In the Papers
Friday, July 18, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
By James Creedon/FRANCE 24
Le Parisien (France)
The five questions we're asking
The Parisien is asking five questions in light of the arrest of Ricardo Ricco, the third cyclist to have been caught taking illegal substances at this years Tour de France.
The paper goes so far as to ask if the tour should be stopped altogether. However it also notes that the anti-doping procedure is winning with so many athletes being caught out.
Can we expect a snowball effect in the coming days? Indeed the three cyclists - Beltran, Duenas and Ricco - arrested up to now are not the only ones who thought that this new generation of the drug EPO was undetectable. They were wrong and we can expect perhaps to see many more caught out in the days to come.
And why is doping still such a plague in cycling after the scandals of previous years?
Libération (France)
A direct link with pharmaceutical laboratories
Libération might have the answer to the above question. The drug EPO is intended to treat kidney ailments. Pharmaceutical companies are producing six times more EPO than is required in hospitals. It's often being produced in China, Korea and India and there is practically no oversight on a global level. As a result, in tackling doping you can't just focus on the athlete you must also focus on the provider of these illegal substances. Perhaps Interpol could play a role in reducing the production of these drugs and making cycling cleaner, Libération suggests.
Mail and Guardian (South Africa)
Stars in his eyes
It's quite amazing really that this 90-year-old man, who spent decades in prison, can feel so at ease in the world of celebrity, this South African daily observes. While he's one of the world's biggest celebrities himself, he's also a big fan of many other celebrities. He has shadow-boxed with Mohammad Ali, hung out with Oprah Winfrey and Naomi Campbell, held hands with Michael Jackson… He even invited party animal Amy Winehouse to sing at his 90th Birthday bash in London! What impact will this have on Mandela's image?
Le Croix (France)
At 90 years of age, Nelson Mandela has to protect his image
Speaking of his image, Le Croix underlines its commercial importance. Mandela needs to protect his image, the paper notes, and indeed Mandela himself is keen not to end up as another face on a t-shirt, like Che Guevara.
As a result, his foundation has to carry out a balancing act of sorts. His image brings in a lot of money for causes such as AIDS. It sells a range of merchandise but , because Mandela doesn't want his face to become iconic but rather the focus should be on his message, they have come up with a compromise! One t-shirt has a picture of Mandela's hand along with the slogan "It's in our hands, the hands of South Africans".
The Gazette (Canada)
China tries to turn off rain for 'perfect weather' Olympics
T-shirts are also a concern for China at the Olympic Games.
Authorities have banned all flags and banners from countries not participating in the games so no fear of seeing any Tibet flags flying in Olympic stadia. However this won't stop people wearing "I love Tibet" t-shirts, for instance.
In another attempt to create the perfect ambience, China is hoping to stop rain from appearing! How? Through a process of "salting" clouds that might cast a shadow over the festivities. Now, while they might have success with light rain, scientists say, there's not much hope of fending off a major downpour…and there's still a 40% chance it will rain on Beijing's opening parade.
Le Figaro (France)
Remarriage between ex-spouses is a tendency on the rise
Le Figaro discusses an interesting phenomenon. Emblematic of the trend, actorsRichard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor got married, got divorced and then got married again! They did this both on the big screen and in real life.
A specialist in relationships tells Le Figaro that this happens more often than we'd think…
Once the initial passion leaves a relationship, divorce is often considered and only later reality kicks in. Often years later, a divorcee may realize they have lost their soul-mate and, well, a second journey down the aisle is considered with the same person.
But be careful not to make the same mistake as rapper Eminem. He married his childhood sweetheart and divorced her after two years. Five years later they remarried only to divorce a second time 82 days later.
Perhaps it's a case of 'third time lucky' for some couples if they're especially indecisive.
