Latest news with #southernFrance
The Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
New Banksy location revealed following speculation
Banksy's latest piece of artwork has been unveiled - and internet sleuths were quick to establish its location. The black and white stencil graffiti depicts a lighthouse with light beaming from its tower, with the caption: 'I want to be what you saw in me.' The lighthouse rises from the shadow of a bollard which it stands next to. Banksy posted the artwork on his Instagram on Thursday with two photos, one showing just the artwork and another with two people walking their dogs. Many online were quick to identify the location of the artwork as Marseille, the southern French city which is renowned for its street art. The mural is situated on Rue Félix Freiger, a road near the coast and the town's city centre. The quote on the wall may have been inspired by a song by Tennessee-based country band Lonestar, called 'Softly', which features the lyric: 'I want to be what you see in me. I want to love you the way that you love me.' London-based art dealer MyArtBroker wrote on its website: 'The location of the mural is unlikely to be incidental. Marseille – France's oldest port and among its most multicultural cities – has long been a point of arrival and transition. 'Its neighbourhoods, from Le Panier to Belle de Mai, are marked by layers of street art and histories shaped by working-class resilience and immigrant communities. The city's social fabric resonates with Banksy's ongoing interest in marginalised voices and overlooked narratives.' The Bristol graffiti artist has seen his works fetch millions at auction, and led to speculation over his identity. Last year, a variety of animal-themed Banksy works, including a rhino seemingly mounting a silver Nissan Micra, two elephant silhouettes with their trunks stretched out towards each other, and three monkeys that looked as though they were swinging on a bridge, were found dotted across London. Since putting one up of a gorilla lifting the shutter at London Zoo, Banksy has also posted another image, of a Madonna with baby Jesus and what looks like a bullet hole. The lighthouse is his latest image.
Sky News
27-05-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Gisele Pelicot's daughter says chemical castration 'could be part of the solution' for sex offenders
The daughter of Gisele Pelicot has suggested chemical castration could be "one part of the solution" when there is "nothing else you can do" for sex offenders - like her father. Caroline Darian's father Dominique Pelicot admitted repeatedly drugging and raping his wife Gisele between 2011 and 2020, and inviting dozens of other men to their home in southern France to do the same. Gisele decided to waive her right to anonymity to hold the trial of her husband and 50 other men in public, saying: "It is not for us to be ashamed, but for those men." Speaking to Ali Fortescue on The Politics Hub, Ms Darian said the UK government's plans to consider mandatory chemical castration could be "one part of the solution" for men like her father. She said: "It's probably one part of the solution because you know when you're at that level of crime, that level of criminal, there is nothing else you can do." Asked if she believed "men like your father" could be rehabilitated, Ms Darian said "no" and "never". For ten years, Pelicot repeatedly sedated his wife and invited strangers to abuse her after advertising sex with her on a French swinging website. Some denied the rape charges, claiming they believed Gisele had agreed to be drugged and was a willing participant in a sex game between the couple. But all the men charged were found guilty of at least one offence, with nearly all convicted of rape, after a trial that shocked France and made headlines around the world. The defendants were sentenced to a total of more than 400 years, with Pelicot being sentenced to 20 years in prison. Pelicot also took photos of his daughter Caroline semi-naked while she was asleep. Ms Darian is pressing charges against her father, having accused him of drugging and raping her. Pelicot has denied this. Speaking to French media, Beatrice Zavarro, Pelicot's lawyer, said Ms Darian's decision to press charges was "unsurprising". She added that prosecutors had said there were insufficient "objective elements" to accuse Pelicot of raping and using chemical submission on Ms Darian. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said last week that she will pursue "a nationwide rollout" of a scheme being piloted in southwest England to use medication to suppress the sexual drive of sex offenders. 6:02 It came after an independent review, led by the former justice secretary David Gauke, was commissioned by the government amid an overcrowding crisis in prisons in England and Wales. The review recommended that chemical castration "may assist in management of suitable sex offenders both in prison and in the community". Ms Mahmood said she is "exploring whether mandating the approach is possible". The trial is currently voluntary.
Washington Post
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
No coffee, no Internet, in Cannes due to power outage
World No coffee, no Internet, in Cannes due to power outage May 24, 2025 | 7:57 PM GMT Cannes was temporarily running out of coffee and croissants on May 24 as a power outage hit southern France. It caused disruption in the host city of the world-famous Cannes Film Festival. One restaurant described the situation as 'catastrophic'.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes film festival impacted as major power cut hits southern France
A major power cut across southern France left around 160,000 homes without electricity on Saturday and impacted the town of Cannes, which is currently hosting its annual international film festival. The power outage began at around 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), France's electricity transmission network RTE said in a post on X, adding that teams are working to restore power as quickly as possible. 'We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately,' a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie told Reuters. No arrests have yet been made in relation to the power outage, the spokesperson added. Saturday is the last day of this year's Cannes Film Festival, which has been held in the town for 78 years, with the closing ceremony scheduled to take place in the evening. The festival is using generators to ensure that screenings are still able to go ahead, French public broadcaster FranceInfo reported. The Palais des Festivals, where Cannes' main events take place, has 'switched to an independent power supply, allowing all scheduled events and screenings, including the closing ceremony, to proceed as planned and under normal conditions,' the festival said in a statement, according to Reuters. Organizers of the festival told CNN affiliate BFMTV that there are 'no worries' that the power outage will affect the closing ceremony, which will see the winners of the festival's top prizes announced. The outage affected two screenings on Saturday morning for about five minutes, then they resumed, the organizers said, according to BFMTV. This story has been updated.
Al Jazeera
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Arson attack probed as Cannes and parts of southern France suffer power cut
French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival. 'We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately,' a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie said on Saturday, adding that no arrests had been made at this stage. The local authority for the Alpes-Maritimes region had said earlier on Saturday that the western part of the area, which includes Cannes, was suffering from a major electricity outage and that grid operator RTE France was working on restoring power. The outage, which affected 160,000 homes, according to RTE and regional officials, started shortly after 10am local time (08:00 GMT) on Saturday. Police sources said the outage was caused by an overnight fire, probably an arson attack, at a high-voltage substation in the village of Tanneron. Traffic lights were knocked out and businesses closed on the main shopping street of the Alpes-Maritimes holiday destination. Separate power outages swept across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of southern France on Monday, disrupting critical infrastructure and airport operations. Officials denied foul play. While Spain and Portugal suffered blackouts last month, the French Basque Country saw brief power outages with interruptions lasting only a few minutes, according to the French electricity transmission network. The latest outage came just hours before the 78th Cannes Film Festival is due to close on Saturday evening with an award ceremony at the Palais des Festivals. Despite the power cut, festival organisers said switching to an alternative electricity power supply enabled them to 'maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony'. After a politically charged two weeks, a jury led by French actor Juliette Binoche is expected to announce the winners among 22 films competing for the Palme d'Or for best film. This year, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the genocide in Gaza and United States President Donald Trump were the biggest talking points at the festival. More than 900 actors and filmmakers signed an open letter denouncing the genocide in Gaza, according to the organisers.
