The French government on Sunday accused the Greens' Mayor of Lyon of insulting butchers and harming the health of children by keeping meat off the menu for school lunches in the city.
Mayor Gregory Doucet defended the decision, saying a single menu without meat ensured smooth service at lunchtimes with social distancing enforced by the Covid-19 crisis.
But the government criticised the mayor, who was one of several Green politicians to win control of major cities in last year's local elections, which were regarded as a drubbing for the party of President Emmanuel Macron.
Lyon is considered to be the culinary capital of the country and is famed for its hearty meat-based cuisine.
"Let's stop putting ideology on our children's plates," Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie wrote on Twitter.
"Let's just give them what they need to grow well … meat is part of it."
Mr Denormandie said he asked the region's prefect, the state-appointed top local official, to overrule the move.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said it was an "unacceptable insult" for French farmers and butchers.
"We can see that the moralising and elitist policy of the Greens excludes the popular classes," Mr Darmanin said.
"Many children often only get to eat meat at the school canteen."
Mr Doucet hit back on Twitter, saying the decision was made "solely" because of the health crisis and that his right-wing predecessor, Gerard Collomb, had taken "exactly the same measure" in the first wave of the pandemic.
He said the menu, which includes fish and egg products, was "balanced for all our schoolchildren".
Mr Doucet is not the first of the new breed of Green mayors to court controversy.
Last year the Mayor of Bordeaux, Pierre Hurmic, decided to scrap the city's traditional Christmas tree as part of his pro-environment agenda, saying he was "not going to put dead trees in our squares".
And Mr Doucet raised eyebrows by saying the most French of sporting events, the Tour de France, was "macho and polluting", and not welcome back in the city as long as it was not "environmentally responsible".
Kanguva
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
COMPANY%20PROFILE
LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
MO
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Why seagrass matters
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- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Company%20Profile
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
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RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
