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World’s longest treasure hunt ends as Golden Owl finally unearthed in France

<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">After more than three decades of mystery and intrigue, the world’s longest-running treasure hunt has come to a thrilling conclusion with the discovery of the elusive Golden Owl. Valued at approximately $240,000, the treasure had captivated the imaginations of thousands since it was first buried in France in the early 1990s.</span></p> <p>The hunt began with the publication of the now-famous book, <em>On the Trail of the Golden Owl</em>, written by communications expert Régis Hauser under the pseudonym “Max Valentin” and illustrated by artist Michel Becker. The 1993 book challenged readers to solve a series of intricate riddles and clues, which, when deciphered, would reveal the owl’s secret location.</p> <p>Despite years of painstaking attempts to crack the mystery, the Golden Owl remained hidden for decades, surviving even its creator. Hauser passed away in 2009, leaving the prize still buried. Michel Becker, who took over the management of the hunt, delivered the long-awaited news on October 3 via an online announcement that sparked a frenzy among treasure hunters: “A potential winning solution is currently being verified.”</p> <p>Two hours later, he confirmed: “Don’t go digging! We confirm that the Golden Owl countermark was unearthed last night.”</p> <p>The treasure hunt’s <a href="https://goldenowlhunt.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official website was also updated with the announcement</a>, bringing an end to a search that has been both thrilling and, for some, overwhelming.</p> <p><strong>The obsession and madness behind the search</strong></p> <p>For over 30 years, the Golden Owl hunt transcended being just a hobby for many treasure hunters and became an all-consuming obsession. While some enjoyed it as a leisurely pursuit, others were driven to extreme lengths – financially, emotionally and mentally. The search for the owl has been linked to personal crises, including financial ruin and broken marriages. At least one individual reportedly ended up in an asylum due to their fixation on solving the hunt’s riddles.</p> <p>The toll wasn’t limited to individuals. Searchers caused considerable disruption across France, digging unauthorised holes in public and private lands. In one eastern French village, the local mayor was forced to plead with hunters to stop digging around its chapel, while in other cases, searchers brought power tools to banks and even considered destroying structures in the hopes of unearthing the treasure.</p> <p><strong>The Golden Owl’s elusive clues</strong></p> <p><em>On the Trail of the Golden Owl</em> contained a complex series of 11 riddles, each paired with a painting by Becker. The riddles, combined with maps, colours and hidden details, challenged readers to work out the owl’s hidden location.</p> <p>Before his death, Hauser revealed three crucial elements to solving the puzzle:</p> <p>The use of maps: Hunters needed to work with maps to narrow down the search area and use a specific map to pinpoint the final zone.</p> <p>A “mega trick”: This was the key to using the sequence of riddles to locate the final area where the owl was hidden.</p> <p>A final hidden riddle: Once in the final zone, hunters had to uncover one last riddle to lead them to the exact spot of the treasure.</p> <p><strong>Joyous celebration among treasure hunters</strong></p> <p>The treasure-hunting community was overjoyed when the news broke, with many expressing their disbelief and excitement. “Finally – liberated!” exclaimed one fan on the hunt’s Discord forum. Another added, “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day.”</p> <p>As of now, the exact location of the owl’s discovery and the identity of the finder remain undisclosed. However, Becker hinted at the complexity involved in concluding this monumental hunt. “Tons of emotions to manage for all those who are responsible for managing the end of this episode and complex logistics to put in place,” he said in a statement on October 6.</p> <p>For now, the Golden Owl, a treasure that has held a generation of sleuths in its grasp, has been unearthed. Yet, the fascination with its story will undoubtedly linger for years to come.</p> <p><em>Images/Illustrations: Michel Becker</em></p>

International Travel

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World's most expensive house up for sale

<p>A French chateau, once owned by a member of the Rothschild family and, later on, the King of Morocco, has gone up for sale with a £363 million (AU$699) price tag. </p> <p>Chateau d’Armainvilliers located at Seine-et-Marne, 48km east of the Eiffel Tower, is the world's most expensive home. </p> <p>Built upon the foundations of a 12th century castle, the sprawling mansion boasts 1,000 hectares of land, 100 rooms across 2,500 square metres of living space, a private lake, and plenty of sequoia trees - the largest trees in the world. </p> <p>Ignace Meuwissen, a self-acclaimed "real estate advisor to the global elite" described the property as a display of "opulence and grandeur".</p> <p>"It is the most expensive castle in France and perhaps in the world. The price of €425million is justified by the property itself but also by the 1,000 hectare land which offers numerous possibilities," he told Paris Match magazine. </p> <p>"An investor could build thousands of apartments there if he wanted."</p> <p>The chateau was first bought by the Rothschild banking empird in the late 19th century, before King Hassan II of Morocco bought it in the 1980s. </p> <p>He then made the chateau more fit for a king, adding a hammam spa, a beauty and hairdressing salon, and a fully-equipped medical and dental facility.</p> <p>The Moroccan King  also added a basement level, which has a network of tunnels, kitchens, cold rooms, storage spaces and staff quarters.</p> <p>The lucky owner will also find Moroccan mosaics and wall tiles decorating the home, and for any avid equestrians, the home also has a stable big enough for 50 horses. </p> <p>However, some luxury property agents have expressed their doubts on whether the property would sell with its nine-figure sum, with one saying it was an "unrealistic" price tag. </p> <p>"It doesn’t make sense, it’s absurd Properties of this type could sell for 20-25 million, or even 30 million if we really fall in love with them. I’m not even sure that Vaux-le-Vicomte (a Baroque French château), which has no marketing plans, would sell at this price," one agent told French real estate publication <em>Le Figaro Immobilier</em>.</p> <p>Others were unsure whether the changes made by the King in the 1980s would suit modern tastes. </p> <p><em>Images: Whisper Auctions</em></p>

Real Estate

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Airport renamed in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth

<p>An airport has been given the seal of approval to be rebranded in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth. </p> <p>The airport in the seaside town of Le Touquet in France was given the go ahead for the renaming by King Charles on Monday, as the entire royal family shared a particular fondness for the town. </p> <p>The renaming of the airport is one of the first places to get approval following Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8th last year.</p> <p>Although there is no official date announced for when the rebrand will take place, Touquet-Paris-Plage airport will become Elizabeth II Le Touquet-Paris-Plage International Airport.</p> <p>"The international airport of Le Touquet Paris-Plage is about to undergo a historic transformation by taking on the name 'Elizabeth II International Airport of Le Touquet Paris-Plage'," the town hall said in a statement.</p> <p>"This is a tribute to a great Queen and her uncle who had a fondness for France, as well as a recognition of the 'most British of French resorts'," it added.</p> <p>While honouring the late monarch in the name, the rebranding also acknowledges King Edward VIII, who held a love for the country before he abdicated the throne. </p> <p>Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth's uncle, frequented the resort to enjoy horse riding and sand yachting, sometimes accompanied by his niece when she was not yet Queen.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Google Maps </em></p>

International Travel

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Australia’s ‘retirement age’ just became 67. So why are the French so upset about working until 64?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-whiteford-2016">Peter Whiteford</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a></em></p> <p>Since Saturday, Australians have been required to wait until the age of 67 until they can get the age pension.</p> <p>The original so-called “retirement age” of 65 for men dated back to <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-02/p2020-100554-ud01_outline.pdf">1909</a>.</p> <p>Women had their pension age lifted from 60 to 65 between 1995 and <a href="https://insidestory.org.au/work-till-you-drop/">2013</a>. And all Australians have had it lifted in stages from July 2017, in a process that ended on <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/seniors/benefits-payments/age-pension">July 1 2023</a>.</p> <p>It has happened with little protest – a stark contrast to the demonstrations and riots that rocked France earlier this year, when President Macron proposed and passed laws to lift the French pension age from 62 to 64.</p> <h2>What’s so special about French pensions?</h2> <p>French strikes and demonstrations over the retirement age aren’t new.</p> <p>There were nationwide protests when France increased its retirement age from 60 to 62 in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/10/french-retirement-age-reform-62">2010</a>, before that in <a href="https://www.etui.org/covid-social-impact/france/pension-reform-in-france-background-summary-an-overview-of-pension-reforms-since-the-1990s-updated-july-2019">2003</a>, and in <a href="https://theconversation.com/pension-reform-in-france-macron-and-demonstrators-resume-epic-tussle-begun-over-30-years-ago-198354">1995</a>, when France tried to increase the pension age for public sector workers.</p> <p>Just about anything you could want to know about public pension schemes in high-income countries can be found in the <a href="https://www.oecd.org/about/">OECD</a> report <a href="https://www.oecd.org/publications/oecd-pensions-at-a-glance-19991363.htm">Pensions at a Glance</a>, published every two years, most recently in 2021.</p> <p>Public pension spending in <a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/public-pensions/PAG2021-country-profile-France.pdf">France</a> is 13.6% of GDP, compared to 4% in <a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/public-pensions/PAG2021-country-profile-Australia.pdf">Australia</a>.</p> <p>In part, this is because France has an older population than Australia, but it is also because French pension payments are more generous than both Australia’s age pension and superannuation supports taken together.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="E0wpD" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/E0wpD/7/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>The OECD finding that Australia provides a replacement rate of about 40% and France of about 74% is “forward looking”, in that it is based on what a worker on average earnings is estimated to be entitled to under the system applying in 2020, if she or he works from age 22 until that country’s normal retirement age.</p> <p>For low-paid workers, Australia’s means-tested age pension makes the payments about as generous as those in France.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="rJpy5" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rJpy5/4/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>A separate 2018 OECD calculation showed that the average after-tax income of a French household headed by someone 65 years or older was <a href="https://www.oecd.org/publications/oecd-pensions-at-a-glance-19991363.htm">99.8%</a> of the average income of all French households.</p> <p>In contrast, the average after-tax income of an Australian household headed by someone of that age was 75% of that of all households.</p> <p>Given that French households receive about the same disposable income while retired as working, it is easy to see why they are keen to retire.</p> <p>And the heavy tax contributions required to fund their retirement incomes give them little opportunity to save privately while working.</p> <p>The level of median private wealth in Australia (converted at prevailing exchange rates) is nearly <a href="https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2022.pdf">twice</a> that in France.</p> <p>Yet French public pension wealth is substantial. Calculating the value of the future pension income streams using life expectancies, the net pension wealth of French retirees amounts to 14 years of average earnings, compared to just over seven in Australia.</p> <p>Because the value of these income streams is strongly influenced by how long the pensions are received, raising the French pension age by two years would cut the value of French pension wealth by around 8%.</p> <h2>Why was postponing pensions easier in Australia?</h2> <p>The phase-in of the Australian change after 2017 meant it didn’t affect the retirement incomes of Australian workers until many years after the change was first announced, and didn’t affect the incomes of those already retired at all.</p> <p>And the Australian change legislated in 2009 was part of a <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2738/2009_budget_pension_changes.pdf">broader program</a> of reforms that included the biggest single <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Newstartrelatedpayments/Report/section?id=committees%2Freportsen%2F024323%2F72678">increase in age and disability pensions and carer payments</a> in Australian history.</p> <p>Yet it will have losers. Those losing the most will be those with the shortest life expectancies. Indigenous men have life expectancies nearly <a href="https://www.niaa.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-affairs/commonwealth-closing-gap-annual-report-2022">nine</a> years lower than non-Indigenous men and Indigenous women nearly eight years lower.</p> <h2>Which Australians will pay the highest price?</h2> <p>And the change has pushed a substantial number of Australians aged 65 and over who would have once received the pension on to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/top-economists-want-jobseeker-boosted-100-per-week-tied-to-wages-150364">much-lower</a> Jobseeker unemployment payment.</p> <p>The number of people aged 65 years and over receiving JobSeeker climbed from zero in 2017 to <a href="https://www.data.gov.au/data/dataset/dss-income-support-recipients-monthly-time-series/resource/05f06c42-e027-43aa-b83e-28292f683ede">40,300</a> by May this year – and will climb further because of this month’s change.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>These people are severely disadvantaged by this change, as the level of payment for an older unemployed person is more than $300 a fortnight less than the age pension, a gap that will only be slightly reduced by the increases announced in the most recent Commonwealth budget.</p> <p>Relatively little attention has been paid to these people, who because of the low level of payment are among the poorest in the Australian population – with very limited prospects of being able to improve their circumstances.</p> <p>In contrast, the idea of boosting tax on the earnings of superannuation balances over <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/28/albanese-government-lifts-tax-rate-on-superannuation-balances-over-3m">A$3 million</a> attracted <a href="https://www.firstlinks.com.au/mechanics-3m-dollar-super-tax-must-fixed">widespread criticism</a>.</p> <p>The very different institutional environments of Australia and France have created different lobby groups, with different interests to protect.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208648/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-whiteford-2016">Peter Whiteford</a>, Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-retirement-age-just-became-67-so-why-are-the-french-so-upset-about-working-until-64-208648">original article</a>.</em></p>

Retirement Life

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The world’s most popular tourist attractions

<p dir="ltr">There are plenty of tourist hotspots all around the world, and if you’re planning a trip, nothing could be better than crossing some of these off your bucket list.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to Trip Advisor, Italy takes out the top spot as three of their attractions made the top 10.</p> <p dir="ltr">France comes in second place with popular tourist spots you might want to add to your itinerary.</p> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>1. The Colosseum, Rome, Italy</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The number one spot for most popular tourist attractions is The Colosseum.</p> <p dir="ltr">It is a significant landscape in Rome with a rich history behind it, so this is no surprise.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>2. The Louvre, Paris, France</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Known as one of the most impressive museums in the world, the Louvre was originally built as a fortress before it was reconstructed to serve as a royal palace.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>3. The Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Here you can find some of the most incredible art in the world, it’s a must-see for those planning a trip to Rome.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>4. The Statue of Liberty, New York, USA</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The State of Liberty is a famed landmark in the US and was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi. In case you didn’t know - it was gifted to the US from France!</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>5. The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">One of the most recognisable landmarks in the world, the Eiffel Tower is nothing short of spectacular and can be seen from several points in Paris.</p> <p dir="ltr">You can admire the structure from afar, take in the sites from one of three platforms on the tower itself for free, or be bold and climb the structure. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>6. Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">This breathtaking cathedral was built by renowned architect Antoni Gaudi and it is a sight to behold both inside and out.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>7. French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">An historic neighbourhood famous for its vibrant nightlife and colourful buildings, it’s no surprise French Quarter made the list. It’s the home for Mardi Gras, jazz clubs, Cajun eateries and bars serving potent cocktails.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>8. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, Netherlands</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Rich in history, Anne Frank House is an incredible tourist destination. You can visit the attic where Anne Frank lived along with the bookcase, family photos, and Anne’s original diary.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>9. Skydeck, Willis Tower, Chicago </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The mighty high Skydeck sits on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower in Chicago and is a massive attraction for thrill-seeking tourists. Perhaps the most exciting part of the tower is The Ledge, a glass balcony that extends out of the building where you can soak up the sights from about 412 metres above sea level!</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>10. The Grand Canal, Venice, Italy</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The third Italian site to make the top 10 is one of the most romantic spots you could take a partner. Although completely underwater, it serves as the main street in Venice.</p> <p dir="ltr">You can take a gondola ride or admire the pretty city on a water bus.  </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

International Travel

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Streets on fire after controversial raising of retirement age

<p>French Emmanuel Macron has ignited a furious spark in the people of France with controversial new pension reforms - those that would see the country’s pension age raised from 62 to 64. </p> <p>The changes were reportedly pushed through their parliament without a proper voting process - it has been said that Macron employed “special constitutional powers” to see it through. </p> <p>Protesters flocked to the streets in response, with over 250 different protests organised nationwide, in a move that has been praised by union leaders. </p> <p>However, while hundreds of thousands of participants experienced peaceful marches through some of the country’s largest cities, tensions were high in Bordeaux, and the town hall felt the full brunt of it when it was set alight. </p> <p>While it is not known who was responsible for the fire, it was quickly extinguished. </p> <p>In Paris, where the majority took part in peaceful demonstrations, violence did rear its head, with a number of clashes between protestors and police officers breaking out - shop windows were broken, street furniture demolished, and fast food establishments attacked. </p> <p>It has also been reported that while police were the target of various projectiles, they made use of tear gas to push back those responsible for any rioting behaviour. And at Place de l’Opera, the location at which demonstrators concluded their march, the tear gas was back, covering a portion of the area in a haze of fumes.  </p> <p>The official demonstration in Paris - which had drawn people from all over the French social spectrum - was not the only one to take a violent turn, with the cities of Nantes, Rennes, Lorient, and Lyon facing similar fates. </p> <p>The protests, coupled with strikes and industrial action across the country, disrupted transport and prompted the cancellation of flights, with airport authorities claiming roll-on effects from the chaos. Protestors also succeeded in blocking off Terminal 1 of France’s largest international airport, the Charles de Gaulle airport. </p> <p>As to why the French had taken this approach to fighting the reforms, one demonstrator in Nantes summed it up by declaring “the street has a legitimacy in France. </p> <p>“If Mr Macron can't remember this historic reality, I don't know what he is doing here.”</p> <p>And as another told <em>Reuters</em>, "I oppose this reform and I really oppose the fact that democracy no longer means anything. We're not being represented, and so we're fed up."</p> <p>"It is by protesting that we will be able to make ourselves heard because all the other ways ... have not allowed us to withdraw this reform," another explained to <em>AFP</em>.</p> <p>The women on the streets were furious, seeing Macron’s move as one that targeted them in particular, especially those that had been forced to step away from their careers to dedicate their time to raising their children. </p> <p>As one social worker told <em>The Guardian</em>, “everyone is angry. Everyone thinks this law is unfair, but it particularly penalises women who are expected to produce future generations of the nation, and then find they are punished for doing so.”</p> <p>“They want to raise it to 64 today. Will it be 66, 67, 68 tomorrow?” a teacher implored. “They tell us life expectancy is longer but are we to work until we collapse and are carted off to the crematorium?”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Celebrate Bastille Day with the height of French luxury

<p dir="ltr">As freezing winter months set in around Australia, many Aussies are trekking overseas to escape the cold and breathe in a new atmosphere after two years of stalled travel plans. </p> <p dir="ltr">A top destination for most is France, with many people’s social media pages being flooded with pictures of loved ones living their best life in Paris, Provence, Nice or Bordeaux with a glass of wine in their hand. </p> <p dir="ltr">While it's easy to be overcome with jealousy, you too can enjoy a taste of French luxury in your own way, without having to leave the comfort of your home. </p> <p dir="ltr">With the help of opulent products from L'Occitane, you can take your skin on a little French getaway with Bastille Day just around the corner. </p> <p dir="ltr">The people of France celebrate Bastille Day, or the National Day of France, on July 14th to mark the unity of the French people at the end of the revolution in the late 1700s. </p> <p dir="ltr">Just in time for this day of revolution is a series of L'Occitane products that are guaranteed to take your skin on a trip to Provence that will transport you to the lavender fields and beyond. </p> <p dir="ltr">First up is the luxurious <a href="https://au.loccitane.com/lavender-collection">Lavender Foaming Bath</a> that will leave your skin feeling soft and supple. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sit back and soak it up while enjoying the most opulent bubble bath, as the scent calms and relaxes you while the formula helps you stimulate both your mind and senses. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; 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font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCVjOeiHW0h/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by L'OCCITANE en Provence (@loccitane)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Another must-have for the ultimate relaxation is the <a href="https://au.loccitane.com/almond-shower-scrub-29GE200A21.html">Almond Shower Scrub</a>, to help buff and scrub away dry, dull skin with this gel formula scrub. </p> <p dir="ltr">Almost as delicious as an Almond Croissant, this scrub will gently exfoliate to leave your skin smooth and even. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-gkWebDzeF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-gkWebDzeF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by L’Occitane en Provence | AU (@loccitaneaus)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">For the ultimate rejuvenation, the L'Occitane <a href="https://au.loccitane.com/immortelle-divine-eye-balm-27DB015I20.html">Immortelle Divine Eye Balm</a> will have you looking like you’ve been relaxing in the south of France for a month. </p> <p dir="ltr">Apply the Immortelle Divine Eye Balm morning and night for a rich dose of nourishment under the eye area, while also fighting the visible signs of ageing. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMd-Y9kDNLt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMd-Y9kDNLt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by L’Occitane en Provence | AU (@loccitaneaus)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Lastly, for a daily dose of radiance, the <a href="https://au.loccitane.com/shea-butter-ultra-light-body-cream-01CL175K22.html">Shea Butter Ultra Light Cream</a> will help even and nourish the body with this indulgent and hydrating body moisturiser.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CcznBaMPb3Z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CcznBaMPb3Z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by L’Occitane en Provence | AU (@loccitaneaus)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">With the help of these L'Occitane products, you’ll feel as if you have experienced the ultimate French getaway without ever having to leave your home. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Woman steals artwork then WEARS it back to the museum

<p dir="ltr">A 72-year-old French woman has been arrested after stealing an art installation from a museum. </p> <p dir="ltr">Catalan artist Oriol Vilanova exhibited a blue jacket filled with postcards visitors could remove and examine at the Musée Picasso in Paris.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the elderly woman took the interactive exhibit one step further by taking the entire jacket and walking out with the garment. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman returned to the museum a few days later wearing the jacket, which she had tailored to fit her properly. </p> <p dir="ltr">She was arrested by the police upon her return, who happened to be at the museum collecting evidence at the time. </p> <p dir="ltr">While in custody, the retiree – who was reportedly “passionate” about art – confessed immediately to taking the jacket, according to local news outlet Le Parisien, but claimed she did not know it was an artwork.</p> <p dir="ltr">After hours of interrogation, the public prosecutor’s office let the woman off with a warning and dropped the case. According to Le Parisien, the woman had been placed under guardianship.</p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork, titled Old Masters, involved filling the pockets of a blue jacket with postcards depicting artworks by major figures in art history. </p> <p dir="ltr">At the Musée Picasso, the jacket was filled with postcards purchased at flea markets and museum shops, all with images of Picasso’s work.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When the museum told me the work had been stolen, I was surprised, but it was impossible to envisage the story that followed,” Vilanova told Artnet News.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Le Parisien</em></p>

Art

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France’s pledge to Ukrainian artists

<p dir="ltr">In order to help struggling artists in Ukraine who have been impacted by the Russian invasion, the French government has announced a $1.5 million relief fund to help workers in the arts. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to a statement from the French Ministry of Culture, the initiative will also be available to “dissident” Russian artists fleeing the nation’s crackdown on free speech.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The emergency reception program will finance Ukrainian artists and cultural professionals and their families for a period of three months, via the Pause program, [consisting of] residencies within the network of public establishments of the ministry and through the Cité internationale des arts [an artist-in-residence building in Paris],” the ministry’s statement said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two thirds of the funds will be dedicated to an emergency telephone service offered in both Russian and Ukrainian that will offer support to imperilled artists through networking with regional professionals and studio space opportunities.</p> <p dir="ltr">The remainder of the funds will be directed to help Ukrainian students to enrol at colleges and cultural organisations in France. </p> <p dir="ltr">Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, the French minister of culture, said the ministry “wants Ukrainian artists to be supported so they can continue their creative work in France…This additional support will be in the form of research grants and funding for artistic projects, but also for organising exhibitions.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Russia’s unprompted attack on Ukraine began on February 24th, and has seen at least 2.6 million Ukrainians flee their war-torn home country. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to the French interior minister, Gèrald Darmanin, the French government has pledged to accept around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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Tourist sentenced to eight years in prison over a drone flight

<p><em>Image: News.com.au</em></p> <p>A French tourist has been sentenced to more than eight years in a notorious Iranian prison after he was arrested on spying charges, all because of a drone.</p> <p>Benjamin Briere, 36, was arrested in May 2020 after taking pictures in a national park near the Iran-Turkmenistan border with a recreational drone.</p> <p>This week, the French citizen was sentenced to eight years in prison and was handed an additional eight-month sentence for propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system, his Paris-based lawyer Philippe Valent said in a statement.</p> <p>Mr Briere’s family and his lawyer have accused Iran of holding him as a political “hostage”.</p> <p>“This verdict is the result of a purely political process and … devoid of any basis,” Mr Valent said.</p> <p>Calling the trial a “masquerade”, Mr Valent said that Mr Briere “did not have a fair trial in front of impartial judges” and noted he had not been allowed to access the full indictment against him.</p> <p>The French foreign ministry described the verdict as “unacceptable”, saying Mr Briere was a “tourist”.</p> <p>He is one of more than a dozen Western citizens held in Iran and described as hostages by activists who say they are innocent of any crime and detained at the behest of the powerful Revolutionary Guards to extract concessions from the West.</p> <p>Mr Briere is being held in Vakilabad Prison in the eastern city of Mashhad. A prison which has reportedly undertaken hundreds of secret executions within the facility.</p> <p>In September last year, an unidentified political prisoner in the same prison, described life in the facility, saying it is “overcrowded” and “full of bedbugs and lice” with poor hygiene and terrible food. The unnamed prisoner said: “If coronavirus does not kill me, the fights inside the prison will kill me.”</p> <p>The verdict against Mr Briere comes as Iran and world powers seek to reach agreement at talks in Vienna on reviving the 2015 deal over the Iranian nuclear program. Nationals of all three European powers involved in the talks on the Iranian nuclear program – Britain, France and Germany – are among the foreigners being held.</p> <p>“It is not tolerable that Benjamin Briere is being held a hostage to negotiations by a regime which keeps a French citizen arbitrarily detained merely to use him as currency in an exchange,” Mr Valent said.</p> <p>Mr Briere’s sister Blandine told AFP her brother is a “political hostage” subjected to a “parody of justice”.</p> <p>Iran insists all the foreigners held are tried in line with domestic law but has repeatedly expressed readiness to prisoner swaps.</p>

Travel Trouble

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French film star dead at just 37

<p dir="ltr">Perhaps best known to English-speaking audiences for playing Hannibal Lecter in<span> </span><em>Hannibal Rising,<span> </span></em>Ulliel was set to star as Midnight Man in Marvel’s upcoming<span> </span><em>Moon Knight<span> </span></em>series alongside Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.</p> <p dir="ltr">At home in France, he starred in numerous highly-acclaimed films, including<span> </span><em>Saint Laurent<span> </span></em>as Yves Saint Laurent<em>, It’s Only The End of The World,</em><span> </span>for which he won a César for Best Actor, and<span> </span><em>A Very Long Engagement.<span> </span></em>French Prime Minister Jean Castex tweeted on Wednesday, "Gaspard Ulliel grew up with cinema and cinema grew up with him. They loved each other madly. It's with a heavy heart that we will rewatch his most beautiful performances and catch his unique gaze. We have lost a French actor."</p> <div class="embed"><iframe class="embedly-embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fx7Krla_UxRg%3Ffeature%3Doembed&amp;display_name=YouTube&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dx7Krla_UxRg&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fx7Krla_UxRg%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube" width="450" height="253" scrolling="no" title="YouTube embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> <p dir="ltr">Ulliel died on Wednesday in a hospital in Grenoble, a city in southeastern France, following a skiing accident on Tuesday. He was skiing in the Savoie region when he collided with another skier and suffered serious brain trauma. Local authorities have opened an investigation into the accident.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Hannibal Rising<span> </span></em>director Peter Webber<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/PeterWebber/status/1483836257637736452" target="_blank">tweeted</a><span> </span>about Ulliel, writing, “Shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Gaspard Ulliel at such a young age in a skiing accident. I have such fond memories of working with him all those years ago on Hannibal Rising. Rest in peace, dear friend.”<span> </span><em>It’s Only The End of The World<span> </span></em>director Xavier Dolan also posted about the actor, writing on Instagram, “It’s unbelievable, absurd, and so painful to even think of writing these words. Your discreet laugher, your caring gaze. Your scar. Your talent. Your listening skill. Your whispers, your kindness. All these personality traits that emanated from a shining softness. Your whole being transformed my life, a being that loved deeply and that I will always love. I can’t say anything more. I feel drained, shaken by your (death).”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CY6xzYyrk45/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CY6xzYyrk45/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Xavier Dolan (@xavierdolan)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">French Culture Minister Rosalyne Bachelot described Ulliel as “an exceptional actor” in a tweet, adding, "Today the world of cinema lost a huge talent. send my condolences to his family and my loving thoughts to all those who grieve for him today."</p> <p dir="ltr">Thierry Fremaux, director of the Cannes Film Festival, said of Ulliel, "Gaspard belonged to this new generation of actors who were making tomorrow's French cinema. He knew how to select his roles and shaped his career which filled every promise.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Each appearance on the red carpet, from La Princesse de Montpensier to It's Only The End of the World illustrated his presence, both discreet and full of kindness. He was equally brilliant and talented. He gave a lot and we'll always remember him."</p> <p dir="ltr">Ulliel is survived by his 6-year-old son Orso and girlfriend Gaelle Petri.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Foc Kan/FilmMagic</em></p>

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"I won't cop sledging on Australia": ScoMo hits back

<p>After French president Emmanuel Macron called Scott Morrison a liar, the Prime Minister has hit back. </p> <p>While in Glasgow for the COP26 Climate Change conference, ScoMo told reporters that he would not "cop slurs" about the integrity of Australia, and that he had no regrets about his seemingly quick decision to back out of a $90 billion submarine contract with France. </p> <p>Macron accused the Prime Minister of lying by not revealing he was in talks with the UK and the US over the <span>acquisition of nuclear submarines before he pulled out of the French deal.</span></p> <p>While at the G20 summit in Rome, Macron made the comment to Australian reporters, after several weeks to escalating diplomatic tensions between Australia and France. </p> <p>“I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for (Australian) people,” he said.</p> <p>“I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistently with this value."</p> <p>When asked if he thought Mr Morrison had lied to him, he said: “I don’t think, I know”.</p> <p>In a fiery response, Scott Morrison said he didn't wish to "personalise the spat", but would not accept <span>“statements questioning Australia’s integrity”.</span></p> <p>“There’s no element of that from my perspective. I must say that I think the statements that were made questioning Australia’s integrity and the slurs that have been placed on Australia, not me, I’ve got broad shoulders. I can deal with that."</p> <p>“But those slurs, I’m not going to cop sledging at Australia. I’m not going to cop that on behalf of Australians."</p> <p>“I can deal with whatever people throw at me. But Australia has a proud record when it comes to our defence capability. That’s why we will be building these. We’ll be building others. And Australia’s service record, I think needs no elaboration. And so that’s where we are.”</p> <p>He went on to say that the conventional diesel submarines that would have been built under the French deal would not have met Australia's needs. </p> <p><span>“I have to put Australia’s interests before any interests that involved potentially offending others,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>Despite being at the Climate Change conference when Scott Morrison gave the interview, he dedicated all of his air time to responding to Macron, and no mention of Australia's climate change policy. </span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Picasso’s daughter exchanges famous artworks for a tax bill settlement

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The French Government has negotiated a unique deal with Pablo Picasso’s daughter, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maya Ruiz-Picasso, to settle an inheritance tax bill. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">France is set to receive six paintings, two sculptures and a sketchbook by the world-famous artist, as French finance minister Bruno Le Maire announced during a press conference at the PIcasso Museum. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is an honour for our country to welcome these new artworks by Picasso. They will enrich and deepen our cultural heritage,” Le Maire wrote on Twitter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Le Maire presented one of the artworks at the press conference: the 1938 painting called </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Child with a Lollipop Sitting Under a Chair</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Picasso’s grandson Olivier Widmaier-Picasso, the painting depicts his mother Maya as a child. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">French citizens have been permitted to settle debts similar to Maya’s with a payment of profitable art, books, and collectibles of national importance since 1968. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The collective total of the nine objects given by Picasso's daughter was not publicly disclosed. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to France’s culture minister Roselyne Bachelot, the artworks will enter the national collections at Paris’s Musée Picasso in 2022, and will be exhibited as a whole to the public in the spring of 2022.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is with deep emotion that I come to celebrate the entry into the national collections of the works,” said Bachelot, who called the donation an “exceptional event.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: French Ministry of Culture</span></em></p>

Art

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Football legend dies after 39 years in a coma

<p><span>Jean-Pierre Adams has died at age 73.</span><br /><br /><span>Adams spent 39 years in a coma after suffering an injury and requiring surgery.</span><br /><br /><span>He was administered a near-fatal dose of anaesthetic ahead of the operation, which resulted in brain damage.</span><br /><br /><span>His wife, Bernadette Adams cared for him in their home located in the French city of Nîmes.</span><br /><br /><span>The small south town is also where his budding football career began, in 1970.</span><br /><br /><span>He played for Nîmes Olympique until 1973, before he moved to Nice and played there until 1977.</span><br /><br /><span>He joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain and played from 1977 to 1979.</span><br /><br /><span>PSG released a heartbreaking statement for him, labelling him one of the club's "glorious elders".</span><br /><br /><span>"His joie de vivre, his charisma and his experience command respect. Paris Saint-Germain offers its condolences to his family and loved ones," the club said in a statement on Monday.</span><br /><br /><span>Adams played 22 internationals for France, from 1972 to 1976.</span><br /><br /><span>French Football Federation president Noël Le Graët said Adams "remained present in our memories in such a special and sad way since his dramatic accident".</span><br /><br /><span>"Jean-Pierre Adams was an example by his life course and his career as a respected and feared player, whether with his successive clubs Nîmes, Nice and PSG in the French championship or in the French team," Le Graët said in a statement.</span><br /><br /><span>"He formed a duo of legendary defenders with Marius Trésor which all fans of the Blues and football remember.</span><br /><br /><span>"Jean-Pierre Adams has participated in the history of the French team, in its influence, in its values. Today the French team is in mourning, the Federation is in mourning.</span><br /><br /><span>"We think of his wife, his family and all his relatives to whom we send our deep friendship and our most sincere condolences."</span></p>

Caring

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French President slapped in the face during public tour

<p>French President Emmanuel Macron has been hit in the face by a man during a visit to a small town in southeast France.</p> <p>The French president was greeting the public waiting for him behind barriers in the town of Tain-I'Hermitage on Tuesday after he paid a visit to a high school that is training students to work in hotels and restaurants.</p> <p>The man, who was dressed in a khaki T-shirt, shouted "Down with Macronia" ("A Bas La Macronie") and slapped Macron on the left side of his face.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841726/screen-shot-2021-06-09-at-104013-am.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/eadb9b4a921046b68d1a2f3ab7846532" /></p> <p>He was also heard screaming "Montjoie Saint Denis", the battle cry of the French army when the country was still a monarchy.</p> <p>A bodyguard, who was standing right behind Macron, raised a hand to defend the president, but was a little too late in stopping the slap.</p> <p>Two of Macron's security detail tacked the man to the ground, while another took Macron away.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Macron?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Macron</a> se fait gifler en direct de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tain</a> <a href="https://t.co/tsXdByo22U">pic.twitter.com/tsXdByo22U</a></p> — ⚜️ (@AlexpLille) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexpLille/status/1402237903376367627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>A video posted on Twitter showed the president returning a few seconds later to continue shaking hands with onlookers.</p> <p>The local mayor, Xavier Angeli, told franceinfo radio that Macron urged his security to "leave him, leave him" as the offender was being held to the ground.</p> <p>French news broadcaster BFMTV said police detained two people - the man suspected of slapping Macron and another man who filmed the video.</p> <p>Macron has not commented on the incident.</p>

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Farmer’s mistake alters the French border

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Along the border between Belgium and France, the boundary between the two countries is usually marked by a series of stone markers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, when local enthusiast David Lavaux was walking through the forest, he noticed one of the stone markers had moved 2.29m.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Belgian farmer behind it was apparently annoyed by the stone being in his tractor’s path and moved it to be inside French territory instead.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The incident that could have caused international uproar has instead been met with smiles on both sides of the border.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He made Belgium bigger and France smaller, it’s not a good idea,” Mr Lavaux, who is also the mayor of the Belgian village of Erquelinnes, told French TV channel TF1.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was happy, my town was bigger,” the Belgian mayor said with a laugh. “But the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc didn’t agree.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aurélie Welonek, mayor of neighbouring Bousignies-sur-Roc, said with amusement to La Voix du Nord, “We should be able to avoid a new border war”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The farmer will be asked to return the stone to its original location by local Belgian authorities. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But if he refuses to comply, the case could end up involving the Belgian foreign ministry, which would have to summon a Franco-Belgian border commission which has been dormant since 1930.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Lavaux also noted non-compliance could see the farmer facing criminal charges.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If he shows good will, he won’t have a problem, we will settle this issue amicably,” he told Belgian news website Sudinfo.</span></p> <p><strong>Image Credit: David Lavaux</strong></p>

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Frances McDormand comes out on top

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frances McDormand is officially the greatest living actress as determined by Oscar wins, even beating Meryl Streep.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With three Oscar wins at Best Actress, McDormand is ahead of the pack that includes Streep’s win for a supporting role.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two-time winners of the Best Actress award include Jane Fonda, Maggie Smith, Glenda Jackson, Jodie Foster, Sally Field, and Hilary Swank.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The only one to beat McDormand was Katharine Hepburn, who claimed four prizes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McDormand won Best Actress in 1997 for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fargo</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 2018.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2021 Oscars saw McDormand win the award for her role in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nomadland</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chloe Zhao’s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nomadland</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> also won Best Picture, and had been a strong contender for the award following wins at the Venice and Toronto film festivals more than six months ago.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMKpOr2BnVT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMKpOr2BnVT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Nomadland (@nomadlandfilm)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nomadland </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">sees McDormand play a retired woman struggling to make ends meet following the 2008 crash, travelling through America’s west.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zhao, who is Chinese-American, also took home the award for Best Director, becoming the second woman and first woman of colour to win.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Frances McDormand won two Oscars tonight, one for Best Actress (her third win in the category) and one for Best Picture as a producer on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nomadland?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nomadland</a>. More here: <a href="https://t.co/QGwDlmpx6l">https://t.co/QGwDlmpx6l</a> <a href="https://t.co/POcXXH3azT">pic.twitter.com/POcXXH3azT</a></p> — IndieWire (@IndieWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndieWire/status/1386556898464333827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McDormand’s competition included actresses Viola Davis for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and Carey Mulligan for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Promising Young Woman</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following on from her win, the actress will soon appear opposite Denzel Washington in a </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Macbeth</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> film.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Quoting the play in her acceptance speech, she said, “I have no words. My voice is in my sword.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We know the sword is our work. And I like work. Thanks for knowing that, and thanks for this.”</span></p>

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France under siege after beheading in church

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p><strong>WARNING: GRAPHIC STORY CONTENT</strong></p> <p>France was hit by two suspected terror attacks which have left three dead, including a woman who was beheaded by a knifeman allegedly shouting "Allahu Akbar".</p> <p>Two separate assailants are understood to have launched attacks in Nice and Avignon in the south of the country just hours apart.</p> <p>The woman, who was one of three killed, passed away shortly after 9 am local time.</p> <p><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/nice-suspected-mass-stabber-kept-shouting-allahu-akbar-after-arrested-in-france/news-story/3640cb6f1a6d98047190a8656061ca94" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink">Her last words</a>, according to a member of the French Senate, were: “Tell my children that I love them.”</p> <p>Police have identified the suspect in Nice as Brahim Aouissaoui, who is believed to have arrived in Europe only recently after being born in Tunisia.</p> <p>Almost at the same time, a security guard at the French Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was stabbed and left with minor injuries.</p> <p>In Avignon, 250kms away from Nice, a man shouted "Allahu Akbar" while brandishing a knife, but was shot dead. No one else has been reported injured.</p> <p>It's currently unclear if the attacks are related, but local politicians are drawing links, with French Republican Eric Ciotti tweeting "Attack in Nice, attack in Avignon, attack on the French consulate in Saudi Arabia. It is not a coincidence, the Islamists want to annihilate us! We must destroy the Islamists!".</p> <p>French President Emmanuel Macron has visited the site of the attack as France raised its attack level to “urgent” and Prime Minister Jean Castex said the government’s response will be “relentless and immediate”.</p> <p>Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said: “The attacker kept shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ even after he had been shot and as he was given medical care.</p> <p>“Enough is enough. The suspected knife attacker was shot by police while being detained, he is on his way to hospital, he is alive.</p> <p>“I must say that Nice, like France, but perhaps more than other places in the country today, is paying too heavy a price by being once again the victim of islamofascism.”</p> <p>There have been heightened security fears in France over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published by <em>Charlie Hedbo</em>, with a teacher in France being beheaded after he showed his pupils the cartoons as part of a class on free speech.</p> <p>In response to the beheading, French president Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech in defence of free speech and the offending cartoons were projected onto government buildings in France.</p> </div> </div> </div>

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Facebook blocks terminally ill man from live streaming his death

<p>Facebook said it would block the livestream of a Frenchman suffering from an incurable condition who wanted to broadcast his death on the social media platform. </p> <p>Alain Cocq recently announced that he was refusing all food, drink and medicine after President Emmanuel Macron declined his request for euthanasia.</p> <p>The 57-year-old suffers from a rare medical condition which causes the walls of his arteries to stick together.</p> <p>Cocq believed he had less than a week to live and said he would broadcast his death from Saturday morning.</p> <p>"The road to deliverance begins and believe me, I am happy," he wrote on Facebook shortly after midnight in a post announcing he had "finished his last meal".</p> <p>"I know the days ahead are going to be difficult but I have made my decision and I am calm," he added.</p> <p>Facebook has been heavily criticised over the way it monitors content and said it was against their rules to portray suicide.</p> <p>"Although we respect  (Cocq's) decision to want to draw attention to this complex question, following expert advice we have taken measures to prevent the live broadcast on Alain's account," a Facebook spokesman told AFP.</p> <p>"Our rules do not allow us to show suicide attempts." </p> <p>Cocq is trying to gather supporters saying: "Facebook is blocking my video broadcast until September 8."</p> <p>"It is up to you now," he said in a message to supporters before giving out Facebook's French address "so you can let them know what you think about their methods of restricting free speech".</p> <p>"There will be a back-up within 24 hours" to run the video, he added.</p> <p>Cocq had asked Macron for permission after he wanted to die in peace by taking a substance, but the president refused, saying it was not allowed under French law.</p> <p>Cocq has used his plight to draw attention to the situation of terminally ill patients in France who are unable to be allowed to die in line with their wishes.</p> <p>"Because I am not above the law, I am not able to comply with your request," Macron said in a letter to Cocq, which the patient published on his Facebook page.</p> <p>"I cannot ask anyone to go beyond our current legal framework... Your wish is to request active assistance in dying which is not currently permitted in our country."</p>

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Dramatic moment kids fall from building

<p><span>The dramatic moment two young boys fall from a blazing apartment has been captured on video. </span></p> <p><span>The brothers, aged 3 and 10, fell close to 10 metres from the building located in the southeastern French city of Grenoble as dark black smoke escaped from the windows.</span></p> <p><span>The video shows the first boy dangling from his shirt out the window before being dropped to the safety of screaming onlookers below.</span></p> <p><span>The second boy then drops himself in the arms of the group.</span></p> <p><span>The boys and 17 other residents from the building were treated for smoke inhalation.</span></p> <p><span>The four rescuers who managed to catch the boys were also taken to hospital to check if any bones were fractured in the process.</span></p> <p><span>25-year-old student, Athoumani Walid broke his wrist as he attempted to catch the children, and said he heard screaming and went out to investigate after seeing the fire from his apartment.</span></p> <p><span>“We didn’t know what to do,” he told The Associated Press. “We wanted to break the door but it wasn’t possible.</span></p> <p><span>“When they jumped, fear disappeared. What mattered was to catch.”</span></p> <p><span>The cause of the fire still remains unknown.</span></p> <p><span>Forty firefighters were involved in extinguishing the blaze. </span></p> <p><span>Mayor Eric Piolle praised residents for the dramatic rescue.</span></p> <p><span>“I would like to congratulate the inhabitants of La Villeneuve who carried out a heroic rescue today of two children trapped in their apartment on fire,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>“Hand-in-hand, they allowed the two little ones to get out of this tragedy unscathed.</span></p> <p><span>“I wish a very good recovery to those who were slightly injured in this improvised rescue.”</span></p>

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