INTERNATIONAL

Pope Francis has approved measures to sack bishops who mishandle child sexual abuse cases, a papal decree says. Bishops who are “negligent” in dealing with priests committing abuse will be removed under the new legal procedures. The decree comes in response to long-running demands by abuse victims and their supporters to hold bishops accountable if they fail to protect their ...

The levels of the River Seine in Paris have started dropping slightly after reaching a 34-year high on Friday. The river level rose to 6.1m (20ft) above it normal height overnight. Floods also forced parts of the metro system and major landmarks to close, while the Louvre and Orsay museums were shut while staff moved art to safety. Despite the ...

Muhammad Ali has died at the age of 74, a family spokesman has said. The former world heavyweight boxing champion, one of the world’s best-known sportsmen, died at a hospital in the US city of Phoenix, Arizona, after being admitted on Thursday. He was suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson’s disease. The funeral will ...

Floodwaters in Paris continue to rise with the River Seine due to hit a peak of up to 6.5m (21ft) later on Friday. The world-famous Louvre and Orsay museums have been shut so staff can move priceless artworks to safety. The number of dead in the floods has now risen to at least 15 – 10 in southern Germany, two ...

Floodwaters in Paris are forecast to peak on Friday with the River Seine due to reach 6m (19ft) above its normal level. The world-famous Louvre and Orsay museums have been shut so staff can move priceless artworks to safety. Flooding across France and Germany has left at least 11 people dead and forced thousands from their homes. More downpours are ...

The German parliament has approved a resolution declaring that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One was a “genocide”. Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people died in the atrocities of 1915. Turkey says the toll was much lower and rejects the term “genocide”. The vote heightened German-Turkish tensions at a time when ...

Signals have been detected from one of the black boxes of the EgyptAir plane that crashed last month, French investigators have confirmed. They were picked up by the French vessel Laplace as it was searching the Mediterranean Sea. There were 66 people on board when the Airbus A320 crashed on 19 May while flying from Paris to Cairo. It vanished ...

The world’s longest and deepest rail tunnel is to be officially opened in Switzerland, after almost two decades of construction work. The 57km (35-mile) twin-bore Gotthard base tunnel will provide a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps between northern and southern Europe. Switzerland says it will revolutionise European freight transport. Goods currently carried on the route by a million ...

French railway workers are to go on strike as unions continue to protest against planned labour reforms. This is expected to further disrupt a transport network already suffering from a shortage of fuel. French President Francois Hollande has insisted he will not back down over the reforms, which aim to make it easier to recruit and dismiss employees. Public sector ...

Chad’s ex-ruler Hissene Habre has been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison at a landmark trial in Senegal. The judge convicted him of rape, sexual slavery and ordering killings during his rule from 1982 to 1990. Victims and families of those killed cheered and embraced each other in the courtroom after the verdict was given. ...