分类： society

At the Sciences Po Saint-Germain campus on the outskirts of Paris, an unconventional academic program operates behind intimidating metal gates and dour 20th-century buildings. Here, Professor Xavier Crettiez conducts classes where many students use pseudonyms—because they are active French intelligence agents undergoing training alongside traditional university students.

The unique Diploma of Intelligence and Global Threats (Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales) represents a collaborative effort between the prestigious university and France’s intelligence training arm, Académie du Renseignement. Established a decade ago following a government request that gained urgency after the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, the program serves dual purposes: training potential new spies while providing continuous professional development for current agents.

The four-month intensive course comprises 120 hours of instruction covering critical topics including organized crime economics, Islamic jihadism, business intelligence gathering, and political violence. With tuition set at approximately €5,000 for external participants, the program attracts both government agents typically aged 35-50 and conventional students in their early 20s.

Professor Crettiez notes the significant expansion of French intelligence services, now numbering approximately 20,000 agents across major agencies including the DGSE (overseas intelligence, equivalent to MI6/CIA) and DGSI (domestic security, equivalent to MI5/FBI). Beyond counterterrorism, the curriculum addresses growing concerns about financial crimes, with Tracfin—France’s money laundering intelligence agency—playing an increasingly important role against surging mafia activity in southern France.

The program’s practical relevance has attracted substantial corporate interest. Major French companies including mobile operator Orange, defense giant Thales, and luxury conglomerate LVMH actively recruit graduates to combat escalating cybersecurity threats, corporate espionage, and sabotage attempts. Even energy titan EDF contributes instructional expertise.

Current enrollment stands at 28 students, including six intelligence professionals who maintain noticeable discretion during breaks. These agents describe the program as a potential fast-track to promotion from office work to field operations. Meanwhile, younger students like 21-year-old Alexandre Hubert seek understanding of economic tensions between Europe and China, while Valentine Guillot draws inspiration from French spy television dramas.

Notably, nearly half the students are women—a significant shift according to technology-in-espionage specialist Sebastien-Yves Laurent. “Women’s interest in intelligence gathering is new,” he observes, noting their motivation to “provide for a better world” and a renewed patriotism among young applicants.

Despite this openness, security remains paramount. French citizenship is essentially required (though some dual citizens are accepted), and applications from suspiciously qualified Russian or Israeli candidates are immediately rejected. The program’s discreet nature was evident in a recent class photo where several students—presumably active agents—chose to stand with their backs to the camera.

Professor Crettiez emphasizes that despite the athletic appearance of many participants, most intelligence careers remain desk-bound, contradicting popular James Bond fantasies. The reality of modern espionage involves meticulous risk analysis rather than cinematic adventure, preparing graduates for the complex security challenges of the contemporary world.

Eva Schloss, the stepsister of Anne Frank and renowned Holocaust survivor who dedicated her life to combating prejudice through education, has passed away in London at age 96. The Anne Frank Trust UK, which she co-founded, confirmed her death on January 3rd.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla led global tributes, expressing profound sadness at her passing. In an official statement, the monarch reflected: “The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend and yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience through her tireless work.”

Schloss’s harrowing journey began when her family fled Nazi-occupied Austria for the Netherlands, only to be captured after two years in hiding. Like the Frank family, they were deported to concentration camps. While Schloss and her mother survived Auschwitz, her father and brother perished in captivity.

Following liberation by Soviet forces in 1945, Schloss returned to Amsterdam where her mother married Otto Frank, Anne’s father, making Eva the posthumous stepsister of the iconic diarist. This connection shaped her life’s mission: ensuring the world would never forget the Holocaust’s atrocities.

Over four decades, Schloss became a powerful voice for tolerance education, addressing countless young audiences across Europe. Her message was consistently clear: “Each person you convince not to be racist is a positive.” She co-founded the Anne Frank Trust UK, where Queen Camilla serves as Patron, and worked extensively with Holocaust memorial organizations globally.

Schloss’s legacy intertwines with that of Anne Frank, whose diary has sold over 30 million copies in 70 languages. Together, their stories form a dual testimony to both the unimaginable cruelty of the Holocaust and the resilience of the human spirit.

After studying photography in London, she married fellow Holocaust survivor Zvi Schloss in 1951. The couple established their life in Britain, becoming citizens and raising a family. Schloss is survived by her daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.

A far-left activist organization known as the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) has publicly admitted to orchestrating a destructive arson assault on Berlin’s electrical infrastructure, plunging approximately 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses into darkness during sub-zero temperatures over the weekend. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday when incendiary devices ignited multiple cables on a bridge adjacent to a gas-fired power plant in south-west Berlin. Although emergency crews rapidly extinguished the flames, the damage inflicted was severe enough to trigger a massive power outage.

Berlin’s mayor vehemently condemned what authorities are describing as a premeditated act of domestic terrorism, emphasizing that suspected left-wing extremists knowingly jeopardized human lives, particularly vulnerable patients dependent on medical equipment in hospitals and care facilities. Emergency response teams immediately deployed backup generators to critical healthcare institutions and initiated patient transfers to facilities with operational power capacity within the capital region.

By Sunday afternoon, restoration efforts had successfully reconnected approximately 10,000 households and 300 businesses, though officials from Berlin’s electricity operator indicated full recovery would require until Thursday. The extended outage has forced the closure of some schools scheduled to resume classes after Christmas holidays, disrupting educational continuity for numerous students.

In an online manifesto, the Vulkangruppe framed their assault as an ‘act of self-defense’ against fossil fuel economies, expressing particular apology to economically disadvantaged residents while displaying open contempt for affluent homeowners. German police investigating the incident have assessed the group’s claim as ‘plausible,’ noting the organization’s previous involvement in a similar attack that disrupted operations at Tesla’s Berlin manufacturing facility in 2024.

The picturesque Swiss Alpine town of Saint Christopher remains shrouded in grief as hundreds gathered for a solemn memorial Mass honoring victims of the catastrophic New Year’s Eve blaze at Le Constellation nightclub. Amid snow-covered streets and the continuous operation of tourist cable cars in the background, the community confronted the devastating reality that claimed dozens of young lives.

Forensic teams continue the painstaking process of identifying victims through DNA analysis and dental records, as many remains were severely damaged in the intense fire. Families who had clung to hope for days now receive the most tragic confirmation, with police having identified over 20 victims despite the challenges posed by the fire’s destruction.

Laetitia Brodard, whose teenage son Arthur perished in the incident, attended the service surrounded by supportive friends. Having previously circulated his photograph online in desperate searches, she confirmed his passing with the heartbreaking tribute: ‘He died that first day’ and later expressed on social media that Arthur had ‘gone to party in paradise.’

The emotional service witnessed multiple attendees collapsing from overwhelming grief as the community remembered those lost and those still hospitalized with critical burns. Following the Mass, a silent procession advanced toward the fire site, now concealed behind white screening but surrounded by an expanding shrine of flowers, candles, and handwritten notes bearing photographs of victims.

In a poignant moment, uniformed rescue workers received spontaneous applause as they arrived at the memorial site arm-in-arm. One emotional first responder, who contemplated leaving his profession after the tragedy, revealed that the experience had forged an unbreakable bond among emergency personnel: ‘I need them, and they need me. All my thoughts are for the victims and their families.’

Criminal investigators have launched proceedings against the French couple operating the establishment, suspecting them of negligent homicide, arson, and bodily harm. Video evidence appears to show staff delivering champagne bottles with ignited sparklers while elevated on shoulders, with sparks subsequently igniting soundproofing foam ceiling materials that accelerated the fire’s spread.

Authorities are examining multiple safety considerations including compliance with material flammability standards, potential overcrowding, emergency exit accessibility from the basement venue, and the availability of functional fire extinguishers. Additional footage reveals tragic attempts by patrons to extinguish flames using clothing items, while others initially continued dancing and recording rather than evacuating.

Despite the profound sorrow, community members expressed determination for accountability rather than anger. ‘We believe the police will do their work well and we hope there is justice,’ stated Diana, who attended the memorial while friends remain hospitalized fighting for survival.

BERLIN — Critical power infrastructure in southwest Berlin has sustained severe damage from a fire that authorities have attributed to politically motivated left-wing extremists, triggering an extensive multi-day blackout affecting tens of thousands of residents and businesses.

The incident occurred Saturday morning when a cable bridge spanning the Teltow Canal near the Lichterfelde power plant was deliberately set ablaze. Initial impact assessments indicated approximately 45,000 households and 2,200 commercial enterprises across four districts lost electricity, with subsequent disruptions to heating systems and internet connectivity throughout the affected regions.

Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey characterized the situation as exceptionally severe, noting the outage impacted critical infrastructure including healthcare facilities, hospitals, and numerous social service institutions alongside residential and commercial properties.

Despite restoration efforts that have reconnected thousands of households by Sunday, municipal authorities project many residents could remain without power until Thursday. Restoration operations have been significantly hampered by adverse winter conditions, with snowfall and subfreezing temperatures complicating repair efforts while exacerbating hardships for affected citizens.

Law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident as a deliberate act of arson, drawing parallels to a similar September power outage in southeast Berlin where radical activists previously claimed responsibility. Authorities are currently verifying the authenticity of a responsibility claim letter associated with the latest attack.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, quoted by German news agencies, unequivocally identified the perpetrators as left-wing extremists, condemning the attack on essential energy infrastructure as an unacceptable endangerment of public safety.