Mar 15, 2024Workers and security personnel gather near a Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarine in Cherbourg-Octeville, France, on July 9, 2017. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)PARIS — The Netherlands has picked France’s Naval Group to build four attack submarines in a project worth €5.65 billion (U.S beating offers from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Sweden’s Saab Kockums in cooperation with Dutch shipbuilder Damen Naval Group will provide a conventionally powered version of its Barracuda submarine to replace the Royal Netherlands Navy’s four Walrus-class attack submarines, the first of which the service retired in October The French shipbuilder will be asked to deliver the first two vessels within 10 years after signing the contract the Dutch Defence Ministry said in a statement Friday The contract will include a “substantial role” for Dutch industry, which was a key requirement, Dutch State Secretary of Defence Christophe van der Maat said in a post on X The Netherlands has embarked on a spending spree to replace its major naval combatants and in addition to the submarines it plans to start construction on more than 20 surface vessels in the next decade for an investment of more than €11 billion the Dutch were seeking an expeditionary vessel that can operate in the country’s overseas territories “The vessels offer increased strike power and enhanced operational capabilities, and will therefore be deployable worldwide for various types of missions,” Chief of Defence of the Netherlands Gen. Onno Eichelsheim said in a post on X The delivery contract will be signed after the tender assessment undergoes debate in parliament The government has faced criticism for the potential choice of Naval Group with some lawmakers saying the company would favor French jobs over the Dutch naval construction industry The choice of Naval Group will provide the Netherlands with ocean-going submarines “of the highest global standards,” the French government said in a statement following the Dutch announcement It said a French-Dutch partnership will accompany the program over the long term and help strengthen bilateral defense cooperation The Netherlands had requested proposals from the three candidate yards in November 2022 for four long-range The investment budget to replace the country’s submarine capacity is €5.65 billion through 2039 which includes a delta for exploitation and project risk reserve the Defence Ministry wrote in a report to parliament France operates a nuclear-powered version of the Barracuda class, and in 2020 the country estimated the cost of the program to build and operate six submarines in the class at €10.4 billion, up from €8.6 billion in 2010. Naval Group in July last year launched the Tourville, the third vessel of six planned for the French Navy Dutch defense forces have a constitutional obligation to protect the kingdom including its faraway Caribbean territories meaning the country requires its submarines to have long ranges and be logistically independent The existing Walrus class can operate in relatively shallow and narrow waterways compared to nuclear subs and it fulfills an “internationally appreciated niche capacity,” the ministry wrote in a March 2023 report to parliament which will allow them to also operate in shallow waters,” the ministry said because they will be larger than submarines that are designed to remain close to home base the new boats will be able to operate independently far from home for extended periods of time.” That combination of size and reach is rare and means the Royal Netherlands Navy’s submarines are “highly regarded” within NATO The four new submarines will represent a considerable improvement in design, and the ability to launch cruise missiles will “substantially” increase striking power, according to the ministry. The Netherlands plans to equip the new subs with RTX’s Tomahawk cruise missiles for a maritime strike capacity, something the Walrus class lacks. The Dutch also studied the French MdCN naval cruise missile and considered the range insufficient compared to the Tomahawk’s more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). The ministry previously noted the Anglo-French Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon is still in development and information is lacking, though it will continue to follow developments around the FC-ASW. The new submarines will carry torpedoes, and they will be suitable for special forces operations. The vessels will be better suited for intelligence gathering due to improved sensors, while modern battery technology will give them greater energy capacity than the Walrus class, and therefore allow them to remain submerged for longer, according to the ministry. The new vessels will be named Orka (Orca), Zwaardvis (Swordfish), Barracuda and Tijgerhaai (Tiger Shark), the Netherlands said. The country is targeting delivery of the first sub in the third quarter of 2033, with the final vessel delivered in the third quarter of 2037. Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics. Facebook pageTwitter feed RSS feedDefense News © 2025 How can France become a leader in innovation The Chips Diplomacy Support Initiative (CHIPDIPLO) is an 18-month project led by the Institut Montaigne and co-funded by the European Commission It aims to strengthen Europe's semiconductor strategy in the face of geopolitical tensions Its objectives are to anticipate industrial risks coordinate member states' policies and develop international partnerships industrialists and researchers to analyze the challenges and provide recommendations to the EU CHIPDIPLO supports the EU Chips Act and promotes Europe's attractiveness for innovation and investment This report analyzes the future of the EU's Clean Industrial Deal and the place of European industry in a post-carbon world it compares decarbonization strategies and puts forward recommendations for strengthening European competitiveness Bernard Cazeneuve is a lawyer and holds a Master's degree from the Political Studies Institute of Bordeaux he worked in several ministerial cabinets: as technical advisor to the Secretary of State for International Cultural Relations as chief of staff to Alain Vivien (Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs) and as chief of staff to Charles Josselin (Secretary of State for the Sea) He was elected general councillor of Octeville in 1994 followed by mayor of Octeville (1995-2000) and won the legislative elections in the 5th electoral district of the Manche in 1997 the communes of Octeville and Cherbourg merged and he became mayor of Cherbourg-Octeville (2001-2012) he was also President of the Cherbourg Urban Community he served as First Vice President of the Basse-Normandie Region Alongside his duties as an elected official Bernard Cazeneuve was appointed judge of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Justice of the Republic (1997-2002) he was chosen as one of François Hollande's four spokespersons he was nominated Minister Delegate for European Affairs then Minister Delegate for the Budget on 19 March 2013 Bernard Cazeneuve was then appointed Prime Minister by François Hollande until the resignation of the government on 10 May 2017 He subsequently joined the law firm AUGUST DEBOUZY as a partner he chairs the board of directors of Sciences Po Bordeaux and teaches a course on "France facing challenges in the fight against terrorism" at Sciences Po Paris Bernard Cazeneuve is married and has two children he was decorated with the rank of Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit of the Kingdom of Spain by King Felipe VI he was awarded the Cross of Grand Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the German Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière He was awarded the rank of Commander of the Legion of Honour by decree of President Emmanuel Macron on 12 July 2017 You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 provides funding as a member of The Conversation FR View all partners But does France have the capacity to defend Europe Would the deployment of the French nuclear umbrella in Eastern Europe make Europe strategically autonomous giving it the means to defend itself independently France originally developed its nuclear arsenal in response to the threat of Soviet invasion and to avoid any dependence on the US According to a stable doctrine that political leaders regularly reaffirmed the state [would use] its strategic arsenal by air and submarine in the event of an attack against its vital interests But the fact remains that without US support, the balance of power appears largely unfavourable to France, which has a total of 290 nuclear warheads compared to at least 1,600 deployed warheads and nearly 2,800 stockpiled warheads on the Russian side A weekly email in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter! the explosive power of thermonuclear warheads combined with the range of the French M51 strategic sea-to-land ballistic missile would make it possible to destroy the main Russian cities These scenarios recall the spectre of adversaries destroying enemy cities in a piecemeal atomic exchange in which Russia could rely on its vastness to win through attrition This potential for reciprocity must be kept in mind amid the mutual bet of nuclear deterrence To boost the impact of French nuclear deterrence, a partnership could be envisaged with the United Kingdom London now only has ballistic missiles launched by submarine and has decided these two European nuclear powers are not equivalent which is a member of NATO’s nuclear planning group and whose warheads are designed in the US France produces its weapons on its own territory and is not subject to any NATO obligations This gives Paris a great deal of leeway in defining its doctrine France can also speak on behalf of the European Union of which it has been a part since its creation contributing to the overall security of the transatlantic alliance by complicating the calculations of potential adversaries Merz’s call for the French nuclear umbrella to extend to Germany aligns with Paris’s proposal to establish a dialogue involving Europeans in a common approach As France’s defence minister has pointed out the precise definition of vital interest is up to its president the use of nuclear weapons to protect Europe requires a strategic discussion to define the power to be acquired the interests to be defended and the method of nuclear fire command Dogma about what constitutes a sufficient arsenal must also be questioned If 290 nuclear warheads represent the value that France places on defending its existence this price seems to neglect the scale of the European continent and logic confirms it: continent-sized nuclear powers such as the US and Russia – and soon China – are deploying an arsenal of around 1,000 thermonuclear warheads Ramping up power would take time and require a budgetary effort to increase the number of missiles and carrier aircraft. In addition to the construction of new infrastructure in European partner countries, the cost could exceed €10 billion per year not including indirect costs related to maintenance and logistics especially since the political and strategic offer of extended nuclear protection evolves according to circumstances Until now, Germany preferred that France assume a role that was simply complementary to the extended deterrence of the US, but Washington’s threatened abandonment of Ukraine increases the Russian threat France could respond by proposing the pre-positioning of its nuclear forces in Eastern European countries with the idea of eventually replacing the US This French nuclear umbrella would give concrete form to European strategic autonomy through the deployment of nuclear-capable combat aircraft a sign of European political solidarity that would make Moscow’s calculations more difficult The visible presence of these aircraft in Eastern Europe could prevent Russia from attacking countries in the region with conventional means as such an attack could provoke a French nuclear response on behalf of Europe This article was originally published in French Children attend a lesson in a classroom of a primary school New editions of textbooks in France will look a little different You'll see the word ognon rather than oignon The many-legged insect will be known as a millepattes France is removing the hat-shaped accent known as a circumflex in some cases For example: the word for "to train" will be spelled s'entraine The spelling changes apply to around 2,400 French words, and The Guardian reports they're mean to "simplify them for schoolchildren." But the move has "brought accusations the country's Socialist government is dumbing down the language." French headlines quickly picked this up: "The Death of the Circumflex" and "Farewell to the Circumflex, Spelling Reform Will Be Applied in September," to name a few Social media users launched an angry campaign using the hashtag of #JeSuisCirconflexe ("I am circumflex") a nod to the #JeSuisCharlie campaign following the deadly shootings at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris last year But France is not completely hanging up its circumflex chapeau As the BBC reported, "France's education minister has said the changes will not culminate in the end of the circumflex and that old and new spellings will both remain correct." The well-loved accent will be optional on the "i" and "u" but will generally remain atop the "a" and "o", as well as in several other uses, France's Le Monde reports. The spelling changes were approved by the Académie Française in 1990 and then generally ignored advice from the education ministry suggested the new spelling rules were 'the reference' to be used the changes were mentioned again in another ministry document about 'texts following the spelling changes .. approved by the Académie Française and published in the French Republic Official Journal on 6 December 1990.' Again The difference now is that the changes will actually appear in school books Here are a few other words that are changing in the new textbooks, via TF1: Maîtresse will become maitresse (mistress) Porte-monnaie will become portemonnaie (purse Des après-midi will become des après-midis (afternoons) Become an NPR sponsor Retail the Finadorm Group (France Literie) notified the Autorité de la concurrence of its plan to acquire sole control of the CDL Group (La Compagnie du Lit) The Finadorm Group is active in the manufacturing and distribution of bedding products through a network of 94 stores and located throughout mainland France operated under the "France Literie" banner The CDL Group is active in the distribution of bedding products through a network of 93 stores also located in mainland France operated under the "La Compagnie du Lit" banner in the upstream markets for the supply of bedding products The acquirer is also active as a supplier in these markets The acquirer and the target are also simultaneously active in the downstream market for the distribution of high-end bedding products The Autorité was able to rule out any competition concerns resulting from the transaction on the upstream markets for the supply of bedding products and on the downstream markets for the distribution of high-end bedding products at the national level given the moderate market shares of the new entity in these markets the Autorité considered that the transaction raised risks of harm to competition in the Cherbourg-Octeville area (50) given the very high market share of the new entity and the absence of a sufficient alternative offer after the transaction Finadorm has committed either to divest the business owned by the target Cherbourg-Octeville or to terminate the brand licence agreement concluded by the acquirer concerning the France Literie store also located in Cherbourg-Octeville Finadorm has also committed to seek an alternative solution for the company currently holding the concession contract with a competing franchisor active in the distribution of high-end bedding products These commitments will remove the overlapping activities between the parties and give competing brands the possibility to strengthen their presence or establish themselves in the area concerned and thus compete more effectively with the new entity This takeover must be approved by the Autorité which will ensure that the purchaser is independent of the new entity and that it is able to provide a credible alternative for the distribution of high-end bedding products it will have to be active in the market for the distribution of high-end bedding products An independent divestiture trustee approved by the Autorité will ensure the implementation of the commitments Sam Bennett and Morkov ride through the pain Oleg Tinkov blog: We will kick Team Sky's ass at the Tour de France Tour de France: Matthews targets stage win and yellow on stage 2 Tinkov took to social media after the conclusion of the podium ceremonires and Sagan has collected his yellow writing "We @tinkoffbank and @tinkoff_team arte (sic) the Champions Today; yet all of our thoughts are on @acontadoroficial after his second crash Watch the video of Oleg Tinkov celebrating Sagan's video below and click here for the stage 2 race report Best Tour de France stage result yet for Matthews It was the best Tour de France result yet for the 25-year-old who moved up into 19th place overall "Mid-stage I had a bit of crash with Contador and hurt my back a bit and was a little bit unsure if I was going to contest the final or not but when it's a stage that suits me this well I have to suck it up and go for it," he told SBS Television post stage "Two crashes in two days is a not very nice but if you're not too bad you have to keep pushing on Maybe I would have liked to be two or three wheels in front to try and be Sagan's wheel but I was were I was and tried to move up for the sprint but I didn't quite have it for the final." Matthews is confident there will be further opportunities for himself and Orica-BikeExchange across the following 19 stages a statement echoed by sport director Matt White "It has been a solid start to this years Tour de France for us but it is a long race and we have got work to do," said White of his squad which now leads the team standings and will wear yellow helmets in recognition for stage 3 Lotto-Soudal's Tony Gallopin disappointed with Cherbourg finish Gallopin though came up short as he finished seventh after his teammates had worked to place him in position for the hilly finale "This was the first stage I had marked and I wanted to follow as long as possible on the steep finish," he said "It was good that there were four escapees today There were only few flat sections during the stage and at the end there wasn’t only the climb towards the finish but also an uphill section with eight kilometres to go The teammates did a good job to get me to the finish in a good position." With Trek-Segafredo's and new KOM leader Jasper Stuyven riding solo out in front of the peloton into the final climb Gallopin explained once the Belgian was caught the stage played out with the anticipated protagonists but he didn't have the legs to challenge for the win "The peloton had to chase hard to catch Stuyven it was a very strong performance of him," he said "At the end Jürgen Roelandts protected me and helped me to stay at the front In the first one and a half kilometres of the last climb I could follow the best riders of the group then it was half a kilometre flat and then we came to the steepest part with a fight man against man Peter Sagan turned out to be the strongest When I look at the top ten of the stage I see the names I had predicted." Bora-Argon 18's Sam Bennett and Katusha's Michael Morkov make it through stage 2 Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18) and Michael Morkov (Katusha) were two of the riders who suffered the most from the stage 1 crash into Utah Beach with both riders initially unsure of their future appearance in the 2016 edition of the race The duo were able to finish the stage to Cherbourg with Bennett the Latern Rouge and Morkov sitting second last on the same time as Benett's teammate Shane Archbold "I'm very happy that there is nothing broken I could sleep well and therefore it was possible to take on the stage with a protective bandage at the fingers," said Bennett who was the last rider to finish stage 2 Following the crash in which he broke his bike Katusha sports director Jose Azevedo explained Morkov struggled during the stage today but with some easier days to come "This was a very difficult day for Michael and he suffered a lot just to be able to finish the stage so we need to congratulate him for all that he did We are happy to have a rider on the team with such strong character," Azevedo "He cannot push with two legs because the injured leg is so swollen so if he can get through tomorrow's critical stage I believe he can start to recover after that but there are all of these small ups and downs so it makes it difficult." There were more crashes for Katusha on stage 2 as duo Alberto Losada and Angel Vicioso both fell while Joaquim Rodriguez was incorrectly said to have also fallen. Peter Sagan's first Tour de France stage win since 2013 saw the world champion move into the yellow jersey for the first time The Tinkoff rider also moved into the points classification lead with Etixx-Quick Step's Julian Alaphilippe leading the young rider classification Jasper Stuyven the KOM classification and Orica-BikeExchange the teams classification For the highlights and wrap of stage 2 from Saint-Lo to Cherbourg-Octeville, watch the video below and Click Here to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel May 7, 2018Workers gather near Suffren, a Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarine in Cherbourg-Octeville, northwestern France, on July 9, 2017 (Charly Triballeu/AFP via Getty Images)PARIS ― France is to acquire a fifth Barracuda nuclear attack submarine the Armed Forces Ministry confirmed in a May 7 statement The decision was made during a May 2 ministerial investment meeting held by Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly told the parliamentary defense committee in October he expected the fifth boat to be ordered in 2018 The draft 2019-2025 multiyear budget law includes funding for six Barracuda boats, of which four are due to be delivered by 2025, the ministry said. The Barracuda will be armed with naval cruise missiles and be capable of deploying special forces while underwater. Delivery of the Suffren, the first-of-class Barracuda, is due in 2020, some three years late. Training at Guildhall School of Music and Drama Nyman’s appeared in films since the start of the millennium including noteworthy performances in Dead Babies and portraying a freedom fighter during World War Two in Uprising a black comedy where he took the Best Actor award at the Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish & British Film he’s starred in the Judy Garland biopic Judy as Dan also lending his voice to the Minions in animated films including Minions and Despicable Me 3 Nyman is also one of the country’s finest magicians and illusionists He’s worked with Derren Brown on his televised and West End productions co-writing and co-directing four of Brown’s stage shows including Enigma and Something Wicked This Way Comes winnng an Olivier Award for Best Entertainment in 2006 In 2019, audiences were spooked by the terrifying tales in Ghost Stories once more, as the play was performed at the Lyric Hammersmith and a West End transfer at the Ambassadors Theatre Fiddler on the Roof21 March 2019 - 2 November 2019 Sign up to our mailing list to receive cast announcements new show ticket alerts and exclusive offers You can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy is back to present his delicious serve of Taste le Tour a gastronomic journey that follows the route of the 21 stages of the epic Tour de France cycling event In each episode Gabriel discovers beauty and the specialties of the region and cooks a delicious French dish The famous omelette of the Mère Poulard restaurant Anne Lepetit s’est éteinte ce lundi 3 février 2025 à Martinvast (Manche) à l’âge de 110 ans Un dernier hommage lui sera rendu vendredi 7 février à Cherbourg-Octeville Anna Lepetit, née Douesnard à Varouville (Manche) le 2 octobre 1914 s’est éteinte ce lundi 3 février 2025 à l’âge vénérable de 110 ans Femme la plus âgée de la Manche, la doyenne résidait à l’Ehpad Élisabeth-de-Surville de Martinvast après avoir vécu chez elle jusqu’à 100 ans son mari étant artisan ébéniste Elle a élevé sa famille « simplement et chichement » en leur inculquant « la valeur des choses » elle demandait demi-tarif au médecin parce qu’elle disait avoir tout fait toute seule et qu’il n’avait plus qu’à couper le cordon était entrée à l’Ehpad le 30 avril 2014 à l’âge de 100 ans après une chute survenue à son domicile Elle tondait jusque-là encore sa pelouse Anna Lepetit était en parfaite santé malgré quelques difficultés d’audition arrière-grand-mère et arrière arrière-grand-mère indiquait alors : « Je ne suis pas pressée d’aller là-haut. » un dernier hommage lui sera rendu le vendredi 7 février 2025 à 16 heures La nouvelle doyenne de la Manche est Marie-Louise Lecacheur née Lajoye le 23 décembre 1915 née Soudais née le 24 novembre 1912 et qui réside à Sées Suivez toute l’actualité de vos villes et médias favoris en vous inscrivant à Mon Actu Le journal en illimité en papier ou en version numérique Suivez l'actualité de vos communes favorites dans l'onglet Mon actu Abonnez-vous pour lire le journal en illimité Selectionnez une région ou recherchez une ville Découvrez La Manche Libre en illimité pour 1€ seulement Découvrir les offres Ce mercredi 18 octobre 2017, le conseil municipal de Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (Manche) a élu Sébastien Fagnen, 6e adjoint, au poste de maire délégué de Cherbourg-Octeville Il succède ainsi à Jean-Michel Houllegatte démissionnaire depuis son élection comme sénateur La victoire de Sébastien Fagnen ne présentait pas un véritable suspense la seule interrogation que le jeune élu pouvait avoir était de savoir combien de voix il allait récolter il était déjà clair que le futur maire devrait se priver des voix de l'opposition mais aussi des alliés du Front de Gauche Le Cercle du Cotentin avait renoncé à présenter un candidat Un choix logique qu'ils ont précisé : "Le maire délégué doit être de la même sensibilité politique de la commune nous avions signé une charte dans ce sens." Le groupe a cependant déploré une absence de concertation "Il est difficile de trouver une légitimité quand le candidat est nommé par une poignée de militants socialistes Il aurait été plus logique que l'ensemble de la majorité municipale comprenant le PS Le groupe de La Gauche Debout porté par Ralph Lejamtel avait également renoncé à présenter un candidat Si l'idée de proposer une candidate avait un temps été évoquée les élus ont finalement préféré appeler à l'abstention Un moyen de souligner "qu'une occasion a été perdue pour appliquer la parité." Avec 87 voix sur 146 votants (dont 55 abstentions) Sébastien Fagnen devient le plus jeune maire de Cherbourg-Octeville Félicitations @sebastienfagnen élu maire délégué de Cherbourg-Octeville. Aux âmes bien nées la valeur n'attend pas le nombre des années! pic.twitter.com/Yvd491FSJt A LIRE AUSSI.Cherbourg : les socialistes désignent Sébastien Fagnen pour succéder à Jean-Michel Houllegatte Fagnen en route vers la mairie Sénatoriales dans la Manche : "Bas et Bizet ont contourné la loi" Nouveau maire à Cherbourg-Octeville : attention, tensions ! Arnaud Catherine toujours en première ligne Attendons le prochain verdict populaire démocratique des prochaines élections municipales dans deux ans pour avoir confirmation d'une telle popularité Expliquez en quelques lignes votre signalement Vous devez être connecté pour enregistrer votre choix