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Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said he has no doubts about his team despite their shock 1-0 French Cup defeat at home to newly-promoted city rivals Paris FC before a return to Ligue 1 today.PSG enjoyed a record-breaking campaign last season, completing the first treble in French football, winning their domestic league and cup, as well as the Champions League. Things have not gone so well this season, with PSG sitting second in Ligue 1, one point behind surprise leaders Lens, and already out of the cup."Honestly, if anyone has any doubts about our team... they should drop them," Enrique said ahead of hosting fourth-placed Lille. "What's the problem? People think we're going to win all the trophies and all of our matches? Football doesn't work that way. You have to highlight what we've accomplished. I have no doubts about the type of team we are."PSG won the league by 19 points last season but Lens have strung together a nine-match winning run in all competitions to surge to the top of Ligue 1. In the meantime, the champions have had to contend with a spate of injuries. PSG have not been as sharp as last season, something that was in evidence on Monday against PFC when they failed to score from 25 shots on goal, including seven on target.PFC on the other hand, could muster only four shots and two on target but made their meagre attacking output count. Despite the recent injury returns of attacking pair Ousmane Dembele, the current Ballon d'Or, and Desire Doue, PSG cannot find the same creativity and intensity as last season.And while the French Cup was not top of their list of priorities this season, Luis Enrique said he hopes their elimination "will be a motivation for Ligue 1 and the Champions League, which are the most important competitions".PSG are well-placed to secure a top eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League and avoid the dreaded play-offs but face a tricky trip to Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday. Lens, meanwhile, will be without top scorer Odsonne Edouard for the visit of lowly Auxerre on Saturday.Edouard, who joined this season from Crystal Palace, has scored eight goals in 16 matches for the Blood and Golds but was injured during Sunday's 3-0 French Cup victory over Sochaux. "We think that he could play, maybe for 15 minutes, but we don't want to take the risk," coach Pierre Sage said.Youngster Rayan Fofana, who was the first choice forward at the start of the season before Edouard's arrival, is likely to deputise. Third-placed Marseille face a tough trip to Angers knowing that any more slip-ups like last week's 2-0 home defeat to Nantes will likely end any title aspirations they might have as they already trail Lens by eight points.Fixtures (times GMT)Friday: Monaco v Lorient (1800), Paris Saint-Germain v Lille (2000)Saturday: Lens v Auxerre (1600), Toulouse v Nice (1800), Angers v Marseille (2005)Sunday: Strasbourg v Metz (1400), Rennes v Le Havre, Nantes v Paris FC (both 1615), Lyon v Brest (1945) 

Paris Saint-Germain beat Marseille on penalties to win a topsy turvy French Champions Trophy in Kuwait on Thursday.PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was the hero of the night, saving two spot-kicks as PSG took the penalty lottery 4-1 after a frenetic end to the match left the two sides locked at 2-2.Desire Doue converted the decisive spot-kick after Chevalier had saved efforts from Marseille's Matt O'Riley and Hamed Traore.PSG had taken an early lead when their Ballon d'Or winning attacker Ousmane Dembele deftly lifted the ball over Marseille 'keeper Geronimo Rulli.Only Rulli's quick thinking prevented Nuno Mendes doubling PSG's advantage minutes later.Rulli's opposite number Chevalier displayed his own goalkeeping prowess when denying Marseille defender Emerson's goal bound shot after the half hour.PSG had Chevalier to thank again when the stopper somehow kept out Igor Paixao's header near the hour mark.But with a quarter of an hour remaining, an ugly challenge by Chevalier triggered a Marseille penalty and, after confirmation from VAR, former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood coolly converted the spot-kick.With the match only three minutes away from penalties, centre-back Willian Pacho's ill-advised clearance flummoxed his 'keeper as Marseille suddenly seemed set to seal their first silverware since their 2012 French League Cup title.But in the fifth minute of injury time Goncalo Ramos poked Bradley Barcola's cross in to level and send the game to penalties, and ultimately victory for Luis Enrique's PSG.This was PSG's record-extending 14th win in the equivalent of France's 'Super Cup' in a game virtually shunned by both sides' fans due to travel costs.A banner unfurled at Marseille's Stade Velodrome last Sunday during their 2-0 upset loss to lowly Nantes in Ligue 1 summed up the general mood of dissatisfaction from supporters hanging over the encounter.It read: "FCT 2026 in Kuwait. And for 2027, on the moon?"The fixture traditionally between the Ligue 1 champions and French Cup winners has led a nomadic existence over the years as the French Football Federation seeks to promote Ligue 1 beyond its borders.Previous editions have been staged in Canada, China, Gabon, Israel, Qatar, USA, Morocco and Austria, amongst other venues.After this awayday in the Middle East the two teams refocus on domestic matters next week, with French Cup outings before PSG, one point behind Lens in second, host Lille next Friday, and Marseille, seven points adrift of PSG in third, travel to Angers.And in Europe, PSG will also be keen to wrap up automatic qualification to the Champions League last 16.The holders are third in the league phase standings with two games remaining while Marseille are 16th and in contention for a play-off spot.With PSG winning both the league and French Cup last season, Marseille owed their presence in Kuwait to being league runners-up in 2024/25, albeit a yawning 19 points behind their arch rivals.

Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele marked their returns to the Paris Saint-Germain starting XI by securing a 2-1 win over Paris FC on Sunday as the French capital enjoyed its first top-flight derby since 1990. Victory for Luis Enrique’s second-placed PSG, thanks to goals either side of half-time by Doue and Dembele, took them back to within one point of surprise league leaders Lens. “I think it was Ousmane’s best game (of the season) tonight, he’s back to his best,” Luis Enrique said of his star attacker who has endured an injury-plagued campaign. The last time PSG lost at home to a newly-promoted side was in May 2010 when they went down 3-1 to Montpellier. But there were few chances of that streak being broken in the first top-division Paris derby since February 25, 1990, when Racing Paris 1 beat PSG 2-1 at the Parc des Princes home that they shared. None of the starters on either side at the Parc on Sunday were born when that match took place, and both clubs are a world away from where they were nearly 36 years ago. PSG, backed by Qatar since 2011, have won 12 of their 13 French domestic crowns since then, as well as the Champions League last season. If they are the top dogs in the City of Light, PFC’s solid showing firmly cemented their place as the second strongest side in Paris after they were invested in by the Arnault family - owners of LVMH - last season and promptly won promotion to Ligue 1. Dominant PSG thought they had a penalty midway through the opening period when Doue burst into the box and was felled by Otavio but a VAR review adjudged the initial contact to have been outside the box. But the 20-year-old left nothing up to VAR the next time he found himself driving into the PFC area as he perfectly timed his run onto Fabian Ruiz’s pass on 45 minutes and hammered the ball past Kevin Trapp. The second period started in chaotic fashion as Illya Zabarnyi upended Alimami Gory in the box and Willem Geubbels levelled for the visitors on 51 minutes. Parity lasted only two minutes, however, as Ballon d’Or holder Dembele cut in and struck a left-footed effort, which took a huge deflection on its way past a helpless Trapp. PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was called into action on a couple of occasions in the remainder of the match, but the reigning champions were able to keep PFC at arm’s length to win a long-awaited encounter. “I hope to play many more Parisian derbies. We like having Paris FC in Ligue 1,” Luis Enrique added. 

French film sensation Brigitte Bardot, an icon in the 1950s and 1960s who reinvented herself as an animal rights defender and embraced far-right views, died Sunday aged 91, her foundation said.She passed away in her Saint-Tropez home, La Madrague, on the French Riviera."The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actor and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation," it said in a statement sent to AFP.It did not give the cause of death.However, Bardot was briefly hospitalised in October for what her office called a "minor" procedure.Bardot at the time had lambasted "idiot" Internet users for speculation that she had died.**media[398803]**Tributes were immediately paid to the star who was known as "BB" in her home country, with President Emmanuel Macron calling her a "legend" of the 20th century.An AFP reporter in Saint-Tropez saw a hearse enter then leave her property, as a handful of fans came to lay bunches of flowers near a police car that was blocking the road to her home.Julia Gangotena, 36, was among the few to have made it up to Bardot's blue front gate, where she left some white roses near a Christmas wreath and a dog's bowl full of water, she said, showing AFP a picture."She's a woman who lived as much in the thronging crowd as she did alone – profoundly alone," she said.Born on September 28, 1934 in Paris, Bardot was raised in a well-off traditional Catholic household.Married four times, she had one child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, with her second husband, actor Jacques Charrier.Bardot became a global star after appearing in *And God created Woman in 1956, and went on to appear in about 50 more movies before giving up acting in 1973.She turned her back on celebrity to look after abandoned animals, saying that she was "sick of being beautiful every day"."Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom," Macron wrote on X.His tribute, though, made no reference of Bardot's alignment with far-right views in her post-cinema years, which alienated many of her fans.After retiring from cinema, Bardot withdrew to her home in the Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez where she devoted herself to fighting for animals.Her calling apparently came when she encountered a goat on the set of her final film, *The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot.To save it from being killed, she bought the animal and kept it in her hotel room.Bardot went on to found the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986, which now has 70,000 donors and around 300 employees, according to its website."I'm very proud of the first chapter of my life," she told AFP in a 2024 interview ahead of her 90th birthday. "It gave me fame, and that fame allows me to protect animals – the only cause that truly matters to me."She added that she lived in "silent solitude" in La Madrague, surrounded by nature and content to be "fleeing humanity".On the subject of death, she warned that she wanted to avoid the presence of "a crowd of idiots" at her funeral and wished for a simple wooden cross above her grave, in her garden – the same as for her animals. 

QNB, the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, hosted two special events in Doha as part of its premium partnership with the French football club, Paris Saint-Germain, during the team's annual winter tour in Qatar.The tour presents an exciting opportunity for fans and customers to engage with the celebrated Paris Saint-Germain team, who are still riding the wave of their historic 2024–2025 Treble.**media[394324]**As a prominent component of its sponsorship activities, QNB organised activities in the ICI C’EST PARIS Park Doha, an immersive fan event held at Hotel Park. QNB's football activation within the park, named "Speed Park," challenged guests to achieve the fastest ball-shooting speed.Furthermore, QNB hosted a private Paris Saint-Germain Meet and Greet workshop at the Swissôtel Corniche Park Towers Doha exclusively for a limited number of clients. This private session offered unique opportunities for the bank's customers to meet some of the players, take photographs, and receive signatures.The bank's continued engagement in high-profile sports events highlights its strategy regarding community and wellness.**media[394325]**Sports is one of QNB’s most recognised sponsorship activities, as it helps promote a healthy lifestyle and highlights the importance of physical well-being.This support also aligns with QNB's commitment to Qatar’s National Vision 2030 to work towards a dynamic society. QNB supports various sports events and teams at both local and international levels, with efforts focused on driving interest, awareness, and participation in traditional sports like camel races, as well as popular sports in the country such as football, basketball, handball, and volleyball. 

Two prisoners escaped from a French jail using bed sheets after sawing through the bars of their cell, a prosecutor said Thursday.France has some of the worst prison overcrowding in Europe, and staff unions have complained the state is neglecting normal jails as it moves narco criminals into new supermax prisons.Guards noticed that the two men had escaped from the jail in the eastern city of Dijon shortly before dawn, the prisons authority said.The pair "seem to have sawn through bars" and "fled using bed sheets", Dijon prosecutor Olivier Caracotch said, without providing further details on how exactly they used the bedding.The fugitives are a 19-year-old man held in pre-trial detention since October 2024 for attempted murder, and a 32-year-old man incarcerated since 2023 over threats and violence against a partner, Caracotch said.Union official Ahmed Saih, who represents prison officers at the jail, said the inmates used "old-fashioned, manual saw blades"."We've been warning about the risk of a jail break for months," Saih said, noting earlier reports of saw blades found inside the prison.He called for more staff and better equipment, including "gratings that cannot be sawn through".Dijon prison, built in 1853, is in poor condition, with 311 inmates for 180 places, according to the justice ministry."Prison is very hard here," an inmate released Thursday after eight months, told AFP."There were three of us in a cell: two on bunk beds and one sleeping on the floor," he said outside the prison gates.The prison break comes less than two weeks after another escape in the northwestern city of Rennes.A 37-year-old convict, who had more than a year still to serve for theft, fled on November 14 during an outing with fellow prisoners to the city's planetarium.He was arrested Thursday in a traveller community camp in the nearby city of Nantes, sources close to the case told AFP, requesting to remain unnamed as unauthorised to speak to the media.Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin sacked the prison's director.Three prison directors' unions on Wednesday lashed out at the tough-talking right-wing minister, who is pushing through a plan to lock up the most dangerous drug traffickers in supermax prisons.They accused him of "devoting all the resources of a debt-ridden state" to the high-security prisons for those accused of drug trafficking and jihadist attacks, and neglecting the "vast majority" of other jails."While the justice minister parades around in overfunded facilities, other (prison) services are suffering," they said in a joint statement.Darmanin last week announced the Dijon facility was scheduled to receive €6.3mn ($7.3mn), as part of a programme to eliminate mobile phones from six French prisons.France has some of the worst prison overcrowding in Europe, ranking third worst after Slovenia and Cyprus, according to a Council of Europe report published in July.In early October, the national average was 135 inmates per 100 places available.In comparison, the rate in Dijon is almost 173 inmates for 100 beds.Notorious French drug baron Mohamed Amra, known as "The Fly", was transferred to a new supermax prison in northern France in July.Amra made international headlines when he escaped in May 2024 when the prison van he was being transported in was ambushed by gunmen and two prison guards were killed.He was caught in Romania and extradited to France after a months-long manhunt. 

Holes in the ground, clods of earth next to headstones, dislocated concrete outlines: the Thiaroye military cemetery near Dakar bears the marks of recent excavations meant to unearth the truth behind a WWII-era massacre by French colonial forces. In November 1944, around 1,600 soldiers from several west African countries were sent to the Thiaroye camp after being captured by Germany while fighting for France. Discontent soon mounted over unpaid back pay and unmet demands that they be treated on a par with white soldiers. On December 1, French forces opened fire on them. The circumstances surrounding the massacre, the number ofIsl riflemen killed and their place of burial all remain unclear. An AFP team recently visited the camp's cemetery, where archaeologists are conducting landmark excavations to find and examine the remains of those interred there. **media[382436]** Rows of 202 graves, marked with white headstones and cement demarcations, are covered with shells. It is not known who exactly is in all the graves, or if there are even bodies at each marker. The researchers have so far only been able to excavate a very small percentage of them. The cemetery was created in 1926 by colonial France to bury African soldiers. Some researchers believe that riflemen killed in the Thiaroye massacre were buried there. Unearthed burial containers, since covered in blue plastic, bear testament to the archaeologists' work. Senegal alleges it was difficult to access the French colonial archives to study the massacre in full. This is why Colonel Saliou Ngom, the director of the Senegalese army's archives and historical heritage, believes it was necessary to "make the underground" speak. The archaeologists have so far carried out their initial excavations under one of two large baobabs, enormous trees that can indicate the site of buried bodies. The baobab is "a calcareous tree, that is one that likes limestone", history and geography professor Mamadou Kone, technical adviser to the Armed Forces Museum, told AFP. "Where there are bones, there are often baobabs", he said. The researchers submitted an official report on October 16 to Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye describing the massacre as "premeditated" and covered up, with a death toll that had been grossly underestimated. The French colonial authorities at the time of the massacre said up to 70 World War II riflemen were killed. But the researchers said the most credible estimates put the figure closer to 300 to 400, with some of the men buried in the Thiaroye cemetery. One of the archaeologists who led the dig, Moustapha Sall, explained that seven graves were excavated out of a first group of 34. "Archaeologists found seven skeletons. This is a very important step in the search for historical truth," Colonel Ngom said. According to Sall, "one skeleton contains a bullet in its left side in the location of the heart." "Others lack a spine, ribs or skull. Some individuals are buried with iron chains on their shins," he added. "This means they suffered violence." The graves where the bodies are located are more recent than the remains themselves, Sall added. "One hypothesis is that the graves were made after the (initial) burials or that it was staged to make it appear they had been properly buried," Sall said. The next key step, Sall explained, will be taking DNA samples to help determine the individuals' origins. "The preliminary results do not allow us to answer all the questions," he said. Ballistics experts will additionally provide information on the military equipment, he added. Meanwhile, the Senegalese government has ordered ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to better explore the depths of the cemetery's subsoil. "We have been searching for the historical truth for 81 years," Colonel Ngom said. "If the subsoil provides us with (this truth) there is nothing more significant." President Faye, who has committed to preserving the soldiers' memory, has announced he has approved "the continuation of archaeological excavations at all sites likely to contain mass graves". In November 2024, as the atrocity's 80th anniversary approached, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that French colonial forces had committed a "massacre" in Thiaroye.

Geneva confirmed her quality and consistency with a hard-fought success in the Gr.1 (PA) French Arabian Breeders’ Challenge Classic – Wathba Stallions at Toulouse.The race, run over 2200m for four-year-old and older Purebred Arabians, featured a field of six, and the talented filly finally earned the Group 1 (PA) title that had previously eluded her.Trained by François Rohaut, ridden by Alexandre Gavilan, and carrying the colours of Abdulla bin Fahad al-Attiyah, the four-year-old came into the race on the back of a strong third-place finish in the Gr.1 (PA) Qatar Arabian Trophy des Juments at ParisLongchamp.Last year, she had also crossed the line first in the Gr.1 (PA) Qatar Arabian Trophy des Pouliches at Saint-Cloud, before being disqualified due to her jockey exceeding the permitted number of whip strikes. This time, justice was firmly served as Geneva officially became a Gr.1 (PA) winner.She fired slightly left coming out of the stalls and soon settled in fourth in a race led by Almurjanah. Still travelling behind Kanti de Bozouls, the pace steadied down the back straight, with the filly always moving comfortably. When the tempo lifted entering the final bend, Geneva momentarily looked outpaced as the leaders kicked on, but she soon found her rhythm again.Inside the final 400m, the leader had opened up a few lengths on the field, but Geneva began to close in, moving into third and challenging Molfit.In the last 200 metres, she produced a determined effort to sweep past both rivals, though Wala’a emerged with a strong late run on the outside. In a thrilling finish, Geneva held on gamely to win by half a length, with Wala’a finishing second and Molfit taking third.Bred by Patrick Lombrail, Geneva is by Azadi out of Theeba, a dual winner over 1600m at four and 1700m at five, as well as twice third in Gr.1 (PA) company over 2000m at five.She is a half-sister to Fleur du Soleil, a Listed winner over 1750m at four; to Eclipse du Soleil (Munjiz), a winner over 2000m at four; to Al Theeb (Azadi), a winner over 2100m at four; and to Kiaora du Soleil (Mahabb), runner-up in a Gr.3 (PA) over 1900m at three.

His Excellency Minister of Environment and Climate Change Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie met with a visiting delegation from the French Employers' Organization (MEDEF), which included a number of senior officials representing French companies and institutions operating in the fields of environment, energy, transport, banking, and investment. During the meeting, the two sides discussed aspects of cooperation between the State of Qatar and the French Republic in the areas of environment, climate change, and sustainable development. They also reviewed ways to enhance collaboration and exchange expertise, in addition to exploring potential opportunities for joint environmental initiatives and projects.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has stepped down just weeks after taking office. The French Presidency said in a statement on Monday that President Emmanuel Macron has accepted Lecornu's resignation. Lecornu, appointed on September 9, faced strong criticism from opposition parties and right-wing politicians after unveiling part of his new Cabinet on Sunday evening. He was due to present his government's general policy statement before the National Assembly on Tuesday. The two previous governments, led by Michel Barnier and Francois Bayrou, fell after parliamentary votes of no confidence over their proposed austerity budgets. France has been experiencing a prolonged political crisis since President Macron called early legislative elections last year in an effort to consolidate his authority. However, the move resulted in a deeply divided parliament, split among three rival blocs.

The Kuwaiti and French Air Forces have carried out the joint air exercise "Swift Falcon" at the Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base, attended by Kuwait's Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, Major General (Pilot) Sabah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, French Ambassador to Kuwait Olivier Gauvin, and senior military officers from both countries.In a statement carried by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Kuwait's General Staff said the exercise reflects the deepening military cooperation and exchange of field expertise between the two nations. The drill aims to strengthen combat readiness and enhance the ability to conduct joint operations with greater efficiency.Maj. Gen. Sabah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah stressed the importance of advancing training and qualification programs, while reinforcing partnerships with friendly countries. He praised the participating forces for their high level of preparedness and coordination in implementing the training scenarios.

The French presidency announced Friday that 10 countries, including France, will recognize the State of Palestine during a conference to be held in New York next Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver a speech at the conference, officially announcing the recognition of the Palestinian state.These countries are France, the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta, Andorra, and San Marino.On the other hand, the French presidency warned that the Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank is a "clear red line" and would be "the worst violation of international law."The French presidency said in a statement: "We, along with our partners, will demand immediate measures from Israel to ensure that the Palestinian Authority does not collapse," explaining that "the future borders of the Palestinian state are the 1967 borders."It added, "Our agenda is positive. It is not an agenda of responses and counter-responses. We are making an effort for peace." However, "annexing the West Bank is a clear red line" for France and would be "the worst possible violation of UN resolutions."The French presidency added, "The most important thing is to take all possible measures today to maintain the two-state solution. Of course, annexing the West Bank would be one of the steps that would most threaten this."