Dog owners help slaughter their Labrador-Boxer cross

It is, as the regional daily Le Maine Libre reported earlier this month, unbelievable the lengths to which some people will go to rid themselves of an unwanted animal.

Rather than take their Labrador-Boxer cross Dora to the nearest animal shelter for rehoming, an elderly couple in the western French département of Sarthe helped a friend hang and stab the four-year-old dog to death before throwing her body in a river.

All three "protagonists" have admitted to what they did, but as the animal charity Fondation 30 millions d'amis writes on its website, the most likely sentence they'll receive when their case is heard by a court next month is a fine and perhaps community service.

The Loir, the river into which Dora's body was thrown (from Wikipedia, author Ted Wilkes)

The couple, both in their 70s, from the village of Lavernat could reportedly no longer cope with the spirited Dora and decided to give her to a friend living in the nearby town of Château-du-Loir.

Dora continued her naughtiness and, no longer able to tolerate her behaviour and apparent attempts to run away, the 45-year-old decided to do what any sane-thinking person would.

She hanged the dog in her garden and beat her!

But Dora survived, only to be subjected to the "helping hand" of her previous owners who stepped in and stabbed her to death with a machete.

Together, all three then tied the body to a concrete block and threw it in the river.

The corpse was discovered at the beginning of January and police were able to trace the owners by an identifying tattoo in the animal's ear.

They all admitted to what they had done and now face a court case at the beginning of February.

Because they will "plead guilty" and the case is being judged under civil code the maximum penalty they can be given is a fine or some sort of community service, which as far as Fondation 30 millions d'amis is concerned does not fit the "barbarous nature of the crime committed."

It says on its website that if the case were being tried under the penal code they would be facing a maximum of a two-year suspended sentence and 30,000 euros fine.

What the charity would like to see is a change in how a guilty plea affects possible sentencing under the civil code because "torturers of animals often go unpunished for their crimes."

French disappointment as Qatar named hosts of 2015 men's handball World Championships

There were tears from Joël Delplanque, the president of the Fédération française de handball (French handball federation, FFHB) on Thursday as France lost out to Qatar to host the 2015 World Championships

The announcement was made in Sweden where the current men's World Championships are being held, and the least that can be said of Delplanque's reaction is that he was devastated.

"I'm bitterly disappointed and I cannot find the words to describe how I feel," a tearful Delplanque told reporters immediately after Qatar had been chosen hosts on the first round of voting.

"It's unbelievable especially after our players received a standing ovation when they came to present out bid this morning," he continued.

"I just don't understand."

Joël Delplanque (screenshot from FFHB video)

Perhaps the International handball federation's (IHF) choice of Qatar was not so surprising as Europe will have played host to four consecutive World Championships by 2015 (Germany 2007, Croatia 2009, Sweden 2011 and Spain 2015).

But the French certainly felt they had the best chances. The team are currently Olympic, European and World Champions and have made it through to the semi-finals of the tournament in Sweden.

While the French reaction was one of shock, the representatives from Qatar were naturally jubilant.

"Being offered the opportunity to organise the 2015 World Championship is a dream come true," said Ahmed Mohammed Al-Shaabi, the president of Qatar's handball federation.

"Our case was very strong and handball is a very popular sport in Qatar, coming just after football."

That case includes a deal with the national airline to provide reduced travel costs for spectators wanting to attend the Championships and a desire to broaden the appeal of the sport and, as some French papers have pointed out, free iPads for IHF members.

Delplanque recognised the importance of wanting to make handball more popular, but he insisted that the IHF had overlooked the importance of the role France and its team could play in achieving that goal.

"If the IHF wants role models for the sport, they can do no better that to look at out boys," he said.

"Our team has those qualities and if you want to make the sport stronger and more popular, to raise its level, then it was obvious that the French bid was the strongest."

If the contingent representing France wasn't happy about the outcome, there was at least one French man present who was all smiles and had some sound advice for his countrymen when bidding to hold international sporting events.

"France must look at the way it presents its bid," said Michel-Jacques Filliau, a special advisor to Qatar's minister of sports.

"If it doesn't, this kind of disappointment and failure will probably happen again."


Qatar 2015 : "c'est invraisemblable"
envoyé par Europe1fr. - Regardez les dernières vidéos d'actu.

France's Rolex-wearing "Ferrari priest" is a free man

Antoine Videau was a bad man; a very, very bad man. But he won't be returning to prison.

Antoine Videau (screenshot from video on Corse Matin report)

As the regional daily Corse Matin reports, the 64-year-old, who was convicted last year of embezzlement, had his sentence reduced on Wednesday by an appeals court and is now effectively a "free man".

In place of the original three years with one year suspended, the man who has been variously dubbed the "Ferrari priest" or the "Rolex priest" in the French media has now been given two years with 16 months suspended.

As he has already served eight months, he will not be returning behind bars.

But the court also ruled that he still had to pay €1.3 million in compensation and put him on probation for three years.

For over 20 years the former priest on the island of Corsica had embezzled more than two million euros and, as the national daily France Soir writes, obviously believed that, "Charity begins with oneself."

Videau had been responsible for managing church property, and when he appeared in court last year, it became evident of just how well he had been doing his job - for his own benefit.

He had cashed in cheques from parishioners, pocketed revenue from a convent on the island which had been converted into a Chambre d'hôtes (bed and breakfast) and diverted funds from the will of an archbishop who died in 1998 and for whom he was the executor into the 28 bank accounts he held on the island nicknamed the Île de Beauté and the Côte d’Azur.

As well as proudly wearing a Rolex, he wasn't averse to turning up at Mass driving a (different) sports car and perhaps most famously organised a "cultural trip" to Las Vegas.

Speaking after Wednesday's ruling Videau's lawyer said the gap between the two decisions had given the courts time to "take measure more accurately the allegations made against his client."

"After the commotion that accompanied the original trial, this hearing was much calmer," Jean-Michel Marriagi told reporters.

"But the civil claims (for compensation) are excessive and don't respect certain rules so there will most certainly be an appeal in the court of cassation."

Hmmmn.