France: Police operations underway after teacher’s beheading

A a former hotel driver stands accused of driving Hutus who massacred Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994. In the late 1990s he moved to France, tried and failed to obtain asylum but became a French citizen in 2010.

The response to the tragic drownings on the English Channel has spiraled into a political spat between France and the UK, delaying proactive solutions to prevent future tragedies.

American-born entertainer-turned-resistance fighter and civil rights activist Josephine Baker is the latest to get the ultimate recognition from the French state: entombment in the Pantheon. That begs the questions: what does it take to be a national hero in France?

This week, we take you behind the scenes of one of Paris’ most beautiful landmarks: the Pantheon. A symbol of France’s values and collective memory, the mausoleum houses the remains of some of the country’s most esteemed men and women. On November 30, the Franco-American performer Josephine Baker will be reinterred there. But this selection requires more than just excellence. The choice is at the discretion of the President, and the reasons behind it are very political. FRANCE 24 explains.

In this edition, we take you to the South Pacific and the French territory of New Caledonia, which is gearing up for a high-stakes vote on independence on December 12. While other overseas territories are fully integrated into France, New Caledonia stands apart because it is still considered a colony. The reasons for that are rooted in its history – we take a closer look. To fully understand what's at stake, we speak to anthropologist and historian Benoît Trépied.

Thousands of Sudanese protest across the country in a show of anger over a government deal that reinstated the prime minister but gave the military majority control. Also, Gambia's president wins re-election, but the opposition is crying foul. One competitor has since accepted the result, but two others are refusing to. Finally, protesters take to South African beaches in opposition to oil and gas exploration by energy giant Shell. Activists say the project endangers marine animals and tourism.

Clashes erupted in Nairobi after a Kenyan police officer shot dead six people in a rampage on Tuesday (December 7) and then shot and killed himself, a senior police officer and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said. The officer first shot and killed his wife at their home before setting off with his service-issued AK-47 rifle to shoot dead another four people, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said on its Twitter account, describing the shooter as a "rogue officer".

French authorities have released a Saudi man they detained after mistaking him for someone else who is wanted over his involvement in the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

France is home to some of the biggest luxury brands in the world. While many everyday businesses have struggled to bounce back from the health crisis, it’s been just the opposite for the most exclusive French labels. Jean-Noël Kapferer, professor emeritus of marketing, talks us through the success of luxury brands bouncing back from the pandemic. We also see how the luxury sector is making its way into the second-hand market, bringing in a whole new clientele.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Tuesday⁣⁣

In the south of France, the rocky inlets known as "Les Calanques" become popular as soon as spring arrives. Whether it's in Figuerolles, Cassis, Port-Miou or Marseille, these little coves are only accessible by sea. With their turquoise waters, they are small havens of peace. FRANCE 24 takes you to meet the people who live there all year round, guardians of this stunning natural beauty.

Nine years after Timbuktu welcomed them as liberators, French troops are withdrawing from their final outpost in Mali's far north. There's no unruliness here, but also no cries of mission accomplished: the jihadist radicals who scattered when French-led forces intervened have long since morphed into a low-intensity insurgency with raids as far away as the far north of Benin. With the summer's chaos in Afghanistan still fresh in memories, when is the right time to end military intervention?