‘Disciple’ of accused rapist drugged and raped his own wife, French court told

Trial of Dominique Pélicot hears that he allegedly provided sedatives to man he had met in a chatroom

The trial of a French man who recruited dozens of strangers to rape his drugged wife has heard how another man living in the same area copied the tactics to drug and rape his own wife.

Dominique Pélicot, 71, is on trial in the southern city of Avignon for repeatedly raping, and enlisting dozens of strangers to rape, his heavily sedated wife in her own bed over a period of a decade in the southern village of Mazan. Fifty other men aged between 26 and 74 are also on trial for their alleged involvement.

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French first lady Brigitte Macron to make cameo in Netflix’s Emily in Paris

Despite criticism of the series in France, Macron will appear as herself in the show’s fourth season when new episodes arrive on Thursday

French first lady Brigitte Macron will make a cameo appearance as herself in the Netflix series Emily in Paris when new episodes are released on Thursday.

Macron will wear her own clothing, Elle magazine revealed on Tuesday, “with no particular instructions given to her” by the series known for its fashion.

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French husband was ‘self-centred’ manipulator, mass rape trial told

Dominique Pélicot, 71, accused of raping, and recruiting strangers to rape, sedated wife for a decade

A French man on trial for recruiting dozens of strangers to rape his drugged wife without her knowledge was a “self-centred” manipulator with a split personality, experts have told a court.

Dominique Pélicot, 71, is on trial in the southern city of Avignon for repeatedly raping, and enlisting dozens of strangers to rape, his heavily sedated wife in her own bed over a decade.

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Paris gives Paralympic Games a send-off for the ages

Stade de France transformed into huge electronica dance party with world’s elite para athletes doing farewell conga

With an explosion of fireworks, laser beams, breakdance and a thumping set by the giants of French electronica, France bid goodbye to the Paralympic Games on Sunday night with the biggest party it had ever thrown.

The feelgood summer of athletic achievement in Paris had turned crowds hoarse from so much cheering and for ever changed the nation’s attitude to sport and disability, and now Parisians were desperately sad to say goodbye to it all.

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Thousands of leftwing protesters show anger as Michel Barnier made PM

Demonstrators accuse Emmanuel Macron of perpetrating ‘denial of democracy’ by choosing conservative politician

Thousands of angry leftwing protesters took to French streets on Saturday two days after Emmanuel Macron appointed a conservative prime minister.

Demonstrators accused the president of a “denial of democracy” after his decision to name the former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, 73, as leader of the government.

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Scholz pledges continued backing and says Germany ‘strongest supporter of Ukraine in Europe’ – as it happened

German chancellor says country ‘will support Ukraine for as long as it takes’ as he meets Volodymyr Zelenskiy

Ukraine’s defence minister outlined the country’s priorities today.

Speaking at Ramstein airbase, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy raised concerns about western partners’ policies and the pace of deliveries.

Long-range capability. I’m glad that the US, the UK, and France are represented here. Thanks to our joint courage, we have implemented very important operations, in particular in Crimea.

These operations allowed us to return security to the Black Sea and our food exports. Now we hear that your long-range policy has not changed, but we see changes in the Atacms, Storm Shadows and Scalps –a shortage of missiles and cooperation.

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Daughter of French man who invited men to rape mother speaks of ‘descent into hell’

Dominique Pélicot has admitted drugging his wife Gisèle and inviting strangers to abuse her over a decade

The daughter of a French man on trial for enlisting strangers to rape his drugged wife has described him as probably “one of the worst sexual criminals in the past 20 years”.

Dominique Pélicot, a 71-year-old retiree, has admitted to abusing his wife without her knowledge between 2011 and 2020, drugging her with sleeping pills and then recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her in her own home.

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Michel Barnier vows to address feelings of ‘anger’ and ‘injustice’ as France’s new PM

Rightwing prime minister promises ‘new era’, saying priorities will be education, security and controlling immigration

Michel Barnier, France’s new rightwing prime minister, has vowed to address the nation’s feelings of anger, abandonment and injustice, promising a “new era” and a break with the past.

Barnier, the EU’s former Brexit negotiator, took office hours after Emmanuel Macron appointed him to form “a unifying government in the service of the country” – an attempt to put an end to two months of political paralysis after a snap election.

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Clock is ticking again for Michel Barnier, France’s anorak-wearing, spreadsheet-loving new PM

A councillor at 22, now country’s oldest premier in modern history, the former Brexit negotiator must win over a divided parliament

He calmly but firmly negotiated the UK’s departure from the EU after years of British squabbling over Brexit, and he prefers consensus to political punch-ups. But Michel Barnier faces his toughest challenge yet as France’s new prime minister amid the country’s biggest political crisis in decades.

The discreet rightwinger, 73, known for his sensible anoraks, love of spreadsheets and his ever-present briefing dossiers wedged under his arm, is facing a baptism of fire in a deeply divided French political landscape.

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Woman tells trial of husband who invited men to rape her: ‘I was sacrificed on altar of vice’

Gisèle Pélicot says French police saved her life when they investigated husband, who drugged her and enlisted men to rape her

A French woman whose husband has admitted drugging her and inviting more than 80 men to rape her over the course of a decade has said she “was sacrificed on the altar of vice” and treated “like a rag doll”.

Gisèle Pélicot, 72, said “police saved my life” when they investigated her husband, Dominique Pélicot’s, computer in November 2020, after a security guard caught him filming up the skirts of women in a supermarket near their home in a village in southern France.

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‘Betrayal’: Pernod Ricard’s PSG tie-up leaves bitter taste for Marseille fans

Brand partnership for pastis, a traditional Marseille aperitif, with arch-rival decried as ‘stab in the back’

It is the quintessential pre-dinner apéro enjoyed in the Provençal afternoon sun, as unmistakably southern French as the clicking sound of a game of pétanque.

But the cloudy, aniseed-flavoured aperitif Ricard Pastis is leaving an aftertaste even more bitter than its makers intended in the mouths of some football fans in the southern city of Marseille.

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French police clear site where victims of Channel tragedy are said to have lived

Belongings and tents removed, and residents bussed away, as part of official policy to deter coastal encampments

French police have cleared a camp believed to have been used by some of the dozen people, including six children, who died after their dinghy ripped apart in the Channel.

In the early hours of Wednesday, belongings and tents were removed and tens of people were bussed away from an unofficial refugee settlement near Calais known locally as the “BMX site”.

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Pregnant woman and six children among 12 victims after migrant boat capsizes in Channel, French official says – as it happened

Victims ‘primarily of Eritrean origin’, French prosecutor says, as France mobilises helicopters, fishing boats and military vessels

La Voix du Nord’s Florent Caffery has shared footage from the scene where emergency services are gathering.

French authorities have confirmed at least five people died in a Channel crossing attempt, AFP reported.

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Daughter leaves French court during man’s trial over recruiting dozens to rape wife

Caroline Darian overwhelmed as details are revealed during trial of father, Dominique Pélicot, and 50 other men

Harrowing details have emerged at the trial of a French man charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his drugged wife, with their daughter temporarily leaving the courtroom as she became overwhelmed by emotion.

The case against Dominique Pélicot, 71, has horrified France after the allegations were only exposed by chance when he was caught filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket.

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Emmanuel Macron continues consultations on next PM, weeks after French election – Europe live

France led by caretaker administration since July snap election

Eric Ciotti, a right-wing politician who had allied himself with the far-right ahead of the elections, has expressed his opposition to Xavier Bertrand.

BFMTV reports that Emmanuel Macron will hold new phone consultations with different political groupings.

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Man accused of enlisting strangers to rape drugged wife goes on trial in France

Dominique Pélicot, 71, being tried with 50 other men over alleged abuse of woman for years at couple’s Provence home

A husband who allegedly drugged his wife and invited more than 80 strangers to rape her at their home for almost a decade went on trial on Monday in a case that has shocked France.

Fifty men accused of taking part in the abuse of the woman are also on trial at the court in Avignon. More than a dozen feminists dressed in black protested outside the courthouse as the trial opened.

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Telegram CEO charged in France for ‘allowing criminal activity’ on messaging app

Pavel Durov, who has French citizenship, faces prosecution over alleged failure to suppress spread of sexual images of children and calls for violence

The head of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has been charged by the French judiciary for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the messaging app but avoided jail with a €5m bail.

The Russian-born multi-billionaire, who has French citizenship, was granted release on condition that he report to a police station twice a week and remain in France, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement.

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France to trial ban on mobile phones at school for children under 15

‘Digital pause’ experiment at 200 secondary schools could be extended nationwide in January

France is to trial a ban on mobile phones at school for pupils up to the age of 15, seeking to give children a “digital pause” that, if judged successful, could be rolled out nationwide from January.

Just under 200 secondary schools will take place in the experiment that will require youngsters to hand over phones on arrival at reception. It takes the prohibition on the devices further than a 2018 law that banned pupils at primary and secondary schools from using their phones on the premises but allowed them to keep possession of them.

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Chaos in France after Macron refuses to name prime minister from leftwing coalition

More talks to take place on Tuesday as president attempts to find a PM who can command cross-party support

France has been plunged into further political chaos after Emmanuel Macron refused to name a prime minister from the leftwing coalition that won the most parliamentary seats in the snap election last month.

The president had hoped consultations would break the political deadlock caused by the election that left the Assemblée Nationale divided into three roughly equal blocks – left, centre and far right – none of which has a majority of seats.

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Telegram founder arrest part of cybercrime inquiry, say prosecutors

Investigation into Pavel Durov relates to app’s alleged failure to stop spread of child sexual abuse material

Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire co-founder of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested in France in connection with an investigation into criminal activity on the platform and a lack of cooperation with law enforcement, prosecutors announced on Monday.

Durov, who has French citizenship, was detained at Le Bourget airport, just outside Paris, on Saturday evening after arriving from Azerbaijan on his private jet. His surprise arrest has sparked debate over free speech worldwide and led to an outcry in Moscow.

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