Mood on the streets of Paris was just like New Year'e Eve on Friday. The Parisians came out in large numbers to experience that last bit of nightlife before Covid-19 curfew kicked in. The curfew will be enforced in large cities of France between 9pm to 6 am each night at least for a month. The decision has been taken to avoid a new wave of coronavirus infections.

Tables were overflowing in bars of Paris and there was sound of laughter in the air.

"We will enjoy it as much as possible, a restaurant, bar hopping and a little walk with friends on the Champs-Elysées", said 19-year-old Kurtys Magdelo who was out with friends.

Health authorities on Friday recorded more than 25,00 new coronavirus cases, after Thursday's record of over 30,000. A total of 122 people were said to have died of the virus in 24 hours. Older citizens have been caught in the new wave of coronavirus infections.

The ARS health authority for the southeastern Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, which includes Grenoble, Lyon and Saint-Etienne, on Friday asked hospitals to cancel all non-urgent surgery to safeguard intensive care capacity for future Covid cases.&nbsp;

The curfew has support from the public a Harris Interactive poll after Macron's announcement found 70 percent approval

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is pressing the government to ease the rules for theatres, cinemas and other cultural venues so that patrons can return home later.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-killing-of-teacher-islamist-terrorist-attack-says-macron-335921">France: Killing of teacher 'Islamist terrorist attack', says Macron</a> 
 
Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot backed the idea, but Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire poured cold water on any special treatment for live shows.

"If we start allowing multiple exceptions," he told French TV, "we're not going to make it".

Prime Minister Jean Castex added Friday: "The rules must apply to everyone".

Restaurant owners have complained bitterly about a measure they say makes little sense given the strict social distancing rules they have already applied.

"I've never seen anything like this in the 50 years I've been here," said Stain Roman, manager of La Mere Buonavista restaurant in Marseille, another city facing the curfew.

No travel restrictions

The new curfew measures do not have travel restrictions. This has some worrying that a large number of people will flee to the country.

That prompted officials in Le Touquet, a popular resort town on the English Channel, to impose its own curfew, with bars and restaurants ordered to close at 11:30 pm.

Nationwide, wedding celebrations and other parties in public venues as well as student parties have been outlawed, and people are being urged to limit gatherings in private homes to six people.

"We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus," Macron said Wednesday when he also put the country back under a health state of emergency starting Saturday.

Public broadcaster France Television said it would do its bit to help people through the curfew by adding a feature film every night to its usual programming, mostly during prime time.&nbsp;

(With AFP inputs)

Mood on the streets of Paris was just like New Year'e Eve on Friday. The Parisians came out in large numbers to experience that last bit of nightlife before Covid-19 curfew kicked in.

Mood on the streets of Paris was just like New Year'e Eve on Friday. The Parisians came out in large numbers to experience that last bit of nightlife before Covid-19 curfew kicked in. The curfew will be enforced in large cities of France between 9pm to 6 am each night at least for a month. The decision has been taken to avoid a new wave of coronavirus infections. Tables were overflowing in bars of Paris and there was sound of laughter in the air. "We will enjoy it as much as possible, a restaurant, bar hopping and a little walk with friends on the Champs-Elysées", said 19-year-old Kurtys Magdelo who was out with friends. Health authorities on Friday recorded more than 25,00 new coronavirus cases, after Thursday's record of over 30,000. A total of 122 people were said to have died of the virus in 24 hours. Older citizens have been caught in the new wave of coronavirus infections. The ARS health authority for the southeastern Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, which includes Grenoble, Lyon and Saint-Etienne, on Friday asked hospitals to cancel all non-urgent surgery to safeguard intensive care capacity for future Covid cases. The curfew has support from the public a Harris Interactive poll after Macron's announcement found 70 percent approval Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is pressing the government to ease the rules for theatres, cinemas and other cultural venues so that patrons can return home later. Also Read | France: Killing of teacher 'Islamist terrorist attack', says Macron Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot backed the idea, but Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire poured cold water on any special treatment for live shows. "If we start allowing multiple exceptions," he told French TV, "we're not going to make it". Prime Minister Jean Castex added Friday: "The rules must apply to everyone". Restaurant owners have complained bitterly about a measure they say makes little sense given the strict social distancing rules they have already applied. "I've never seen anything like this in the 50 years I've been here," said Stain Roman, manager of La Mere Buonavista restaurant in Marseille, another city facing the curfew. No travel restrictions The new curfew measures do not have travel restrictions. This has some worrying that a large number of people will flee to the country. That prompted officials in Le Touquet, a popular resort town on the English Channel, to impose its own curfew, with bars and restaurants ordered to close at 11:30 pm. Nationwide, wedding celebrations and other parties in public venues as well as student parties have been outlawed, and people are being urged to limit gatherings in private homes to six people. "We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus," Macron said Wednesday when he also put the country back under a health state of emergency starting Saturday. Public broadcaster France Television said it would do its bit to help people through the curfew by adding a feature film every night to its usual programming, mostly during prime time. (With AFP inputs)

Last wine and dine for Parisians as COVID-19 curfew kicks in

A history teacher had been beheaded in France after discussing caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in class. The suspected attacker was shot and killed by police.

History teacher beheaded in France after showing Mohammed cartoons

A history teacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in class was on Friday decapitated near Paris.

His assailant was shot dead by French police as they tried to arrest him, police and prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said they were treating the incident as "a murder linked to a terrorist organisation" and related to a "criminal association with terrorists". An anti-terror probe has been launched into the incident.

The assault happened on the outskirts of Paris at around 5 pm (1500 GMT) near a school in Conflans Saint-Honorine, a western suburb of the French capital.

According to a police source, the victim was a history teacher who recently discussed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in class.

Police on Friday arrived at the scene after receiving a call about a suspicious individual loitering near the school, a police source said.

There they found the dead man and nearby sighted the suspect armed with a knife-like weapon who threatened them as they tried to arrest him.

They opened fire and injured him severely, the source said. He later died of his injuries, a judicial source said.

The scene has been cordoned off and a bomb disposal unit dispatched because of the suspected presence of an explosives vest, the police source said.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, on a visit to Morocco, is returning to Paris immediately after talking with Prime Minister Jean Castex and President Emmanuel Macron, his office said.

The attack comes only days after a follower of the Islamic State militant group who attacked a police officer outside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris with a hammer was sentenced to 28 years in jail.

The allegations are similar to charges brought last month against a 25-year old Pakistani man who wounded two people in a meat cleaver attack to avenge the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed by the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

The attacker seriously injured two employees of a TV production agency, whose offices are on the same block that used to house Charlie Hebdo. Both survived.

That attack came three weeks into an ongoing trial of suspected accomplices of the authors of the January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket, which also saw a policewoman gunned down in the street.

(with inputs)

A history teacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in class was on Friday decapitated near Paris. His assailant was shot dead by French police as they tried to arrest him, police and prosecutors said.

A history teacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in class was on Friday decapitated near Paris. His assailant was shot dead by French police as they tried to arrest him, police and prosecutors said. Prosecutors said they were treating the incident as "a murder linked to a terrorist organisation" and related to a "criminal association with terrorists". An anti-terror probe has been launched into the incident. The assault happened on the outskirts of Paris at around 5 pm (1500 GMT) near a school in Conflans Saint-Honorine, a western suburb of the French capital. According to a police source, the victim was a history teacher who recently discussed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in class. Police on Friday arrived at the scene after receiving a call about a suspicious individual loitering near the school, a police source said. There they found the dead man and nearby sighted the suspect armed with a knife-like weapon who threatened them as they tried to arrest him. They opened fire and injured him severely, the source said. He later died of his injuries, a judicial source said. The scene has been cordoned off and a bomb disposal unit dispatched because of the suspected presence of an explosives vest, the police source said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, on a visit to Morocco, is returning to Paris immediately after talking with Prime Minister Jean Castex and President Emmanuel Macron, his office said. The attack comes only days after a follower of the Islamic State militant group who attacked a police officer outside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris with a hammer was sentenced to 28 years in jail. The allegations are similar to charges brought last month against a 25-year old Pakistani man who wounded two people in a meat cleaver attack to avenge the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed by the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The attacker seriously injured two employees of a TV production agency, whose offices are on the same block that used to house Charlie Hebdo. Both survived. That attack came three weeks into an ongoing trial of suspected accomplices of the authors of the January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket, which also saw a policewoman gunned down in the street. (with inputs)

Teacher who showed Mohammed caricatures in class decapitated near Paris; probe underway

French healthcare workers across France protested against exhausting working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday (October 15) and demanded the government hire more personnel.

WION Dispatch: French healthcare workers protest in Paris

PARIS- France thought it had beaten the coronavirus. Its comeback in a roaring second wave left the government scrambling this week for a half-measure that underscored its ugly choices.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, highlighted his own dilemma Wednesday in announcing a curfew for Paris and eight other major cities. A new lockdown for an already reeling economy would have been “disproportionate,” he said, yet the pressure on intensive care beds was intolerable.

“Our caregivers are exhausted,” he said.

“The virus is recirculating very rapidly in Europe and in our country,” Macron said in an interview on national television. France had to “take back control.”

If the virus ever was under control in France, that was before the summer. But, experts say, after that moment, the French, like so many others elsewhere in Europe, let their guard down.

France’s attachment to its summer holidays; young people’s exuberance in going out and partying; a lack of vigilance in wearing masks and social distancing; the risks of resuming routine life; and the government’s failure — from the very start — to effectively test, trace and isolate infected people have all contributed to an explosive second wave of infections.

Whether ordering people, starting Saturday, to stay in their homes from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. is the answer — restaurant owners and young people are already grumbling — cannot be known immediately. But the dire outlook was undeniable. With an average of nearly 20,000 new cases a day, health experts have been warning all week that the virus is out of control in France, particularly in cities.

“Right now, we’ve got to put the brakes on it,” said Yazdan Yazdanpanah, an infectious disease specialist on the French government’s COVID-19 advisory panel. “This curfew will limit contacts. We’ve got to lower the rate right away. We don’t really have a choice.”

Mircea Sofonea, an epidemiologist at the University of Montpellier, said that the new curfew came in “the last possible week to react” to prevent hospital saturation. He noted that a new study found that a curfew imposed in French Guiana reduced infections by 36%.

Until Wednesday night, Macron’s own indecision had emphasized the quandary faced by governments all over Europe caught between faltering economies — France is facing a recession of nearly 9% — restriction-weary populations and a virus that will not quit.

The government’s hesitancy was palpable this week. The prime minister, Jean Castex, chided the French for having “decided a little too quickly” that the virus no longer posed a threat.

The same day, the tourism minister, Jean Baptiste Lemoyne, urged people to go on vacation during the upcoming school break to prop up the country’s vital tourism industry, whose revenues are half what they were a year ago.

Macron himself acknowledged the impossibility of barring upcoming French vacation-going in his remarks Wednesday.

Lulled by a relatively successful handling of the first wave, the government failed to firmly put in place a critical triptych over the summer: testing, tracing and isolation. The numbers are not as high as they were last spring, but they are bad enough. Nearly 100 people died in the 24 hours ending Thursday morning — far below the 1,000-plus death tolls of mid-April but still alarming.

Cases, flat through June and July, have been rising steadily since August, with 27,000 positive tests reported Saturday. An infection rate of 5 to 6 cases per 100,000 people over the summer has spiraled to nearly 200 across France. It is up to 800 for 20- to 30-year-olds in Paris. The government has set the red alert limit at 150.

In the interim, bars and gyms have been shut in major cities. Establishments that serve food remain open, even if cafe owners report confusion about what qualifies as enough of a meal to keep police off their backs.

There have been mixed messages, too, about going back to offices. The president of the region that includes Paris, Valérie Pécresse, appealed for a return last month, even as infections started to rise. The result is that central Paris bustles with office workers, compared with moribund U.S. downtowns, although nearly everybody wears a mask. On Wednesday, Macron encouraged at least a partial return to telecommuting.

The gestation of the current infection boom was plainly visible in July, August and September. Visitors packed France’s summer watering holes after the government encouraged tourism, anxious also not to get crosswise of the sacred ritual that is the French summer holiday.

A wave of indignation greeted mild suggestions that workers should give up some vacation days to compensate for those lost during the lockdown.

In Paris, as they returned from these hot spots, young people spilled from crowded bars onto the sidewalks in the city’s bohemian eastern districts and massed along the banks of the Seine. There was no social distancing and few masks. France thought the virus was tamed.

“There was certainly a lack of understanding in a part of the population that didn’t believe in a second wave,” said Renaud Piarroux, an epidemics specialist at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. “Some in the younger population abandoned the necessary precautions,” he said, like wearing a mask and social distancing.

Before Macron’s announcement Wednesday, several health experts predicted a severe reckoning in the coming weeks.

“It’s all over,” William Dab, a former national director of public health who has been critical of the government’s response, said earlier this week. “We’ve lost the fight. It’s out of control.”

Dab chided the government for what he called a “strategy deficit” that had not motivated individuals to change their behavior. In the Paris region, he added, “there is nothing left to be done.”

On Thursday, police searched the homes and offices of several current and former officials, including the health minister, Olivier Véran, as part of an inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic. The French Court of Justice, a special court that hears accusations of official mismanagement, opened the investigation in July.

The one ray of hope in France, as elsewhere, is that treatment methods have improved since the spring, allowing more patients to be saved. Still, the head of Paris hospitals, Martin Hirsch, warned Tuesday that coronavirus patients would most likely fill up to 90% of intensive care beds in the capital by next week. Already, more than 1,600 of France’s 5,000 intensive care beds are filled.

A report from independent experts, commissioned by the government and released this week, concluded that France had done far better than Britain, Sweden, the United States and Southern Europe but not as well as Austria or Germany.

The French obeyed the lockdown imposed by the government in March, April and May. Then, with cases flatlining, they flocked back into the streets, stores, cafes and restaurants.

Citizens let down their guard, reinforcing what Bernard Jomier, a member of the French Senate commission examining the government’s pandemic response, termed a “collective deficit of public health culture in our country.”

“We are a country where the politics of prevention is not part of our culture,” he said in an interview this week. “There are elements in French society that are favorable to the development of the virus.”

The consequence has been a “hesitation in the government’s official line,” said Jomier, a Greens party lawmaker who represents a Paris district. “The governance of public health is not well organized.

“Testing, tracing, isolating — this has been a failure,” he said. “Badly elaborated, badly implemented.”

At Charles de Gaulle Airport, for example, arriving travelers are tested but do not get the results for at least a week.

Contact tracing has also “failed,” Jomier said; Dab, the former public health director, called it a “fiasco” in an interview in the Journal du Dimanche in September, noting that the five contacts traced per case in July had dropped to two.

“The number of contacts is very far below the actual number of contacts,” said Piarroux, the epidemics specialist. “It’s all happening over the phone, so there’s less motivation” to divulge the contacts.

Both he and Jomier also said that isolation, the third part of the triptych, had hardly been enforced, pointing to out-of-control infection rates in shelters that house migrants.

On Thursday, French newspapers grimly recalled the curfew imposed during the German occupation, and industry groups called for new help for struggling restaurants.

“We can’t work from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.,” said Denis Kouch, the owner of a restaurant off the Champs-Élysées. “People don’t even have time to arrive, and then they have to leave right away?

 
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

PARIS- France thought it had beaten the coronavirus. Its comeback in a roaring second wave left the government scrambling this week for a half-measure that underscored its ugly choices.

PARIS- France thought it had beaten the coronavirus. Its comeback in a roaring second wave left the government scrambling this week for a half-measure that underscored its ugly choices. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, highlighted his own dilemma Wednesday in announcing a curfew for Paris and eight other major cities. A new lockdown for an already reeling economy would have been “disproportionate,” he said, yet the pressure on intensive care beds was intolerable. “Our caregivers are exhausted,” he said. “The virus is recirculating very rapidly in Europe and in our country,” Macron said in an interview on national television. France had to “take back control.” If the virus ever was under control in France, that was before the summer. But, experts say, after that moment, the French, like so many others elsewhere in Europe, let their guard down. France’s attachment to its summer holidays; young people’s exuberance in going out and partying; a lack of vigilance in wearing masks and social distancing; the risks of resuming routine life; and the government’s failure — from the very start — to effectively test, trace and isolate infected people have all contributed to an explosive second wave of infections. Whether ordering people, starting Saturday, to stay in their homes from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. is the answer — restaurant owners and young people are already grumbling — cannot be known immediately. But the dire outlook was undeniable. With an average of nearly 20,000 new cases a day, health experts have been warning all week that the virus is out of control in France, particularly in cities. “Right now, we’ve got to put the brakes on it,” said Yazdan Yazdanpanah, an infectious disease specialist on the French government’s COVID-19 advisory panel. “This curfew will limit contacts. We’ve got to lower the rate right away. We don’t really have a choice.” Mircea Sofonea, an epidemiologist at the University of Montpellier, said that the new curfew came in “the last possible week to react” to prevent hospital saturation. He noted that a new study found that a curfew imposed in French Guiana reduced infections by 36%. Until Wednesday night, Macron’s own indecision had emphasized the quandary faced by governments all over Europe caught between faltering economies — France is facing a recession of nearly 9% — restriction-weary populations and a virus that will not quit. The government’s hesitancy was palpable this week. The prime minister, Jean Castex, chided the French for having “decided a little too quickly” that the virus no longer posed a threat. The same day, the tourism minister, Jean Baptiste Lemoyne, urged people to go on vacation during the upcoming school break to prop up the country’s vital tourism industry, whose revenues are half what they were a year ago. Macron himself acknowledged the impossibility of barring upcoming French vacation-going in his remarks Wednesday. Lulled by a relatively successful handling of the first wave, the government failed to firmly put in place a critical triptych over the summer: testing, tracing and isolation. The numbers are not as high as they were last spring, but they are bad enough. Nearly 100 people died in the 24 hours ending Thursday morning — far below the 1,000-plus death tolls of mid-April but still alarming. Cases, flat through June and July, have been rising steadily since August, with 27,000 positive tests reported Saturday. An infection rate of 5 to 6 cases per 100,000 people over the summer has spiraled to nearly 200 across France. It is up to 800 for 20- to 30-year-olds in Paris. The government has set the red alert limit at 150. In the interim, bars and gyms have been shut in major cities. Establishments that serve food remain open, even if cafe owners report confusion about what qualifies as enough of a meal to keep police off their backs. There have been mixed messages, too, about going back to offices. The president of the region that includes Paris, Valérie Pécresse, appealed for a return last month, even as infections started to rise. The result is that central Paris bustles with office workers, compared with moribund U.S. downtowns, although nearly everybody wears a mask. On Wednesday, Macron encouraged at least a partial return to telecommuting. The gestation of the current infection boom was plainly visible in July, August and September. Visitors packed France’s summer watering holes after the government encouraged tourism, anxious also not to get crosswise of the sacred ritual that is the French summer holiday. A wave of indignation greeted mild suggestions that workers should give up some vacation days to compensate for those lost during the lockdown. In Paris, as they returned from these hot spots, young people spilled from crowded bars onto the sidewalks in the city’s bohemian eastern districts and massed along the banks of the Seine. There was no social distancing and few masks. France thought the virus was tamed. “There was certainly a lack of understanding in a part of the population that didn’t believe in a second wave,” said Renaud Piarroux, an epidemics specialist at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. “Some in the younger population abandoned the necessary precautions,” he said, like wearing a mask and social distancing. Before Macron’s announcement Wednesday, several health experts predicted a severe reckoning in the coming weeks. “It’s all over,” William Dab, a former national director of public health who has been critical of the government’s response, said earlier this week. “We’ve lost the fight. It’s out of control.” Dab chided the government for what he called a “strategy deficit” that had not motivated individuals to change their behavior. In the Paris region, he added, “there is nothing left to be done.” On Thursday, police searched the homes and offices of several current and former officials, including the health minister, Olivier Véran, as part of an inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic. The French Court of Justice, a special court that hears accusations of official mismanagement, opened the investigation in July. The one ray of hope in France, as elsewhere, is that treatment methods have improved since the spring, allowing more patients to be saved. Still, the head of Paris hospitals, Martin Hirsch, warned Tuesday that coronavirus patients would most likely fill up to 90% of intensive care beds in the capital by next week. Already, more than 1,600 of France’s 5,000 intensive care beds are filled. A report from independent experts, commissioned by the government and released this week, concluded that France had done far better than Britain, Sweden, the United States and Southern Europe but not as well as Austria or Germany. The French obeyed the lockdown imposed by the government in March, April and May. Then, with cases flatlining, they flocked back into the streets, stores, cafes and restaurants. Citizens let down their guard, reinforcing what Bernard Jomier, a member of the French Senate commission examining the government’s pandemic response, termed a “collective deficit of public health culture in our country.” “We are a country where the politics of prevention is not part of our culture,” he said in an interview this week. “There are elements in French society that are favorable to the development of the virus.” The consequence has been a “hesitation in the government’s official line,” said Jomier, a Greens party lawmaker who represents a Paris district. “The governance of public health is not well organized. “Testing, tracing, isolating — this has been a failure,” he said. “Badly elaborated, badly implemented.” At Charles de Gaulle Airport, for example, arriving travelers are tested but do not get the results for at least a week. Contact tracing has also “failed,” Jomier said; Dab, the former public health director, called it a “fiasco” in an interview in the Journal du Dimanche in September, noting that the five contacts traced per case in July had dropped to two. “The number of contacts is very far below the actual number of contacts,” said Piarroux, the epidemics specialist. “It’s all happening over the phone, so there’s less motivation” to divulge the contacts. Both he and Jomier also said that isolation, the third part of the triptych, had hardly been enforced, pointing to out-of-control infection rates in shelters that house migrants. On Thursday, French newspapers grimly recalled the curfew imposed during the German occupation, and industry groups called for new help for struggling restaurants. “We can’t work from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.,” said Denis Kouch, the owner of a restaurant off the Champs-Élysées. “People don’t even have time to arrive, and then they have to leave right away?

Will a half-step by Macron be enough to blunt France’s second wave?

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire promised 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) of additional support to help French companies cushion the impact of a nightly curfew in Paris and eight other big cities where the coronavirus is running rampant.

France promises $1.2 BN for curfew-hit firms

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France announces curfew in major cities as virus cases surge The tough measures in France come as it continues to battle the virus with over 32,000 fatalties reported.

France announces curfew in major cities as virus cases surge The tough measures in France come as it continues to battle the virus with over 32,000 fatalties reported..Read More Thailand issues emergency decree amid anti-government protests The emergency decree issued by the government took effect at 4 am (2100 GMT) as riot police moved in outside government house..Read More Trump's son Barron tests positive for COVID-19 Melania Trump said her symptoms were 'minimal' while adding that she hoped to resume her duties 'as soon as I can.'..Read More Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son Spokesperson for Biden campaign defended Joe Biden and Hunter Biden by saying that there was "no wrongdoing" on part of Joe Biden..Read more Gravitas: Why UNHRC votes should be transparent ×

Morning news brief: France announces curfew, Thailand issues emergency decree & more

As for sexism, harassment and violence are rising against women is rising across the world, French women are learning to face their fears through self defence. Watch report.

French women learn self-defence in Strasbourg

In a first, France has appointed an envoy for the Indo-Pacific, a move that shows how Paris is giving priority to the new concept which is increasingly gaining currency. Senior diplomat Christophe Penot will be the country's envoy to Indo Pacific and he begins his assignment from Thursday.&nbsp;

His last posting was Canberra as France's envoy to Australia.&nbsp;He has been France's envoy to Malaysia and served in Tokyo, Ottawa, London, Hanoi.&nbsp;Fluent in Chinese and Japanese, Penot was honoured with Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2012 for service to his country.&nbsp;

Directly appointed by French President Macron, in his new capacity&nbsp;the envoy&nbsp;will pay "special&nbsp;attention" to cooperation with India to implement the&nbsp;joint vision on the Indo-pacific. The vision was adopted during the 2018 visit by French President Macron to India.

In the month of September, in another first, India, France and Australia held a trilateral at the foreign secretary-level meet with focus on Indo Pacific.&nbsp; A joint statement after the meet said,&nbsp;&nbsp;"discussed geo-strategic challenges, their respective strategies for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, and prospects for cooperation in the region".

France released its strategy for the Indo Pacific that called for&nbsp;strengthening "partnerships with the major regional players with whom we share the same values and interests, such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea".

The development will surely irk China, which has been opposing the concept. Earlier this week, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi called "Indo-Pacific strategy a security risk".

In a first, France has appointed an envoy for the Indo-Pacific, a move that shows how Paris is giving priority to the new concept which is increasingly gaining currency.

In a first, France has appointed an envoy for the Indo-Pacific, a move that shows how Paris is giving priority to the new concept which is increasingly gaining currency. Senior diplomat Christophe Penot will be the country's envoy to Indo Pacific and he begins his assignment from Thursday. His last posting was Canberra as France's envoy to Australia. He has been France's envoy to Malaysia and served in Tokyo, Ottawa, London, Hanoi. Fluent in Chinese and Japanese, Penot was honoured with Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2012 for service to his country. Directly appointed by French President Macron, in his new capacity the envoy will pay "special attention" to cooperation with India to implement the joint vision on the Indo-pacific. The vision was adopted during the 2018 visit by French President Macron to India. In the month of September, in another first, India, France and Australia held a trilateral at the foreign secretary-level meet with focus on Indo Pacific. A joint statement after the meet said, "discussed geo-strategic challenges, their respective strategies for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, and prospects for cooperation in the region". France released its strategy for the Indo Pacific that called for strengthening "partnerships with the major regional players with whom we share the same values and interests, such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea". The development will surely irk China, which has been opposing the concept. Earlier this week, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi called "Indo-Pacific strategy a security risk".

France appoints envoy for Indo-Pacific

Four people were killed and one was missing after a tourist plane and a microlight aircraft collided in western France on Saturday.

The small microlight carrying two people collided with a DA40 tourist plane with three people onboard around 4:30pm (1430 GMT) in Loches in the Indre-et-Loire department.

Four bodies were recovered from the microlight and the larger plane. The larger plane had crashed into a tree in an area that was difficult to reach.

An eyewitness said she had heard a "big crash" while outside in her courtyard with her husband. The pair saw a man fall tens of metres (yards) from the larger plane into a field as the aircraft skimmed nearby rooftops.

A 75-year-old was piloting the plane with two passengers aged 28 and 30, while a 66-year-old was at the controls of the microlight with a passenger aged 50. None of the people involved in the crash were related.

Around 50 firefighters were called out following the crash, while 30 police officers set up road detours around the two crash sites. The causes of the collision remain unclear.

Some suggest that the blinding late afternoon sunlight could have dazzled one of the pilots.

Collisions between microlights and other aircraft are rare, although an August 2019 crash between a microlight and a helicopter over the Spanish island of Mallorca killed seven including two minors.

Four people were killed and one was missing after a tourist plane and a microlight aircraft collided in western France on Saturday. The small microlight carrying two people collided with a DA40 tourist plane with three people onboard around 4:30pm (1430 GMT) in Loches in the Indre-et-Loire department.

Four people were killed and one was missing after a tourist plane and a microlight aircraft collided in western France on Saturday. The small microlight carrying two people collided with a DA40 tourist plane with three people onboard around 4:30pm (1430 GMT) in Loches in the Indre-et-Loire department. Four bodies were recovered from the microlight and the larger plane. The larger plane had crashed into a tree in an area that was difficult to reach. An eyewitness said she had heard a "big crash" while outside in her courtyard with her husband. The pair saw a man fall tens of metres (yards) from the larger plane into a field as the aircraft skimmed nearby rooftops. A 75-year-old was piloting the plane with two passengers aged 28 and 30, while a 66-year-old was at the controls of the microlight with a passenger aged 50. None of the people involved in the crash were related. Around 50 firefighters were called out following the crash, while 30 police officers set up road detours around the two crash sites. The causes of the collision remain unclear. Some suggest that the blinding late afternoon sunlight could have dazzled one of the pilots. Collisions between microlights and other aircraft are rare, although an August 2019 crash between a microlight and a helicopter over the Spanish island of Mallorca killed seven including two minors.

Four dead, one missing in French air collision

A police station in suburban Paris came under attack by about 40 unidentified people on Saturday night (local time). The mob was armed with metal bars and it was using fireworks as mortars. People wanted to enter the police station but were not able to do so. &nbsp;

"Violent attack last night on the police station of Champigny with mortar shots and various projectiles. No police officer was injured," the Paris police headquarters said on Twitter.

The police station is located in Champigny-Sur-Marne, about 15 km southeast of central Paris.

The police posted a video of the attack. The video showed a barrage of fireworks going off in the direction of the police station.

"It was an organised attack of about 40 people who wanted to do battle," Champigny Mayor Laurent Jeanne told BFM. "For a few days it has been tense with people who have a certain willingness to do battle with the police. It`s anti-police sentiment. We weren`t far off from a disaster."

There were no arrests.

A spate of public safety incidents across France since the end of the COVID-19 lockdown in mid-May has put the government on heightened alert for increases in crime amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

President Emmanuel Macron, who faces a presidential election in less than two years, has been criticised by opponents over crime and public safety since he took power in 2017 and opinion polls show that the public see his government as weakest on those issues.

(With Reuters inputs)

A police station in suburban Paris came under attack by about 40 unidentified people on Saturday night (local time). The mob was armed with metal bars and it was using fireworks as mortars.

A police station in suburban Paris came under attack by about 40 unidentified people on Saturday night (local time). The mob was armed with metal bars and it was using fireworks as mortars. People wanted to enter the police station but were not able to do so. "Violent attack last night on the police station of Champigny with mortar shots and various projectiles. No police officer was injured," the Paris police headquarters said on Twitter. The police station is located in Champigny-Sur-Marne, about 15 km southeast of central Paris. The police posted a video of the attack. The video showed a barrage of fireworks going off in the direction of the police station. "It was an organised attack of about 40 people who wanted to do battle," Champigny Mayor Laurent Jeanne told BFM. "For a few days it has been tense with people who have a certain willingness to do battle with the police. It`s anti-police sentiment. We weren`t far off from a disaster." There were no arrests. A spate of public safety incidents across France since the end of the COVID-19 lockdown in mid-May has put the government on heightened alert for increases in crime amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. President Emmanuel Macron, who faces a presidential election in less than two years, has been criticised by opponents over crime and public safety since he took power in 2017 and opinion polls show that the public see his government as weakest on those issues. (With Reuters inputs)

Mob of 40 attacks police station in Paris suburb

A France startup puts recycled hair to good use, Chateau of Versailles turns into a salon. Watch this report to get more on this!

Chateau of Versailles turn into a salon: Startup puts recycled hair to good use

Macron has announced that France will provide 100 million euros as emergency aid to the flood-hit region.

France to provide 100 MN euros to flood-hit region

French fashion label Chanel brought a touch of tinseltown to the runway in Paris on Tuesday (October 6), with glamorous feathered gowns - and a nod to the Hollywood sign, recreated to spell out the brand's name.

Chanel marks Paris Fashion Week with a dose of Hollywood glamour

The roaring seas are no threat to French skipper Clarisse Cremer, one of the six women slated to participate in this year's Vendee Globe sailing race.

‘Small arms, big boat’: French female skipper to embark on Vendee Globe run

Home to 6 million Muslims, France is looking to create its own brand of Islam. The irony? France officially separates the state from religion.

Gravitas: Is France creating its own brand of Islam?

France has one of the largest number of Muslims in the Western World. But still, the country has an uneasy relationship with the community.

Gravitas: Why France has an uneasy relationship with Islam

Callais is one of Paris's 227 "bouquinistes" who sell secondhand books and engravings along a three-kilometre stretch of embankment -- a tradition going back centuries, now under threat from coronavirus. While the job was never lucrative, Callais said the flight of visitors from the city has left the booksellers, who ply their trade on the main tourist drag from Notre Dame to the Louvre, with a fraction of the customers. Many of his contemporaries have decided not to re-open at all.

Coronavirus deals blow to Paris's historic riverside booksellers

Massive floods in France and Italy have not just killed people along with causing other destruction, but their sheer intensity has also swept out corpses from cemeteries.&nbsp;

As many as 12 people have died since the storm pounded this Friday in Italy's Liguria and Piedmont and Alpes-Maritimes region in France.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-battles-floods-paris-stares-at-covid-19-lockdown-332309">France battles floods, Paris stares at COVID-19 lockdown</a>

Over 600 rescuers and others on Tuesday were searching for about 20 people still missing, a spokesperson for the Alpes-Maritimes regional administration said.&nbsp;

There were corpses found on the Italian side, she said, reports The Associated Press.&nbsp;

However, she did not confirm where the bodies came and how many were found. It was also not told whether the bodies were amongst the ones who had died in the storm.&nbsp;

Local officials have said graveyards in the French towns of Saint-Martin-de-Vesubie and Tende were partially swept off due to the floods.&nbsp;

Tende Mayor Jean-Pierre Vassallo told Le Parisien newspaper that the village cemetery "was cut in two" and bodies came out.&nbsp;

Forensic police, security personnel, firefighters, rescue divers, among others are working to identify the corpses, a spokesperson for France's national gendarme service said.

He added that police are carrying out door-to-door checks in hamlets where roads, electricity, communication and water supplies are disrupted.&nbsp;

Massive floods in France and Italy have not just killed people along with causing other destruction, but their sheer intensity has also swept out corpses from cemeteries.

Massive floods in France and Italy have not just killed people along with causing other destruction, but their sheer intensity has also swept out corpses from cemeteries. As many as 12 people have died since the storm pounded this Friday in Italy's Liguria and Piedmont and Alpes-Maritimes region in France. Also read | France battles floods, Paris stares at COVID-19 lockdown Over 600 rescuers and others on Tuesday were searching for about 20 people still missing, a spokesperson for the Alpes-Maritimes regional administration said. There were corpses found on the Italian side, she said, reports The Associated Press. However, she did not confirm where the bodies came and how many were found. It was also not told whether the bodies were amongst the ones who had died in the storm. Local officials have said graveyards in the French towns of Saint-Martin-de-Vesubie and Tende were partially swept off due to the floods. Tende Mayor Jean-Pierre Vassallo told Le Parisien newspaper that the village cemetery "was cut in two" and bodies came out. Forensic police, security personnel, firefighters, rescue divers, among others are working to identify the corpses, a spokesperson for France's national gendarme service said. He added that police are carrying out door-to-door checks in hamlets where roads, electricity, communication and water supplies are disrupted.

Floods in Italy, France cause dead bodies unearth from cemeteries

Diyabanza, a Congolese activist who has lived in France for 20 years, belongs to a pan-African movement that demands France return colonial artifacts it expropriated from its subjugates and recompense for acts of slavery.

Meet the Congolese “seizing” African art from Western museums

French fashion label AMI pushed the boat out for its latest fashion show in Paris on Saturday - hosting its catwalk display on the banks of the Seine river at dusk.

Parisian label AMI parades models by the Seine for fashion week

Flooding from record rains in a mountainous region of France and Italy has killed two people and left at least nine missing. Storm Alex ravaged villages around the city of Nice on the French Riviera, sweeping away roads and damaging homes.

Floods, landslides, devastation of houses; Storm Alex batters France & Italy

People in the southern Pacific French territory of New Caledonia have once more voted to stay with France, narrowly rejecting independence in a tightly-fought referendum.

The 'no' camp emerges victorious: New Caledonia remains with France

A Congolese who has lived in France for 20 years, Diyabanza belongs to a pan-African movement that is pressing France to return those artifacts and make reparations for acts of slavery. He appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted theft. Prosecutors demanded a fine.

'Seizing' African art: Diyabanza led the operation at Quai Branly museum

Paris is to be placed on maximum COVID-19 alert, meaning bars will be forced to close for two weeks from Tuesday

Bars in Paris to close for two weeks as city placed on maximum COVID alert

Flooding from record rains in the mountainous region that spans France and Italy killed an Italian firefighter and left at least 25 people missing.

At least two killed and 25 missing in Italy and France floods

Watch this week's West Asia Post as we talk about Lebanon's growing economic crisis with an exclusive ground report from Beirut. For more such stories, keep watching the West Asia post with Ghadi Francis every Friday at 8:30 PM, only on WION.

The West Asia Post: Two years on, Khashoggi murder unresolved

Voters in New Caledonia in the French South Pacific territory are all set to cast their ballots on whether to break away from France & form an independence state after almost 170 years.

New Caledonia set for 2nd referendum on Independence

Protesters gathered near Eiffel Tower in Paris to demonstrate their opposition to human rights violations in China. More than 300 protesters took to Trocadero square and expressed their anger against Chinese Communist Party on Thursday.

The protesters belonged to different groups like Tibet associations, the Uyghur Association of France, SWouth Mongolians, Falange Gong, Hong Kong dissidents and Taiwanese. The protesters gave a clarion call to global leaders to resist China. Each group carried banners and flags representing their group and raised slogans against China. &nbsp;

Leaders of these groups called on the international community to support their struggle against China. Some protesters even carried 'Free Hong Kong' placards and many wore masks with 'Free Tibet printed on it.

The protest, which lasted more than three hours ended with all protesters lighting up the Paris night with their mobile phone torches and singing "We shall overcome".

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China also lent its support to the protest. Meanwhile, a similar kind of protest was held in Japan against the Chinese Communist Party. These protests come on the occasion of the 71st National Day of the People`s Republic of China 
&nbsp;

Protesters gathered near Eiffel Tower in Paris to demonstrate their opposition to human rights violations in China. More than 300 protesters took to Trocadero square and expressed their anger against Chinese Communist Party on Thursday.

Protesters gathered near Eiffel Tower in Paris to demonstrate their opposition to human rights violations in China. More than 300 protesters took to Trocadero square and expressed their anger against Chinese Communist Party on Thursday. The protesters belonged to different groups like Tibet associations, the Uyghur Association of France, SWouth Mongolians, Falange Gong, Hong Kong dissidents and Taiwanese. The protesters gave a clarion call to global leaders to resist China. Each group carried banners and flags representing their group and raised slogans against China. Leaders of these groups called on the international community to support their struggle against China. Some protesters even carried 'Free Hong Kong' placards and many wore masks with 'Free Tibet printed on it. The protest, which lasted more than three hours ended with all protesters lighting up the Paris night with their mobile phone torches and singing "We shall overcome". The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China also lent its support to the protest. Meanwhile, a similar kind of protest was held in Japan against the Chinese Communist Party. These protests come on the occasion of the 71st National Day of the People`s Republic of China

Anti-China protest near Eiffel Tower decries human rights violations

Region near French-Italian border is battling floods as storm Alex hit the area on Saturday. The storm has caused heavy flooding. The floods have damaged homes and swept away roads. Storm Alex ravaged several villages around Nice on the French Riviera.

Meteo France said that 450mm (17.7 inches) of rain was recorded over 24 hours in some areas, which is the equivalent of close to four months of rain at this time of the year.

A fireman died and 19 people were missing in France and Italy

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi called it the worst flooding disaster in the area for more than a century after flying over the worst-hit area by helicopter.

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"The roads and about 100 houses were swept away or partially destroyed," he told French news channel BFM.

At least eight people were missing in France, authorities said. These included two firemen whose vehicle was carried away by a swollen river, according to local witnesses cited by several French media.

A fireman was killed by a falling tree in the Valle d'Aosta region, while three people travelling in a van were swept away by floodwaters in Val Roya on the border with France.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/storm-alex-batters-southeastern-france-several-go-missing-332251">Storm Alex batters southeastern France, several go missing</a> 
 
Six German trekkers were among the missing after failing to return from a trip in the mountains in the province of Cuneo.

In northwest Italy, several roads and bridges have been swept away.

Eric Ciotti, a member of French parliament who is from one of the worst affected villages in the area, Saint-Martin-Vésubie, said several villages were cut off as they are located in steep-sided valleys of the mountainous region.

Lockdown in Paris

France is having to battle floods just as it moves to impose lockdown to contain coronavirus. Although French President Emmanuel Macron has said that there would not be any nationwide lockdown,&nbsp;

Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Thursday the Paris region was set to be placed on maximum COVID-19 alert from as soon as Monday as cases rise.

Veran said the Paris region had passed all three of the government’s criteria for being put on the highest level of alert. In the past 24 hours, the coronavirus infection rate had surpassed 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

(With agency inputs)

Region near French-Italian border is battling floods as storm Alex hit the area on Saturday. The storm has caused heavy flooding. The floods have damaged homes and swept away roads.

Region near French-Italian border is battling floods as storm Alex hit the area on Saturday. The storm has caused heavy flooding. The floods have damaged homes and swept away roads. Storm Alex ravaged several villages around Nice on the French Riviera. Meteo France said that 450mm (17.7 inches) of rain was recorded over 24 hours in some areas, which is the equivalent of close to four months of rain at this time of the year. A fireman died and 19 people were missing in France and Italy Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi called it the worst flooding disaster in the area for more than a century after flying over the worst-hit area by helicopter. × "The roads and about 100 houses were swept away or partially destroyed," he told French news channel BFM. At least eight people were missing in France, authorities said. These included two firemen whose vehicle was carried away by a swollen river, according to local witnesses cited by several French media. A fireman was killed by a falling tree in the Valle d'Aosta region, while three people travelling in a van were swept away by floodwaters in Val Roya on the border with France. Also Read | Storm Alex batters southeastern France, several go missing Six German trekkers were among the missing after failing to return from a trip in the mountains in the province of Cuneo. In northwest Italy, several roads and bridges have been swept away. Eric Ciotti, a member of French parliament who is from one of the worst affected villages in the area, Saint-Martin-Vésubie, said several villages were cut off as they are located in steep-sided valleys of the mountainous region. Lockdown in Paris France is having to battle floods just as it moves to impose lockdown to contain coronavirus. Although French President Emmanuel Macron has said that there would not be any nationwide lockdown, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Thursday the Paris region was set to be placed on maximum COVID-19 alert from as soon as Monday as cases rise. Veran said the Paris region had passed all three of the government’s criteria for being put on the highest level of alert. In the past 24 hours, the coronavirus infection rate had surpassed 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. (With agency inputs)

France battles floods, Paris stares at COVID-19 lockdown

At least eight people were missing in France after a storm passed through the southeastern part of the country, causing strong floods around the city of Nice.

Meteo France said that 450mm (17.7 inches) of rain was recorded over 24 hours in some areas, which is the equivalent of close to four months of rain at this time of the year.

The department of Alpes-Maritimes, on the border with Italy, was on red alert on Friday as the storm was approaching. The storm, dubbed Alex, had already caused heavy winds of more than 180 km per hour (112 miles per hour) in Brittany between Thursday and Friday.

Authorities downgraded the alert to the orange level on Saturday, the rains having moved towards Italy.

Five years ago -- on October 3, 2015, floods caused the death of 20 people in and around the city of Cannes on the French Riviera.

At least eight people were missing in France after a storm passed through the southeastern part of the country, causing strong floods around the city of Nice. Meteo France said that 450mm (17.

At least eight people were missing in France after a storm passed through the southeastern part of the country, causing strong floods around the city of Nice. Meteo France said that 450mm (17.7 inches) of rain was recorded over 24 hours in some areas, which is the equivalent of close to four months of rain at this time of the year. The department of Alpes-Maritimes, on the border with Italy, was on red alert on Friday as the storm was approaching. The storm, dubbed Alex, had already caused heavy winds of more than 180 km per hour (112 miles per hour) in Brittany between Thursday and Friday. Authorities downgraded the alert to the orange level on Saturday, the rains having moved towards Italy. Five years ago -- on October 3, 2015, floods caused the death of 20 people in and around the city of Cannes on the French Riviera.

Storm Alex batters southeastern France, several go missing

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