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The question of who shot down the plane carrying the former president of Rwanda in April 1994 could turn out to be one of the great mysteries of the late 20th Century. The act served as a catalyst for the genocide of some 800,000 (others say as high as one million) people in just 100 days. Last week a French investigative judge, Jean Louis Bruguiere, accused the ethnic Tutsi rebel leader at the time, Paul Kagame, of having been responsible...

A French high-speed train (TGV) has smashed the world record for a train on conventional rails by a big margin, reaching 574.8km/h.

Tomáš J. Fülöpp : Fragmentation back to clans...?

Benedict XVI, who is on a tour of Africa, said handing out condoms only increased the problem of HIV/Aids. The Roman Catholic Church says marital fidelity and sexual abstinence are the best way to prevent the spread of HIV. But France, echoing the reaction of some aid agencies, said it "voices extremely sharp concern over the consequences of the Pope's comments". While it is not up to us to pass judgment on Church doctrine,...

During the last ski season, a typical Russian client of our boutique could spend about 100,000 euros at one time," says Juliette, a manager of a jewellry shop in the Courchevel valley that sells diamonds and Rolex watches.

Nicolas Sarkozy today took a hard line in France's latest row over Islamic dress, saying full veils and face coverings were a sign of women's debasement and "not welcome" on French soil.

French fossil hunters have discovered huge dinosaur footprints, said to be among the biggest in the world.

The US Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from Panama's ex-leader Manuel Noriega against his extradition to France on money laundering charges. Noriega wanted to be sent back to his country after completing a drug sentence at a jail in Florida.