France has launched a war crime investigation into the death of Agence France-Presse reporter Arman Soldin who was killed in Ukraine, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Soldin, 32, was killed on Tuesday when he and his AFP colleagues came under fire by Grad rockets while they were with Ukrainian troops near Chasiv Yar in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
The French investigation will be handled by a unit specialising in crimes against humanity and hate crimes, and will seek to determine the exact circumstances surrounding Soldin's death, the prosecutors said.
Messages of grief poured in on Wednesday following Soldin's death, paying tribute to his bravery in covering Europe's worst conflict since the Second World War.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Wednesday paid tribute to Soldin's “courage” and described his work as “essential” to understanding the facts around the war in Ukraine.
“Arman was a talented and courageous journalist and his death is obviously devastating for those who knew him,” said a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“Journalism continues to shine a light in the darkness of this war and Arman's work was vital to that.”
Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko blamed Russia for Soldin's death and said those responsible must be held accountable.
“Our condolences to Arman's family and friends, and gratitude for his courage,” he said in a post on social media.
Paris-based media rights campaigners Reporters Without Borders called on France and Ukraine to carry out a “transparent” investigation, paying tribute to Soldin's work and his bravery in the field.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk region where Bakhmut is located and which has been partially controlled by Kremlin-backed forces for years, offered his condolences to Soldin's friends and family.
“I thank everyone who — risking their own lives — continues to tell the truth about our war,” he said.
Soldin, a French citizen born in Bosnia, once said he was drawn to telling stories of people displaced by fighting, stemming from his family's experience fleeing conflict.
The Bosniak member of the country's tripartite presidency, Denis Becirovic, condemned Soldin's killing, describing his death as a “great loss” and a “painful reminder” of the risks undertaken by frontline journalists.
“At the cost of his own safety, he had been travelling to the front lines since day one, doing his job as a journalist, establishing the facts and showing images of the destruction and suffering in Ukraine,” Mr Becirovic said.
Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director, said on Wednesday that “we are all incredibly shocked at AFP this morning” and that news of Soldin's death was “incredibly painful”.
“He's someone who understood the risks but really wanted to tell the story, in particular the human story of what was happening on the ground in Ukraine,” he said.
“It was the commitment to that story that took him back to the front again and again and again.”
Apart from journalism, Soldin was also passionate about football and as a teenager played for the Stade Rennais in France between 2006 and 2008.
The Rennes-based football club said it had learnt of his passing “with great sadness”.
The Commission de la Carte d'Identite des Journalistes Professionnels, a French organisation for media professionals, said it was “extremely saddened” to learn of Soldin's death.
He is the third French reporter to lose his life since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, the organisation said.
Audrey Azoulay, director general of the UN cultural agency Unesco, denounced Soldin's killing and urged parties of the conflict to adhere to international law.
“I condemn the attack that killed video journalist Arman Soldin and call for an investigation to identify the circumstances of his death,” she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Soldin on Twitter, applauding his “bravery”.
In Washington, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the world was “indebted” to the journalists who lost their lives covering the conflict.
The Kremlin told reporters on Wednesday that it was saddened to hear reports of Soldin's killing but that the circumstances of his death remained unclear.
“We need to understand the circumstances of the death of this journalist,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Asia%20Cup%202022
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
WEST ASIA RUGBY 2017/18 SEASON ROLL OF HONOUR
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Racecard
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Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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