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Donald Trump has ignited alarm among his critics after telling a crowd of supporters that they won't 'have to vote again' if they return him to the presidency in November's election.

'Christians, get out and vote! Just this time — you won't have to do it any more,' the Republican former president said on Friday night at a rally hosted in West Palm Beach, Florida, by the far-right advocacy group Turning Point Action.

'You know what? It'll be fixed! It'll be fine. You won't have to vote any more, my beautiful Christians,' he said with a slight shake of his head and his right hand pressed against the left side of his chest.

He added: 'I love you. Get out — you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote.'

Trump's remarks — delivered not far from his Mar-a-Lago resort and home — were immediately met with consternation in some political quarters.

The constitutional and civil rights attorney Andrew Seidel, for instance, replied to video of Trump's comments circulating on X by writing: 'This is not subtle Christian nationalism. He's talking about ending our democracy and installing a Christian nation.'

Actor Morgan Fairchild added in a separate X post: 'But … what if I want to vote again?? I was always raised that we get to vote again! That is America.' And NBC legal commentator Katie Phang said: 'In other words, Trump won't ever leave the White House if he gets re-elected.'

Trump's comments on Friday came months after he remarked that he would be 'a dictator on day one' if given a second four-year term in the White House. He has repeatedly made known his admiration for authoritarian leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin, Hungary's Viktor Orbán and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. And a former White House aide reported that Trump once said Adolf Hitler — whose Nazi regime murdered 6 million Jews during the Holocaust amid the second world war — 'did some good things'.

Meanwhile, the conservative Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 has detailed plans to aim retribution at Trump's actual and perceived enemies — whether politicians or bureaucrats — should he be re-elected.

Experts on authoritarianism warn the public to take Trump seriously when he speaks in that manner. And before Joe Biden halted his re-election campaign on 21 July and endorsed Kamala Harris to succeed him in the Oval Office, the Democratic president repeatedly sought to portray Trump as an existential threat to American democracy.

Trump's supporters have tried to blame that rhetoric for the failed 13 July assassination attempt that targeted the former president at a political rally in Pennsylvania. The FBI said on Friday that a bullet — whether whole or fragmented — hit Trump in one of his ears during that day's shooting, which also killed a rally-goer and wounded two other spectators before a Secret Service sniper shot the gunman to death.

Yet many pointed out how Trump's remarks on Friday seemed to be an indication that the Republican nominee for president had no plans to stop making explicit threats against democratic norms, including elections themselves.

'Oh. Trump just cancelled the 2028 election,' liberal political commentator Keith Olbermann wrote on X in a post containing a video clip of the ex-president's remarks on Friday.

Caty Payette, the communications director for Democratic US senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, added in a separate X post: 'When we say Trump is a threat to democracy, this is exactly what we're talking about.'

However, not everyone is turned off by the rhetoric to which Trump resorted on Friday. An Ipsos poll published in June and commissioned by the Earth4All non-profit and the Global Commons Alliance found that 41% of Americans believe 'having a strong leader who does not have to bother with parliament and elections' is a very good or fairly good way to govern.

Some younger people and higher earners in particular showed support for that sentiment, according to the poll, said Owen Gaffney, co-leader of Earth4All.

Trump easily clinched the Republican nomination for November's election despite having been convicted in May of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the New York state prosecution involving $130,000 paid to adult film actor Stormy Daniels after she alleged an extramarital sexual encounter with him. He has also been grappling with charges of illicitly trying to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election that he lost to Biden — efforts that were buoyed on 1 July when a US supreme court with three Trump appointees ruled that he enjoys immunity from being prosecuted for any acts deemed official.

And, among other legal issues, he has faced multimillion-dollar civil penalties for fraud and a rape allegation that a judge determined to be substantially true.

A poll released on Friday by the Republican-friendly Fox News network showed Trump in a tight race with Harris, the US vice-president, in key swing states that could decide November's election. Before Biden's withdrawal from the presidential election, polls generally showed Trump had built relatively comfortable leads in a number of key swing states.

The post Trump tells supporters they won't have to vote in the future: 'It'll be fixed!' appeared first on The Custom Reports.

Source : https://thecustomreports.com/trump-tells-supporters-they-wont-have-to-vote-in-the-future-itll-be-fixed/

Rwanda stepped up epidemic response after two cases of two of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) were confirmed in the country on Saturday, July 27.

According to official, this is the first time the mpox virus has been confirmed in Rwanda.

Rwanda confirmed the outbreak less than two weeks after neighbouring DR Congo confirmed 25 cases in the border city of Goma.

'Rwanda is well-prepared to handle a potential mpox outbreak, leveraging our experience and systems developed during previous health challenges like COVID-19,' said Dr Edson Rwagasore, the Division Manager of Public Health Surveillance and Emergency Preparedness and Response at Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC),

Rwandans are advised to take precautions to avoid the spread of the viral infection. He said mpox is a viral disease that is contagious but that can still be prevented. The disease can be deadly.

Rwagasore highlighted that the swift identification and isolation of the two cases of mpox within a short period of time demonstrate that the response systems are functioning effectively.

Dr Rwagasore said one of the key aspects of Rwanda's pandemic preparedness is a robust tracking system across health facilities, points of entry, and communities, which was pivotal during the Covid pandemic.

He added that community health workers play a crucial role in this network, enabling early detection and rapid response to potential cases.

'We have trained multisectoral rapid response teams at both national and district levels. These teams stand ready for immediate mobilisation should an outbreak occur.'

Rwagasore noted that a person infected with mpox begins to exhibit symptoms between two and 19 days after exposure. Symptoms include common symptoms such as rash, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.

Dr Rwagasore stressed that people with the symptoms of mpox should seek medical attention immediately and inform authorities about anyone they may have exposed to the disease.

These include avoiding physical contact with individuals showing symptoms, refraining from sexual intercourse with those exhibiting signs of mpox, not touching their personal belongings, and practicing thorough handwashing with soap and clean water.

Advanced response systems

Dr Rwagasore also said that the Ministry of Health and RBC's experience with COVID-19 and Ebola preparedness have significantly enhanced their overall capacity to respond to disease outbreaks.

He noted that the systems and protocols they developed are adaptable to various health emergencies and have made substantial investments in laboratory capabilities.

'We can now quickly test and confirm diseases using advanced methods, including genomic sequencing, which is crucial for effective outbreak management,' Dr Rwagasore said.

'While we remain vigilant, these measures give us confidence in our ability to manage potential health challenges, including mpox. We continue to monitor the situation closely and adapt our strategies as needed to ensure the health and safety of all Rwandans.'

He said that the current outbreak has shown to have a low case fatality ratio based on the number of deaths and admissions recorded as of July 27.

'This is the right time to educate Rwandans about the mpox virus. Informing the public is an important step in our health strategy,' he noted.

'We are launching awareness campaigns to help everyone understand what mpox is and how it spreads, the symptoms to watch out for, simple prevention measures we can all take and what to do if a person suspects they have been exposed to the infection,' he noted.

Dr Rwagasore added that people should no panic.

He said that by working together and staying informed, the communities can be protected.

Availability of vaccines

Dr Rwagasore said that there are vaccines approved for prevention of the mpox virus which are recommended for close contacts of mpox cases and high-risk groups.

Some of these vaccines are already available and others are still under clinical trials, he added.

In December 2022, the DR Congo declared an outbreak of mpox and an incident management system has been in place since February 2023, based on the increasing number of reported cases.

Since September 2023, an outbreak of mpox in South Kivu province has spread to North Kivu. A new variant of clade I MPXV has been described in South Kivu.

The post Rwanda 'well-prepared' to handle mpox outbreak, says health official appeared first on The Custom Reports.

Source : https://thecustomreports.com/rwanda-well-prepared-to-handle-mpox-outbreak-says-health-official/

Police alongside Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF) and Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) occupied Kampala streets starting on Sunday evening in anticipation of massive anti-corruption protests.

The heavy deployment followed days of mobilizing people mostly on X to participate in anti-corruption protests which had been dubbed #MarchToParliament. The forces perceived the anti-corruption protests to be a copycat of what is transpiring in Kenya where Generation Z has put President William Samoe Ruto’s government on tenterhooks.

The police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kituuma Rusoke has now given an update revealing that the first week of the protests expected to be held every Tuesday and Thursday like it is happening in Kenya led to the arrest of 104.

According to ACP Rusoke, between July 22 and July 25, demonstrators attempted to march to Parliament in Kampala, leading to significant police intervention. He said on July 22 nine individuals were arrested and charged with common nuisance and traffic regulation violations, all of whom were taken to court.

'One July 23, a total of 75 suspects were apprehended; 74 were subsequently taken to court, while one remains in police custody. On July 24, three individuals were arrested and charged with common nuisance offenses, all of whom were taken to court,' ACP Rusoke said.

Security has further explained that on July 25, sixteen people were arrested of which 13 were taken to court, and three are still in police security. 'Overall, 104 individuals have been arrested during this period, with 100 already taken to court. Among those arrested, 13 had prior criminal charges,' ACP Rusoke said.

President Yoweri Museveni has since dubbed the anti-corruption protests as being bankrolled by foreigners with the intention to destabilize Uganda. He said if the anti-corruption protests were not having hidden intentions, he would have been informed and invited to participate as the chief walker.

According to Museveni, anti-corruption protesters are playing with fire as his regime and security agencies won’t allow anyone to throw the country into anarchy.

Police said mobilization placards that called upon Ugandans to occupy all streets in Kampala as part of their march to parliament was going to result in significant traffic congestion, disruption of trade, and disturbances to public order.

Among those arrested before the protests were Francis Zaake, Hassan Kirumira, and Charles Tebandeke from the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), along with seven others.

Police in Uganda have confirmed the arrest of over 100 individuals in less than a week during anti-corruption protests.

Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/uganda-arrests-over-100-in-anti-corruption-protests

Kabarebe made the remarks on Thursday, July 25, 2024, while taking youths from the diaspora on a tour of the Gikoba Liberation Trail in Nyagatare District, a site used by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) during its liberation struggle from 1990 to 1994.

The Rwandan youths are living in different countries.

At the time, Gen (Rtd) Kabarebe was the commander of the forces protecting the RPA leader Kagame during the war.

During the tour, Kabarebe told the Rwandan youth from various countries that during the early months of the war, there was constant fighting day and night as government forces attempted to dislodge them, but their determination helped them to prevail.

From January to May 1991, the struggle consisted of guerrilla attacks aimed at weakening and confusing the enemy, causing him to disperse his forces.

In June of that year, Kagame, who was the commander of the RPA, decided to send his troops to an area called Muvumba, choosing it because the abundant banana groves provided good cover and food to sustain the troops.

Gen (Rtd) Kabarebe revealed that they were preparing to engage in a new, entrenched form of combat rather than guerrilla attacks.

'He decided to move the troops from the mountains, changed the tactics from mobile guerrilla warfare to positional warfare. He instructed all the commanders and the soldiers to dig trenches just across here. He brought all the military leaders to show them his trench and asked them to dig their own. They were to face the enemy. The enemy well equipped with artillery, with mortars, with APCs, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, and everything,' he revealed.

Kabarebe disclosed that he was the one who dug that historic trench, which is still visible today.

'I was the commander of the force that protected the president and I am the one who dug this trench,' he added.

Gen (Rtd) Kabarebe noted that the battle was tough because then Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana had put all his efforts into fighting the RPA forces. However, sustained attacks on the government army forced the former Head of State to give some concessions, allowing for peace negotiations in Arusha, Tanzania.

'There was a time when Habyarimana sent many troops, heavily armed. The fighting was intense. Do you know what the Chief of Staff told us? He said, ‘We will never leave this place, even if we have to dig trenches under those mountains and hide there, but we will stay here.’'

'He wanted to tell us that no matter what happens, we should not leave this area and fight until we win.'

From that time, the RPA forces began to encircle the enemy, digging trenches that surrounded the government forces, cutting off all supply routes for food and other necessities, and also blocking their own escape routes.

Whoever starved first would be forced to abandon their positions.

'There was no point in time when our force ever succumbed and left its defence because of hunger. Our level of resilience was very, very high,' he stated.

The war would go on for more than three years until the RPA forces captured Kigali and ended the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Meanwhile, during the tour, Gen (Rtd) Kabarebe urged the young people from the diaspora to emulate the patriotism of the youth who sacrificed their lives during the liberation struggle.

Kabarebe made the remarks on Thursday, July 25, 2024, while taking youths from the diaspora on a tour of the Gikoba Liberation Trail in Nyagatare District, a site used by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) during its liberation struggle from 1990 to 1994.

Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/i-am-the-one-who-dug-the-trench-kagame-stayed-in-at-gikoba-gen-rtd-kabarebe

The program was officially inaugurated in Kigali on July 26, 2024, with a focus on promoting inclusive service delivery and the proper use of sign language while interacting with patients with disabilities.

The first cohort of nurses and midwives will commence their training in early 2025, in collaboration with the National Council of Persons with Disabilities in Rwanda (NCPD).

Emmanuel Ndayisaba, Executive Secretary of NCPD, highlighted the importance of having sign language interpreters to bridge communication gaps between deaf patients and healthcare providers.

He noted that these gaps often lead to patients feeling uncomfortable discussing their health issues, which can result in inadequate health care provision.

“We face significant challenges in delivering services to people with disabilities, particularly in the healthcare setup. Patients sometimes struggle to communicate directly with doctors, a situation that should be handled with confidentiality,” Ndayisaba explained.

“Reliance on others for interpretation can lead to embarrassment and incomplete communication about health matters,” he added.

Caroline Ikiriza, an RNMU staff member, expressed enthusiasm for the training program. As one of the few healthcare workers already fluent in sign language, she is eager to share her expertise with her colleagues.

“We are here to learn so that we can train our peers. This initiative is a vital advocacy effort by RNMU to prepare training sessions for nurses and equip them with sign language skills,” Ikiriza said.

RNMU Chairperson André Gitembagara outlined the program’s objectives, emphasizing the need to address challenges faced by people with disabilities in healthcare settings, particularly in rural areas where these issues are more pronounced.

“Consider a woman coming to give birth who cannot speak or hear. Providing appropriate care in such cases is a significant challenge for nurses or midwives,” Gitembagara said.

“In rural areas, the absence of interpreters further complicates communication with healthcare providers. Additionally, some nurses and midwives themselves have disabilities,' he emphasized.

In 2023, RNMU trained 40 nurses in Kigali who work at patient reception services. The current initiative begins with training national RNMU leaders on inclusive service delivery, with plans to extend the training to district-level RNMU leaders, and eventually to hospital and health center staff.

By the end of 2025, RNMU aims to have 200 nurses and midwives proficient in sign language, with ongoing training efforts planned for subsequent years.

RNMU Chairperson, André Gitembagara, highlighted ongoing efforts to ensure quality service for people with disabilities.

NCPD Executive Secretary, Emmanuel Ndayisaba, noted that individuals with hearing impairments often hesitate to discuss their health issues due to a lack of trust in interpreters.

RNMU Secretary-General, Rurangwa Gerard, at the event.

This training aims to enhance the number of healthcare workers who deliver high-quality service to individuals with disabilities.

The training commenced with RNMU leadership.

Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/nurses-and-midwives-to-receive-sign-language-training

The meeting occurred on Thursday, July 26, 2024, before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which bring together over 10,000 athletes from various sports disciplines.

'President Infantino and President Kagame met at FIFA’s new offices in Paris 'to discuss ongoing cooperation and new opportunities to further develop football in Rwanda,' reads a statement from the President’s office.

During the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, Rwanda is represented by eight individuals who will compete in cycling, athletics, swimming, and fencing.

Last year, Infantino was re-elected to head the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) for a second term running from 2023 to 2027, during the 73rd FIFA Congress held in Kigali.

President Kagame thanked him for his role in the initiative to renovate Amahoro Stadium, which is among the top stadiums in Africa.

President Kagame also received a gift from Infantino.

President Paul Kagame and FIFA President Gianni Infantino have met in Paris, France, where the 2024 Olympic Games are underway and discussed the development of football in Rwanda.

Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/president-kagame-and-infantino-discuss-football-development-in-rwanda

Liverpool made a winning start to their pre-season schedule and one talented youngster caught the eye in Arne Slot's first match as head coach.

Liverpool beat Real Betis 1-0 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai scoring the only goal of the game.

The Reds struggled to find their rhythm during the first half, with Wataru Endo's performance coming under particular scrutiny.

But the Premier League side improved after the break following a series of changes from Slot.

Fans were particularly impressed with the performance of 17-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni, who was introduced on the half hour mark following an injury to Curtis Jones.

Nyoni was tidy in possession and made a number of positive balls forward, setting up several attacks for the Reds.

Fans were quick to praise the youngster after the game, with some calling for him to start Liverpool's next pre-season friendly against Arsenal on Thursday.

'Baller! He has a bright future,' one fan posted on X.

Another added: 'Always looking to start something and go forward with the ball, ceiling so f***ing high man, I'm so excited for him.'

A third wrote: 'Trey Nyoni was extraordinary, he deserves more time in the pitch.'

'Play Nyoni against Arsenal and he'll reconsider his career path,' added a fourth supporter.

While another posted: 'If Nyoni plays like that against United and Arsenal in the next 2 preseason games then I'd put him above Jones & Grav [Ryan Gravenberch] in the pecking order.

'What do they offer that he doesn't? He's 1000 times more positive in his passing, plays one touch football & doesn't carelessly lose the ball.'

Nyoni made history last season when making his senior debut for Liverpool in a 3-0 win over Southampton in the FA Cup.

Aged just 16 years and 243 days at the time, he became the youngster FA Cup player in Liverpool's history and the third-youngest in any competition when he replaced Harvey Elliott 12 minutes from time.

However, speaking after the win over Betis, Slot suggested he would not rush Nyoni into more first-team action.

'I think he did really well today but it was only an hour,' said Slot.

'Like I said, he did well. He was one of the reasons why we scored the goal, because he turned really quickly and [played] a spot-on pass in between the lines. And he was also involved in the biggest chance in the second half. So he did well.

'But he's just turned 17 and his body has to grow, and we are really careful with him. So he doesn't join every session and sometimes he goes out a bit earlier because he only turned 17 and you can see his quality but you can also see his body still needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level.

'But he showed some interesting things today.'

After facing Arsenal next week, Liverpool will take on rivals Manchester United and Sevilla in further warm-up matches before playing their opening Premier League game against Ipswich on August 17

The post Liverpool fans urge Arne Slot to start 'extraordinary' youngster vs Arsenal after Real Betis performance appeared first on The Custom Reports.

Source : https://thecustomreports.com/liverpool-fans-urge-arne-slot-to-start-extraordinary-youngster-vs-arsenal-after-real-betis-performance/

Rwanda's first milk powder plant owned by Inyange Industries, a leading food processing company in the country, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente on Wednesday, July 24.

The plant located in Nyagatare District, among others, strategically positions Rwanda into the global milk powder commodity markets. For the very first time in the country's history, for example, a prospective industrial food processor based in Europe, Asia, or elsewhere around the globe, can easily know or see Rwanda as a potential supplier of the product.

 

Being an export-oriented business, the plant also adds to the country's foreign exchange sources.

Globally, as of 2021, the largest producers of milk powder are New Zealand, China, Argentina, and Brazil.

Below are 11 key things to know about Rwanda's first powdered milk factory:

1. Products

The Milk Powder Plant (MPP) produces powder milk, butter, and ghee and UHT products, made from high-quality raw milk sourced from local farmers. The milk undergoes rigorous processing and safety measures to ensure it meets the highest standards of quality.

 

Skimmed and whole milk powders are created through a drying process that retains essential nutrients, while butter and ghee are produced using modern methods that ensure rich taste and quality.

2. Production capacity

The plant can process 650,000 litres of milk, per day. At full capacity, it will be able to produce over 41 tonnes of quality milk powder per day.

 

The plant will also produce 25.6 tonnes of butter per day and, or, 11.3 tonnes of ghee, per day, depending on market demand dynamics, as well as 150,000 litres of UHT milk per day.

3. Technology and quality

The plant stands out due to its advanced technology, which ensures high efficiency, safety, and quality in production. It uses cutting-edge processing technology. This ensures the highest standards of quality and efficiency in milk processing operations.

The plant is S-Mark certified by Rwanda Standards Board and its products are now on the market. The S-Mark which eliminates the need for products to be re-tested all the time is a powerful marketing tool for all manufacturers especially exporters.

By and large, Inyange products hold certifications from Rwanda Standards Board, Rwanda FDA, FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, and Halal certification standards, ensuring compliance with local and international markets.

4. Will the plant's powder milk be affordable?

Currently, the price of the plant's milk powder — with reference to international milk powder commodity markets — is $3.5, per kilo.

5. How about safety of packaging?

The plants products are packaged in bulk in a hygienic environment to ensure freshness and quality.

The packaging is set on international packaging standards for industrial milk powder products.

6. Are there any plans to create retail-friendly products?

Since the products are packaged in big sizes such as 25 kilo bags, Inyange Industries is exploring opportunities of introducing instant powder in small packets to cater for retail and consumer markets.

7. Investment cost

The total investment for the facility is approximately $54 million.

8. How does the plant impact local farmers and the community?

Among other things, the plant immediately creates a reliable market for the country's dairy farmers.

Considering the current raw milk price of roughly Rwf400 per liter, it is estimated that — other factors constant — when operating at full capacity by processing 650,000 liters per day, the plant itself will be injecting Rwf10.1 billion, annually, into the economy.

James Kagaba, the Managing Director of Inyange Milk Powder Plant, said this is only through incomes earned by dairy farmers, without considering earnings by other people such as transporters, fuels traders, and utility service providers, among others, whose livelihoods are linked to the plant.

In its current operational phase, the plant also provides 270 permanent job opportunities — excluding casual labourers and workers employed by cleaning service providers — and supports hundreds more indirectly.

9.When did operations start?

Kagaba said the factory became operational in April and has so far received 4.2 million litres of raw milk from Rwandan farmers, who were paid up to Rwf1.3 billion.

Inyange Industries enhanced milk collection from 3,000 liters per day, in 2009, to 200,000 liters per day by 2020.

The company's partnerships with farmers' cooperatives improved livelihoods and ensured fair pricing for farmers.

10. The market

The plant's primary target customers are food processing industries such as infant product manufacturers, pastry businesses, and brands offering instant milk powder products.

These products are ideal for businesses requiring high-quality milk powder for their formulations. Additionally, the products cater to both local and international markets, ensuring a broad customer base.

Locally, they support Rwandan manufacturers and consumers, while globally, they cater to the rising demand for high-quality milk products in various regions. Markets such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya have already started showing interests, officials noted.

11. Will local produce satisfy the milk powder plant?

At full capacity, the plant is able to process 650,000 litres of milk in a day. Inyange Industries Managing Director James Biseruka said this demand is not yet satisfied since the plant is still operating below 45 per cent, or with 292,500 litres, per day.

In 2022-2023, more than 81 million litres of milk were supplied to milk processing plants, according to MINAGRI annual report 2022/2023 (the latest). This supply represents less than 10 per cent of more than one billion litres of milk produced in the same fiscal year countrywide.

The remaining 357,500 liters of milk, it is hoped, will also be adequately locally supplied in not more than two years, once strategic initiatives such as the new pastureland strategy in Eastern Province, and others, start fully bearing fruit.

Last September, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources ordered 70 percent of pastureland in the districts of Nyagatare, Gatsibo, Kayonza, and Kirehe, to be put under the cultivation of crops that provide cow fodder while 30 percent is set aside for cow sheds in a bid to enforce the zero-grazing system and increase milk production.

The post Eleven things about Rwanda's first powder milk plant appeared first on The Custom Reports.

Source : https://thecustomreports.com/eleven-things-about-rwandas-first-powder-milk-plant/

The Paris Olympic Games opened on Friday night with a high-kitsch, riverside spectacle, as an armada of boats carried athletes along the Seine, dancers dangled from high poles, drag queens paraded on bridges and the Olympic rings lit up the Eiffel Tower — all under unrelenting, torrential rain.

France had promised its opening ceremony would be the biggest open-air show on Earth. More than 300,000 people watched from the riverside and bridges — and hundreds more stood at windows and balconies — as a show of dance, live music and acrobatics unfolded along more than 6km of river from the Pont d'Austerlitz to the Eiffel Tower.

The show had promised to light-heartedly deconstruct French stereotypes, and the US singer Lady Gaga was the first star to set the tone for a tongue-in-cheek kitsch spectacle. She appeared from a giant golden staircase on the edge of the Seine surrounded by pink pompoms and giant pink feather fans, for a high-kicking cabaret performance of France's famous 1960s music-hall number Mon Truc en plumes by Zizi Jeanmaire.

Later the pop singer Aya Nakamura, the most-listened to French-speaking artist in the world, stepped on to the Pont des Arts in a bold musical juxtaposition that saw her perform with France's Republican Guard, who were in perfect formation on military drums. Nakamura sang extracts of songs by the legendary French crooner Charles Aznavour, as well as her own hits, Pookie and Djadja, with the French army choir and military brass band.

Nakamura's presence was considered a triumph after a racist backlash against the prospect of her singing had prompted the Paris prosecutor to open an investigation into alleged racist abuse against her earlier this year. Some on the French far right — which was held back from taking power by a massive surge of tactical voting in the recent snap parliament election — had complained earlier this year that Nakamura, who grew up in the Paris suburbs, was not French enough to perform.

Paris's rain-soaked river party was the first time the opening ceremony of the world's biggest sporting event had taken place outside a stadium, with athletes parading not around an athletics track but in a flotilla of boats.

But the outdoor ceremony, once described by Emmanuel Macron as 'a crazy idea that must be made real', had to overcome obstacles.

First, a series of sabotage attacks on the high-speed TGV rail network caused travel chaos across France hours before the ceremony began. Then came a weather nightmare: instead of the soft summer evening light that directors had hoped for, there was a deluge as the skies opened with such relentless rain that weather forecasters said it was the equivalent of 15 days' rainfall in six hours.

Rain thoroughly soaked athletes and spectators, many of whom were outside with no cover for the entire show, which lasted almost four hours. Even some dignitaries temporarily left their seats in the tribune at Trocadero after getting drenched.

But it was all about determination in the face of adversity. Thomas Jolly, the young French director who created the surreal and irreverent show, had said he did not want just 'ephemeral glitz' but an exploration of what underpins 'our shared humanity'.

He said he chose the Seine for its 'power to heal' from tragedies such as Paris's 2015 terrorist attacks, as well as the 2019 fire at Notre Dame. Indeed, part of the show was a spectacular pre-filmed dance routine of workers performing high-risk moves while hanging off the scaffolding around Notre Dame.

The evening began with 6,800 athletes bussed from the Olympic Village to Pont d'Austerlitz in the east of the city, where the French military guarded them as they climbed on to boats.

Greece's boat set out first, in the Olympic tradition, followed by the Olympic refugee team, then other nations sailed down the river on 85 boats. The Ukrainian delegation received a massive ovation from the crowd on the riverside.

Not since the time of Louis XV has a ceremony seen a formation of boats sailing the same direction down the Seine, and it was cheered on by people hanging from windows.

The Technicolor homage to French cliches included a woman in a dress covered in croissants leading a colourful crowd towards a group of French can-can dancers in bright pink outfits. They delivered a traditional skirt-shaking, leg-spinning can-can performance, before ending in the splits on the edge of the Seine.

The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, had called the show 'joyous, creative and not very well behaved'.

In a nod to the sheeting rain, hundreds of dancers splashed in a synchronised dance routine through troughs of water in a dramatic show on the Île de la Cité, near Notre Dame. Dancers dressed as hotel bell-boys then performed acrobatics on a bridge after transporting Louis Vuitton suitcases — the obligatory nod to sponsors. France's biggest death metal band, Gojira, performed amid shooting flames with the lyric singer Marina Viotti, and dancers swung from poles over the Pont Neuf.

Axelle Saint-Cirel, a French mezzo-soprano from Guadeloupe, sang a new arrangement of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, draped in the tricolour flag on the glass roof of the Grand Palais.

All this time a mysterious, faceless figure was darting across the rooftops of the city with the Olympic flame. At least one billion viewers were watching on TV and social media, and the filmed segments were just as important as the live performance, with France's former football star Zinedine Zidane kicking off by carrying the Olympic flame through a film set of kitsch 1960s cafe terraces on to a Métro train. He arrived to cheers at the Trocadero.

The show, which culminated at the Eiffel Tower, took place amid an unprecedented security operation in the city, with 45,000 police officers and thousands of soldiers.

Tony Estanguet, the three-time Olympic canoe champion who is the Paris Olympics' chief organiser, told the athletes: 'Welcome to your moment in history — live it and love it.'

At the end, Charles Coste, the oldest French Olympic champion at 100, took the flame from his wheelchair, then passed it on to French judo great Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-José Pérec. They lit a cauldron attached to a giant balloon, before Celine Dion sang Edith Piaf's Hymn to Love, in her first public performance in years, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

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Liverpool are reportedly considering taking advantage of Bordeaux's dire financial situation by poaching one of their top young talents.

Bordeaux were forced to file for bankruptcy this week after Liverpool's owners FSG pulled out of talks to buy the troubled French club.

In a club statement released on Thursday evening, Bordeaux said they had filed for bankruptcy in order to avoid 'heavy sanctions' over ongoing financial difficulties.

The former Champions League club have given up their professional status after being administratively relegated to the Championnat National — the third tier of French football.

o make matters worse for Bordeaux, they now look set to lose the majority of their best players and their most promising youngsters.

Foot Mercato claim Liverpool are tracking Bordeaux centre back Mathys Angely, 17, who is set to be available for free.

Who is Mathys Angely?

Angely is primarily a centre-back who can also play on the left side of defence and as a defensive midfielder.

He spent most of youth career playing for local team ESA Brive before joining Bordeaux in 2022.

Angely has been given a current market value of €50,000 (£42,000) by Transfermarkt, although he is now likely to be available for free this summer — despite being under contract with Bordeaux until 2028.

He has played through the youth teams with Bordeaux and made his senior debut for the club last season.

The defender has also represented France at U16 and U17 level.

Angely in action for France (Image: Getty)

How did he play last season?

After making his senior debut in a Ligue 2 victory over Caen, Angely played five times for Bordeaux's first team last season.

He also make 15 appearances in youth football for the club, scoring twice.

Angely also played for France at the U17 Euros in Cyprus this summer, where they were knocked out in the group stage after finishing behind Portugal and England.

He started at centre-back in France's clash with the Young Lions, which ended in a 4-0 win for England.

What has been said about him?

Despite that result, Foot Mercato report that Angely 'wowed everyone' during the U17 Euros and 'was one of the best players in his category' at the tournament.

The French outlet say he has 'impressed with his serenity on the ball and his technical ease', adding that several French clubs are interested in signing the player as well as Liverpool.

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