A French police officer who swapped himself for a hostage in a supermarket siege on Friday has died, officials say. Lt-Col Arnaud Beltrame, 45, “fell as a hero” and showed “exceptional courage”, French President Emmanuel Macron said. The gendarme helped bring an end to a gunman’s shooting spree that killed three in southern France. The … Read more
A hugely moving debut drama about exile set in a Vietnamese restaurant has become a surprise hit at the world’s biggest theatre festival, with standing ovations every night and the audience in tears. “Saigon” by Caroline Guiela Nguyen — whose family fled what is now Ho Chi Minh City in 1956 — has been hailed … Read more
Afridun Amu, the first competitor to represent Afghanistan at the World Surfing Games, had no illusions about his chances of winning at the tournament which wraps up Sunday in southern France. But mere participation while chasing the waves on the way to a modest result was enough for Amu, who hopes his exploits will help … Read more
Three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome says he was unhurt after claiming to be “rammed” by a car driver while out training in southern France. The Briton, who rides for Team Sky, posted a picture on Twitter of his damaged bike and will report the incident to local police. “Just got rammed on purpose … Read more
A trial will begin today over the publication of long-lens photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless in France. The case relates to photos printed in the glossy French magazine Closer and regional daily La Provence in September 2012. Prince William and his wife Kate were on holiday in southern France at the time … Read more
Basque militant group Eta has begun the process of handing over arms in southern France, ahead of full disarmament announced for Saturday. Basque environmentalist Txetx Etcheverry said that some weapons had already been handed in. But he provided no other details to the AFP news agency about the transfer or what arms had been handed … Read more
Three people including a 16-year-old have been charged in southern France on suspicion of planning an ‘imminent’ terror attack, judicial sources said. The three – arrested on Friday near the coastal city of Montpellier – were identified as Thomas Sauret, 20; his partner, a 16-year-old minor named only as Sarah; and Malik Hammami, 33. They … Read more
A businessman in southern France is suing ride-hailing company Uber over his wife’s discovery of rides he took to see his lover, his lawyer said. The man says he once requested an Uber driver from his wife’s phone. Despite logging off, the application continued to send notifications to her iPhone afterwards, revealing his travel history … Read more
Geopolitics, the study of how spatial dimension impacts on and affects states’ politics, may offer an important contribution to analysing strategies suited to developing rail infrastructures beween Italy and the Balkans. The Balkan idea sets and fixes the concepts and definitions between real and ideological, so as to generate a counterposition of geographical and geopolitical … Read more
French police are searching for a masked attacker suspected of stabbing an elderly woman to death in a retirement home for Catholic missionaries in southern France, according to authorities. An unusually large police operation was launched to search for the suspected attacker on Friday, believed to be armed with a shotgun and a knife. The … Read more
French prosecutors have charged one of the “terrorist commandos of young women” arrested over a foiled attack near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Ornella G, 29, was charged with alleged involvement in a terrorist act and attempted murder. Three other women are still being questioned by police, after a car packed with gas cylinders was … Read more
Five women wearing the Islamic headscarf have been prevented from entering a nursery school in Corsica by other parents, local media report. Police intervened to calm the incident in Bonifacio, local media reported. Staff and pupils at French schools are banned from wearing religious symbols – but parents are not. Tensions between Muslims and other … Read more