swear an oath to the russian flag, a move seen by many as an attempt to rein in the wagner group in the aftermath of june's uprising, and mutiny that saw yevgeny prigozhin lead his troops in a march on the capital. officials say they have opened a probe into violations of air traffic rules following the crash. according to the u.s., initial intelligence reports indicate that an explosion on board may have brought on the plane, a theory consistent with witnesses who said they heard a series of blast. >> as questions spiral about the future of the group, vladimir putin has issued a decree that leaders of all paramilitary

groups swear an oath to the russian flag. i spoke to our international affairs editor and began by asking what all this means for the future of the wagner group. >> what is it about, swearing an oath to the russian flag. russian paramilitary forces already have to swear an oath. in states where you have very fragile state institutions, institutions that are not underpinned by the rule of law, you tend to have this proliferation of these vague, pseudo-national paramilitary volunteer formations, and russia is a prime example. there are dozens of examples, not just perhaps the most prominent of them, the wagner group, they are just about everywhere. the wagner one presumed to be sort of spinning out of control. the kremlin lost its ability to keep a tight universe around it,

and it became its own universe. hence these decrees. but the claimant has been hard at work. russian military intelligence agency, the g are you, has been reportedly actively involved in trying to corral for the past two months in the wake of that aborted mutiny, that march on moscow. china corralled these paramilitary formations to try to draw the wagner fighters and other paramilitary fighters into the fold of the regular army, making them sign contracts, trying to basically break down their incentive to stay with these formations, but at this point, there is really a determination, if you will, in the wake of, you know, wagner and yevgeny prigozhin's mutiny to really try to get an upper hand again, to try to make sure that it is the top military brass and centralized russian military leadership that will ultimately be able to call the shots. there's an irony here because these paramilitary groups,

wagner especially, has been able to very conveniently do the dirty work of the russian state, notably in ukraine where their losses are not counted in the official casualty list. let's that was our international affairs editor speaking to us a bit earlier. next, to niger where military leaders have ordered the french ambassador to leave the country in the next 48 hours. the move comes as the regional bloc known as ecowas told to leaders it was not too late to reconsider their position. representatives from the junta said they decided to install the ambassador in part because he refused to meet with their minister of foreign affairs. the french government saying the hunter does not have the right to ask the ambassador to leave -- the junta does not have the

right to ask ambassador to leave. this friday, announcements that former french president nicolas sarkozy will stand corruption -- stand trial on corruption charges in 2025. he has long maintained his innocence, saying there is not even the inkling of proof to the accusations. the former president could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. >> it is a decade-long investigation. now french magistrates have ordered nicolas sarkozy to stand trial on corruption charges for allegedly receiving illegal funding from libya for his 2007 presidential campaign. the trial is expected to start in the first half of 2025 before the paris criminal court. >> the former president will appear for charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, criminal conspiracy,

and concealing the misappropriation of public funds. >> the complex case was opened in 2013 following a report by an investigative news site that alleged the former president's campaign had received significant funding from the late libyan dictator muammar gaddafi, violation of rules against foreign election funding. in bringing the charges, the prosecution says a corruption packed was made between sarkozy and gaddafi in which the dictator would benefit from diplomatic and legal compensation in exchange for the money. prosecutors say they can prove their accusations based on statements by former libyan officials and a witness who says he personally delivered suitcases full of cash. along with sarkozy, 12 other people have been charged, including his former right hand man, his then head of campaign financing and a former interior

minister sarkozy has repeatedly denied the allegations and refused to comment on the case. >> this is not the place to talk about it. i'm not going to talk about it now. i'll have a chance to explain myself but not now. >> the former president has faced a litany of legal woes since leaving office. he has already been convicted twice for corruption and influence peddling in two other unrelated cases. >> they are counting votes in zimbabwe, which held a parliamentary vote on wednesday. results show a current lead for the ruling party, suggesting the president will continue his 33-year rule. that comes in despite of word from election observers that the vote did not meet international standards and was conducted in a "climate of fear." >> polling stations that opened more than 12 hours after the stipulated time.

the reason was the availability of ballot papers, particularly for the local authority elections and also previous litigation. the mission noted that some aspects fall short of the requirements of the constitution of zimbabwe. >> he was expected to resign as head of spain's football federation today, but instead, he was defiant saying he would not step down. there is great pressure on him to step down after forcibly kissing one of the members of spain's women's team. now dozens of players on the team are refusing to play matches until he is fired. >> a total of 56 players refused to play for spain until the head

of spanish football federation luis rubiales steps down from his role. amid mounting pressure for him to resign, he defiantly announced he was staying put. a growing number of politicians call his kiss sexual harassment. >> i won't resign. is one consensual case enough to get me out of here? come on. i'm grateful to be in spain because i can defend myself until the end. and those who know me know that i will fight until the very end. >> the head of the spanish football federation sparked international outrage after he grabbed start forward -- star forward jenni hermoso by the head and kissed her. the footballer said she did not like it on social media.

the union said his behavior should not go unpunished. condemnation piled up even after he posted an apology video with spain's prime minister saying it was not enough and fifa hosting disciplinary measures against him. he lashed out at what he called false feminism and claimed he was suffering a public assassination at friday's emergency meeting. >> it is a disgrace. a person who holds such a position has to resign if he wants to or not. >> he also held his crotch during the match. that was disgusting, standing next to the queen and the princess. >> is it's not just female players who have joined the protest. stryker -- striker iglesias has said he will not play until

rubiales resigns. >> brazil has recorded temperatures upwards of 40 degrees celsius. >> you would be forgiven for thinking it was the height of summer in rio de janeiro, but in fact, it is the middle of winter in south america. temperatures hit 38.7° celsius on thursday, the city's second hardest day this year. >> it does worry me that it is to heart. it is over the top, but i would be lying if i told you i don't like it. i like the summer. >> but not everyone is enjoying the unseasonably high temperatures. >> walking with this suit under the sun is terrible. you get used to it, but it's bad, tiring. >> the rare heatwave engulfed 19 of brazil's 26 states this week, bringing also unusually low humidity.

>> the month of august is well above average. minimum temperatures are 2° above average. maximum temperatures are 2.7 above. heat waves kill, and people are going to be very susceptible as the heat waves are going to follow one another. heat kills more than any other meteorological phenomenon on the planet. >> much of south america has experienced soaring temperatures this winter, a pattern that scientists say is likely to become more frequent and more intense, driven by global warming linked to human activity. >> that is it for now. stay tuned to more world news coming up here on france 24.

♪ >> hello and welcome to "encore ." today's show is dedicated to a king who ruled over 3000 years ago. ramses ii, also known as ramses the great, was the most celebrated pharaoh of the egyptian empire, and an

exhibition has arrived in paris, several years after a show dedicated to ramses' predecessor tutankhamen, which drew nearly 1.5 one million visitors in 2019. our cultural editor visited the new blockbuster exhibition. >> behold ramses the great, ancient egypt's most powerful king. his reign stretched far and wide and lasted nearly 70 years, beginning in the 17th century bc . 3000 years on, his legacy still looms large, and the artifacts associated with his reign are considered some of egypt's most treasured. welcome to what is being billed as paris' exhibition of the

year. >> ramses was a great builder. he was a great warrior. there was a time where he conquered a lot of territory, and the most fascinating part is he lived until he was 87 in a time where the average age was probably 35 to 40, so he became the pharaoh of generations. he also ended up having the largest tomb in the valley of the kings. >> the artifacts on display include jewelry and gold masks, but the centerpiece of the exhibition is this, ramses' coffin, exceptionally known to paris. it was first discovered in 1881.

>> from a historical point of view, this piece is priceless, part of the sarcophagus of ramses ii that protected the mummy of the king for 2000 900 years. the coffin is made of lebanon cedar and was painted with the representation of the stripe head clock. the royal kober on the front and the scepters help in his hands with arms crossed. >> ramses' mummy is far too fragile to travel, but if you would like a glimpse, how about these animal mummies that were recently discovered in an ancient city? mongoose, lion cub, and some cats are on display for the first time ever. the exhibition is more than just a set of beautiful objects. using virtual reality multimedia, it brings to life the most important events in places ramses ruled. with headsets and vr goggles,

visitors follow this. the temple and crypt appear like they would at the time of reconstruction. for many, this exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. >> the exhibition was already shown in the united states and will continue on to australia, but king ramses' coffin is only being displayed here in paris, a gesture of recognition from egyptian to french authorities for their work nearly 50 years ago. in the 1970's, a group of french scientists saved ramses' money from being eaten up by a fungus. >> king ramses ii's sarcophagus lands on french soil for the first time in half a century. transported under police escort,

the ancient monarch receives a welcome fit for a modern-day king. it was a similar story during the pharaoh's first visit in 1976 when he was received with the pomp and pageantry of a state visit. in 1976, france not only welcome ramses ii's cuff and put corpse, too. the mummy was being ravaged by fungus, and a group of nuclear engineers were tasked with saving using innovative techniques at the time. the young scientist who supervised the team still remembers the tense operation that lasted 12 hours. >> i slept next to the radiator. i brought my sleeping bag because i was paying close attention to everything that could happen. >> their hard work paid off, and ramses ii was repatriated to

cairo the next day. now egypt is loading the mummy's sarcophagus to paris just to thank france for making the monarch and eternal once again. >> we have been speaking with a renowned archaeologist and egypt's former antiquities minister. >> ramses ii was always regarded as the greatest, and he has always been celebrated. why is that? >> there is no king in ancient egypt with more great achievements than ramses ii. in my career as an archaeologist, i discovered a statue of ramses to the south of the great pyramid and another in

heliopolis. the second, he was a great warrior. he was a peacemaker. he was a family man who married eight wives, and he had 100 children. if you mention ancient egypt, it is linked to ramses ii. >> what makes this exhibition unique? >> it is unique because he is a great king. most of ramses' objects were moved to the palace. that's why with this great exhibit, they brought also animal mummies.

in my opinion was the outer coffin by a great artist who made these beautiful ornaments. also many small objects, the obelisk. i'm fascinated by this obelisk. that each object in this exhibit will capture the heart of any french. >> even always a fighter to return, the egyptian ancient artifacts, including, of course, the famous stone from the british museum and the zodiac from the louvre in paris. are you still optimistic that these ancient objects will come back soon to egypt? >> i'm always optimistic and i never stopped the fight. i brought back 6000 artifacts, but i believe only after three unique artifacts, their home

should be egypt, not outside. the rosetta stone in the british museum, the zodiac. can you believe, can you feel free and feel happy when you see a replica in a temple and taken by the french, given to the louvre and you have the original in the louvre? i hope the french people can support our cause, and we have a petition. it is signed until now by many foreigners and many egyptians. i'm hoping it can reach one million, and after that, i will be able to send a letter to the louvre and others to ask for the return of nefertiti, the zodiac, and rosetta stone. >> what are the latest

discoveries, and when will there be new secrets to be unveiled? >> we are working right now to see what is under the corridor found behind the main entrance of the palace and searching now for the mummy of nefertiti and her daughter. we are working with dna to find out and searching the belly of the kings for the tomb of queen nefertiti. we think there is one area -- we hope the valley of the kings will reveal another sector to us. >> last question -- the grand egyptian museum has been long awaited. when it will be open to the public? >> the minister of antiquities announced today that soon will

announce that the museum will open six months from now. i'm very proud to have started the construction of the museum in 2002 and was planning to open it in 2015, but because of the trouble that was in egypt could not do it, but this museum is a very good, important indication to the world that egypt is very caring about this. >> as we await the opening of cairo's grand egyptian museum, we can end with another exhibition of artifacts here in europe. the art and history museum of brussels is currently showing more than 200 objects from its egyptian collection, some for the first time, in a show titled "expedition egypt." the artifacts are interspersed with works from an egyptian artist exploring contemporary egyptian

identity and questioning the identity and meaning of egyptology. we will leave you with images from that show. thank you for watching. you can always head to our website and find us on social media. there's more news coming up on france 24 after this. ♪

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08/25/23 08/25/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> the arrest and booking of donald trump was a sign, a powerful sign that the rule of law still holds. that accountability still is in the system and that chickens will come home to roost. amy: president trump surrendered at the notorious fulton county jail thursday night. he was booked on 13 felony