France

Thieves have stolen priceless jewels from the Louvre in a brazen heist that only took minutes, according to the French government. The suspects are believed to have escaped on scooters while the world’s most visited museum was forced to close for the day.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time at Saracens and have made some friends for life,” explained Reading-born Willis, whose brother Jack plays for French club Toulouse.

“I will continue to give everything for this club for the remainder of the season and I’m very excited about what this squad can achieve.”

The Telegraph, external has reported that Willis is set to rejoin Bordeaux-Begles, having left them for Saracens in January 2023.

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said he is “disappointed” by Willis’ desire to leave but respected the player’s “decision to pursue a new challenge”.

“He [Willis] has made a great impact on the field and been a popular team-mate off it,” McCall added.

“I know he is determined to give everything to the group over the coming months.”

TEAM Fabulous road-tests three coastal campsites.

From Costa Dorada in Spain to Vendee in France, we have a beautiful beach for everyone.

SPAIN – Playa Montroig, Costa Dorada

Editor in Chief Sinead McIntyre, husband Alistair and their teenage twins found a coast with the most, including a day trip to Barcelona.

THE PAD

Set on the stunning Costa Dorada coastline and a quick 25-minute drive from Reus airport, the star of the show here is the sandy beach, with its lively bar and floating dive pontoon.

One morning, my daughter Riley and I woke early to swim out and had it all to ourselves while watching a yoga class – just one of the activities on offer.

Our premium three-bed lodge was also minutes from the three swimming pools, slides and a pool bar.

WAIL OF A TIME

I drove Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands

TEMPTED?

Tiny ‘Bali of Europe’ town with stunning beaches, €3 cocktails and £20 flights

You’ll also find a well-stocked supermarket, bakery, fishmonger’s and pizza takeaway on-site.

Tennis and padel courts are a win, too.

EXPLORE

The coastal village of Miami Platja just 5km away is flanked by picturesque hills and mountains, and boasts golden beaches.

A short drive from here is Llaberia Nature Park, perfect for hikes through stunning flora and fauna.

Meanwhile, Barcelona is under 90 minutes by train from nearby Cambrils.

Book well ahead to visit Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia – the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world – and admire its astonishing architecture.

Tickets cost from £23 each (Sagradafamilia.org).

Or stop by Barcelona’s famous Camp Nou football stadium – though currently under renovation, you can still visit its excellent museum.

Entry costs £25 per person (Fcbarcelona.com).

REFUEL

Get your tapas fix and dig into calamari, £12.60, garlic shrimp, £10.90, and Iberian ham croquettes, £1.75 each, on-site at Terrassa restaurant.

Pair with a refreshing carafe of sangria with cava, £14.70.

Or try beachside Tucanamar, with its stunning sunset views and divine spaghetti with clams, £10.90.

A walk along the shoreline is Restaurant Friends, serving up specialty spare ribs, £17.25, and grilled sea bream, £15.20 (Friendsplaya.com).

In Barca, hit Catalanian eatery La Nueva Marquesa for delights such as fried eggs with Iberian ham shavings and monkfish skewers with prawn and crab sauce.

Finish with melt-in-the-mouth tiramisu.

Three-course set menus cost from £13 (Lanuevamarquesa.com).

DON’T MISS

Mas Miró – the family home of Joan Miró, legendary Catalan artist and friend of Picasso – is nearby.

Explore the buildings he brought to life and see his sketches first-hand.

Entry costs £8.70 per person (Masmiro.com).

BOOK IT

Seven-night stays for four people at Playa Montroig during May half-term 2026 cost from £586 (Eurocamp.co.uk).

FRANCE – Le Garangeoire, Vendee

Deputy Editor Ellie O’Mahoney, husband Mark and their two young kids fell for crêpes and climbing on the west coast of France.

THE PAD

This five-star, family-run campsite, just 15 minutes’ drive from the beautiful beaches of France’s Atlantic west coast, has 200 hectares of woodland and a stunning 17th-century château, complete with free pedalo and canoe hire on the boating lake.

There are tennis courts, crazy golf, a horse-riding stable and two kids’ clubs.

Of the four pools, the main one boasts three slides, and is our kids’ favourite.

For some quiet time, head to the natural lagoon surrounded by a sandy beach.

There are tons of activities, including aromatherapy and night walks, and our three-bed lodge was perfectly appointed with a veranda for alfresco feasts.

EXPLORE

Kids will love swinging through the branches at Le Grand Défi, the world’s largest tree-climbing park just down the road, plus there’s a huge aqua park and pony rides.

Treeclimbing costs from £10.70 for kids, £20.90 for adults (Grand-defi.com).

Historical theme park Puy du Fou, an hour’s drive away, puts on eye-popping performances.

Watch gladiators fight in the “Roman” coliseum and experience stormy seas aboard an 18th-century-style explorer’s ship.

Tickets cost £39 for adults, £28 for kids (Puydufou.com).

Or head to the beach town of Brétignolles-sur-Mer – you’ll find pretty Breton T-shirts and wooden toys at its busy market on Thursdays and Sundays.

REFUEL

At nearby lakeside restaurant L’Auberge du Jaunay, we demolished a stack of cheese galettes for a bargain £3.25 with a half-carafe of red wine, £8.90.

A sugar and lemon crêpe, £4.70, completed the kids’ favourite feast of the trip.

On a beach day, we nabbed a table on the white sand at Crêperie La Normandelière.

We didn’t get the warmest of welcomes, but the food made up for it – I loved the smoked salmon salad, £12.70, and Nutella and banana crêpe, £5.20 (La-normandeliere.eatbu.com).

In the nearest town of Saint-Julien-des-Landes, just minutes’ drive away, you’ll find Rest’O Landes, which does the most delicious honey and goat’s cheese takeaway pizza, £9 (Restolandes.com).

DON’T MISS

Spot star constellations during the ferry crossing with the free SkyView app.

BOOK IT

Seven-night stays at La Garangeoire in May half-term 2026 cost from £363 for up to six (Eurocamp.co.uk).

An overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo with Brittany Ferries for four people with a car costs from £351 (Brittany-ferries.co.uk).

ENGLAND – Daleacres, Kent

Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Danielle Woodward, husband David and their two teens sought out safaris and steam trains in the South East.

THE PAD

In the heart of the Kent countryside, near the seaside town of Hythe, you’ll find Daleacres Campsite, complete with a playground for younger kids and a communal firepit for glampers.

Safari tents offer kitchens with a fridge and microwave, and the kids took turns to fill up the water dispenser, a short walk away.

With patchy free Wi-Fi, they also “enjoyed” screen-free time!

We woke to cock-a-doodle-dos from a nearby farm, before freshening up in the spotless shower and loo block.

EXPLORE

Feeling beachy? Pick between Hythe’s shingle or nearby Dymchurch’s three miles of sand and amusement park with classic rides and an arcade (Dymchurch-amusements.co.uk).

Meanwhile, spot apes and tigers at Port Lympne Safari Park.

Day tickets including safari cost £32 for adults, £28 for children (Aspinallfoundation.org/port-lympne).

Or hop on the miniature steam train on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway.

Tickets cost from £10 return (Rhdr.org.uk).

The kids were also fascinated by the crypt in St Leonard’s Church, home to the largest, best-preserved collection of ancient human skulls and bones in Britain (Slhk.org/theossuary.htm).

REFUEL

In Dymchurch, hit Lamby’s Seafood stall next to the Ocean Inn pub for a pot of brown shrimp, £4 (Oceaninn.co.uk/lambys).

At Port Lympne, scoff tasty wood-fired prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella and rocket pizza, £15, followed by fig and pistachio frangipane tart, £5, in Babydoll’s restaurant.

While the 400-year-old cosy Botolphs Bridge Inn pub, a short walk from Daleacres, offers fab pies of the week with mash, veg and gravy, £13.50 (Botolphsbridgeinn.co.uk).

DON’T MISS

The Battle of Britain Memorial in Folkestone has an interactive Scramble Experience, which brings WW2 to life.

SOAP ROMANCE

Max Bowden snogs ex-Corrie actress Katie McGlynn on ‘very intimate’ night out

HORROR ORDEAL

I haven’t peed for 18 months & NEVER will after UTI left me feeling suicidal

Entry is £7 for adults, £4 for kids (Battleofbritainmemorial.org).

BOOK IT

A safari tent at Daleacres sleeping five costs from £59 per night (Experiencefreedom.co.uk).

A New York jury has found that French banking giant BNP Paribas’s work in Sudan helped to prop up the regime of former ruler Omar al-Bashir, making it liable for atrocities that took place under his rule.

The eight-member jury on Friday sided with three plaintiffs originally from Sudan, awarding a total of $20.75m in damages, after hearing testimony describing horrors committed by Sudanese soldiers and the Popular Defence Forces, the government-linked militia known as the Janjaweed.

The plaintiffs – two men and one woman, all now American citizens – told the federal court in Manhattan that they had been tortured, burned with cigarettes, slashed with a knife, and, in the case of the woman, sexually assaulted.

“I have no relatives left,” Entesar Osman Kasher told the court.

The trial focused on whether BNP Paribas’s financial services were a “natural and adequate cause” of the harm suffered by survivors of ethnic cleansing and mass violence in Sudan.

A spokesperson for BNP Paribas said in a statement to the AFP news agency that the ruling “is clearly wrong and there are very strong grounds to appeal the verdict”.

Bobby DiCello, who represented the plaintiffs, called the verdict “a victory for justice and accountability”.

“The jury recognised that financial institutions cannot turn a blind eye to the consequences of their actions,” DiCello said.

“Our clients lost everything to a campaign of destruction fuelled by US dollars, that BNP Paribas facilitated and that should have been stopped,” he said.

BNP Paribas “has supported the ethnic cleansing and ruined the lives of these three survivors”, DiCello said during closing remarks on Thursday.

The French bank, which did business in Sudan from the late 1990s until 2009, provided letters of credit that allowed Sudan to honour import and export commitments.

The plaintiffs argued that these assurances enabled the regime to keep exporting cotton, oil and other commodities, enabling it to receive billions of dollars from buyers that helped finance its operations.

Defence lawyer Dani James argued, “There’s just no connection between the bank’s conduct and what happened to these three plaintiffs.”

The lawyer for BNP Paribas also said the French bank’s operations in Sudan were legal in Europe and that global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) partnered with the Sudanese government during the same period.

Defence lawyers also claimed that the bank had no knowledge of human rights violations occurring at that time.

The plaintiffs would have “had their injuries without BNP Paribas”, said lawyer Barry Berke.

“Sudan would and did commit human rights crimes without oil or BNP Paribas,” Berke said.

The verdict followed a five-week jury trial conducted by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who last year denied a request by BNP Paribas to get the case thrown out ahead of trial.

Hellerstein wrote in his decision last year that there were facts showing a relationship between BNP Paribas’s banking services and abuses perpetrated by the Sudanese government.

BNP Paribas had in 2014 agreed to plead guilty and pay an $8.97bn penalty to settle US charges it transferred billions of dollars for Sudanese, Iranian and Cuban entities subject to economic sanctions.

The US government recognised the Sudanese conflict as a genocide in 2004. The war claimed some 300,000 lives between 2002 and 2008 and displaced 2.5 million people, according to the United Nations.

Al-Bashir, who led Sudan for three decades, was ousted and detained in April 2019 following months of protests in Sudan.

He is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on genocide charges.

In the months that followed al-Bashir’s ousting in 2019, army generals agreed to share power with civilians, but that ended in October 2021, when the leader of the army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, seized control in a coup.

In April 2023, fighting broke out between the two sides, and forces on both sides have been accused of committing war crimes.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu faces two no-confidence motions this week as France’s political crisis deepens.

France’s embattled prime minister says he backs suspending a pension reform until after the 2027 presidential election in a bid to end the political turmoil that has gripped the country for months.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, 39, announced on Tuesday that he supports pausing an unpopular reform that raised the age of retirement from 62 to 64 in the hopes of securing enough votes to survive two no-confidence votes.

“I will propose to parliament this autumn that we suspend the 2023 pension reform until the presidential election. There will be no increase in the retirement age from now until January 2028,” he promised lawmakers during his policy speech, responding to a key request from the Socialists, a swing group in parliament crucial to his cabinet’s survival.

President Emmanuel Macron signed into law the bill to raise the retirement age, a signature economic reform that became the biggest domestic challenge of Macron’s second mandate as he faced widespread popular opposition to the changes and also sliding personal popularity.

Hundreds of thousands protested against the change in 2023 in towns and cities across the country.

Lecornu has faced an uphill battle since being appointed prime minister in early September. At the time of his appointment, he was the fifth prime minister in less than two years and faced deep political divides and a high debt load.

He ultimately stepped down from the post in early October, further deepening the country’s long-running political crisis. Macron then reappointed Lecornu as prime minister last week.

Lecornu faces two no-confidence motions by the hard-left France Unbowed and far-right National Rally parties. The two parties do not hold enough seats to topple Lecornu’s government on their own, but the prime minister could be ousted if the Socialist Party were to join forces with them.

The leader of the Socialists in the National Assembly said the decision to suspend the pension reform was a victory for the left.

Boris Vallaud did not explicitly say if his party would vote against the two motions of no confidence this week, but he said he believed in parliamentary debate and he would be ensuring the prime minister’s pledges be turned into actions.

Cyrielle Chatelain confirmed on Tuesday that France’s Greens party will support a no-confidence motion.

Earlier on Tuesday, Macron had warned that any vote to topple Lecornu’s cabinet would force him to dissolve parliament and call elections.

France, the eurozone’s second largest economy, is facing deep economic turmoil as Lecornu fights to keep his cabinet alive long enough to pass an austerity budget by the end of the year. During a speech on Thursday, he warned suspending the pension reform would cost about 400 million euros ($464m) in 2026 and 1.8 billion euros ($2.1bn) the year after and it should be offset by savings.

France’s ratio of debt to its gross domestic product is the European Union’s third highest after Greece and Italy and is close to twice the 60-percent limit fixed by EU rules.

France has been rocked by protests in recent months. In September, the Block Everything campaign spurred a nationwide wave of antigovernment protests that filled streets with burning barricades and tear gas as demonstrators rallied against budget cuts and political instability.

In October, about 195,000 people, including 24,000 in Paris, turned out for another day of nationwide strikes at the urging of French trade unions. The protests were triggered by widespread opposition to an austerity budget that the government has been trying to push through parliament.

Laura Teagle, who enjoyed a “gorgeous” day trip to a European city, has shared a money-saving hack that will help you travel to abroad for less than it costs to get around the UK

France is synonymous with its sun-drenched vineyards, bustling boulevards and medieval castles. A trip over the British Channel is one many make from the UK for a weekend break or longer. But one influencer has taken the extreme route and managed to find a genius way to make a day trip to France affordable.

While the Eurostar is famed for offering easy travel to places like Paris and Brussels, there’s one underrated gem in France that TikTok personality Laura Teagle says foodies and day-trippers must visit. While train fares continue to soar, making enjoyable days out across Britain increasingly costly, Laura has a handy trick to make a day trip to France easy and friendly on the wallet.

Posting under @teagleeats, Laura shared with her audience how she managed to secure discounted Eurostar fares. The influencer nabbed £39 railway tickets to a French destination she described as “gorgeous” at a lower cost than journeying between major British cities.

Laura chronicled her excursion to Lille, a “charming” city situated just inside the border with Belgium. She opened her post declaring: “When a day trip to France is cheaper than a day out in London you best believe I’m going.”

Laura – who also operates her own confectionery enterprise called Teagle’s Treats – outlined how she obtained the budget-friendly train fares. In a TikTok video following her post showcasing her adventure to Lille, she revealed: “Okay I didn’t realise this wasn’t common knowledge but I’m gonna tell you the best life hack for travelling to France for cheap.

“So I’m always going straight to the Eurostar website, then once I’m there instead of typing in a date, a time and location, I’m gonna go down and I’m gonna search for this – the book now button for Paris for £39. When you get there you’ll see this: all these different locations all from £39 each way.

“The next trick is to go all the way through the calendar and see where all of these £39 dates are and choose the one that’s most appropriate. So in this case I choose January 17 and then obviously to return on the same day, I’m gonna click the same date.

“Then we’re gonna choose ‘get times’ and we’re gonna be presented with this screen. Then I’m gonna swipe through all of the different times and choose the cheapest or the best time available.

“So in this case it’s a 7:04 train for £44 and for the return, I’m gonna do the exact same thing. I’m gonna swipe choose the best cheapest price for the latest train so the 7:35pm.

“And that’s literally it. That is how you travel to France for the day for so cheap.”

Throughout her adventure in Lille, Laura and her mate explored numerous bakeries to taste the regional delicacies. Following her 7am departure from London aboard Eurostar, she and her companion popped into a Lille supermarket to grab some brie for €1 (87p).

She described the “gorgeous” stroll to a patisserie, where she tasted pain au chocolat that she dubbed “literally the best” and declared she craved “75 more” of the bakery’s eclairs. Following that, it was a morning exploring the Palais des Beaux-Arts museum.

Laura branded it a “must go” destination for merely €4 (£3.5). Another bakery visit ensued, where she sampled Lille’s renowned brioche and suggested tourists should also savour the wonderful cuisine available. She continued: “Being close to Belgium we obviously had to check out beer shops” before making a beeline for Méert, a bakery that’s become an internet sensation for its delectable treats.

Laura enthused: “I don’t care that this is hyped up online and the queues are long, you have got to go.” She posted a snap of a vanilla tartlet from the bakery, confessing she “literally dribbled” while capturing the shot.

She reiterated: “I’ll say it again. God! Bless! The! French!” Laura and her companion then enjoyed an alfresco lunch, featuring a cheese board that left her “speechless” and saucisson, a French sausage she dubbed “our actual fave”.

After sampling some local booze, they made their way to the Lille flea market which she declared was “100% worth the visit”. Their next stop was Au Point Central, a bistro offering €5 glasses of Pinot Noir.

Come dinner time, Laura and her friend hit Cafe de Paris for a “perfect” sirloin steak, fries and a salad at a cost of €25 (£22). Laura’s final verdict was unequivocal.

She declared: “I will absolutely be continuing to advocate for getting the first train out/last train back on Eurostar on all and any occasions.

“£150 all in return trains, all food, drinks and activities like London could just never? Grab your passport, grab your girls and go flirt with the French, eat their food and drink their wine.”

The new government, led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, must present a 2026 draft budget on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled a new government after holding marathon talks with newly re-appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ahead of a fast-approaching deadline to present next year’s budget to parliament.

In Lecornu’s new cabinet, Jean-Noel Barrot remains as foreign minister, while outgoing Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin takes on the defence portfolio, according to a lineup published by the president’s office on Sunday.

In a post on X, Lecornu wrote: “A mission-based government has been appointed to draw up a budget for France before the end of the year.”

“I would like to thank the women and men who have freely committed themselves to this government, putting aside personal and partisan interests. Only one thing matters: the interests of the country.”

Macron reinstated Lecornu late on Friday, just four days after the premier had resigned and as his first government collapsed, leading to outrage and pledges from opponents to topple any new cabinet at the first chance.

The former defence minister was tasked with assembling a government to present a 2026 draft budget on Monday, giving parliament the constitutionally required 70 days to scrutinise the plan before the year’s end.

But the right-wing Republicans (LR), a key political ally, complicated matters on Saturday by announcing that the party would not take part in the new government but only cooperate on a “bill-by-bill” basis.

Other allied and rival parties wrestled all weekend over whether to join Lecornu’s new government or vote to topple it.

The premier had pledged to work with all mainstream political movements and to select cabinet members who are “not imprisoned by parties”.

A Macron loyalist, Lecornu agreed after he had quit to stay on for two extra days to talk to all political parties.

He told the French weekly La Tribune that he had resigned “because the conditions were no longer met” and said that he would do so again if that remained the case.

The French president, facing the worst domestic crisis since the 2017 start of his presidency, has yet to address the public since Lecornu’s first government fell.

On Monday, Macron is due to travel to Egypt to support a Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by the United States, a trip that could delay the presentation of the draft budget.

Lecornu’s reappointment comes as France faces political deadlock and a parliamentary impasse over an austerity budget against a backdrop of climbing public debt.

The country faces pressure from the European Union to rein in its deficit and debt, with the fight over cost-cutting measures toppling Lecornu’s two predecessors.

Lecornu has pledged to do “everything possible” to give France a budget by the end of the year, saying that restoring the public finances was “a priority” for the future.

But he is under pressure from parties across the political spectrum, including the Socialists, who have threatened to topple his government unless he backs away from the 2023 pension reform that pushed the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Lecornu said on Saturday that “all debates are possible” over the pension reforms, and that his “only ambition is to get out of this situation that is painful for everyone”.

If Lecornu fails to secure parliamentary support, France would need emergency stopgap legislation to authorise spending from January 1 until a full budget is adopted.

French politics has been deadlocked ever since Macron gambled last year on snap polls that he hoped would consolidate power, but that instead ended in a hung Parliament and more seats for the far right.

France beat Azerbaijan 3-0 on Friday to edge closer to qualifying for FIFA 2026 World Cup, but Kylian Mbappe injured.

Kylian Mbappe will miss Monday’s qualifier in Iceland, where France could book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup, after taking another knock to his sore right ankle, the French team confirmed.

Already suffering from a “small niggle” in his right ankle from playing for Real Madrid, Mbappe took two knocks during Friday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan in Paris, where he opened the scoring but was substituted before the end of the match.

The France captain’s absence adds to the long list of forwards unavailable for October’s World Cup qualifiers, which includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram and Bradley Barcola.

Mbappe “will not be able to play Monday against Iceland”, a French Football Federation (FFF) statement read.

After returning to the Clairefontaine training ground on Friday night, “the French team captain spoke with (coach) Didier Deschamps,” who “acknowledged his absence”.

Mbappe “has been released to his club (Real Madrid) and will not be replaced”, the FFF added.

The French superstar had already been rested for training with Les Bleus during the week with the same issue.

Mbappe scored on the stroke of half-time and was then struck by a tackle from Rustam Ahmedzade. He took another knock to the same ankle late in the game and was replaced by Florian Thauvin.

“He has a sore ankle and he took a knock there. He preferred to come off; the pain was quite significant,” Deschamps said after the French victory.

Adrien Rabiot and the substitute Thauvin were also on the scoresheet as Deschamps’s men remain unbeaten after three games and top of Group D.

Les Bleus will book their passage to the United States, Canada and Mexico next year if they win in Iceland on Monday and Ukraine fail to beat Azerbaijan.

Truly Adams of Moreno Valley is racing Formula 4 cars in France even though he’s not old enough to obtain a driver’s license in California.

The 15-year-old freshman who’s enrolled in online classes at Epic Charter School in Corona became the first American driver to finish on the podium at the Feed Racing Volant F4 finals last month, taking third place in a field of international contenders at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, one of France’s top F1 racetracks.

Truly Adams races in the Feed Racing Volant F4 Finals in France.

(Troy Adams Coaching)

Adams is bilingual in English and Spanish and learning French to help further his desired career in racing. He’s won kart races in Spain and was the fastest driver at the Mexico F4 Series test. He’s preparing for the 2026 French Formula 4 season next year, which is the path toward being a Formula 1 driver. Entry into the series requires $300,000 in funding, so he’s seeking sponsorships and partnerships.

“I love racing cars because of the thrill of it, passing cars, getting passed, going 130 mph in the straightaway,” he said.

His father, Troy, serves as his driving coach. His mother, Kara, is his driver when he’s in Southern California. In the last year, he’s traveled throughout the United States and to France, Portugal, Spain and Italy for competitions.

“I played every sport growing up — soccer, football, basketball, golf, tennis, rugby, swimming,” he said. “I tried to play the guitar. I tried to play piano. I tried to play everything.”

Racing cars turned out to be what he was most successful at. He has his own YouTube channel highlighting some of his early experiences. Now he uses Instagram @Truly_theTruth.

He said he has begun studying for his California driving test in September of 2026.

Asked what he might tell the instructor in the car, he said, “I’ll tell him I’m a professional race car driver and do you want to go more than the speed limit?”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Four days after he resigned as prime minister, Lecornu is returning to the post.

French President Emmanuel Macron has re-appointed Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister.

Lecornu, who had stepped down from the same post on Monday, just weeks after taking office, returns in a surprise move after days of negotiations aimed at ending a political impasse in the country.

Lecornu is tasked him with forming a new cabinet, Macron’s office said in a statement on Friday.

“I accept – out of duty – the mission entrusted to me by the President of the Republic to do everything possible to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and to address the daily life issues of our fellow citizens,” Lecornu wrote on X.

“We must put an end to this political crisis that exasperates the French people and to this instability that is harmful to France’s image and its interests.”

Speaking shortly after the appointment was announced, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said that “everything has been so unpredictable that nobody knew what to expect.”

“This is just the latest twist in what has been a dramatic week in French politics.”

Macron had met with leaders of all political parties apart from the far-right National Rally (RN) and the far left France Unbowed party earlier on Friday at the presidential palace, informed sources told the AFP news agency.

Shortly before the meeting, the presidency in a statement called on all parties to recognise the “moment of collective responsibility”, appearing to imply he could dissolve parliament if they did not rally behind his preferred candidate.

Lecornu’s re-appointment demonstrates that “clearly Macron has run out of options,” said Butler.

Following the meeting, “we heard party leaders … saying that they felt Emmanuel Macron was disconnected from what they wanted to put across on the agenda, that he didn’t understand their concerns and they felt ignored, as if the meetings had made the situation even worse,” our correspondent added.

First appointed a month ago, Lecornu, 39, had come under increasing pressure in recent weeks as he struggled to pass a budget through the fractured French Parliament amid a debt crisis.

In naming Lecornu, Macron, 47, risks the wrath of his political rivals, who have argued that the best way out of the country’s deepest political crisis in decades was for Macron to either hold snap parliamentary elections or resign.

French politics has been deadlocked ever since Macron gambled last year on snap polls that he hoped would consolidate power – but ended instead in a hung parliament and more seats for the far right.

Joint statement comes more than a month after the E3 countries triggered a mechanism reinstating UN sanctions against Iran.

The United Kingdom, France and Germany have said they wish to restart stalled nuclear talks with Iran and the United States, more than a month after the three European countries triggered a mechanism reinstating the United Nations sanctions on Iran for the first time in a decade.

The E3 countries’ joint statement on Friday came nearly two weeks after UN sanctions were reimposed on Iran, under a “snapback” process that the three nations had initiated on August 28 and that became effective one month later.

In response, Iran recalled its envoys to the three European countries for consultations.

Iran has said that, following those revived sanctions, it would not immediately resume nuclear talks.

The sanctions set up a global ban on cooperation with Iran on nuclear, military, banking and shipping industries.

The sanctions are aimed at imposing new economic pain to pressure Iran, but it remains to be seen if all countries will enforce them. On September 27, the day before the sanctions came into effect, Iran’s national currency, the rial, fell to new all-time lows.

In their joint statement, the UK, France and Germany said: “We are determined to reinitiate negotiations with Iran and the United States towards a comprehensive, durable and verifiable agreement that ensures Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.”

A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that “we have no plans for negotiations at this stage”.

He added that Iran was examining the “consequences and implications” of the restart of sanctions.

“Of course, diplomacy – in the sense of maintaining contacts and consultations – will continue,” Baghaei said. “Whenever we feel that diplomacy can be effective, we will certainly make decisions based on the country’s interests and priorities.”

Nuclear fears

Western countries, spearheaded by the US and joined by Israel, accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons – a charge Tehran has long denied.

During a 12-day June conflict, the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran, joining an Israeli air campaign that targeted Iran’s top generals and nuclear scientists, as well as civilians in residential areas. Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles and drones against Israel and sites linked to the US. According to Amnesty International, Israeli attacks on Iran killed at least 1,100 people.

The E3 said in Friday’s statement that “it was right that the snapback mechanism had been triggered”.

“Iran’s nuclear programme poses a serious threat to global peace and security,” the bloc of nations added.

In 2015, the US, along with the E3, Russia and China, concluded an agreement with Iran providing for the regulation of Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

US President Donald Trump decided during his first term in 2018 to withdraw the US from the deal and to reinstate US sanctions.

In retaliation, Iran pulled back from some of its commitments, particularly on uranium enrichment.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is the only country without a nuclear weapons programme to enrich uranium to 60 percent. That is close to the threshold of 90 percent required for a bomb, and well above the far lower level needed for civilian nuclear use.

FROM October 12, 2025, British travellers could be hit with delays thanks to the introduction of the new EU Entry-Exit System.

The use of EES will begin this weekend for the very first time, and holidaymakers believe they’ll be facing longer wait times as a result.

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When you use EES, the first time you travel you’ll need to register at a special machine called a kiosk where you will scan your passport.

The machine will then take your fingerprints and a photo – children under 12 will not need to give fingerprints.

You will also answer four quick questions on the screen about your trip, such as where you are staying and confirming you have enough money for your holiday.

The EES checks will happen when you arrive at your destination airport in the Schengen area – but not all of them.

Madrid will be registering arrivals from a single, early-morning flight on October 12, 2025.

In Germany, Dusseldorf Airport will have EES, but will only a small proportion of travellers will be required to go through the new system.

Meanwhile, Estonia, Luxembourg and now the Czech Republic say they are ready to check every arriving and departing traveller from their airports.

Depending on where British travellers fly into, will depend on whether or not they have an EES check, or continue with a passport stamp.

While EES is ready in certain places now, it’s a gradual process and is being rolled out over the course of 180 days, from October 12, 2025 to April 9, 2026.

But as it’s the first time the EES has been used for travellers, experts have warned there could eb “delays”.

 Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “I reckon there will be delays” while Tom Jenkins, chief executive of European travel association Etoa said it’s “a complete muddle”.

Tom Jenkins added: “If it all goes haywire, they can revert to inspecting passports.

“I don’t think it will be catastrophic because of that, it will just be tiresome.”

However, managers at the Port of Dover have insisted there will not be delays on Sunday, as traffic levels will be “manageable”, as reported by the BBC.

A government spokesperson said: “We are supporting ports and carriers to ensure EES registration is simple for anyone travelling to the Schengen area.”

For the first few weeks, only lorry drivers and coach passengers will have to register with EES at Dover.

Other traffic, including the thousands of car passengers who use the crossings, will be subject to the new system from November 1, 2025.

The same goes for those travelling through the Eurotunnel.

At the Eurostar entrance in St Pancras, EES registration will take place upon departure, overseen by French border officials.

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And from October 12, only passengers travelling in business and premium class will be subject to EES checks – for other passengers, they will begin in January 2026.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said: “We recognise that EES checks will be a significant change for British travellers, which is why we have worked closely with our European partners to ensure the rollout goes as smoothly as possible.  

“The UK and EU have a shared objective of securing our borders and these modernisation measures will help us protect our citizens and prevent illegal migration.” 

For more on EES and ETIAS, one travel expert revealed what to expect.

Meanwhile, Brits face £185 visa fee when visiting the US under new rules.

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French President Emmanuel Macron urged full support for the US plan to end the Gaza war, calling for a permanent ceasefire, release of all captives, and humanitarian access. Macron, however, blasted expanding West Bank settlements, which he said threaten Palestinian statehood and regional peace.

A French court has rejected the appeal of a man found guilty of raping Gisele Pelicot after she was drugged by her husband and increased his sentence to 10 years.

Husamettin Dogan, a 44-year-old construction worker, was convicted of sexually abusing Gisele Pelicot, 72, in a landmark case last December, with witnesses testifying in his appeal earlier this week that Dogan was “fully aware” Gisele Pelicot was asleep while he was assaulting her.

“The court and jury sentence Husamettin Dogan to 10 years in prison” along with “mandatory treatment for five years”, presiding judge Christian Pasta said on Thursday. Standing in the dock at the court in the southern city of Nimes, Dogan did not react to the verdict.

Pelicot returned to court this week to face the only man, out of 51, who appealed against his guilty verdict. She called for “victims to never be ashamed of what was forced upon them”.

Prior to Dogan’s sentencing, French prosecutor Dominique Sie called for his jail term to be increased to 12 years – the term prosecutors had initially sought – because of “Dogan’s stance, in all its rigidity, as he absolutely refuses to take any responsibility”.

“As long as you refuse to admit it, it’s not just a woman, it’s an entire sordid social system that you are endorsing,” Sie said.

Dogan claimed he was not a “rapist” and insisted he thought he was participating in consensual sexual activity.

Witnesses in Dogan’s appeal this week included Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, who previously received a prison term of 20 years, the maximum sentence, for orchestrating the assaults in the former couple’s home in Mazan.

During the trial last year, Dominique Pelicot admitted that, for more than a decade, he drugged his then-wife of 50 years so that he and strangers he recruited online could abuse her. He also filmed the assaults, which included at least 50 men.

In Tuesday’s hearing, he denied ever coercing or misleading Dogan. “I never forced anyone,” he said.

He also refuted Dogan’s assertion that his invitation was to participate in a sexual game. “I never said that,” he said.

Dogan visited the couple’s home on June 28, 2019, where he is accused of assaulting Gisele Pelicot for more than three hours. Dogan, however, has said he only realised that something was wrong when he heard the woman snoring.

Investigator Jeremie Bosse-Platiere also testified on Tuesday. He cited video footage of Gisele Pelicot’s assault to assert that Dogan was fully aware Gisele had not consented.

“Anyone who sees the videos understands this immediately,” Bosse-Platiere said.

The police commissioner described a video in which Gisele Pelicot was seen moving slightly, causing Dogan to immediately withdraw.

“We understand that he is worried that his victim might wake up and freeze in a waiting position,” said Bosse-Platiere.

“After 30 seconds, seeing that it was a reflex caused by pain or discomfort, he reintroduces his penis into her vagina.”

Investigators found a total of 107 photos and 14 videos from the night Dogan visited the couple’s home in the southern town of Mazan.

Gisele Pelicot appeared at the proceedings on Wednesday, telling the court that Dogan had raped her and must “take responsibility” for his actions.

Gisele’s decision to waive her right to anonymity during the initial trial was celebrated as a bold move for transparency, raising awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault and domestic violence in France and around the world.

She also attended the proceedings in person and faced her abusers in court. She was named a knight of the Legion of Honour, France’s top civic honour, in July.

Her case has resulted in greater momentum to reform France’s laws on rape and sexual assault.

Lawmakers in France’s National Assembly and Senate have pushed for an update to the definition of rape under the country’s penal code, in order to include a clear reference to the need for consent. A final bill is expected to pass in the coming months.

“There needs to be an evolution for you, and for society, from rape culture to a culture of consent,” French prosecutor Sie said on Thursday.

The announcement came after last-ditch talks by outgoing premier Sebastien Lecornu failed to find a solution to crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron will name a new prime minister within the next 48 hours, his office has said, in the latest effort to chart a path out of the worst political crisis of his presidency.

The announcement on Wednesday followed two days of last-ditch talks with party leaders by outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu in a bid to break the country’s political deadlock, after his cabinet lineup, unveiled on Sunday, was rejected by allies and rivals alike.

The Elysee presidential office said in a statement that Lecornu’s discussions with various parties had concluded that a majority of lawmakers were not in favour of parliament being dissolved for early elections, and that there was “a platform for stability” that could make it possible for a budget to be passed by the year’s end.

“On this basis, the President of the Republic will appoint a Prime Minister within the next 48 hours,” said the statement.

Macron thanked Lecornu for his work since Monday to resolve the crisis, the office said.

Ahead of the announcement, it had been unclear whether Macron would opt to reappoint Lecornu or name a replacement, call snap elections or even resign himself.

Escalating crisis

In September, Macron tasked Lecornu – the fifth prime minister he has installed in less than two years – with forming a government after the divided French parliament toppled his predecessor, Francois Bayrou, over a much-maligned austerity budget intended to tackle a debt crisis.

But despite Lecornu’s promises of a departure from Bayrou’s approach, his cabinet, unveiled on Sunday evening, immediately drew fierce criticism from both the right and left for containing many of the same faces from the previous administration.

Lecornu resigned the following day, making his 14-hour administration the shortest in modern French history, but then added to the confusion when he announced he would hold 48 hours of talks at Macron’s request to try to agree on a new cabinet.

The move prompted renewed criticism of the increasingly isolated Macron, including from former premier Edouard Philippe, once a close ally of the president, who was one of many calling for presidential elections to resolve the crisis.

‘I tried everything’

Speaking to French TV earlier Wednesday, Lecornu said he had told Macron that the prospects of snap elections had diminished as there was a majority in the lower house opposed to the dissolution of parliament.

“I tried everything,” he said of his efforts to find a deal to end the crisis. “This evening, my mission is finished.”

He suggested that a more technocratic and less political administration could follow, saying that any new cabinet appointments should not harbour ambitions to stand in the next presidential elections.

He also pushed back against calls for snap presidential polls ahead of the scheduled 2027 elections, saying it was “not the time to change the president”.

“Let’s not make the French believe that it’s the president who votes the budget,” he said.

The French parliament has been sharply divided since Macron, in response to surging gains by the far right, announced snap elections last year, resulting in a hung parliament.

With no governing majority, the parliament has been unable to approve a crucial budget to tackle France’s growing debt crisis. Meanwhile, proposed spending cuts have prompted nationwide protests, while opposition parties – who are calling for early elections and are pledging to block any new cabinet – have seized momentum.

Opposition parties are calling on embattled President Macron to resign before his term ends in 2027.

Caretaker French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has played down the prospect of a dissolution of parliament following talks with political parties to form a coalition and pass an austerity budget to resolve the nation’s worst political turmoil in years.

The talks showed a desire to pass the proposed budget cuts by the end of the year, Lecornu said, following an impasse which has prompted calls for embattled President Emmanuel Macron to step down.

“This willingness creates a momentum and a convergence, obviously, which make the possibilities of a dissolution more remote,” Lecornu said in a speech on Wednesday at Paris’s Matignon Palace.

Lecornu, who himself resigned on Monday after less than a month in power, said he would present a plan to Macron later on Wednesday.

The plan is the latest development in a political crisis that started when Macron called snap elections last year. His goal was to get a stronger majority in parliament, but he instead finished with an even more fractious assembly.

This plunged France into deeper political chaos: with no governing majority, the parliament has been unable to approve the budget to narrow France’s growing debt.

To resolve the deadlock, Macron appointed three prime ministers who either failed to secure a majority or resigned, including Lecornu.

Meanwhile, opposition parties have been seizing the momentum. A leading figure of far-right National Rally (NR) party, Marine Le Pen, has once again called for Macron to resign before the president’s term ends in 2027.

“Let’s return to the ballot box,” Marine Le Pen said on Monday. “The French must decide, that is clear,” she told reporters. Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, NR’s president, refused to join negotiations with Lecornu , French media reported on Tuesday, saying that such talks did not serve the interest of French citizens but rather those of Macron.

They called instead for the dissolution of the National Assembly. Following last year’s elections, NR won more seats than any other, but not enough to form a majority.

In September, a poll by TF1-LCI showed that more than 60 percent of French voters approved new elections. And should those take place, the leaders of the NR would lead the race’s first round, according to a poll by Ifop Fiducial.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, and Francois-Xavier Bellamy, head of the right-wing Republicans party, also called for the president to resign.

The political chaos is not only emboldening Macron’s rivals, it is also turning his allies away.

“I no longer understand the decision of the president. There was the dissolution and since then, there’s been decisions that suggest a relentless desire to stay in control,” said Gabriel Attal, leader of the president’s centrist party.

“People are abandoning him on all sides, it’s clear that he is responsible for the political crisis which gets worse each day,” said political analyst Elisa Auange. “He seems to be making all the wrong decisions.”

The wind whips the grapevines, turning my meditative picking stance into a full-body workout. I firmly plant my legs, stabilising a thrashing branch with my left hand as my right snips off a bunch of grapes. Local people claim the roaring mistral wind makes you crazy, which I can appreciate as each arid gust chaps my lips and desiccates my eyes.

I’m at Domaine Rouge-Bleu, an organic vineyard in the Côtes du Rhône wine region in southern France. I have volunteered for les vendanges, the autumnal grape harvest where backbreaking work is doused in camaraderie.

Participating in this time-honoured tradition had long been a dream of mine, a lifelong Francophile and food writer. So, in 2017, eager to understand more about winemaking beyond the bar stool, I joined a motley crew, trading sore arms and farmer tans for a hands-on course in viticulture and viniculture. I expected to gain an oenological education. I had not anticipated how hard the picking would be – nor how gratifying it felt to accomplish something so big together. Many vendangeurs go back for more. I have returned almost every year since my first harvest, becoming friends with the owners of Domaine Rouge-Bleu.

France is one of the top producers of wine worldwide, pouring 4.78bn litres of wine into the market each year. About 59,000 winemakers manage 789,000 hectares (nearly 2m acres) of vineyards. That’s a lot of grapes to pick. Since the Greeks first planted vines in France in the sixth century BC, raisins (grapes) have been harvested by hand. Machines arrived in the 1960s for speed and cost efficiency. Yet 30%-40% of French wineries still retain the traditional vendanges à la main (hand-picked harvests).

Why would a winemaker opt for a method that costs more time and money? Renowned regions such as Champagne are required to do so to deliver the clusters to the press house intact. Grapevines can grow too close together to allow a machine to pass through. Some winemakers believe machines harm the vines and grapes. “You get better quality by hand since you only pick good grapes, without leaves, vines or oil from the machine,” says Thomas Bertrand, who co-owns Domaine Rouge-Bleu with his Australian partner Caroline Jones.

The hard-working couple illustrate the realities of winemaking that are far from the glamour of Bordeaux chateaux. They bring in volunteers to cut costs. However, harvest volunteers are a legal minefield in France. The government insists winemakers pay harvesters, so some offer room and board in lieu of wages, though many refrain from doing so to avoid any issues. Many winemakers wish volunteers were recognised, for communal harvests have been part of the winemaking heritage for centuries. “Our métier is all about sharing and creating convivial moments,” says France Breton, who welcomes volunteer harvesters at Domaine Breton in the Loire.

For example, Vignerons Indépendants de France runs the Vendangeur d’un Jour (harvester for a day) programme across France from late August to early October. “It is wonderful for wine tourism since so many want to pitch in,” says Jean-Marie Fabre, president of the association. You can also find opportunities on volunteer work sites such as WWOOF. I contacted wineries direct via introductions by my local wine bar, eventually finding Domaine Rouge-Bleu through its former owner, whose wife runs the French Word-A-Day blog.

Domaine Rouge-Bleu is in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, a small town of 2,900 off the tourist track, despite its location in Provence. Fittingly for the town name – vignes are vines – the flat landscape is blanketed with grids of vineyards, with Mont Ventoux, the legendary Tour de France thigh-thumper, looming in the distance. At the end of a picturesque driveway lined with olive trees, a 17th-century farmhouse is home to Thomas, Caroline and their two girls. In harvest season, it swells with vendangeurs. I hit the roommate jackpot with Hannah, a perky Brit who works at a wine shop. Our 16-person team hails from France, the UK, Ireland, Australia and the US, my homeland.

Each morning, the smell of coffee wakes us before 7am. We don clothes that we don’t mind getting dirty – grape juice stains are stubborn. Despite the heat, we wear thick socks under our boots to avoid burs scraping our ankles. Thomas gives us a lay of the land on the first day. The first rule of picking is to be gentle with the grapes. Manhandling them can break their skins prematurely, causing the oxidation that negatively affects aromas and flavours.

We should also watch out for oidium, a chalky mildew, because “crap grapes make for crap wine”, says Thomas. When I find a snail on a grape, he jokes: “That’s why wine isn’t vegan.” (He jokes fluently in English.) Snipping grapes eight hours a day for three weeks wreaks havoc on the hands. Cuts are so prevalent I become the unofficial nurse of the group, carrying plasters in my bumbag. We work in pairs, bookending the vines to ensure no bunch gets left behind. To break up the monotony, conversation inevitably flows, profound at times due to the thick vines that block our faces like confessional screens. Everyone has a story – healing from a breakup or breaking free from a corporate job.

This sociability is an antidote to the demanding work: the constant ache in muscles I never knew I had; the unrelenting sweltering sun and hot wind. My skin and clothes are sticky with sweat, dirt and grape juice, my fingernails permanently painted purple. Yet, knowing our collective efforts will be bottled into delicious wine is incredibly rewarding. “There’s no feeling like people coming together for a shared mission,” says Hannah.

What is surprising to me is that I find solace in the repetition. As a freelancer weighted with managing, and finding, my own work, I appreciate having specific tasks; being told what to do; the simple choreography of snip, haul, repeat. Plus, the monotony is broken up by the varied terrain.

Terroir, the buzzword that rolls off sommeliers’ tongues, refers to the soil, climate and sunlight that give wine grapes their distinctive character. I get a crash course on Rouge-Bleu’s 12 hectares planted with 21 grape varietals. Stooped low like elderly ladies, the 115-year-old grenache gobelet vines are planted in an ancient riverbed of large white stones. While these heat-retaining galets help the grenache reach peak ripeness, their uneven surface is torturous – like trying to balance in a ball pit. The trellised syrah are easier to pick, their extended branches welcoming us with open arms to gather their purple jewels.

Once we fill the trailer – emblazoned with an “In Grenache We Trust” sticker – we head back to the winery. This entails a different workout – manoeuvring hoses and vats, loading the press, shovelling grape bunches into the tank. “We keep their stems to reduce heat buildup during fermentation, which leads to the jammy flavours we don’t want,” says Caroline. I appreciate her red wines even more with this knowledge. My favourite task is climbing into the press to stomp out every last drop of juice.

The drudgery is lessened as we toast the day’s end with craft beers from a friend’s Alpine brewery. “It takes a lot of beer to make good wine,” is a common harvest adage that Thomas repeats. Gathering around the table for meals is a harvest highlight, a much-deserved moment of conviviality that reinforces our team spirit and recharges our batteries. Each night, a different harvester cooks a recipe of their choosing, often calorie-replenishing meals such as lasagne, grilled sausages or chickpea curry. Naturally, the meals are paired with Domaine Rouge-Bleu’s bottles, from its citrusy white Dentelle to the luscious Lunatique that bursts with blackberry notes. The most oenologically curious of us have a vertical tasting for a nightcap – by sampling the same wine from different years, we can taste how age intensifies its flavours.

Just as a fine wine lingers in the mouth, participating in a wine harvest is an enduring experience. A fellow harvester, Oscar, goes so far to say: “It’s about as useful a thing a person could do.” Each time I drink wine, I taste its people, its place, its story. My time among the vines has made me truly appreciate Louis Pasteur’s words: “There is more philosophy in a bottle of wine than in all the books in the world.”

Further information: Domaine Rouge-Bleu; Domaine Breton; Vendangeur d’un Jour; WWOOF

COLE Palmer has trademarked his nickname and celebration after a French vineyard forced him to abandon the right to sell his own brand of wine.

The Chelsea and England star won exclusive legal rights to the term “Cold Palmer” as well as his “shivering” goal celebration.

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It comes after Chateau Palmer, which sells bottles of wine for as much as £750, opposed his bid to flog plonk — and won their case in August.

But, on Friday, the 23-year-old won the right to brand an array of other products, including snacks, mobile phone covers, toys, Christmas crackers and even teddy bears.

This essentially means nobody can use Palmer’s “Cold” nickname for commercial use without his permission.

He has also successfully trademarked his autograph.

An article in The Athletic detailed how the Intellectual Property Office approved the application made by the footballer’s private company, Palmer Management Limited.

In August, winemaker Chateau Palmer, based near Bordeaux, opposed the initial application.

In response to this, Palmer amended the application in September to drop any reference to wine, paving the way for the successful application.

It still covers a range of other alcoholic beverages, such as spirits, liqueurs and alcoholic energy drinks.

The winery was founded in 1814 when Army officer Charles Palmer bought the estate.

Royal wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd says: “At their best, the wines of Ch. Palmer are among the greatest anywhere in Bordeaux.”

A bottle of its Cru Classé Margaux from 1970 is priced at £750.

Speaking to The Athletic, Karen Lee, an intellectual property lawyer at Edwin Coe, said: “Once you have a registered trademark in place, it is much easier to enforce your rights against third parties.

“Anyone using something that’s the same or similar can amount to an infringement. And that’s when it can lead to High Court litigation, which can be very expensive.”

Palmer has made no secret about the celebration not being his own original work. 

He previously admitted how, following his time in the Manchester City academy, he was inspired to perform the celebration by then team-mate Morgan Rogers. 

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Aston Villa star Rogers, was accused of copying the celebration when he scored against Chelsea in April 2024, before he clarified: “It’s the opposite, I did it first, he copied me.”

Speaking of his celebration in a previous interview with The Telegraph, Cole said: “It symbolises joy, passion and hard determination for the game, plus it’s funny as it works well with my name.

“Everyone knows it’s my celebration. Lots of people might have done it (before me), but everybody knows it is my celebration.”

However, this could mean that Chelsea has to register for a licence if the London club wants to use his nickname in promotional material.

EA, the company behind the EA Sports FC series of video games, might also have to ask permission to use his celebration in future games.

Other footballers who have trademarked their names and celebrations include David Beckham and  Cristiano Ronaldo, who trademarked his name, CR7 initials and “Siuuu” celebration.

Lionel Messi also trademarked his surname after a legal challenge from the cycling brand Massi.

Some other stars have managed to have their brand made exclusive in specific countries, including Marcus Rashford with his name in the United States, Erling Haaland  with his signature and goal celebration in his native Norway.

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France is facing political turmoil after President Emmanuel Macron’s fifth prime minister in less than two years quit after just 27 days.

There are growing calls for new elections and Macron is facing increasing pressure to resign.

So, what’s next for France?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests:

Thierry Mariani – Member of the European Parliament for the far-right National Rally Party

Eleonore Caroit – Member of Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and French National Assembly deputy

Eric Bocquet – Mayor of Marquillies and a member of the French Communist Party

Husamettin Dogan is the only defendant to appeal his conviction for assaulting Pelicot, a French woman whose case drew international attention.

Witnesses have testified that defendant Husamettin Dogan was “fully aware” that Gisele Pelicot was asleep while he was assaulting her, as his appeal unfolds in a French court in the southern city of Nimes.

Dogan, a 44-year-old construction worker, was one of 50 men convicted of sexually abusing Pelicot in a landmark case last December.

But he has since sought to overturn his conviction, claiming he was not a “rapist” and insisting he thought he was participating in a consensual sexual activity.

He is the only defendant from that case to appeal. He has been sentenced to nine years in prison, lower than the 12 years initially sought by prosecutors.

Tuesday marked the second day of his appeal, and prosecutors presented evidence to contradict his claims.

Witnesses included Pelicot’s ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, who previously received a prison term of 20 years, the maximum sentence, for orchestrating the assaults in the former couple’s home in Mazan.

During trial last year, Dominique Pelicot admitted that, for more than a decade, he drugged his then-wife of 50 years so that he and strangers he recruited online could abuse her. He also filmed the assaults, which included at least 50 men.

In Tuesday’s hearing, he denied ever coercing or misleading Dogan. “I never forced anyone,” he said. “They never needed me.”

He also refuted Dogan’s assertion that his invitation was to participate in a sexual game. “I never said that,” he said.

“I have no interest in speaking ill of anyone, except to tell the truth,” Dominique Pelicot added.

Dogan visited the couple’s home on June 28, 2019, where he is accused of assaulting Gisele Pelicot for more than three hours. Dogan, however, has said he only realised that something was wrong when he heard the woman snoring.

Investigator Jeremie Bosse-Platiere also testified on Tuesday. He cited video footage of Gisele Pelicot’s assault to assert that Dogan was fully aware Gisele had not consented.

“Anyone who sees the videos understands this immediately,” Bosse-Platiere said.

The police commissioner described a video in which Gisele Pelicot was seen moving slightly, causing Dogan to immediately withdraw.

“We understand that he is worried that his victim might wake up and freezes in a waiting position,” said Bosse-Platiere.

“After 30 seconds, seeing that it was a reflex caused by pain or discomfort, he reintroduces his penis into her vagina.”

Investigators found a total of 107 photos and 14 videos from the night Dogan visited the couple’s home in the southern town of Mazan.

Gisele Pelicot herself is set to take the stand on Wednesday morning, with the verdict expected later that day or Thursday.

Her decision to waive her right to anonymity during the initial trial was celebrated as a bold move for transparency, raising awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault and domestic violence in France and around the world.

She also attended the proceedings in person and faced her abusers in court. She was named a knight of the Legion of Honour, France’s top civic honour, in July.

Her case has resulted in greater momentum to reform France’s laws about rape and sexual assault.

Lawmakers in France’s National Assembly and Senate have pushed for an update to the definition of rape under the country’s penal code, in order to include a clear reference to the need for consent. A final bill is expected to pass in the coming months.