KIGALI:

Paul Kagame was sworn in on Sunday for another five-year term as Rwanda’s president following a decisive victory in last month’s election. The Chief Justice of Rwanda, Faustin Nteziryayo, administered the oath during a ceremony held at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, which was attended by several African leaders and a large crowd of spectators.

In his oath, Kagame committed to upholding the Constitution and laws of Rwanda, preserving peace, maintaining national sovereignty, and fostering national unity.

Kagame, who stood as the candidate for the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in the 15 July election, secured more than 99% of the vote. His opponents, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, garnered less than 1% of the vote, with Habineza receiving 0.53% and Mpayimana 0.32%. The electoral body reported a voter turnout of 98% among the approximately 9 million eligible voters.

In his inaugural address, Kagame emphasised the importance of national unity, crediting it as a key factor in his electoral success. He stated, “Our political process is designed to renew and deepen our unity.”

At 66 years old, Kagame sought re-election after a 2015 constitutional amendment allowed him to run for three additional terms. This amendment enabled him to pursue a seven-year third term in 2017, though it also introduced a change that would reduce presidential terms to five years starting in 2024.

Kagame’s background includes growing up as a refugee in Uganda after the 1959-1962 revolution in Rwanda, which forced the Tutsi population to flee from the majority Hutu.

He played a significant role in Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s rebel army, leading its intelligence wing and contributing to Museveni’s rise to power in 1986. Kagame received military training in Uganda, Tanzania, and the United States.

Rwanda experienced a civil war between 1990 and 1994, rooted in deep ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi communities. The conflict culminated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Kagame is widely recognised for his leadership of the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), the military wing of the RPF, which played a crucial role in halting the genocide and promoting peace and unity in the years that followed.

Before becoming president in 2000, Kagame served as vice president and defence minister. He has consistently won re-election since then, including a landslide victory in the 2017 election, where he secured over 98% of the vote.

WASHINGTON:

In his first television interview since withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race, President Joe Biden warned that Republican candidate Donald Trump poses a significant threat to American security.

Speaking with CBS News in a pre-recorded interview aired on Sunday, Biden expressed his concerns about the implications of a Trump victory, stating, “Mark my words, if he wins… this election, watch what happens. He’s a genuine danger to American security.” He emphasised the importance of democracy at this pivotal moment in world history.

Biden, 81, has largely remained out of the public eye since ending his campaign, following a debate performance against Trump that heightened concerns about his age and cognitive abilities. In the brief interview, recorded at the White House last week, Biden appeared physically frail but mentally sharp. He acknowledged his shortcomings in the debate but reassured viewers that he has “no serious problem” health-wise.

Explaining his decision to exit the race, Biden cited concerns from fellow Democratic politicians who feared his continued candidacy might harm their chances in upcoming elections. “A number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races,” Biden said.

He added that his primary objective is to prevent Trump from regaining power, suggesting that his presence in the race would have been a distraction, particularly given the reluctance of key figures like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to openly support his campaign.

Biden stressed the importance of preserving democracy, stating, “I have an obligation to the country to do what is the most important thing we can do, and that is — we must, we must, we must defeat Trump.”

Biden also expressed pride in his achievements during his presidency, including job creation, investment, and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

He vowed to fully support Vice President Kamala Harris, who has now taken his place on the Democratic ticket. “I’m going to do whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help most,” Biden said.

Biden’s age had become a central issue in the 2024 campaign, and his withdrawal has boosted Democratic prospects, with Harris experiencing a surge in support that has left Trump facing challenges.

Biden reflected on his initial intention to serve only one term, explaining that he had been encouraged to seek a second term but ultimately decided against it. “I thought of myself as being a transition president — I can’t even say how old I am. It’s hard for me to get it out of my mouth — but things got moving so quickly, it didn’t happen,” he told CBS’s Robert Costa.

As Harris holds large rallies in key swing states, Trump’s relatively light campaign schedule has drawn criticism. Instead, Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, has taken on a more prominent role, appearing on multiple Sunday morning political talk shows to address various issues, including child care, asylum seekers, and abortion.

During a tense exchange with CBS’s Margaret Brennan, Vance expressed frustration over the focus on abortion, while Brennan pressed for clearer answers. Vance also claimed that Harris is the one “calling the shots” in the Biden administration, questioning who else might be in charge if not her.

SOUTHPORT:

The parents of Alice da Silva Aguiar, one of three young girls tragically murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport, England, last month, have made a heartfelt plea for an end to the nationwide riots that followed their daughter’s death. The appeal was delivered during an emotional funeral service held for their nine-year-old daughter on Sunday.

Alice, along with two other girls, was fatally stabbed, and eight others were injured during the attack at the seaside town event. In the aftermath, the United Kingdom witnessed days of rioting, fuelled by false online claims that wrongly identified the suspect as a Muslim migrant. However, authorities have since charged a British-born teenager with the crime, confirming that the incident is not being treated as an act of terrorism.

At the funeral, Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy conveyed the grieving parents’ request for peace. “You have shown great courage in asking me to be here today… to deliver a message from you, Alice’s family, to say that you do not want there to be any more violence on the streets of the United Kingdom in the name of your daughter,” Kennedy said.

She expressed deep regret that the family had to consider making such a plea during the planning of their daughter’s funeral. “I am ashamed, and I’m so sorry that you had to even consider this in the planning of the funeral of your beautiful daughter Alice,” Kennedy stated. She also expressed hope that those involved in the violence over the past 13 days would feel remorse for the pain they had caused the grieving family.

The riots, which targeted migrants and Muslims, have resulted in over 900 arrests and 466 charges. Dozens have already been sentenced and jailed as cases are being expedited through the courts. Authorities believe that the swift, firm response from the police, combined with large counter-protests, has deterred further unrest.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the riots as “far-right thuggery” and cancelled his holiday plans to manage the situation.

Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood warned that the impact on the already strained judicial system would be felt for years to come.

Alice’s funeral was a deeply emotional event, with her white coffin, adorned with pink flowers, arriving at the church in a white horse-drawn carriage. Hundreds of locals lined the streets, applauding in a show of support. During the service, a tribute from her parents was read by Alice’s uncle, reflecting their profound grief and longing for answers. “You were taken away from us too soon, and we often ask why? Why here? Why us? Why you?” the tribute read. “We will never get over this pain, but we promise to get all the answers… For now, our beloved angel, keep dancing. Mummy and Daddy will always, always love you.”

The other two victims, Bebe King, aged 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged 7, were also mourned by their families. Bebe’s parents issued a statement revealing that her older sister Genie had witnessed the attack but managed to escape. They described their world as “shattered” by the loss of their daughter.

In response to the riots, politicians and police have attributed the violence to online disinformation. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced plans to teach schoolchildren how to identify fake news and conspiracy theories circulating on social media.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds also took action, writing to the Association of British Insurers to ensure swift payouts for shops damaged during the riots.

The tragedy of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King, and Elsie Dot Stancombe has not only left a community in mourning but has also sparked a broader conversation about the impact of misinformation and the importance of maintaining peace in the face of such horrific events. The heartfelt pleas from the victims’ families serve as a poignant reminder of the need for unity and compassion during these challenging times.

The China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), located in Dongguan City, south China’s Guangdong Province, began a new round of user operation Thursday, with 57 experiments on new materials to be conducted in the next four months.

These experiment proposals, including one applied by a foreign user and five from Hong Kong and Macao users, mainly involve magnetic materials, quantum materials, lithium battery materials, shale, catalytic materials, high-strength steel and high-performance alloys, said Prof. Zhang Junrong of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Construction of the CSNS project started in 2011 under the direction of the IHEP, with a total investment of 2.3 billion yuan (323 million U.S. dollars).

It was put into use in August 2018, consisting of a linear accelerator, a rapid cycling synchrotron, a target station, three neutron instruments and other auxiliary facilities.

Probing into the microworld

Dubbed as a “super microscope,” a spallation neutron source can produce and accelerate protons before smashing them into the target to produce neutrons, and the neutron beams will be directed to hit material samples. Researchers can thus accurately infer the atomic structure of the materials by measuring the distribution of scattered neutrons and their changes in energy and momentum.

But unlike an X-ray from a synchrotron radiation facility, which is also used to explore the microstructure of materials, neutrons are not sensitive to the number of electrons and are a better “probe” when studying materials containing light elements with fewer electrons, such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Jin Dapeng, deputy director of the IHEP Dongguan Branch, gave an example in the field of energy materials. Hydrogen-powered vehicles are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than gasoline-fueled alternatives. Scientists hope to store hydrogen in a denser solid form, but pressurizing hydrogen can easily trigger explosions. So researchers are trying to develop a metal-organic framework that can intake hydrogen for storage and release it when it is needed. Neutron scattering can help scientists study where and under what conditions hydrogen is better stored and released in this material.

Benefiting from the advantages of neutrons in examining light elements, the CSNS’s first batch of three neutron instruments for scientific experiments have achieved fruitful research results during the first two rounds of user operation.

From September 2018 to June 2019, the CSNS completed 101 experiments for domestic and overseas users, according to Zhang.

Huang Mingxin, a material researcher from the University of Hong Kong, conducted detailed experiments on one of the CSNS’s neutron instruments to test the high-strength steel developed by his team.

He was satisfied with both the precise results and convenient service. He once applied to use Japan’s spallation neutron source (J-PARC), but he had to first design the experiment steps, then send the material samples to Japan, and keep waiting for the data to be sent back.

Now, it takes him only an hour and a half driving from Hong Kong to the CSNS, “just like at my doorstep,” said Huang.

Focusing on international sci-tech frontiers and serving the country’s major development demands, the CSNS has made progress in many research fields, including new lithium-ion battery material, spin Hall magnetic film, high-strength alloy and neutron-induced single event effect in chip. Twelve articles about these experimental results have been published or accepted by academic journals.

The CSNS can provide neutron beams for more than 20 neutron instruments. “We hope to build five to seven new instruments for various demands in the next three to four years,” said Jin Dapeng.

Debugging with incredible efficiency

The CSNS is the fourth pulse spallation neutron source in the world after the UK, the United States and Japan, with the debugging efficiency of its researchers surprising their foreign peers.

Proton beam power is one of the key performance of a spallation neutron source. The higher the power, the more neutrons will be produced, the more signals of scattered neutrons will be detected, and thus the less time an experiment will consume and the better the data an experiment will obtain, Jin explained.

Last September, the CSNS ran with a power of 20 KW. “Its operating power had reached 50 KW at the end of 2018,” Jin said. They plan to increase the power to 80 KW by the end of this year, which means the original goal of reaching 100 KW in three years can be achieved ahead of schedule.

While gradually increasing the beam power, the accelerator physics group responsible for the commissioning of the accelerators repeatedly tested and examined the parameters of thousands of devices at each power level to find the optimal combination.

“The time jitter of the timing system for the particle beams must be controlled at the nanosecond level,” said Xu Shouyan, the group leader of the accelerator physics.

“We have hundreds of instruments installed on the accelerators to measure the states of the particle beams. But the parameters are combined in such a complicated way that even a small deviation could be the result of a mixture of errors from hundreds or thousands of devices,” Xu said.

“The CSNS is expected to reach its design beam power of 100 KW in three years or less after it passed the national acceptance because we have taken fewer detours thanks to the experience of our foreign peers. Moreover, we Chinese always work hard,” Xu explained.

To Xu and his colleagues, working overtime is quite normal. Xu once worked for about 37 hours straight without a break. “I didn’t feel sleepy at all. I used to work on the computer, but when I saw the devices running as expected step by step, I was really excited and couldn’t wait to carry out the next test,” Xu said.

Scientists hope to eventually increase the beam power of the CSNS from 100 KW to 500 KW. To meet the goal, they have reserved room for further modifications and upgrading in the initial design. Now the researchers have started to work on the plan to upgrade the accelerators for the CSNS phase II project.

“One of the great joys of studying physics is being able to explore and get closer to the essence of the world, and the spallation neutron source is helping us to realize it,” Xu said.

 

PARIS:

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and India’s Neeraj Chopra’s first and second finishes at the Paris Olympics javelin throw event open up endless possibilities for improving diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The Pakistani Ambassador H.E Asim Iftikhar Ahmad hosted the Mian Chunnu-based athlete at the Paris Embassy on Friday after he received his gold medal at the medal ceremony at Stade de France for creating a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 on Thursday night.

The ambassador believes an environment of camaraderie and peace is created by the close bonding of Arshad and Neeraj which can be instrumental in improving relations between India and Pakistan.

He talked to this correspondent after the dinner and celebratory ceremony where Arshad generously gave his time to the Pakistani community that showed up for him at the embassy.

Mr Asim spoke to the media and later made a point to have selfies and pictures with the fans who were ecstatic to see him in person.

A poem was also recited in Arshad’s honour and in praise of his parents.

“First of all, yes it is a historic occasion so I am lucky as an ambassador to be here at this moment, and so is everyone who has been here,” he said while exclusively talking to this correspondent about the possibility of javelin-diplomacy now after the long era of cricket-diplomacy.

Read also: National pride Arshad Nadeem welcomed home in Mian Channu after hero’s reception in Lahore

“These were historic games which also marked 100-year centenary of the Paris Olympics, and for Pakistan particularly,” said the ambassador.

“Forty years since the last gold medal, 32 since the previous medal, the first Olympic medal as an individual, the new javelin Olympic record and so much more. So well and truly history has been made and we are witness to this and are very happy.”

Referring to the Arshad-Neeraj camaraderie, the Pakistani ambassador said he was asked this question about Arshad’s relationship and sporting rivalry with Neeraj in the India-Pakistan context.

“We know what Arshad has been saying earlier, that they are friends and brothers and even their great mothers are saying the same heart-warming things which is great to see and people are massively relating to it.”

So what are the possibilities of using this bonding to promote diplomacy?

“I’m not going to venture into that because there are so many other factors involved in that, but at least this environment is created by these two brilliant athletes who are not only fierce competitors but they have a very good relationship,” said H.E Asim Iftikhar.

Read: Indian PM Modi reacts to Arshad Nadeem’s historic Olympic victory

“Both the athletes are hoping that their friendship transcends the barriers, so it is good in that sense. And I think there is a whole lot of hope that is generated because these feelings, goodwill go beyond the javelin events and the competitions. So let’s see how it works.”

Mr Asim also reflected on the spirit of the Olympic Games and observed that people from both sides of India-Pakistan border have been cheering for both Arshad and Neeraj.

He also spoke about the Olympic Games going a long way in uplifting Paris as a city. “The Olympic Athletes Village has been built in an underprivileged area and the measures taken to make the Games environmentally sustainable are amazing.”

Later, Arshad Nadeem, his coach Salman Butt, Pakistan Olympic Association President, Chef de Mission, and sprinter Faiqa Riaz, left the venue in order to prepare for the departure from Paris early in the morning.

The ambassador was pictured with Arshad at the airport.

The night has been most valuable for the children and youth at the event. They seemed to be very receptive to Arshad’s feat and felt that for Pakistanis everywhere it was a huge moment.

ATHENS:

Residents fled their homes on Sunday as a fast-moving wildfire outside Athens fuelled by hot, windy weather burned trees, houses and cars and sent smoke clouds over the Greek capital.

More than 400 firefighters backed by 16 waterbombing planes and 13 helicopters battled the blaze that broke out at 3 p.m. (midday GMT) and quickly reached the village of Varnavas 35 km (20 miles) north of Athens.

As night fell, firefighting aircraft ceased operations until morning. Flames turned the sky orange.

“The situation remains dangerous as the fire is spreading between residences,” fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said.

He said the blaze spread fast, “like lightning”, due to gale force winds. Flames as high as 25 metres swallowed up trees and shrubland.

Varnavas is a sparely populated area with about 1,800 residents, according to the latest census.

“The village was surrounded in no time, in no time. It’s really windy,” resident Katerina Fylaktou told Reuters. “It started from one point and suddenly the whole village was surrounded,” she said.

Hundreds of wildfires have broken out across Greece since May and scientists attribute their frequency and intensity to the increasingly hot and dry weather conditions linked to climate change.

After its warmest winter on record and long periods of little or no rainfall, Greece also registered its hottest June and July and is forecast to record its hottest-ever summer.

 

“We are expecting a very difficult week,” said Kostas Lagouvardos, research director of the Athens Observatory. “If the Varnavas blaze is not contained during the night, we will have a problem tomorrow,” he said.

Fires have also burned this summer amid extreme heat elsewhere in Europe, including in Spain and the Balkans.

Dangerous conditions

Authorities sent evacuation alerts for nine areas near Varnavas. By early evening, thick brown smoke hung over much of Athens and had reached the island of Aegina to its south.

 

Another blaze in a forested area near the town of Megara, west of Athens, had been contained by Sunday afternoon, the fire brigade said.

PARIS:

Los Angeles, known for its car-centric culture and infamous traffic, plans to prioritise public transport during the 2028 Olympic Games, according to LA Mayor Karen Bass, who made the announcement on Saturday in Paris.

Despite being the origin of the modern freeway, the city’s long-standing reliance on automobiles has led to severe congestion and often poor air quality.

Bass stated that the ‘no car Games’ concept will require attendees to use public transportation to access all Olympic venues. To support this, the city has been expanding its transport network. Additionally, 3,000 buses will be loaned from across the country to help alleviate traffic during the event.

Last month, the US government committed $900 million to enhance Los Angeles’s rail and bus systems in preparation for the Games.

While the ‘no car Games’ slogan may cause some concern among residents, there will be no outright ban on driving to venues such as Dodger Stadium and the Rose Bowl, which have parking facilities. The aim is to encourage the use of public transport as much as possible.

“We are already creating jobs by expanding our public transport system to achieve a no car Games,” Bass said. “This is a significant challenge in Los Angeles, where cars have always been a beloved part of life. However, we are committed to building a greener city.”

PARIS:

China delivered their best performance at a Summer Olympics since the 2008 Games on home soil, winning the joint most gold medals with the United States and only missing out on topping the standings on the silver medal count.

The 40 golds was an all-time high for Games outside China and was achieved despite immense pressure and tightened scrutiny resulting from a doping row involving some of its swimmers.

Chinese athletes strengthened their dominance in diving and table tennis with clean sweeps of all the titles on offer, adding two golds on the badminton court, five on the weightlifting platform and five at the shooting range.

Breakthroughs were made with the first gold medals in artistic swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, women’s boxing and in singles tennis.

Gold medallist Zhanle Pan of China celebrates after winning the race and setting a new world record. PHOTO: REUTERS

Zheng Qinwen, 21, backed up her status as one of the best young talents in women’s tennis by winning the singles gold at Roland Garros after a few hard-fought wins, including one against world number one Iga Swiatek.

The run-up to the Games was clouded by reports in the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD in April that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2021 but had been allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

China’s Foreign Ministry accused the United States of using the case, which doping authorities concluded was caused by contamination, to undermine the Chinese swimmers in Paris.

Pan Zhanle, 20, emerged as China’s biggest star in the pool with a scorching swim to break the world record in the blue riband 100 metres freestyle.

Yawen Deng of China in action during run one. PHOTOS: REUTERS

Pan, who spoke candidly about being cold-shouldered by other swimmers, also led China to end US dominance in the men’s 4×100 medley relay.

Zhang Yufei, one of the 11 swimmers named in the ARD report, won six medals for a career tally of 10 to become China’s most decorated Olympic swimmer.

“We are innocent,” Zhang said. “World Aquatics and other parties have already got to the bottom of everything and clarified online. If some people still don’t believe it, we are not going to refute any more in vain, because innocence will prevail.”

Away from the pool, China also claimed medals in some of the more recent additions to the Olympic programme, including a gold in women’s BMX freestyle, two silvers in sport climbing and a bronze in the women’s breaking in a total team tally of 91 medals.