By Ernest Scheyder and Eric Onstad Refining rare earths for the green energy transition is hard. Just ask

The mother of a 17-year-old who was killed during a traffic stop in France led a protest Sunday to call for justice after after the police officer suspected in the fatal shooting of her son was released from custody pending further investigation. The death of Nahel Merzouk June touched off rioting around the country that highlighted anger over police violence, poverty and discrimination against people with immigrant backgrounds. Merzouk was of North African origin. A few hundred people rallied Sunday at the site where he was killed, Nelson Mandela Square in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Police vans lined nearby streets. Shouts briefly erupted when objects were thrown at police, but the gathering was overall peaceful. The late teenager's mother, Mounia, choked with emotion as she described missing her son. She led the group in chants of ‘’Justice for Nahel.'' Those in the crowd included people who have experienced police violence, such as music producer Michel Zecler, as well as left-wing activists and mothers fearful their children could experience the same fate as Merzouk. Several described dismay at a far-right crowdfunding campaign that raised $1.6 million for the police officer before he got out of custody. "We don’t understand his release,'' Nanterre resident Nadia Essa said. ‘’It's a bad signal to young people.'' She said she refused to let her 17-year-old son, who has Moroccan roots, go out for weeks after Merzouk’s death. ‘’We are longer comforted when we pass by the police.'' Video of the day Merzouk died showed two motorcycle officers at the window of the car he was driving, one with his gun pointed at the teenager. As the car pulled forward, the officer fired. The officer, who has been identified only as Florian M., was jailed two days later and given a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide. On Wednesday, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office said magistrates concluded that his continued detention “no longer fulfills the legal criteria” under which he was held. Preliminary charges in French law mean magistrates have strong reason to suspect wrongdoing but allow more time for further investigation. It is unclear whether or when the case will go to trial. Protests over Merzouk's death quickly morphed into rioting that spread to towns around France, driven by a mainly teenage backlash against a French state that many say routinely discriminates against them, and amplified by social networks. The mayhem subsided after a massive police deployment, and left 100 million euros ($109 million) in damage to schools, stores and other public buildings, many of which have not been repaired. The government has promised a raft of measures in response to the summer events, mostly focused on tougher policing and prosecution. ’’We all know someone in our families or entourage who has been touched by police violence, because you are Arab or Black,'' Ibrahim Assebbane, a 22-year-old computer science student from Nanterre, said during Sunday's protest. ‘’The only time they heard us was when there were riots,'' Assebbane said. "We don't support that, but we understand'' where the anger was coming from. Read More Reports say Russell Brand interviewed by British police over claims of sexual offenses Investigators probe for motive behind shooting at New Hampshire psychiatric hospital A hat worn by Napoleon fetches $1.6 million at an auction of the French emperor's belongings AP Top 25: Ohio State jumps Michigan, moves to No. 2. Washington, FSU flip-flop at Nos. 4-5 US calls Nicaragua's decision to leave Organization of American States a 'step away from democracy' Fires in Brazil threaten jaguars, houses and plants in the world's largest tropical wetlands

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss, Tommy Wilkes and Simon Jessop BOSTON Exxon Mobil's $60 billion bid for Pioneer Natural Resources

More than 300 Pakistani nationals have been killed in the sinking of a packed trawler off the coast of Greece, the latest tragedy to expose the refugee crisis confronting the European Union as tens of thousands seek sanctuary from war, persecution and poverty.

Apple has unveiled its first-ever augmented reality headset, and it's giving people the creeps over how futuristic it is. The headset has a two-hour battery life, and will cost $3,499 (£2,849), when it's released next year. Functionality includes watching TV, being able to use your favourite apps in a 3D setting, FaceTime calls, and using a keyboard, with CEO Tim Cook saying it's the ultimate way to 'blend the digital and virtual' worlds. However, fans have been quick to point out it looks like the start of a Black Mirror episode. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Nigeriens face deepening uncertainty about whether a regional bloc will follow through on its threat to use military force to try to reinstall ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, nearly two weeks after mutinous soldiers overthrew the democratically elected leader

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England midfielder Georgia Stanway vowed the Lionesses would carry on fighting for top spot on the planet after finishing runners-up to Spain in the World Cup final in Sydney. The Lionesses were among the pre-tournament favourites in Australia and New Zealand, with punters pointing to their dominant run to last summer’s European title, but injuries to Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby and the retirement of Ellen White left Sarina Wiegman without four players who started every match of that triumph before she even named her World Cup squad. Wiegman barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief after learning key midfielder Keira Walsh’s knee injury, sustained in England’s second group-stage encounter, was not as serious as initially suspected before the influential Lauren James was sent off in the last 16 and issued a two-match ban. Stanway said after the 1-0 loss to Spain: “I think we can be proud. The last nine weeks, seven games, to wear a silver, it’s special. “It’s hard to watch another team celebrate when it’s your goal and your dream. When the dust settled, we’ll be really proud of this. “We hope everyone is really proud of us back at home. We hope we’ve inspired many many people. We’re the Lionesses, so we won’t stop what we’re doing, we’ll continue to break barriers, we’ll continue to push on.” Stanway was one of seven players named to Wiegman’s 23-woman squad who had also featured four years ago in France, where the Lionesses finished fourth. We’re the Lionesses, so we won’t stop what we’re doing, we’ll continue to break barriers, we’ll continue to push on. Georgia Stanway They guaranteed themselves an upgrade on their previous best finish, third at the 2015 tournament in Canada, when they knocked out co-hosts Australia with a 3-1 victory in the semi-final. But on Sunday in front of a capacity 75,784 crowd at Stadium Australia they could not quite get the job done, coming agonisingly close to a momentum-shifting goal when Lauren Hemp pinged an effort off the crossbar early in the first half. And after 29 minutes, Spain captain Olga Carmona struck the ultimately decisive strike past Mary Earps, who would go on to add a World Cup Golden Glove trophy to her 2022 FIFA Best award and save Jennifer Hermoso’s second-half penalty to give England a chance of staging a comeback that never came. Stanway, who successfully converted a penalty to secure England a 1-0 victory against Haiti in their tournament opener, admitted she was “a little too upset to listen” to Wiegman’s post-match chat, adding, “in those moments, it’s regrouping, realising how far we’ve come in this group. We’ve faced a lot in this tournament, before the tournament, people probably didn’t have us written to be in this situation, so to reach a World Cup final is achievement alone.” Defender Lucy Bronze, alongside Alex Greenwood, was one of just two Lionesses to have lived through the heartbreaks of 2015 and 2019 and after the loss admitted she was “just deflated”. The defender, who plays with nine of the Spain squad at Barcelona, added: “Obviously we went into the World Cup wanting to win it and we were so close, but in the end we couldn’t quite get it over the line. “I think we showed that, against adversity, we showed up. We were determined and resilient throughout the tournament – even before the tournament with missing a lot of players through injury and having a couple of different things happen throughout the tournament. We showed resilience to carry on and keep going and fighting. “I think I am proud of what the girls have achieved, what we have achieved, but I think everybody that knows me knows that I only like gold medals.” Kirby, Williamson and Mead could all return to tournament football should a Team GB qualify for next summer’s Paris Olympics through UEFA’s new Nations League, which begins in September. At 31, Bronze is one of the older members of Wiegman’s squad, but when asked if she would need to take some time to think about going for another trophy immediately, retorted: “I am not retiring from England if that is what you mean. “Olympics is always the goal, even if we would have won this tournament. The Nations League was the goal, the Olympics is the goal. “That’s a different team to this England team. The goal is always to win tournaments with this team. We have shown that we can do that. We have made a final today as well. There is no reason why the team can’t go and create more legacies and more winning legacies.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aston Villa bounce back from opening league defeat to demolish dismal Everton We gave everything – Sarina Wiegman so proud despite ‘hard to take’ final defeat World Cup final in pictures: England fall to agonising defeat against Spain

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WASHINGTON The U.S. Labor Department said on Friday that Hostess Brands is facing a $298,000 penalty after federal

Virgil van Dijk has been charged by the FA for his conduct after his red card in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Newcastle.