France

Wales await word on bite claim

Match citing commissioner John Montgomery has until Tuesday morning (NZ Time) to decide if any incident should be reported and a disciplinary hearing convened.

North complained to referee Wayne Barnes that he had been bitten in the 12th minute of added time in last Sunday's test, which took 100 minutes to complete.

He pointed to a bite mark on his arm, but after a lengthy delay Barnes decided the video replays were inconclusive.

France sink Wales after chaotic end

The clock showed 99 minutes and 55 seconds when replacement flanker Chouly dotted the ball down after nine penalty scrums, and Camille Lopez slotted over the conversion as France saved their place in the second pot ahead of the 2019 World Cup draw.

Wales had victory in their sights when Leigh Halfpenny's sixth penalty gave them a 18-13 lead but France won a five-metre penalty scrum with one minute left.

Man shot dead at Orly Airport for attempting to take soldier's gun

No-one else in the busy terminal was hurt, but thousands of travellers were evacuated and flights were diverted to the city's other airport, Charles de Gaulle.

A French official connected to the investigation confirmed French media reports that identified the attacker as Ziyed Ben Belgacem, born in France in 1978.

The Paris prosecutors' office said he did not appear in a French government database of people considered potential threats to national security but that he had already crossed authorities' radar for suspected Islamic extremism.

France and French Polynesia sign development accord

This deal follows the French President's visit to French Polynesia last year and looks at co-operation between Paris and French Polynesia towards the territory's development.

Francois Hollande said it was above all a political accord which will place French Polynesia in the republic and something that can no longer be questioned, Edouard Fritch added that the text opens symbolically to the recognition of France's nuclear legacy and its consequences.

France tested nuclear atomic weapons from 1966 to 1996 in Mururoa and Fangataufa.

England, France agree to tour Pacific in rugby calendar shake-up

From 2020, the current June international window will move to the first three weeks of July to allow Super Rugby to be completed prior to the start of the test programme.

There will also be a minimum of a 39 percent increase in matches between top and second-tier nations between 2020 and 2032, including a commitment from England and France to play in the Pacific.

Kerr-Barlow latest All Black off to France

The 26-year-old has played 25 Tests for the All Blacks.

"I'm excited to announce that the next chapter of my rugby career will be with La Rochelle in France," he said.

"It was an extremely hard decision to make, but I feel it is the right one for my family and myself. I've always wanted to play rugby in New Zealand and to represent teams like Waikato and the Chiefs which is where my family comes from. It was a childhood dream of mine to become an All Black and it has been a privilege to represent my country."

Former All Black convicted of domestic violence in France

He was arrested in June last year after being accused of attacking his partner and damaging the front door of where he lives while intoxicated.

Kelleher was accused of pushing the woman after a night out drinking.

The woman involved told police at the time that Kelleher pushed her several times, grabbed her by the hair and threw her into a car.

In court Kelleher's lawyer described the incident as a "lovers' quarrel".

Murder investigation into mysterious family disappearance in France

Bloodstains found in the family's house near the city of Nantes match the DNA of three of them, officials say.

There has been no activity in any of their bank accounts or mobile phones since they went missing, they add.

Reports suggest the father once suffered from depression while his son had psychological problems.

The Troadec family - Pascal and Brigitte, both aged around 50, their son Sebastien, 21, and daughter Charlotte, 18 - were last seen on 16 February. Authorities were informed of the family's disappearance by Brigitte's sister.

Ireland overpower France to top Six Nations

Ireland, who last year beat all three southern hemisphere giants but suffered a surprise defeat in Scotland in their opening game of the championship, went ahead after 29 minutes through a converted try from halfback Conor Murray.

First-five Johnny Sexton, returning to the side after a spate of injuries, gave Ireland a 10-point lead with two penalties and a drop goal early in the second half.

The loss left France, on five points, in the bottom half of the table where they have finished every Six Nations championship for the past five years.

Tahiti cocaine smugglers sent to France

The four, including a French citizen, were arrested within a week on two separate yachts owned by a Frenchman.

The public broadcaster said the four were escorted by 12 police officer and flown out on scheduled aircraft bound for Paris.

The prosecutor in Tahiti said the four could face jail terms of up to 30 years.

Two of them were arrested off the Marquesas Islands and two in Tahiti after being stopped with a total of 1438 kilograms of cocaine which is reportedly worth about $US57 million.