While recent political turmoil has resulted in parliamentary deadlock and a ghost-like caretaker government, and congestion in the capital during preparations for the Olympic games has for months been a source of frustration for inhabitants, the success of French athletes and the positive reception to the scenography of the games has succeeded in lifting the mood of some.
A number of hotels and restaurants in Paris, some of which stand accused of hiking prices ahead of the summer Olympics, say they have now lowered their prices in face of a fall in the number of tourists and residents present in the French capital amid the disruption caused by the games.
In a letter to Moroccan King Mohammed VI, French President Emmanuel Macron said Morocco's proposal to offer the Western Sahara region limited autonomy under its sovereignty was the “only basis” to solve the long-running conflict in which the Algerian-backed Polisario Front demands the full independence of the former Spanish colony.
A female DJ participant in a 'festivity' scene that was part of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, when singer Philippe Katerine, almost naked and painted blue sang amid a mock feast of the Greek gods on Mount Olympus, has complained of a hate campaign against her, including threats of 'death, torture and rape'.
Police said the cables of several telecoms operators had been sabotaged in six areas of France overnight from Sunday into Monday but Paris was not affected.
Gérald Darmanin says activists on the extreme left may have been encouraged by unnamed others to carry out the arson attacks that caused rail disruption on Friday.
Police are still searching for the perpetrators behind what French ministers and officials have described as "sabotage" designed to paralyse high-speed TGV lines running to and from Paris on the eve of the opening of the Olympics.
The event showcased France's ability to deliver a spectacular and safe start to the Games, despite initial criticism, serious security concerns - and pouring rain.
Acting prime minister Gabriel Attal said France's intelligence services and law enforcement agencies were mobilised to find and punish the perpetrators of these "criminal acts" against the country's high-speed rail network.
France’s state railways company SNCF called the overnight disruption, which included arson, a “massive attack aimed at paralyzing the high-speed line network.”
A 40-year-old man was reportedly arrested on Sunday and an investigation opened into the possible passing of "intelligence to a foreign power in order to arouse hostilities in France".
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