Speaking during a joint session of both houses of parliament President Francois Hollande has said that France is committed to “destroying” ISIS after last week’s deadly attacks.
Francois Holland said he would table a bill to extend the state of emergency declared after the attacks for three months and would suggest changes to the constitution.
France’s military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria will also intensify.
ISIS says it carried out the attacks on bars, restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and Stade de France in which 129 people died.
Francois Hollande said the constitution needed to be amended as “we need an appropriate tool we can use without having to resort to the state of emergency”.
He said he would travel to meet Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin in the coming days to discuss action against the group.
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Paris on November 16 to show support for “America’s oldest friend” against what he called “psychopathic monsters”.
At a G20 summit in Turkey, world leaders promised tighter co-operation in the wake of the attacks.
Barack Obama said the US and France had made a new agreement on intelligence sharing but said US military advisers thought sending ground troops to combat ISIS would be a mistake.
In his address, Francois Hollande reiterated his opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remaining in power but said “our enemy in Syria is Daesh [ISIS]”.
He promised more resources for the security forces and said the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier would be sent on November 19 to bolster the military campaign against ISIS.
On November 15, French aircraft attacked Raqqa, ISIS stronghold in Syria. French officials said 10 jets had dropped 20 guided bombs targeting sites including a command centre, a recruitment centre for jihadists, a munitions depot and a training camp.
ISIS has issued a statement saying the raid targeted empty locations and that there were no casualties.
Paris public museums and tourist sites have reopened following the attacks in the French capital on November 13.
Many of Paris’s tourist attractions, including the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay, closed on Saturday amid heightened security.
The institutions reopened at 13:00 local time following a minute’s silence to honor those who were killed.
A total of 129 people died in the attacks by Islamist militants.
Photo EPA
People were targeted in bars and restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and the Stade de France.
In explaining the decision to reopen the venues, France’s Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin said although France had suffered a tragic event, “culture is more than ever this symbolic place of self-discovery”.
Fleur Pellerin added the government would help to boost security measures at public cultural institutions in Ile-de-France, the region immediately surrounding Paris.
Its landmarks include the Louvre, which houses Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa painting, as well as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Theaters were also ordered to close following the attacks, but most reopened on November 15.
More bands have joined U2 in cancelling their concerts in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Foo Fighters, who were due to perform in Paris on November 16, have called off the remaining dates of their European tour “in light of this senseless violence”.
Motorhead, who were scheduled to perform in Paris on November 15, will now play there in January.
Coldplay, meanwhile, called off a live stream of a concert “out of respect for the terrible events in Paris”.
Last week’s attacks in the French capital hit a concert hall, a stadium, restaurants and bars.
Of the 129 people killed, 89 died when gunmen stormed the Bataclan concert venue where rock band Eagles of Death Metal were performing.
Members of Eagles of Death Metal escaped unhurt.
Foo Fighters wrote on the band’s Facebook page: “It is with profound sadness and heartfelt concern for everyone in Paris that we have been forced to announce the cancellation of the rest of our tour.
Photo Getty Images
“In light of this senseless violence, the closing of borders, and international mourning, we can’t continue right now.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was hurt or who lost a loved one.”
Foo Fighters had been due to perform in Turin on November 15, with two dates in France on November 16 and 17.
Motorhead tweeted: “Due to the serious situation in Paris we have to postpone our gig until January.
“We are rescheduling and will give details ASAP.”
Deftones, who had been scheduled to play two shows at the Bataclan on November 15 and 16 and were in Paris at the time of the attacks, have also called off their shows.
The metal band wrote on Facebook: “Thank for all your inquiries on our wellbeing.
“Band/Crew all safe and accounted for at this time. Prayers for those affected in these tragic events.”
Coldplay, meanwhile, called off a live stream of a concert at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles.
The concert was to have been beamed to fans across the world, but was not made available “out of respect for those affected”.
However, Coldplay did play a short, unbroadcast set for those already at the venue on November 14 “so that [their] journey [wasn’t] wasted”.
U2, who had been due to perform in Paris on November 14, instead spent the evening laying flowers near the Bataclan concert hall.
According to French officials, a total of 23 people have been arrested and dozens of weapons seized in a series of raids on suspected Islamist militants across France following last week’s attacks in Paris.
A police operation is also reportedly under way in Brussels, Belgium, with reports that one suspect was arrested.
France’s PM Manuel Valls said the attacks were organized from Syria.
He added that the authorities believed new terror attacks were being planned in France and other European countries.
Meanwhile two more Paris attackers were named, along with five already identified. One is confirmed to have entered Greece as a migrant earlier this year.
France is to hold a nationwide minute of silence at midday local time for the victims.
Police have named Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, as a key suspect, and a manhunt is under way. He was reportedly stopped by officers in the wake of the attacks but then let go.
Meanwhile, French aircraft have attacked Raqqa, the ISIS stronghold in Syria.
ISIS has said it carried out the attacks in the French capital.
Manuel Valls said that France was dealing with a “terrorist army”, rather than a single terrorist group.
“We know that operations were being prepared and are still being prepared, not only against France but other European countries too,” he said.
Manuel Valls said more than 150 raids on militant targets had been carried out in different areas of France on November 16.
Photo AP
“We are making use of the legal framework of the state of emergency to question people who are part of the radical jihadist movement… and all those who advocate hate of the republic,” he said.
Police sources told news agencies that properties in the Paris suburb of Bobigny, as well as the cities of Grenoble, Toulouse and Lyon, had been targeted.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said 23 people were arrested and dozens of weapons seized, including a Kalashnikov assault rifle and rocket launchers. More than 100 have been placed under house arrest.
Seven attackers died in the assault on the French capital, most of them after detonating suicide belts.
Five were identified over the weekend.
On November 16, another two were named by the Paris prosecutor as Ahmad al-Mohammad and Samy Amimour.
Ahmad Al-Mohammad is the name on a Syrian passport found with the remains of one of the attackers, though the man’s identity has not yet been verified. What has been confirmed is that his fingerprints match those taken by the Greek authorities after he arrived with migrants on the island of Leros in October 2015.
Samy Amimour was said to be facing terrorism charges in France. He was placed under judicial supervision while under investigation for terrorist conspiracy – he planned to go to Yemen. An international arrest warrant was issued against him when he broke bail in autumn 2013. Three of his relatives were among those detained this morning.
One of the main lines of investigation concerns Molenbeek, which has a reputation as being a haven for jihadists. One of Salah Abdeslam’s brothers, Mohammed, was reportedly arrested there when he returned from Paris.
He remains in custody. Belgian police say they have made a total of seven arrests.
Belgium’s PM Charles Michel said the Belgian authorities would crack down on Molenbeek.
France is currently marking a second day of national mourning. A state of emergency declared by President Francois Hollande remains in force. Thousands of extra police and troops are on the streets of Paris.
French citizen Salah Abdeslam is wanted in connection with the attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead on November 13.
Police have issued a photograph of Salah Abdeslam, 26, is describing him as dangerous.
Seven attackers, two of whom had lived in Belgium, died during a series of assaults in Paris, officials said.
On November 15, French aircraft struck the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria, hitting four targets, France’s defense ministry said.
Ten fighter jets operating out of French bases in Jordan and the UAE dropped 20 guided bombs on a command centre, recruitment centre for jihadists, a munitions depot and a training camp for fighters, the ministry said.
The attack was carried out in co-ordination with US forces.
President Francois Hollande had described the attacks in Paris as an act of war – and promised that France’s reaction would be pitiless.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the attacks had been prepared “by a group of individuals based in Belgium” who had “benefited from accomplices in France”.
The attackers targeted restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France, the country’s main sports stadium.
Paris hospitals have said the official number of dead – not including attackers – remains at 129 people.
Photo Police Nationale
France is marking three days of national mourning. On Sunday, a memorial service was held at Notre Dame cathedral.
Meanwhile panic broke out at the Place de la Republique, where hundreds of people had gathered to honor the victims.
Crowds ran over flowers and candles. Police – who cleared the square – later said people may have mistaken the sound of firecrackers for gunfire.
On November 15, the discovery of a suspected getaway car in Montreuil, east of Paris, fuelled suspicion that at least one suspect had escaped.
French police appealed for information about Salah Abdelslam but warned people not to approach him. Unnamed officials said he was one of three brothers linked to the attack.
The Seat car found in Montreuil is believed to have been used by gunmen who opened fire on people in restaurants on November 13, police say.
A number of AK47 rifles were found in the car, French media quote judicial sources as saying.
The Seat and a VW Polo used by the attackers were rented in Belgium. The Polo was found near the Bataclan concert venue, where 89 people were killed.
One of the Paris attackers lived in Brussels and another in the nearby town of Molenbeek, Belgian prosecutors said on Sunday, without naming either.
A total of seven men had been arrested in Molenbeek, they added. Not all are being held in direct connection with the Paris attacks.
A brother of Salah Abdelslam was said to be among them, while another brother is reported to be one of the seven dead attackers.
The only dead attacker to be named so far is a 29-year-old Frenchman, Ismail Omar Mostefai.
Ismail Omar Mostefai had a criminal record and had been flagged up as a possible Islamist extremist by French intelligence.
Members of rock band Eagles of Death Metal escaped without injuries from the attack on their Paris concert, it has been confirmed.
At least 80 of those at the band’s gig were killed when several gunmen stormed the Bataclan concert venue.
Members of Eagles of Death Metal were unhurt but there have been unconfirmed reports that a crew member was among those killed.
On November 13, the band issued a short Facebook statement saying: “Our thoughts are with all of the people involved in this tragic situation.”
Eagles of Death Metal were playing in Paris as part of a European tour.
Photo Facebook
The band was formed by Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and his childhood friend Jesse Hughes. Josh Homme was not on the tour.
Eagles of Death Metal is expected to release a further statement.
Their support act Red Lemons posted a message saying: “Guys… I don’t know what to say. We’re more than lucky.”
They added: “Thinking about those who passed away and who were having such a love time & happiness with all of us just a minute before.”
Eagles of Death Metal released their first full LP in 2004 and have been described as “a mashup of punk, rockabilly and Rolling Stones-style boogie”.
The band’s latest album Zipper Down, which came out last month, reached No 59 in the Billboard chart. Their songs have been used in ads for the likes of Nike, Acura and Microsoft.
Jesse Hughes is a hard-living frontman who is also an ordained minister and a former journalist and speechwriter for the Republican Party.
Meanwhile, U2 canceled their concert in Paris on November 14.
In a statement, U2 said: “We watched in disbelief and shock at the unfolding events in Paris and our hearts go out to all the victims and their families across the city tonight.
“We are devastated at the loss of life at the Eagles of Death Metal concert and our thoughts and prayers are with the band and their fans. And we hope and pray that all of our fans in Paris are safe.”
People around the world are expressing their solidarity with the people of France after November 13 attacks in Paris.
At least 129 people are dead and 100 seriously injured in the deadliest attacks on France since World War Two.
Eighty people were killed at an Eagles of Death Metal concert at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris.
Attackers took hostages before blowing themselves up after security forces stormed the hall.
People were shot dead at restaurants and bars at five other sites in Paris.
On Twitter people are using hashtags including #PrayforParis, #PrayForPeace and #StandWithParis to show their support for the victims and their families.
The hashtag #JeSuisParis is being used again as it was after the Charlie Hebdo killings in January, in which 12 people died.
A sketch of the Eiffel Tower as a peace sign is also being posted and users are changing their profile pictures.
Photo Ap
Other hashtags on Twitter expressed outrage at the attacks like #TerrorismHasNoReligion.
Other images being shared include a black peace ribbon laid over the French flag, a pair of hands clasped together in prayer around the Eiffel Tower, and a famous landmarks covered in red, white and blue.
On November 13, the hashtag #PorteOuverte, or Door Open, was used for anyone who wanted to find refuge in Paris after the attacks.
In the US, some used the hashtag #strandedinUS to offer shelter for people who can’t travel back to France because of flight restrictions.
Facebook users are being offered a safety check feature called Paris Terror Attacks to let their friends and family know they’re safe, or to try to locate people they know in the city.
On Twitter the hashtag #Bataclan is being used to try to track down loved ones.
Paris is now under tight security with schools and universities closed.
There will also be three days of national mourning in France after the attacks.
French citizen Omar Ismail Mostefai has been identified as one of the attackers who killed 129 people in Paris on November 13.
Omar Ismail Mostefai, 29, was named by local media and a French parliamentarian.
He had a criminal record and was known to have been radicalized.
Investigators identified Omar Ismail Mostefai after his severed fingertip was found at the Bataclan concert hall, where three attackers blew themselves up, AFP news agency reports.
Friday’s attacks, claimed by ISIS militants, hit a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars in the French capital.
Prosecutors say seven assailants – armed with Kalashnikovs and suicide belts – were organized into three teams, and there are fears that some may have fled the scene.
PM Manuel Valls has said France will continue with air strikes against ISIS in Syria, and described the group as a very well-organized enemy.
Photo AFP
Police are trying to find out whether Omar Ismail Mostefai traveled to Syria in 2014, judicial sources told AFP.
His father and brother have been taken into police custody.
“It’s crazy, insane. I was in Paris myself last night, I saw what a mess it was,” Omar Ismail Mostefai’s older brother told AFP before being detained after voluntarily attending a police station on November 14.
Omar Ismail Mostefai came from the town of Courcouronnes, 15 miles south of Paris. He lived in the nearby town of Chartres until 2012, according to local lawmaker and deputy mayor Jean-Pierre Gorges.
He regularly attended the mosque in Luce, close to Chartres, AFP reported.
Omar Ismail Mostefai had a history of petty crime but was never jailed. The security services deemed him to have been radicalized in 2010 but he was never implicated in a counter-terrorism investigation.
His brother said he had not had contact with him for several years following family disputes, but said he was surprised to hear he had been radicalized.
He was one of six children in the family and had traveled to Algeria with his family and young daughter, the brother said.
The investigation is also focusing on a possible link to Belgium after police there arrested three men near the French border.
A black Volkswagen Polo with Belgian registration found at the Bataclan had been rented by a Frenchman living in Belgium, the Paris chief prosecutor said.
The French national was identified while driving another vehicle in a spot check by police on Saturday morning as he crossed into Belgium with two passengers.
Speaking in Paris, chief prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters: “We can say at this stage of the investigation there were probably three co-ordinated teams of terrorists behind this barbaric act.
“We have to find out where they came from… and how they were financed.”
Francois Molins said the police were also investigating a black Seat used by gunmen at two of the attacks, which remains untraced.
A Syrian passport, found near the body of one of the attackers at the Stade de France, had been used to travel through the Greek island of Leros last month, Greek officials have confirmed.
French President Francois Hollande has imposed a state of emergency after the worst peacetime attack in France since World War Two. It is also the deadliest in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings.
ISIS and national security have dominated last night’s presidential debate with Democratic candidates in Iowa.
The Democratic presidential hopefuls have clashed over how to deal with the militant group, in the wake of deadly terror attacks in Paris.
Hillary Clinton said “it cannot be an American fight” and called on Turkey and the Gulf states to do more.
However, rival Martin O’Malley disagreed and said the US had to “stand up to evil” and lead from the front.
The attacks killed 129 people and injured hundreds in the French capital.
Hours after the near-simultaneous attacks on November 13, CBS News vowed to shift the focus of the debate to put more emphasis on counter-terrorism and foreign policy.
A moment’s silence was observed in Des Moines before the debate began, and the three candidates expressed their condolences to the French people.
Then they clashed over the rise of ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for the atrocities.
Photo CBS
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton was challenged by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for backing the Iraq War, which he says led to the rise of the militants.
She disagreed, saying US foreign policy did not have the “bulk of responsibility” for the instability in the region, pointing instead to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iraq’s former leader, Nouri al-Malaki.
ISIS cannot be contained, it must be defeated, Hillary Clinton said, but she and the other candidates did not spell out how far they would go.
The US has been part of a coalition of countries taking part in air strikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, but some of the Republican presidential candidates have called for the deployment of US ground forces.
In other debate highlights, Martin O’Malley attacked “immigrant bashing” Republican Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on Mexico border. Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley repeated calls on US to accept 65,000 Syrian refugees. Hillary Clinton backed a minimum wage of $12/hour, but Bernie Sanders wants $15/hour. Bernie Sanders criticized Hillary Clinton for taking campaign donations from Wall Street to which she replied that she supported New York City’s financial sector to help it recover from the 9/11 attacks. Bernie Sanders said he will make public college tuition free, paid for by raising taxes.
This primetime showdown was the party’s second debate of the election campaign, two fewer than the Republicans, who have a much wider field.
In 79 days, Iowa will be the first state to pick a presidential candidate from each party.
Voters across the US will go to the polls finally in November 2016 to choose the new occupant of the White House.
According to French chief prosecutor Francois Molins, three teams of attackers were involved in the Paris attack in which 129 people were killed and more than 350 wounded.
“We have to find out where they came from… and how they were financed,” he told reporters.
Francois Molins said seven attackers had been killed, and that all had been heavily armed and wearing explosive belts.
Last night’s attacks, claimed by ISIS, hit a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars.
Francois Molins also said the arrests of three men in Belgium on November 14 were linked to the attacks.
Belgian PM Charles Michel said investigators were trying to establish whether one of the suspects picked up near Brussels may have been in Paris on Friday evening.
Speaking in Paris on November 14, Francois Molins told reporters: “We can say at this stage of the investigation there were probably three co-ordinated teams of terrorists behind this barbaric act.”
He also confirmed that one of the dead attackers had been identified as a 30-year-old Frenchman who had a criminal record but had never spent time in jail.
The man came from the town of Courcouronnes, 15 miles west of Paris. He had been identified by the security services as having been radicalized but had never been implicated in a counter-terrorism investigation.
Francois Molins said all seven militants had used Kalashnikov assault rifles and the same type of explosive vests.
He also gave details about the state of the investigation, which he said was at a very early stage.
The prosecutor said police were focusing on two vehicles. One was a black Seat used by gunmen at two of the attacks and still untraced.
The other is a black Volkswagen Polo with Belgian registration plates found at the concert venue that was targeted.
He said this had been rented to a Frenchman living in Belgium who was identified in a spot check by police on Friday morning as he drove across the Belgian border with two others.
A Syrian passport was found next to the body of one of three suicide bombers who struck near the Stade de France stadium during Friday’s game, Francois Molins said.
A Greek minister says the passport belonged to a Syrian refugee who passed through the island of Leros. An Egyptian passport has also been linked to the attacks.
President Francois Hollande imposed a state of emergency after the worst peacetime attack in France since World War Two. It is also the deadliest in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings.
The violence began soon after 21:00 local time as people were enjoying a Friday night out in Paris.
A gunman opened fire on Le Carillon bar in the rue Alibert, near the Place de la Republique, before heading across the road to Le Petit Cambodge (Little Cambodia), killing 15 people.
A few streets away, diners sitting on the terrace of La Casa Nostra pizzeria in rue de la Fontaine au Roi, were also fired on, with the loss of five lives.
Frnacois Molins said 19 people were killed at the Belle Equipe bar, while the toll from the attack on the Bataclan concert hall stood at 89.
At around the same time, on the northern outskirts of Paris, 80,000 people who had gathered to watch France play Germany at the Stade de France heard three explosions outside the stadium.
President Francois Hollande was among the spectators and was whisked away after the first blast.
Investigators found the bodies of three suicide bombers around the Stade de France, Francois Molins said.
The 1,500-seat Bataclan concert hall suffered the worst of last night’s attacks. Gunmen opened fire on a sell-out gig by rock group Eagles of Death Metal, killing 89 people.
Within an hour, security forces had stormed the concert hall and all four attackers there were dead. Three had blown themselves up and a fourth was shot dead by police.
ISIS released a statement on November 14 saying “eight brothers wearing explosive belts and carrying assault rifles” had carried out the attacks on “carefully chosen” targets, and were a response to France’s involvement in the air strikes on ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq.
Shortly before, President Francois Hollande said France had been “attacked in a cowardly shameful and violent way”.
“So France will be merciless in its response to the Islamic State militants,” he said, vowing to “use all means within the law.. on every battleground here and abroad together with our allies”.
Many official buildings as well as Disneyland Paris have been closed, sports events have been cancelled and large gatherings have been banned for the next five days.
French President Francois Hollande has declared a national state of emergency and announced the country’s borders have been tightened after more than 120 people were killed in a night of gun and bomb attacks in Paris.
At least 80 people were reported killed after gunmen burst into the Bataclan concert hall and took dozens hostage.
The siege ended when security forces stormed the building.
People were shot dead at bars and restaurants at five other sites in Paris. Eight attackers are reported to have been killed.
French police believed all of the gunmen were dead but it was unclear if any accomplices were still on the run after the string of near-simultaneous attacks.
Paris residents have been asked to stay indoors and about 1,500 military personnel are being deployed across the city.
The gunmen’s motives were not immediately confirmed, but one witness at the Bataclan heard one of the attackers appear to express support for ISIS.
“It’s Hollande’s fault, he shouldn’t have intervened in Syria!” the man shouted, according to French news agency AFP, citing the French president’s decision to take part in Western air strikes on ISIS.
Paris saw three days of attacks in early January, when Islamist gunmen murdered 18 people after attacking satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a Jewish supermarket and a policewoman on patrol.
The attack on the 1,500-seat Bataclan hall was by far the deadliest of last night’s attacks. Gunmen opened fire on concert-goers watching American rock group Eagles of Death Metal. The event had been sold out.
The series of attacks not far from the Place de la Republique and the Place de la Bastille struck at the heart of the capital when cafes, bars and restaurants were at their busiest.
Customers were singled out at venues including a pizza restaurant and a Cambodian restaurant.
The other target was the Stade de France, on the northern fringe of Paris, where President Hollande and 80,000 other spectators were watching a friendly international between France and Germany, with a TV audience of millions more.
President Francois Hollande was whisked to safety after the first of at least two explosions just outside the venue to convene an emergency cabinet meeting. Three attackers were reportedly killed there.
As the extent of the bloodshed became clear, Francois Hollande went on national TV to announce a state of emergency for the first time in France since 2005. The decree enables the authorities to close public places and impose curfews and restrictions on the movement of traffic and people.
Within an hour, security forces had stormed the concert hall and all four attackers there were dead. Three had blown themselves up and a fourth was shot dead by police.
Another attacker was killed in a street in eastern Paris, reports said.
Speaking after arriving at the concert hall, Francois Hollande said the attackers would be fought “without mercy”.
President Barack Obama spoke of “an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians”.
Paris Mayor Ann Hidalgo announced that all schools, museums, libraries, gyms, swimming pools and markets would be shut on November 14.
Paris authorities have restricted the filming of movie action sequences following last month’s attacks in the French capital.
“There’s a problem with these action-type scenes, as the actors in uniform could be targets for terrorists,” said police commander Sylvie Barnaud.
“Also, the actors could pose confusion for the general public – during this highly sensitive period.”
Sylvie Barnaud said the use of fake weapons and pyrotechnic effects were also banned.
Tensions remain high following the attacks in January which left 20 people dead, including three gunmen. Armed police and soldiers continue to guard sensitive sites, including synagogues, media offices and large shopping areas.
SylvieBarnaud said she did not know how long the filming ban could last, but added it was common sense: “I was shocked to hear witnesses of the Charlie Hebdo attacks say on television <<it seemed like a movie shoot to us>>”.
Paris is a popular destination for film-makers, with its wide boulevards and dramatic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Louvre pyramid.
Official statistics provided by city authorities showed there were 930 film shoots in Paris in 2014, including approximately 20 international productions.
Recent box office hits which were filmed in Paris include Tom Cruise thriller Edge of Tomorrow, Luc Besson’s Lucy – starring Scarlett Johansson – and the first Taken film. Matt Damon’s visceral car chase in his 2002 film The Bourne Identity remains among Paris’ most memorable action sequences.
Agnes Nageotte of the Cinema Mission said the restrictions “could have an impact on the big American productions”.
“It’s not the right moment to do it – even if Steven Spielberg wanted to film a big scene with police and a shoot-out in the streets in January, I’m sure it would not have got made,” she said.
Olivier-Rene Veillon, who heads the Ile de France Film Commission, told the New York Times, there was “no impact on current productions”, adding it was a quiet period and the ban was “perfectly manageable”.
Amedy Coulibaly, the Islamist militant shot dead by French special forces two weeks ago after he attacked Jewish supermarket HyperCacher, has been buried near Paris.
Police sources said Amedy Coulibaly had been buried in the Muslim section of the Thiais cemetery, outside Paris.
Seventeen people died in three days of violence in Paris that began with an assault on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7.
Two other attackers, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, have already been buried.
Amedy Coulibaly, 32, killed four people and held a number of others hostage at a Jewish supermarket in eastern Paris on January 9.
Police also believe Amedy Coulibaly killed a female police officer in the Montrouge area of the French capital a day earlier.
Amedy Coulibaly is believed to have had a long history of criminal activity – including drugs offences – and links to at least one of the Kouachi brothers.
Earlier, France’s top legal authority ruled that it was lawful to strip a dual national convicted of terrorism offences of his French nationality.
Ahmed Sahnouni, a Moroccan naturalized by France in 2003, had challenged the stripping of his citizenship.
However, the Constitutional Council ruled that the move was justified by the seriousness of the need to tackle Islamist extremism.
Ahmed Sahnouni was jailed for seven years in 2013 for terror-related activities.
Under French law, nationals can be stripped of their naturalized citizenship if they are convicted of “terror acts”, but only if the move would not make them stateless.
According to a recent poll, 81% of French people wanted dual nationals convicted of terrorism offences to have their French passports taken away.
It also suggested 68% believed French citizens involved in violent jihad abroad should not be allowed to return to France.
Charlie Hebdo has announced it is printing a total of 7 million copies of the once-obscure French satirical magazine.
The new total reflects extraordinary demand for what has become known as Charlie Hebdo survivor’s issue.
The latest edition was produced in the days immediately following a terrorist attack at the magazine’s office in Paris. The attackers were apparently motivated by the magazine’s criticisms of Islam and depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.
The cover of the new issue has a cartoon of the prophet holding up a sign that reads ” Je suis Charlie” (I Am Charlie).
Customers at newsstands continue to seek copies of the issue – not just in France, where there were long lines observed earlier this week, but also in Germany, where the magazine went on sale on January 17.
There were local reports that the copies quickly sold out in cities like Berlin and Hamburg.
“We could have ordered 500 copies — they would have sold out,” a vendor at the main train station in Stuttgart told DPA, Germany’s main news agency.
Photo Reuters
For some, buying a copy is a way to show solidarity with the magazine and support freedom of expression.
Charlie Hebdo‘s French distributor, MLP, has been trying to keep pace with demand.
Roughly one million copies each were distributed on January 14, 15 and 16. Technical problems limited the number of copies available in France over the weekend, so it’ll take several days to reach the 5 million mark.
On January 17, MLP boosted the planned total to 7 million.
Le Figaro newspaper called it “a record in the history of the French press”.
A small number of copies began to reach the US on January 16, and more are expected to go on sale in the coming days.
To put the 7 million figure in perspective, only a small number of US magazines print that many copies – AARP The Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and Game Informer Magazine.
While support for the new issue has been widespread, opposition to the Mohammed drawing on the cover has been expressed by Islamic leaders and government officials in a number of countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Charlie Hebdo’s cover has been described as insulting to Muslims and needlessly provocative.
Protests against the new cover were reported in Pakistan, Jordan, Algeria, Niger, Mali, Somalia, Senegal, and Mauritania.
Meanwhile, Charlie Hebdo’s surviving editors of the magazine have said little about their plans for future issues, but they have vowed to keep publishing.
Charlie Hebdo has sold 1.9 million copies of its survivor’s edition, which has provoked protests by Muslims around the globe over a new cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.
The French satirical magazine’s distribution has been hit by printing problems, with only 230,000 copies ready against the one million that had been expected to ship this weekend, its distributor MLP said.
The technical problem had been resolved and “distribution will resume normally on Monday”, MLP said.
The latest issue was the first since two Islamist gunmen stormed Charlie Hebdo‘s Paris office on January 7 and massacred 12 people, saying they were taking revenge for previous publications of Muhammad cartoons – considered deeply offensive to many Muslims.
Charlie Hebdo defiantly published what it called the “survivors’ issue” on January 14, featuring Prophet Mohammed in a white turban and holding a sign that reads “Je suis Charlie” under the words: “All is forgiven”.
News agents on January 16 received another million copies of the issue, which “is still selling well” but not in the frenzy seen the previous two days after the issue came out, according to the French printing union UNDP.
On January 14 and 15, the 27,000 news outlets in France sold out within hours, with newspaper vendors selling a total of 1.2 million copies.
In addition, hundreds of thousands of copies have been bought by companies, institutions and communities.
Parisian theatres bought 25,000 copies to distribute to patrons and Air France took tens of thousands for its passengers, said MLP.
A further 150,000 are being shipped abroad. Germany is the largest buyer, with MLP to deliver 55,000 copies by January 19.
A total of five million copies of the issue will be printed, with deliveries continuing next week.
Prior to the attacks, the magazine sold around 60,000 copies a week.
Charlie Hebdo has also launched an app that let readers download the magazine.
Said Kouachi, one of the two brothers who launched a deadly attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo last week, has been buried in an unmarked grave.
Said Kouachi, 34, was buried secretly late on Friday in the eastern city of Reims, where he had lived before the attack.
The mayor of Reims said he had opposed the burial, fearing a grave could become a shrine, but had been forced to accept it by law.
Attacks in Paris killed 17 people last week, 12 of them at Charlie Hebdo.
On January 9, two days after attacking the magazine, Said Kouachi and his younger brother Cherif were killed by police at an industrial estate north of Paris.
Cherif Kouachi, 32, is expected to be buried in his hometown of Gennevilliers, outside Paris.
There has been no announcement on plans for burying Amedy Coulibaly, who killed four people at Jewish supermarket HyperCacher in Paris on January 9 and is suspected of killing a policewoman in the French capital a day earlier.
Earlier in the week, Reims mayor Arnaud Robinet said he would “categorically refuse” a family request for Said Kouachi to be buried in the city.
Arnaud Robinet said he did not want “a tomb that could become a shrine for people to gather around or a pilgrimage site for fanatics”.
However, on January 17 he said he had been forced by the government to accept the burial.
“He was buried last night, in the most discreet, anonymous way possible,” Arnaud Robinet told French TV.
The city said in a statement: “Given the risk of disturbance of the peace and in order to quickly turn the page of this tragic episode, it was decided to do the burial quickly.”
A lawyer for Said Kouachi’s widow said she had not attended the burial for fear that journalists would follow her and the location of the grave would be discovered.
Europe is on high alert over terrorist threat following anti-terror raids and arrests of suspected Islamist militants.
More than 20 people have been arrested in Belgium, France and Germany.
Belgium has joined France in deploying troops alongside police.
Security has been tightened in several countries after last week’s attacks in Paris left 17 people dead.
There are increased concerns about the return of young Europeans who have gone to fight with Middle East militants.
In Belgium, five people were charged on January 16 with “participating in the activities of a terrorist group” following a series of raids that began on Thursday evening and left two suspects dead.
Guns, munitions and explosives, as well as police uniforms and a large amount of money, were all seized by police overnight.
Eric Van Der Sypt, an official at the prosecutors’ office, told AFP that: “The investigation… has shown that these people had the intention to kill several policemen in the street and at police commissariats [police stations].”
Photo AFP/Getty Images
Thirteen people were arrested in total but only five would be prosecuted, he said. Belgium would also seek the extradition of two suspects held in France.
On January 16, the Belgian government also announced new measures to deal with terrorist suspects.
They include making travelling abroad for terrorist activities a crime and expanding the cases where Belgian citizenship can be revoked for dual nationals who are thought to pose a terror risk.
No link has been established between the terrorist plot in Belgium and last week’s attacks in Paris.
French PM Manuel Valls said on January 16 that, despite this, both countries face the same threats.
Twelve suspects are being held by police in the Paris region over last week’s attacks in the French capital that killed 17 people.
Police carried out raids in five towns, iTele reported. Those arrested are now being questioned about “possible logistical support”, such as weapons or vehicles, they could have given the three gunmen, according to police.
France remains on its highest terrorism alert level and authorities have said that some 120,000 police and soldiers have been mobilized across France.
In a separate incident on January 16, authorities shut down and evacuated the Gare de l’Est train station after a bomb scare.
The incidents in France and Belgium have had a wider impact on their European neighbors.
Spain has launched an investigation into the visit of one of the Paris gunmen, Amedy Coulibaly, to Madrid just days before the attacks in Paris.
Police in Germany have also arrested two men following raids on 11 properties on January 16, involving some 250 officers.
One of the men was suspected of leading an extremist group of Turkish and Russian nationals.
Police said that the group was preparing a serious act of violence in Syria but that there was “no indication” that the group had been planning attacks inside Germany.
Twelve people have been arrested in the Paris region over last week’s attacks that killed 17, reports say.
They are being questioned about “possible logistical support”, such as weapons or vehicles, that they could have given the gunmen, a judicial source told AFP.
Police conducted raids in five towns in the Paris region, iTele reported.
Last week’s violence began with an attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine.
Twelve people were killed at the Charlie Hebdo offices by two gunmen, and four by another gunman at a kosher supermarket. The following day a policewoman was shot dead while responding to a traffic accident.
All three gunmen were later shot dead by police.
In the latest development, police carried out raids in the towns of Montrouge, Grigny, Chatenay-Malabry, Epinay-sur-Seine and Fleury-Merogis overnight, iTele reported.
On January 16, the Gare de l’Est train station in Paris was evacuated for an hour over a bomb threat. Services resumed at 09:00 AM local time, SNCF said, without giving further details.
Photo Getty Images
Spain has also launched an inquiry after it was revealed that one of the Paris gunmen, Amedy Coulibaly, had visited Madrid days before the attacks.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Paris to pay tribute to those killed in the attacks.
He hugged French President Francois Hollande, saying: “We share the pain and the horror of everything that you went through.”
Francois Hollande said: “You’ve been victims yourself of an exceptional terrorist attack on September 11 [2001]. You know what it means for a country.”
“We must find together appropriate responses,” Francois Hollande added.
John Kerry laid wreaths outside HyperCacher supermarket and the Charlie Hebdo offices.
Later on Friday, John Kerry will meet Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo for a remembrance ceremony.
US media had criticized the American government for not sending a high-profile representative to last Sunday’s unity march in Paris, which was attended by more than 40 world leaders. The US ambassador to France did attend the rally.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that John Kerry had “apologized” for missing the unity march, AFP reported.
John Kerry said that he had been unable to attend because he was visiting Bulgaria and India at the time.
Meanwhile, German police say they have arrested two men following raids early on Friday.
One of the men was suspected of leading an extremist group of Turkish and Russian nationals, police added.
The group was suspected of “preparing a serious act of violence against the state in Syria”, police said, but there was “no indication that the group was preparing attacks inside Germany”.
Pope Francis has defended freedom of speech but also stressed its limits following last week’s attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The pontiff said religions had to be treated with respect, so that people’s faith was not insulted or ridiculed.
To illustrate his point, Pope Francis told journalists that his assistant could expect a punch if he cursed his mother.
The remarks came as funerals were held for four people killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack by militant Islamists.
Friends and family paid last respects to cartoonists Bernard Verlhac, known as Tignous, and Georges Wolinski, as well as columnist Elsa Cayat and policeman Franck Brinsolaro.
Eight magazine staff, a visitor to the magazine, a caretaker and two policemen died in the last week’s attack. A policewoman and four people at a kosher supermarket died in separate attacks.
Al-Qaeda said it had directed the Charlie Hebdo attack.
Charlie Hebdo was targeted for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. It printed another cartoon of the Prophet on its front page after the attacks, angering some Muslims who say all depictions of the Prophet should be forbidden.
France has deployed thousands of troops and police to boost security in the wake of last week’s attacks. There have been retaliatory attacks against Muslim sites around France.
Speaking to journalists flying with him to the Philippines, Pope Francis said last week’s attacks were an “aberration”, and such horrific violence in God’s name could not be justified.
He staunchly defended freedom of expression, but then he said there were limits, especially when people mocked religion.
“If my good friend Doctor Gasparri [who organizes the Pope’s trips] speaks badly of my mother, he can expect to get punched,” he said, throwing a pretend punch at the doctor, who was standing beside him.
“You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others. There is a limit.”
In a separate development, the government announced that a Malian employee of the Jewish supermarket that was attacked would be given French citizenship.
Some 300,000 people signed an online petition calling for the move after the Muslim employee, Lassana Bathily, hid several customers from gunman Amedy Coulibaly in a cold store.
Funerals of four people killed in last week’s Charlie Hebdo magazine attack are being held in Paris.
Friends and family paid last respects to cartoonists Bernard Verlhac, known as Tignous, and Georges Wolinski, as well as a columnist and a policeman.
At Tignous’ funeral colleagues said Charlie Hebdo would stay alive and they would not be afraid.
Seventeen people died in the attacks, including eight magazine staff.
Three police officers, four people at a Jewish supermarket, and a visitor to the magazine and a caretaker died. Al-Qaeda said it had directed the three militants involved to carry out the attacks.
Earlier President Francois Hollande vowed to protect Muslims who, he said, were the main victims of fanaticism, along with people of other religions.
Speaking at the Arab World Institute, he said anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic acts should be condemned and punished.
Meanwhile Pope Francis condemned the attacks, saying it was an “aberration” to kill in the name of God.
However, the pontiff said there were limits to freedom of expression and the faith of others should not be insulted.
A private funeral service was held for Tignous, 57, in the suburb of Montreuil, ahead of his burial in Pere Lachaise, Paris’ best known resting place for writers, artists and composers.
A ceremony was held at Pere Lachaise for Georges Wolinski, who is to be cremated.
Meanwhile friends and family are also attending funerals for Charlie Hebdo columnist Elsa Cayat and Franck Brinsolaro, a policeman assigned to guard the magazine’s editor Stephane Charbonnier.
Crowds in Montreuil applauded Tignous’ coffin as it arrived for the ceremony at Montreuil town hall covered in drawings and messages from well-wishers.
In a tribute at the ceremony, Tignous’ colleague Corinne Rey described him as the “king of jokes”.
“Our magazine will live, it will be a different magazine,” she said.
“You were never afraid, my Titi and be assured, we won’t be afraid either.”
Also speaking at Montreuil, Justice Minister Christine Taubira said the dead cartoonists were the “guardian angels, those who watch out to make sure democracy was working” and the “face of France, obnoxiously assassinated”.
“You were dreaming of being free, we will continue your dream.”
Media across the globe respond to the “survivors’ edition” of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo – featuring a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad – with a mixture of anger, concern and solidarity.
“With new cover of French paper, a new set of fears,” says the New York Times on its front page, adding that there is a “dread that Charlie Hebdo may prompt further violence”.
In an op-ed piece in the paper, Turkish writer Mustafa Akyol calls on the Muslim world to ease its concept of blasphemy.
“Rage is a sign of nothing but immaturity,” he says.
“The power of any faith comes not from its coercion of critics and dissenters. It comes from the moral integrity and the intellectual strength of its believers.”
Many Muslim Middle Eastern newspapers – even moderate ones – strongly criticize the magazine’s front-page cartoon of Muhammad.
“Charlie Hebdo continues its provocation,” reads a headline on the front page of Jordan’s establishment daily Al-Dustour.
In the Algerian daily Echourouk, Habib Rashdin criticises the French government for helping to fund the new edition of Charlie Hebdo, saying this “violates all red lines, and is an open crusade against Muslims”.
“It has become every Muslim’s right today to file a lawsuit against the country’s ambassadors over charges of <<insult and contempt for religion>>,” he adds.
The front page of another Algerian paper, the anti-Islamist Ennahar, features a large picture of a sign saying “Nous sommes tous…Mohamed” (“We are all Muhammad”), in a reference to the ubiquitous declarations of “Je suis Charlie”.
Iran’s official rolling news TV channel IRINN describes the cartoon as “an act of provocation”.
Showing part of the cartoon but without Muhammad, Iran’s English-language international channel Press TV warns that the cartoon “will stir up more hatred”.
In Turkey, Yeni Akit – a paper that supports the Islamist governing party – launches a strongly-worded broadside against Charlie Hebdo and the West in general, under the headline “Ignominy continues”.
“Despite the perilous events, the arrogant magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Western media, under the thumb of Zionist powers, carry on their cowardly attacks against Muslims and the Islamic world,” it thunders.
Secular opposition Cumhuriyet reprinted four pages of the Charlie Hebdo edition as an act of solidarity, albeit without the front-page cartoon of Muhammad.
The daily’s plans prompted a police raid on its printing house on Tuesday evening, although the edition was allowed to go ahead once it was clear that no images of Muhammad would be published.
Two columnists from the newspaper included a smaller version of the cover in their columns online.
Several commentators urge France and other countries to outlaw the insulting of religions and religious figures, saying that failing to do so will only encourage Islamic extremism.
“I look forward to a French law that protects people’s sanctities and beliefs from attack and ridicule,” Idris al-Driss writes in the Saudi daily Al-Watan.
“Freedom of expression should end at and not cross the limits of offending others over their color, race or religion,” he adds.
“Insulting religions should be legally treated as racism.”
In the Lebanese daily Al-Anwar, Raouf Shahouri accuses the West of double standards.
He says some countries penalize expressions of anti-Semitism while “seeing no crime in attacking the prophet of Muslims and hurting the feelings of more than a billion Muslims around the world”.
“This pattern of half-blind western justice is the major source of terrorism,” Raouf Shahouri says.
In France itself, the sales success of the new Charlie Hebdo edition is front-page news for many papers, which pay homage to the satirical magazine. Many of their websites include pictures of Charlie Hebdo‘s cover.
The front page of the left-wing daily Liberation is covered with small copies of the front-page cartoon of Muhammad, with the superimposed headline “Je suis en kiosque” (“I am on sale at the newsagent’s”).
Le Point magazine looks back at the history of Charlie Hebdo, with numerous cartoons from “over 55 years of impertinent illustration”.
Liberal Le Monde strikes a more questioning note, referring on its website to the arrest of controversial comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala for allegedly voicing support for terrorism.
“Charlie, Dieudonne – what are the limits of freedom of expression?” it asks in a headline.
In Germany, the front page of the left-wing Berlin daily Tageszeitung features nothing but a huge image of Charlie Hebdo‘s front-page cartoon.
At the top of the front-page of the liberal Sueddeutsche Zeitung, is an image of Charlie Hebdo editor Gerard Briard brandishing the new edition at the magazine’s Tuesday news conference.
In China, state-controlled media voice alarm at Charlie Hebdo‘s decision to feature a cartoon of Muhammad on its front page, saying it unnecessarily provokes Muslims.
An editorial in the tabloid Global Times describes the cartoon as “inappropriate”.
“If Charlie Hebdo remains defiant on issues regarding Islam, it will probably put the French government in a difficult position,” it adds.
In Russia, a commentary in business daily Vedomosti links the debate about Charlie Hebdo and free speech with the West’s conflict with Russia.
It says the attack on Charlie Hebdo has united western European public opinion in defiance and has proven that the Kremlin’s hopes of turning Europeans away from “open society values” and towards its emphasis on “traditional values” are futile.
“Russia has found itself in isolation in the company of marginal politicians and terrorists offended by cartoons,” it says.
Controversial French comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala was arrested on January 14 for “defending terrorism”.
Police opened an investigation into the comic on Janaury 12, after he wrote on a Facebook post “I feel like Charlie Coulibaly” – merging Charlie Hebdo with the name of supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly.
Dieudonné M’Bala M’bala, 48, who was being held for questioning at a Paris police station, could face possible charges of “apology for terorism”.
After mocking the media superlatives about Sunday’s Paris unity march, Dieudonne declared: “As for me, I feel I am Charlie Coulibaly.”
Amedy Coulibaly was the man who took hostages and killed four people at the Jewish supermarket HyperCacher in eastern Paris on January 9 before being killed by police.
Dieudonné’s comments generated a wave of fury on the internet – including many angry reactions from his own fans on his Facebook page. His statement was withdrawn after less than an hour.
The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, called the comment “abject” and asked his officials to investigate whether Dieudonne should be prosecuted for breaching a French law which forbids “apology for” or encouragement of terrorism.
PM Manuel Valls made an impassioned attack on Dieudonne in the National Assembly on January 13. He called him a “peddler of hate and said there should be no confusion between the <<impertinent>> satire of Charlie Hebdo and <<anti-semitism, racism and negationism>>.”
Dieudonné has several convictions for making anti-semitic comments and jokes. He came to international attention 12 months ago after the footballer Nicolas Anelka performed his trademark gesture the “quenelle” during a Premier League match.
The comedien’s stage show was banned a year ago, and had to be amended, because it contained “jokes” mocking the Holocaust. He also suggested that a Jewish radio presenter “reminded him of gas chambers”.
In an open letter to Bernard Cazeneuve, Dieudonne claimed on January 13 that he had been misunderstood. He said that he, like Charlie Hebdo, was a victim of attempts to deny freedom of speech. In his case, he said, his assailant was the government.
What he had meant to say on Facebook, he said, was that: “I am considered like another Amedy Coulibaly when in fact I am no different from Charlie.”
Dieudonne’s original statement on his Facebook page was: “After this historic, no legendary, march, a magic moment equal to the Big Bang which created the Universe, or in a smaller (more local) way comparable to the crowning of the (ancient Gaullish king) Vercingétorix, I am going home. Let me say that this evening, as far as I am concerned, I feel I am Charlie Coulibaly.”
The post attack issue of Charlie Hebdo magazine has gone on sale, with a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad on its cover.
Three million copies are being printed – a week after Islamist gunmen murdered 8 journalists at the magazine and four other people in Paris.
The cartoon shows the Prophet weeping while holding a sign saying “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”).
It is believed earlier cartoons of Prophet Muhammad prompted the attack.
The slogan “Je suis Charlie” has been widely used following the shootings.
In a separate attack in Paris two days later, four Jewish men died after an Islamist gunmen took hostages at a kosher shop in the French capital. A police woman was shot dead in a third shooting believed to have been carried out by the same attacker.
Wednesday’s edition of Charlie Hebdo has an unprecedented print run of three million copies. Normally only 60,000 are printed each week.
Demand for what is being called the “survivor’s issue” of the magazine is high, correspondents say, especially as the proceeds will go to the victims’ families.
People could be seen queuing outside newsstands on Wednesday morning to buy copies.
Kiosk owners told French media they had received large numbers of reservation requests, while at one shop in Paris all copies were reportedly sold out within 30 minutes.
The issue is available in six languages – including English, Arabic and Turkish – some in print and some online.
Editor-in-chief Gerard Biard told reporters: “We are happy to have done it and happy to have been able to do it, to have achieved it. It was tough. The front page… was complicated to put together, because it had to express something new, it had to say something relating to the event that we had to deal with.”
The front cover of the edition had been widely published in advance by French media.
Outside France, the Washington Post, Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine, Corriere della Sera in Italy and the UK’s Guardian are among publications to show the cartoon.
Very few outlets in the Middle East and North Africa have shown the image.
Charlie Hebdo‘s decision to publish another cartoon of the Prophet has already generated threats from militant Islamist websites and criticism from the Islamic world.
Last Sunday’s historic mass rally in Paris saw more than 1.5 million people and a long list of world leaders in tribute to 17 people killed in three days of Islamist attacks.
Full list of world leaders who attended the rally:
EUROPE:
French President Francois Hollande
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
British Prime Minister David Cameron
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker
European Parliament president Martin Schulz
European Union president Donald Tusk
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz
Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny
Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico
Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven
Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga
Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibachvili
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov
Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz
NORTH AMERICA:
US Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley
Canadian public safety minister Steven Blaney
MIDDLE EAST:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman
Jordanian King Abdullah II and Queen Rania
Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas
United Arab Emirates foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan
Qatari Sheikh Mohamed Ben Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani
Bahrain foreign minister Sheikh Khaled ben Ahmed Al Khalifa and Prince Abdullah Ben Hamad al-Khalifa
The White House has admitted that the US made a mistake after not sending “someone with a higher profile” to Sunday’s Paris unity rally.
It comes after US media criticized President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry for not attending the demonstration.
The rally, which followed three terror attacks in Paris, was attended by an estimated 1.6 million people and some 40 world leaders.
The US ambassador to France was the highest ranking US official attending.
Speaking on January 12, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama wished he could have attended, but the “onerous and significant” security preparations for a presidential visit required more than the 36-hour advance notice the White House received.
Josh Earnest added, however: “It’s fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile.”
Seventeen people died in attacks in Paris last week at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, on a police officer, and at HyperCacher supermarket.
John Kerry told reporters in India he would visit France to reaffirm US solidarity with the country, which he called America’s oldest ally.
A fluent French speaker, John Kerry has visited France 17 times since becoming secretary of state.
Among those linking arms in a symbolic gesture at the Paris march were UK PM David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
US Attorney General Eric Holder, in Paris for an anti-terror summit, did not attend the march because he was giving media interviews.
John Kerry was visiting India, for an international development trip, and Pakistan to meet PM Nawaz Sharif.
“I would have personally very much wanted to have been there,” John Kerry said, but “it is important to keep these kinds of commitments”.
John Kerry said US officials, including himself and President Barack Obama, had been “deeply engaged” with French authorities since the first attack and had offered intelligence assistance.
“I want to emphasize that the relationship with France is not about one day or one particular moment,” John Kerry said.
“It is an ongoing long-time relationship that is deeply, deeply based in the shared values, and particularly the commitment that we share to freedom of expression.”
John Kerry is expected to arrive in Paris later this week.
Meanwhile, the White House announced there would be an international summit in Washington in February on countering violent extremism.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Prev