Category: France

The social media network’s Grok AI chatbot stirred outrage earlier this year over it generating images of women and girls in minimal attire without their consent.

“The controversy sparked by sexually explicit deepfakes generated by Grok (X’s AI) may have been deliberately generated in order to artificially boost the value of companies X and X AI,” the Paris prosecutor’s office said, confirming a report in Le Monde newspaper on Friday.

This could have been done towards “the planned June 2026 stock market listing of the new entity created by the merger” between Space X and X AI, it added.

The prosecutor’s office said it had on Tuesday reached out to the US Department of Justice, as well as French lawyers at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a financial market regulation body, to share its concerns.

X’s lawyer in France was not immediately available for comment.

French authorities are investigating X over allegations that its algorithm was used to interfere in French politics, as well as Grok’s dissemination of Holocaust denials and the sexualised deepfakes.

AI chat bot Grok has its own account on the X social network allowing users to interact with it.

For a period, users could tag the bot in posts to request image generation and editing, receiving the image in a reply from Grok. Many sent Grok photos of women or tagged the bot in replies to women’s photo posts, giving it prompts such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes”.

‘Incitements’

It generated an estimated three million sexualised images — mostly of women, though also 23,000 that appeared to depict children — in 11 days, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit watchdog, said in late January.

Le Monde pointed to “several posts by Musk, published at the height of the controversy, which prosecutors interpret as incitements to generate non-consensual images”.

“The billionaire posted several messages in which he expressed delight, using numerous emojis, about his AI engine’s “undressing” capabilities, even sharing an image of himself in which his chatbot depicted him wearing a bikini,” Le Monde reported.

Daily average app downloads for Grok worldwide soared by 72 percent from January 1 to January 19 compared to the same period in December, the Washington Post has cited market intelligence firm Sensor Tower as saying.

French authorities last month summoned Musk to a “voluntary interview” and searched the local offices of his social media network, in what Musk called a “political attack”.

Both Britain and the European Union have also opened investigations into the creation of the sexualised deepfakes.

21/03/2026 – 19:30

Israel medics say injured toll from strike on nuclear town rises to 39

21/03/2026 – 14:36

Explosions heard in Bahrain capital, AFP journalist reports

LOIRE FESTIVALS

The Festival International des Jardins, held at the beautiful Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, is the leading garden festival in France. Every year, the top international names in garden and landscape design are given carte blanche to let their imagination run wild. Held from May till November, the festival is renowned throughout Europe for the extraordinary quality of its exhibits.

domaine-chaumont.fr/en/international-garden-festival

Each year the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire Centre d’Arts et Nature invites internationally acclaimed artists and photographers to create original, site-specific works on the theme of nature. Set within the château and across its 32 hectares, you’ll discover top artistic talent alongside the château’s exceptional permanent collection.

domaine-chaumont.fr/en/centre-arts-and-nature

Orléans’s biennial Festival de Loire is Europe’s largest gathering of traditional riverboats, and it magically recreates the bustling 19th-century port life along the Loire, featuring maritime exhibitions, regattas, live performances, rowing races, boat jousts and local gastronomy.

www.tourisme-orleansmetropole.com/en

Held each autumn, the AR(t] CHIPEL contemporary art festival, in partnership with Paris’s Centre Pompidou, pairs artworks from the Pompidou collection with works by local artists at historic sites across the Loire Valley, many of which are normally closed to the public.

www.centrepompidou.fr/en/lieu/artchipel-festival

CYCLING

Among the world’s most beautiful cycling paths, Loire à Vélo’s 560 mile (900 km) route runs past storybook châteaux, scenic rivers, and the beautiful UNESCO-designated landscape of the Loire. Along the way, cyclists can enjoy hotels at every comfort level, food, wine tastings, repair stops, parking and a special transport train. Check the website for bike rentals.

www.loirebybike.co.uk

Every year, gravel cycling enthusiasts flock to Angers to participate in the Nature is Bike festival, held in late May. This citywide celebration highlights the 1,000 km of gravel paths that lead from the centre of Angers to the sea and beyond.

natureisbike.com/en

VINEYARDS & TASTINGS

The Loire Valley is one of France’s most diverse wine regions and scores of winemakers offer tastings and wine experiences. The Vins de Loire website is an excellent resource to find a tasting, tour or other wine-themed activity along the Route de Loire or near wherever you plan to be.

www.vinsdeloire.fr/en

Wine tasting in a troglodyte cave is an experience not to be missed while in the Loire.

tinyurl.com/troglodyte-wine

GUIDED TOURS

Bilingual guide Aurzelle da Silva leads tailored tours, spinning bygone times into a riveting story – with a refreshing sense of humour. With a master’s degree in medieval art history, and articles published in French scholarly journals, Da Silva can get as fascinatingly geeky as you like.

www.loirepassionguide.fr

BOAT TOURS

For 80 years, La Bélandre -Chenonceaux en Bateaux has navigated the romantic River Cher. Boats cast off near the village of Chisseaux, 2km from Château de Chenonceau. Join a tour on a sightseeing boat or hire a silent electric boat for four to meander under the château’s arched bridge and view its famous reflection. Parking is plentiful and boats leave frequently.

www.labelandre.com

HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES

Positive Altitude’s balloons take you over Cheverny, Chambord, Chaumont-sur-Loire, or Chenonceau, depending on the wind direction, as well as many other gems. Flights cost from €200 to €680 for a private VIP tour.

www.positive-altitude.fr

From France Today Magazine

Lead photo credit : Meta-Nature AI, installation de Miguel_Chevalier au Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, 2025 © M. Chevalier

The accused, who lived in Brantford at the time of the incident, has been charged with indignity to a body and concealing the body of a child.

Published Feb 26, 2026  •  Last updated Feb 26, 2026  •  4 minute read

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Police have arrested and charged a 39-year-old woman in connection with the death of a newborn, who became known as Baby Parker, more than 20 years ago. 

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The accused, who lived in Brantford at the time of the incident, has been charged with indignity to a body and concealing the body of a child. 

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It has been more than two decades since a full-term newborn boy was found wrapped in a towel near an abandoned train track in Brantford.  

On July 28, 2005, Brantford police responded to the area of the walking trails near Dufferin Avenue and Parkside Drive after a citizen discovered the newborn’s body.  

The death of the infant became the subject of an extensive and ongoing police investigation, said a news release issued by police on Thursday.  

As the identity of the child was unknown, officers named him Baby Parker, a reference to the area where he was found. Until now, neither the child’s mother or father had been identified. 

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“With the assistance of the Toronto Police Service, and through the utilization of new DNA technologies and advanced investigative techniques, detectives were able to further the investigation and identify the person believed to be the mother of Baby Parker,” said the release. 

“Given the sensitive nature of this investigation, and in consideration of privacy interests and the ongoing judicial process, the name of the accused will not be released at this time. Police are not seeking additional suspects, and there is no ongoing risk to public safety.” 

Police say they have no evidence to suggest that anyone else was involved during the birth of Baby Parker or in the events that followed.  

“Investigators are not seeking any additional suspects and, at this time, do not anticipate that any further charges will be laid,” said the release. 

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Throughout the course of the 20-year investigation, the Brantford Police Service worked closely with partner agencies.  

The Ontario Provincial Police previously assisted with statement analysis through its Behavioral Sciences Section and developed a potential profile of the child’s mother.  

Information released to the public at that time indicated that it was likely the mother may have been between 13 and 17 years of age, had a connection to the Holmedale neighbourhood, and may have concealed the pregnancy from those close to her. 

Shortly after the discovery in 2005, police released parts of a letter they received believed to have been written by the mother of the child. The author of the letter said she had given birth while partying in the Lansdowne area. It said a friend told her the baby was dead and the body was hidden among some bushes. 

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But an autopsy later showed the baby was alive at birth and had trauma to his ribs and skull. 

Samples of the handwriting were shared with the public in the hope that someone would recognize and identify the writer.  

In the letter, the author indicated they would be in contact with police in the coming days, but no one came forward.  

While a number of tips were received following the release of the handwriting samples, none led to an arrest. Police say they have no evidence to confirm the identity of the letter’s author. 

“From the outset, the Brantford Police Service remained steadfast in its commitment to identifying the child’s mother and/or father,” said the release. “Over the years, investigators renewed public appeals for information in the hope that members of the community could assist in advancing the case. 

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“This investigation has had a profound impact not only on the community, but also on the officers involved. The compassionate decision by an officer to provide a name for this previously unidentified child reflects the deeply personal and emotional nature of the case for those who worked tirelessly to seek answers.” 

On Aug. 17, 2025, the community marked the 20-year anniversary of Baby Parker’s memorial service and burial at Mount Hope Cemetery, both of which were donated by Beckett-Glaves Family Funeral Centre. 

In the years following the discovery, members of the public also came together to honour Baby Parker’s memory through Parker’s Project with a focus on supporting vulnerable parents and prevention of child abandonment and isolation.  

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Shalyn Wilson, who operates the project, and her children, Harmony and Blake, attended Baby Parker’s resting place on what would have been his 20th birthday last July. 

“It’s really about supporting young moms better – moms of all ages — making sure we are hitting the needs,” said Wilson of Parker’s Project. “We have some great resources in the community, but we don’t have enough. There are never enough resources.” 

Branford Police Insp. Keith Tollar said there are many people to thank who have been involved in the case over the years. 

“On behalf of the Investigative Support Branch, I extend my sincere appreciation to all members, both past and present, sworn and civilian, whose unwavering dedication and professionalism were essential in advancing the Baby Parker investigation. Their commitment was pivotal in bringing resolution to the case, which has profoundly impacted our community and our police service. Their collective determination to seek closure for Baby Parker has led us to this important milestone.”  

To protect the integrity of the investigation, police say they won’t be providing any further comment about “investigative techniques or evidentiary details” in the matter. 

Police say they recognize the case “may be distressing for some members of the community, particularly those who have experienced pregnancy loss, trauma, or other personal challenges.” 

Those in need of confidential support are encouraged to connect with their healthcare provider, local public health unit, crisis line or community-based counselling services.  

 

 

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21 mars 2026 à 11h18

ShijiazhuangShijiazhuang n’est pas la ville la plus riante de Chine. C’est peut-être même l’une des plus ennuyeuses. La capitale du Hebei (la province qui entoure Pékin) et ses plus de 11 millions d’habitant·es traînent une sale réputation : son taux de pollution dépassait celui de toutes les cités du pays dans les années 2010.

Pour tenter de redorer son blason, cette ancienne cité industrielle, célèbre dans les années 1950 pour ses filatures, mise désormais sur le rock. Et ses autorités ont décidé de disputer à Pékin le titre de capitale chinoise du rock en organisant un festival annuel d’avril à septembre.

Pour nourrir cette veine musicale, la cité met en avant la signification littérale des trois caractères qui forment son nom en chinois (avec une lecture de droite à gauche) : la « ville natale du rock », soit : zhuang, jia, shi. « Shi » signifie plutôt la pierre, tandis que rock, en chinois, se traduit par « yaogun » (bouger et rouler), mais tout est bon pour attirer les touristes. 

S’il s’agit surtout de faire marcher l’économie locale, la ville peut se targuer d’une histoire certaine avec ce genre musical né aux États-Unis, puisque c’est à Shijiazhuang que, de 1999 à 2013, a été publié So Rock ! Magazine (en chinois Wo ai yaogun yue, soit « j’aime le rock »), la publication de référence du rock indépendant chinois. Elle est aussi le berceau d’un des principaux groupes indépendants et l’un des plus populaires du pays : Omnipotent Youth Society (en mandarin Wanneng qingnian lüdian). 

L’hommage du cinéaste Jia Zhangke

Dans le cadre d’une tournée européenne, Omnipotent Youth Society se produit le 21 mars au Cabaret sauvage à Paris. Inutile de se précipiter à la billetterie, le concert est déjà complet, les plus de 1 000 places se sont vendues en moins d’une heure. Depuis les années 2010, le groupe a défini les bases d’un rock indépendant et populaire pour toute la scène sinophone, que ce soit en Chine, à Hong Kong ou à Taïwan, souligne Nathanel Amar, chercheur spécialiste du rock chinois et auteur du livre Scream for Life. L’invention d’une contre-culture punk en Chine populaire (Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2022).

Omnipotent Youth Society compose la bande-son parfaite des réformes économiques et des inégalités sociales qu’elles ont entraînées. « Ce n’est pas un hasard si Jia Zhangke a utilisé leur chanson mythique “Kill the One from Shijiazhuang” [Shasi nage Shijiazhuang ren, « Tuer cette personne de Shijiazhuang » – ndlr] dans son dernier film Les feux sauvages pour représenter trente ans de réformes économiques », dit Nathanel Amar.

Nous avons vécu la même période, même si nous utilisons des moyens artistiques différents pour exprimer nos sentiments.

Jia Zhangke et Omnipotent Youth Society ont commencé leur carrière à peu près en même temps. Lui en 1997, alors qu’il était étudiant et commençait à filmer Xiao Wu à Taiyuan, dans le Shanxi. Eux en 1996, à Shijiazhuang. Deux villes marquées par les mines de charbon exploitées alentour et la désindustrialisation qui les a frappées dans les années 1990. 

Et lorsqu’il s’est agi d’illustrer musicalement des images d’une autre ville houillère du nord, Datong, dans son film Les Feux sauvages, le choix de la chanson « Tuer cette personne de Shijiazhuang » s’est imposé, a indiqué Jia Zhangke fin 2024 lors de la projection de son film à Shijiazhuang. « Que ce soit Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, dans ma province natale, ou Datong, dans le film, toutes ces villes sont proches géographiquement et se ressemblent, elles ont en commun des atmosphères et la manière d’y vivre », a-t-il expliqué, soulignant que c’était une chanson qu’il aimait depuis longtemps. 

« Nous avons vécu la même période, même si nous utilisons des moyens artistiques différents pour exprimer nos sentiments », a témoigné également le cinéaste. 

« Tuer cette personne de Shijiazhuang » est une chanson sombre, dans laquelle un ouvrier d’une usine pharmaceutique raconte son triste quotidien. Elle se termine par : « Vivre comme ça pendant trente ans / Jusqu’à l’effondrement du bâtiment / L’obscurité au plus profond des nuages / Engloutit le paysage au fond du cœur. » Ji Geng, le parolier et bassiste du groupe, a expliqué que la chanson traitait de « l’érosion de l’enthousiasme et de l’estime de soi » au sein d’une famille. 

Une influence dans le monde sinophone

Les membres du groupe prennent leur temps. Leur premier album est sorti en 2010, le deuxième, plus centré sur les questions écologiques, en 2020. Leur influence s’étend jusqu’à Taïwan, où des groupes s’inspirent de leurs « passages mélodiques, instrumentaux, avec l’inclusion du jazz, de trompettes, de violons », souligne Nathanel Amar. « Et avec des paroles à la fois très poétiques et qui parlent vraiment de la situation sociale de la Chine des réformes, ce qui fait écho à ce que vivent les jeunes taïwanais, c’est-à-dire un grand ennui, notamment dans les centres urbains », poursuit-il.

Omnipotent Youth Society donne très peu d’interviews, préférant garder un profil bas, ce qui explique sans aucun doute que ses membres aient pu éviter les ennuis politiques, le contenu de leurs chansons ne cadrant absolument pas avec la volonté de Xi Jinping depuis 2012 d’insuffler de l’énergie positive à la création artistique dans son ensemble.

Un article savoureux du New York Times racontait comment la Ligue de la jeunesse communiste de Shijiazhuang avait réécrit les paroles de « Tuer cette personne de Shijiazhuang ». Désormais intitulée « L’indestructible de Shijiahuang », elle vantait les réformes économiques lancées par le Parti communiste et la capacité de la ville à se régénérer. Et la fin disait : « Vingt ans de transformation / Shijiazhuang l’internationale va de l’avant. Rassemblant les rêves de voler / répondant à l’appel. Vingt ans de changements rapides / l’aspiration initiale trace la voie. Comme une oie déployant ses ailes contre le vent / écrire un nouveau chapitre glorieux. » 

On est bien loin de l’original. Mais c’est cette version remaniée qui a servi en 2023 aux autorités locales pour faire la promotion de Shijiazhuang capitale du rock. Un rock aseptisé et conforme au socialisme à caractéristiques chinoises. 

À la même période, lors d’une tournée nationale, Omnipotent Youth Society n’a pas été autorisé à chanter « Tuer cette personne de Shijiazhuang » lors d’un concert à Shanghai. Le groupe l’a jouée sans les paroles. Une version instrumentale pour contourner la censure. À Paris, celles et ceux qui ont obtenu des billets auront le droit aux paroles.

Cecile Desprairies, 68, says her debut autobiographical novel The Propagandist – published in English last year – is inspired by her own childhood, but her brother and a cousin have accused her of lying and want the title removed from bookstores.

They sued Desprairies and her publisher for libel.

The civil court on Wednesday recognised that the plaintiffs may have been “upset” by the novel and “lack of any conclusive evidence” to support her account of the family’s history, according to a copy of the ruling seen by AFP on Thursday.

But neither had it seen evidence that Desprairies wrote the book with the intent to harm them, it said.

During a hearing in January, the author and her publisher’s lawyer had argued some creative licence was allowed in a novel, even if autobiographical.

“I ask you to give precedence to freedom of creation and expression over family quarrels,” attorney Benedicte Amblard had argued.

After the book came out in French in 2023, Desprairies had said she grew up “in a collaborationist family”.

In her book, the narrator’s mother is described as a “fervent collaborator” and propagandist during the Nazi occupation of part of France from 1940 to 1944.

To support her claim, Desprairies said she had found a Nazi propaganda poster in the attic of the family home, according to the complaint filed by her relatives. But the plaintiffs said it bore the same tear marks as one conserved at a Paris library, a copy of which could be downloaded.

She has also sent the judiciary a photograph of three people she said included her mother on a mountain in winter, arguing it showed “clear attachment to the sports values advocated by the Reich”.

Desprairies in January published a new novel published by another publisher, titled “La Fille du Doute” (“The Daughter of Doubt”).

Parents in France do not have to get their children vaccinated, but GPs and paediatricians will strongly recommend it — and, crucially, those children will not be allowed to go to school, or attend daycare during the holidays, or do extracurricular activities.

Which vaccinations are we talking about?

Article L.3111-2-I of the Public Health Code states that every child born on or after January 1st, 2018, must receive – unless there is a recognised medical reason that they cannot – vaccines against the following diseases:

• diphtheria;
• tetanus;
• polio;
• whooping cough;
• the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b;
• hepatitis B;
• pneumococcus;
• ACWY meningococci;
• type B meningococci;
• measles;
• mumps;
• and rubella.

France’s vaccination calendar. Graphic: ameli.fr

Before a child starts school in France, parents have to provide proof of vaccination, via their child’s GP-updated carnet de santé (personal child health record).

READ ALSO Explained: France’s 20 mandatory medical checks for children

Any child who has not had the full dose of those vaccinations by the time they start in full-time education, which is now compulsory from the age of three, cannot be fully enrolled in school. 

Instead, they will be provisionally enrolled and the parents will be given three months to get their children up to date with their innoculations.

Since April 2023, public health officials have also recommended that infants aged six weeks to six months be vaccinated against Rotavirus, and that children with underlying health conditions also receive an annual vaccination against influenza, if they are aged between two and 17. 

Meanwhile, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is increasingly recommended — but not required — for children aged 11 to 14. These prevent up to 90 percent of human papillomavirus infections which cause various cancers.

Furthermore, for adolescents aged 11 to 14, ACWY vaccination is now recommended, regardless of their prior vaccination status. It is also recommended for individuals aged 15 to 24 as part of catch-up vaccination programmes.

Vaccination against meningococcus B can be offered to people aged 15 to 24.

READ ALSO Fruit and chocolate: What French doctors say children should eat

And schools routinely organise vaccination drives to ensure that all pupils are up to date with their jabs.

But what if I don’t want my child to be vaccinated at all?

Your GP will push to change your mind — they are legally obliged to do so — by informing parents of the benefits of vaccination and of the risks of refusal, for health and social reasons.

If you really don’t want your child to have the required vaccinations, you have the right to refuse.

But you also have the responsibility of understanding that they will not be allowed to attend state or private schools, which means you will have to home school. 

They will also not be allowed to attend holiday daycare centres, such as MJCs, which also demand confirmation of vaccinations; or join sports clubs and take part in extracurricular group activities.

Your refusal to have your child vaccinated will be recorded on their health record.

Can’t I get my doctor to sign a form confirming the vaccines are safe?

Some parents have tried to make vaccination conditional upon the doctor signing a form guaranteeing that the vaccines are not harmful.

Sample documents of this type are available to parents on anti-vax websites. 

These aren’t worth the pixels on the computer screen before you wasted the paper and ink to print it out. Your doctor will, quite rightly, refuse. 

Homeschooling doesn’t sound so bad

Parents of an estimated 50,000 children in France — who have done so for a variety of reasons, including religious ones — would agree with you. But, there are strict rules in place. 

Before you start, you must register to become a home-educator with your local authority, which by all accounts, isn’t necessarily straightforward, and requires consent from the local authority, which is far from a given.

Specific health or disability needs, or if your family moves frequently making school attendance difficult, or if your child has a talent in sports or art that requires intensive practice are some of the more usual reasons for homeschooling.

Once accepted, brace for regular inspections to ensure you are teaching a balanced and appropriate curriculum.

Issued on: 20/03/2026 – 15:38Modified: 20/03/2026 – 16:16

3 min Reading time

The Paris Assizes Court found Sabri Essid guilty in absentia of genocide, crimes against humanity and complicity in the crimes, committed between 2014 and 2016 when the jihadists occupied swathes of northern Syria and Iraq.

“Sabri Essid took part in the genocide perpetrated by Islamic State,” presiding judge Marc Sommerer told the court.

“Essid became part of the criminal network repeatedly buying and reselling a very large number of Yazidi victims,” he said, adding the court judged that the group had “specifically targeted” the Yazidi minority for its religious beliefs.

The Islamic State group regarded the Yazidis, who follow a pre-Islamic faith, as heretics.

Essid, a Frenchman born in 1984 and who joined IS in Syria in 2014, is presumed to have been killed in 2018. But without proof of his death, he was tried and convicted in absentia.

He is accused of buying several Yazidi women at markets and then repeatedly raping them, as well as depriving them of water and food.

IS seized large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring a so-called caliphate there.

In August of that year, they murdered thousands of Yazidi men in Iraq’s Sinjar province and took into Syria thousands of women and girls to sell them in markets as sex slaves to be abused by jihadists from around the world.

United Nations investigators have qualified these actions as genocide.

France begins landmark trial over Islamic State genocide of Yazidis

‘Genocidal policy’

On Thursday, a Yazidi woman who was sold by IS as a sex slave described in stark detail to the Paris court the horrors she endured under jihadist captivity in Syria.

She said she was raped almost daily by her first two owners – a married Saudi man and then Essid. She was resold to six other men before escaping with her daughter and walking through the night to reach a post manned by Kurdish forces.

Sommerer said on Thursday he had overseen several trials for crimes against humanity but had “never heard before” the atrocities endured by the woman, whose name AFP is withholding to protect her privacy.

Known in Syria as Abu Dojanah al-Faransi, Essid was thought to be close to Jean-Michel and Fabien Clain.

The Clain brothers, now believed to be dead, claimed responsibility on behalf of IS for France‘s worst ever jihadist attacks in Paris in 2015.

Lawyers had earlier stressed the significance of the Essid trial.

“Given that in the past Islamic State fighters believed to be dead have resurfaced, it is essential that this trial take place,” said Patrick Baudouin, a lawyer for France’s Human Rights League.

“It is essential that it shed light on the particularly grave abuses committed against civilian populations and in particular the genocidal policy implemented against the Yazidi population,” said Clemence Bectarte, a lawyer representing three Yazidi women survivors and their eight children.

France repatriates group of women and children from Syrian camps

Trials throughout Europe

After Essid went to Syria, his wife, their three children and her son from a previous relationship joined him.

In an IS propaganda video released in 2015, Essid is seen pushing his 12-year-old stepson to shoot a Palestinian hostage in the head.

His wife has been jailed since returning to France.

Similar trials have taken place elsewhere in Europe.

In 2021, a German court issued the first ruling worldwide to recognise crimes against the Yazidi community as genocide.

It sentenced an Iraqi man to life in jail on charges that he chained a five-year-old Yazidi girl “house slave” outdoors in heat of up to 50C as punishment for wetting her mattress, leading her to die of thirst.

Last month, a Swedish court convicted a 52-year-old woman of genocide for keeping Yazidi women and children as slaves in Syria in 2015.

US-backed forces eventually defeated the IS proto-state in 2019, though isolated cells still operate in the Syrian desert.

Hussein Qaidi, who heads the Kidnapped Yazidi Rescue Office, told AFP last year that IS had abducted 6,416 Yazidis, more than half of whom had since been rescued.

On the rugged edge of the Massif Central, Dominic Rippon uncovers a corner of France where vineyards cling to cliffs and tradition is being reborn…

France is blessed with a wealth of beautiful wine regions. Think of Alsace’s fairy-tale hillsides, Jura’s subalpine slopes, or the Roussillon, where vineyards stretch south into the Pyrenees. Yet Aveyron, little known outside its borders, might just outshine them all. Here in the northernmost reaches of Occitanie, vines are woven into the wild foothills of the Massif Central, a stunning landscape of dizzying terraces and timeless stone villages.

Part of Aveyron’s mystery lies in its small scale. The heart of production is Marcillac, a patchwork of only 200 hectares just north of Rodez. The star here is the Fer Servadou grape, known locally as Mansois: an ancient cousin of Cabernet, it thrives in this high, rocky terrain. Thick-skinned and resilient, it produces dark, spicy cassis-scented reds, with a freshness sharpened by the cool Saltitude and a ripeness coaxed by warm autumn breezes. Until the 1960s, however, these hills were better known for digging coal than for tending vines, as wine cellars churned out thin, rough piquette to slake the thirst of the miners.

When the pits closed, growers had to change course: vines were replanted, production scaled back, and ancient terraces were reshaped to allow for the passage of modern equipment. Out of that transformation, quality began to emerge and recognition followed. The vineyards of Marcillac gained appellation status in 1990, and in 2011 Estaing, Côtes de Millau, and Entraygues-Le Fel joined the fold. These smaller areas specialise in lively whites made from Chenin Blanc and Mauzac, while Fer Servadou again shapes the reds – either as a pure varietal or blended with Gamay. In Côtes de Millau, to the south, Syrah adds a distinctly Mediterranean accent to the wines.

Today, the region is gradually finding its voice again. What were once dismissed as humble ‘miners’ wines’ are now capturing the attention of sommeliers and more adventurous drinkers. Cooperative cellars like the Vignerons du Vallon have led the revival, inspiring young winemakers to reclaim the dramatic terraces and rediscover the beauty of working some of France’s most striking vineyard landscapes.

DOMINIC’S CHOICE

Domaine du Mioula

www.marcillac.net

Choice wine: ‘Terres d’Ors’ 2022 IGP Aveyron Blanc

Domaine du Cros

www.domaine-du-cros.com

Choice wine: Marcillac Rouge ‘Les Rougiers’ 2018

Domaine Laurens

www.domaine-laurens.com

Choice wine: Marcillac Rouge ‘Cuvée de Flars’ 2021

From France Today Magazine