News
The Zaporizhia atomic power plant hit by Russian strikes. This nuclear power plant in central Ukraine, the largest in Europe, was hit by Russian army strikes on Friday which caused a fire, but its safety is “guarantee” according to Kyiv (Kiev). Ukrainian relief was finally able to access the site, after being prevented from doing so for a time by Russian troops, and having stopped the progression of the fire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday accuses Moscow of resorting to “nuclear terror” and calls to “immediate European action” for “to prevent Europe from dying of a nuclear disaster”. Find the latest news in our live.
Europeans grant “temporary protection” to refugees. The decision is judged “historical” by Brussels: the Twenty-Seven unanimously agree to grant “temporary protection” in the EU to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, whether they are Ukrainian nationals or long-term residents in that country. European interior ministers decided to activate for the first time the 2001 directive on displaced persons, which will allow refugees from Ukraine to stay in the EU, work there, access aid social services and housing, the school system and medical care.
Presidential: Macron finally launches, his opponents on the lookout. In a “Letter to the French” published online Thursday evening by several media and intended for the regional press, the outgoing president has finally lifted the veil by running for re-election. One “candidate to invent with you, in the face of the challenges of the century, a unique French and European response. […] We will have to work more and continue to lower taxes on labor and production”warns Emmanuel Macron in this three-page text where he gives some leads on the main axes of his campaign, promising “a different method” because “we didn’t do it all”. He started out as the big favourite, while his opponents immediately attacked his balance sheet. Read our article and listen to episode 5 of our Libélysée podcast devoted to the candidacy of Emmanuel Macron.
Sandrine Rousseau excluded from Yannick Jadot’s campaign. It is a scandal whose candidate EELV, still nailed around 5 to 6% in the polls a little over a month from the first round, would have gone well: the finalist of the environmental primary Sandrine Rousseau no longer does part of the Jadot team, after the publication in the press of vitriolic remarks on the strategy of a campaign without momentum. The publication Thursday evening by Le Parisien of an article compiling several remarks reported by Sandrine Rousseau set fire to the powder. The latter generally regrets a campaign without “narrative”, in which she is not involved enough for her taste. Our article.
Sony and Honda team up to develop electric vehicles. The electronics giant and the Japanese automaker announced on Friday their intention to form a “strategic alliance” to develop and produce electric vehicles and market them from 2025. The two groups plan to found a joint venture this year to develop and sell “high value-added battery electric vehicles” and provide mobility services together.
To be continued today
Last day for filing presidential sponsorships. The precious sesame for the pretenders to the Élysée can reach the Constitutional Council until 6 p.m. Friday, which will then have to verify that the sponsorships are valid and come from at least 30 different departments. Before the last update of the list of validated sponsorships, Thursday at 5 p.m., 11 candidates obtained the necessary 500 signatures: Marine Le Pen (RN), Eric Zemmour (Reconquest!), Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (DLF), Valérie Pécresse ( LR), Emmanuel Macron (LREM), Anne Hidalgo (PS), Yannick Jadot (ecologist), Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI), Fabien Roussel (PCF), Jean Lassalle (Resist!) and Nathalie Arthaud (LO). The NPA Philippe Poutou could be the 12th candidate: even if he had only 342 registered sponsorships on Tuesday, he claimed Thursday evening his 500 signatures. It’s more complicated for François Asselineau (263), the trade unionist Anasse Kazib (144) or the animalist Hélène Thouy (114).
The Paralympic Games start in Beijing. Two weeks after the edition of the able-bodied, the Paralympic Olympics open without the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, dismissed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The IPC had first announced on Wednesday that these athletes could participate in the Games under a neutral banner, a decision contested in several countries. In a press release, the CIP justified its reversal by the fact that “Teams and athletes are now threatening not to participate, jeopardizing the chances of a successful Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games”.
The report
Ukraine: in Vassylkiv, “we have started to clean up the blood but it’s hard”. In the garrison town south of Kyiv, particularly targeted by attacks from the Russian army since the beginning of the war, the inhabitants and the territorial forces, installed in a small school that has become their headquarters, resist and organize together. From our special envoy to Ukraine.
Testimonials
Sayings of Ukrainian artists: “No hunger, no fatigue, just fear and love”. Painters, photographers, musicians… For the past week, Release collected the words of artists upset by the Russian invasion of their country.
The interview
Where are the conductors? The La Maestra competition, which opened this Thursday in Paris, aims to overcome the under-representation of women in the musical direction of orchestras. President of the New York Philharmonic and of the jury for this second edition, Deborah Borda talks about this fight for parity. His interview can be read here.
The portrait
Alix DMX against the rest of the world. The influencer, living in luxury in Marbella, denounces the sexual assaults existing in the world of reality TV but also police violence. His portrait.