French President Francois Hollande on Thursday told Britain it would have to choose between access to the single market and the free movement of people, when it begins its negotiations on leaving the European Union. 
 
The French leader accepted Britain&#39;s right to delay formal exit talks, but described the timing of its departure as &quot;the sooner the better&quot;, following the country&#39;s shock vote to leave last month. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s the most crucial point... Britain will have to choose: stay in the single market and accept free movement or have another status,&quot; he said without elaborating on the latter option. 
 
Speaking after talks in Paris with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Hollande took a tougher line than German chancellor Angela Merkel a day earlier in Berlin. 
 
&quot;The United Kingdom has decided to leave the European Union. It&#39;s their choice, it&#39;s their responsibility and we respect that decision.... There can be no discussions, no pre-negotiation before the negotiation,&quot; Hollande told a joint news conference with May. 
 
On the timing for the talks, Hollande acknowledged that, Britain would need time to prepare a negotiating position. 
 
&quot;There can be preparations for this negotiation,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;But I repeat. The sooner the better, it&#39;s in the common interest, of Europe, the United Kingdom, and our economies,&quot; he added. 
 
Encouraging resilience 
 
May said she was committed to achieving a deal that reflected the sentiments expressed by most Britons in the June 23 referendum. 
 
&quot;The message the British people gave in their vote for the UK to leave the EU had a very clear message: that we should introduce some controls to the movement of individuals from countries in the European Union into the UK. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m clear the government should deliver and will deliver on that for the British people. 
 
&quot;But we also want to get the right deal on trade in goods and services,&quot; she said, calling it a matter of importance to both Britain and its EU partners. 
 
May arrived in Paris a day after meeting Merkel in Berlin. 
 
The Conservative leader repeated what she told Merkel, namely, that she would not trigger the two-year EU exit process &quot;before the end of the year&quot;. 
 
Brexit aside she and Hollande were at pains to emphasise the entente between their countries. 
 
A week after the massacre in Nice, May said Britain stood &quot;shoulder to shoulder&quot; as &quot;a great ally and friend&quot;, while Hollande said Franco-British ties &quot;will never come undone&quot;. 
 
Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union sent shockwaves through the global economy and sparked political turmoil at home. 
 
European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi struck a reassuring tone, however, in remarks following the ECB&#39;s regular policy-setting meeting. 
 
&quot;After the UK referendum, Euro area financial markets have weathered the spike in uncertainty and volatility with encouraging resilience,&quot; Draghi said. 
 
On Wednesday, speaking on her first foreign trip since taking office in the wake of the seismic vote, May told Merkel that her government planned on a &quot;sensible and orderly departure&quot; from the EU. 
 
Merkel, who is expected to play a pivotal role in the Brexit talks along with France, said it was in the interests of all that Britain had a &quot;well-defined position&quot; before the talks began. 
 
The Brexit talks are expected to hinge on Britain&#39;s desire to restrict immigration by EU citizens, but still retain vital access to the EU&#39;s single market. 
 
In the UK, EU immigration was the most hotly-debated issue of the referendum campaign. 
 
Brexit campaigners argued that the hundreds of thousands of EU immigrants arriving in Britain every year have pushed down wages for low-paid Britons and overburdened public services. 
 
Unique concerns 
 
Earlier on Thursday Hollande held talks in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. 
 
In a joint statement with Kenny he said there should be &quot;a balance of rights and obligations, including in respect of the four freedoms&quot;, referring to the free movement of goods, services, capital and people in the EU. 
 
Ireland&#39;s concerns revolve mainly around the future of its lucrative exports to Britain, and its border with British-ruled Northern Ireland, which would be the EU&#39;s only land border with Britain once it has left. 
 
&quot;Ireland and France are the UK&#39;s nearest neighbours, with significant and complex economic, human, cultural and historical links,&quot; Kenny and Hollande said. 
 
&quot;In consequence, both countries have specific and indeed unique concerns to be addressed in future negotiations,&quot; they said. 
 
Britain on Wednesday took the first step towards Brexit by announcing it was relinquishing its six-month EU presidency which had been due to start in July 2017 and will be taken up by Estonia instead. 
 
(AFP)

UK will not begin the EU exit operation 'before the end of the year', Prime Minister Theresa May reiterated

French President Francois Hollande on Thursday told Britain it would have to choose between access to the single market and the free movement of people, when it begins its negotiations on leaving the European Union. The French leader accepted Britain's right to delay formal exit talks, but described the timing of its departure as "the sooner the better", following the country's shock vote to leave last month. "It's the most crucial point... Britain will have to choose: stay in the single market and accept free movement or have another status," he said without elaborating on the latter option. Speaking after talks in Paris with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Hollande took a tougher line than German chancellor Angela Merkel a day earlier in Berlin. "The United Kingdom has decided to leave the European Union. It's their choice, it's their responsibility and we respect that decision.... There can be no discussions, no pre-negotiation before the negotiation," Hollande told a joint news conference with May. On the timing for the talks, Hollande acknowledged that, Britain would need time to prepare a negotiating position. "There can be preparations for this negotiation," he said. "But I repeat. The sooner the better, it's in the common interest, of Europe, the United Kingdom, and our economies," he added. Encouraging resilience May said she was committed to achieving a deal that reflected the sentiments expressed by most Britons in the June 23 referendum. "The message the British people gave in their vote for the UK to leave the EU had a very clear message: that we should introduce some controls to the movement of individuals from countries in the European Union into the UK. "I'm clear the government should deliver and will deliver on that for the British people. "But we also want to get the right deal on trade in goods and services," she said, calling it a matter of importance to both Britain and its EU partners. May arrived in Paris a day after meeting Merkel in Berlin. The Conservative leader repeated what she told Merkel, namely, that she would not trigger the two-year EU exit process "before the end of the year". Brexit aside she and Hollande were at pains to emphasise the entente between their countries. A week after the massacre in Nice, May said Britain stood "shoulder to shoulder" as "a great ally and friend", while Hollande said Franco-British ties "will never come undone". Britain's vote to leave the European Union sent shockwaves through the global economy and sparked political turmoil at home. European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi struck a reassuring tone, however, in remarks following the ECB's regular policy-setting meeting. "After the UK referendum, Euro area financial markets have weathered the spike in uncertainty and volatility with encouraging resilience," Draghi said. On Wednesday, speaking on her first foreign trip since taking office in the wake of the seismic vote, May told Merkel that her government planned on a "sensible and orderly departure" from the EU. Merkel, who is expected to play a pivotal role in the Brexit talks along with France, said it was in the interests of all that Britain had a "well-defined position" before the talks began. The Brexit talks are expected to hinge on Britain's desire to restrict immigration by EU citizens, but still retain vital access to the EU's single market. In the UK, EU immigration was the most hotly-debated issue of the referendum campaign. Brexit campaigners argued that the hundreds of thousands of EU immigrants arriving in Britain every year have pushed down wages for low-paid Britons and overburdened public services. Unique concerns Earlier on Thursday Hollande held talks in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. In a joint statement with Kenny he said there should be "a balance of rights and obligations, including in respect of the four freedoms", referring to the free movement of goods, services, capital and people in the EU. Ireland's concerns revolve mainly around the future of its lucrative exports to Britain, and its border with British-ruled Northern Ireland, which would be the EU's only land border with Britain once it has left. "Ireland and France are the UK's nearest neighbours, with significant and complex economic, human, cultural and historical links," Kenny and Hollande said. "In consequence, both countries have specific and indeed unique concerns to be addressed in future negotiations," they said. Britain on Wednesday took the first step towards Brexit by announcing it was relinquishing its six-month EU presidency which had been due to start in July 2017 and will be taken up by Estonia instead. (AFP)

Choose free trade or 'another' status, Hollande tells Britain

The French data protection authority on Wednesday ordered Microsoft Corp to stop collecting excessive data on users of its Windows 10 operating system and serving them personalised ads without their consent. 
 
The National Commission on Information and Liberty (CNIL) said the US company had three months to stop tracking browsing by users so that Windows apps and third-party apps can offer them targeted advertising without their consent, failing which it could initiate a sanctions procedure. 
 
A number of EU data protection authorities created a contact group to investigate Microsoft&#39;s Windows 10 operating system following its launch in July 2015, the French privacy watchdog said. 
 
The action against Microsoft taken by the CNIL was to ask the tech-giant to stop collecting users&#39; information then used for advertising without their consent. 
 
Microsoft processes information on all the apps downloaded and installed on Windows by a user and the time spent on each one to identify problems and improve its products. However the CNIL said it considered this to be excessive since the data &quot;are not necessary for the operation of the service&quot;. 
 
The French watchdog also said that Microsoft puts advertising cookies on users&#39; terminals without properly informing them beforehand or giving them a chance to opt out. 
 
&quot;It has been decided to make the formal notice public due to, among other reasons, the seriousness of the breaches and the number of individuals concerned (more than ten million Windows users on French territory),&quot; the CNIL said in a statement. 
 
&quot;The purpose of the notice is not to prohibit any advertising on the company&rsquo;s services but, rather, to enable users to make their choice freely, having been properly informed of their rights.&quot; 
 
While the fines that can currently be levied by European data protection authorities are paltry compared to the revenues of big US tech companies, a new European Union data protection law set to enter into force in two years provides for fines of up to 4 per cent of a company&#39;s annual global turnover. 
 
David Heiner, vice-president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft, said the company would work closely with the CNIL over the next few months to understand its concerns fully and &quot;to work toward solutions that it will find acceptable.&quot; 
 
The CNIL also said Microsoft was still illegally transferring data to the United States using the Safe Harbour framework, which was struck down by the top EU court in October on concerns about mass US surveillance practices. 
 
Companies have had to rely on alternative legal structures such as &quot;standard contractual clauses&quot; to move data across the Atlantic in line with tough EU data transferral rules. 
 
Heiner said Microsoft relied on a variety of legal mechanisms for transferring data from Europe to the United States, including standard contractual clauses. 
 
A new EU-US data transfer pact will be open to companies as of August 1 and Microsoft has said it will sign up to it. 
 
(Reuters)

Firm had three months to stop tracking browsing by users, failing which National Commission on Information and Liberty could initiate action

The French data protection authority on Wednesday ordered Microsoft Corp to stop collecting excessive data on users of its Windows 10 operating system and serving them personalised ads without their consent. The National Commission on Information and Liberty (CNIL) said the US company had three months to stop tracking browsing by users so that Windows apps and third-party apps can offer them targeted advertising without their consent, failing which it could initiate a sanctions procedure. A number of EU data protection authorities created a contact group to investigate Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system following its launch in July 2015, the French privacy watchdog said. The action against Microsoft taken by the CNIL was to ask the tech-giant to stop collecting users' information then used for advertising without their consent. Microsoft processes information on all the apps downloaded and installed on Windows by a user and the time spent on each one to identify problems and improve its products. However the CNIL said it considered this to be excessive since the data "are not necessary for the operation of the service". The French watchdog also said that Microsoft puts advertising cookies on users' terminals without properly informing them beforehand or giving them a chance to opt out. "It has been decided to make the formal notice public due to, among other reasons, the seriousness of the breaches and the number of individuals concerned (more than ten million Windows users on French territory)," the CNIL said in a statement. "The purpose of the notice is not to prohibit any advertising on the company’s services but, rather, to enable users to make their choice freely, having been properly informed of their rights." While the fines that can currently be levied by European data protection authorities are paltry compared to the revenues of big US tech companies, a new European Union data protection law set to enter into force in two years provides for fines of up to 4 per cent of a company's annual global turnover. David Heiner, vice-president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft, said the company would work closely with the CNIL over the next few months to understand its concerns fully and "to work toward solutions that it will find acceptable." The CNIL also said Microsoft was still illegally transferring data to the United States using the Safe Harbour framework, which was struck down by the top EU court in October on concerns about mass US surveillance practices. Companies have had to rely on alternative legal structures such as "standard contractual clauses" to move data across the Atlantic in line with tough EU data transferral rules. Heiner said Microsoft relied on a variety of legal mechanisms for transferring data from Europe to the United States, including standard contractual clauses. A new EU-US data transfer pact will be open to companies as of August 1 and Microsoft has said it will sign up to it. (Reuters)

France orders Microsoft to stop collecting excessive user data without consent

France&#39;s National Assembly voted in the early hours of Wednesday to extend the country&#39;s state of emergency for six months following last week&#39;s massacre in Nice. 
 
 
Prime Minister warns there will be more attacks 
 
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has warned that the country must be prepared for more deadly attacks and will have to &quot;learn to live with the threat&quot;. 
 
His warning came after President Francois Hollande said he was willing to extend France&#39;s state of emergency for another six months following the Bastille Day massacre in Nice in which 84 people were killed. 
 
&quot;Even if these words are hard to say, it&#39;s my duty to do so: There will be other attacks and there will be other innocent people killed,&quot; Valls told French lawmakers yesterday. 
 
&quot;We must not become accustomed to, but learn to live with, this threat,&quot; the prime minister added. 
 
Valls also said suspected islamist Reda Kriket, arrested near Paris in March with an arsenal of weapons, had &quot;definitely&quot; been planning to target the Euro 2016 football tournament in France, which wrapped up without an attack just over a week ago. 
 
Hollande had only last Thursday announced a planned lifting of the emergency security measures,which give the police extra powers to carry out searches and place people under house arrest,originally imposed after the Paris attacks that killed 130 people last November. 
 
The Paris prosecutor&#39;s office said yesterday that all the victims of the Nice massacre had finally been identified. 
 
Around 30 were Muslims, said an official from a regional representative body, and almost half were foreigners. 
 
Five days after the attack, 70 people remain hospitalised, 19 in critical condition. 
 
The remains of three Tunisians, including a four-year-old boy, killed in Nice were flown home yesterday. 
 
Hollande, speaking during a visit to Portugal on yesterday, urged the whole of Europe to make defence an absolute priority. 
 
&quot;We are up against challenges and that of terrorism is without doubt one of the largest ones,&quot; the French leader said. 
 
With elections due next year, the political unity seen after the January 2015 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has evaporated. 
Valls was booed and heckled on Monday at a remembrance ceremony in Nice. 
 
But the Socialists have said they will draw the line at some of the opposition&#39;s more controversial demands. 
 
Republicans leader and former president Nicolas Sarkozy, eyeing another run for the top job next year, has called for anyone showing signs of being radicalised to be forced to wear an electronic tag, placed under house arrest or kept in a detention centre. 
 
Polls since the attack in the Riviera coast city of Nice suggest confidence in Hollande&#39;s ability to fight terrorism has plunged after the third major attack in 18 months. 
 
&#39;Populism lurks to seize every occasion&#39; 
 
Manuel Valls warned against &quot;divisions&quot; caused by populism in his address at the National Assembly. 
 
France&#39;s &nbsp;government, smarting from accusations that it did not do enough to prevent last week&#39;s deadly truck attack in Nice, urged lawmakers to unite on the rule that gives police greater search-and-arrest powers. 
 
&quot;We must raise the debate, escape demagogy, because populism lurks, ready to seize every occasion, to float on the breeze of discord, hasten divisions, while each new division makes us a little more vulnerable,&quot; he said, adding that those who said &quot;we can fix everything with the wave of a magic wand&quot; were &quot;lying&quot; to the French people. 
 
During Tuesday&#39;s debate, Valls said &quot;never has the hand of the President of the Republic (Francois Hollande) trembled when he had to make essential decisions for the country.&quot; 
 
The debate came as Nice&#39;s seafront boulevard, the Promenade des Anglais, reopened after Thursday&#39;s &nbsp;attack. 
 
(AFP)

Five days after the truck attack in Nice, 70 people remain hospitalised, 19 in critical condition

France's National Assembly voted in the early hours of Wednesday to extend the country's state of emergency for six months following last week's massacre in Nice. Prime Minister warns there will be more attacks French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has warned that the country must be prepared for more deadly attacks and will have to "learn to live with the threat". His warning came after President Francois Hollande said he was willing to extend France's state of emergency for another six months following the Bastille Day massacre in Nice in which 84 people were killed. "Even if these words are hard to say, it's my duty to do so: There will be other attacks and there will be other innocent people killed," Valls told French lawmakers yesterday. "We must not become accustomed to, but learn to live with, this threat," the prime minister added. Valls also said suspected islamist Reda Kriket, arrested near Paris in March with an arsenal of weapons, had "definitely" been planning to target the Euro 2016 football tournament in France, which wrapped up without an attack just over a week ago. Hollande had only last Thursday announced a planned lifting of the emergency security measures,which give the police extra powers to carry out searches and place people under house arrest,originally imposed after the Paris attacks that killed 130 people last November. The Paris prosecutor's office said yesterday that all the victims of the Nice massacre had finally been identified. Around 30 were Muslims, said an official from a regional representative body, and almost half were foreigners. Five days after the attack, 70 people remain hospitalised, 19 in critical condition. The remains of three Tunisians, including a four-year-old boy, killed in Nice were flown home yesterday. Hollande, speaking during a visit to Portugal on yesterday, urged the whole of Europe to make defence an absolute priority. "We are up against challenges and that of terrorism is without doubt one of the largest ones," the French leader said. With elections due next year, the political unity seen after the January 2015 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has evaporated. Valls was booed and heckled on Monday at a remembrance ceremony in Nice. But the Socialists have said they will draw the line at some of the opposition's more controversial demands. Republicans leader and former president Nicolas Sarkozy, eyeing another run for the top job next year, has called for anyone showing signs of being radicalised to be forced to wear an electronic tag, placed under house arrest or kept in a detention centre. Polls since the attack in the Riviera coast city of Nice suggest confidence in Hollande's ability to fight terrorism has plunged after the third major attack in 18 months. 'Populism lurks to seize every occasion' Manuel Valls warned against "divisions" caused by populism in his address at the National Assembly. France's government, smarting from accusations that it did not do enough to prevent last week's deadly truck attack in Nice, urged lawmakers to unite on the rule that gives police greater search-and-arrest powers. "We must raise the debate, escape demagogy, because populism lurks, ready to seize every occasion, to float on the breeze of discord, hasten divisions, while each new division makes us a little more vulnerable," he said, adding that those who said "we can fix everything with the wave of a magic wand" were "lying" to the French people. During Tuesday's debate, Valls said "never has the hand of the President of the Republic (Francois Hollande) trembled when he had to make essential decisions for the country." The debate came as Nice's seafront boulevard, the Promenade des Anglais, reopened after Thursday's attack. (AFP)

France National Assembly votes to extend state of emergency

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls was booed in Nice today before and after the minute of silence for the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack. 
 
Shouts of &#39;murderers&#39; and &#39;resign&#39; rang out as Valls and two ministers left the seafront where a huge crowd gathered to remember the 84 people mowed down on July 14 by truck driver Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, an AFP reporter said. 
 
Emotions in France have been running high since the 31-year-old Tunisian rammed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd leaving a fireworks display, leaving a trail of crumpled bodies in his wake. 
 
Opposition parties have accused the Socialist government of not doing enough to prevent the third major attack in France in 18 months. 
 
The government has attempted to fend off the criticism, saying that Mohammad Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, the truck attacker, hd no known links to jihadist networks and claiming he became radicalised only recently. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Shouts of 'murderers' and 'resign' rang out as Valls and two ministers left the seafront where a huge crowd had gathered

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls was booed in Nice today before and after the minute of silence for the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack. Shouts of 'murderers' and 'resign' rang out as Valls and two ministers left the seafront where a huge crowd gathered to remember the 84 people mowed down on July 14 by truck driver Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, an AFP reporter said. Emotions in France have been running high since the 31-year-old Tunisian rammed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd leaving a fireworks display, leaving a trail of crumpled bodies in his wake. Opposition parties have accused the Socialist government of not doing enough to prevent the third major attack in France in 18 months. The government has attempted to fend off the criticism, saying that Mohammad Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, the truck attacker, hd no known links to jihadist networks and claiming he became radicalised only recently. (AFP)

French PM booed as he observes minute of silence for Bastille Day attack victims

The swift rounding up of judges and others after a failed coup in Turkey indicated the government had prepared a list beforehand, the EU commissioner dealing with Turkey&#39;s membership bid, Johannes Hahn, said today.&nbsp; 
 
Following a failed coup attempt on Saturday, Turkish authorities on Sunday rounded up nearly 3,000 suspected military plotters, ranging from top commanders to foot soldiers, and the same number of judges and prosecutors. 
 
&quot;It looks at least as if something has been prepared. The lists are available, which indicates it was prepared and to be used at a certain stage,&quot; Hahn said. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m very concerned. It is exactly what we feared,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;Rule of law has to be protected&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday that&nbsp;Turkey must protect the rule of law as it cracks down after the failed coup. 
 
&quot;We are the ones saying today rule of law has to be protected in the country. There is no excuse for any steps that take the country away from that,&quot; Mogherini said as European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels. 
 
&quot;As we have been the first ones to say that in that tragic night (of Friday&#39;s coup attempt), the democratic and legislative institutions needed to be protected,&quot; she told reporters. 
 
&quot;Today we will say together with ministers that obviously doesn&#39;t mean that rule of law and the system of checks and balances in the country does not count. On the contrary, it needs to be protected for the sake of the country. 
 
&quot;So we will send a strong message on that.&quot; 
 
Turkey&#39;s attempts to join EU hobbled in recent years&nbsp; 
 
Would-be EU member Turkey carried out fresh raids today as the EU ministers were meeting, prompting growing international concern over the scale of the crackdown. 
 
Judges and military commanders are among 6,000 people who were arrested over the weekend as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vows to stamp out the &quot;virus&quot; of the coup plotters. 
 
Turkey&#39;s attempts to join the 28-nation European Union have been hobbled in recent years by concern over the increasingly authoritarian Erdogan&#39;s record on human rights and press freedom. 
 
But the EU agreed to speed up its membership bid and give visa-free travel to Turks as part of a migrant crisis deal in which Ankara agreed to take back people landing in the Greek islands. 
 
France, Belgium urge restraint&nbsp; 
 
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also insisted &quot;the rule of law must prevail&quot;. 
 
&quot;France has condemned the coup, you can&#39;t accept the military taking power,&quot; he said. &quot;At the same time we have to be vigilant that the Turkish authorities don&#39;t put in place a system which turns back democracy.&quot; 
 
Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders also urged restraint, saying: &quot;It&#39;s normal to punish those involved in the coup, but it&#39;s normal to ask for respect for the rule of law.&quot; 
 
(Agencies)&nbsp;

The union urges restraint as the country cracks down heavily on people suspected of plotting the failed coup

The swift rounding up of judges and others after a failed coup in Turkey indicated the government had prepared a list beforehand, the EU commissioner dealing with Turkey's membership bid, Johannes Hahn, said today. Following a failed coup attempt on Saturday, Turkish authorities on Sunday rounded up nearly 3,000 suspected military plotters, ranging from top commanders to foot soldiers, and the same number of judges and prosecutors. "It looks at least as if something has been prepared. The lists are available, which indicates it was prepared and to be used at a certain stage," Hahn said. "I'm very concerned. It is exactly what we feared," he added. 'Rule of law has to be protected' Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday that Turkey must protect the rule of law as it cracks down after the failed coup. "We are the ones saying today rule of law has to be protected in the country. There is no excuse for any steps that take the country away from that," Mogherini said as European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels. "As we have been the first ones to say that in that tragic night (of Friday's coup attempt), the democratic and legislative institutions needed to be protected," she told reporters. "Today we will say together with ministers that obviously doesn't mean that rule of law and the system of checks and balances in the country does not count. On the contrary, it needs to be protected for the sake of the country. "So we will send a strong message on that." Turkey's attempts to join EU hobbled in recent years Would-be EU member Turkey carried out fresh raids today as the EU ministers were meeting, prompting growing international concern over the scale of the crackdown. Judges and military commanders are among 6,000 people who were arrested over the weekend as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vows to stamp out the "virus" of the coup plotters. Turkey's attempts to join the 28-nation European Union have been hobbled in recent years by concern over the increasingly authoritarian Erdogan's record on human rights and press freedom. But the EU agreed to speed up its membership bid and give visa-free travel to Turks as part of a migrant crisis deal in which Ankara agreed to take back people landing in the Greek islands. France, Belgium urge restraint French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also insisted "the rule of law must prevail". "France has condemned the coup, you can't accept the military taking power," he said. "At the same time we have to be vigilant that the Turkish authorities don't put in place a system which turns back democracy." Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders also urged restraint, saying: "It's normal to punish those involved in the coup, but it's normal to ask for respect for the rule of law." (Agencies)

Turkey government seemed to have list of arrests prepared: EU's Johannes Hahn

Victims of the Nice truck attack included three generations of a family out for a stroll, a Frenchman protecting his pregnant wife and a former Soviet soldier. 
 
The Bastille Day assault killed 84 people of all ages -- including 10 children -- who had been out enjoying a fireworks display on a warm summer evening. The dead came from at least 12 countries. 
 
More than 300 people were also injured when the Tunisian driver slammed his truck into the crowd on the seaside promenade on Thursday.&nbsp; 
 
Here are some of the victims&#39; stories. 
 
Four-year-old Yanis C, described by his father Michael in local media as &quot;a rascal, a scallywag, always smiling&quot;, was playing with other children a few feet from his parents when he was hit.&nbsp; 
 
Mehdi H was the 12-year-old son of a Nice football referee who also lost his sister-in-law in the attack. His twin sister is in a coma. 
 
Another 12-year-old, Amie V, was the daughter of a magazine journalist based in Nice. 
 
One 14-year-old boy who is in a critical condition will wake up to the death of his mother, Christine Fabry, 67, and her partner Hugues Mismarck. His sister is injured and 17-year-old brother is missing. 
 
Christophe Lyon, the former head of a rugby club, lost his wife, parents, parents-in-law and his wife`s son in the attack. 
 
They were grandparents Francois, 82, and Christiane Locatelli, 78, their daughter Veronique Lyon, 55, and grandson Michael Pellegrini, 28. His parents were Gisele and Germain Lyon. 
 
Laurence Tavet, 49, who was married to an Algerian, was killed with two of her grandchildren. One of them, seven-year-old Yanis, had come to visit her on his holidays, the Algerian foreign ministry said. 
 
Tunisian national Olfa Bent Souayah Khalfallah, 31, was with her four-year-old son on a family holiday from their home in Lyon, France. 
 
Her devastated husband searched for their son for more than two days before discovering that the little boy had also been killed. 
 
Timothe Fournier, a 27-year-old Parisian, died after pushing his seven-months-pregnant wife out of the truck`s deadly path, his cousin Anais told AFP. 
 
&quot;He was a great guy,&quot; she said. &quot;A young dreamer, but someone who was always there for his family.&quot; 
 
A Texas-based newspaper identified the two Americans killed as baseball coach Sean Copeland, 51, and his 11-year-old son Brodie, who were on a family vacation in Europe. 
 
&quot;They are so loved,&quot; the Austin American-Statesman quoted the family as saying in a statement. 
 
Sisters Magdalena, 21, and Marzena Chrzanowska, 20, were on holiday with their two other sisters when they were killed, the priest in their hometown of Krzyszkowice, Poland, told AFP. 
 
Slain Russian tourist Victoria Savchenko, a 20-year-old student, was also holidaying in the French Riviera resort. 
 
Fatima Charrihi, 60, a Nice resident and mother of seven, was among the first to be killed by the driver, her son Hamza told local media. 
 
He described her as &quot;an extraordinary mum&quot; and a devout Muslim who practised &quot;real Islam, not that of the terrorists&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Madagascan mother Mino Razafitrimo, 31, was with her two children aged four and six, who survived. She was a &quot;joyous person very involved with the Malagasy community in Nice&quot;, a friend told AFP. 
 
A teacher and two of her students from Berlin`s Paula-Fuerst School were killed, the Berlin mayor&#39;s office said. 
 
American student Nicolas Leslie was also killed, the University of California, Berkeley said. The 20-year-old had been in the French city as part of Berkeley`s study abroad programme. 
 
Men and women of all professions were among the dead. 
 
Former Soviet soldier Igor Sheleshko, 47, was a father-of-four who held both Russian and Belgian nationality. 
 
He had been living in Nice for four months, said Andrey Eliseev, arch-priest of the Saint-Nicolas cathedral who described him as &quot;a pious man&quot;. 
 
The priest named another victim as Roman Ekmaliyan, a Georgian businessman of Armenian origin who had lived in Belgium. The 56-year-old was &quot;very intelligent on all topics -- interested in history, politics&quot;. 
 
Robert Marchand, 60, was an athletics trainer from Marcigny, a small town in central France. He had raised the town`s club &quot;to a very high level&quot;, mayor Louis Poncet told AFP.&nbsp; 
 
Also killed was border police commissioner Emmanuel Grout, 45, who was off duty, local media said. 
 
And David Bonnet, a 44-year-old fish farmer, was out with his new partner, who was injured in the attack. 
 
(AFP)

Several still in critical condition. Attack killed 84 people of all ages, including three generations of a family

Victims of the Nice truck attack included three generations of a family out for a stroll, a Frenchman protecting his pregnant wife and a former Soviet soldier. The Bastille Day assault killed 84 people of all ages -- including 10 children -- who had been out enjoying a fireworks display on a warm summer evening. The dead came from at least 12 countries. More than 300 people were also injured when the Tunisian driver slammed his truck into the crowd on the seaside promenade on Thursday. Here are some of the victims' stories. Four-year-old Yanis C, described by his father Michael in local media as "a rascal, a scallywag, always smiling", was playing with other children a few feet from his parents when he was hit. Mehdi H was the 12-year-old son of a Nice football referee who also lost his sister-in-law in the attack. His twin sister is in a coma. Another 12-year-old, Amie V, was the daughter of a magazine journalist based in Nice. One 14-year-old boy who is in a critical condition will wake up to the death of his mother, Christine Fabry, 67, and her partner Hugues Mismarck. His sister is injured and 17-year-old brother is missing. Christophe Lyon, the former head of a rugby club, lost his wife, parents, parents-in-law and his wife`s son in the attack. They were grandparents Francois, 82, and Christiane Locatelli, 78, their daughter Veronique Lyon, 55, and grandson Michael Pellegrini, 28. His parents were Gisele and Germain Lyon. Laurence Tavet, 49, who was married to an Algerian, was killed with two of her grandchildren. One of them, seven-year-old Yanis, had come to visit her on his holidays, the Algerian foreign ministry said. Tunisian national Olfa Bent Souayah Khalfallah, 31, was with her four-year-old son on a family holiday from their home in Lyon, France. Her devastated husband searched for their son for more than two days before discovering that the little boy had also been killed. Timothe Fournier, a 27-year-old Parisian, died after pushing his seven-months-pregnant wife out of the truck`s deadly path, his cousin Anais told AFP. "He was a great guy," she said. "A young dreamer, but someone who was always there for his family." A Texas-based newspaper identified the two Americans killed as baseball coach Sean Copeland, 51, and his 11-year-old son Brodie, who were on a family vacation in Europe. "They are so loved," the Austin American-Statesman quoted the family as saying in a statement. Sisters Magdalena, 21, and Marzena Chrzanowska, 20, were on holiday with their two other sisters when they were killed, the priest in their hometown of Krzyszkowice, Poland, told AFP. Slain Russian tourist Victoria Savchenko, a 20-year-old student, was also holidaying in the French Riviera resort. Fatima Charrihi, 60, a Nice resident and mother of seven, was among the first to be killed by the driver, her son Hamza told local media. He described her as "an extraordinary mum" and a devout Muslim who practised "real Islam, not that of the terrorists". Madagascan mother Mino Razafitrimo, 31, was with her two children aged four and six, who survived. She was a "joyous person very involved with the Malagasy community in Nice", a friend told AFP. A teacher and two of her students from Berlin`s Paula-Fuerst School were killed, the Berlin mayor's office said. American student Nicolas Leslie was also killed, the University of California, Berkeley said. The 20-year-old had been in the French city as part of Berkeley`s study abroad programme. Men and women of all professions were among the dead. Former Soviet soldier Igor Sheleshko, 47, was a father-of-four who held both Russian and Belgian nationality. He had been living in Nice for four months, said Andrey Eliseev, arch-priest of the Saint-Nicolas cathedral who described him as "a pious man". The priest named another victim as Roman Ekmaliyan, a Georgian businessman of Armenian origin who had lived in Belgium. The 56-year-old was "very intelligent on all topics -- interested in history, politics". Robert Marchand, 60, was an athletics trainer from Marcigny, a small town in central France. He had raised the town`s club "to a very high level", mayor Louis Poncet told AFP. Also killed was border police commissioner Emmanuel Grout, 45, who was off duty, local media said. And David Bonnet, a 44-year-old fish farmer, was out with his new partner, who was injured in the attack. (AFP)

Survivors agony: Families mourn Nice deaths

Links between the Nice truck attacker and &quot;terrorist networks&quot;, including the Islamic State group which has claimed the killings, &quot;have not yet been established by the investigation&quot;, France&#39;s interior minister said today.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We cannot exclude that an unbalanced and very violent individual&quot; has been &quot;through a rapid radicalisation, committed to this absolutely despicable crime,&quot; which killed 84 people, Bernard Cazeneuve told Frances RTL radio. 
 
Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, rammed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd leaving a fireworks display in the seaside city of Nice on Thursday night, killing 84 people and injuring about 300. 
 
The Islamic State group said one of its &quot;soldiers&quot; carried out the attack in response to its calls to target countries from the US-led coalition engaged in airstrikes against the group. 
 
The attack was the third major terror strike on France in 18 months, and Cazeneuve hit out at opposition politicians who have fiercely criticised the government for not doing enough to stop the bloodshed. 
 
Former president and main opposition leader Nicolas Sarkozy said Sunday that &quot;everything that should have been done the past 18 months was not done&quot;. 
 
Cazeneuve described the politicians as &quot;shameful&quot;. 
 
&quot;Certain members of the political class have not respected the mourning period. Arguments broke out right away which personally saddens and shocks me,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

IS said its "soldier" carried out the attack in response to target countries from US-led coalition engaged in airstrikes against the group

Links between the Nice truck attacker and "terrorist networks", including the Islamic State group which has claimed the killings, "have not yet been established by the investigation", France's interior minister said today. "We cannot exclude that an unbalanced and very violent individual" has been "through a rapid radicalisation, committed to this absolutely despicable crime," which killed 84 people, Bernard Cazeneuve told Frances RTL radio. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, rammed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd leaving a fireworks display in the seaside city of Nice on Thursday night, killing 84 people and injuring about 300. The Islamic State group said one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack in response to its calls to target countries from the US-led coalition engaged in airstrikes against the group. The attack was the third major terror strike on France in 18 months, and Cazeneuve hit out at opposition politicians who have fiercely criticised the government for not doing enough to stop the bloodshed. Former president and main opposition leader Nicolas Sarkozy said Sunday that "everything that should have been done the past 18 months was not done". Cazeneuve described the politicians as "shameful". "Certain members of the political class have not respected the mourning period. Arguments broke out right away which personally saddens and shocks me," he said. (AFP)

Links between Nice attacker, IS not yet established: French interior minister

The Nice truck attacker staked out the seafront for two days before striking, it emerged Sunday, as investigators pieced together details of the IS-claimed massacre and questioned possible accomplices. 
 
A source close to the investigation told AFP that Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, sent a text message just before the attack in which he &quot;expresses satisfaction at having obtained a 7.65mm pistol and discusses the supply of other weapons&quot;.&nbsp;He also took a selfie at the wheel of the 19-tonne truck in the days before he ploughed it into a crowd of people who had been enjoying a fireworks display on Bastille Day, France&#39;s national day, killing 84 and injuring about 300. 
 
Mangled bodies were left strewn across the Riviera city&#39;s seafront in the grisly attack by a man described by those who knew him as a loner with a history of violence and depression. 
 
While some relatives and friends described the delivery driver as someone who drank heavily and never attended the local mosque, others questioned by investigators spoke of &quot;a recent shift to radical Islam&quot;, said a police source.&nbsp;But there has been no evidence yet linking him to the Islamic State group, which on Saturday claimed the attack. 
 
An Albanian suspected of providing the driver with the pistol was arrested in Nice on Sunday. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel fired at police who sprayed his rampaging truck with gunfire, eventually killing him.&nbsp;Two replica assault rifles and a dummy grenade were also found in the truck, which he rented a few days earlier and used for reconnaissance on the seafront on the two consecutive days before the attack. 
 
One of five other people being held over the carnage is a 22-year-old suspected of lending logistical support, said his lawyer Jean-Pascal Padovani. 
 
The lawyer said the pair had only known each other for a few months.&nbsp;Lahouaiej-Bouhlel&#39;s estranged wife, the mother of his three children, was released Sunday after two days of questioning. 
 
Slow identification of victims 
 
In Nice, many people were still desperately waiting for news of their loved ones.&nbsp;Prosecutors said only 35 victims have been officially identified as they take painstaking measures to avoid errors of identification seen during the Paris attacks last November. 
 
&quot;We have no news, neither good nor bad,&quot; said Johanna, a Lithuanian who was looking for her two friends, aged 20. 
 
At least 10 children were among the dead, as well as tourists from the United States, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany and about 10 people from Russia, a local Russian association said.&nbsp;Health Minister Marisol Touraine said 85 people were still hospitalised, 18 of them in critical condition. 
 
&#39;Radicalised very quickly&#39; 
 
Despite several brushes with the law for petty crime, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had never appeared on the radar of intelligence services.&nbsp;Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Saturday he &quot;seemed to have been radicalised very quickly, from what his friends and family&quot; told police. 
 
People who went to the same gym as Lahouaiej-Bouhlel - where he took salsa dancing classes and lifted weights - described him as a vain man who &quot;flirted with anything that moved&quot;. 
 
The Islamic State group said one of its &quot;soldiers&quot; carried out the attack in response to its calls to target countries from the US-led coalition engaged in airstrikes against the group. 
 
Cazeneuve described the massacre as a &quot;a new kind of attack&quot;. 
 
&quot;We are now confronted with individuals open to IS&#39;s message to engage in extremely violent actions without necessarily having been trained or having the weapons to carry out a mass (casualty) attack,&quot; he said. 
 
Patriots called to volunteer 
 
France&#39;s third major attack in the past 18 months has left the government fending off criticism over security failures and scrambling to reassure citizens about their safety.&nbsp;Cazeneuve called for volunteers to boost the security forces who were already on high alert under an eight-month-old state of emergency. 
 
&quot;I want to call on all French patriots who wish to do so, to join this operational reserve,&quot; said Cazeneuve of a force currently made up of 12,000 volunteers aged between 17 and 30. 
 
The latest attack comes after a French parliamentary inquiry last week criticised numerous failings by the intelligence services following jihadist assaults in January and November last year. 
 
France is a prime target of IS, due to its role in fighting the group in Iraq and Syria, its emphasis on secular values, and what the government has admitted is a &quot;social and ethnic apartheid&quot; that alienates its large Muslim community.&nbsp;Hundreds of French jihadists have gone to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria. 
 
French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian noted that IS had recently repeated calls for supporters to &quot;directly attack the French, Americans, wherever they are and by whatever means&quot;. 
 
&quot;Even when Daesh is not the organiser, Daesh breathes life into the terrorist spirit that we are fighting,&quot; he said, using an Arabic name for IS. 
 
(AFP)

Only 35 victims have been officially identified as prosecutors take painstaking measures to avoid errors seen during November's Paris attack

The Nice truck attacker staked out the seafront for two days before striking, it emerged Sunday, as investigators pieced together details of the IS-claimed massacre and questioned possible accomplices. A source close to the investigation told AFP that Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, sent a text message just before the attack in which he "expresses satisfaction at having obtained a 7.65mm pistol and discusses the supply of other weapons". He also took a selfie at the wheel of the 19-tonne truck in the days before he ploughed it into a crowd of people who had been enjoying a fireworks display on Bastille Day, France's national day, killing 84 and injuring about 300. Mangled bodies were left strewn across the Riviera city's seafront in the grisly attack by a man described by those who knew him as a loner with a history of violence and depression. While some relatives and friends described the delivery driver as someone who drank heavily and never attended the local mosque, others questioned by investigators spoke of "a recent shift to radical Islam", said a police source. But there has been no evidence yet linking him to the Islamic State group, which on Saturday claimed the attack. An Albanian suspected of providing the driver with the pistol was arrested in Nice on Sunday. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel fired at police who sprayed his rampaging truck with gunfire, eventually killing him. Two replica assault rifles and a dummy grenade were also found in the truck, which he rented a few days earlier and used for reconnaissance on the seafront on the two consecutive days before the attack. One of five other people being held over the carnage is a 22-year-old suspected of lending logistical support, said his lawyer Jean-Pascal Padovani. The lawyer said the pair had only known each other for a few months. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel's estranged wife, the mother of his three children, was released Sunday after two days of questioning. Slow identification of victims In Nice, many people were still desperately waiting for news of their loved ones. Prosecutors said only 35 victims have been officially identified as they take painstaking measures to avoid errors of identification seen during the Paris attacks last November. "We have no news, neither good nor bad," said Johanna, a Lithuanian who was looking for her two friends, aged 20. At least 10 children were among the dead, as well as tourists from the United States, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany and about 10 people from Russia, a local Russian association said. Health Minister Marisol Touraine said 85 people were still hospitalised, 18 of them in critical condition. 'Radicalised very quickly' Despite several brushes with the law for petty crime, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had never appeared on the radar of intelligence services. Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Saturday he "seemed to have been radicalised very quickly, from what his friends and family" told police. People who went to the same gym as Lahouaiej-Bouhlel - where he took salsa dancing classes and lifted weights - described him as a vain man who "flirted with anything that moved". The Islamic State group said one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack in response to its calls to target countries from the US-led coalition engaged in airstrikes against the group. Cazeneuve described the massacre as a "a new kind of attack". "We are now confronted with individuals open to IS's message to engage in extremely violent actions without necessarily having been trained or having the weapons to carry out a mass (casualty) attack," he said. Patriots called to volunteer France's third major attack in the past 18 months has left the government fending off criticism over security failures and scrambling to reassure citizens about their safety. Cazeneuve called for volunteers to boost the security forces who were already on high alert under an eight-month-old state of emergency. "I want to call on all French patriots who wish to do so, to join this operational reserve," said Cazeneuve of a force currently made up of 12,000 volunteers aged between 17 and 30. The latest attack comes after a French parliamentary inquiry last week criticised numerous failings by the intelligence services following jihadist assaults in January and November last year. France is a prime target of IS, due to its role in fighting the group in Iraq and Syria, its emphasis on secular values, and what the government has admitted is a "social and ethnic apartheid" that alienates its large Muslim community. Hundreds of French jihadists have gone to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria. French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian noted that IS had recently repeated calls for supporters to "directly attack the French, Americans, wherever they are and by whatever means". "Even when Daesh is not the organiser, Daesh breathes life into the terrorist spirit that we are fighting," he said, using an Arabic name for IS. (AFP)

Nice attack investigation unfolds gradually

The Nice truck attacker staked out the seafront for two days before striking, it emerged today as investigators pieced together details of the IS-claimed massacre and questioned possible accomplices. 
 
A source close to the investigation said that Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, sent a text message just before the attack in which he &quot;expresses satisfaction at having obtained a 7.65mm pistol and discusses the supply of other weapons&quot;. 
 
He also took a selfie at the wheel of the 19-tonne truck in the days before he ploughed it into a crowd of people who had been enjoying a fireworks display on Bastille Day, France&#39;s national day, killing 84 and injuring about 300. 
 
Mangled bodies were left strewn across the Riviera city&#39;s seafront in the grisly attack by a man described by those who knew him as a loner with a history of violence and depression. 
 
While some relatives and friends described the delivery driver as someone who drank heavily and never attended the local mosque, others questioned by investigators spoke of &quot;a recent shift to radical Islam&quot;, said a police source. 
 
But there has been no evidence yet linking him to the Islamic State group, which on Saturday claimed the attack. 
 
An Albanian suspected of providing the driver with the pistol was arrested in Nice today. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel fired at police who sprayed his rampaging truck with gunfire, eventually killing him. 
 
Two replica assault rifles and a dummy grenade were also found in the truck, which he rented a few days earlier and used for reconnaissance on the seafront on the two consecutive days before the attack. 
 
One of five other people being held over the carnage is a 22-year-old suspected of lending logistical support, said his lawyer Jean-Pascal Padovani. 
 
The lawyer said the pair had only known each other for a few months. 
 
Lahouaiej-Bouhlel&#39;s estranged wife, the mother of his three children, was released today after two days of questioning. 
 
Slow identification of victims&nbsp; 
 
In Nice, many people were still desperately waiting for news of their loved ones. 
 
Prosecutors said only 35 victims have been officially identified as they take painstaking measures to avoid errors of identification seen during the Paris attacks last November. 
 
&quot;We have no news, neither good nor bad,&quot; said Johanna, a Lithuanian who was looking for her two friends, aged 20. 
 
At least ten children were among the dead as well as tourists from the United States, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany and about ten people from Russia, a local Russian association said. 
 
Health Minister Marisol Touraine said 85 people were still hospitalised, 18 of them in critical condition. 
 
Patriots called to volunteer&nbsp; 
 
France&#39;s third major attack in the past 18 months has left the government fending off criticism over security failures and scrambling to reassure citizens about their safety. 
 
Cazeneuve called for volunteers to boost the security forces who were already on high alert under an eight-month-old state of emergency. 
 
&quot;I want to call on all French patriots who wish to do so, to join this operational reserve,&quot; said Cazeneuve of a force currently made up of 12,000 volunteers aged between 17 and 30. 
 
The latest attack comes after a French parliamentary inquiry last week criticised numerous failings by the intelligence services following jihadist assaults in January and November last year. 
 
France is a prime target of IS, due to its role in fighting the group in Iraq and Syria, its emphasis on secular values, and what the government has admitted is a &quot;social and ethnic apartheid&quot; that alienates its large Muslim community. 
 
Hundreds of French jihadists have gone to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria. 
 
French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian noted that IS had recently repeated calls for supporters to &quot;directly attack the French, Americans, wherever they are and by whatever means&quot;. 
 
&quot;Even when Daesh is not the organiser, Daesh breathes life into the terrorist spirit that we are fighting,&quot; he said, using an Arabic name for IS. 
 
(AFP)

He took a selfie at the wheel of the 19-tonne truck days before the attack. An Albanian suspected of providing the pistol was arrested

The Nice truck attacker staked out the seafront for two days before striking, it emerged today as investigators pieced together details of the IS-claimed massacre and questioned possible accomplices. A source close to the investigation said that Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, sent a text message just before the attack in which he "expresses satisfaction at having obtained a 7.65mm pistol and discusses the supply of other weapons". He also took a selfie at the wheel of the 19-tonne truck in the days before he ploughed it into a crowd of people who had been enjoying a fireworks display on Bastille Day, France's national day, killing 84 and injuring about 300. Mangled bodies were left strewn across the Riviera city's seafront in the grisly attack by a man described by those who knew him as a loner with a history of violence and depression. While some relatives and friends described the delivery driver as someone who drank heavily and never attended the local mosque, others questioned by investigators spoke of "a recent shift to radical Islam", said a police source. But there has been no evidence yet linking him to the Islamic State group, which on Saturday claimed the attack. An Albanian suspected of providing the driver with the pistol was arrested in Nice today. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel fired at police who sprayed his rampaging truck with gunfire, eventually killing him. Two replica assault rifles and a dummy grenade were also found in the truck, which he rented a few days earlier and used for reconnaissance on the seafront on the two consecutive days before the attack. One of five other people being held over the carnage is a 22-year-old suspected of lending logistical support, said his lawyer Jean-Pascal Padovani. The lawyer said the pair had only known each other for a few months. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel's estranged wife, the mother of his three children, was released today after two days of questioning. Slow identification of victims In Nice, many people were still desperately waiting for news of their loved ones. Prosecutors said only 35 victims have been officially identified as they take painstaking measures to avoid errors of identification seen during the Paris attacks last November. "We have no news, neither good nor bad," said Johanna, a Lithuanian who was looking for her two friends, aged 20. At least ten children were among the dead as well as tourists from the United States, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany and about ten people from Russia, a local Russian association said. Health Minister Marisol Touraine said 85 people were still hospitalised, 18 of them in critical condition. Patriots called to volunteer France's third major attack in the past 18 months has left the government fending off criticism over security failures and scrambling to reassure citizens about their safety. Cazeneuve called for volunteers to boost the security forces who were already on high alert under an eight-month-old state of emergency. "I want to call on all French patriots who wish to do so, to join this operational reserve," said Cazeneuve of a force currently made up of 12,000 volunteers aged between 17 and 30. The latest attack comes after a French parliamentary inquiry last week criticised numerous failings by the intelligence services following jihadist assaults in January and November last year. France is a prime target of IS, due to its role in fighting the group in Iraq and Syria, its emphasis on secular values, and what the government has admitted is a "social and ethnic apartheid" that alienates its large Muslim community. Hundreds of French jihadists have gone to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria. French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian noted that IS had recently repeated calls for supporters to "directly attack the French, Americans, wherever they are and by whatever means". "Even when Daesh is not the organiser, Daesh breathes life into the terrorist spirit that we are fighting," he said, using an Arabic name for IS. (AFP)

Nice attacker scouted area before striking

French film distributor Studiocanal has asked cinemas to pull the thriller &quot;Bastille Day&quot;, a movie about a planned attack on the eve of France&#39;s national holiday, after the real-life truck attack in Nice. 
 
The plotline of the film became even more chilling in attack-weary France after Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel smashed a truck into a crowd enjoying Bastille Day fireworks on Thursday night, killing 84. 
 
&quot;Bastille Day&quot; was being shown in 237 cinemas. 
 
&quot;We asked all cinemas to withdraw Bastille Day because some aspects of the film are not in line with the national mood,&quot; said a spokeswoman for Studiocanal. 
 
The movie is a joint, American, French and British production and tells the story of a young French woman who is preparing an attack on the eve of the Bastille Day, and a CIA agent played by Idriss Elba who is sent to Paris to stop her. 
 
It opened in France on July 13, and was already on screens in Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. 
 
The film has been advertised for weeks in the capital, in metro stations and on the back of buses, but all publicity was removed on Friday after the attack. 
 
The truck attack, claimed by the Islamic State group, was the third major strike by jihadists on France in 18 months. 
 
It is not the first time that reality and cinematic fiction have collided in the wake of an attack. 
 
Islamic terror thriller &quot;Made In France&quot; was days from its premiere when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi attacked the Charlie Hebdo weekly and an accomplice Amedy Coulibaly killed a policewoman and four Jewish hostages in January 2015. 
 
Its distributor SND Films pulled out and the movie was eventually picked up by British company Pretty Pictures and given a new release date of November 18. 
 
But life again imitated art in the grimmest manner imaginable when, five days before the rescheduled premiere, members of the Islamic State group attacked a Parisian concert hall, stadium and restaurants and bars, leaving 130 dead. 
 
Another film currently in French cinemas, &quot;Moi, Olga&quot; (I, Olga) tells the story of a young woman who crushes people under a truck, reported Le Figaro newspaper. 
 
(AFP)

The plot of the movie, which deals with a planned attack on the eve of France's national holiday, was not in line with the national mood

French film distributor Studiocanal has asked cinemas to pull the thriller "Bastille Day", a movie about a planned attack on the eve of France's national holiday, after the real-life truck attack in Nice. The plotline of the film became even more chilling in attack-weary France after Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel smashed a truck into a crowd enjoying Bastille Day fireworks on Thursday night, killing 84. "Bastille Day" was being shown in 237 cinemas. "We asked all cinemas to withdraw Bastille Day because some aspects of the film are not in line with the national mood," said a spokeswoman for Studiocanal. The movie is a joint, American, French and British production and tells the story of a young French woman who is preparing an attack on the eve of the Bastille Day, and a CIA agent played by Idriss Elba who is sent to Paris to stop her. It opened in France on July 13, and was already on screens in Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The film has been advertised for weeks in the capital, in metro stations and on the back of buses, but all publicity was removed on Friday after the attack. The truck attack, claimed by the Islamic State group, was the third major strike by jihadists on France in 18 months. It is not the first time that reality and cinematic fiction have collided in the wake of an attack. Islamic terror thriller "Made In France" was days from its premiere when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi attacked the Charlie Hebdo weekly and an accomplice Amedy Coulibaly killed a policewoman and four Jewish hostages in January 2015. Its distributor SND Films pulled out and the movie was eventually picked up by British company Pretty Pictures and given a new release date of November 18. But life again imitated art in the grimmest manner imaginable when, five days before the rescheduled premiere, members of the Islamic State group attacked a Parisian concert hall, stadium and restaurants and bars, leaving 130 dead. Another film currently in French cinemas, "Moi, Olga" (I, Olga) tells the story of a young woman who crushes people under a truck, reported Le Figaro newspaper. (AFP)

Bastille day movie pulled down after Nice attack

French health minister Marisol Touraine said today&nbsp;that 18 people, including one child, were still in critical condition&nbsp;after the truck attack&nbsp;in Nice that killed 84.

Touraine said 85 people were still hospitalised, 29 of whom were in intensive care, after the attack claimed by the Islamic State group which turned a night of Bastille Day celebrations in the Riviera city to horror.

Touraine said that there was now only one person among the injured who had yet to be identified.

Over 300 people received medical care in the wake of the attack carried out by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian who smashed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd that had just finished watching a fireworks display. 
 
(AFP)

85 are still hospitalised, 29 of whom are in intensive care. Only one among the injured yet to be identified

French health minister Marisol Touraine said today that 18 people, including one child, were still in critical condition after the truck attack in Nice that killed 84. Touraine said 85 people were still hospitalised, 29 of whom were in intensive care, after the attack claimed by the Islamic State group which turned a night of Bastille Day celebrations in the Riviera city to horror. Touraine said that there was now only one person among the injured who had yet to be identified. Over 300 people received medical care in the wake of the attack carried out by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian who smashed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd that had just finished watching a fireworks display. (AFP)

18 still critical after Nice attack: Health minister

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the truck attack on the French city of Nice today&nbsp;as French police arrested three people&nbsp;in connection with the carnage that claimed the lives of at least 84 people.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The person who carried out the operation in Nice&nbsp;to run down people was one of the soldiers of Islamic State,&quot; the news agency Amaq, which supports Islamic State, said via its Telegram account.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;He carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of states that are part of the coalition fighting Islamic State,&quot; the statement said. 
 
French authorities said they were checking the claim. 
 
The 31-year-old Tunisian driver of the truck drove at a Bastille day crowd on the waterfront of the French riveria city on Thursday night. Authorities had been working to find out whether his motives were indeed connected to radical Islam.&nbsp; 
 
He was not known to French intelligence sources for radicalisation. 
 
The arrests, which came on top of two on Friday including the attacker&#39;s wife, concerned the attacker&#39;s &quot;close entourage&quot;, the sources said. They were made in two different areas of Nice. 
 
A reporter saw about 40 elite police raid a small apartment near the central station, where one individual was arrested. 
 
Nice attack was third of its kind in France&nbsp; 
 
Thursday night&#39;s attack plunged France into new grief and fear just eight months after gunmen killed 130 people in Paris. 
 
The truck zigzagged along the city&#39;s seafront Promenade des Anglais as a fireworks display marking the French national day ended.&nbsp; 
 
It careered into families and friends listening to an orchestra or strolling above the Mediterranean beach towards the century-old grand Hotel Negresco. 
 
The attack is the third of its kind in France since the beginning of 2015, and a state of emergency in place since 130 people were killed in and around Paris last November is to be extended for another three months. 
 
The driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was shot dead by officers at the scene. He was known to police for petty crimes but was not on a watch list of suspected militants. He had one criminal conviction for road rage, having been sentenced to probation three months ago for throwing a wooden pallet at another driver.&nbsp; 
 
Ahead of the claim by the Islamic State, the terrorist&nbsp;Islamist group which grabbed control of swathes of Iraq and Syria but which is now under military pressure from forces opposed to it, French officials had not disclosed any direct evidence linking Bouhlel with the jihadism.

French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, asked on Friday if he could confirm the attacker&#39;s motives were linked to jihadism, said: &quot;No. ... We have an individual who was not known to intelligence services.&quot;

Relatives and neighbours in Bouhlel&#39;s home town of Msaken outside the coast city of Sousse said he was sporty and had shown no sign of being radicalised, including when he last returned for the wedding of a sister four years ago. 
 
(Reuters)

The arrests include the attacker's wife. French authorities said they were checking the claim of IS involvement in the attack

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the truck attack on the French city of Nice today as French police arrested three people in connection with the carnage that claimed the lives of at least 84 people. "The person who carried out the operation in Nice to run down people was one of the soldiers of Islamic State," the news agency Amaq, which supports Islamic State, said via its Telegram account. "He carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of states that are part of the coalition fighting Islamic State," the statement said. French authorities said they were checking the claim. The 31-year-old Tunisian driver of the truck drove at a Bastille day crowd on the waterfront of the French riveria city on Thursday night. Authorities had been working to find out whether his motives were indeed connected to radical Islam. He was not known to French intelligence sources for radicalisation. The arrests, which came on top of two on Friday including the attacker's wife, concerned the attacker's "close entourage", the sources said. They were made in two different areas of Nice. A reporter saw about 40 elite police raid a small apartment near the central station, where one individual was arrested. Nice attack was third of its kind in France Thursday night's attack plunged France into new grief and fear just eight months after gunmen killed 130 people in Paris. The truck zigzagged along the city's seafront Promenade des Anglais as a fireworks display marking the French national day ended. It careered into families and friends listening to an orchestra or strolling above the Mediterranean beach towards the century-old grand Hotel Negresco. The attack is the third of its kind in France since the beginning of 2015, and a state of emergency in place since 130 people were killed in and around Paris last November is to be extended for another three months. The driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was shot dead by officers at the scene. He was known to police for petty crimes but was not on a watch list of suspected militants. He had one criminal conviction for road rage, having been sentenced to probation three months ago for throwing a wooden pallet at another driver. Ahead of the claim by the Islamic State, the terrorist Islamist group which grabbed control of swathes of Iraq and Syria but which is now under military pressure from forces opposed to it, French officials had not disclosed any direct evidence linking Bouhlel with the jihadism. French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, asked on Friday if he could confirm the attacker's motives were linked to jihadism, said: "No. ... We have an individual who was not known to intelligence services." Relatives and neighbours in Bouhlel's home town of Msaken outside the coast city of Sousse said he was sporty and had shown no sign of being radicalised, including when he last returned for the wedding of a sister four years ago. (Reuters)

Islamic State claims truck attack in Nice, 3 arrested

Brazil said on Friday that it will bolster security for next month&#39;s Olympics in Rio following the truck attack in the French city of Nice. 
 
Brazil&#39;s interim president Michel Temer held an emergency meeting with his intelligence chief and members of his cabinet late Friday to weigh the next steps after the Nice attack, which killed at least 84 people. 
 
As he left the meeting, intelligence chief Sergio Etchegoyen said new security measures would include extra checkpoints, barricades and traffic restrictions. 
 
Brazil had already planned to deploy 85,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the Olympics, running August 5-21, which is double the number used in the 2012 London Games. 
 
Heightened fears, heightened security 
 
Etchegoyen said fears over security at the Rio Games had &quot;gone up a notch&quot; &nbsp;after the attack in Nice, where a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne white truck into a huge crowd gathered to watch the annual Bastille Day fireworks display on Thursday, leaving a gruesome trail of bodies in his wake. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re trading a little comfort for a lot more security,&quot; he told a press conference at the presidential offices. 
 
Brazilian intelligence officials met with French counterparts for a briefing on the Nice attack, he said. 
 
Defense Minister Raul Jungmann expressed &quot;worries&quot; over the Nice attack. 
 
&quot;This worry will translate to more checkpoints, security, staff and procedures being put in place,&quot; he told reporters at an air force base near the Rio international airport. 
 
Jungmann said Brazil is corresponding with all 106 countries sending representatives to the event&#39;s international intelligence center. 
 
&quot;As of now, none of these countries have informed us of a potential or concrete threat of a terrorist attack in Brazil,&quot; Jungmann said. 
 
Brazil is already on alert after the French military intelligence chief said France had been informed of a planned terror attack on its team at the Rio Olympics. 
 
In June, Brazil&#39;s intelligence service said it had detected Portuguese-language messages linked to the Islamic State group on an online forum. 
 
An even more explicit warning came after bloody attacks in Paris in November, when a French jihadist tweeted that Brazil was the &quot;next target.&quot; 
 
Jungmann said officials will supervise the Olympic delegations based on the security threat they face, with countries including the United States and France labeled as high-risk. 
 
&quot;The dozen or so countries in that group will have special accompaniment,&quot; Jungmann said. 
 
Simulation exercises&nbsp; 
 
Security services staged simulation exercises in Rio to test counterterrorism response plans. 
 
Another exercise on &quot;confronting external threats&quot; is planned for today at the railway station in Deodoro, one of four Olympic zones in Rio along with Maracana, Copacabana and Barra da Tijuca. 
 
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Olympic organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman met with federal and regional government officials to assess plans, notably discussing a potential increase in street blockades. 
 
(AFP) 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The country had already planned to deploy 85,000 cops, soldiers, double the number used in 2012 London Games

Brazil said on Friday that it will bolster security for next month's Olympics in Rio following the truck attack in the French city of Nice. Brazil's interim president Michel Temer held an emergency meeting with his intelligence chief and members of his cabinet late Friday to weigh the next steps after the Nice attack, which killed at least 84 people. As he left the meeting, intelligence chief Sergio Etchegoyen said new security measures would include extra checkpoints, barricades and traffic restrictions. Brazil had already planned to deploy 85,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the Olympics, running August 5-21, which is double the number used in the 2012 London Games. Heightened fears, heightened security Etchegoyen said fears over security at the Rio Games had "gone up a notch" after the attack in Nice, where a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne white truck into a huge crowd gathered to watch the annual Bastille Day fireworks display on Thursday, leaving a gruesome trail of bodies in his wake. "We're trading a little comfort for a lot more security," he told a press conference at the presidential offices. Brazilian intelligence officials met with French counterparts for a briefing on the Nice attack, he said. Defense Minister Raul Jungmann expressed "worries" over the Nice attack. "This worry will translate to more checkpoints, security, staff and procedures being put in place," he told reporters at an air force base near the Rio international airport. Jungmann said Brazil is corresponding with all 106 countries sending representatives to the event's international intelligence center. "As of now, none of these countries have informed us of a potential or concrete threat of a terrorist attack in Brazil," Jungmann said. Brazil is already on alert after the French military intelligence chief said France had been informed of a planned terror attack on its team at the Rio Olympics. In June, Brazil's intelligence service said it had detected Portuguese-language messages linked to the Islamic State group on an online forum. An even more explicit warning came after bloody attacks in Paris in November, when a French jihadist tweeted that Brazil was the "next target." Jungmann said officials will supervise the Olympic delegations based on the security threat they face, with countries including the United States and France labeled as high-risk. "The dozen or so countries in that group will have special accompaniment," Jungmann said. Simulation exercises Security services staged simulation exercises in Rio to test counterterrorism response plans. Another exercise on "confronting external threats" is planned for today at the railway station in Deodoro, one of four Olympic zones in Rio along with Maracana, Copacabana and Barra da Tijuca. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Olympic organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman met with federal and regional government officials to assess plans, notably discussing a potential increase in street blockades. (AFP)

Brazil to bolster Olympics security to quell concerns after Nice attack

An app launched last month by the French&nbsp;government&nbsp;to alert users to attacks failed to flash a warning until more than three hours after a truck rammed into crowds in the Riviera city of Nice on Bastille day, the interior ministry said.

The app, called SAIP, was launched by the interior ministry just before the Euro 2016 soccer championship. It was&nbsp;supposed to flash a warning on a user&#39;s mobilephone screen in case of&nbsp;an attack close to their location or suspicion of an imminent strike.

The app did not send its first notification until 0134 am local time (2334 GMT), more than three hours after the 31-year-old&nbsp;Tunisian drove down the Promenade des Anglais seaside boulevard, killing 84 people and injuring scores more.

&quot;Information related to the attack in Nice on July 14 was sent out much too late by the SAIP app,&quot; the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that the app&#39;s designers had been summoned to a crisis meeting on Friday afternoon.

&quot;An action plan has been demanded without delay so that such an incident cannot happen again,&quot; the ministry said.

The message prepared by the local prefecture was ready to go at about 23:15, but a technical glitch prevented the app designed by French company Deveryware to send out the warning, Les Echos newspaper said, citing&nbsp;government&nbsp;sources.

Deveryware did not immediately return a request for comment.

One Nice-based Twitter user called Nathan Lellouche, who posted a picture of the app showing a &quot;no incident ongoing&quot; message the night of the attack, tweeted: &quot;This app had one job and it doesn&#39;t even do it.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The app, called SAIP, was launched just before the Euro 2016 championship to flash a warning in case of an attack in nearby location

An app launched last month by the French government to alert users to attacks failed to flash a warning until more than three hours after a truck rammed into crowds in the Riviera city of Nice on Bastille day, the interior ministry said. The app, called SAIP, was launched by the interior ministry just before the Euro 2016 soccer championship. It was supposed to flash a warning on a user's mobilephone screen in case of an attack close to their location or suspicion of an imminent strike. The app did not send its first notification until 0134 am local time (2334 GMT), more than three hours after the 31-year-old Tunisian drove down the Promenade des Anglais seaside boulevard, killing 84 people and injuring scores more. "Information related to the attack in Nice on July 14 was sent out much too late by the SAIP app," the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that the app's designers had been summoned to a crisis meeting on Friday afternoon. "An action plan has been demanded without delay so that such an incident cannot happen again," the ministry said. The message prepared by the local prefecture was ready to go at about 23:15, but a technical glitch prevented the app designed by French company Deveryware to send out the warning, Les Echos newspaper said, citing government sources. Deveryware did not immediately return a request for comment. One Nice-based Twitter user called Nathan Lellouche, who posted a picture of the app showing a "no incident ongoing" message the night of the attack, tweeted: "This app had one job and it doesn't even do it." (Reuters)

Government app failed to send warning until 3 hours after Nice attack

The man responsible for turning a night of celebration into one of carnage in the seaside city of Nice was a petty criminal who had not been on the radar of French intelligence services before the attack. 
 
The Islamic State group claimed Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel as a &quot;soldier&quot; today, but what is known so far about Bouhlel suggests a troubled, angry man with little interest in Islam. 
 
However, the French interior minister said today the truck attacker was likely &#39;&#39;radicalised very fast&#39;&#39;.&nbsp; 
 
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls had also said on Friday that the man behind the Nice truck attack was a &quot;terrorist&quot; who was probably linked to radical Islam. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s a terrorist who is probably linked to radical Islam in one way or another,&quot; Valls told French television the day after 84 were killed at a Bastille Day fireworks display in the French Riviera city. 
 
The thirty-one-year-old was born in Msaken, a town in Tunisia, but moved to France years ago and was living in the country legally, working as a delivery driver. 
 
At an apartment block in the Quartier des Abattoirs, on the outskirts of Nice, neighbours described the father of three as a volatile man, prone to drinking and womanising, and in the process of divorcing his wife. 
 
His father said Bouhlel had violent episodes during which &quot;he broke everything he found around him.&quot; 
 
&quot;Each time he had a crisis we took him to the doctor who gave him medication,&quot; Mohamed Mondher Lahouaiej-Bouhlel told BFM television. 
 
His son had not visited Tunisia in four years and had not stayed in contact with his family, he said. 
 
&quot;What I know is that he didn&#39;t pray, he didn&#39;t go to the mosque, he had no ties to religion,&quot; said the father, noting that Bouhlel did not respect the Islamic fasting rituals during the month of Ramzan. 
 
In a news conference yesterday, hours after the attack in which 84 were killed and 202 were wounded, prosecutors said they had found no links to the Islamic State extremist group. 
 
Bouhlel had a series of run-ins with the law for threatening behavior, violence and theft over the past six years. In March, he was given a six-month suspended sentence by a Nice court for a road-rage incident. 
 
His court-appointed lawyer, Corentin Delobel, said he observed &quot;no radicalisation whatsoever,&quot; and Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Bouhlel was never placed on a watch list for radicals. 
 
Records show that the 19-metric-ton truck that was rammed through the seaside crowd in Nice was rented in the outskirts of the city on July 11 and was overdue on the night of the attack. 
 
About 25 minutes before the July 14 fireworks show, a popular event that draws hundreds of thousands of people to the Nice seafront each year, Bouhlel climbed into the vehicle and drove toward the city centre. 
 
Shortly after 10.30 pm, he drove onto the Promenade des Anglais that had been closed to traffic for the night. 
 
Witnesses described seeing how Bouhlel purposely steered the truck to hit men, women and children as they tried to flee. 
 
&quot;It was such a nice atmosphere before this started,&quot; recalled Sanchia Lambert, a tourist from Sweden who had come to visit family in Nice. 
 
Her husband, John Lambert, said the couple was almost struck by Bouhlel. &quot;I saw his face,&quot; Lambert told The Associated Press. &quot;He was totally focused.&quot; 
 
(Agencies)

However, the French interior minister said Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who mowed down Bastille Day revellers, was 'radicalised very fast'

The man responsible for turning a night of celebration into one of carnage in the seaside city of Nice was a petty criminal who had not been on the radar of French intelligence services before the attack. The Islamic State group claimed Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel as a "soldier" today, but what is known so far about Bouhlel suggests a troubled, angry man with little interest in Islam. However, the French interior minister said today the truck attacker was likely ''radicalised very fast''. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls had also said on Friday that the man behind the Nice truck attack was a "terrorist" who was probably linked to radical Islam. "He's a terrorist who is probably linked to radical Islam in one way or another," Valls told French television the day after 84 were killed at a Bastille Day fireworks display in the French Riviera city. The thirty-one-year-old was born in Msaken, a town in Tunisia, but moved to France years ago and was living in the country legally, working as a delivery driver. At an apartment block in the Quartier des Abattoirs, on the outskirts of Nice, neighbours described the father of three as a volatile man, prone to drinking and womanising, and in the process of divorcing his wife. His father said Bouhlel had violent episodes during which "he broke everything he found around him." "Each time he had a crisis we took him to the doctor who gave him medication," Mohamed Mondher Lahouaiej-Bouhlel told BFM television. His son had not visited Tunisia in four years and had not stayed in contact with his family, he said. "What I know is that he didn't pray, he didn't go to the mosque, he had no ties to religion," said the father, noting that Bouhlel did not respect the Islamic fasting rituals during the month of Ramzan. In a news conference yesterday, hours after the attack in which 84 were killed and 202 were wounded, prosecutors said they had found no links to the Islamic State extremist group. Bouhlel had a series of run-ins with the law for threatening behavior, violence and theft over the past six years. In March, he was given a six-month suspended sentence by a Nice court for a road-rage incident. His court-appointed lawyer, Corentin Delobel, said he observed "no radicalisation whatsoever," and Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Bouhlel was never placed on a watch list for radicals. Records show that the 19-metric-ton truck that was rammed through the seaside crowd in Nice was rented in the outskirts of the city on July 11 and was overdue on the night of the attack. About 25 minutes before the July 14 fireworks show, a popular event that draws hundreds of thousands of people to the Nice seafront each year, Bouhlel climbed into the vehicle and drove toward the city centre. Shortly after 10.30 pm, he drove onto the Promenade des Anglais that had been closed to traffic for the night. Witnesses described seeing how Bouhlel purposely steered the truck to hit men, women and children as they tried to flee. "It was such a nice atmosphere before this started," recalled Sanchia Lambert, a tourist from Sweden who had come to visit family in Nice. Her husband, John Lambert, said the couple was almost struck by Bouhlel. "I saw his face," Lambert told The Associated Press. "He was totally focused." (Agencies)

Father of Nice truck attacker says son was violent, but no interest in religion

Five children are still fighting for their lives after the truck attack in Nice, including an unidentified eight-year-old boy who may be a missing Romanian national, officials said today. 
 
The children were being treated at the Fondation Lenval paedriatic&nbsp;hospital in the French Riviera city, where a Tunisian drove a truck through a Bastille Day crowd on Thursday, killing 84. 
 
Ten children and teenagers were among the dead. 
 
Lenval spokeswoman Stephanie Simpson said that &quot;five children are still in critical condition and one child has stabilised&quot;, adding the hospital had treated 30 children the night of the attack. 
 
Romanian authorities said three of their citizens are missing from Nice, and one of them may be the boy at Lenval. 
 
&quot;Three Romanian nationals, two spouses and a minor, who were in the Nice area at the time of the attack have not yet been located&quot;, Romania&#39;s foreign affairs ministry said. 
 
&quot;There is one minor (at Lenval) who could be the missing child&quot;, it added. 
 
Simpson, the hospital spokeswoman, said the youngest to be treated at Lenval was six months old, with most of the children being treated for head trauma and fractures. 
 
&quot;We are used to treating lots of children, what has been difficult to manage is the psychological aspect,&quot; Simpson said. 
 
A team of trauma counsellors has been working at the hospital, seeing over 50 families since the attack. 
 
Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd just as a fireworks display was ending. 
 
The Islamic State group, which claimed the November carnage in Paris that &nbsp;killed 130 people, said one of its &quot;soldiers&quot; carried out the attack in Nice &quot;in response to calls to target nations of coalition states that are fighting (IS)&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

Five are in critical condition and one is stable, Fondation Lenval hospital spokeswoman said. 30 had been treated the night of the attack

Five children are still fighting for their lives after the truck attack in Nice, including an unidentified eight-year-old boy who may be a missing Romanian national, officials said today. The children were being treated at the Fondation Lenval paedriatic hospital in the French Riviera city, where a Tunisian drove a truck through a Bastille Day crowd on Thursday, killing 84. Ten children and teenagers were among the dead. Lenval spokeswoman Stephanie Simpson said that "five children are still in critical condition and one child has stabilised", adding the hospital had treated 30 children the night of the attack. Romanian authorities said three of their citizens are missing from Nice, and one of them may be the boy at Lenval. "Three Romanian nationals, two spouses and a minor, who were in the Nice area at the time of the attack have not yet been located", Romania's foreign affairs ministry said. "There is one minor (at Lenval) who could be the missing child", it added. Simpson, the hospital spokeswoman, said the youngest to be treated at Lenval was six months old, with most of the children being treated for head trauma and fractures. "We are used to treating lots of children, what has been difficult to manage is the psychological aspect," Simpson said. A team of trauma counsellors has been working at the hospital, seeing over 50 families since the attack. Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd just as a fireworks display was ending. The Islamic State group, which claimed the November carnage in Paris that killed 130 people, said one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack in Nice "in response to calls to target nations of coalition states that are fighting (IS)". (AFP)

Nice attack: 5 children still fighting for their lives

Transforming a vehicle into a simple but deadly weapon of terror, as happened to such bloody effect in Nice on Thursday, is a tactic well known to intelligence agencies. 
 
A truck smashed into revellers celebrating France&#39;s Bastille Day, killing at least 84 and injuring scores, as its ploughed two kilometres through the crowd. 
 
In Israel and the Palestinian territories, car-ramming attacks have featured heavily in a wave of violence that has killed at least 215 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese since October last year. 
 
Western authorities have had to deal with three similar attacks in recent years: two in Britain and another in Canada. 
 
In May 2013, two Islamists smashed their car into British soldier Lee Rigby before attempting to behead him on a London street in broad daylight. 
 
The pair, who were of Nigerian heritage, said they attacked the 25-year-old fusilier to avenge the deaths of Muslims at the hands of British troops. 
 
Just 18 months later, a man claiming to be acting in the name of radical jihad ran over and killed Canadian soldier Patrice Vincent, also injuring a second man. 
 
Shortly after, the 25-year-old Muslim convert, Martin Couture-Rouleau, called the police emergency line to dedicate his attack to the cause of jihad. 
 
And in June 2007, two men in a burning jeep smashed into the main terminal building at Scotland&#39;s Glasgow Airport. One of the men was jailed for life, with the judge describing him as a &quot;religious extremist&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
For several years, extremist groups such as Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have exhorted followers via videos or messages to carry out such attacks using whatever comes to hand. 
 
In September 2014, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, an IS spokesman who Western intelligence agencies have dubbed the group&#39;s &quot;attacks minister&quot;, issued chilling instructions that some have since apparently followed. 
 
&quot;If you cannot (detonate) a bomb or (fire) a bullet, arrange to meet alone with a French or an American infidel and bash his skull in with a rock, slaughter him with a knife, run him over with your car, throw him off a cliff, strangle him, or inject him with poison,&quot; he said. 
 
Al-Adnani said there was no need to &quot;consult anyone&quot; as all unbelievers are fair game: &quot;It is immaterial if the infidel is a combatant or a civilian... They are both enemies. The blood of both is permitted.&quot; 
 
(AFP) 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

In June 2007, two men in a burning jeep smashed into the main terminal building at Scotland's Glasgow Airport

Transforming a vehicle into a simple but deadly weapon of terror, as happened to such bloody effect in Nice on Thursday, is a tactic well known to intelligence agencies. A truck smashed into revellers celebrating France's Bastille Day, killing at least 84 and injuring scores, as its ploughed two kilometres through the crowd. In Israel and the Palestinian territories, car-ramming attacks have featured heavily in a wave of violence that has killed at least 215 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese since October last year. Western authorities have had to deal with three similar attacks in recent years: two in Britain and another in Canada. In May 2013, two Islamists smashed their car into British soldier Lee Rigby before attempting to behead him on a London street in broad daylight. The pair, who were of Nigerian heritage, said they attacked the 25-year-old fusilier to avenge the deaths of Muslims at the hands of British troops. Just 18 months later, a man claiming to be acting in the name of radical jihad ran over and killed Canadian soldier Patrice Vincent, also injuring a second man. Shortly after, the 25-year-old Muslim convert, Martin Couture-Rouleau, called the police emergency line to dedicate his attack to the cause of jihad. And in June 2007, two men in a burning jeep smashed into the main terminal building at Scotland's Glasgow Airport. One of the men was jailed for life, with the judge describing him as a "religious extremist". For several years, extremist groups such as Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have exhorted followers via videos or messages to carry out such attacks using whatever comes to hand. In September 2014, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, an IS spokesman who Western intelligence agencies have dubbed the group's "attacks minister", issued chilling instructions that some have since apparently followed. "If you cannot (detonate) a bomb or (fire) a bullet, arrange to meet alone with a French or an American infidel and bash his skull in with a rock, slaughter him with a knife, run him over with your car, throw him off a cliff, strangle him, or inject him with poison," he said. Al-Adnani said there was no need to "consult anyone" as all unbelievers are fair game: "It is immaterial if the infidel is a combatant or a civilian... They are both enemies. The blood of both is permitted." (AFP)

When vehicles become weapons of terror

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday&#39;s lethal attack on the southern city of Nice was clearly a terrorist assault and that the state of emergency imposed since since jihadists killed 130 in Paris on November 13, 2015&nbsp;would be extended for another three months. 
 
Speaking after an emergency meeting in the early hours of Friday morning, Hollande said at least 77 people were killed in an attack in which the assailant drove a big truck at high speed into dense crowds who were watching a fireworks display on the country&#39;s national Bastille Day holiday. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s no denying the terrorist nature of this attack of yet again the most extreme form of violence,&quot; the French leader said in a national television address at 4am (0200 GMT), about five or six hours after the carnage in Nice.&nbsp;There was a sense of deja vu in France as the visibly moved President took to the airwaves to address a nation once again in mourning. 
 
As an act of terror, the incident will be the third major attack on French soil in 18 months - with several smaller-scale jihadist killings also having taken place. 
 
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.&nbsp; 
 
Hollande calls up reservists to boost security 
 
President Francois Hollande had called on reservists to boost the ranks of police and gendarmes after the attack. 
 
France&#39;s &quot;operational reservists&quot; include French citizens with or without military experience as well as former soldiers. Hollande said they would in particular be used to boost &quot;border controls&quot;. 
 
&#39;France will strengthen role in Iraq and Syria&#39; 
 
Hollande also vowed to strengthen his country&#39;s role in the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria after a deadly attack on Nice, which has not been claimed by any group. 
 
&quot;Nothing will make us yield in our will to fight terrorism. We will further strengthen our actions in Iraq and in Syria. We will continue striking those who attack us on our own soil,&quot; he said, in reference to the Islamic State group. 
 
(Reuters)

State of emergency imposed since jihadists killed 130 in Paris on November 13, 2015?will be extended for another three months

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday's lethal attack on the southern city of Nice was clearly a terrorist assault and that the state of emergency imposed since since jihadists killed 130 in Paris on November 13, 2015 would be extended for another three months. Speaking after an emergency meeting in the early hours of Friday morning, Hollande said at least 77 people were killed in an attack in which the assailant drove a big truck at high speed into dense crowds who were watching a fireworks display on the country's national Bastille Day holiday. "There's no denying the terrorist nature of this attack of yet again the most extreme form of violence," the French leader said in a national television address at 4am (0200 GMT), about five or six hours after the carnage in Nice. There was a sense of deja vu in France as the visibly moved President took to the airwaves to address a nation once again in mourning. As an act of terror, the incident will be the third major attack on French soil in 18 months - with several smaller-scale jihadist killings also having taken place. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Hollande calls up reservists to boost security President Francois Hollande had called on reservists to boost the ranks of police and gendarmes after the attack. France's "operational reservists" include French citizens with or without military experience as well as former soldiers. Hollande said they would in particular be used to boost "border controls". 'France will strengthen role in Iraq and Syria' Hollande also vowed to strengthen his country's role in the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria after a deadly attack on Nice, which has not been claimed by any group. "Nothing will make us yield in our will to fight terrorism. We will further strengthen our actions in Iraq and in Syria. We will continue striking those who attack us on our own soil," he said, in reference to the Islamic State group. (Reuters)

Nice attack clearly of terrorist nature, says Hollande

President Barack Obama on Thursday condemned the deadly attack in Nice and offered any assistance France needed to investigate. 
 
&quot;On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians,&quot; Obama said in a statement. 
 
US secretary of state John Kerry, who had been in Paris earlier in the day for a Bastille Day parade, said: &quot;The United States will continue to stand firmly with the French people during this time of tragedy. We will provide whatever support is needed.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
At least 77 people were killed and scores injured when a truck slammed into a crowd in the French Riviera city during Bastille Day celebrations. 
 
According to the Downing Street, the British Prime Minister Theresa May is being briefed on the &quot;terrible incident&quot; and &nbsp;the UK authorities stand ready to assist their French counterparts. 
 
&quot;We are shocked and concerned by the scenes there. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible incident on what was a day of national celebration.&quot; a Downing Street spokesman said, &quot;We stand ready to help any British nationals and to support our French partners.&quot; 
 
May, who became prime minister on Wednesday after six years as Britain&#39;s interior minister, was due to head to Scotland later Friday for talks on the Brexit vote fall-out. 
 
A foreign office spokesman said that &nbsp;they are in touch with the local authorities and are seeking more information. 
 
&quot;If you are in the area, follow the instructions of the French authorities,&quot; he added, in a message to British citizens. 
 
French local government official Sebastien Humbert told BFMTV that the driver of the truck was shot dead after barrelling down Nice`s palm-lined Promenade des Anglais in what he called &quot;a major criminal attack&quot;. 
 
Witness Roy Calley, who said he lived 200 metres from the promenade, told the BBC there was &quot;all hell breaking loose&quot; and the situation was &quot;pretty horrendous&quot;. 
 
&quot;It was a celebratory atmosphere, it was fun, people were enjoying themselves. Suddenly I heard a huge, what I can only describe as maybe an explosion or a crash. A lot of people were screaming. That was followed by what I thought were maybe gunshots.&quot; 
 
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday also pledged his support to France . 
 
&quot;Canadians are shocked by tonight&rsquo;s attack in Nice. Our sympathy is with the victims and our solidarity with the French people,&quot; Trudeau said on Twitter. 
 
Canadian opposition leader Thomas Mulcair, head of the New Democratic Party and a French citizen by marriage also offered his condolences ,&quot;We stand with those injured and the families of the many killed,&quot;
Leaders gathering for the first session of the 2016 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) stood for a moment of silence on Friday.&nbsp;

&quot;All the participants of the 11th ASEM summit, we are together with the people of France and the people of Europe. I think it&#39;s appropriate to begin our session with one minute silence,&quot; said Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. 
 
While the United Nations Security Council called the attack &quot;barbaric and cowardly&quot;,&nbsp;European Council President Donald Tusk called it &quot;a sad day for France, for Europe&quot;. He said it was &quot;tragic&quot; that &quot;the subjects of the attack were people celebrating liberty, equality and fraternity.&quot; 
 
&nbsp;Chinese Premier Li Keqiang offered his &quot;condolences&quot; to the victims and said China opposed all forms of terrorism. 
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemnerd the attack in a series of tweets.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Appalled by the horrific attack in Nice. I strongly condemn such mindless acts of violence. My thoughts are with the families of deceased&quot;&nbsp;he tweeted.&nbsp;&quot;&nbsp;I hope the injured recover soon. India shares the pain &amp; stands firmly with our French sisters &amp; brothers in this hour of immense sadness.&quot; 
&nbsp;
(Agencies) 
?

US, Britain and Canada offered assistance to French government

President Barack Obama on Thursday condemned the deadly attack in Nice and offered any assistance France needed to investigate. "On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians," Obama said in a statement. US secretary of state John Kerry, who had been in Paris earlier in the day for a Bastille Day parade, said: "The United States will continue to stand firmly with the French people during this time of tragedy. We will provide whatever support is needed." At least 77 people were killed and scores injured when a truck slammed into a crowd in the French Riviera city during Bastille Day celebrations. According to the Downing Street, the British Prime Minister Theresa May is being briefed on the "terrible incident" and the UK authorities stand ready to assist their French counterparts. "We are shocked and concerned by the scenes there. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible incident on what was a day of national celebration." a Downing Street spokesman said, "We stand ready to help any British nationals and to support our French partners." May, who became prime minister on Wednesday after six years as Britain's interior minister, was due to head to Scotland later Friday for talks on the Brexit vote fall-out. A foreign office spokesman said that they are in touch with the local authorities and are seeking more information. "If you are in the area, follow the instructions of the French authorities," he added, in a message to British citizens. French local government official Sebastien Humbert told BFMTV that the driver of the truck was shot dead after barrelling down Nice`s palm-lined Promenade des Anglais in what he called "a major criminal attack". Witness Roy Calley, who said he lived 200 metres from the promenade, told the BBC there was "all hell breaking loose" and the situation was "pretty horrendous". "It was a celebratory atmosphere, it was fun, people were enjoying themselves. Suddenly I heard a huge, what I can only describe as maybe an explosion or a crash. A lot of people were screaming. That was followed by what I thought were maybe gunshots." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday also pledged his support to France . "Canadians are shocked by tonight’s attack in Nice. Our sympathy is with the victims and our solidarity with the French people," Trudeau said on Twitter. Canadian opposition leader Thomas Mulcair, head of the New Democratic Party and a French citizen by marriage also offered his condolences ,"We stand with those injured and the families of the many killed," Leaders gathering for the first session of the 2016 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) stood for a moment of silence on Friday. "All the participants of the 11th ASEM summit, we are together with the people of France and the people of Europe. I think it's appropriate to begin our session with one minute silence," said Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. While the United Nations Security Council called the attack "barbaric and cowardly", European Council President Donald Tusk called it "a sad day for France, for Europe". He said it was "tragic" that "the subjects of the attack were people celebrating liberty, equality and fraternity." Chinese Premier Li Keqiang offered his "condolences" to the victims and said China opposed all forms of terrorism. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemnerd the attack in a series of tweets. "Appalled by the horrific attack in Nice. I strongly condemn such mindless acts of violence. My thoughts are with the families of deceased" he tweeted. " I hope the injured recover soon. India shares the pain & stands firmly with our French sisters & brothers in this hour of immense sadness." (Agencies) ?

Obama, Trudeau condemn terror attack in Nice

Nearly 80 were killed late on Thursday when a truck ploughed into a crowd in the French Riviera resort of Nice during Bastille Day celebrations, the latest attack in a country still reeling from last year&#39;s Islamic State terror assaults. 
 
Here is a recap of major attacks and foiled attempts since the Charlie Hebdo shootings in January 2015. 
 
January 7-9, 2015: Two men armed with Kalashnikov rifles storm the Paris offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo killing 12, including eight cartoonists. A policewoman is killed just outside Paris the following day, while a gunman takes hostages at a Jewish supermarket, four of whom are killed. The Charlie Hebdo attackers and the hostage-taker are killed in separate shootouts with police, but not before claiming allegiance to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) respectively.&nbsp; 
 
February 3: Three soldiers guarding a Jewish community centre in Nice on the French Riviera, are attacked by a knife-wielding man. The 30-year-old assailant, Moussa Coulibaly, is arrested. In custody, he expresses his hatred for France, the police, the military and Jews. 
 
April 19: Sid Ahmed Ghlam, an Algerian IT student, is arrested in Paris on suspicion of killing a woman who was found shot dead in the passenger seat of her car, and of planning an attack on a church in the Paris suburb of Villejuif. Prosecutors say they found documents about Al-Qaeda and the IS at his home, and that he had been in touch with a suspected jihadist in Syria about an attack on a church. 
 
June 26 : Frenchman Yassin Salhi, 35, kills and beheads his boss Herve Cornara and displays the severed head on the fence of a gas plant surrounded by Islamic flags. He tries to blow up the factory at Saint-Quentin-Fallavier in southeast France, but is arrested. He commits suicide in his jail cell in December. 
 
&nbsp;July 13 : Four young men aged 16 to 23, including a former soldier, are arrested on charges of planning an attack on a military camp to behead an officer in the name of jihad. They proclaim allegiance to IS. 
 
August 21 : American, British and French passengers prevent a bloodbath on a high-speed Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris, tackling a man who opened fire on passengers. He was armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, an automatic pistol, and a box-cutter. The gunman is identified as 25-year-old Moroccan national Ayoub El Khazzani, known to intelligence services for links to radical Islam. 
 
November 13: Nine men,most of whom had fought alongside IS extremists in Syria, unleash explosives near the Stade de France stadium and open fire on people enjoying a night out at bars and restaurants in Paris, and at the Bataclan concert hall that lies just a short walk from where the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists were killed. In all, 130 people lose their lives and 350 are wounded. On November 14, the IS claims responsibility. 
 
November 18: A teacher at a Jewish school in the southern city of Marseille is stabbed by three people shouting anti-Semitic obscenities and expressing support for the IS. The man, himself Jewish, is injured in the arms, legs and stomach. 
 
January 1, 2016: A Frenchman of Tunisian origin tries to run down troops guarding a mosque in the southeastern town of Valence. He is charged with attempted homicide after telling emergency responders he &quot;wanted to be killed by soldiers and to kill soldiers... a way for him to appear like a martyr&quot;. 
 
January 7, 2016: A man wielding a meat cleaver and carrying the emblem of the IS is shot dead as he tries to attack a police station in Paris. Convicted of theft in 2013, the man identified himself at the time as Sallah Ali, born in the Moroccan city of Casablanca in 1995. 
 
June 13, 2016: Police officer Jean-Baptiste Salvaing, 42, and his companion, Jessica Schneider, 36, are killed at their home in Magnanville, west of Paris, by Larosssi Abballa, 25. Salvaing is stabbed to death, while Schneider`s throat is slit in front of their young son. Abballa is killed by a police SWAT team, but has already claimed the murders on social media in the name of the Islamic State group. 
 
July 14, 2016: A truck barrels two kilometres (1.3 miles) through a crowd on Nice&#39;s palm-lined Promenade des Anglais after a Bastille Day fireworks display, killing at least 80 people and injuring scores more. The driver is shot dead by security forces.There is no immediate claim of responsibility but prosecutors say the probe will be handled by anti-terrorism investigators. 
 
(AFP)

France has seen 11 attacks after the killings in the headquarter of the French satirical magazine on January 7, 2015

Nearly 80 were killed late on Thursday when a truck ploughed into a crowd in the French Riviera resort of Nice during Bastille Day celebrations, the latest attack in a country still reeling from last year's Islamic State terror assaults. Here is a recap of major attacks and foiled attempts since the Charlie Hebdo shootings in January 2015. January 7-9, 2015: Two men armed with Kalashnikov rifles storm the Paris offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo killing 12, including eight cartoonists. A policewoman is killed just outside Paris the following day, while a gunman takes hostages at a Jewish supermarket, four of whom are killed. The Charlie Hebdo attackers and the hostage-taker are killed in separate shootouts with police, but not before claiming allegiance to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) respectively. February 3: Three soldiers guarding a Jewish community centre in Nice on the French Riviera, are attacked by a knife-wielding man. The 30-year-old assailant, Moussa Coulibaly, is arrested. In custody, he expresses his hatred for France, the police, the military and Jews. April 19: Sid Ahmed Ghlam, an Algerian IT student, is arrested in Paris on suspicion of killing a woman who was found shot dead in the passenger seat of her car, and of planning an attack on a church in the Paris suburb of Villejuif. Prosecutors say they found documents about Al-Qaeda and the IS at his home, and that he had been in touch with a suspected jihadist in Syria about an attack on a church. June 26 : Frenchman Yassin Salhi, 35, kills and beheads his boss Herve Cornara and displays the severed head on the fence of a gas plant surrounded by Islamic flags. He tries to blow up the factory at Saint-Quentin-Fallavier in southeast France, but is arrested. He commits suicide in his jail cell in December. July 13 : Four young men aged 16 to 23, including a former soldier, are arrested on charges of planning an attack on a military camp to behead an officer in the name of jihad. They proclaim allegiance to IS. August 21 : American, British and French passengers prevent a bloodbath on a high-speed Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris, tackling a man who opened fire on passengers. He was armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, an automatic pistol, and a box-cutter. The gunman is identified as 25-year-old Moroccan national Ayoub El Khazzani, known to intelligence services for links to radical Islam. November 13: Nine men,most of whom had fought alongside IS extremists in Syria, unleash explosives near the Stade de France stadium and open fire on people enjoying a night out at bars and restaurants in Paris, and at the Bataclan concert hall that lies just a short walk from where the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists were killed. In all, 130 people lose their lives and 350 are wounded. On November 14, the IS claims responsibility. November 18: A teacher at a Jewish school in the southern city of Marseille is stabbed by three people shouting anti-Semitic obscenities and expressing support for the IS. The man, himself Jewish, is injured in the arms, legs and stomach. January 1, 2016: A Frenchman of Tunisian origin tries to run down troops guarding a mosque in the southeastern town of Valence. He is charged with attempted homicide after telling emergency responders he "wanted to be killed by soldiers and to kill soldiers... a way for him to appear like a martyr". January 7, 2016: A man wielding a meat cleaver and carrying the emblem of the IS is shot dead as he tries to attack a police station in Paris. Convicted of theft in 2013, the man identified himself at the time as Sallah Ali, born in the Moroccan city of Casablanca in 1995. June 13, 2016: Police officer Jean-Baptiste Salvaing, 42, and his companion, Jessica Schneider, 36, are killed at their home in Magnanville, west of Paris, by Larosssi Abballa, 25. Salvaing is stabbed to death, while Schneider`s throat is slit in front of their young son. Abballa is killed by a police SWAT team, but has already claimed the murders on social media in the name of the Islamic State group. July 14, 2016: A truck barrels two kilometres (1.3 miles) through a crowd on Nice's palm-lined Promenade des Anglais after a Bastille Day fireworks display, killing at least 80 people and injuring scores more. The driver is shot dead by security forces.There is no immediate claim of responsibility but prosecutors say the probe will be handled by anti-terrorism investigators. (AFP)

List of attacks in France since Charlie Hebdo slayings

More than 3,000 vacationers were evacuated after a blaze threatened to spread across four campsites in the south of France, as a fireman died on his way to the scene, officials said. 
 
Strong winds whipped up the flames in Torreilles, Pyrenees-Orientales, where thousands of French and other European tourists were staying, with 22 bungalows completely destroyed. 
 
&quot;We saw smoke...the people from the campsite asked us to leave straight away and leave our cars behind us,&quot; said one retired holidaymaker. 
 
The fireman travelling to the site lost control of his vehicle due to an unexplained engine fault and died at the scene. 
&nbsp; 
Three volunteer firefighters in the fire-engine with him were rushed to hospital in a critical condition, local official Helene Girardot told AFP. 
 
A further 17 firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation and two others were injured when one of the campers gas canisters exploded as they battled the flames. 
 
All but a handful of families were able to return to their camps by nightfall. 
 
(AFP)

Strong winds whipped up the flames in Torreilles, Pyrenees-Orientales, where thousands of French and other European tourists were staying, with 22 bungalows completely destroyed

More than 3,000 vacationers were evacuated after a blaze threatened to spread across four campsites in the south of France, as a fireman died on his way to the scene, officials said. Strong winds whipped up the flames in Torreilles, Pyrenees-Orientales, where thousands of French and other European tourists were staying, with 22 bungalows completely destroyed. "We saw smoke...the people from the campsite asked us to leave straight away and leave our cars behind us," said one retired holidaymaker. The fireman travelling to the site lost control of his vehicle due to an unexplained engine fault and died at the scene. Three volunteer firefighters in the fire-engine with him were rushed to hospital in a critical condition, local official Helene Girardot told AFP. A further 17 firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation and two others were injured when one of the campers gas canisters exploded as they battled the flames. All but a handful of families were able to return to their camps by nightfall. (AFP)

3,000 campers evacuated in French blaze, fireman dead

In Boris Johnson, Britain has appointed a liar with his back against the wall as its new foreign secretary at a time when somebody reliable is needed in the role, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said today. 
 
Johnson campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. In France, a founding EU member, he is seen as a key player in the departure and in the setback to European integration it represents. 
 
&quot;I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall,&quot; said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio. 
 
After the vote on June 23, Johnson turned his back on a chance to stand as prime minister in place of Conservative David Cameron, who stepped down having led the campaign to stay. 
 
However, on Wednesday, Cameron&#39;s successor, Theresa May, appointed the former mayor of London and one-time journalist as her foreign secretary. 
 
Johnson will not be in charge of talks about how the divorce will be arranged. May named David Davis, a pro-Brexit former Conservative Party leader, to a special ministerial role for that purpose. 
 
Nevertheless, the normally soft-spoken former French prime minister Ayrault had a strong warning for the new foreign policy chief of his near neighbour. 
 
&quot;(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear,&quot; Ayrault said. 
 
&quot;I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves.&quot; 
 
France and other EU partners have urged Britain to trigger quickly the process of exiting the bloc so that a two-year period of talks about trade terms and other links can begin. May has indicated she does not intend to do that this year. 
 
(Reuters)

'During the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall,' says Jean-Marc Ayrault

In Boris Johnson, Britain has appointed a liar with his back against the wall as its new foreign secretary at a time when somebody reliable is needed in the role, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said today. Johnson campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. In France, a founding EU member, he is seen as a key player in the departure and in the setback to European integration it represents. "I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall," said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio. After the vote on June 23, Johnson turned his back on a chance to stand as prime minister in place of Conservative David Cameron, who stepped down having led the campaign to stay. However, on Wednesday, Cameron's successor, Theresa May, appointed the former mayor of London and one-time journalist as her foreign secretary. Johnson will not be in charge of talks about how the divorce will be arranged. May named David Davis, a pro-Brexit former Conservative Party leader, to a special ministerial role for that purpose. Nevertheless, the normally soft-spoken former French prime minister Ayrault had a strong warning for the new foreign policy chief of his near neighbour. "(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear," Ayrault said. "I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable," he added. "We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves." France and other EU partners have urged Britain to trigger quickly the process of exiting the bloc so that a two-year period of talks about trade terms and other links can begin. May has indicated she does not intend to do that this year. (Reuters)

Boris Johnson is a liar, says French Foreign Minister

In Boris Johnson, Britain has appointed a liar with his back against the wall as its new foreign secretary at a time when somebody reliable is needed in the role, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said today.&nbsp; 
 
Johnson campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. In France, a founding EU member, he is seen as a key player in the departure and in the setback to European integration it represents. 
 
&quot;I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall,&quot; said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio. 
 
After the vote on June 23, Johnson turned his back on a chance to stand as prime minister in place of Conservative David Cameron, who stepped down having led the campaign to stay. 
 
However, on Wednesday, Cameron`s successor, Theresa May, appointed the former mayor of London and one-time journalist as her foreign secretary. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/johnson-20160714125658.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Boris Johnson (in photo) campaigned for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month.
</div>
 
 
Johnson will not be in charge of talks about how the divorce will be arranged. May named David Davis, a pro-Brexit former Conservative Party chairman, to a special ministerial role for that purpose. 
 
Nevertheless, the normally soft-spoken former French prime minister Ayrault had a strong warning for the new foreign policy chief of his near neighbour. 
 
&quot;(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear,&quot; Ayrault said. 
 
&quot;I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves.&quot; 
 
France and other EU partners have urged Britain to trigger quickly the process of exiting the bloc so that a two-year period of talks about trade terms and other links can begin. May has indicated she does not intend to do that this year.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

On Wednesday, David Cameron's successor, Theresa May, appointed London's former mayor Boris Johnson as her foreign secretary

In Boris Johnson, Britain has appointed a liar with his back against the wall as its new foreign secretary at a time when somebody reliable is needed in the role, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said today. Johnson campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. In France, a founding EU member, he is seen as a key player in the departure and in the setback to European integration it represents. "I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall," said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio. After the vote on June 23, Johnson turned his back on a chance to stand as prime minister in place of Conservative David Cameron, who stepped down having led the campaign to stay. However, on Wednesday, Cameron`s successor, Theresa May, appointed the former mayor of London and one-time journalist as her foreign secretary. Boris Johnson (in photo) campaigned for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. Johnson will not be in charge of talks about how the divorce will be arranged. May named David Davis, a pro-Brexit former Conservative Party chairman, to a special ministerial role for that purpose. Nevertheless, the normally soft-spoken former French prime minister Ayrault had a strong warning for the new foreign policy chief of his near neighbour. "(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear," Ayrault said. "I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable," he added. "We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves." France and other EU partners have urged Britain to trigger quickly the process of exiting the bloc so that a two-year period of talks about trade terms and other links can begin. May has indicated she does not intend to do that this year. (Reuters)

UK's Johnson lied in his campaign, now has his back against the wall: French foreign minister

The open-top bus for the victory parade was ready and President Francois Hollande said France&#39;s success at Euro 2016 was helping the country to heal from the Paris attacks, but the party fell flat. 
 
Authorities had braced for mass celebrations if France, a country still on high terrorist alert, won Sunday&#39;s final against Cristiano Ronaldo&#39;s Portugal, but the 1-0 defeat crushed the host nation&#39;s hopes. 
 
Portuguese fans were the only ones celebrating at the Stade de France and the 90,000 crowd at the fan zone under the Eiffel Tower fell silent when Eder scored Portugal&#39;s long-range winner. 
 
&quot;With everything that has happened, the attacks, the demonstrations, the economic crisis, we deserved something to make us feel better,&quot; said Lazaro de Santana, 31, as he joined thousands who filed away dejected. 
 
The night was also scarred by disgruntled supporters&#39; clashing with riot police after they were denied entry to the filled-to-capacity fan zone. 
 
Police fired teargas after fans pelted them with bottles. Other youths lit a bonfire near the Eiffel Tower. 
 
The buildup to Euro 2016 had been overshadowed by fears of more jihadist attacks. In the days before it kicked off, unions disrupted trains and grounded planes and uncollected rubbish built up in the streets in strikes and protests against labour reforms. 
 
But once the football began, the crowds at the fan zones grew with every match featuring France, while restaurants and cafes showing Les Bleus&#39; matches were reservation-only by the time of the final. 
 
&quot;The French people needed to find their way again,&quot; Hollande said in a commentary on the wave of support for the national team. 
 
&quot;We saw it at the time of the attacks. We came together in the dramas, we had to find ourselves in the happiness, to come together,&quot; he wrote in the Journal du Dimanche. 
 
The November 13 attacks across Paris left 130 dead. The Stade de France where France were playing Germany at the time was one of the sites targeted by suicide bombers along with the Bataclan concert hall and cafes. 
 
&nbsp;France &#39;marked&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Hollande said Didier Deschamps&#39; French team had been &quot;very marked&quot; by the attacks. 
 
&quot;The attacks were the same for them,&quot; he wrote. 
 
&quot;They have decided they want to bring joy to the French people who experienced those events. 
 
&quot;They want to give happiness. Deschamps has given them this desire to make people happy. They know that this isn&#39;t just any ordinary moment in time,&quot; Hollande said. 
 
France, with its young lineup built around striker Antoine Griezmann and charismatic midfielder Paul Pogba, were hot favourites against Cristiano Ronaldo&#39;s Portugal. 
 
Organisers had even prepared a bus for a victory parade with &quot;Thanks&quot; on the back and &quot;European Champions 2016&quot; on the side, according to video taken by a motorist who spotted it on a main road into Paris before Sunday&#39;s final. 
 
Victory would have been &quot;good for France after the attacks to have revenge against the Islamists and all the lows we&#39;ve had recently,&quot; said 18-year-old Shanel Aoudi, a barmaid in Paris. 
 
&quot;We would have put all that aside,&quot; said Elliot Fromentin, 20, tears in his eyes after the bitter defeat. 
 
Before attending the final, Hollande admitted that reality would eventually crowd in even if France had won. 
 
&quot;Sport allows people to come together but politics divides people,&quot; the president said. 
 
&quot;The Euro sweeps away everything else, it brings people together, but life will resume afterwards.&quot; 
 
Hollande has recorded some of the lowest popularity scores for a post-war French president, but the Socialist might still stand for re-election next year. 
 
&quot;I support the French team, I go to all their matches but I don&#39;t want to use sport for politics. That&#39;s not good for sport or for politics,&quot; the president said. 
 
(AFP)

Authorities had braced for mass celebrations if France, a country still on high terrorist alert, won but the party fell flat

The open-top bus for the victory parade was ready and President Francois Hollande said France's success at Euro 2016 was helping the country to heal from the Paris attacks, but the party fell flat. Authorities had braced for mass celebrations if France, a country still on high terrorist alert, won Sunday's final against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, but the 1-0 defeat crushed the host nation's hopes. Portuguese fans were the only ones celebrating at the Stade de France and the 90,000 crowd at the fan zone under the Eiffel Tower fell silent when Eder scored Portugal's long-range winner. "With everything that has happened, the attacks, the demonstrations, the economic crisis, we deserved something to make us feel better," said Lazaro de Santana, 31, as he joined thousands who filed away dejected. The night was also scarred by disgruntled supporters' clashing with riot police after they were denied entry to the filled-to-capacity fan zone. Police fired teargas after fans pelted them with bottles. Other youths lit a bonfire near the Eiffel Tower. The buildup to Euro 2016 had been overshadowed by fears of more jihadist attacks. In the days before it kicked off, unions disrupted trains and grounded planes and uncollected rubbish built up in the streets in strikes and protests against labour reforms. But once the football began, the crowds at the fan zones grew with every match featuring France, while restaurants and cafes showing Les Bleus' matches were reservation-only by the time of the final. "The French people needed to find their way again," Hollande said in a commentary on the wave of support for the national team. "We saw it at the time of the attacks. We came together in the dramas, we had to find ourselves in the happiness, to come together," he wrote in the Journal du Dimanche. The November 13 attacks across Paris left 130 dead. The Stade de France where France were playing Germany at the time was one of the sites targeted by suicide bombers along with the Bataclan concert hall and cafes. France 'marked' Hollande said Didier Deschamps' French team had been "very marked" by the attacks. "The attacks were the same for them," he wrote. "They have decided they want to bring joy to the French people who experienced those events. "They want to give happiness. Deschamps has given them this desire to make people happy. They know that this isn't just any ordinary moment in time," Hollande said. France, with its young lineup built around striker Antoine Griezmann and charismatic midfielder Paul Pogba, were hot favourites against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. Organisers had even prepared a bus for a victory parade with "Thanks" on the back and "European Champions 2016" on the side, according to video taken by a motorist who spotted it on a main road into Paris before Sunday's final. Victory would have been "good for France after the attacks to have revenge against the Islamists and all the lows we've had recently," said 18-year-old Shanel Aoudi, a barmaid in Paris. "We would have put all that aside," said Elliot Fromentin, 20, tears in his eyes after the bitter defeat. Before attending the final, Hollande admitted that reality would eventually crowd in even if France had won. "Sport allows people to come together but politics divides people," the president said. "The Euro sweeps away everything else, it brings people together, but life will resume afterwards." Hollande has recorded some of the lowest popularity scores for a post-war French president, but the Socialist might still stand for re-election next year. "I support the French team, I go to all their matches but I don't want to use sport for politics. That's not good for sport or for politics," the president said. (AFP)

France goes into mourning

French fashion brand Dior today named Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri as its new creative director, making her the first woman to lead the company in its 70 years of history.&nbsp; 
 
The 52-year-old left the Italian label Valentino on Thursday, paving the way for her appointment. 
 
She will present her first show in Paris on September 30, the company said, following in the steps of legendary founder Christian Dior and such designers as Yves Saint Laurent, Gianfranco Ferre, and John Galliano. 
 
Dior has been without a leader since the shock departure of Belgian Raf Simons last October, which sparked soul-searching in the industry about the pressure creators were now under. 
 
Valentino will now be in the sole charge of Chiuri&#39;s longtime creative partner Pierpaolo Piccioli. 
 
Together, Chiuri and Piccioli were credited with giving Valentino back its fizz, making it one of the most profitable designer brands in Europe. 
 
(AFP)

The iconic French fashion house has been without a leader since the shock departure of Belgian Simons

French fashion brand Dior today named Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri as its new creative director, making her the first woman to lead the company in its 70 years of history. The 52-year-old left the Italian label Valentino on Thursday, paving the way for her appointment. She will present her first show in Paris on September 30, the company said, following in the steps of legendary founder Christian Dior and such designers as Yves Saint Laurent, Gianfranco Ferre, and John Galliano. Dior has been without a leader since the shock departure of Belgian Raf Simons last October, which sparked soul-searching in the industry about the pressure creators were now under. Valentino will now be in the sole charge of Chiuri's longtime creative partner Pierpaolo Piccioli. Together, Chiuri and Piccioli were credited with giving Valentino back its fizz, making it one of the most profitable designer brands in Europe. (AFP)

Dior appoints first female creative director in its 70 year-history

France and Britain were vying for fifth place on the list of the world&#39;s biggest economies on Wednesday, with France nudging ahead after a renewed slump in the Pound in the wake of the Brexit vote, Reuters calculations showed. 
 
Britain&#39;s gross domestic product stood at 1.864 trillion Pounds in 2015, according to the last available figures from the International Monetary Fund. 
 
The average exchange rate for the year in question is commonly used for comparisons between countries. But using the current exchange rate, France has pulled slightly ahead. 
 
With the Pound falling below 1.17 Euros overnight for the first time since 2013, that means the size of the British economy in 2015 is now equivalent to 2.172 trillion Euros - less than France&#39;s official GDP of 2.182 trillion Euros last year. 
 
Britain&#39;s vote in a referendum on June 23 to quit the EU has hammered financial markets, rattled businesses and punished the pound, which was trading at 1.1650 Euros as of 1440 GMT. 
 
But volatile exchange rates meant the figures were hard to pin down. Britain briefly regained fifth spot after the pound broke above 1.17 Euros for a few hours on Wednesday, only to sag again in mid-afternoon trade. 
 
Britain and France, which have similar populations, have swapped positions before in the rankings. 
 
In 2014 Britain overtook France, six years after the financial crisis caused the pound to fall and allowed France to regain a crown it had lost in 1997. 
 
(Reuters)

The size of the British economy in 2015 is now 2.172 trillion Euros - less than France's official GDP of 2.182 trillion Euros last year

France and Britain were vying for fifth place on the list of the world's biggest economies on Wednesday, with France nudging ahead after a renewed slump in the Pound in the wake of the Brexit vote, Reuters calculations showed. Britain's gross domestic product stood at 1.864 trillion Pounds in 2015, according to the last available figures from the International Monetary Fund. The average exchange rate for the year in question is commonly used for comparisons between countries. But using the current exchange rate, France has pulled slightly ahead. With the Pound falling below 1.17 Euros overnight for the first time since 2013, that means the size of the British economy in 2015 is now equivalent to 2.172 trillion Euros - less than France's official GDP of 2.182 trillion Euros last year. Britain's vote in a referendum on June 23 to quit the EU has hammered financial markets, rattled businesses and punished the pound, which was trading at 1.1650 Euros as of 1440 GMT. But volatile exchange rates meant the figures were hard to pin down. Britain briefly regained fifth spot after the pound broke above 1.17 Euros for a few hours on Wednesday, only to sag again in mid-afternoon trade. Britain and France, which have similar populations, have swapped positions before in the rankings. In 2014 Britain overtook France, six years after the financial crisis caused the pound to fall and allowed France to regain a crown it had lost in 1997. (Reuters)

After Pound drops, France overtakes Britain as world's fifth-largest economy

The French socialist government was reportedly poised today to push through labour reforms without a vote as protesters gathered for their 12th show of opposition to the controversial package since March. 
 
&quot;The decision has been taken and the prime minister will announce it officially in parliament, likely at the start of the debate at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT),&quot; a political source told AFP. 
 
It would be the second time Prime Minister Manuel Valls will have used the so-called 49-3 provision for this package of reforms because he could not count on the support of the left flank of the Socialist Party in parliament when it first came up for a vote in May. 
 
The move prompted the opposition to call a vote of no-confidence, which the government survived by a comfortable margin. 
 
Today the head of the centre-right Republicans parliamentary group, Christian Jacob, said they would not call such a vote this time around. 
 
An opinion poll published last week found that 73 per cent of the French would be &quot;shocked&quot; if the government used the 49-3 provision for the final passage of the reforms, which are aimed at reining in unemployment by freeing up the job market. 
 
Union and student-backed demonstrations against the reforms which they see as too pro-business and threatening to cherished workers rights began in early March, with some protests descending into violence. 
 
The worst unrest was seen in Paris on June 14, just four days after the start of the Euro 2016 football championships in France, when around 40 people were hurt and dozens were arrested. 
 
President Francois Hollande, who faces a re-election bid next April, had hoped for a signature reform to reverse his dire approval ratings.But pressure from the street, as well as parliament`s back benches, caused the government to water down the proposals, which only angered bosses while failing to assuage critics. 
 
Unions say the main remaining sticking point is a measure giving precedence to agreements negotiated between companies and their staff over deals reached with unions across entire industrial sectors notably on working hours. 
 
Pierre Gattaz, the head of the employers` federation MEDEF, said last week that he was &quot;very disappointed&quot; with the bill in its watered-down form, calling it a &quot;monument of complexity, absolutely illegible&quot; for small and medium-sized businesses. 
 
&quot;No one on the ground understands anything anymore and it`s a law that will be of absolutely no use for employment,&quot; Gattaz said after meeting with Valls. 
 
Last week the right-dominated Senate approved a more business-friendly version of the legislation. 
 
The Senate bill, passed by a vote of 185 to 156, would scrap the 35-hour work week and restore a cap on the amount employers would have to pay out when they lose labour disputes.&nbsp; 
 
With the two chambers unlikely to agree a final version, the lower house has the final say, but now the government is expected to invoke clause 49-3 and force through its version. 
 
The embattled socialist government also had to force a package of economic reforms through parliament last year using the constitutional measure, to prevent the rebel left flank of the party from sinking it.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Labour bill, if passed in the Parliament, will give freedom to companies to set work conditions and tailor pay

The French socialist government was reportedly poised today to push through labour reforms without a vote as protesters gathered for their 12th show of opposition to the controversial package since March. "The decision has been taken and the prime minister will announce it officially in parliament, likely at the start of the debate at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT)," a political source told AFP. It would be the second time Prime Minister Manuel Valls will have used the so-called 49-3 provision for this package of reforms because he could not count on the support of the left flank of the Socialist Party in parliament when it first came up for a vote in May. The move prompted the opposition to call a vote of no-confidence, which the government survived by a comfortable margin. Today the head of the centre-right Republicans parliamentary group, Christian Jacob, said they would not call such a vote this time around. An opinion poll published last week found that 73 per cent of the French would be "shocked" if the government used the 49-3 provision for the final passage of the reforms, which are aimed at reining in unemployment by freeing up the job market. Union and student-backed demonstrations against the reforms which they see as too pro-business and threatening to cherished workers rights began in early March, with some protests descending into violence. The worst unrest was seen in Paris on June 14, just four days after the start of the Euro 2016 football championships in France, when around 40 people were hurt and dozens were arrested. President Francois Hollande, who faces a re-election bid next April, had hoped for a signature reform to reverse his dire approval ratings.But pressure from the street, as well as parliament`s back benches, caused the government to water down the proposals, which only angered bosses while failing to assuage critics. Unions say the main remaining sticking point is a measure giving precedence to agreements negotiated between companies and their staff over deals reached with unions across entire industrial sectors notably on working hours. Pierre Gattaz, the head of the employers` federation MEDEF, said last week that he was "very disappointed" with the bill in its watered-down form, calling it a "monument of complexity, absolutely illegible" for small and medium-sized businesses. "No one on the ground understands anything anymore and it`s a law that will be of absolutely no use for employment," Gattaz said after meeting with Valls. Last week the right-dominated Senate approved a more business-friendly version of the legislation. The Senate bill, passed by a vote of 185 to 156, would scrap the 35-hour work week and restore a cap on the amount employers would have to pay out when they lose labour disputes. With the two chambers unlikely to agree a final version, the lower house has the final say, but now the government is expected to invoke clause 49-3 and force through its version. The embattled socialist government also had to force a package of economic reforms through parliament last year using the constitutional measure, to prevent the rebel left flank of the party from sinking it. (AFP)

French labour law poised for passage amid protest

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans to quit his role as head of France&#39;s Les Republicains party on Saturday, setting up a potential bid to become head of state for a second time. 
 
Supporters of Les Republicains and other Right and Centre-Right parties will vote in November to decide who will be their candidate in the 2017 presidential election. 
 
The winner will face the far-right National Front&#39;s Marine Le Pen and a Socialist candidate, likely to be President Francois Hollande. 
 
Sarkozy would not be able to run in those presidential primaries if he remained head of the party. He would need to resign two weeks before the application deadline on September 9. 
 
&quot;This national council will be my last one as president of Les Republicains,&quot; he told a party meeting, calling for a fair contest and no acrimony between the potential nominees. 
 
&quot;This primary will be a time of competition between some strong personalities, between people of significant talent,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;When the right goes into battle it has a front on the left and a front on the extreme right. That is why it is unacceptable that we should attack each other.&quot; 
 
For much of this year, Centre-Right rival Alain Juppe has outpaced Sarkozy in opinion polls, but the man who was president between 2007 and 2012 is making a comeback among party supporters, a recent survey showed, a sign the battle could be more open than many thought. 
 
(Reuters)

The former president is making a comeback among party supporters, a recent survey showed

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans to quit his role as head of France's Les Republicains party on Saturday, setting up a potential bid to become head of state for a second time. Supporters of Les Republicains and other Right and Centre-Right parties will vote in November to decide who will be their candidate in the 2017 presidential election. The winner will face the far-right National Front's Marine Le Pen and a Socialist candidate, likely to be President Francois Hollande. Sarkozy would not be able to run in those presidential primaries if he remained head of the party. He would need to resign two weeks before the application deadline on September 9. "This national council will be my last one as president of Les Republicains," he told a party meeting, calling for a fair contest and no acrimony between the potential nominees. "This primary will be a time of competition between some strong personalities, between people of significant talent," he said. "When the right goes into battle it has a front on the left and a front on the extreme right. That is why it is unacceptable that we should attack each other." For much of this year, Centre-Right rival Alain Juppe has outpaced Sarkozy in opinion polls, but the man who was president between 2007 and 2012 is making a comeback among party supporters, a recent survey showed, a sign the battle could be more open than many thought. (Reuters)

Sarkozy sets up French presidential bid by quitting party role

Wales produced a stunning upset to reach the Euro 2016 semi-finals after Hal Robson-Kanu&#39;s superbly fashioned goal and Sam Vokes&#39;s late header secured a 3-1 comeback win over Belgium on Friday to set up a clash with Portugal. 
 
Robson-Kanu left three Belgium players for dead with a &#39;Cruyff&#39; turn and calmly stroked the ball home to put Wales ahead in the second half, while substitute Vokes&#39;s header ensured they reached their first major tournament semi-final. 
 
It was a crushing blow for heavy favourites Belgium, who had taken the lead in the 13th minute when Radja Nainggolan rifled a shot into the top corner from distance only for Wales captain Ashley Williams to level with a header from a corner. 
 
&quot;I said before we kicked the ball today, we&#39;re not here to enjoy it, we are here to compete,&quot; Wales manager Chris Coleman said. 
 
&quot;Don&#39;t be afraid to have dreams. Four years ago I was as far away from this as you could imagine. I&#39;ve had more failures than successes but I&#39;m not afraid to fail. We deserve this,&quot; he added saying.&nbsp; 
 
World&#39;s two most expensive players pitted against each-other in semi-finals&nbsp; 
 
Wales, playing in their first quarter-final, and major tournament, since losing to Brazil at the 1958 World Cup, next have a match that pits the world&#39;s two most expensive players -- Portugal&#39;s Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team mate Gareth Bale -- against each other in a mouth-watering clash. 
 
Coleman&#39;s side, however, will have to cope without their inspirational midfielder Aaron Ramsey and defender Ben Davies who both picked up bookings that ruled them out of the semi-final in Lyon on Wednesday. 
 
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots was left to rue an injury and suspension in defence that robbed him of the experienced Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen as their younger replacements, Jordan Lukaku and Jason Denayer, were frequently exposed. 
 
The manner of the defeat, however, is likely to increase the scrutiny on Wilmots, who has faced criticism for failing to make the most of what many believe to be a golden generation of Belgium players. 
 
&quot;This Belgian team is a team that demands respect, but we let things go a bit today and we paid for that in cash,&quot; he said, before adding he would take time to consider his future. 
 
A frenetic opening followed a nail-biting match&nbsp; 
 
There was a frenetic opening to Friday&#39;s match, which many had predicted would be a cagey encounter, as Belgium took the early initiative and would have grabbed the lead after seven minutes but for some superb last-ditch Wales defending. 
 
Wayne Hennessey saved superbly from Yannick Carrasco before efforts from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard were blocked by lunging defenders as Wales, looking to talisman Bale for an outlet, sought to stem the early Belgian tide. 
 
The Welsh were undone, however, when Nainggolan&#39;s powerful shot from 25 metres thundered past Hennessey&#39;s outstretched fingers into the top corner to give Belgium the lead. 
 
Strangely, the goal swung the momentum back in Wales&#39;s favour, with Coleman&#39;s side fluffing a chance to level when Neil Taylor sidefooted at keeper Thibaut Courtois from six metres. 
 
The equaliser arrived five minutes later in the 31st minute, though, and was clearly crafted on the training ground. Having won a corner, Wales&#39;s players lined up behind each other, before breaking from the pack as Aaron Ramsey whipped the ball in. 
 
Wales captain Williams, who had recovered from a shoulder injury to make the starting lineup, found himself unmarked to head down and past Courtois for the first goal the Belgium keeper had conceded since their opening defeat by Italy. 
 
While Belgium began the second half stronger, with Romelu Lukaku glancing a header wide and Hazard flashing a shot just past the post, it was not long before Wales struck again with Robson-Kanu producing a sublime piece of individual skill. 
 
Ramsey&#39;s cross found the striker in the area with his back to goal but he sold three Belgium players a dummy with a trademark &#39;Cruyff&#39; turn and then sidefooted the ball powerfully past the helpless Courtois in the 55th minute. 
 
Belgium pushed hard for an equaliser but Wales were resilient and then broke with four minutes remaining as Chris Gunter crossed for Vokes to leap and angle his header across goal into the net, sparking wild Welsh celebrations. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

The Belgians scored first in the thirteenth minute

Wales produced a stunning upset to reach the Euro 2016 semi-finals after Hal Robson-Kanu's superbly fashioned goal and Sam Vokes's late header secured a 3-1 comeback win over Belgium on Friday to set up a clash with Portugal. Robson-Kanu left three Belgium players for dead with a 'Cruyff' turn and calmly stroked the ball home to put Wales ahead in the second half, while substitute Vokes's header ensured they reached their first major tournament semi-final. It was a crushing blow for heavy favourites Belgium, who had taken the lead in the 13th minute when Radja Nainggolan rifled a shot into the top corner from distance only for Wales captain Ashley Williams to level with a header from a corner. "I said before we kicked the ball today, we're not here to enjoy it, we are here to compete," Wales manager Chris Coleman said. "Don't be afraid to have dreams. Four years ago I was as far away from this as you could imagine. I've had more failures than successes but I'm not afraid to fail. We deserve this," he added saying. World's two most expensive players pitted against each-other in semi-finals Wales, playing in their first quarter-final, and major tournament, since losing to Brazil at the 1958 World Cup, next have a match that pits the world's two most expensive players -- Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team mate Gareth Bale -- against each other in a mouth-watering clash. Coleman's side, however, will have to cope without their inspirational midfielder Aaron Ramsey and defender Ben Davies who both picked up bookings that ruled them out of the semi-final in Lyon on Wednesday. Belgium coach Marc Wilmots was left to rue an injury and suspension in defence that robbed him of the experienced Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen as their younger replacements, Jordan Lukaku and Jason Denayer, were frequently exposed. The manner of the defeat, however, is likely to increase the scrutiny on Wilmots, who has faced criticism for failing to make the most of what many believe to be a golden generation of Belgium players. "This Belgian team is a team that demands respect, but we let things go a bit today and we paid for that in cash," he said, before adding he would take time to consider his future. A frenetic opening followed a nail-biting match There was a frenetic opening to Friday's match, which many had predicted would be a cagey encounter, as Belgium took the early initiative and would have grabbed the lead after seven minutes but for some superb last-ditch Wales defending. Wayne Hennessey saved superbly from Yannick Carrasco before efforts from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard were blocked by lunging defenders as Wales, looking to talisman Bale for an outlet, sought to stem the early Belgian tide. The Welsh were undone, however, when Nainggolan's powerful shot from 25 metres thundered past Hennessey's outstretched fingers into the top corner to give Belgium the lead. Strangely, the goal swung the momentum back in Wales's favour, with Coleman's side fluffing a chance to level when Neil Taylor sidefooted at keeper Thibaut Courtois from six metres. The equaliser arrived five minutes later in the 31st minute, though, and was clearly crafted on the training ground. Having won a corner, Wales's players lined up behind each other, before breaking from the pack as Aaron Ramsey whipped the ball in. Wales captain Williams, who had recovered from a shoulder injury to make the starting lineup, found himself unmarked to head down and past Courtois for the first goal the Belgium keeper had conceded since their opening defeat by Italy. While Belgium began the second half stronger, with Romelu Lukaku glancing a header wide and Hazard flashing a shot just past the post, it was not long before Wales struck again with Robson-Kanu producing a sublime piece of individual skill. Ramsey's cross found the striker in the area with his back to goal but he sold three Belgium players a dummy with a trademark 'Cruyff' turn and then sidefooted the ball powerfully past the helpless Courtois in the 55th minute. Belgium pushed hard for an equaliser but Wales were resilient and then broke with four minutes remaining as Chris Gunter crossed for Vokes to leap and angle his header across goal into the net, sparking wild Welsh celebrations. (Reuters)

Wales beat favourites Belgium 3-1, will meet Portugal in the semis

Tour de France fans will find it easier to follow their favourite riders during this year&#39;s race, thanks to new GPS tracking technology. 
 
Each of the 198 riders&#39; bikes will be fitted with a GPS tracking device that will communicate with those fitted to the other riders and to their team cars. 
 
The information will be analysed by a digital analytics platform run by Dimension Data, who also sponsor one of the Tour teams, and then be uploaded to a cloud which fans, media and even commentators will be able to access. 
 
 
Fans will be able to access highly accurate information&nbsp; 
 
The data will show more accurately a rider&#39;s current speed as well as his position within the group he&#39;s riding with and the distance between his group and others, or that between individual riders. It will make it easier for fans and media to evaluate the real-time situation during the race. 
 
Fans will be able to access highly accurate information via a Dimension Data website that will also demonstrate the weather conditions around a rider and even what gradient he is on. 
 
&quot;Everything we&#39;ve planned for the greatest cycling race in the world this year is focused on helping (organisers) ASO tell a compelling story about cycling as an exhilarating professional sport,&quot; said Dimension Data group executive Adam Foster in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;And true to ourselves as technology experts, we&#39;re using data to do just that,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Dimension Data sponsor the only African team in the tour who last year rode under the name Qhubeka. 
 
British rider Stephen Cummings won a stage for Qhubeka last year while Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot, who is part of the team again this year, was one of the first black Africans to ride the Tour alongside compatriot Merhawi Kudus. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

Each of the 198 riders' bikes will be fitted with a GPS tracking device that will communicate with those fitted to the other riders

Tour de France fans will find it easier to follow their favourite riders during this year's race, thanks to new GPS tracking technology. Each of the 198 riders' bikes will be fitted with a GPS tracking device that will communicate with those fitted to the other riders and to their team cars. The information will be analysed by a digital analytics platform run by Dimension Data, who also sponsor one of the Tour teams, and then be uploaded to a cloud which fans, media and even commentators will be able to access. Fans will be able to access highly accurate information The data will show more accurately a rider's current speed as well as his position within the group he's riding with and the distance between his group and others, or that between individual riders. It will make it easier for fans and media to evaluate the real-time situation during the race. Fans will be able to access highly accurate information via a Dimension Data website that will also demonstrate the weather conditions around a rider and even what gradient he is on. "Everything we've planned for the greatest cycling race in the world this year is focused on helping (organisers) ASO tell a compelling story about cycling as an exhilarating professional sport," said Dimension Data group executive Adam Foster in a statement. "And true to ourselves as technology experts, we're using data to do just that," he added. Dimension Data sponsor the only African team in the tour who last year rode under the name Qhubeka. British rider Stephen Cummings won a stage for Qhubeka last year while Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot, who is part of the team again this year, was one of the first black Africans to ride the Tour alongside compatriot Merhawi Kudus. (AFP)

Tracking favourite riders would be easier this year for Tour de France fans?

In an epic three-way battle featuring the world&rsquo;s best FMX riders, Thomas Pag?s emerged victorious at the Red Bull X-Fighters event in Madrid for a record-breaking fourth consecutive year on Friday. 
 
The flying Frenchman sent the sold-out crowd of more than 20,000 at the Las Ventas bullring into a state of euphoria with a brilliant run against Clinton Moore and Josh Sheehan Australia in a gripping final. He filled his run with gravity-defying tricks of up to 15 metres high.

Moore, the 2015 World Tour champion, came in a close second after a flawless run in the final with his Bundy jump recorded to be 14 metres high by a new Intel high-tech device. 
 
Sheehan had to settle for third despite nailing his signature double back flip. Levi Sherwood (NZL) finished fourth on an unforgettable night at the FMX extravaganza in the Spanish capital. No other riders have won Madrid more than twice.

&ldquo;That&rsquo;s insane,&rdquo; said Pag?s, trying to catch his breath after dazzling the appreciative crowd on Friday with a stunning comeback following his lowly 11th place finish in Thursday&rsquo;s Qualifying marred by a heavy crash. &ldquo;I was really stressed coming here with the new tricks. But it all worked out. Madrid is the best place in the world for FMX. It&rsquo;s incredible. What a place to be!&rdquo;

Pag?s won all five helmets from the judges in a clean sweep of the first three-way final in the history of the Red Bull X-Fighters, one of the many innovations added for the stop in Madrid. 
 
The 31-year-old Pag?s, who won the World Tour in 2013, mastered his Bike Flip, his Special Flip, his new Front Flip Flair and the Volt &ndash; amazing tricks that only a few years ago would have been enough on their own to win an event.

&quot;I&#39;m very happy with my run,&quot; said Moore. &quot;It was definitely one one of my best runs ever. I&#39;ve got a little more homework to do. Hopefully next time I&#39;ll be even better prepared and do an even better run.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

At the Las Ventas bullring Pag?s treated the crowd to his new Front Flip Flair, the first time ever the trick was performed in competition

In an epic three-way battle featuring the world’s best FMX riders, Thomas Pag?s emerged victorious at the Red Bull X-Fighters event in Madrid for a record-breaking fourth consecutive year on Friday. The flying Frenchman sent the sold-out crowd of more than 20,000 at the Las Ventas bullring into a state of euphoria with a brilliant run against Clinton Moore and Josh Sheehan Australia in a gripping final. He filled his run with gravity-defying tricks of up to 15 metres high. Moore, the 2015 World Tour champion, came in a close second after a flawless run in the final with his Bundy jump recorded to be 14 metres high by a new Intel high-tech device. Sheehan had to settle for third despite nailing his signature double back flip. Levi Sherwood (NZL) finished fourth on an unforgettable night at the FMX extravaganza in the Spanish capital. No other riders have won Madrid more than twice. “That’s insane,” said Pag?s, trying to catch his breath after dazzling the appreciative crowd on Friday with a stunning comeback following his lowly 11th place finish in Thursday’s Qualifying marred by a heavy crash. “I was really stressed coming here with the new tricks. But it all worked out. Madrid is the best place in the world for FMX. It’s incredible. What a place to be!” Pag?s won all five helmets from the judges in a clean sweep of the first three-way final in the history of the Red Bull X-Fighters, one of the many innovations added for the stop in Madrid. The 31-year-old Pag?s, who won the World Tour in 2013, mastered his Bike Flip, his Special Flip, his new Front Flip Flair and the Volt – amazing tricks that only a few years ago would have been enough on their own to win an event. "I'm very happy with my run," said Moore. "It was definitely one one of my best runs ever. I've got a little more homework to do. Hopefully next time I'll be even better prepared and do an even better run." (Reuters)

Pag?s crowned king of Madrid after 4th straight FMX win

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