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Fièvre hémorragique virale (FHV) : transmission, symptômes… ce que l’on sait de ces infections graves : Femme Actuelle Le MAG

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Live like a French aristocrat… from just £41 a night each: Book a grand chateau with friends and family this summer and you may be in for a bargain

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Just the word ‘chateau’ sounds expensive, but staying in the castles and large country houses that were once home to French nobility doesn’t have to blow your holiday budget.

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Gather the clan for a booking of up to a week and you’ll be surprised at how reasonable it can be.

BRITTANY FROM £41

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Four-poster luxury awaits at the 15th Century Chateau de Queblen near Quimperle

Four-poster luxury awaits at the 15th Century Chateau de Queblen near Quimperle

Only the west wing of the 15th Century Chateau de Queblen near Quimperle has so far been restored, but the accommodation is far from medieval.

Eat in the shabby-chic kitchen-diner before moving to the elegant sitting room with marble fireplace and windows looking out to 40 acres of wooded grounds.

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Among the five bedrooms, one with a wooden four-poster bed is reached via a spiral staircase. The Breton coast beaches are just 15 minutes away.

How to do it: A week in September costs from £2,896 for ten (Airbnb property reference 45252876; also see chateaudequeblen.com). Take the car ferry to St Malo from £349 return (brittany-ferries.co.uk).

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NORMANDY FROM £69

Grand: Chateau du Mont in Normandy is an 'imposing' property with formal and Italian gardens

Grand: Chateau du Mont in Normandy is an ‘imposing’ property with formal and Italian gardens 

A fountain plays outside the imposing Chateau du Mont, with its formal and Italian gardens. Within, rooms are full of original features and wood panelling, the nine bedrooms have a refined period air about them, and the bathrooms have been nicely modernised.

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The thatched, beamed poolhouse has been converted from former stables. Bayeux and its tapestry are just 15 minutes away from this house whose guests have included the Dalai Lama and the Aga Khan.

How to do it: A week in May or September costs from £8,772 for 18 (chateaudumont-normandy.com). Take the car ferry to Le Havre from £146 return (brittany-ferries.co.uk).

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BURGUNDY FROM £54

Chateau Bourgogne, half an hour from Chablis, boasts ten bedrooms and a saltwater swimming pool (above)

Chateau Bourgogne, half an hour from Chablis, boasts ten bedrooms and a saltwater swimming pool (above)

The decor at Chateau Bourgogne is 'farmhouse chic' with beamed ceilings and stone floors. Pictured is the library

The decor at Chateau Bourgogne is ‘farmhouse chic’ with beamed ceilings and stone floors. Pictured is the library 

Just half an hour from Chablis, Chateau Bourgogne comes with its own wine library, and you can arrange for a sommelier to advise you which vineyards to visit. This creeper-clad property with crenelated turret and ten bedrooms has steep staircases, thick walls and a watchtower terrace.

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The decor is farmhouse chic, with beamed ceilings and stone floors. A saltwater pool can be found in the grounds, and you can walk to the village to use the tennis court for free. Book a chef to rustle up something on the range cooker while you sip a glass or two.

How to do it: A week in May is from £6,004 for 16 (oliverstravels.com). Take the train to Montbard via Paris from £219 return (thetrainline.com).

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LOT-ET-GARONNE FROM £48

Chateau de Galaup, near the hilltop village of Beauville, may be new to Vintage Travel’s portfolio this year, but it holds plenty of history within its thick walls, with an old archway, square keep and two stone spiral staircases.

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The 15th Century property with five bedrooms has been converted into a comfortable living space that exudes relaxed elegance, with timbered ceilings and terracotta floors. Outside, a pool has far-reaching views over the rolling countryside of France’s South West. There is also a tennis court.

How to do it: A week in May is from £3,358 for ten or £2,786 for six (vintagetravel.co.uk). Fly to Bergerac from £119 return (ryanair.com).

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DORDOGNE FROM £63

Chateau de la Forge in the Dordogne is a classic Perigord country house set within a 32-acre estate

Chateau de la Forge in the Dordogne is a classic Perigord country house set within a 32-acre estate

You can really make an entrance at the 32-acre estate at Chateau de la Forge, where wrought-iron gates open on to an avenue of trees. It leads to a classic Perigord country house with blue shutters against pale stone walls.

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Expect polished wood floors, panelled walls and high ceilings in the downstairs rooms; there’s also a billiard room. Upstairs, the six bedrooms have a more modern feel, with colourful fabrics. There’s a pool in the grounds, and you can hire kayaks to paddle along the Dordogne in nearby Mussidan.

How to do it: A week in September is from £5,295 for 12 (simpsontravel.com). Fly to Bergerac from £119 return (ryanair.com).

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CHAMPAGNE FROM £50

There’s surely no better place to party than in Champagne. Chateau de Mairy is just ten minutes from Chalons-en-Champagne and half an hour from Reims and Epernay, with as many cellars as you care to visit.

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A historic monument, the 17th Century building with a private chapel has a genteel feel to its public rooms and 15 bedrooms, with chandeliers, panelled walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. Bathrooms and the kitchen aren’t of the same standard. Not that you need to cook here: it’s a short walk to the local restaurant, or you can book a local chef.

How to do it: A week costs from £7,145 for 20, or from £10,427 for 30 (chateaudemairy.com). Take the Eurotunnel to Calais from £232 (eurotunnel.com).

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PAS DE CALAIS FROM £47

Chateau d’Hallines offers entertainment in abundance, from an indoor trampoline room and home cinema to a heated outdoor pool and a tennis court

Chateau d’Hallines offers entertainment in abundance, from an indoor trampoline room and home cinema to a heated outdoor pool and a tennis court

You’re unlikely to get bored at Chateau d’Hallines, which is just 30 minutes from the Eurotunnel terminal at Calais. Its indoor attractions alone include a trampoline room (yes, really), mini tennis court, games room, home cinema and snooker room. Outdoors you will find a heated pool and a tennis court.

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The entrance hall leading from the exterior has a grand staircase leading to 12 colourful bedrooms sharing 11 bathrooms. Cook in the contemporary kitchen and serve dinner in the wood-panelled dining room, with its table for 30.

How to do it: A week in May is from £8,489 for 26 (holidaylettings.co.uk; ref 9074565). Take the Eurotunnel to Calais from £232 (eurotunnel.com).

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PROVENCE FROM £71

A former retreat for French royalty, Chateau Aubenas near Forcalquier has an elevated view over the rolling hills of the Luberon. In gated grounds with a pool amid the pine trees, an olive grove and a sun terrace with barbecue, this cream-stone mansion is all about outdoor living.

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Not that the interiors have been neglected; huge rooms with high ceilings have been decorated in a light palette, the modern, minimalist look rubbing shoulders with original features.

A dormitory for four children is in the tower, and there are four other bedrooms for eight adults.

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How to do it: A week in August costs from £6,015 for 12 (cvvillas.com). Fly to Marseille from £92 return (ryanair.com).

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‘Biden’s brain is aging, Trump’s is dementing’: Experts analyze series of gaffes made by aging presidents in recent months – and reveal what it REALLY means for their health

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Doctors have put forward a fascinating theory about why it is former President Donald Trump, rather than the incumbent Joe Biden, who is at the greatest risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

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Biden, 81, has suffered a series of public gaffes, falls and memory blanks that now mean a large majority of Americans do not think he is fit to run for office. 

Trump, 77, is also no stranger to high-profile verbal slip-ups, which his supporters say are a result of the off-the-cuff public speaking style he’s become famous for.

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However, experts now claim there are key – but nuanced – differences in Trump and Biden’s gaffes that could have important implications for their health.

Dr Elizabeth Landsverk, a geriatrician and dementia expert, told DailyMail.com Biden’s mishaps tend to be short and severe – such as tripping up stairs or memory-blanking. And he usually catches his mistakes, however embarrassing they may be, which she claims is a sign of his very senior years.

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Despite seeming more physically robust than Biden, Trump’s gaffes usually see him ramble on for an extended period of time and fail to correct himself, which could be the sign of underlying brain problems, several experts told this website.

Doctors have previously told DailyMail.com President Joe Biden should take dementia tests because of a pattern of confusion, mix ups and a damning report by Special Counsel Robert Hur that called him a 'well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory'

Doctors have previously told DailyMail.com President Joe Biden should take dementia tests because of a pattern of confusion, mix ups and a damning report by Special Counsel Robert Hur that called him a ‘well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory’

One psychologist called the situation ‘a tale of two brains,’ claiming: ‘Biden’s brain is aging. Trump’s brain is dementing.’ 

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Several of the experts DailyMail.com spoke to said the fact Trump’s father suffered from dementia fueled their concerns – because genes are a risk factor.

Dr Landsverk took an example of Trump repeatedly confusing former Speaker Nancy Pelosi with former South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley during a campaign speech in January and claiming Gov Haley ‘was in charge of security’ during the January 6 Capitol riot. 

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She told this website: ‘He often rambles — sometimes incoherently — for long periods of time. His remarks tend to be scrambled, disjointed and filled with factual errors.’

While Biden may confuse names and dates, psychologist and senior lecturer at Cornell University Dr Harry Segal told DailyMail.com it is more concerning that Trump actually confuses people. 

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He has previously said multiple times he is running for office against former President Barack Obama and claimed at a rally earlier this month that Biden had won against Obama in previous unspecified elections.

His misses are not just ‘slips,’ Dr Segal said, they are ‘derailments’ that have become more frequent and that result in major digressions that make no sense.

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These ‘semantic disruptions,’ the verbal mixing up of facts, could be early signs of dementia, he added. 

Additionally, Dr Segal, who told DailyMail.com he has not treated Trump as a patient, said the ex president’s verbal blunders are examples of phonemic paraphasia, the swapping of words for others that sound similar, which can also be an early sign of dementia. 

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He told this website: ‘I think the concern is we’re seeing these slips more and more at rallies that are at night, which go on for several hours.’ 

In dementia patients, symptoms of their condition often become worse at night, which is referred to as ‘sundowning.’ 

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And Dr Segal said Trump’s frequent mistakes as the sun goes down during long rallies could be a sign of this. 

Dr John Gartner, a psychologist, said on the David Pakman Show that in regards to Trump, a key sign of cognitive decline ‘is a lack of awareness that you have cognitive decline when you are making these mistakes and you don’t correct yourself because you’re not aware you’ve made a mistake.’

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On the other hand, experts say, Biden usually catches and corrects his mishaps, like when he said inflation was tied to ‘a war in Iraq’ but quickly clarified, ‘excuse me, the war in Ukraine.’ 

There have been, however, multiple occasions when he has not caught his blunders, like when he misidentified Laken Riley, a student allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant, or confused the presidents of Mexico and Egypt. 

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And doctors have previously told DailyMail.com the president should take dementia tests because of his pattern of confusion, mix ups and a damning report by Special Counsel Robert Hur that called him a ‘well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.’

Dr Gartner called the situation ‘a tale of two brains,’ claiming: ‘Biden’s brain is aging. Trump’s brain is dementing.’ 

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The above graphic shows some of the main factors previous researchers considered when estimating which man was more likely to survive another term in office. The figures on the bottom show the estimated chance of either candidate surviving the next four years

The above graphic shows some of the main factors previous researchers considered when estimating which man was more likely to survive another term in office. The figures on the bottom show the estimated chance of either candidate surviving the next four years

President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He fell while handing out diplomas to cadets

President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He fell while handing out diplomas to cadets

Dr Landsverk, who currently serves as the medical director of two dementia care facilities, told DailyMail.com Biden’s verbal gaffes may be a result of his lifelong battle with stuttering being exacerbated by his age.

She said: ‘He overcame this problem in part by making a conscious effort to slow his speech, which can give the mistaken impression that he may be suffering from another, more serious issue.

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‘He does, on occasion, have trouble recalling names and dates but that is quite common as we age. What’s ultimately important is what’s being said. 

‘When you remove “style” from the equation and focus solely on the content of his remarks, Biden offers clear, well thought out comments often peppered with humor.’

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These experts are far from the only ones sounding the alarm on Trump. More than 1,800 medical and mental health professionals have signed the petition: ‘Our Diagnostic Impression of Trump is Probable Dementia.’ 

In addition to cognitive signs the ex president shows, Dr Elisabeth Zoffmann, a forensic psychiatrist, told Salon she has observed a change in his walk and movement, having developed a wide stance and swing in his right leg. 

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She believes Trump is suffering from behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a progressive disease that causes changes in personality and behavior and a breakdown of the neural circuits in the brain that control cognition, emotions and decision making.

Dr Landsverk, also the author of “Living in the Moment — A Guide To Overcoming Challenges and Finding Moments of Joy in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias,” agreed: ‘Dementia-related gait changes (DRGC) – a condition characterized by a dramatic slowdown in speed, shorter strides and increased need for support – are directly related to the decline of cognitive function.’

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Dr Zoffmann said the former leader should be evaluated by experts who specialize in (bvFTD). 

While more people are now speaking out about Trump’s health, the focus on Biden’s ability to lead is likely not going away before the election.

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Dr Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine physician in New York, told DailyMail.com a cognitive test for the president was ‘long overdue.’

He said: ‘If you want to prove to the public [that he’s mentally and physically sound], you’ve got to show them.

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‘You’re in the top job in the country… you have got to be able to produce.’

Dr Jane Orient, executive director of the right-wing Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, also told this website: ‘Speaking just as a citizen who observes him talking and observes the gaffes, I have reason to be very much concerned.

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‘The person who is commander in chief of our armed forces and making very critical decisions about every second of our life may not know what he’s doing.’

She called for ‘basic cognitive tests’ to be carried out and made public.

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Both candidates’ ages should be considered, however, as Dr Landsverk told this website: ‘Both Biden and Trump are at an advanced age and we know that the odds of being diagnosed with dementia increase as we grow older – there is a 10 percent incidence among those older than 65 and it rises to 50 percent by age 85.’ 

She added: ‘A general slowdown in function is common as we age. What’s not normal is when we start experiencing significant disruptions in our thinking, remembering, learning, reasoning and usual behavioral patterns. 

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‘When these interruptions start to interfere with our daily lives, you may have dementia.’

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Senegal’s Sall holds ‘courteous’ meeting with president-elect Faye

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Senegal’s anti-establishment leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye, whose weekend election victory could be officially confirmed within days, was welcomed at the presidential palace Thursday by outgoing leader Macky Sall.

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The meeting, which came after weeks of crisis surrounding the vote, suggested a swift and peaceful handover in the West African nation that prides itself on democratic stability in a coup-hit region.

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Faye, 44, was only freed from prison 10 days before the election, along with his mentor Ousmane Sonko, who was barred from running following a criminal conviction he says was politically motivated.

The outgoing president received both men in what his office called “a courteous meeting where they discussed at length the major issues for the state, as well as the inauguration ceremony”.

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According to provisional results, Faye won the first round of the vote outright with 54.3 percent, far ahead of Sall‘s hand-picked candidate, former prime minister Amadou Ba.

He came second with 35.8 percent of the vote.

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Senegal’s Constitutional Court could declare Faye the official winner before the weekend, which would make a handover possible before April 2, the official end of Sall’s term.

This handout picture distributed by the Senegalese Presidency on March 28, 2024 shows Ousmane Sonko (2nd R), outgoing President Macky Sall (R) and president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko (second from right) pictured in between outgoing president Macky Sall (right) and the country’s president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye. © Senegalese Presidency handout via AFP

Sall provoked a political crisis in February by suspending the presidential election just days before polls were to open, citing security concerns.

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The move sparked protests and clashes that left four people dead, before the Constitutional Court ordered him to set the date for March 24.

Faye, who has never held elected office, is set to become the fifth president of the West African country of around 18 million people.

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He has promised to restore national “sovereignty” and implement a programme of “left-wing pan-Africanism”.

(AFP)

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France seeks help from allies to bolster security during Paris Olympics

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France has asked its foreign allies to send several thousand members of their security forces to help guard the Paris Olympics, officials said Thursday, underlining the strains caused by the sporting extravaganza which begins in July.

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“Several foreign nations are going to reinforce us in certain critical areas, such as dog-handling capabilities where the needs are enormous,” an official at the defence ministry told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The official did not say how many foreign soldiers would be on French soil, but Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed his country was joining “an international coalition established by France” for the Olympics.

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An official in the French interior ministry said separately that Paris had asked 46 allies to send 2,185 police reinforcements.

Both officials played down the significance of the requests for foreign assistance.

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“It’s a classic move for host countries ahead of the organisation of major events,” the interior ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

For the rugby World Cup in France last year, European allies sent 160 police officers to help with security, the official added, with some of them visible to fans as they patrolled the streets.

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Securing the Paris Olympics is stretching France’s domestic forces, however, with an attack last Friday on a concert hall in Moscow, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, underlining the stakes.

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“The terrorist threat is real, it’s strong,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told reporters on Monday, adding that two plots by suspected Islamic extremists had been thwarted already this year.

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Up to 45,000 French police and gendarmes are set to be deployed each day during the Olympics, while 18,000 troops are also expected to be mobilised, according to government figures.

Another 18,000-22,000 private security guards will be on the ground for the Games, which run from July 26-August 11.

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The request for foreign help was “for the spectators’ experience, to respond to the capacity challenge of the Games and to reinforce international cooperation,” the French interior ministry official said.

Germany said in March that it would send an unspecified number of police to France for the Olympics, while French forces are set to travel to Germany when it holds the Euro 2024 football tournament in June and July.

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Unprecedented opening ceremony

The Olympics have been attacked in the past – most infamously in 1972 in Munich and again in 1996 in Atlanta – with the thousands of athletes, huge crowds and live global television audience making it a target.

French organisers have faced persistent questioning over their decision to hold the opening ceremony outside of the athletics stadium for the first time.

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Athletes are instead set to sail down the river Seine in a flotilla of boats in a made-for-TV extravaganza. The choice has been resisted by some security officials because of the challenges for police.

The crowd size for the ceremony has been significantly reduced, but 326,000 are set to attend with tickets while hundreds of thousands more are expected on the streets or watching from windows overlooking the waterway.

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French security forces are screening up to a million people before the Games, including athletes and people living close to key infrastructure, according to the interior ministry.

France was placed on its highest terror alert on Sunday following the attack in Moscow.

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(AFP)

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Bray Wyatt’s father, Mike Rotunda, explains heartwarming reason why his son won’t be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year following his death in August

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  • Wyatt, then 36, suddenly passed away after heart attack while still with the WWE
  • It was expected he would be inducted into Hall of Fame at earliest opportunity
  • Rotunda to be inducted himself as part of The US Express tag team with brother
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Bray Wyatt’s father has explained why the WWE legend won’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

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The wrestling world was left shook when Wyatt, who was still an active performer in the company, passed away after a heart attack last year.

WWE as a company and the stars that work in it have continued to pay tribute to the star since, and he will be honoured with a new documentary titled: ‘Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal’ later on this year.

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Many thought he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the first opportunity, with the ceremony to take place in just over a week’s time during WrestleMania weekend.

That won’t be the case, though, and Wyatt’s father, who himself will be inducted, has detailed WWE’s decision to delay the process.

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Bray Wyatt's (pictured) father has explained why his son won't be inducted into the Hall of Fame

Bray Wyatt’s (pictured) father has explained why his son won’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame 

The wrestling world was left shook when Wyatt passed away after a heart attack late last year

The wrestling world was left shook when Wyatt passed away after a heart attack late last year

Rotunda (pictured) will be inducted into the Hall of Fame himself in just over a week's time

Rotunda (pictured) will be inducted into the Hall of Fame himself in just over a week’s time

‘I think WWE reassessed stuff and thought it was too soon to go there with our family and the reactions and the stress on us, Mike Rotunda told Sportskeeda. ‘We got a call from WWE and [they] said Hunter [WWE boss Triple H] wants to do a Zoom call. We were thinking they were gonna tell us what was gonna happen at WrestleMania.’

Instead, Triple H told Rotunda, alongside his brother Barry Windham, were to be inducted as The US Express.

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They will join the Hall of Fame alongside Bill Nakano, Thunderbolt Patterson, Muhammad Ali and manager Paul Heyman.

‘Hunter said, “You guys are gonna get inducted. You and Barry were a part of the first [WrestleMania] show”,’ Rotunda continued. ‘It’s very flattering obviously and actually less stressful on us because of all the stuff that we had to go through with Windham passing, just the mental capacity of it.

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‘With Windham passing, I thought they were gonna immediately put Windham into the Hall of Fame, which he will be in at some point.’

‘Obviously, it’s a great honor because you’re getting rewarded for what you spent 40 years doing.’

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Rotunda explained how he had thought his son would be put in the Hall of Fame 'immediately'

Rotunda explained how he had thought his son would be put in the Hall of Fame ‘immediately’

He said the star will eventually be inducted but that WWE thought it was ‘too soon’ due to the family’s stress

The ceremony will be held on Friday April 5, a night before the first night of WrestleMania in Philadelphia.

It will be held after the go-home SmackDown show, with a number of WWE stars past and present to be in attendance.

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Wyatt, who was 36 when he died, had his last match in WWE at the 2023 Royal Rumble, when he beat LA Knight in a Mountain Dew pitch black match.

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Russia links Moscow attack to ‘Ukrainian nationalists’; US rubbishes claim

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Russia said Thursday it had evidence the perpetrators of last week’s massacre at a concert hall outside Moscow were linked to “Ukrainian nationalists”, a claim that the United States called nonsense.

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President Vladimir Putin and his security services continue to allege Kyiv and the West were involved somehow in last Friday’s attack, despite an Islamic State (IS) group affiliate having claimed responsibility.

Putin said Saturday that 11 people had been detained after gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall, setting the building alight and killing at least 143 people.

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“As a result of work with the detained terrorists, examination of the technical devices seized from them and analysis of information on financial transactions, evidence of their links with Ukrainian nationalists has been obtained,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Thursday.

It alleged the suspects had received “significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine” and said another man “involved in financing the terrorists” had been identified and detained.

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“Investigators will ask the court to remand him in custody,” it said.

Ukraine and its Western allies have branded as absurd accusations they were involved.

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“My uncle used to say … that the best manure salesmen often carry their samples in their mouths,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday.

“Russian officials seem to be pretty good manure salesmen,” Kirby said, denouncing what he called Russia’s “nonsense propaganda.”

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‘Completely inappropriate’

The four suspected assailants – with bruises and cuts on their swollen faces – were dragged into a Moscow courtroom Sunday, all of whom were from Tajikistan, Russian media reported.

Russia’s FSB security service said it arrested the gunmen while they were trying to flee to Ukraine, a claim seemingly disputed by Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko, who said they were headed for his country first.

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Islamic State (IS) jihadists have said several times since Friday that they were responsible, and IS-affiliated media channels have published graphic videos of the gunmen inside the venue.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave no indication on Thursday that Putin planned to visit the family members of those killed.

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The Russian leader was seen lighting a candle for the victims at a Moscow church last week, but has not visited the scene of the massacre or publicly met with any victims.

“If any contacts are necessary, we will inform you accordingly,” Peskov said, when asked if Putin planned to meet family members of the dead.

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He also said Putin did not plan to visit Crocus City Hall, where rescuers had for the past week been searching the rubble for bodies.

“In these days it would be completely inappropriate to carry out any fact-finding trips, because this would simply interfere with the work,” he said.

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(AFP)

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Fallen cryptocurrency mogul Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in jail

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Disgraced cryptocurrency wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in jail on Thursday following his conviction in one of the biggest financial fraud cases in history.

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US prosecutors were seeking a prison term of 40-50 years after a New York jury found Bankman-Fried, known by his initials SBF, guilty in November following a five-week trial that probed the one-time high roller’s spectacular fall.

During the hearing Bankman-Fried told the courtroom that he was “sorry about what happened at every stage. And there are things I should’ve done and things I shouldn’t have.”

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They “built something beautiful,” Bankman-Fried said. “And I threw it all away.”

The final sentence was meted out by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan who used the hearing to carefully walk through the financial crimes committed by Bankman-Fried.

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There was “never a word of remorse for the commission of a terrible crime,” the judge said, adding that there was a risk Bankman-Fried would commit crimes again.

With the sentencing now done, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers said they would appeal his conviction.

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Calling Bankman-Fried’s seven-count conviction reflective of the defendant’s “unmatched greed and hubris,” the government’s sentencing request argued for significant jail time in light of fraud it estimates at more than $10 billion.

Bankman-Fried’s attorneys depicted their client as a diligent young man motivated by philanthropy who got in over his head, calling the government’s proposed sentence “barbaric.”

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Their portrayal is similar to the one SBF’s defense presented at trial – which was quickly rejected by jurors after just five hours of deliberation.

Bankman-Fried’s defense team had asked for six years in prison, a sentence that would return him “promptly to a productive role in society,” said the attorneys led by Marc Mukasey.

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FTX Implosion

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a billionaire before the age of 30, Bankman-Fried conquered the crypto world at breakneck speed, turning FTX, a small start-up he cofounded in 2019, into the world’s second largest exchange platform.

But in November 2022, the FTX empire imploded, unable to cope with massive withdrawal requests from customers panicked to learn that some of the funds stored at the company had been committed to risky operations at Bankman-Fried’s personal hedge fund, Alameda Research.

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During the trial, some of Bankman-Fried’s closest associates said that he was key to all the decisions that saw $8 billion vanish from FTX.

This group included Caroline Ellison, the former Alameda CEO and Bankman-Fried’s on-and-off-again girlfriend, who testified that Alameda had stolen “around $14 billion” from FTX clients and that Bankman-Fried “directed me to commit those crimes.”

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Filings from the prosecution and defense offered starkly different takes on Bankman-Fried, the son of two well-regarded law professors at tony Stanford University.

“The lack of contrition is galling,” said US Attorney Damian Williams, who took issue with the image of Bankman-Fried as “selfless” and “altruistic,” as championed by the defense, noting he used funds for “luxury” real estate, donations to rub shoulders with political leaders, a Super Bowl television ad and “access to celebrities.”

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The defense’s statement describes Bankman-Fried as “wracked” with remorse over the implosion of FTX.

Recovered funds

Bankman-Fried’s attorneys also pointed to statements from FTX’s current leaders expressing confidence that FTX customers and creditors would get back their money, saying in the brief that “the harm to customers, lenders and investors is zero.”

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That argument drew a scathing response from FTX Trading Chief Executive John Ray, who said ongoing recoveries of ill-gotten gains do not make up for fraud.

“That things he stole… were successfully recovered through the efforts of a dedicated group” of professionals “does not mean the things were not stolen,” Ray said in a letter to the court.

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“What it means is that we got some of them back.”

(AFP)

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