Latest news with #French-born
Hamilton Spectator
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
De Goede to lead 32-player rugby tour party as Canada takes on Springbok women
Recovered from knee surgery, Canada captain Sophie de Goede leads a 32-player tour squad to South Africa for a two-game series with the Springboks women next month. The second-ranked Canadian women, who were scheduled to leave Friday, take on No. 12 South Africa on July 5 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria and July 12 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha. 'The players and staff are all excited to get down to South Africa to continue our preparations for the Rugby World Cup,' Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. 'Three weeks of training together and another two test matches will go a long way to ensure our squad is ready.' After the South Africa tour, Canada plays the ninth-ranked United States on Aug. 1 in Ottawa and No. 5 Ireland on Aug. 9 in Dublin. The Canadian women open the World Cup in England against No. 15 Fiji on Aug. 23 in York, then face No. 10 Wales on Aug. 30 in Manchester and No. 7 Scotland on Sept. 6 in Exeter. Goede has not played since tearing her anterior cruciate ligament on June 21, 2024, in a non-contact scrimmage against the United States on the last day of a Canada sevens camp in Chula Vista, Calif. The tour roster includes three uncapped players in Taylor McKnight, Holly Phillips and Carissa Norsten, who has represented Canada in sevens play. McKnight, a hooker from Stouffville, Ont., played for the University of Guelph last season. Phillips, a prop from Canmore, Alta., played in England for the Bristol Bears. Norsten was named the HSBC SVNS Series rookie of the year in 2024. Canada is 12-5-1 since the last World Cup. Four of the losses were to top-ranked England, with the other to New Zealand. That record has earned Rouet a contract extension through 2027. 'I am very excited for the opportunity to continue coaching this group of amazing players,' said Rouet. 'This gives the team and myself confidence going into the World Cup.' After three years as an assistant coach, the French-born Rouet took charge of the team in March 2022. He has led the Canadian women to a 21-8-1 record and the 2024 Pacific Four Series title, with a first-ever win over defending world champion New Zealand. 'Kevin has done outstanding work with our women's program, and we would like to recognize his great commitment to developing a world-class team and the culture he has built within his squad,' Rugby Canada CEO Nathan Bombrys said in a statement. 'We are pleased to be able to secure one of the world's top international coaches in Kevin for another two years and continue to work with him as he leads our women's program onto new heights.' Rouet was given a contract extension in April 2023 that ran through the 2025 World Cup. Canada Tour Squad Forwards Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney O'Donnell, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Holly Phillips, Canmore, Alta., Bristol Bears (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Mikiela Nelson, North Vancouver, Exeter Chiefs (England); Olivia DeMerchant, Mapledale, N.B., Halifax Tars RFC; Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rachel Smith, South Surrey, B.C., UBC; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Sophie de Goede, Victoria, Saracens (England); Taylor McKnight, Stouffville, Ont., Aurora Barbarians; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England). Backs Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., Saracens (England); Carissa Norsten, Waldheim, Sask., University of Victoria; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Florence Symonds, Vancouver, UBC; Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que., Stade Bordelais (France); Krissy Scurfield, Canmore, Alta., Loughborough Lightning (England); Madison Grant, Cornwall, Ont., Cornwall Claymores; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England). —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025 Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
De Goede to lead 32-player rugby tour party as Canada takes on Springbok women
Recovered from knee surgery, Canada captain Sophie de Goede leads a 32-player tour squad to South Africa for a two-game series with the Springboks women next month. The second-ranked Canadian women, who were scheduled to leave Friday, take on No. 12 South Africa on July 5 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria and July 12 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha. 'The players and staff are all excited to get down to South Africa to continue our preparations for the Rugby World Cup,' Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. 'Three weeks of training together and another two test matches will go a long way to ensure our squad is ready.' After the South Africa tour, Canada plays the ninth-ranked United States on Aug. 1 in Ottawa and No. 5 Ireland on Aug. 9 in Dublin. The Canadian women open the World Cup in England against No. 15 Fiji on Aug. 23 in York, then face No. 10 Wales on Aug. 30 in Manchester and No. 7 Scotland on Sept. 6 in Exeter. Goede has not played since tearing her anterior cruciate ligament on June 21, 2024, in a non-contact scrimmage against the United States on the last day of a Canada sevens camp in Chula Vista, Calif. The tour roster includes three uncapped players in Taylor McKnight, Holly Phillips and Carissa Norsten, who has represented Canada in sevens play. McKnight, a hooker from Stouffville, Ont., played for the University of Guelph last season. Phillips, a prop from Canmore, Alta., played in England for the Bristol Bears. Norsten was named the HSBC SVNS Series rookie of the year in 2024. Canada is 12-5-1 since the last World Cup. Four of the losses were to top-ranked England, with the other to New Zealand. That record has earned Rouet a contract extension through 2027. 'I am very excited for the opportunity to continue coaching this group of amazing players,' said Rouet. 'This gives the team and myself confidence going into the World Cup.' After three years as an assistant coach, the French-born Rouet took charge of the team in March 2022. He has led the Canadian women to a 21-8-1 record and the 2024 Pacific Four Series title, with a first-ever win over defending world champion New Zealand. 'Kevin has done outstanding work with our women's program, and we would like to recognize his great commitment to developing a world-class team and the culture he has built within his squad,' Rugby Canada CEO Nathan Bombrys said in a statement. 'We are pleased to be able to secure one of the world's top international coaches in Kevin for another two years and continue to work with him as he leads our women's program onto new heights.' Rouet was given a contract extension in April 2023 that ran through the 2025 World Cup. Canada Tour Squad Forwards Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney O'Donnell, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Holly Phillips, Canmore, Alta., Bristol Bears (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Mikiela Nelson, North Vancouver, Exeter Chiefs (England); Olivia DeMerchant, Mapledale, N.B., Halifax Tars RFC; Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rachel Smith, South Surrey, B.C., UBC; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Sophie de Goede, Victoria, Saracens (England); Taylor McKnight, Stouffville, Ont., Aurora Barbarians; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England). Backs Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., Saracens (England); Carissa Norsten, Waldheim, Sask., University of Victoria; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Florence Symonds, Vancouver, UBC; Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que., Stade Bordelais (France); Krissy Scurfield, Canmore, Alta., Loughborough Lightning (England); Madison Grant, Cornwall, Ont., Cornwall Claymores; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England). — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025
International Business Times
16 hours ago
- Politics
- International Business Times
Who Is Catherine Perez-Shakdam? The 'Mossad' Spy Who Reportedly Helped Israel Strike Iran From Within
In what is being called one of the most precise and damaging operations in recent memory, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on June 13, 2025. The nighttime aerial assault involved warplanes and drones breaching Iranian airspace, targeting key military and missile infrastructures. The operation was not just a military success—it was also an intelligence triumph years in the making. At the center of it all is Catherine Perez-Shakdam, a French-born Mossad agent who penetrated deep into Iran's leadership circles. Reports suggest that the operation led to the deaths of nearly 15 senior Iranian commanders. While the strike seemed sudden to the world, Israeli intelligence had spent years crafting this mission. Much of its success is now being credited to Shakdam, a woman whose journey from Paris to Tehran reads like a modern-day spy thriller. Catherine Perez-Shakdam was raised in a secular Jewish family in France. In a carefully planned move, she married a Muslim Yemeni man she met in London, converted to Islam, and eventually moved to Yemen. Her transformation gave her a new identity, allowing her to write for regional media and gradually earn credibility as a voice sympathetic to Iran. By 2017, she was working as a journalist with Russian state broadcaster RT and had started forming links with Iran's top brass. Shakdam was eventually invited to Iran, where she not only embraced Shia Islam publicly but was also given access to influential government officials. She met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, General Qassem Soleimani, and later President Ebrahim Raisi. Over time, she gained the trust of key regime members, particularly the wives of top military officials. Using her charm and journalistic cover, Shakdam was allowed into homes, meetings, and even sensitive military zones. While publicly penning articles that aligned with Iran's ideological views, she secretly collected valuable intelligence. Photographs she took and articles she wrote were used as tools to feed data back to Israel. Her writings even appeared on Khamenei's official website before being swiftly erased once her identity was exposed. Catherine's exact whereabouts remain unknown. She disappeared just three days before the June 13 attack. Iran has since launched a nationwide manhunt and executed several suspected collaborators. Some believe she has assumed a new identity and is living under the radar, continuing to work for Israeli intelligence. Her story has become a symbol of high-stakes espionage—where a single individual, through calculated deception, charm, and intelligence, can reshape the course of geopolitical conflicts. Shakdam's case underscores how warfare today isn't just fought with weapons, but also with information and infiltration.
Edinburgh Reporter
3 days ago
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Martindale takes summer signings to eight
Ambitious Livingston FC have signed two players in the last 48 hours. German national Jannik Wanner, who joins from Austrian side SKU Amstetten, and Mo Sylla, from William Hill Premiership rivals, Dundee. That takes David Martindale's recruitment to eight and Wanner joins on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The 25-year-old was born in Haiti and arrives at the Home of the Set Fare Arena following a career in Germany and Austria. He made his senior debut with TSV Berg, winning promotion and scoring three goals, before switching to Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz. Wanner then moved to FV Illertissen making 44 appearances for the German side with performances that had his previous club, Bregenz, interested. He moved back to them and made 30 appearances before being signed by SKU Amstetten. Martindale (pictured) was impressed with his tally of ten goals in 32 games and his signing comes 24-hours after the club confirmed the capture of Sylla who also joins on a three-year contract. The 31-year-old midfielder spent two seasons with the Tayside club, making 67 appearances. The French-born player started his career at L'Entente SSG, making 115 appearances and scoring six goals before moving to England to join Oldham Athletic. He spent a season with The Owls before returning to France to join Laval. Sylla arrived back in Britain to join Aldershot Town and his outstanding performances earned a move to Hartlepool United where he played on 42 occasions in League Two. Dundee moved in he signed a two-year deal with the Tayside team. He was and a fans favourite at Dens Park and Martindale hopes the talented player can become one in West Lothian. Meanwhile, Livingston returned for pre-season training this week and the club have also renewed their stadium naming deal with local taxi firm, Home of the Set Fare, and appointed George Cairns as Academy Director. He is described as a 'vastly experienced youth development professional'. Like this: Like Related
Montreal Gazette
7 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Libman: Quebec Liberals gamble on Rodriguez. Will voters?
Did Quebec Liberals shoot themselves in the foot last weekend? Pablo Rodriguez, a former MP and minister under Justin Trudeau, narrowly won the leadership of the provincial party over pharmacist and former head of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Charles Milliard. The Liberals face an uphill challenge. To win next year's election, they must wrestle back the support of francophone voters who make up 80 per cent of the electorate. For the past several years, francophone support has been languishing at or below 10 per cent. The Liberals are largely the default party for non-francophones concentrated primarily in the Montreal area. Montreal Island and Laval, however, comprise only 33 of 125 ridings. As the Coalition Avenir Québec and Parti Québécois have shown, you can win elections without Montreal, but you can't win without the overwhelmingly francophone regions covering the rest of Quebec. Rodriguez came to Quebec as a refugee from Argentina at eight years old, not speaking French or English. He became involved politically in the provincial Liberal youth wing before jumping to federal politics. He is affable and a good organizer with political experience who knows how to say the right things. Is that the right recipe, though, to save the Liberals? According to polls, most voters crave change from the CAQ government, and with the Liberals in limbo, had been parking their votes with the PQ — despite a commitment by its leader to hold a sovereignty referendum most Quebecers don't want. Rodriguez will undoubtedly hammer away at the PQ's referendum pledge as adding more uncertainty in an uncertain world. And when asked how he will win over the regions, he duly responds that all Quebecers want good government. More than rhetoric, though, he will need to start showing some substance on major issues, particularly the economy, health care and education — areas of failure by the existing government. His campaign website has several broad commitments but is short on specifics. Rodriguez's challenge, however, may go beyond just that. In the history of Quebec, only one premier — French-born Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière (1878-'79) — wasn't born in the province (though René Lévesque was born in a hospital in Campbellton, N.B., across the bay from his Quebec home in New Carlisle.) Electoral politics, like it or not, often includes an element of voting for someone with whom you identify — linguistically, culturally, ethnically. In Quebec's regions, where the population is much less diverse and typically more nationalistic, a native son could articulate immigration or economic policies, for example, without the message's focus being potentially blurred by their roots or nationality or mother-tongue. On language issues, Rodriguez has recently been criticizing the CAQ government's actions as divisive, saying he would modify Bill 96 by eliminating two irritants — the search and seizure provisions and six-month grace period for immigrants to receive government services in English. He also promises to reverse tuition hikes that penalize English universities, and he opposes the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause. But as he inevitably faces pressure to solidify his pro-Quebec credentials or acknowledge 'the decline of French,' will the standard recoil reflex to throw anglophones under the bus kick in? He certainly didn't object to Bill 96 as Trudeau's Quebec Lieutenant, and he supported the Official Languages Act revision (C-13) that compromises minority-language protections for Quebec anglophones. Rodriguez beat other strong leadership candidates, but many party members may have supported him based on a Léger poll showing the Liberals under his direction had the best chance of rivalling the PQ. However, that poll may have been skewed by the name-recognition effect at the time. Any new leader, once chosen, inevitably grows in stature. Few Canadians knew Mark Carney a year ago. Rodriguez has positive attributes and a compelling life story. In choosing him, though, Liberals are challenging history — and gambling that Quebec voters are prepared to do the same.
