George Bennett admits he’s been left behind a bit recently but the 27-year-old New Zealander is determined to catch up. Bennett used to rub shoulders with the likes of two-time Grand Tour winner Nairo Quintana and last year’s Tour runner-up from France, Romain Bardet in the junior sections. But while his two peers have gone … Read more
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Belgium’s ban on face veils does not violate the European Convention on Human Rights. It was a ruling in a case brought by two women who wanted to wear the niqab veil, which covers all but the eyes. Belgium banned the wearing of partial or total … Read more
The United States on Tuesday threatened sanctions against the Democratic Republic of Congo if elections are not held this year and urged the UN Security Council to punish those responsible for a flareup of violence. Under a deal reached last year and backed by the Security Council, President Joseph Kabila was allowed to remain in … Read more
Three Siberian tigers rescued in Lebanon from an attempt to smuggle them into war-ravaged Syria were being resettled to France on Tuesday, an animal rights group said. The tigers were put in the care of Animals Lebanon in March after being found dehydrated and stuffed into a single wooden crate at Beirut’s international airport. They … Read more
The International Olympic Committee agreed Tuesday to award the 2024 and 2028 Games at the same time, effectively guaranteeing that Paris and Los Angeles will be the hosts. The French capital is tipped to stage 2024, with the California metropolis having hinted that it was prepared to wait four more years. The two cities were … Read more
A group of far-right activists has hired a vessel to patrol the Mediterranean and prevent would-be migrants from reaching Europe, organisers said Tuesday. The “Defend Europe” vigilante scheme was announced by anti-immigration campaigners from France, Italy and Germany after they managed to crowd-fund the 76,000 euros ($87,000) needed to rent a boat. The plan aims … Read more
Six weeks after welcoming Russia’s Vladimir Putin to France at the Palace of Versailles, new French President Emmanuel Macron will use history and his country’s grandeur to try to charm Donald Trump on Thursday. In London, Berlin, Brussels and Paris, European leaders are wondering how best to handle the unpredictable US president, whose nationalist “America … Read more
Sudan could fall back into war if Washington fails to lift decades-old sanctions, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour has said, insisting that Khartoum sees the embargo as “unacceptable”. US President Donald Trump is due to decide Wednesday whether to permanently lift the sanctions, which his predecessor Barack Obama eased in January. Obama made their removal dependent … Read more
The European Court of Human Rights has upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the full-face niqab veil in public. The court ruled that the restriction sought to guarantee social cohesion, the ‘protection of the rights and freedoms of others’ and that it was ‘necessary in a democratic society’. Belgium banned the wearing of the full-face … Read more
Israel’s main opposition Labour party has taken a risk in electing as its new leader an ex-businessman who only joined months ago, hoping a fresh approach can topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Avi Gabbay, a 50-year-old former head of one of Israel’s largest telecommunications companies, is far from the typical leader of the party that … Read more
Arsenal are keen on in-demand Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe, manager Arsene Wenger said Tuesday, while confirming club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette will make his debut on their pre-season tour of Australia. The 18-year-old Mbappe has reportedly been the subject of world record offers from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, and has also been linked with Manchester … Read more
Political heavyweights from Paris and Los Angeles courted the International Olympic Committee on Monday ahead of a key vote likely to determine the hosts of the 2024 and 2028 Games. French President Emmanuel Macron and Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti were both in Lausanne, Switzerland, for talks with Olympic brass including IOC chief Thomas Bach. … Read more
Exceptionally warm years in the Arctic have provoked extra-cold winters and springs further to the south, decreasing crop yields across central Canada and the United States, researchers said Monday. “Our study demonstrates for the first time an apparent linkage between Arctic temperature variations and agricultural productivity in mid-latitudes,” they reported in the journal Nature Geoscience. … Read more
Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday he was committed to bringing the Olympics back to Los Angeles, while reaffirming support for a plan to award the 2024 and 2028 Games together. Garcetti made the comments in Lausanne, Switzerland — home of the International Olympic Committee — on the eve of a crunch meeting where … Read more
Iraqi forces fought to eliminate the last pockets of Islamic State group resistance in Mosul on Monday after the premier visited the devastated city to congratulate troops on securing victory. With the jihadists surrounded in a sliver of territory in Mosul’s Old City, attention was turning to the huge task of rebuilding the city and … Read more
Chinese shipping giant Cosco is set to buy its Hong Kong rival OOIL for $6.3bn (£4.9bn). The deal would make Cosco the world’s third-biggest shipping company, with more than 400 vessels. OOIL’s majority owner has accepted the bid, though the sale will still need regulatory approval. It would be the latest in a wave of … Read more
France’s finance minister urged his European counterparts Sunday to do more to chase down tax due from the European operations of US tech giants such as Google, Amazon and Facebook. Bruno Le Maire’s comments addressed an issue which has aroused fierce controversy: the complex tax arrangements of multinational corporations under fire for slashing European tax … Read more
Mosul, wrested from the Islamic State jihadist group on Sunday, is Iraq’s second city and one of its cultural jewels. The jihadists seized it in a lightning offensive in June 2014 that humiliated Iraq’s security forces, who launched their massive operation to retake it in October last year. Here are some facts about Mosul: The … Read more
Senegal kicked off campaigning Sunday for parliamentary elections later this month, with a record number of candidates vying to weaken President Macky Sall — including 91-year-old ex-leader Abdoulaye Wade. Wade, president from 2000 to 2012, has been living in France for the past several months, but was expected to return to Dakar on Monday to … Read more
Leaders from the world’s leading economies broke with U. S. President Donald Trump on climate policy at a G20 summit on Saturday, in a rare public admission of disagreement and blow to multilateral cooperation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, keen to show off her skills as a mediator two months before a German election, achieved her … Read more