Rugby. The time has arrived. This Friday, September 8, marks the start of the Rugby World Cup in France with a match worthy of a final. The French XV launches its World Cup with a titanic summit, against New Zealand, the starting point of an immense challenge: winning a historic coronation on October 28. On the one hand, France, a team which, after three lost finals (1987, 1999 and 2011), has never been so well equipped to invite itself into the exclusive club of sacred nations; on the other the triple world champions, the queen nation of rugby. The RATP is “ready” to welcome spectators who will come to watch the Rugby World Cup matches organized at the Stade de France, said the group’s CEO, Jean Castex, on Thursday, wanting to be reassuring about the impact of the workers’ strike. station officers on Friday.
Sainte-Soline. The right to demonstrate will be at the heart of the trial of union leaders and environmental activists tried in criminal court, Friday in Niort, for having organized rallies against basins in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres) banned by the authorities. Five defendants (Benoît Feuillu and Basile Dutertre, activists of the Earth Uprisings, Benoît Jaunet and Nicolas Girod, representatives of the Peasant Confederation, as well as Julien Le Guet, spokesperson for the Bassines non merci collective) are being prosecuted for the demonstration on 25 March which gave rise to violent clashes with the police.
Kenzo affair. After the requisitions on August 26, the time has come for the verdict in the case of the attack on the family of little Kenzo. Three young defendants are accused of having burst into this dressing room for 14 seconds and of having hit the father of the family before extorting his shirt. The three 20-year-old defendants appeared free and denied any violence, although they admitted to entering during the match on June 3 in the box where the family of Kenzo, who suffers from brain cancer, was staying. The prosecutor requested against each a 12-month suspended prison sentence, a fine of 1,000 euros and a five-year stadium ban.
United Kingdom. This Friday marks the first anniversary of the death of Elizabeth II and the accession of Charles to the throne. No public events are planned for this day. Charles is currently staying at the Scottish Balmoral Castle, where Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at age 96. The queen died after a record 70-year reign and considerable popularity. Although he remains less loved than his late mother or William, 41, Charles’ popularity has increased. According to a Yougov poll, 55% of Britons have a positive opinion of it, compared to 44% a year ago.
Culture. The Tintin comics magazine is reborn on Friday for a special issue after a 35-year hiatus. This special issue, for the 77th anniversary of Le Lombard editions, will include “nearly 400 pages of short stories created especially to celebrate the history of this periodical”, by some 80 authors. It will not have a follow-up for the moment, as Le Lombard is not reconstituting an editorial team dedicated to a relaunch of the magazine.
