Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | The Central African Republic’s capital was rocked by deadly overnight clashes as France’s defence minister arrived to formally end a military operation there, hailing it as a “success”. Local sources said about 10 people had been killed in a settling of scores between armed …
Read More »On Africa tour, French PM rules out slavery reparations
Accra, Ghana | AFP | French Prime Minister Manuel Valls issued an appeal on Sunday to overcome the legacy of slavery, dismissing claims for financial compensation while acknowledging the “horror” of the slave trade. Valls was visiting Franklin House, a former slave hub in the Ghanaian capital Accra, on Sunday …
Read More »Elderly luxury hotel boss kidnapped in Cannes
Nice, France | AFP | The head of a five-star hotel in the French resort town of Cannes was kidnapped on Monday, the local prosecutor said. Jacqueline Veyrach, 76, president of the Grand Hotel in Cannes, was seized from her car in the middle of the day near her home …
Read More »Showdown as France re-opens probe into Rwandan genocide
A decision by France to re-open a probe into the 1994 shooting down of then-president Juvénal Habyarimana could once again lead to a break in diplomatic relations between the two countries. Kigali and Paris had made great strides on the path to reconciliation and it’s not clear what could have …
Read More »Paris, the upstart startup capital
Paris, France | AFP | Could Paris, the City of Light, soon become known as the City of Innovation helping propel young entrepreneurs to push technological and business frontiers? While efforts by Paris to lure financial companies from London in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union …
Read More »Kagame warns of ‘showdown’ with France over genocide probe
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Rwandan leader Paul Kagame warned Monday of a “showdown” with Paris after French investigators last week said they would reopen a probe into the genocide-triggering assassination of president Juvenal Habyarimana. The shooting down of Habyarimana’s French-crewed plane on April 6, 1994, kickstarted the genocide that …
Read More »France reopens probe into 1994 assassination of Rwanda president Habyarimana
Paris, France | AFP | French investigators have reopened their probe into the 1994 genocide-triggering assassination of a Rwandan president to question a dissident general who has accused the country’s current head of state of orchestrating the killing, AFP learnt Friday. After a French-crewed plane carrying Juvenual Habyarimana was shot …
Read More »How Kim Kardashian was robbed in Paris, millions stolen
Paris, France | AFP | US reality television star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint at a Paris hotel by assailants disguised as police who made off with millions, mainly in jewellery, French authorities and her representative said Monday. Paris police said the loss amounted to “several million euros, mostly …
Read More »Do you speak fashion?
Paris, France | AFP | FASHION: If the idea of an “It girl influencer” sitting in a “frow” watching a “gender fluid” collection available in “see now, buy now” has you scratching your head, then you need our essential guide to fashion jargon. Here are a few basic terms …
Read More »Disgruntled customer runs amok at Apple store in France
Dijon, France | AFP | French prosecutors said Friday they would seek a fast-track trial against a young man — apparently an unsatisfied customer — who ran amok in an Apple store, smashing phones and tablets with a metal ball. The scene, captured on camera and posted on the Internet, …
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