The watchword in this programme was connection. Indeed, we had to relate many spaces with highly varied purposes to each other. These spaces included a 250-seater theatre and its dressing rooms, two dance studios, rooms devoted to languages and music, an exhibition space, rooms for adolescents and activities for parents and children, workshops for stringed instruments and visual arts, a learning kitchen, a bar and, lastly, an administrative hub. These windows create hollows in the limestone structure and put the project's spatial and programmatic wealth on display The huge windows reveal the programme's generosity and suggest a project bathed in natural light and embellished with vegetation crisscrossing views and unique atmospheres You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Are you a fan offencing, and more specifically foil? Are you sorry you missed the Forvis Mazars Challenge International de Paris Good news for our sporting friends: a new international tournament is coming to the Paris region at the start of 2025 Head to the Bas-Coquarts sports complex in Bourg-la-Reine for the Hauts-de-Seine international challenge The best foil fencers in France and the world take to the piste to battle it out for the top step of the podium This mixed senior tournament is one of the highlights of the sporting calendar for lovers of foil and fencing located just a Navigo pass away from Paris men's and women's foil athletes meet in the Hauts-de-Seine region of France for a high-pressure tournament this challenge welcomes some of the biggest names in the world of fencing it's a chance to see some of France's greatest champions in action bronze medallists at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games runners-up at the 2023 World Championships January 26: continuation of heats and finals and come and applaud France's foil champions (and others too Refer your establishment, click herePromote your event, click here France’s sex education program legalizes pedophilia and sexual abuse against children the EVARS program has come into force in France which this time also targets nursery and primary school children les élèves apprennent à connaître leur corps et à comprendre ce qu’est l’intimité” - In nursery schools children will learn to know their bodies and understand what intimacy is girls and boys will be put in special rooms where they will be undressed and taught by pedophi…teachers to know their bodies The EVARS program –any pedophile’s paradise – is a directive of the European Commission Several tens of thousands of French parents yesterday refused If they stand their ground and do not give in Family allowances might be suspended for several months thus depriving thousands of families with modest income of financial support although the consequences will be huge for children and teenagers This sex education program will also be introduced in nursery and primary schools in Germany as well starting September It is a decision of the European Commission NARRATIVE: France has introduced the EVARS program (Éducation à la vie affective relationnelle et sexuelle - Education for emotional which will allow sexual abuse of minors and will legalize pedophilia PURPOSE: To promote ultra-religious and anti-European rhetoric to validate previously-promoted conspiracy theories to promote the introduction of ultra-religious and ultra-conservative propaganda in school curricula. WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: The EVARS program is an initiative of the French Ministry of Education designed to provide sex education in schools, from nursery schools to high schools. According to the official announcement of the Ministry on February 6, 2025 the program will be implemented starting with the 2025-2026 school year The outrageous claim that the program stipulates teaching masturbation to children between 4 and 6 years old and undressing 1st and 2nd graders to help them know their bodies, by pedophiles “posing” as teachers, is not only outrageous, but also patently false. Thus, for preschoolers, the program focuses on affective and relational education, including learning the names of body parts using dolls as well as basic physical hygiene and health concepts The document does not include any references to masturbation or other sexual activities The author of the article also makes other false claims that 9-10 year olds will learn about anal and oral sex details that are nowhere to be found in the official program curriculum mention topics such as managing emotions and preventing abuse despite accusations from European ultraconservatives There is also absolutely no official announcement that Germany will implement a similar program in September 2025 obviously with its own controversies and reforms the material provides a series of outright lies which subjectively interpret a perfectly legitimate initiative designed to provide age-appropriate sex education without promoting pedophilia or other activities inappropriate for minors perhaps the most compelling argument proving the article is nothing more than a fabrication is the fact that the EVARS program has not yet been officially approved having only received a favorable advisory opinion from the French Higher Council of Education the initiative may undergo significant changes which has deviated from Christian values ​​(for example is one of the main narratives of the propaganda war waged by Moscow against the EU and NATO which was ramped up following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Anti-Western theses are taken over by local “spokespeople” and are adapted to the specificity of each targeted country following Washington’s foreign policy shift with Donald Trump’s return to the White House Trump the European Union has become the main target of Russian propaganda now disguised in alignment with the new American doctrine in stark contrast with “the desire of Russia and the United States to make peace” Disinformation uses a variety of manipulation tactics Disinformation stories can easily be created by combining provocative topics Interim president Ilie Bolojan wants to reduce the number of days off granted to public sector employees in Romania according to a well-known Romanian conspiracy theorist which was attacked with atomic bombs in 1945 Maia Sandu banned the celebration of the so-called “Victory Day” in the Republic of Moldova and the EU imposed a ban on the “Moldovan language” according to false narratives disseminated by Russian propaganda Razboi si propaganda: O cronologie a conflictului ruso-ucrainean" /> Razboiul lui Putin cu lumea libera: Propaganda, dezinformare, fake news" /> Developed by Treeworks Archive Architecture It's a great way to rediscover our heritage in a different way and a rare opportunity to enjoy a weekend marathon of cultural excursions and is one of the places where you could stop off to enjoy a wide-ranging program that could keep you busy for an entire day We look forward to seeing you on September 21 and 22 to immerse yourself in the heritage of this astonishing town Heritage Days 2024: visit an air-raid shelter in Bourg-la-Reine!During the Journées du Patrimoine 2024, plunge into history and discover a genuine World War II air-raid shelter in Bourg-la-Reine, on September 21 and 22, 2024. [Read more] Heritage Days 2024 at the Bourg-la-Reine municipal technical center Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles Heritage Days 2024 at the Dalpayrat collection in Bourg-la-Reine Heritage Days 2024 at Espace Joséphine Baker in Bourg-la-Reine Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour Heritage Days 2024 at the Médiathèque François Villon in Bourg-la-Reine Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour Heritage Days 2024 at the Villa Saint-Cyr in Bourg-la-Reine Heritage Days 2024 at the Protestant Church of Bourg-la-Reine located in the southern suburbs of paris, this stone masonry media library warps around a historic walnut tree, preserving its 100 year status. completed by pascale guédot architecte, the structure has been designed as a landmark building, which at the same time blends into the existing urban fabric. the media library is located in the southern suburbs of paris the médiathèque’s façade presents several folds, with each facet responding to a specific context and particular constraint. on the boulevard side, the building opens towards a landscaped mall, while in contrast, as it folds along the opposing street, the façade closes itself off with only two openings presented. each facet of the building’s design responds to a specific context at the rear, in the center of the city block, the elevation rotates around its anchoring point, the impressive 100 year old walnut tree. the monolithic character of the construction is reinforced by the use of a gray quartzite stone, identical on the walls and roof. in places, the façade closes itself off with a minimum of openings presented internally, visitors are met with a generous volume that opens towards a garden, which in the summer becomes an additional place to sit and read. a wide stairway leads to the upper level of the plan where the main reading room is housed. the library warps around a historic walnut tree, preserving its 100 year status a variety of reading areas are provided at ground level visitors are met with a generous volume that opens towards the garden  wide stairway leads to the upper level of the plan the main reading room is flooded with natural daylight the médiathèque and its walnut tree viewed from the rear happening now! partnering with antonio citterio, AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function, but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style, context, and personal expression. Text description provided by the architects. The township chose a strategic location for the media library : in the city center, a few meters away from the city-hall and the church, across the street form the music conservatory built in the 1990s. A landmark building, the new media library is deliberately visible and identifiable, yet it blends politely with the existing urban fabric. © Herve AbbadieRespectful of the setbacks, it refrains from overshadowing the neighborhood. Shy of signaling its existence, it calls for a discreet discovery as one comes nearby. Only then, is one struck with the force of the volumes and the architectural identity. This is a building, which is not afraid of stating its bulk. © Herve AbbadieThe façade of the media library presents several folds, each facet responding to a specific context and a particular constraint. © Herve AbbadieThe roof, faceted as well, details its height following an open variation: at the periphery, it is locked inconspicuously with the surrounding buildings; in the center, it maximizes the PLU regulations to offer the building the most volume it can afford. © Herve AbbadieThe monolithic character of the construction is reinforced by the use of a gray quartzite stone, identical on the walls and roof. Floor PlanBehind an apparent simplicity, complex technical prowess is hidden. Each side has a specific construction method. For the façade, the stone is set at a thickness of 80mm with varying heights and lengths. © Herve AbbadieFor the main roof part, the stone being used is thinner, clipped to a metal substructure. The slope is steeper on the garden side to make room for the branches of the walnut tree. There the roof is clad with stone masonry on metal brackets, an innovative technology for which an Atex certification had to be obtained. SectionOnce inside, visitors discover a generous volume opening widely towards the garden. Interior and exterior blend, one of the exterior stonewalls continues inside, a stone bench lengthens simply, to wind around the walnut tree trunk, defying all notion of borders. Wood terraces, readily utilizable, lean to the adjoining party wall. During the summer, in the shade from the walnut tree, the garden becomes another reading room. © Herve AbbadieOn the ground floor, it is the kids’ corner’s wide-open space, which welcomes the readers. No bearing posts, or partitions come in the way of the expanded volume. It is within the thickness of the exterior walls that small reading rooms are tucked. DetailA wide staircase, open to the surroundings, sky lit, and clad with the same stone, which gives the media library its unity, is inviting you to the second floor. © Herve AbbadieThere, at the top of the stairs, the main reading room’s space is striking. The ceiling, with its multiple facets, directly following the roof’s, reaches 7m at its highest. To the North, where the building widens, the roof rises up, to let in plenty of natural light. © Herve AbbadieOriginally published on July 2 © Chloé Rafat Astéréotypie & Laetitia Møller Rock and electro band Astéréotypie is a rock and electro band founded in 2010 at a writing workshop facilitated by music therapists at the Institut médico-éducatif in Bourg-la-Reine (Hauts-de-Seine) The collective was originally made up of four artists on the autistic spectrum Whilst continuing to pursue the experimental writing begun in the workshops the group began to shift into a rock register when several musicians joined the project in 2015 Astéréotypie quickly went beyond the hospital milieu to integrate the mainstream rock music circuits becoming emblematic of a more inclusive music scene Journalist and filmmaker Laetitia Møller spent more than a year with Astéréotypie during which she filmed the documentary L’Énergie positive des dieux humour and collective spirit of this extraordinary group Astéréotypie is made up of musicians Christophe L’Huillier Gillette and Eric Dubessay and singer-songwriters Yohann Goetzmann By 2021-04-14T12:52:00+01:00 FRANCE: Paris transport authority Île‐de‐France Mobilités and operators RATP and SNCF Voyageurs have reached agreement with Alstom‐Bombardier and CAF paving the way for construction of the MI20 fleet of electric multiple-units to operate RER Line B the operators selected a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and CAF as preferred bidder for a €2·56bn contract to build 146 new trains which would replace the existing MI79 and MI84 EMUs on Line B The procurement is being financed by Île‐de‐France Mobilités and CAF put its share of the contract scope at approximately 40% by the time that the contract award was announced on February 5 Bombardier Transportation had been taken over by Alstom which had issued a legal challenge against the original decision and subsequently declined to ratify the contract A consortium of Alstom and Bombardier is currently supplying a fleet of 255 RER NG double-deck EMUs for use on RER lines D and E RATP and SNCF announced that negotiations between the various parties over the past few weeks had enabled the new Alstom‐Bombardier group ‘to gain a full understanding of the contractual terms and address any outstanding concerns’ This meant that that the consortium was ‘now in a position to implement the contract as per the award’ The consortium had confirmed its commitment to the contract at a final meeting on April 13 along with its ‘intent to initiate the subsequent implementation stages’ The first of the new EMUs is scheduled to be delivered at the end of 2025 FRANCE: The renewal of the rolling stock fleet used on the RER suburban network around Paris is continuing with the latest generation RER NG trainsets entering service on Line D in December FRANCE: Transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités and operator Transilien SNCF Voyageurs have put the first Alstom RER NG electric multiple-units into passenger service Site powered by Webvision Cloud “Let’s roll the die!” she instructed. The visitor rolled a two. Pinçon-Charlot rolled a six, establishing her as the “dominant” player to the visitor’s “dominated.” “In life, it’s like that,” she said, sighing. “Frankly, it’s all chance.” Pinçon-Charlot began distributing the cash. She dealt herself 50K in each category: financial capital, cultural capital, social capital, and symbolic capital, according to the groups first established by the sociologist Pierre Bour­dieu. Her opponent received a fifth of that. “In real life, I wouldn’t have five times as much,” Pinçon-Charlot said. “It’d be more.” “You buy a newspaper: who better than oneself to promulgate dominant opinion, n’est-ce pas?” Pinçon-Charlot read. The card instructed her to surrender 10K of her financial capital and to collect 10K each of symbolic and social capital. Kapital! risks no such ambiguity. “In France, ten billionaires possess almost all the media,” a pedagogical factoid, printed in red italics at the bottom of the card, warned. “The news that one receives and the manner in which it’s presented reflect their vision of the world and their interests, not ours.” It was the visitor’s turn. “It’s your birthday: you receive season tickets to your city’s theatre, and that brings you 10K of cultural capital,” the card read. A butterfly flew in through an open window. Pinçon-Charlot rolled again, pro­fiting socially from a promising encounter at a rallye, a kind of débutante party for pedigreed teens. The visitor, meanwhile, was having car trouble and had to cancel her summer vacation, costing her a cultural arm and a symbolic leg. ♦ The young man turned his gaze to the expanse of the ocean a time when the cold would begin arriving in his hometown but on the Indian Ocean it was as sweltering as the early summer days of June 22-year-old Lee Yong-je felt his heart beat faster at the thought that he had escaped Korea where the old ways of Joseon and the tyranny of Japan held sway when the March 1 Independence Movement had taken place The young man had no idea at the time that it was a journey he would never return from 18 in the commune of Bourg-la-Reine on the outskirts of Paris smiled as he showed his father’s notebook and its labored French script from 99 years earlier “This was my father’s initial French proficiency,” he explained With his silver hair and shaggy gray beard but he bore the Korean surname of “Lee.” After arriving in France in 1920 Lee Yong-je married Frenchwoman Madeleine Koechlin in 1936 Antoine did not know much about his father’s life when he was growing up “My father did talk sometimes about his great-uncle who raised him and his own father who was a logger in Siberia,” he said “But the sequence of events was so mixed up that I couldn’t understand it.” It was only after Lee Yong-je’s death in 1986 that his family gained a fuller understanding That was when they received a copy of a 1983 interview conducted with him for research purposes by Korean studies scholar Alexandre Guillemoz of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) The life described in the interviews was a harsh one Lee carried more stories inside of him than his children remembered The name Lee went by in France was “Li Long-chi,” a Chinese pronunciation of his Korean name he would live 66 years of his life in France but his passport showed him retaining Taiwanese citizenship up until his death in 1986 He had been to the People’s Republic of China It was in the northeast Korean city of Hamhung where the plains were painted golden in the fall with ginkgo foliage and dropping stalks of rice His story began with the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919 it was younger people who stood at the vanguard fueling it from the front lines of the demonstrations It was also younger people whom the imperial Japanese forces targeted with their swords large numbers of young people began leaving Korea either to evade Japanese capture or to commit themselves to the independence movement abroad the March 1 Independence Movement was the impetus behind his departure he found himself under Japanese surveillance after passing one of his juniors a copy of the Korean Declaration of Independence he had received from a friend The junior was thrown in prison when the declaration was discovered Lee had been looking for opportunities to leave Korea and his friend made an unexpected proposal there’s supposed to be an organization that will take us to France.” China and France had a “Frugal Study Association” program in place a financial aid system that allowed Chinese students to work while they studied at French schools Both Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping would travel to France through the system in 1920 Sensing an acute need for capable diplomats the Republic of Korea Provisional Government actively committed participants in the program from among the young Koreans flocking to Shanghai the list of passengers bearing Chinese passports on the French ship Porthos on Nov including future Acting President Ho Chong future Yonsei University Professor Jeong seok-hae future Minister of Culture and Education Kim Beop-rin who would later serve as the Korean Provisional Government’s correspondent in France He struggled to continue his studies while working odd jobs as a steelyard worker It was a very different life from that of Seo who attended school north of Paris in Beauvais as soon as he arrived in France and later committed himself to campaigning for Korean independence within the country It was also different from his colleagues who would return home to become government officials or professors after completing their studies Lee continued to exchange letters with his family back home in Hamhung but he would never again set foot on the Korean Peninsula “I think he did have hopes of returning home after liberation in 1945,” Antoine said “But my father quickly abandoned them – because of Korea’s division.” Neither the area south of the 38th Parallel nor the one to the north was the homeland that Lee yearned for South Korean Ambassador to France Kong Jin-hang promised to issue him a South Korean passport I will not take a South Korean or a North Korean passport.” A look at the personal effects left behind by Lee suggests his desire for Korea’s independence and peace ran deeper than anyone’s Among the remaining old items painstakingly kept by Antoine from his father are statements from the independence movement that have been preserved without so much as a speck of mold – including a statement issued by the Korean Independence Party at the time of Lee Bong-chang’s attempted assassination of Japanese Emperor Hirohito in Tokyo in 1932 Antoine had no way of knowing when some of the documents were written or what they were about One of them was an independence declaration made by 33 national representatives on Mar a Hanyang University professor and longtime researcher of the March 1 Independence movement told the Hankyoreh the document was “pretty similar to the ‘original copy’ printed by the Cheondogyo publishers Boseong but the script and the punctuation are different.” “The print hasn’t been reported yet in South Korea so it looks like we will need to examine it a bit more,” he said Antoine’s father never explained the documents to him Despite being a linguist who extensively studied Korean Lee never taught his children to read the language Only after his father died and his own hair had begun to go gray did Antoine start learning about his father and his homeland Only later on did he learn why his father had such an affection for ginkgo trees which are relatively rare in France – to a man living an uprooted life for nearly 70 years the gold of the ginkgoes was his only means of recalling the landscape of his home Antoine planted one ginkgo each in the backyard of his home and the garden of his Normandy villa where he also laid the remains of his father to rest I think my father longed for the vistas and trees of his home he had no hope of returning to a unified homeland.” The colonial Joseon occupied by Japan that Lee and other disgusted young men like him left behind no longer exists there is still no “peaceful” homeland for a soul weary from life in exile to return home to and rest comfortably in Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr] The train on the B line of the regional express network (RER) has been motionless for some time and one says: "I've been offered a great job in Paris Paywise it would be a really good deal." A passenger butts in: "Don't do that There's nothing unusual about what's happening It's like this every day." Another passenger joins in and then the whole carriage says: "Whatever the pay On the same line but at Gare du Nord in the city centre the public address system broadcasts confusing messages Commuters no longer know where the trains are going When the right train finally pulls in it is already full a woman shouts out: "Move along the corridor!" The way opens an event as miraculous as the parting of the Red Sea and passengers curse her in a mixture of French and English On the eastbound A line during the evening rush-hour the displays are empty Then the message everyone fears crackles over the speakers: "Due to various incidents Journey times will be longer than expected." People start making frantic phone calls Train drivers on the B line walked out a fortnight after traces of asbestos were found in their cabs While management and unions discussed what should be done A representative of the SUD union pointed out that "passengers would be less upset about industrial action if they travelled in decent conditions the rest of the time" How many people are serving a life sentence on the Paris RER The Paris Transit Authority (RATP) and SNCF which jointly operate the suburban rail network estimate daily passengers at 1 million on the A line the third-busiest route in the world; 800,000 on its B counterpart; 600,000 on the D; and 300,000 on the E suggested a bleak outlook for the D line: "Passengers are increasing by about 5% because the line is already saturated." Jacques Eliez general secretary of the RATP at the General Confederation of Labour explained that 114 units would be needed on the B line to guarantee a decent service passengers are convinced things are getting worse One explanation is that the transit authority bases its figures on daily averages the slightest hitch can have a knock-on effect The deterioration in the service is particularly irritating as increases in season tickets far outstrip inflation Policymakers are inundated with complaints about public transport feels powerless: "We have no direct contacts with RATP We receive no information." The Paris Area Transit Council condemns "the dearth of public investment over several years .. Less than 10 years ago we had a train service our town was proud of overloaded transport system which commuters detest." RATP and SNCF reply that new double-decker trains will soon be in service RATP is refurbishing units but it does admit that rolling stock taken out of service for upkeep leaves a gap on the network Elsewhere improvements to stations and the tracks are almost complete On a network near breaking point maintenance work exacerbates problems for both the service and its users Although this work is costing tens of millions of euros Pépy advocates a rethink of planning in the Paris area: "More and more companies are locating office blocks and corporate headquarters along the RER lines despite them being saturated." A boom in property prices drives residents further away from their workplace Local councils still grant planning permission to new housing estates; developers and estate agents still advertise property "only 20 minutes from Paris on the RER" demanding substantial investments and is waiting for financial approval and the system is bursting at the seams; hundreds of thousands in the Paris basin set their alarms early to allow for trouble on the line This article appeared originally in Le Monde Campaigners call for the introduction of an age of consent as 20 firefighters face charges Protests will take place across France on Sunday in support of a woman allegedly raped by 20 firefighters when she was between 13 and 15 years old. Her case is being examined in the country’s highest court this week and campaigners hope it will lead to an age of sexual consent being enshrined in law as it is in the rest of the European Union Julie* says she was raped by Parisian firefighters over a period of two years a firefighter who had assisted her during a severe anxiety seizure when she was 13 in early 2008 Three of the accused have admitted they had sex with her but say it was consensual In a journal written shortly afterwards Julie says she was “terrified and paralysed with fear” at the time Based at the Bourg-la-Reine fire station in Paris Pierre got Julie’s phone number from her medical file Julie says he bombarded her with “affectionate messages” passed her number to another firefighter who demanded the same Julie’s case will reach its conclusion on Wednesday at the court of cassation Lawyers will argue that all 20 firefighters Currently only three men are charged with “sexual violation” French legislation says that it is an offence for someone in a position of authority to have sex with a person under the age of 18 the complainant must prove she was forced or violently coerced; otherwise the accused may only be charged with sexual violation The maximum sentence for sexual violation is seven years According to statements to the investigators Julie’s mental and physical health began to deteriorate after the assaults and firefighters attended her home 130 times over two years Julie became scared of going out and was prescribed anti-anxiety medication told investigators she was at first pleased that Pierre would call at the house to inquire after Julie’s health “I even made a cake for the firemen,” she said “We were grateful that they had looked after Julie when she was ill.” Pierre dropped in on the family home and Leriche took the dog for a walk Leriche claimed that during this time he raped her daughter “I thought he was the last person to do such a thing because he had helped her so many times and saw how vulnerable she was.” where she told investigators he raped her again Two colleagues came over and Julie says she was gang-raped while the men watched pornography In 2018, following protests from feminists, a change in the law was proposed that would introduce an age of consent at 15 This would mean that sex with someone younger would be considered rape But the law was not passed after a government report concluded it would result in “an assumption of guilt” Julie was taken off medication in July 2010 as part of a treatment review and Leriche filed an official complaint to the police the three men accused of raping Julie at Pierre’s home were placed under investigation but no action was taken against the remaining 17 two of the accused men admitted they had had “group sex” with Julie while on duty and wearing their uniforms Another admitted a sexual act in a toilet cubicle of a Parisian hospital where Julie had been admitted yet claimed to have not noticed that the child displayed any signs of vulnerability a judge was appointed to investigate the case regarding the three accused of gang rape the judge decided to drop the rape charges and replace them with “consensual penetrative sex with a minor under 15” four other firefighters who were present at one of the alleged rapes were charged with “failure to protect” On hearing the outcome of the investigation in 2019 The family rejected the judge’s decision and took the case to the court of appeal in Versaillles the appeal was thrown out because the court decided that Julie had consented to the sexual acts Marguerite Stern and her feminist group l’Amazone will be one of several women’s groups in France which will be staging public demonstrations in solidarity with Julie now thousands of feminists from all over France are joining them,” said Stern “We are demanding that the firefighters be tried for rape and not ‘sexual violation’ This culture of misogyny in our courts must end.” The public prosecutor in Julie’s case is hoping that it will lay down new case law to remove the necessity to prove use of force or additional violence to secure a rape conviction of a minor under the age of 15 says: “Every stereotype about rape is in this case: the judges and the psychiatrist say Julie is a liar that she consented to sex with all those men and that she is lying about being raped because she is ashamed.” Calls for a minimum age of consent in France have been increasing Last month the senate backed a bill to make the age of consent 13 – a threshold age considered insufficient by child protection associations This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media in celebration of the bicentennial of Frederic Chopin's birth is being presented by the Embassy of France and the Alliance Française de la Jamaïque in collaboration with the Consulate of Poland The concert is under the distinguished patronage of His Excellency organised by the Delegation Generale des Alliances Françaises of USA will be followed by cocktails at the same venue Described by the Alliance Française USA as a "child prodigy" Ms Sageman won first prize at the Kingdom of Music competition in France at the tender age of 9 She later gave her first performance at Paris's famous Salle Pleyel concert hall She won the Warsaw Chopin Competition at the age of 17 and remains the youngest winner to date but also a recording artist with three CDs to her credit including one solely devoted to Chopin's work Ms Sageman has performed to rave reviews at various venues including the Spring Arts Festival of Monte Carlo (2008) Chateau Neuf-Le-Rouge and Pontlevoye in France (2007) described by critics as "a musical talent of great worth .. as well as a sincere and passionate artist" and "a formidable young talent" and local audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy her music Tickets for this event are available from: The Alliance Française de la Jamaïque View the discussion thread.