Neigh-sayers demand end to France's ‘cruel' bin-collecting horses
Horse-drawn rubbish carts have become a familiar sight in French towns in recent years. The waste collection service in Le Mans, west of Paris, has employed Doupette de Lucé, a Percheron mare. In Orleans, south of the capital, the job has been given to Fendt du Lion d'Or, an Ardennais draught horse.
But in Questembert, Brittany, two eight-year-old mares, Havane and Gladez, have found themselves dragged into a controversy over claims that they are being treated like slaves.
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition denouncing the small town for employing its two Trait Breton draught horses for jobs ranging from waste collection to school transport and Christmas rides for local families.
More than 18,000 have signed a counter-petition urging Questembert to keep its
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Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
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Miracle moment grandpa survives heart-stopping 9,000ft paragliding plunge in the French Alps
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Daily Mail
2 days ago
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The baby names that are banned in different countries - including 'Nutella', 'King' and the one place you can't be called Tom
The name a child is given can determine a lot about their future experience - from relentless bullying in school to being considered for jobs when they get older. And given there are many subtle biases at play when we hear someone's name for the first time, it's not surprising that there are laws in place to prevent babies from being marked for life. While the US is the least strict as far as freedom to choose wacky and wonderful baby names, other jurisdictions have cracked down on certain titles, banning them by law. Some names are rejected in order to protect newborns from a lifetime of embarrassment, but others are struck off the list for being offensive, misleading or even unpatriotic. France France has come down hard on names that could be alienating for children, both in adolescence and adulthood. But the law was set in stone when a French family tried to name their child Nutella - after the popular hazelnut chocolate spread. In 2015, the state intervened and a judge in the northern French commune of Valenciennes refused to allow the child to be named after the pantry item, according to BBC Bitesize. There was concern over the legal ability to use a trademarked name, but the final decision came down to the risk of humiliation for the child. It was argued the name would make the baby girl 'the target of derision' throughout her life. But when the parents declined to attend the hearing, the judge named the child Ella instead - a perceived compromise on the original name. Other countries have banned similar attempts to use a brand as a name - with the names Mercedes and Chanel not allowed in Switzerland. Also banned in the land of baguettes and frogs' legs is the name Fraise - the French word for strawberry. When a determined couple tried naming their daughter after the summer fruit, a court disallowed it, arguing it could be mistaken as the slang word for a bottom, the Telegraph reported. Instead, the parents opted for Fraisine - an elegant and classic 19th century name. Technically, French parents can name their children as they please, but the onus is on the registrar to seek to ban monikers they feel are inappropriate or against the child's interests. In another such example, a French family was told in 2009 that they could not name their child after the cartoon character Titeuf. And in 2015, French parents tried to give their son the first name Prince William, which was rejected because it would lead to 'a lifetime of mockery', according to The Local. Sweden Sweden has strict rules for the naming of children, with the primary aim of preventing embarrassment for the child. But in 1996, a defiant couple opted for the name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116, to be pronounced simply 'Albin'. They did this to protest the fine issued to them for failing to register their son's name before his fifth birthday. Unsurprisingly, the 43-character moniker was not approved. When it was rejected, the still-determined pair tried to name their son simply 'A' to be pronounced 'Albin' as before. This was also turned down and, finally, they gave in and went for Albin. The names Superman, Ikea and Veranda have also been turned down in Sweden over the years, having been deemed unacceptable. But in 2008, Swedish parents won a legal battle, earning the right to name their child Lego - after the colourful building block toys. New Zealand In the home of Kiwis, names that resemble official titles or ranks are strictly banned. One of the most common among this list is the name Justice, according to the BBC, being that it's a formal title belonging to a judge. Also on the list of banned names are Saint, Knight, Mr. and Bishop - as well as any other variations along those lines. New Zealand also has rules around the length of names - having ruled that they must not be unreasonably long. An infamous case came to the fore in 2008, after it was discovered that a then nine-year-old girl had been named 'Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii' without any pushback from authorities. It emerged that the young girl detested her name so much, she had never told anyone what she was really called. The judge allowed her to legally change her name, and sternly reprimanded her parents for the ill-informed decision. In 2018, a New Zealand court ruled against naming a child the Roman numeral name III. The country has rules around calling children 'anything unpronounceable', like dashes and punctuation marks. Indeed, one set of parents who tried to name their child '.' - which they would have pronounced 'full stop' - were prevented from doing so. At the time, Jeff Montgomery, the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages said: 'There's no problem if you want to give your child a spelled-out number or even a silly name, but remember your child has to live with it!' Among the most commonly rejected names in the country in 2018 were any regal monikers, such as Prince, King and Royal. In the same year, the names Allah, Heaven-Princezz-Star, Queen, Roil, Royale-Bubz and Sire were also flatly rejected. Japan A 1994 attempt to name a child was so controversial that a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet stepped in and issued a statement advising against it. A family decided to name their newborn son Akuma - which translates literally to Devil. The father said he settled on the name because he wanted his son to stand out with an unforgettable moniker selected by no one else. Bizarrely, the name was initially approved, but officials later intervened on the basis that allowing the name would lead the child to be discriminated against. The case prompted a nationwide debate on whether the state should have a say in the naming of children. But the parents eventually conceded after a lengthy court battle. Also banned in Japan was a name combining the Chinese characters for 'child' and 'water'. In 2014, the parents voluntarily changed the name after being alerted by a government employee about its sinister meaning. The word, read as chishi/mizuko, means a baby that has died in the womb either by abortion or miscarriage, Japan Today writes. The grateful parents were happy to have been informed of the double meaning, which was unfamiliar to many young people in Japan at the time. Portugal One of the most popular boys' names with many language variations globally, the name Tom is banned in Portugal. This is because official names in Portugal are required by law to take traditional Portuguese spellings. So, instead of Tom, a baby boy must be named Tomás, much to the dismay of Tom Holland, Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. In fact, the Portuguese government has a list of pre-approved baby names that all expectant parents must select from. Where one of the parents is not Portuguese, or if they hold dual citizenship, the rules are bent slightly. Perhaps one of the strictest countries when it comes to names, Portugal has an 82-page list of banned monikers. The list includes the names Paris, Nirvana and Thor. Also forbidden are any non-Portuguese names. Malaysia In 2006, Malaysia's government tightened the rules on which names would be allowed in the country. On the list of banned names are 007, Hitler, the Chinese word for snake and a word meaning 'hunchback'. Parents are also banned from naming their kids after animals, insects, fruits, vegetables or colours. The names Chow Tow, meaning 'smelly head', and Sor Chai, meaning 'insane', were also forbidden. Although it's a trend that's hugely popular in the US, Malaysia frowns upon natural names that come from plants or flowers - Gwyeth Paltrow's 'Apple', for example, would be banned. By the same logic, Jennifer Garner's daughter Violet would need to be renamed. Unfortunately for some creative parents, but luckily for their children, courts globally are more or less united in their desire to spare children awful names. Italy has vetoed the name Venderdi, meaning Friday, as a 'ridiculous or shameful' name. In Denmark, parents choose from a list of 7,000 pre-approved names. They have previously rejected 'Molli' because of its unusual spelling and the animal name 'Monkey', according to Good Housekeeping. Germany rejected the first name Schmitz, on the basis that it is a common last name and therefore not appropriate. The country also turned down Pfefferminze, meaning peppermint, and the name Stone. And in Wales, a mother decided on the name Cynaide for her daughter, arguing it was a positive choice as the poison that killed Hitler. In a very unusual ruling, the court decided that the baby girl and her twin brother would get to be named by their older half siblings. For those who have names they feel are outdated or that they've always despised, perhaps now they will consider themselves lucky.
The Sun
3 days ago
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Mystery of UK shipwreck is solved 140 years after bodies of crew who used mattresses to plug holes in vessel washed up
A SHIPWRECK mystery has been solved after divers uncovered a vessel which sunk nearly 140 years ago. Crew on board the SS Nantes made desperate attempts to plug the ship's holes with mattresses when it sunk in 1888. 7 The wreckage of the SS Nantes, has been discovered, having sunk 137 years ago - killing almost everyone onboard. The boat tragically collided with a German sailing vessel, the Theodor Ruger, in November 1888, as reported by NeedToKnow. Only two people survived, with two people jumping to safety on the Ruger, and one person who stayed on the Nantes trying to keep it afloat. The Nantes sank approximately ten hours after the collision, this took place off the coast of Plymouth, in the early hours of the morning. Diver Dominic Robinson discovered the wreckage of the SS Nantes last week, 246 feet below sea level. The 50-year-old former Army Officer found a plate with the Cunard Steamship Company logo, belonging to the forgotten vessel. This enabled him to work out that the wreck he had found was that of the SS Nantes. Dominic and his crew then carefully examined the site of the wreck, and discovered old crockery which was key in identifying the wreck. He said: 'The Nantes was built in 1874, in Glasgow, and very sadly lasted a mere 14 years before it was sunk,' said Dominic. 'It was on a passage from Liverpool to La Havre, when it was sunk in France carrying cargo of coal. 'It's quite a sad story.' After the ship went down, it became lost until Dominic and his team discovered it. Dominic, who has been an underwater explorer for around 35 years, first caught wind of the unidentified shipwreck from the UK Hydrographic Office. Maritime Historian Dr Harry Bennett, who works at the institute, explained why the wreck has taken well over a century to find: "Obviously you're dealing in a period with no satellite navigation. "While the crew tried to save the ship it drifted for several hours, before it finally made its way to the bottom, sadly with many of its crewmen on board". Dominic added: "The wreck was lost until a local dive team identified it in 2024. 'We got the size of the wreck from the information on the UK Hydrographic Office. 'We knew the boat is about 78 or 79 metres long. 'We also knew that there was a Cunard plate from it - which was basically what we're looking for. 'So what you do is you try to find a list of all the Cunard ships that were sunk. 'You then try and narrow them down to, to a relatively small one, and an old one. 'We obviously know where it sank, so if you can find information about the sinking and the wreck that aligns all those things up, then it's fairly straightforward to identify it.' The Cunard plate which Dominic found was crucial in the ship's identification. He said: 'Even though the wreck had been dived before, it was never identified and this small piece of broken plate allowed us to do exactly that. 'The more eagle eyed amongst you may already have noticed the logo from the famous Cunard shipping line. 'And not surprisingly, this is what gave us the most significant clue.' 7 7 7 7
