Peter Allen

Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement conviction, upheld by the Paris Appeal Court, severely undermines her prospects for the 2027 French presidential election despite her technical eligibility to run. Her house arrest and requirement to wear an electronic tag prevent effective campaigning, shifting hopes within the Rassemblement National toward her protégé Jordan Bardella, who now leads the party and appeals to younger voters despite minimal political experience. The RN continues to believe it can secure power in 2027, supported by ongoing anti-immigration sentiment and broader global trends, though Bardella lacks the stature of major populist figures.

French art experts, conservation specialists and more than 77,000 petition signatories oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum from September to July 2027 while its museum in Normandy is renovated. They warn that the nearly thousand-year-old, fragile linen work could suffer tears or material loss during disassembly, rolling and transport, despite proposed insurance of roughly £1 billion. Supporters argue that the tapestry must be relocated during the renovation and that displaying it in London would attract international interest. The loan would mark the first time the national treasure has left French soil in modern history.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has received round-the-clock protection from two officers of the VIP Protection Service after an inmate at Paris's La Santé prison posted a video threatening to kill him in revenge for Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy began serving a five-year sentence for conspiring to accept laundered Libyan funds, while appealing his imprisonment and facing convictions or investigations linked to bribery and illicit campaign financing. His lawyers described his first night as frightening, and conservative party leader Eric Ciotti called enhanced security essential. Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, has visited him and is separately charged in connection with an alleged campaign to keep him out of prison, allegations both deny.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been placed under heightened security at Paris’s La Santé prison after an inmate posted a video threatening to kill him in revenge for Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy is serving a five-year sentence for conspiring to accept laundered money from Gaddafi and is appealing the conviction. Two police officers were assigned to protect him around the clock. Eric Ciotti, leader of Sarkozy’s party, The Republicans, called for his safety to be ensured, while Sarkozy’s wife Carla Bruni faces separate charges that she denies.

The body of 31-year-old Floriane Roux was found by a police dog in undergrowth near Paunat in France’s Dordogne region, a week after she was reported missing. Her death occurred less than five miles from the site where British-South African national Karen Carter, 65, was fatally stabbed in April. Authorities have not established how Roux died and are considering all possibilities, including suicide. The article also details the ongoing investigation into Carter’s killing, which prosecutors believe was planned and carried out by someone who knew her; two people previously arrested in connection with that case were released without charge.

A criminal inquiry has been opened in Lille after a premature newborn, Zayneb-Cassandra, died from a traumatic brain injury after allegedly being dropped by an unattended six-year-old boy in a neonatal unit at Lille University Children’s Hospital. The family says the boy had repeatedly wandered through the maternity unit despite complaints and warnings. Police and local prosecutors are investigating, while the hospital has launched an internal administrative inquiry.

Karen Carter, a 65-year-old British woman who owned two guest houses in Trémolat in France’s Dordogne region, died after suffering multiple stab wounds outside her property. A male friend found her and called emergency services, but prosecutors said the injuries indicated an apparent intent to kill. Authorities launched a manhunt, while stating that no investigative theory had yet been ruled out. Carter was well known locally through her guest houses, community café involvement, lifestyle blog and Queens of Football team. Her death has left residents and friends shocked and prompted the cancellation of a community event.

The trial of 10 alleged members of the gang accused of robbing Kim Kardashian's Paris penthouse in 2016 has opened after years of delays. Suspected ringleader Aomar Aït Khedache, 70, who admits using a revolver in the raid, appeared in court with subtitles because he is reportedly 80% disabled and can barely speak or hear. Several other defendants suffer serious illnesses, while one alleged participant died recently and another was ruled unfit to stand trial because of Alzheimer's disease. Prosecutors allege that the gang bound and gagged Kardashian before stealing jewellery worth about $10 million, including a $4 million engagement ring from Kanye West. Kardashian is expected to testify in mid-May, with proceedings scheduled to continue until 23 May; most defendants deny wrongdoing.

Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds and her five-year ban from public office threaten to end her bid for the French presidency in 2027. Although she is appealing, the National Rally appears unprepared for her absence. Jordan Bardella is viewed as lacking her charisma and political strength, leaving the party’s prospects of winning the presidency severely weakened despite its growing support and strong position in parliament.

Victims at the trial of former French surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec accused his ex-wife, Marie-France Le Scouarnec, of knowing about and concealing his sexual abuse of minors for decades. She denied awareness of his crimes, notebooks and collection of child dolls, while evidence included a 2010 letter suggesting she knew about his past. Le Scouarnec is accused of abusing 299 children and previously received a 15-year sentence for abusing four girls. His ex-wife was excused from appearing after a minor car accident, and the trial is expected to continue until June.

French detectives are examining mobile phones belonging to Andrew and Dawn Searle for clues after the British couple were found dead at their home in Les Pesquiès, near Villefranche-de-Rouergue. Andrew Searle was found hanged near Dawn’s body, and witnesses reported that he had appeared agitated during phone calls shortly before their deaths. Investigators are reviewing recent calls, surveillance footage and the couple’s backgrounds, including Searle’s work combating fraud and organized crime. A local mayor believes the pair were murdered, while the prosecutor has not yet firmly established homicide; post-mortem examinations are expected to clarify the causes of death, and no arrests have been made.

A British couple in their early sixties, Andrew and Dawn Searle, were found dead at their home in Les Pesquiès near Villefranche-de-Rouergue in southwest France. French authorities have launched a murder investigation, with detectives examining whether Andrew Searle’s past work fighting organized crime and terrorism could have made the couple targets for criminals from the United Kingdom. The mayor called the deaths a clear homicide and rejected the possibility of a burglary or family tragedy. Forensic teams and gendarmes searched the property and surrounding area, while the UK Foreign Office said it was assisting the family.

French prosecutors are investigating the death of a 62-year-old British woman after she collided with a stationary 35-year-old British skier on the Aiguille Rouge black run at Les Arcs. The collision occurred at high speed in good conditions; the woman could not be revived, while the man suffered a fractured tibia and fibula and severe shock. A post-mortem examination will determine the precise cause of death. The incident is the latest in a series of fatal accidents on the notoriously difficult slope, following a 13-year-old boy’s death in an avalanche nearby on Christmas Day.

Mazan mayor Louis Bonnet has gone into hiding under police protection after receiving death threats over comments that appeared to minimize the alleged mass rape of Gisèle Pelicot, saying that no one had died. He later apologized, but the remarks triggered widespread outrage. The Avignon trial concerns Dominique Pelicot, who allegedly drugged his wife and facilitated her rape by numerous men between 2011 and 2020. Prosecutors have linked 92 rapes to 72 men, with 51 identified; 50 men are on trial alongside Pelicot, and the proceedings are expected to continue until 21 December.

Fabien Sotton, one of 50 men accused in the Avignon rape trial, told the court that he deeply regretted participating in a sexual act involving Gisèle Pélicot, whom he said he mistakenly believed was consenting and would wake up. He acknowledged that an unconscious person cannot consent and apologised to Pélicot, while her former husband Dominique maintained that all participants knew she had been drugged. The case concerns allegations that Dominique Pélicot sedated his wife over nearly a decade and recruited men online to rape her; investigators identified 51 suspects linked to 92 alleged rapes. The trial is scheduled to continue until 21 December, with several defendants admitting rape and others denying wrongdoing.

Gisèle Pelicot told the Vaucluse Criminal Court that she never consented to being drugged and raped, rejected claims that she was complicit, and called the accused men “degenerates.” Her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, admitted all charges, saying he drugged her and recruited men online to rape her over a decade. Investigators have linked 72 men to 92 alleged rapes, with 51 identified; 14 defendants besides Dominique Pelicot have admitted rape, while others deny wrongdoing. The trial is scheduled to continue until 21 December, and Pelicot also faces separate charges related to a 1991 murder and a 1999 attempted rape.

Dominique Pelicot admitted at a French criminal trial that he drugged and facilitated the repeated rape of his former wife, Gisèle Pelicot, by dozens of men over nearly a decade. He also expressed regret and asked for forgiveness, while claiming he had been sexually abused as a child. Gisèle Pelicot, who requested a public trial, said she had never suspected that her husband was capable of such acts. Pelicot is being tried alongside 50 other men, with several admitting rape and others denying wrongdoing. Investigators say they identified evidence of 92 rapes involving 72 men, and Pelicot faces additional charges connected to other alleged sexual assaults, including the rape and murder of a woman in 1991.

Dominique Pélicot, accused of drugging his wife Gisèle and facilitating her rape by dozens of men over nearly a decade, was unable to testify for a third day after vomiting, fainting and suffering abdominal pain. His lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, denied that his illness was a tactic to avoid proceedings and requested a full medical examination. The Avignon trial involves 51 defendants, with Pélicot facing up to 20 years in prison; 14 co-defendants have admitted rape while others deny the allegations. Evidence includes thousands of recordings and photographs allegedly documenting the abuse, while Pélicot also faces separate charges linked to sexual offenses in Paris.

Psychologists told a court in Avignon that Dominique Pelicot, accused of drugging his wife Gisele and arranging for dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious, viewed himself as a good husband but displayed a stark contrast between his public and private behavior. Reports described alleged paraphilia, somnophilia, manipulative conduct and a disregard for boundaries. The court heard that police found thousands of images and videos, including around 3,800 allegedly documenting assaults on Gisele between 2011 and 2020. Prosecutors allege 92 rapes involving 72 men, while Pelicot’s daughter Caroline Darian has separately accused him of drugging her and taking nude photographs. The trial is scheduled to continue until 21 December.

Five migrants, including a seven-year-old girl, died after a severely overcrowded boat carrying 112 people ran aground shortly after leaving the French coast for Britain. The deaths prompted UN and Council of Europe officials, lawyers and opposition figures to urge Rishi Sunak to reconsider the Rwanda asylum plan, arguing that it will not deter crossings and may violate refugee and human-rights obligations. Sunak defended the policy as necessary to prevent further tragedies, while Conservative MPs called for flights to Rwanda to begin quickly. The legislation is expected to enable flights within 12 weeks but faces legal challenges; Labour said it would scrap the scheme if it entered government.

Alex Batty, a British teenager missing since 2017, escaped from a spiritual commune in France after his mother reportedly announced plans to move with him to Finland. He walked through the Pyrenees for four days and nights, travelling after dark, until a delivery driver found him near Toulouse and alerted police. Prosecutors said Alex reported that his grandfather had died and described a nomadic life across Spain, Morocco and France, with no reported physical violence but possible emotional harm. His grandmother and legal guardian, Susan Caruana, expressed relief and prepared for their reunion, while police worked with French authorities to bring him back to the UK.

Alex Batty, who disappeared from the UK six years earlier while travelling with his mother Melanie and grandfather David, was found walking near Revel in southwestern France. He told delivery driver Fabien Accidini that he had escaped from a travelling spiritual community after living in Spain and France, and contacted his grandmother and legal guardian, Susan Caruana, to say he wanted to come home. Relatives fear that years of isolation, alleged religious influence and a lack of mainstream education may have harmed him. French and British authorities are arranging his return to Oldham while investigating the whereabouts of his mother and grandfather and reconstructing his life since his disappearance.

Seventeen-year-old Alex Batty, missing from Oldham since 2017, was found safe in France after walking for several days through mountainous terrain. He told lorry driver Fabien Accidini that his mother had kidnapped him and that he had been living in a spiritual community in Spain and France. Alex contacted his grandmother and was taken into care by French authorities, while Greater Manchester Police continue their investigation and his mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty remain wanted.

Alex Batty, a British boy who disappeared from Spain in 2017 at age 11, has been found alive and well at 17 near Revel, east of Toulouse, France. He reportedly escaped a rural community in the Pyrenees and was picked up by delivery driver Fabien Accidini, to whom he disclosed his identity and account of the intervening years. French authorities verified his story, placed him in departmental social services, and contacted Greater Manchester Police and his family in England while safeguarding arrangements were made.

Cujo, the luxury yacht once owned by Dodi Al-Fayed and used by Princess Diana during their final summer holiday, sank in the Mediterranean off Beaulieu-sur-Mer after striking an unidentified object and developing a major leak. All seven people aboard, including its Italian owner, were rescued unharmed, but the vessel sank to nearly 2,500 metres. Built in Italy in 1972 and once frequented by celebrities including Clint Eastwood, Tony Curtis and Bruce Willis, the yacht had been refitted by Al-Fayed before falling into disrepair and later being restored.

Eleven-year-old British girl Solaine Thornton was shot dead while playing in her family’s garden in Saint-Herbot, Brittany, during a dispute with Dutch neighbours over gardening work and noise. Her father, Adrien Thornton, was critically injured and her mother, Rachel, was wounded but stable; Solaine’s younger sister escaped and raised the alarm. Neighbour Dirk Raats was charged with murder and attempted murder, while his wife, Marlene Van Hoof, faced a charge related to concealing weapons. Prosecutors said the couple tested positive for alcohol and cannabis, and residents alleged that Raats had previously threatened the family with a rifle.

Eleven-year-old British girl Solenne Thornton was shot dead while playing in the garden of her family’s home in Saint-Herbot, Brittany. Her father, Adrien Thornton, was critically wounded and her mother, Rachel, also sustained injuries. Police arrested 71-year-old Dutch neighbour Dirk Raats after he allegedly barricaded himself inside his home, while his wife, Marlene van Hook, was questioned over possible concealment of a weapon. Local officials and residents said the families had been involved in a long-running dispute over noise, land and the Thorntons’ tree cutting to create children’s play equipment. French prosecutors opened an investigation into the murder of a child under 15 and two attempted murders.

Violent clashes broke out at Sainte-Soline, where thousands protested both a controversial agricultural water reservoir and President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform. Police reported that explosives were used against officers, while three vehicles were burned and at least one police officer and one protester were critically injured. The broader unrest, including threats invoking the guillotine and graffiti targeting King Charles III, led France to cancel the king’s planned state visit. Officials defended the police response and condemned far-left protesters, while demonstrators and environmental groups opposed the government’s pension and water policies.

Emmanuel Macron postponed King Charles III and Camilla’s three-day state visit to France because nationwide strikes, violent protests over pension reform and threats against the King created serious security concerns. Graffiti invoking the guillotine appeared in Paris, while riots damaged public infrastructure, including Bordeaux city hall, and hundreds were arrested. Macron described the decision as a matter of common sense and respect for the royal couple, while Buckingham Palace said they hoped to visit soon. The postponement drew criticism from conservative politicians as well as opposition figures, though some on the left welcomed it as appropriate during the unrest; the couple’s planned visit to Germany was still expected to proceed.

King Charles III’s state visit to France, planned for 26–29 March 2023 as his first overseas trip as monarch, was postponed at France’s request amid escalating protests and violence over President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the pension age from 62 to 64. Demonstrations involving more than a million people nationwide included clashes with police, arson at Bordeaux City Hall, arrests and injuries. The French and British governments said the visit would be rescheduled, with Macron suggesting an early-summer date, while the planned itinerary had included events in Paris, Versailles and Bordeaux before a subsequent visit to Germany.

Stanley Johnson’s application for French citizenship was approved on 18 May 2022, based on his family ties and cultural, professional and personal connections to France. The former European Parliament member said he was delighted and viewed the citizenship as a way to strengthen links with the European Union, while stressing that he would retain his British nationality. His son Boris Johnson reportedly responded “Magnifique.” The move restores Stanley Johnson’s EU citizenship rights, although it does not extend nationality to his descendants.

A 27-year-old British tourist identified as Patrick F was found dead beside a road near the Flaine ski resort in the French Alps on 31 March, after reportedly spending part of the previous evening at the nearby Social Bar. French authorities are investigating the circumstances, including reports that he may have fallen from a cliff, and are seeking witnesses who saw him on the night of 30 March. The UK Foreign Office is supporting his family and liaising with local authorities.

Kurt Zouma could face up to four years in prison and a substantial fine in France after the 30 Million Friends Foundation filed a complaint over footage showing him kicking and slapping his cat in England. France's strengthened animal-protection laws allow citizens to be prosecuted for criminal acts committed abroad, with possible aggravating factors because the alleged abuse was filmed and involved Zouma's own animal. Zouma apologized and called the incident isolated, while French politicians, West Ham supporters, animal charities and the public condemned him. UK authorities are investigating the incident through Essex Police and the RSPCA, and West Ham's decision to select Zouma drew further criticism.

Jeremy Rimbaud, a former French soldier diagnosed with schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress related to his service in Afghanistan, briefly escaped a secure psychiatric unit in Toulouse and attacked a woman walking her dog. Passers-by intervened before police returned him to custody, prompting an investigation into how he escaped. Rimbaud has been held since 2011 after murdering 90-year-old farmer Leopold Pedebidau, cutting up his body and cooking his tongue and part of his heart with white beans; he was later sentenced to life imprisonment and became known as the “cannibal of the Pyrenees.”

A 40-year-old French skier has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly travelling at high speed and colliding with five-year-old British girl Ophélie on a beginners’ slope in Flaine, Haute-Savoie. The girl, who lived with her family in Geneva, lost consciousness and died while being taken to hospital. Prosecutors say the suspect deliberately violated safety obligations; he has been placed under judicial control and faces up to five years in prison and a substantial fine. Witnesses have been interviewed, a post-mortem was planned, and local officials were seeking psychological support for the family.

Eric Zemmour was fined €10,000 by a Paris criminal court for inciting racial hatred after describing unaccompanied child migrants as “thieves, rapists and murderers” during a 2020 CNews debate. Zemmour, who was absent from the verdict, denied wrongdoing, stood by his comments and said he would appeal; his lawyer argued that the trial had become politicized because of Zemmour’s presidential bid. The ruling was his third conviction for hate-related offenses, as he campaigned from behind Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen and Valérie Pécresse in the 2022 election.

A 57-year-old man arrested in connection with the 2012 murders of three members of the al-Hilli family and cyclist Sylvain Mollier near Lake Annecy has been released without charge. Annecy prosecutor Lise Bonnet said the man's explanation and subsequent checks ruled out his participation, while his lawyer said the arrest had been wrongful and traumatic. The investigation into the still-unsolved shootings continues.

A man was arrested in Annecy on 12 January 2022 in connection with the 2012 murders of British businessman Saad al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal, his mother-in-law Suhaila al-Allaf and French cyclist Sylvain Mollier. Investigators are examining inconsistencies in his previous testimony and alibi, but prosecutors cautioned that several arrests have occurred in the case and urged restraint. The long-running investigation, known as the Chevaline or Alps Murders case, remains active, with forensic officers returning to the crime scene.

France is reducing the secrecy period for national archives on the 1954–1962 Algerian War, potentially exposing evidence about the 17 October 1961 Paris massacre and broader abuses committed by French forces. Survivors and campaigners hope the files will identify perpetrators and support prosecutions, while noting that France has acknowledged the Holocaust-era crimes of its authorities more fully than its colonial violence in Algeria. President Emmanuel Macron has commemorated the 1961 victims but has not issued a public apology, and Algerian officials fear that new disclosures could further strain relations between the two countries.

Canal+ commentators have stopped travelling to Premier League stadiums because English fans generally do not wear masks amid a worsening COVID-19 crisis. The league recorded 42 positive player tests in one week, prompting emergency measures at clubs, while Brentford’s match against Manchester United was postponed and further cancellations or empty-stadium games were feared. France requires masks at football matches and is considering stricter entry rules for travellers from Britain as the Omicron variant spreads.

French prosecutors opened a criminal investigation after violence at Eric Zemmour’s first presidential campaign rally in Paris, where police arrested 62 people and dozens were injured. Zemmour suffered a wrist injury after being put in a headlock, while SOS Racisme demonstrators and journalists were reportedly attacked by supporters and masked assailants. The rally also marked the launch of Zemmour’s new party, Reconquest, as he seeks to challenge Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen in the 2022 presidential election. The report also covers sexual abuse allegations against Zemmour, a privacy dispute involving Closer, and his ongoing trial over comments about child migrants.

French fishermen blockaded the Port of Calais, the Channel Tunnel freight terminal and the entrance to Saint-Malo in protest against the UK’s refusal to grant some post-Brexit fishing licences. They argue that smaller vessels cannot provide the historical tracking and quota data demanded by Britain under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The UK government defended its licensing process and called on France to prevent illegal protests and trade disruption, while France’s National Fisheries Committee described the blockades as warning shots and demanded concessions by 10 December. Eurotunnel added freight services to clear resulting delays amid broader tensions between London and Paris.

French prosecutors said there was no provable link between five men arrested after 27 people died while attempting to cross the English Channel and the boat involved in the tragedy, contradicting an earlier claim by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. France and the UK exchanged blame over responsibility for the crossings, while Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson agreed that cooperation was needed to prevent further deaths. Two survivors remained hospitalized in Calais, and investigators warned that the death toll and number of people aboard the boat could change. Rescuers described an overcrowded, deflated inflatable boat with few life jackets, while officials and local leaders blamed smugglers and criticized both countries’ migration policies.

A migrant boat carrying more than 50 people sank in the English Channel, killing 27 people, including seven women and three children. Rescuers said survivors indicated that a container ship may have collided with the inflatable craft, while investigators began autopsies and a criminal inquiry. Four alleged people smugglers were arrested and faced manslaughter and organised illegal-immigration charges. Rescue officials described overcrowded, poorly equipped boats as floating death traps. French officials blamed trafficking gangs and called for European cooperation, while Boris Johnson accused France of failing to prevent crossings; the disaster occurred amid record Channel migration and worsening winter weather.

The British scallop dredger Cornelis Gert Jan returned to Shoreham after being detained in France over alleged illegal fishing, although its skipper still faces a criminal trial in August. The vessel’s return coincides with Brexit Minister Lord Frost’s talks in Paris with French Europe Minister Clement Beaune, aimed at resolving the dispute over fishing licences. France has threatened sanctions affecting cross-Channel trade and potentially electricity supplies to the Channel Islands, while the UK government refuses to relax its documentation requirements. French officials say further measures remain possible unless Britain offers significant concessions.

The skipper of the British-registered scallop dredger Cornelis Gert Jan appeared before the Court of Appeal in Rouen as lawyers sought the vessel’s release. Although an illegal-fishing charge had reportedly been dropped, French authorities contested the decision and sought a €150,000 deposit to guarantee the skipper’s return for a 2022 trial. The detention has intensified the post-Brexit dispute over fishing licenses, with British officials using satellite data to challenge French fishermen’s claims that they had historically operated in UK waters, while French fishing representatives deny fabrication and argue that small vessels lacked GPS tracking and have been unfairly denied licenses.

The owners of the British fishing boat Cornelis Gert Jan must pay a €150,000 deposit before it can leave Le Havre, while its Scottish skipper faces a possible fine of more than £63,000 over alleged unauthorised fishing. The detention has intensified the wider UK-France dispute over post-Brexit fishing licences, with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss threatening legal action against France and French officials warning of retaliation. Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron exchanged competing claims over the Brexit agreements, while the boat’s owner, MacDuff Shellfish, said the vessel was being used as a political pawn and had not acted illegally.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss gave France 48 hours to withdraw threats over post-Brexit fishing licences, warning that the UK would invoke the EU trade agreement’s dispute-resolution process and seek compensation. The dispute concerns French vessels seeking access to waters around the Channel Islands: Jersey and the UK require GPS evidence of prior fishing activity, while France says that requirement is not in the Brexit deal. France has threatened measures including restrictions on UK fishing and energy supplies, while French authorities have inspected British boats and impounded one trawler. President Emmanuel Macron said the next move was Britain’s, and France appealed to the EU. The confrontation adds to worsening UK-France relations and coincides with a separate UK-EU dispute over Northern Ireland.

A British businessman was removed from a London-bound Eurostar service at Lille after a manager reportedly accused him of wearing an inappropriate black face mask. Although he changed to a blue mask and apologized, French police arrested and escorted him from the train, which then continued to England. Fellow passengers said he had been cooperative and non-disruptive, while Eurostar had not responded to questions about the incident by the following morning.

Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise from an ambitious conservative politician to France’s president was built on a tough law-and-order image and promises of radical reform. His presidency instead became associated with personal extravagance, close relationships with wealthy figures and controversial dealings with Muammar Gaddafi. The 2011 Libya intervention, conducted with David Cameron, helped destabilize the country, while Sarkozy later lost the 2012 election to François Hollande. Following two criminal convictions and an ongoing investigation into alleged Libyan campaign financing, his political career appears finished as he pursues appeals to avoid imprisonment.

Nicolas Sarkozy is unlikely to spend time in prison despite receiving a second custodial sentence for illegal campaign financing, because his sentence can be served at home with an electronic bracelet and his appeals suspend enforcement. The case reflects a broader pattern in France, where senior politicians including François Fillon and Jacques Chirac avoided incarceration through suspended sentences, appeals, or other legal circumstances. Sarkozy continues to face additional investigations, including allegations of illegal funding from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, all of which he denies.

Salah Abdeslam, the main surviving suspect in the 2015 Bataclan attacks, was silenced by Judge Jean-Louis Peries after disrupting proceedings and arguing that victims of wars in Syria and Iraq should also be heard. Abdeslam claimed three co-defendants had not known about the plot. He faces charges including participation in organized murders linked to terrorism alongside 13 defendants, while six others are being tried in absentia. The trial is expected to continue until at least May.

Salah Abdeslam, the main surviving defendant in the trial over the 13 November 2015 Paris attacks, told a Paris court that he had abandoned his profession to become a fighter for Islamic State. He is accused of helping prepare the attacks on the Stade de France, the Bataclan and Paris cafés, but discarded his explosives belt instead of detonating it. The nine-month trial involves 20 defendants, several of whom are being tried in absentia or are believed to have died in Syria or Iraq, and is intended to establish the facts surrounding the attacks that killed 130 people.

France begins its largest terrorism trial, six years after coordinated Islamic State attacks at the Bataclan theatre, the Stade de France and Paris bars and restaurants killed 130 people. Twenty defendants are involved, with six tried in absentia; the central figure is Salah Abdeslam, accused of helping plan and facilitate the attacks. The proceedings are expected to last nine months and will hear evidence from survivors and victims’ families, with lawyers describing the trial as a search for truth.

A major trial of 20 people accused of involvement in the November 2015 Paris attacks is beginning under heavy security, with more than 1,000 police deployed and proceedings expected to last nine months. The attacks killed 130 people and wounded more than 400 at the Bataclan, Stade de France and nearby cafés and restaurants. Salah Abdeslam, believed to be the only surviving member of the attack group, faces possible life imprisonment, while six defendants will be tried in absentia. Survivors and relatives hope testimony will clarify what happened and help them and the wider public understand the attacks.

Georges C., a sacristan responsible for counting donations at Paris’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés Abbey, was convicted of stealing cash from collection plates over nearly three decades. Police found marked banknotes, substantial foreign currency, keys to nine vehicles and evidence that he owned six properties despite earning just over £3,400 a month. He received an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a fine equivalent to £70,000. Georges admitted taking the marked cash, attributing it to revenge after his wife was demoted, but denied that his broader assets and savings were obtained dishonestly.

Nicolas Sarkozy rose to France’s presidency in 2007 promising a forceful conservative break with the past, economic liberalisation and national renewal. His presidency instead became associated with lavish spending, celebrity and limited delivery on his economic ambitions. After losing office in 2012, he faced investigations and was convicted of corruption and influence peddling, receiving a three-year sentence that he planned to appeal. He also faced further allegations concerning money received from Muammar Gaddafi, while the consequences of his Libya intervention were linked to the country’s collapse into a failed state. The convictions and continuing trials have effectively ended Sarkozy’s political career.

Emmanuel Macron is expected to commemorate the October 1961 Paris massacre of Algerian independence demonstrators, but he continues to reject an official apology or reparations for France’s colonial rule and conduct during the Algerian War. Historian Benjamin Stora’s report recommends symbolic gestures, including commemorations, yet survivors and Harki representatives say these measures fail to deliver justice or acknowledge France’s responsibility. Macron’s position is portrayed as an attempt to attract voters of Algerian descent while avoiding alienation of French nationalists, including Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National. Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune continues to demand a full apology and reparations.

Shakespeare and Company, the Paris bookshop founded by Sylvia Beach in 1919 and later run by George Whitman, built its reputation by supporting struggling writers including James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway. Although the shop retains its bohemian image and George’s ideal of a “socialist utopia,” it is also a substantial and profitable business employing 45 people and generating almost €5m in annual turnover. The COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced in-person sales, but online demand surged and donations from former writers-in-residence and benefactors helped sustain the business. Owner Sylvia Whitman says the shop is not about to close, though a prolonged crisis could force it to become smaller.

Emmanuel Macron is accused of spreading unsupported claims after asserting that Muslim girls as young as three are being forced to wear full-face veils and isolated from French society. Critics, including writer Nadia Henni-Moulaï and activist Marwan Muhammad, say there is no evidence for the claim, noting that full-face veils have been banned in France since 2011 and that no such cases involving young children have been recorded. Macron defended France’s campaign against Islamist separatism and terrorism, insisting it is directed at hatred and violence rather than Islam, but his rhetoric and support for continued publication of Charlie Hebdo cartoons have intensified accusations of Islamophobia and protests across Muslim-majority countries.

French and British authorities arrested 10 Britons in a suspected cocaine-smuggling and money-laundering network allegedly based in France’s Dordogne region. Investigators believe the operation moved cocaine and large sums of money from Spain through France to the United Kingdom, with possible links to commissions from English Premier League player transfers. Raids uncovered concealed cash compartments, cocaine traces, luxury cars and property investments allegedly used to launder proceeds.

British snowboarders Sam Harber and James Rourke died after being caught in a large slab avalanche on the north face of France’s Grande Motte Glacier near Tignes. The pair had worked in Val d’Isère and had climbed the glacier weeks earlier to raise £18,000 for tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka. Rescuers recovered James Rourke’s body, but the search for Harber was suspended because of continuing avalanche and rockfall risks. Tributes described both men as popular and valued, while Harber’s earlier charity diary highlighted his personal connection to Sri Lanka and the medical staff who had treated him there.