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region an acronym was left graffitied on a surface: "DDPF," standing for "Droit des Prisonniers Français" ("Rights of French Prisoners") although calm had returned nearly everywhere else cars were set on fire at the Tarascon detention center and the signature "DDPF" slogan was found graffitied in the stairwell of a prison supervisor's building in the eastern Paris region where authorities also noted that a fire was started "There are clearly people trying to destabilize the state by intimidating it You have 81.35% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur « Continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez mais en les utilisant à des moments différents Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article merci de contacter notre service commercial Bank of England granted political independence Chinese Exclusion Act barred Chinese laborers from US Workers at prisons and detention centers in France were targeted again on Sunday night in the latest in a wave of violent incidents that have been going on across the country Nobody has yet claimed responsibility but it is widely believed that drugs gangs are behind the attacks that Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanin called "intimidation against the Republic" His comment backs up remarks last week from Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau that he was "certain "that the government was dealing with what he called "drugs-yobs" "It's not they who have declared war on us It's we who declared war on them with our new law on drugs trafficking," he went on to say "They know we're going to be hitting their wallets." The incidents have included gun attacks and the burning of cars outside prisons standing for Droits des Prisonniers Francais A group using that name was set up on the Telegram messaging service days before the current wave of attacks began Radio France International reported government statistics showing the country's prisons were housing nearly 81,000 inmates in spaces designed for around 62,000 people with many of them forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor A strict new bill targeting the narcotics trade in France is going through the legislative process and is due to be voted on in the National Assembly at the end of the month Darmanin said "they are doing it because we are taking measures against the permissiveness that has existed until now in jails" as part of what he called a "prison revolution" France's President Emmanuel Macron has called the recent attacks "unacceptable violence" and warned that those behind them would be "found Retailleau said France had been hit by a "white tsunami "as it was revealed that in the first 11 months of 2024 According to the European Union Drugs Agency cocaine is the second most widely-used drug in Europe with the number and size of seizures in the EU going up year after year there were a reported 84,000 seizures across the EU is the biggest entry point for cocaine smuggled from South America The TimesTorrential rain was pounding a high-security prison near France’s Mediterranean port of Toulon when a white car screeched to a halt outside the main gate after midnight black-clad man jumped out and opened fire with an assault rifle Fifteen bullets slammed into the metal-reinforced walls of La Farlède prison hitting the bullet-proof window of the guardhouse Investigators believe that it and similar attacks on 11 other prisons across France in just three nights last week came in response to the government’s move to incarcerate drug lords separately from other prisoners Damage caused by bullets on a wall and window at La Farlède prison near ToulonMIGUEL MEDINA/GETTY IMAGESMIGUEL MEDINA/GETTY IMAGESModelled partly on Italy’s treatment of imprisoned mafia dons French authorities have arrested 25 individuals in sweeping dawn raids across the country following a series of violent attacks on prisons and the homes of correctional officers earlier this month which took place Monday in cities including Paris come amid growing concern over what officials describe as an escalating campaign of intimidation linked to organized crime and drug trafficking networks Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said the wave of violence—ranging from arson to gunfire—was “retaliation” by criminal gangs targeted in the government’s intensified crackdown on drug trafficking “These are terrorist-style attacks on the institutions of the Republic,” Darmanin stated Among the most brazen incidents was the April 15 assault on Toulon’s La Farlède prison where attackers opened fire on the entrance with a Kalashnikov rifle French anti-terror prosecutors are leading the investigation several of Monday’s arrests were made inside prisons targeting suspected ringleaders believed to have orchestrated the attacks from behind bars Messages claiming responsibility for some of the violence have surfaced on the encrypted messaging app Telegram allegedly posted by a group advocating for prisoner rights President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to bring those responsible to justice Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau praised law enforcement’s swift action commending their “professionalism and effectiveness” in responding to the attacks France’s parliament is preparing to vote on a bill that would establish a specialized prosecutor’s office dedicated to combating organized crime and narcotics-related offenses As the government pledges tougher measures officials say the attacks mark a troubling escalation in criminal efforts to undermine the justice system—and reaffirmed their resolve to restore order Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "adaeae0b335dbcce92059b13bf68b8e5" );document.getElementById("h8175b9177").setAttribute( "id" A wave of coordinated attacks on prisons and correctional officers across France led to mass police raids and 25 arrests on Monday, reports BBC French authorities launched a series of early morning raids in major cities including Paris and Lyon after a string of violent incidents targeting both prisons and the homes of their staff Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin pointed to organized gangs lashing out in retaliation against a government crackdown on drug trafficking. France's Minister of Justice, Gerald Darmanin (Photo: Getty Images) Over five nights in April, attackers set vehicles ablaze and opened fire on prison facilities — incidents Darmanin called "terrorist attacks." Among the hardest hit were prisons in Toulon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Valence, Nîmes, and several near Paris. The French government recorded at least 65 attacks on prisons or staff since April 13, according to Le Figaro. In the most brazen assault, gunmen fired a Kalashnikov at the gates of Toulon's La Farlede prison. A Telegram group claiming to defend prisoner rights has taken responsibility for some attacks, French media report. Anti-terror prosecutors say 25 suspects have been detained so far, including several alleged ringleaders arrested inside prisons. President Emmanuel Macron made a public promise that the attackers will be "found, tried and punished." Justice Minister Darmanin responded to the arrests by reaffirming, "We remain committed to the law and to the Republic in our relentless fight against drug trafficking." Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau commended the investigators for their "great professionalism," which "made it possible to achieve results in a very short time." With both ministers promising tougher action against drug crime, France's parliament is preparing to vote on legislation to empower a new special prosecutor's office in response to the wave of violence. Anarchist slogans were found at some of the attack sites Paris: Cars have been set on fire near several prisons in France while one was targeted with automatic gunfire, in possible retaliation against government anti-drug policies, justice ministry officials said on Tuesday. In recent months Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau have vowed to intensify the fight against narcotics and drug-related crime. “All this appeared to have been coordinated and is clearly linked to the anti-drug gang strategy” introduced by Darmanin, a source close to the matter told AFP after the incidents recorded overnight to Tuesday. “The republic is face to face with drug trafficking, and is taking measures that will seriously disrupt criminal networks,” Darmanin himself said on X, promising a “firm and courageous” government response. According to prison staff union FO Justice, “vehicles were torched, prison gates set on fire, and even targeted with heavy guns.” Three vehicles, including two belonging to prison staff, were set on fire in the car park of the Villepinte prison north of Paris, a police source said. A fuel canister was found on site, and CCTV footage showed two individuals torching cars. Cars parked outside three other prisons, one near Paris and two in southern France, were also set on fire, another police source said. In a prison in Toulon, on France’s southern coast, 15 bullet impacts were found on the front gate following an attack with a “Kalashnikov-type” assault weapon, FO Justice said. In a prison in nearby Aix, two vehicles were set on fire and the gate of the local ERIS prison surveillance unit was damaged, the union added. Overnight Sunday to Monday, fires had already been set in the parking lots of a prison staff training centre and a prison near Paris, several sources said. “These criminal acts are a full-on attack on our institution, on the republic and the staff who serve the republic every day,” FO Justice said, calling for a “strong, clear response by the government”. Wilfried Fonck, national secretary for Ufap Unsa Justice, another union, told AFP that the prison system did not have enough staff to secure prison perimeters “24/7”. Anarchist slogans were found at some of the attack sites, and police are keeping all lines of investigation open, a source close to the case said. Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox Raging wildfires near Jerusalem trigger army deployment Family seeks charges against Dominican nightclub owners Water disputes challenge Pakistan’s fractious unity Nintendo’s Switch 2 priced at $450 for June 5 launch This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Vynamic Smart Vision I Shrink Reduction uses technology to analyze customers’ behavior and activities in real-time, detecting if an item passes through without being scanned, items stacked on top of each other or if a customer leaves the checkout without paying. In the event of an error, the customer is alerted via an on-screen message, and store attendants also receive an alert on their mobile terminal. Maxime Canu, member of Inno Lab at Groupement Mousquetaires, explains: “With this AI technology solution from our partner Diebold Nixdorf, we have designed an innovation that revolutionizes self-service checkout management. It benefits everyone: customers, staff members and our retailers. 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The request follows a 'fraternal visit at the request of Rome,' in the Fréjus-Toulon diocese led by Bishop Dominique Rey one of the most conservative of the French episcopate By Cécile Chambraud Bishop Dominique Rey at La Farlede near Toulon BERTRAND LANGLOIS / AFP A bombshell has shaken the French ecclesiastical establishment he had to postpone the ordinations of four priests and six deacons that had been planned for this year in his diocese This highly unusual injunction from Rome is all the more surprising since it comes just days before the mass for the enthronement of the new clerics which traditionally takes place around June 29 "We welcome this request with both sorrow and confidence aware of the hardship it represents above all for those who were about to be ordained," the prelate wrote in a statement published on the diocese website The bishop said the order from the Holy See came after a "fraternal visit" to the diocese in recent months "at the request of Rome," by Jean-Marc Aveline the metropolitan archbishop of the archdiocese of Marseille – which includes Fréjus-Toulon – who will be named cardinal by Pope Francis in August The "fraternal visit" is a sort of inspection mission during which the various members of the diocese – laity as well as clerics – are questioned Several departments of the Vatican administration formulated "questions [about] the restructuring of the seminary and the policy of welcoming people to the diocese." Bishop Rey also spoke with Cardinal Marc Ouellet the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops Ordinations have been suspended "pending the outcome of these ongoing discussions" with the Vatican You have 66.37% of this article left to read Acquisition adds physics-based optical simulation software expertise to ANSYS' already extensive portfolio OPTIS and LeddarTechThe Pittsburgh-based engineering software giant ANSYS is set to acquire OPTIS the French developer of optics and photonics simulation Established by founder Jacques Delacour back in 1989 OPTIS has since built up a portfolio of software products including packages covering laser propagation “The acquisition of OPTIS will extend ANSYS' industry-leading multiphysics-based portfolio into the increasingly important area of optical simulation,” announced Nasdaq-listed ANSYS adding that the deal should be completed in the second quarter of the year having built up an impressive roster of customers including what ANSYS describes as a “who's who” of the automotive industry One of the major motivations behind the acquisition appears to be the emergence of lidar as a critical technology for self-driving vehicles ANSYS’ VP and general manager Eric Bantegnie said in a company release: “Like ANSYS and together we'll deliver pervasive engineering simulation to a new set of companies while extending simulation to next-generation use cases like cameras and lidar development for autonomous vehicles.” OPTIS has developed a photo-realistic virtual reality and closed-loop simulation platform which is expected to help speed the development of autonomous vehicles “Using this VR backbone – combined with other ANSYS solutions – automotive manufacturers can simulate the environment [that] driverless vehicles are navigating weather and one-way streets,” stated the two companies “Combining OPTIS' physics-based solutions for optical simulation with ANSYS' deep and broad portfolio will be a competitive advantage for our customers and the entire industry,” predicted Delacour “The entire OPTIS family is looking forward to working closely with ANSYS and its impressive customer community around the world.” Previous developments involving OPTIS have included improved designs of aircraft cockpits – based on the creation of a “pliot’s eye view” of the inside of a cabin produced using the firm’s “SPEOS” visual ergonomics software And more recently the French firm teamed up with Canada-based automotive lidar firm LeddarTech revealing details of their collaboration during January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas “This collaboration allows transportation companies to virtually test and integrate their next generation of lidar developed around the LeddarCore integrated circuit before its actual release,” the partners said 3:26:46 PM EDTFrance's Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanin (L) greets officials and prison administration officers as he arrives for a visit at the Toulon-La Farlede prison in La Farlede (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin has said that attacks have been carried out overnight on multiple prisons in the country He did not say how many prisons were affected “I am going to Toulon to support the officers concerned The French Republic is facing up to the problem of drug trafficking and is taking measures that will massively disrupt the criminal networks,” he said The Epoch Times has not been able to independently verify this claim The publication also reported that cars belonging to staff living in social housing linked to Marseille’s prison administration were graffitied with the letters “DDPF”—an acronym that appears to be the signature of a group advocating for “droits des prisonniers français” (rights of French prisoners) but this traumatic event has left deep psychological scars,” it said Darmanin said that France was “facing up to the problem” of drug trafficking 1 in the once-peaceful French town of Poitiers historically known for its medieval churches resulted in the death of a 15-year-old boy Retailleau raised alarms about the rise of these “narco-enclaves,” comparing the situation to the growing control drug cartels have in Mexico Retailleau said that the country faces two choices: “Either there is a general mobilization or there is the Mexicanization of the country,” or risk the formation of gang-controlled “enclaves Infrared (IR) surveillance systems are used in satellites that survey the earth’s surface to carry out environmental analysis—for example to monitor marine pollution or study the movement of tectonic plates to help predict earthquakes But more recently these systems are also being used for terrestrial applications in border control and other areas of homeland security Infrared camera sensors are also finding their way into automobiles to help drivers avoid serious accidents at night and in adverse weather conditions For all these systems it is extremely important to have the best visibility—using as much light as possible but avoiding stray light in order to get good contrast and optimize detection Stray-light simulation tools such as SPEOS or OptisWorks from OPTIS (La Farlède France) can predict the imaging contrast of such IR surveillance systems by taking into account the physical parameters of lenses and sensors during the design to optimize system parameters and reduce costs lens systems are based on materials like germanium (Ge) or zinc sulfide (ZnS) The reflectivity of each material depends on its refractive index For standard glass with a refractive index (n) around 1.5 the reflection on each glass/air interface is around 4% meaning that 8% of the light hitting a lens is reflected In the case of Ge or ZnS materials with a refractive index between 3 and 4 the reflection on each face can be as high as 20% This reflection coefficient is calculated in the ray-tracing software SPEOS by applying the Fresnel formulas for optical polished surfaces.1 For visible optics coatings can reduce the stray light from Fresnel reflection; however these coatings are very costly in the case of IR optical systems Reflected rays bounce to other lenses and can generate—in the worst case—a second focus on the image such that the signal is wiped out by these secondary The third cause of stray light is the IR emission that occurs when the mechanical and optical elements are heated by the sun or the electronics of the system CAD-integrated simulation software is a big help because the temperature of the elements can be calculated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation tools integrated within the software Once the temperature distribution is known it is easily converted by OPTIS software tools into an IR-emitting light source just by knowing the absorption coefficient and the temperature and applying the Max Planck and Stefan Boltzmann laws.2 To obtain simulation results with high precision one needs to have high-quality inputs for the physical parameters of the elements that the simulation takes into account This is even more true for nonsequential ray-tracing software like SPEOS or OptisWorks Nonsequential ray tracing means that several interactions are included in the beam simulation if the error on the absorption of the metal housing is 10% a ray hitting this mechanical element just once also has an uncertainty of 10% If this ray is hitting the same surface twice the uncertainty is multiplied to an error of around 20%; in fact the error rises exponentially with the number of interactions OPTIS developed radio-goniometer hardware for the OMS4 that accurately evaluates the physical parameters of the elements used A surface or material sample is illuminated by a high-quality laser beam and a photomultiplier tube (PMT) measures the stray light in all angular directions around the sample a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) or a bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF) can be measured to describe the scattering effect of surfaces.3 The BRDF and BSDF files can be seen as value tables which contain the optical answer of the surface or volumes in incoming light The software user can drag and drop these descriptions to the selected CAD faces; the software automatically searches for the correct values from the table When describing volume optical properties (VOPs) the scattering is dependent on the impurity of the material causing the scatter on each volume particle This scatter can be modeled and measured using a double Henyey-Greenstein equation.4 The OPTIS hardware/software combination can measure BRDF/BSDF to better than ±0.01° resolution with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the BRDF better than 107 it is possible to get a high-definition BSDF and achieve a high level of precision in stray-light analysis The core of the SPEOS and OptisWorks nonsequential stray-light analysis simulation software is the Light Expert (LXP) module containing the Light Path Finder (LPF) function The process begins by modeling the entire IR sensing system—optical and mechanical parts as well as the sensor itself—using the software’s CAD tools To model the surface and volume optical properties a large library of standard data is available within the SPEOS software If some special material has been used it can be qualified using the OMS4 it is necessary to model the scene by using a high-dynamic-range (HDR) environment wrapped around the optical system or an emitting bitmap An HDR environment contains the luminance values of the ambience and is wrapped around the geometry The high dynamic range is necessary to give a natural effect of the ambient light which can be different for directional sources it is best to simulate a laser source by using a surface emission that is lighting the lens system from a given direction in space The sensor is modeled by measuring the energy striking each pixel in watts per square meter as a function of wavelength It is also possible to calculate the SNR using the LXP function and a photometric calculator OPTIS clients say that this SNR result typically matches exactly with measured stray-light data This LXP function thus helps to reduce the number of real system prototypes in development reducing development time and cost as it is always preferable to have multiple design changes at the start of the development process than at the end The interface and the speed of the LXP simulation function enable users to test many system variants in a short timeframe Stray-light analysis and simulation are not only helpful in the development of optics but also in areas such as general lighting and medical instrumentation the optical lenses are simply replaced by reflector parts with their own surface-scattering description And in medical applications such as laser skin treatments the volume scattering parameters of the skin can be analyzed in order to develop beam-delivery systems that will not damage healthy cells adjacent to those being treated.5 Other medical applications of note include analysis of the scattering properties of the human eye that change upon aging and affect our night-vision capability and analysis of the scattering profile of fluorescent markers whereby the different traveling times of the scattered photons through tissue can be used to obtain clearer images of cancerous tumor cells.6,7 “Effects of straylight on visual acuity in pseudophakia,” Documenta Ophthalmologica “Emerging applications of fluorescence spectroscopy in medical microbiology field,” J Günther Hasna is chief technology officer at OPTIS, Zone d’Entreprises de La Farlède, 60 Rue Parmentier, 83210 La Farlède France; e-mail: [email protected]; www.optis-world.com.