Paris Chefs Organize Feast in Solidarity with Afghan Women

Ground Control in Paris.
Ground Control in Paris.
TT

Paris Chefs Organize Feast in Solidarity with Afghan Women

Ground Control in Paris.
Ground Control in Paris.

Several renowned chefs, including Baptiste Trudel, Giovanni Passerini, and Amandine Chaignot, have taken part in a feast aimed at supporting Afghan women.

The event was hosted by the Ground Control located at Paris' 12th arrondissement on September 27.

The area, surrounded by gardens and pedestrian lanes, usually prepares meals for refugees in collaboration with humanitarian charities. Each diner paid 50 euros for a five-course meal.

The event was sponsored by journalists who are experts on Afghanistan. They included Aïtor Alfonso and Alexandra Michot, in addition to deputy mayor of the 20th arrondissement Lila Djellali.

The initiative was organized in collaboration with the associations "Refugee Food" and "Enfants d'Afghanistan et d'ailleurs" founded by Reza Jafari.

Since mid-July, Jafari’s association, which gathers French and Afghan writers and artists, has helped 200 Afghan women flee their country and settle their new life in exile, although its main goal is to support women living in Afghanistan and to collect donations for the unemployed ones.

The poster of the event was designed by Artist Anna Wanda. It features a group of Afghan women raising their fist to express courage in face of the Taliban after it retook control in Afghanistan.



Peru Scientists Unveil Crocodile Fossil Up to 12 Million Years Old

Paleontologists unveil the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years discovered in Peru. Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP
Paleontologists unveil the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years discovered in Peru. Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP
TT

Peru Scientists Unveil Crocodile Fossil Up to 12 Million Years Old

Paleontologists unveil the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years discovered in Peru. Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP
Paleontologists unveil the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years discovered in Peru. Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP

Paleontologists unveiled on Wednesday the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years that was discovered in a Peruvian desert.
The fossil of the gharial -- or fish-eating -- crocodile, around three meters long (nearly 10 feet), was discovered late 2023 in perfect condition in Peru's Ocucaje desert, around 350 kilometers (190 miles) south of the capital Lima, AFP said.
"This is the first time we found a juvenile of this species, that is to say, it had not reached its maximum size yet. It died before that," vertebrate paleontologist Mario Gamarra told a news conference.
The skull and jaws of these specimens differed from that of today's crocodiles and alligators, according to Gamarra, who headed the reconstruction of the fossil.
"They had an elongated snout and their diet was entirely piscivorous, feeding on fish," said Gamarra.
"The closest current relative to this crocodile would be the Indian gharial," he added.
The discovery was made jointly by Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute and the La Union school.
Peru's Ocucaje desert is rich in fossils, such as four-legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks and other species from the Miocene period -- between 5 and 23 million years ago -- that were previously discovered there.