Ukraine: the Zaporizhzhia power plant disconnected, Washington warns

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in the occupied zone in southern Ukraine, has been “disconnected” from the Ukrainian grid, according to Kiev, with the United States warning Russia against diversion of the energy produced that would be “unacceptable.” On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ordering to increase the number of soldiers in the army by 10% (+ 137,000 soldiers), in the midst of an offensive against Ukraine and against a background of growing tensions with Western countries.

At the center of all concerns due to mutually blamed Russian and Ukrainian bombing, the Zaporizhzhia power plant was “completely disconnected” from the grid after damage to the power lines caused by fires, the Ukrainian state company Energoatom announced.

Visit to Algeria: Macron wants to focus on young entrepreneurs and start-ups

French President Emmanuel Macron continues a three-day visit to Algeria on Friday, aimed at “building the future” without hiding anything from the colonial past, with a focus on young entrepreneurs and start-ups. In the morning, the Head of State will visit the Saint-Eugène European Cemetery, the main cemetery of the capital at the time of the French colonization of Algeria, to pay tribute to the soldiers “who died for France.”

On Thursday, on the first day of his visit, he paid tribute to the Algerian martyrs of the war of independence (1954-62) against France. Algiers and Paris will create “a joint commission of historians” to “look at this entire historical period”, “from the beginning of colonization to the war of liberation, without taboos, with a desire (...) for full access to our archives,” Macron said.

Auction: Microsoft co-founder's art collection valued at over $1 billion

The collection of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is going to be auctioned at a sale organized by Christie's in New York in November, the auction house announced Thursday, which estimates it at more than $1 billion, which would be an all-time record. More than 150 works will be offered, including the painting “La Montagne Sainte-Victoire” by the French painter Paul Cézanne, estimated at more than 100 million dollars, according to a press release.

In addition to Cézanne, one of Paul Allen's “Small False Start” trophies by American painter Jasper Johns is estimated at over $50 million, according to the New York Times. Christie's did not disclose any other pieces, but a traveling exhibition set up in 2016 using Paul Allen's collection provides a glimpse of its wealth. There would be canvases by Monet, Manet, Brueghel the Younger, Klimt, Hockney or Richter. All of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to charity, according to Christie's.

Champions League: Paris and Marseille can breathe

Paris and Marseille very well off: PSG, which inherited Juventus Turin as their main opponent, and especially OM, which fell into a group without a real cador, were particularly spared the draw from the Champions League group stage in Istanbul on Thursday. PSG and its star-studded squad, for whom C1 is the main objective of the season, had little to fear. With Juve alone as a serious opponent in Group H, the French champion can rest easy with a view to qualifying for the round of 16, a constant for the club since 2012-2013. They will also face Benfica Lisbon and Israel's Maccabi Haifa.

On the side of Marseille, placed in hat 4, there was a cold sweat before the draw. But the leaders of Marseille are breathing. The runner-up to PSG last season in Ligue 1 will play in a group D within his reach with Eintracht Frankfurt, the German winners of the Europa League in 2022, England's Tottenham and Sporting Portugal.

IN SHORT

The US military announced on Thursday that it had killed four pro-Iranian fighters in 24 hours in eastern Syria, during an operation to deter Iranian-backed armed groups from continuing to attack its bases in the region.

A week after the deadly winds that hit Corsica, the government announced the deployment of five weather buoys to better predict storms.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva admitted on Friday that there had been corruption at the state-owned oil company Petrobras during his presidential terms (2003—2010) and promised to investigate any irregularities if he was elected head of state in October.

Nice beat Maccabi Tel-Aviv (2-0) after extra time thanks to a feat by Alexis Beka Beka, on Thursday night in the Europa Conference League play-offs, and qualified for the group stage of the competition.