Latest news with #Jean-Michel
LeMonde
10-07-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Court overturns libel convictions of two women who said French first lady was a man
A French appeals court on Thursday, July 10, overturned convictions against two women accused of libel against French First Lady Brigitte Macron, after they spread false claims she used to be a man. Disinformation on Macron's gender has circulated on social media for years. She has also been attacked over the 24-year age difference with President Emmanuel Macron. The 72-year-old first lady filed a libel complaint against two women after they posted a YouTube video in December 2021, alleging she had once been a man named Jean-Michel. In the video, defendant Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium, interviewed Natacha Rey, a self-described independent journalist, for four hours on her YouTube channel. Rey spoke about the "state lie" and "scam" she claimed to have uncovered – that a certain Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender to become Brigitte, then married the president. They discussed surgery she was supposed to have undergone, and revealed personal information about the first lady's brother, Jean-Michel. The claim went viral, including recently among conspiracy theorists in the United States. A lower court in September last year ordered the two women to pay €8,000 in damages to Macron, and €5,000 to her brother. But the Paris Appeals Court on Thursday let them off, arguing they had made the mistake in "good faith." The defendants will no longer have to pay the damages. The court did not provide further explanations. In a separate case, four men are to appear in court in October in Paris over allegations they harassed the first lady. Among the accused is Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, born in 1984, a publicist known on social media as "Zoé Sagan" often linked with conspiracy theory circles. Former US first lady Michelle Obama, ex-vice president Kamala Harris and New Zealand ex-premier Jacinda Ardern have also been the target of disinformation about their gender or sexuality.
LeMonde
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- LeMonde
As crowds grow at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, fans brush aside environmental concerns
Standing in front of the fence separating them from the track, Loïc, 67, and Jean-Michel, 62, turned their heads mechanically – first left, then right – without taking their eyes off the asphalt. The two friends came to watch a day of automotive testing on Thursday, June 12, in the run-up to the 93 rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which started on Saturday at 4 pm. "This is my first time!" said Loïc with childlike excitement, the deafening roar of cars speeding by at over 200 kilometers per hour in the background. For over a century, the world's most famous endurance car race has drawn crowds of enthusiasts to Le Mans each year. Like Loïc, more newcomers and curious spectators have flocked to both the race itself and the preliminary competitions held on the 13.6-kilometer circuit. The event, which "brought together around 250,000 people over the week ten years ago," set a new attendance record during its centennial in 2023, then reached an "unprecedented peak of 329,000 spectators in 2024," according to Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile-Club de l'Ouest (ACO, the organizing association), and brother of former prime minister François Fillon. That number climbed to 432,000 visitors when counting accredited workers and visitors under 16, who enter for free, according to data from Sarthe Tourisme and Flux Vision.
The Citizen
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘I had the greatest time' eMalahleni's blind runner shares his Comrades journey
'I had the greatest time' eMalahleni's blind runner shares his Comrades journey The dust has settled, but the Comrades fever is still running high. Just less than a week ago 22 670 runners lined up for a gruelling down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Among the athletes were eMalaheni's blind runner, Bidi Barrett, and his two guides – Jean-Michel Masson and Susan van der Spuy. All went well until cramps got the better of him 30km into the race. 'At a stage, the cramps subsided, but came back,' Bidi said. He said he tried his best, but at 73km he started dehydrating and his kidneys were sore. 'We got an anaesthetist along the way and she helped me. I was taken to hospital and spent two days under medical care.' SEE THE VIDEO HERE: Bidi in action with his two guides, Jean-Michel and Susan. When asked if he would attempt the Comrades again Bidi said, 'No, this was an amazing experience, but I must admit it was a bit too much.' Jean-Michel and Susan pushed through and ran the whole race. 'We were a bit behind schedule and picked up our pace the last few kilometres,' Jean-Michel said. SEE THE VIDEO HERE: Bidi starts to struggle. They both finished in time. 'This was an amazing race. I learned so much from Bidi. As a blind runner, you do not have distractions from other runners, it is only you and that makes it extremely difficult. I have the utmost respect for Bidi and Susan. To guide a blind runner is not easy and Susan was so gentle, comforting, and motivating. We were a great team,' Jean-Michel said. Breaking news at your fingertips … Follow WITBANK NEWS our website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok Chat to us: info@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
