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Paris shooting: Three dead and several injured in attack

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Three individuals were killed and three others were injured when a shooter opened fire in the heart of Paris. Witnesses claimed that the attacker specifically targeted a restaurant and community centre for Kurds, and authorities stated they would check into any potential racial motivation.

A 69-year-old suspect was detained right away, and it immediately became clear that he had recently been released from prison. Authorities urged people to stay away from Strasbourg-Saint Denis in Paris’s 10th arrondissement.

The shooting’s cause has not been established, however Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau has revealed that the suspect has a history of racial violence charges.

On December 8, 2021, near Bercy, a man brandished a sword and attacked tents at a Parisian migrant camp. He had only lately been released, although it was unclear why.

The suspect was also hurt in the shooting, according to the local mayor Alexandra Cordebard, and three locations were targeted: a restaurant, a hair salon, and a Kurdish cultural centre. In the salon, there were two shootings.

Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, claimed that a “far-right activist” was responsible for the killings. She added: “Kurds wherever they reside must be able to live in peace and security. In these difficult times, Paris stands on their side more than ever.”

“We were walking in the street and heard gunshots,” a witness, Ali Dalek, told the BBC. “We turned around and saw people running left and right.

“And then, five or six minutes later, because we know people who work at the hair salon, we went in and we saw that they had arrested a guy – an old man, elderly, tall.”

Without encountering any resistance, police apprehended the man and reportedly found the attack’s weapon. Authorities declared that they had started a murder inquiry. Ms. Hidalgo commended the police for taking prompt action.

Nearly ten years had passed since the January 2013 murder of three Kurdish women in Paris when the attack occurred.

Along with a number of eateries and stores, the cultural centre is located on the street next to the Château d’Eau metro station. It was a very active location, according to Ms. Cordebard.

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Boy run over and killed after France World Cup win

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In Montpellier, a southern French city, a 14-year-old kid was run over and killed shortly after France defeated Morocco in the World Cup semi-final.  After the match, according to the authorities, he was hit by a car and later died in the hospital.

Images shared on social media showed an automobile covered in a French tricolour, which was later seized by onlookers.  The driver then accelerated into two youngsters, perhaps in a hurry. The 14-year-old was struck and suffered a cardiac attack as the driver turned around and sped away.

“Immense sadness that a sporting event should end in total tragedy,” said local MP Nathalie Oziol, who expressed her sympathy with the boy’s family.

The automobile was later discovered abandoned not far from the scene of the collision, according to the local prefect in the southern Hérault region, and police have started looking for the driver. Everyone was horrified and in disbelief over “this awful tragedy,” according to Mayor Michal Delafosse, who also prayed that those responsible for “this vile act” would face justice.

According to local MP Patrick Vignal, the motorist needed to be apprehended and punished harshly.  Around 30 minutes after the final horn in Qatar, when France defeated Morocco 2-0, the incident took place in Montpellier’s La Paillade neighbourhood.

As flares were fired and police used tear gas in response, tensions between France and Morocco supporters briefly erupted in the city centre. A Moroccan community of about 1.5 million individuals exists in France.

While police deployed tear gas to quell unrest among far-right youngsters in Lyon’s centre, celebrations in other French cities were mainly peaceful. Ten thousand police officers were stationed all around the nation, and 167 arrests were reportedly made.

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Iranian who made Paris airport home for 18 years dies

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An Iranian guy who spent 18 years residing in a Paris airport has passed away. Mehran Karimi Nasseri, who was in a precarious diplomatic situation, moved into a small part of the Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport in 1988.

His story served as the basis for the Tom Hanks-starring 2004 movie The Terminal. After receiving permission to reside in France, Mr. Nasseri returned there a few weeks ago, when he passed away of natural causes, an airport official told AFP.

Mr. Nasseri, who was born in the Iranian province of Khuzestan in 1945, first took a flight to Europe in order to find his mother.

After being ejected from nations such as the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany for not possessing the proper immigration documents, he spent a while residing in Belgium. He subsequently travelled to France and settled down in the 2F Terminal of the airport.

He spent his days writing about his life in a notebook and reading books and newspapers while curled up on his bench, surrounded by trolleys filled with the things he had accumulated.

The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, was directed by Stephen Spielberg after his story gained the attention of the world’s media.

Journalists went to interview the man who served as the inspiration for a Hollywood blockbuster after the movie’s premiere. According to Le Parisien, Mr. Nazzeri, who went by the name “Sir Alfred,” once conducted up to six interviews every day.

He was given refugee status and the ability to stay in France in 1999, but he remained there until 2006, when he was transferred to the hospital for medical treatment. Using the money he had been paid for the movie, he then lived in a hostel, according to the French newspaper Libération.

A few weeks ago, Mr. Nasseri returned to the airport, where he resided until his passing, according to an airport representative.

The officer stated that he was caught in possession of several thousand euros.

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Cardinal Ricard among 11 French bishops accused of abuse

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One of the eleven current or former bishops charged with sexual assault is French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, according to the Church.

The cardinal issued a statement in which he admitted to abusing a 14-year-old girl while serving as a parish priest 35 years prior and announced his decision to step down from his duties.

A panel discovered evidence of thousands of paedophiles working for decades within the French Catholic Church a year ago.

Each of the 11 accused will either be prosecuted or subject to church discipline.

The most recent information was made public during a conference of French bishops held in Lourdes, in southwest France.

Among the 11, according to Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, was Michel Santier, a former bishop of Créteil who resigned last year following allegations of sexual abuse dating back two decades.

He read aloud a letter from Cardinal Ricard in which he admitted to acting “reprehensibly” with a 14-year-old girl and that his actions had unavoidably resulted in serious and long-lasting effects for her.

The 78-year-old cardinal claimed he had begged her forgiveness and expressed regret to those he had offended during his 18 years as bishop of Bordeaux. He is now retired. In addition to expressing condolences to the victim, the current bishop, Jean-Paul James, reissued his call for anyone who has experienced abuse in the diocese to come forward.

In addition to the cardinal and Michel Santier, the conference’s leader stated that six other bishops had faced accusations from either the Church or the Judiciary, and one of them had already passed away.

The Roman Catholic Church has been shaken by charges of sexual abuse in numerous nations, including France. Pope Francis modified the Church’s regulations last year to establish crimes under Vatican law for sexual abuse, luring children for sex, owning child pornography, and covering up abuse.

The Pope stated that the Church of France has once again been overwhelmed by the excesses committed by some of its pastors in a communication sent before of the autumn bishops’ conference in Lourdes.

The purpose of the conference was to discuss ways to increase openness and communication in cases of clergy abuse.

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French far-right MP De Fournas suspended for shouting ‘Back to Africa’

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The National Assembly of France has given a far-right MP a 15-day suspension for yelling “they should go back to Africa” while a black colleague discussed immigration. National Rally’s Grégoire de Fournas claimed that his remark was not directed at Carlos Martens Bilongo but rather at migrants sailing to Europe.

Since he was born in France, Mr. Bilongo called the comment “shameful.” On Friday, the MPs decided to suspend him and take away half of his allowance. The ruling is referred to as the Assembly’s heaviest censure.

Mr. Bilongo had been pressing the authorities over SOS Méditerranée’s plea for assistance in locating a port for 234 migrants who had recently been saved at sea.

Since the National Rally MP could have been referring to more than one person, the precise meaning of his statement is questioned. Qu’il retourne en Afrique, which is how the official account of the session described his off-microphone comment, sounds exactly the same in the plural Qu’ils retournent en Afrique.

The Speaker, Yal Braun-Pivet, asked to know who had spoken after Mr. de Fournas made his remark. She then declared that “This is not conceivable” and called for the session to be suspended as the MPs screamed “Out! Out! Out!”

A member of parliament for France Unbowed (LFI), Mr. Bilongo said: “My skin tone has come up again today. I am a French MP and I was born there.” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said there was “no room for racism” and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the MP should resign.

Mr de Fournas was adamant he had been referring to the “boat transporting migrants to Europe”, and party leader Marine Le Pen accused her political opponents of fabricating a vulgar outcry.

He later apologised to Mr Bilongo for “the misunderstanding” his comments had caused and if he had been hurt by them.

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France sends Germany gas for first time amid Russia energy crisis

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In response to mounting energy strain, France has delivered gas to Germany for the first time in an act of “European solidarity.” The pipeline-delivered gas is a component of a pact between the nations to reduce energy shortages following Russian shutoff of the taps to Europe.

Despite providing less than 2% of Germany’s daily demands, the increased flow is appreciated as Berlin fights to diversify its energy sources. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been charged with exploiting gas supplies as a weapon against the West.

The French grid operator GRTgaz announced that it would initially supply 31 gigawatt hours (GWh) per day via a pipeline from the village of Obergailbach on the country’s border.The additional gas flow has a 100 GWh daily maximum capacity, it was added in a statement. 

In the energy solidarity agreement last month, Germany committed to aid France with gas supplies in exchange for Germany agreeing to supply additional electricity to France as needed.

“We would have significant problems right now if we didn’t have European unity and an integrated, united market,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday. Russia shutting off the gas is less of an issue for France because most of its energy requirements are met by Norway and through supply of liquefied natural gas.

Gas prices increased as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, and this winter EU customers will pay record prices.

Germany had previously gotten 55% of its gas from Russia. It has decreased this to 35% and eventually wants to stop all imports.

Despite the detrimental effects on the environment, Germany is also increasing its usage of coal and prolonging the life of power plants that were scheduled to close.

During her 16 years in office, former German chancellor Angela Merkel claimed she did not regret relying on Russia as a significant gas provider.

This winter, the German government plans to reduce the consumption of lighting and heating in public buildings by 2%.

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Annie Ernaux: ‘Uncompromising’ French author wins Nobel Literature Prize

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The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to French author Annie Ernaux for her “uncompromising” 50-year body of work that examines “a life marked by vast discrepancies regarding gender, language, and class.”

The coveted award, which is worth 10 million Swedish kronor (£807,000), is given out by the Swedish Academy. It was “a huge honour,” she remarked.

The committee’s leader, Professor Carl-Henrik Heldin, praised the 82-year-work old’s as “admirable and enduring.”

In her semi-autobiographical works, he claimed she employed “courage and clinical clarity” to expose “the inconsistencies of social experience [and] convey shame, humiliation, jealousy, or the inability to know who you are.”

Her books, including A Man’s Place and A Woman’s Story, are considered to be contemporary classics in France.

Ernaux is the first French woman to win the literature prize, and told Swedish broadcaster SVT it was “a responsibility”.

“I was very surprised… I never thought it would be on my landscape as a writer,” she said. “It is a great responsibility… to testify, not necessarily in terms of my writing, but to testify with accuracy and justice in relation to the world.”

Over the course of her 20 novels, “she has been devoted to a single task: the excavation of her own life,” The New Yorker stated in 2020.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prizes have recognised excellence in literature, science, peace, and, more recently, economics. Abdulrazak Gurnah, a novelist from Tanzania, received the literary award the previous year.

Other winners have included playwrights Harold Pinter and Eugene O’Neill, as well as novelists Ernest Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Toni Morrison, poets Louise Gluck, Pablo Neruda, Joseph Brodsky, and Rabindranath Tagore, and novelists Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Toni Morrison.

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Jean-Luc Godard: Legendary film director dies at 91 by assisted suicide

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The revolutionary French New Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard has passed away at the age of 91. With 1960’s bout de souffle (Breathless), Godard made his debut and launched a string of critically acclaimed films that changed the norms of cinema and influenced filmmakers from Martin Scorsese to Quentin Tarantino.

According to a family member, he committed assisted suicide in Switzerland. Godard, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, “has the vision of a genius.” Mr. Macron described him as “like an apparition in French cinema” in a tribute on Twitter. He eventually mastered it.

“The most iconoclastic of the New Wave filmmakers, Jean-Luc Godard, created a resolutely contemporary, passionately free work. A guy with the vision of a genius has been lost to us; he was a national treasure.”

According to the AFP news agency, Godard’s legal counsel Patrick Jeanneret stated that the Franco-Swiss filmmaker “had recourse to legal assistance in Switzerland for a voluntary departure as he was plagued with’multiple invalidating illnesses,’ according to the medical report.”

In rare cases, assisted suicide is permitted in Switzerland.

Before taking the helm of the elegant and edgy Breathless, Godard worked as a cinema reviewer. The film’s actors, Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo, were glamorous in a fresh, laid-back way, and the editing and dialogue were both semi-improvised.

“It was a film that took everything that cinema had done — girls, gangsters, cars — exploded all this and put an end, once and for all, to the old manner,” the filmmaker once said.

Jack Lang, a former minister of culture in France, stated to the news agency Reuters: “He crammed philosophy and poetry into the movies. We were able to notice the undetectable because to his keen eye.”

Actor Antonio Banderas was among many who paid tribute, writing: “Thank you monsieur Godard for extending the horizons of the film.”

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Europe storms: Children among dead in France, Austria and Italy

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Areas of central and southern Europe have been blasted by strong storms that have killed at least 12 people, including three children. In Italy, Austria, and on the French island of Corsica, there were documented deaths, the majority of which were caused by fallen trees.

Campsites on the island were destroyed by strong winds and rain, while in Venice, Italy, stone was blown from the belltower of St. Mark’s Basilica. Following weeks of scorching and drought across much of the continent, the storms hit. Wind gusts of up to 224 km/h (140 mph) in Corsica destroyed trees and harmed mobile homes.

Authorities there said that a 13-year-old girl was murdered on a camping by a tree that fell.

Due to human-induced climate change, extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and storms, have gotten worse and more common in recent years.

Since the start of the industrial age, the world has already warmed by around 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.

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France firefighters battle ‘monster’ wildfire near Bordeaux

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Almost 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of woodland have already been burnt by a “monster” wildfire in southwest France, according to officials. A number of homes have been destroyed by the raging fire nearby Bordeaux, which has also compelled 10,000 locals to escape.

Gregory Allione, a firefighter spokesperson, told France’s RTL Radio that “it’s an ogre, it’s a monster.” The firefighting effort is being hampered by strong winds and hot heat. Austria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Romania, according to President Emmanuel Macron, “are coming to aid” France in putting out the fire. He tweeted, “European solidarity at work!”

Several other European nations, including France, have experienced a wave of catastrophic wildfires this summer as a result of the continent-wide drought and high heat. In Portugal and Spain, the heat has been blamed for more than 1,000 fatalities.

With temperatures expected to reach 37C (99F) in some regions over the next four days, the UK has now issued an amber extreme heat warning. The officials warn that the heatwave would likely have an impact on transportation, working conditions, and health. About 30 kilometres (19 miles) south-east of Bordeaux, in the Gironde region of France, a sizable wildfire has been burning for the past two days close to the community of Landiras.

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