Paris Chefs Organize Feast in Solidarity with Afghan Women

Ground Control in Paris.
Ground Control in Paris.
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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.



Still No Snow on Japan’s Mount Fuji, Breaking Record

Mount Fuji is seen from Enoshima island, in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo, Japan, August 11, 2021. Picture taken August 11, 2021. (Reuters)
Mount Fuji is seen from Enoshima island, in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo, Japan, August 11, 2021. Picture taken August 11, 2021. (Reuters)
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Still No Snow on Japan’s Mount Fuji, Breaking Record

Mount Fuji is seen from Enoshima island, in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo, Japan, August 11, 2021. Picture taken August 11, 2021. (Reuters)
Mount Fuji is seen from Enoshima island, in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo, Japan, August 11, 2021. Picture taken August 11, 2021. (Reuters)

Japan's Mount Fuji remained snow-less as of Monday -- the latest date that its majestic slopes have been bare since records began 130 years ago, the weather agency said.

The volcano's snowcap begins forming on October 2 on average, and last year snow was first detected there on October 5.

But because of warm weather, this year no snowfall has yet been observed on Japan's highest mountain, said Yutaka Katsuta, a forecaster at Kofu Local Meteorological Office.

That marks the latest date since comparative data became available in 1894, he said beating the previous record of October 26 -- seen twice, in 1955 and then in 2016.

"Temperatures were high this summer, and these high temperatures continued into September, deterring cold air" which brings snow, Katsuta told AFP.

He agreed that climate change may have a degree of impact on the delay in the snowcap's formation.

Japan's summer this year was the joint hottest on record -- equaling the level seen in 2023 -- as extreme heatwaves fueled by climate change engulfed many parts of the globe.

Mount Fuji is covered in snow for most of the year, but during the July-September hiking season, more than 220,000 visitors trudge up its steep, rocky slopes.

Many climb through the night to see the sunrise from the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) summit.

Fewer climbers tackled Mount Fuji this year however after Japanese authorities introduced an entry fee and a daily cap on numbers to fight overtourism.

The symmetrical mountain has been immortalized in countless artworks, including Hokusai's "Great Wave".

It last erupted around 300 years ago.