Latest news with #Belgium-born
Straits Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Manager Still leaves Ligue 1 side Lens
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Olympique Marseille v RC Lens - Orange Velodrome, Marseille, France - March 8, 2025 RC Lens coach Will Still during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Will Still has left his role as head coach of Ligue 1 side RC Lens to be closer to his family back home in Britain, the Belgium-born Englishman announced on Saturday. The 32-year-old former Reims manager joined Lens on a three-year contract last year in June and helped them secure an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1 this season. "I will not be the coach of Lens next season. Today was my last match of the season at Bollaert," Still told reporters after Lens 4-0 home victory over AS Monaco. "For multiple reasons, the main reason behind my decision is that I need to go back home. It is a logical choice for me to be closer to my wife, for her well-being." Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders, Still's partner, revealed she had encephalitis, a brain infection, in March. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Manager Still leaves Ligue 1 side Lens
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Olympique Marseille v RC Lens - Orange Velodrome, Marseille, France - March 8, 2025 RC Lens coach Will Still during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo (Reuters) - Will Still has left his role as head coach of Ligue 1 side RC Lens to be closer to his family back home in Britain, the Belgium-born Englishman announced on Saturday. The 32-year-old former Reims manager joined Lens on a three-year contract last year in June and helped them secure an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1 this season. "I will not be the coach of Lens next season. Today was my last match of the season at Bollaert," Still told reporters after Lens 4-0 home victory over AS Monaco. "For multiple reasons, the main reason behind my decision is that I need to go back home. It is a logical choice for me to be closer to my wife, for her well-being." Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders, Still's partner, revealed she had encephalitis, a brain infection, in March. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lifesize herd of puppet animals begins climate action journey from Africa to Arctic Circle
Hundreds of life-size animal puppets have begun a 20,000km (12,400 mile) journey from central Africa to the Arctic Circle as part of an ambitious project created by the team behind Little Amal, the giant puppet of a Syrian girl that travelled across the world. The public art initiative called The Herds, which has already visited Kinshasa and Lagos, will travel to 20 cities over four months to raise awareness of the climate crisis. It is the second major project from The Walk Productions, which introduced Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet, to the world in Gaziantep, near the Turkey-Syria border, in 2021. The award-winning project, co-founded by the Palestinian playwright and director Amir Nizar Zuabi, reached 2 million people in 17 countries as she travelled from Turkey to the UK. The Herds' journey began in Kinshasa's Botanical Gardens on 10 April, kicking off four days of events. It moved on to Lagos, Nigeria, the following week, where up to 5,000 people attended events performed by more than 60 puppeteers. On Friday the streets of Dakar in Senegal will be filled with more than 40 puppet zebras, wildebeest, monkeys, giraffes and baboons as they run through Médina, one of the busiest neighbourhoods, where they will encounter a creation by Fabrice Monteiro, a Belgium-born artist who lives in Senegal, and is known for his large-scale sculptures. On Saturday the puppets will be part of an event in the fishing village of Ngor. The first set of animal puppets was created by Ukwanda Puppetry and Designs Art Collective in Cape Town using recycled materials, but in each location local volunteers are taught how to make their own animals using prototypes provided by Ukwanda. The project has already attracted huge interest from people keen to get involved. In Dakar more than 300 artists applied for 80 roles as artists and puppet guides. About 2,000 people will be trained to make the puppets over the duration of the project. 'The idea is that we're migrating with an ever-evolving, growing group of animals,' Zuabi told the Guardian last year. Zuabi has spoken of The Herds as a continuation of Little Amal's journey, which was inspired by refugees, who often cite climate disaster as a trigger for forced migration. The Herds will put the environmental emergency centre stage, and will encourage communities to launch their own events to discuss the significance of the project and get involved in climate activism. 'The idea is to put in front of people that there is an emergency – not with scientific facts, but with emotions,' said The Herds' Senegal producer, Sarah Desbois. She expects thousands of people to view the four events being staged over the weekend. 'We don't have a tradition of puppetry in Senegal. As soon as the project started, when people were shown pictures of the puppets, they were going crazy.' Growing as it moves, The Herds will make its way from Dakar to Morocco, then into Europe, including London and Paris, arriving in the Arctic Circle in early August.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Gossip: Lens boss Still in the running to replace Juric
Lens' Belgium-born English boss Will Still, 32, is among the contenders to become the new manager of Southampton following Ivan Juric's departure earlier this week. (Talksport), externalWest Ham are considering a summer move for Southampton and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, 26. (Times - subscription required), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
USA Today
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jean-Claude Van Damme investigation: Allegations are 'grotesque' and 'unfounded,' rep says
Jean-Claude Van Damme investigation: Allegations are 'grotesque' and 'unfounded,' rep says Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme is hitting back amid news that he is being investigated for alleged sexual relations with human trafficking victims. A representative for the "Street Fighter" and "Bloodsport" actor, 64, said in an April 3 statement to USA TODAY, written in French, the reported claims "are both grotesque and non-existent." "Mr. Van Damme does not wish to comment on or fuel this rumor, which is as absurd as it is unfounded," his agent, Patrick Goavec, said. On Tuesday, the Romanian government's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, a law enforcement branch, confirmed to USA TODAY that a complaint against Van Damme was submitted April 2. According to DIICOT's statement, translated from Romanian, the complaint "was transmitted to the Territorial Service for competent resolution." The agency also noted that the contents of any reports "pending before the criminal investigation bodies" is not made public. Jean-Claude Van Damme had sexual relations with trafficked Romanian women, lawyer alleges On April 1, news of the complaint against Van Damme emerged via reports from various Romanian news outlets. CNN affiliate Antena 3, TV news station Antena 1 and newspaper HotNews reported Romanian lawyer Adrian Cuculis said in a statement last week that Van Damme is accused of knowingly having sexual relations in Cannes with five Romanian women who had been trafficked. An alleged victim came forward to provide testimony, Cuculis reportedly said. The claim reportedly emerged amid DIICOT's investigation into a network engaged in human trafficking, including minors. According to Antena 3, DIICOT will continue to gather evidence before Romanian prosecutors determine whether to initiate criminal proceedings. Van Damme, a Belgium-born martial artist-turned actor, has three children from five marriages. "Bloodsport" was his breakout role in 1988, and he went on achieve action icon status through films like 1989's "Kickboxer," 1991's "Double Impact," 1994's "Street Fighter" and 1997's "Double Team". He also appeared in "The Expendables 2" (2012) and the one-season Amazon Prime Video series "Jean-Claude Van Johnson," which was produced by Ridley Scott.
