French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has taken down a tweet showing the execution of US reporter James Foley after his family protested — but left up two other gruesome images of violence by Islamic State (IS) extremists.

A 65-year-old teacher from Berlin has given birth to quadruplets after a pregnancy widely criticised by medical professionals because of her age, RTL television said.

Tunisia says it will deploy the army to major cities and arrested nine people after 20 foreign tourists were shot dead at a museum in the capital in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

Greek singer Demis Roussos, whose often high-pitched pop serenades won him household recognition in the 1970s and 1980s across Europe and beyond and who sold more than 60 million records, has died in Athens at the age of 68.

A man has been arrested after a hostage-taking incident at a post office in a Paris suburb today.

Three people have been taken hostage at a post office in Colombes, a northwest suburb of Paris, according to a report in French media.

A huge security operation is being prepared ahead of unity marches in France, as the hunt for a fugitive linked to the Paris massacres took a new twist.

French anti-terrorism police converged on an area northeast of Paris after two brothers suspected of being behind an attack on a satirical newspaper were spotted at a gasoline station in the region.

Under pressure French president François Hollande has faced the media over accusations that he is having an affair but he coolly side-stepped giving any details on his personal life.

Chancellor Angela Merkel looked on track to win a third term in this weekend’s election in Germany but faced a battle to preserve her centre-right majority and avert a potentially divisive coalition with her arch rivals, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).

'Britain’s Got Talent' and 'American Idol' producer RTL reported a 2.9% jump in revenues to €6bn, driven by its German TV operation and production arm Fremantle.

Tottenham are the fourth-best team in the Barclays Premier League but are closing in on the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea, according to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi and a leading anti-racism campaigner have responded angrily to FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s claim that players should remain on the pitch when faced with racist abuse.

Shakira is expecting a baby boy.

David Haye has ruled out fighting Vitali Klitschko in Ukraine on safety grounds should he get a crack at the WBC heavyweight champion.

France’s prime minister said today that a planned demonstration by people angry over a film produced in the United States which insults the Prophet Mohammed will not be allowed to go ahead.

Anti-government protesters in Bahrain are expected to step up their campaign this week which is set to have an impact on Formula One.

ONCE upon a time, they say, the citizens of Cologne did not have to work.

ARSENE WENGER has claimed “half the dressing room wanted to leave” Arsenal this summer and the hangover could be behind their poor start to the season.

Arsene Wenger has claimed "half the dressing room wanted to leave" Arsenal this summer and the hangover could be behind their poor start to the season.

A secondary school maths teacher sprayed herself with a flammable liquid and set herself alight in a playground in southern France at break time, France’s education minister said.

Wladimir Klitschko will defend his world heavyweight titles against former cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck on December 10.

The European Union has opened a humanitarian office in Tripoli and France has reopened its embassy as the process of resurrecting the Libyan capital gets underway.

PANIC set in at the back of the hastily-arranged press conference on the ground floor of Niketown.

France back-row forward Sebastien Chabal has apologised for his critical comments about referees which have landed him a ban – but stopped short of retracting them.

DAVID HAYE envisages “an army of Brits invading Germany” after his massive unification showdown with Wladimir Klitschko was yesterday confirmed for July 2 in Hamburg.

David Haye envisages "an army of Brits invading Germany" after his massive unification showdown with Wladimir Klitschko was today confirmed for July 2 in Hamburg.

David Haye envisages “an army of Brits invading Germany” after his massive unification showdown with Wladimir Klitschko was today confirmed for July 2 in Hamburg.

Raymond Domenech’s lawyer has confirmed his client will seek a compensation payment of €2.9m from the French Football Federation after his exit as national team coach.

FRANCE has stepped up its vigilance against terror threats, a top official announced yesterday amid reports of various new threats, including one against the Paris transport network.

Germany’s new president was sworn in today as Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to put behind her an internal rebellion that turned his election into a near-disaster.

France striker Nicolas Anelka has been sent home from the World Cup after after refusing to apologise for his half-time rant at coach Raymond Domenech.

Chelsea have today confirmed midfield duo Joe Cole and Michael Ballack will leave the club this summer.

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer and her husband, director Matthew Vaughn are expecting a girl, it has been announced.

Former France coach Michel Hidalgo has claimed FIFA’s decision not to name France as one of the eight top seeds for next summer’s World Cup might have been punishment for Thierry Henry’s handball.

Soccer's governing body FIFA is not considering a U-turn over their decision to refuse a replay of Ireland's World Cup qualifying match against France, which controversially sealed Ireland's exit from the competition.

By Ian Moriarty

Renault president and CEO Carlos Ghosn has presented a calm front in the wake of the storm currently surrounding the manufacturer’s Formula One team.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her challenger emerged from their only television debate two weeks before elections much as they entered it – seeming more comfortable working together than fighting each other.

A hoax video purportedly showing Michael Jackson emerging from a coroner’s van was an experiment aimed at showing how quickly misinformation and conspiracy theories can race across the internet, German broadcaster RTL said today.

A SPEEDING car raced toward an open bus carrying the Dutch royal family during a holiday parade yesterday and ploughed into spectators, killing five people and injuring 13 others in an apparently deliberate act, authorities said.

Channel Five parent RTL is prepared to offer a cash incentive to sweeten its bid to merge with Channel 4, it was reported today.