France

Are Islamophobic crimes less likely to be classed as terrorism offences? The murder of 22-year-old Aboubakar Cisse at a French mosque should be investigated by anti-terror police, according to the lawyer representing the victim’s family. He spoke to Al Jazeera’s Hind Touissate.

Depardieu is put on the sex offenders list and receives a suspended sentence for groping the women on a film set.

A French court has handed down an 18-month suspended sentence to actor Gerard Depardieu after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021.

The Paris court announced on Tuesday morning that Depardieu, the 76-year-old who did not attend court for the verdict, would be placed on the sex offenders list.

In one of the country’s highest-profile Me Too cases, Depardieu, a prominent figure of French cinema who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The trial relates to charges of sexual assault during the filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) directed by Jean Becker.

One of the two plaintiffs, Amelie K, a 54-year-old set decorator, told the court that Depardieu had groped her as he trapped her between his legs and made explicit sexual comments.

“He touched everything, including my breasts,” she said, adding: “I was terrified, he was laughing.”

The second witness, a 34-year-old assistant director who was unnamed, said Depardieu initially assaulted her when she accompanied him from his dressing room to the set.

“It was nighttime … he put his hand on my buttocks,” she said, adding that the actor assaulted her on two other occasions.

Judge Thierry Donard said the actor’s explanation of the events had been unconvincing.

“I’m vulgar, rude, foul-mouthed, I’ll accept that,” Depardieu told the court, but added: “I don’t touch.”

“I adore women and femininity,” he also said, describing the Me Too movement as a “reign of terror”.

Depardieu also argued before the court that he did not consider placing a hand on a person’s bottom to be sexual assault and that some women were too easily shocked.

Amelie K’s lawyer described Tuesday’s ruling as a “beautiful decision” that gave recognition to Depardieu’s victims.

After the sentencing, Depardieu’s lawyer said they would appeal the court decision.

In recent years, the French actor has faced a growing number of sexual assault allegations, with about 20 women coming forward with accusations, but this case was the first to go to court.

The Me Too movement came to prominence in 2017 for people to share their experiences of sexual abuse and sexual harassment by influential figures.

These are the key events on day 1,174 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is where things stand on Tuesday, May 13:

Ceasefire

• Moscow has yet to say whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin will attend direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slated for Thursday in Istanbul and proposed by Kyiv over the weekend. The leaders have not met since December 2019.
• United States President Donald Trump said he is “thinking about flying over” to Istanbul to join the potential Putin-Zelenskyy talks.
• “I don’t know where I’m going to be on Thursday – I’ve got so many meetings – but I was thinking about actually flying over there. There’s a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen,” Trump said. “Don’t underestimate Thursday in Turkey.”

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he held a joint call with Ukrainian and European officials to discuss a “way forward for a ceasefire” on Monday.
• Europe will reportedly push the White House for new sanctions on Moscow if Putin either fails to attend the Istanbul meeting, or fails to agree to an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire”, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
• Germany said it is also preparing sanctions against Moscow if the talks stall.

Fighting

• Ukraine says that Russia is “completely ignoring” calls for a 30-day ceasefire made over the weekend by the US and Europe. It was due to begin on Monday.
• “Russian shelling and assaults continue,” Zelenskyy said in a nightly address. “Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence.”
• Ukraine’s military said that there had been 133 clashes with Russian forces along the front lines up to Monday night.
• The heaviest fighting continues in the Donetsk region on Ukraine’s eastern front and Russia’s western Kursk region. Ukraine’s military said the intensity remains unchanged since the ceasefire was supposed to begin.
• Moscow called the 30-day ceasefire an excuse by Europe to “provide a breather for Kyiv to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia”.

The couple knew they didn’t want to live in the UK when they eventually retire, but never realised they would buy a village for less than a house in the UK

With house prices skyrocketing and UK salaries not keeping up, this British couple decided to ditch the rat race and follow their dream of moving to France. But they didn’t just find a house – they bought a whole village.

Ben Pearson, 39 and his husband Nathan, 31 had been craving simpler life for a while. And when Ben’s mum, Karen Pearson, 62 moved to France 10 years ago, the idea became more real. On a visit to see her seven years ago, they stumbled across an abandoned farm – one they can now call home.

The farm comes with five outbuildings and two hectares of land, dating back to the 1600s. Eventually, they hope to turn some of the outbuildings into Airbnb’s and guest houses – but for now, the focus is making the house liveable.

The property has no heating or even a toilet, but Ben has plans to transform it into a three bed home, all by himself. “It’s getting out of the 9 to 5 rat race in England,” said Ben, an RAF aircraft engineer. “There’s no way we could afford something like that in the UK.”

They started searching for a retirement home three years ago, but nothing felt right. It wasn’t until two years ago, the same farmhouse came back on the market. After two years of paperwork, they finally got the keys in December 2024. “You can barely buy a flat for £80k,” Ben added “it’s a nicer way of life – there’s no running around,” Ben added.

The property is the oldest in its little commune. The main house dates back to the early 1800s, and the farmhouse 1600s. Right now, the only source of heat is an open fire. It needs a new roof, septic tank and modern heating but the couple hope to have a liveable room within six months. Until then, they will be living in a caravan.

Inside, the house still holds traces of the past – old pots, pans, and mason jars left behind on the shelves. They plan to preserve as much of the history as they can while restoring it. “We want to keep the grandeur of it all,” Nathan added.

They sold everything in the UK and are making the big move in July to start working on their retirement home. “When we dreamed of a simpler life, we somehow ended up buying a small village – we wouldn’t change it for the world,” Nathan said

But the couple can’t wait to move and get out of the UK, while some believe French people can be ‘snobbish’, the couple has had a very different experience. “Even when you go to the nearest town the people are friendly and welcoming,” Nathan said. “This is the sort of thing we’d been looking for.”

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These are the key events on day 1,172 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is where things stand on Sunday, May 11:

Fighting:

Politics and diplomacy:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkiye, on Thursday “without preconditions” to achieve “lasting peace” and “eliminate the root causes” of the three-year conflict.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Russia to confirm an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on Monday, saying Ukraine would then be ready to meet for direct talks with Russia.
• United States President Donald Trump described the talks offer as a “potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine”.
• On Saturday, Zelenskyy received the backing of Europe’s major powers and Trump for the unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on Monday.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian and French counterparts that a “historic turning point” has been reached in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and Ankara was ready to host talks between the two warring parties, his office said.
• Macron said Putin’s offer to start direct talks with Ukraine is “a first step but not enough”, arguing that an unconditional ceasefire that Kyiv and its allies have called for should happen first. Macron accused Putin of “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time”.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Putin’s proposal for direct talks with Kyiv a “serious proposal” that is a step towards “lasting peace”.
• Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the US and Europe are collectively ramping up pressure on Russia to push through a ceasefire. “I think the American administration is also getting a little bit impatient with these Russian games,” Michal said, accusing Russia of dragging its feet in implementing a truce.