Rafael Nadal claimed the first victory of the French Open on Friday after defending champion Roger Federer was handed a tricky draw while Serena Williams was on collision course with long-time rival Justine Henin.

Finding a safe investment in crisis times may be tough, but a year before Hollywood takes Tintin to the big screen, collectors are vying for rare memorabilia of the cub Belgian cartoon hero at a May 29 Paris auction.

There is huge appetite for collectors of anything related to Tintin — the diminutive investigative journalist and adventurer. A Belgian museum owns about 80-85 per cent of Herge’s work, but the scale of pieces ranging from original sketches, antiques and first edition covers, has surprised potential investors. The sale — with articles worth

At least one thief carried out the biggest known robbery of a Paris museum and fled with five paintings by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and other major names, worth $635 million, officials said on Thursday.

Laurent Blanc will replace the controversial Raymond Domenech as France coach after the World Cup, the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Thursday.
A prominent member of France’s 1998 World Cup-winning squad, although he was suspended for the final, Blanc will take over from Domenech after the June 11-July 11

One runs her own company, another is a housewife and a third, a divorcee, raises her children by herself.

Western Europe kept the pressure on Iran on Monday to reach an agreement with the UN over its nuclear programme or face further sanctions, following the nuclear deal between Iran, Turkey and Brazil.

May 11: France will move a step closer towards outlawing the full Islamic veil on Tuesday when the Parliament adopts a formal resolution condemning the burqa as an affront to the nation’s values.