Summer storms: less damage recorded in Lyon and Saint-Étienne

On Wednesday, violent summer storms swept across part of France, but there was no major damage in Lyon and Saint-Étienne. In the evening, its storms hit the Mediterranean arc again.

In addition, only one department in the South-East remained on orange alert, the Pyrénées Atlantiques, noting that “showers follow one another at a high pace, without giving significant accumulations so far” during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. Also, rain and hail hit the north of Saint-Étienne on Wednesday afternoon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which was placed on an orange alert earlier in the day. This has caused problems with the free movement of cars and trains, with several tens of centimeters of water or hail accumulating in some areas.

TOKYO: Hanae Mori dies

Nicknamed “Madame Butterfly,” Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori died on August 11 at her home in Tokyo at the age of 96, according to the Kyodo News Agency on Thursday. She globally as a member of the elite of high fashion. The nickname “Madame Butterfly” came from the butterfly designs that had made its mark over the decades. She made luxurious creations that were worn by Nancy Reagan, Grace Kelly, and numerous members of Japanese high society. The designer Hanae Mori was one of the few Japanese women to run an international company. This made her a pioneer for her compatriots.

Tour: Antonio Guterres meets business with his counterparts

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Lviv, western Ukraine, on Thursday. They will discuss the recent agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain. According to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, they will also address “the need for a political solution to this conflict.” Antonio Guterres will also hold bilateral talks with Mr. Zelensky and will visit Odessa, one of the three ports used under the grain export agreement, on Friday, before continuing to Turkey to visit the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) responsible for overseeing the agreement.

Fire in Algeria: 26 dead and dozens injured

On Wednesday 14, forest fires affected departments in northern Algeria. This fire caused 26 deaths and several dozen injured. This revives the specter of summer 2021, the deadliest in the country's modern history. It should be noted that a new fixed figure for the number of injured has not yet been given for this year, but several people are suffering from burns or breathing difficulties.

A “war on women” was lambasted in the United States on Wednesday by American elected officials after a decision that a 16-year-old girl with dead parents was “not mature enough” to have an abortion was upheld by a Florida appeals court upheld a decision ruling that a 16-year-old girl with dead parents was “not mature enough” to have an abortion. On Twitter, Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty asked: “In what world is a 16-year-old too immature to have an abortion but mature enough to bear and raise a child? “He was supported by his colleagues Bonnie Watson Coleman from New Jersey and Katherine Clark from Massachusetts. Deeming the decision “unacceptable” the Democratic elected representative of this state in the south-east of the United States, Lois Frankel scolded: “It is a dangerous and terrifying example of the war waged on women by Florida.” To this end, he calls for “fighting for women's health, safety and freedom.”

IN SHORT

With the aim of stopping what it describes as France's “acts of aggression” in the form of violations of its sovereignty, support for jihadi groups and espionage, Mali asks the UN Security Council for an emergency meeting.

In an interview Wednesday, the American accused of stabbing Salman Rushdie said he was “surprised” that the author of The Satanic Verses survived after the attack, which occurred Friday during a conference in New York State.

A spokesperson for the owner of the energy group Ineos said on Wednesday that Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire, is “definitely a potential buyer” of Manchester United if the English soccer club is up for sale.

On Wednesday, Rafael Nadal, No. 3, returned to the courts after a six-week absence and was eliminated as soon as Rafael Nadal entered the Cincinnati Masters 1000, beating 7-6 (11/9) 4-6, 6-3 by Croatia's Borna Coric (152nd).