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The Citizen
12 hours ago
- The Citizen
French prosecutors seek murder charge for school stabbing suspect
France observed a moment of silence after a teenager allegedly stabbed a beloved school assistant in a shocking knife attack. People take part in a rally in tribute to Melanie, one day after this 31-year-old school assistant was murdered by a secondary school pupil with a knife, outside Chaumont's city hall on June 11, 2025. (Photo by FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP) French prosecutors on Thursday requested that a 14-year-old pupil detained for allegedly stabbing to death a teaching assistant be charged with murder, as schools across France held a minute of silence. The secondary school pupil was arrested Tuesday after allegedly killing with a knife a school monitor — a 31-year-old mother of a young boy — during a bag search in the eastern town of Nogent. The latest school attack caused widespread shock in France, with President Emmanuel Macron denouncing a rise in violence. The pupil had wanted to attack 'any' monitor after being reprimanded a few days earlier for kissing his girlfriend, prosecutors say. On Thursday, prosecutors requested he be charged with 'murder of a person carrying out a public service mission' and 'intentional violence' against a police officer injured during the arrest. The prosecutor's office also requested that the pupil be placed in pre-trial detention, Dijon prosecutor Olivier Caracotch said in a statement. ALSO READ: French grandmother files genocide complaint over Gaza killings Regional prosecutor Denis Devallois told reporters on Wednesday that the teenager acknowledged 'being the perpetrator' of the deadly stabbing and that he 'intended to kill'. As a minor, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison instead of life imprisonment. A moment of silence was held at midday in schools across France in memory of the victim identified by authorities only as Melanie. France has seen several attacks on teachers and pupils in recent years by other schoolchildren. Macron denounced the violence during a cabinet meeting on Thursday, said the government spokeswoman. 'He spoke… of a rise, a disinhibition around violence in our country, for which solutions will clearly need to be found,' Sophie Primas said, quoting the French leader. ALSO READ: 'The devil in a white coat': France's most prolific sexual predator sentenced In March, police started random searches for concealed weapons in and around schools. 'Going to be hard' Classes resumed on Thursday at the site of the tragedy, the Francoise Dolto school. The first students arrived shortly after 8:00 am in complete silence, escorted by a member of school staff, an AFP journalist saw. 'It's going to be strange not seeing the monitor anymore,' said Jade, 15. 'I told my daughters to go to the counselling room to talk,' said Daniele Quentin, 52, mother of three children enrolled at the school. 'It's going to be hard for the girls, who really liked her,' she said, referring to the victim. ALSO READ: French surgeon accused of raping patients seeks no leniency as verdict looms A former hairdresser, the victim had retrained and worked at the school since September. She was a mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in a village near Nogent. Her family called for a silent march to be held in Nogent on Friday. 'No regret' The suspect told investigators 'there was perhaps a link with the fact he was told off by a monitor on Friday, June 6, as he was kissing his girlfriend on school grounds', Devallois said, adding she was not the one killed. 'He stated that he had, as early as the next day, Saturday, mulled over a plan to kill a monitor,' the prosecutor added. 'He grabbed the largest knife in his home to, in his words, 'cause the most damage''. ALSO READ: 55 men arrested in Telegram-linked paedophile ring in France The teenager did not appear to suffer from any 'mental disorder', but appeared 'detached' and expressed 'no regret' for the killing, Devallois said. In the wake of the attack, authorities promised measures to tackle knife crime among children. Macron said on Tuesday he was proposing banning social media for children under 15. Greece has spearheaded a proposal backed by France and Spain for the European Union to limit children's use of online platforms. Macron said France would go ahead with a unilateral ban if no progress was made on an EU-wide measure. – By: © Agence France-Presse
IOL News
14-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Umbro owner in joint bid for Le Coq Sportif
A picture taken on June 21, 2017 shows the logo of the French sport clothing and equipment brand Le Coq Sportif, at the entrance of the production plant, in Romilly-sur-Seine. A consortium of investors including Xavier Niel and the American group Iconix (Lee Cooper, Umbro) have submitted a €60 million bid to take over equipment manufacturer Coq Sportif, which was placed in receivership at the end of November, according to a press release on May 14, 2025. Image: FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP A consortium that includes the US owner of sportswear brand Umbro and French telecom billionaire Xavier Niel unveiled Wednesday an offer to acquire France's struggling sportswear label Le Coq Sportif for 60 million euros ($68 million). Know for its iconic Gallic rooster logo, Le Coq Sportif designed outfits for French athletes at the Paris Olympics last year, but the company has been under court-ordered administration since November. Founded in 1882, Le Coq Sportif employs 300 people in France and makes jerseys for Argentina's rugby union team and French football club Nice. In a statement published the day after the deadline for takeover bids, the consortium said its goal was to "refocus Le Coq Sportif on its core identity as an accessible and popular brand, and expand it globally with major financial support to revive this iconic French label". The bid is led by Neopar, a French investment firm specialising in business turnarounds, which has a 51 percent stake in the project. Another 26.5 percent is held by a group of investors including Niel, members of Le Coq Sportif's founding family and Marc-Henri Beausire, chief executive of the brand's parent company, Airesis. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Inconix, the US company that owns sportswear firms Umbro and Starter and denim brand Lee Cooper, has a 22.5-percent stake in the bid. The consortium would immediately inject 60 million euros into Le Coq Sportif and save its historic site at Romilly-sur-Seine in northeastern France. A decision on the company's takeover will be decided by the Paris commercial court later in May or early June, according to a source close to the matter. Le Coq Sportif owes between 60 million and 70 million euros to public creditor. AFP Visit:
Toronto Sun
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Toronto Sun
GREEN: Carney should pull the plug on Canada's EV revolution
A truck driver refuels his electric vehicle at the first truck charging station in France, in Sommesous, southeast of France, on April 25, 2025. Photo by FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP via Getty Images During his election victory speech, Prime Minister Mark Carney repeated one of his favourite campaign slogans and vowed to make Canada a 'clean energy superpower.' So, Canadians can expect Ottawa to 'invest' more taxpayer money in 'clean energy' projects, including electric vehicles (EVs) — the revolutionary transportation technology that's been ready to replace internal combustion since 1901, yet still requires subsidies. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account It's a good time for a little historical review. In 2012, south of the border, the Barack Obama administration poured massive subsidies into companies peddling green tech, only to see a vast swath go belly up including Solyndra, would-be maker of advanced solar panels, which failed so spectacularly that CNN called the company the 'poster child for well-meaning government policy gone bad.' One might think that such a spectacular failure might have served as a cautionary tale for today's politicians. But one would be wrong. Even as the EV transition slammed into stiff headwinds, the Justin Trudeau government and Ontario's Doug Ford government poured $5 billion in subsidies into Honda to build an EV battery plant and manufacture EVs in Ontario. That 'investment' came on top of a long list of other 'investments' including $15 billion for Stellantis and LG Energy Solution; $13 billion for Volkswagen (or $16.3 billion, per the parliamentary budget officer), a combined $4.24 billion (federal/Quebec split) to Northvolt, a Swedish battery maker and a combined $644 million (federal/Quebec split) to Ford Motor Company to build a cathode manufacturing plant in Quebec. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. How's all that working out? Not great. 'Projects announced for Canada's EV supply chain are in various states of operation, and many remain years away from production,' notes automotive/natural resource reporter Gabriel Friedman, writing in the Financial Post. 'Of the four multi-billion-dollar battery cell manufacturing plants announced for Canada, only one — a joint venture known as NextStar Energy Inc. between South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd. and European automaker Stellantis NV — progressed into even the construction phase.' In 2023, Volkswagen said it would invest $7 billion by 2030 to build a battery cell manufacturing complex in St. Thomas, Ont. However, Friedman notes, 'construction of the VW plant is not scheduled to begin until this spring (2025) and initial cell production will not begin for years.' Or ever, if U.S President Donald Trump's pledge to end U.S. government support for a broad EV transition comes to pass. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In the meantime, other elements of Canada's 'clean tech' future are also in doubt. In December 2024, Saint-Jérome, Que.-based Lion Electric Co., which had received $100 million in provincial and government support to assemble batteries in Canada for electric school buses and trucks, said it would file for bankruptcy in the United States and creditor protection in Canada. And Ford Motor Company last summer scrapped its planned EV assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, after receiving $640 million in federal and provincial support. Of course, there's Canada's poster child of clean-tech-subsidy failure — Northvolt. According to the CBC, the Swedish battery manufacturer, with plans to build a $7-billion factory in Quebec, has declared bankruptcy in Sweden, though Northvolt claims that its North American operations are 'solvent.' That's cold comfort to some Quebec policymakers. 'We're going to be losing hundreds of millions of dollars in a bet that our government in Quebec made on a poorly negotiated investment,' said Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Paradis. Elections often bring about change. If the Carney government wants to change course and avoid more clean-tech calamities, it should pull the plug on the EV revolution and avoid any more electro-boondoggles. Kenneth Green is a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute Ontario Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Canada Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Sun
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Toronto Sun
ELDER: Uncovering the 'dirty' truths about electric vehicles
A truck driver refuels his electric vehicle at the first truck charging station in France, in Sommesous, southeast of France, on April 25, 2025. Photo by FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP via Getty Images Are electric vehicles better for the planet than gasoline-powered vehicles? This is the question we explore in my new documentary, Electric Vehicles — The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Whether one agrees with former president Joe Biden, who calls climate change 'an existential threat,' or whether one agrees with the late physicist Freeman Dyson, who dismissed Al Gore and his An Inconvenient Truth as 'lousy science,' this question remains. Are electric vehicles better for planet Earth than 'gas guzzlers?' After all, fossil-fuel-generated energy is required to manufacture an electric vehicle and transport it to the dealership. The electricity required to charge it comes mostly from fossil-fuel-generated power. Electric vehicles are a triumph of technology, with incredible features. They are quiet, fast and fun to drive. The self-driving feature, while not foolproof, will likely save lives because human driving errors are more common. (There are some gas-powered cars with a similar feature.) There are concerns about the driving range, as well as the availability of charging stations for long drives. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Right now, an EV compared to a gas-powered car of similar size may be more expensive. There are still tax incentives available, but they may be reduced, if not phased out at some point. With the more expensive purchase price, mandates to buy an EV or to restrict the sale of gas cars stand to hurt those less well-off. Then there is the China factor. The computer chips required for the EV disproportionately come from China. The minerals in the batteries — lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese — are mined, processed and manufactured in China, or in places under China's control, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Take cobalt in the Congo. Two years ago, NPR wrote 'How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy.' It featured the work of Siddharth Kara, author of the book Cobalt Red. Kara said: 'People (including children) are working in subhuman, grinding, degrading conditions. They use pickaxes, shovels, stretches of rebar to hack and scrounge at the earth in trenches and pits and tunnels to gather cobalt and feed it up the formal supply chain. … Cobalt is toxic to touch and breathe — and there are hundreds of thousands of poor Congolese (workers) touching and breathing it day in and day out. Young mothers with babies strapped to their backs, all breathing in this toxic cobalt dust. … There's complete cross-contamination between industrial excavator-derived cobalt and cobalt dug by women and children with their bare hands (for $1 or $2 a day).' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. As for reviews about Electric Vehicles — The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Paul Bond, veteran journalist formerly of Newsweek' and The Hollywood Reporter , wrote: 'Larry Elder's latest documentary … begins with … provocative claims: EVs might harm the planet more than gas-powered cars, they rely on child labor and open the door to privacy invasions and hacking. … Whether you're waving a Trump flag or preaching clean living, Elder's film demands a second look at the EV craze. It's not just about cars — it's about who controls your life, your data, and your future.' Tyler O'Neil of The Daily Signal wrote: 'While environmental activists and EV manufacturers have crafted a narrative that EVs are not just the cars of the future but our only clean solution to an ostensible climate crisis, Elder uncovers the dirty truth: EVs require more energy to produce, provide less freedom for drivers, empower America's chief rival in the world, and actually make things worse for the environment.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Mass delusion has always fascinated me,' Elder says in the film. 'Scientists, media people, politicians, academics have convinced the average person that our climate is in peril and if we don't do something real fast to get us off fossil fuels, we're going to be in trouble. I just, intuitively, am skeptical about that.' O'Neil wrote: 'He asks the hard questions and comes away with unsettling answers — for the proponents of EVs. Ironically, only the oft-demonized fossil fuels give viewers a sense of hope for the future, and many political and ideological forces are attempting to snuff out the lights powered by the internal combustion engine.' Electric Vehicles — The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is available on Columnists Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA Canada
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Strasbourg close in on Champions League with Ligue 1 win at Reims
Strasbourg close in on Champions League with Ligue 1 win at Reims Ismael Doukoure celebrates after scoring the goal that handed Strasbourg a 1-0 win over Reims (FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI) Strasbourg moved into the Champions League spots following a 1-0 win at Reims in Ligue 1 on Sunday. A top-four finish for Liam Rosenior's young Strasbourg side would secure them Champions League football for the first time since 1980. Advertisement Ismael Doucoure's early strike was enough to earn them a vital victory at Reims on Sunday and bring Strasbourg up to 49 points -- level with third-placed Marseille. But Marseille can open the gap in the race to Europe's top club competition back to three points later when they host mid-table Toulouse. A top-three finish will ensure direct qualification for the tournament, while the side in fourth will play a qualifying round to reach the league phase. Two points separate Strasbourg and seventh-placed Lille, with French giants Lyon and Nice in between. Doucoure was left all on his own inside the six-yard box to stroke home from Sebastian Nanasi's corner in the fourth minute. Advertisement Reims thought they were level on 20 minutes, but Junya Ito's strike was ruled out for a handball by the Japanese forward. Prior to touching Ito's hand, the ball was handled by Strasbourg's Mamadou Sarr, however after a VAR review no penalty was awarded by referee Clement Turpin. Both sides then finished down to 10 men as Mory Gbane and Diego Moreira were dismissed for their part in a scuffle seven minutes into injury time. The cleansheet extended Strasbourg goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic's impressive record of having conceded only eight league goals since early December. Defeat for Reims meant Samba Diawara's side slipped into 16th place -- the relegation play-off spot. Advertisement Elsewhere, Le Havre escaped the relegation play-off place at the expense of Reims with a 2-0 win away to bottom-of-the-table Montpellier. Yassine Kechta opened the scoring on three minutes, before Abdoulaye Toure made sure of the three points half-an-hour later. Saint-Etienne remain mired in the direct relegation zone following a 1-0 loss to Lens. Rennes lost 1-0 at home to Auxerre following an 89th-minute winner by Jubal. Later on Sunday, Marseille can move into second ahead of Monaco, though Roberto De Zerbi's side can no longer dream of catching leaders Paris Saint-Germain who wrapped up the Ligue 1 title on Saturday. bur-nf/nr
