Anna O’Donoghue samples sun, sea and castles and the odd mechanical elephant on her visit to Nantes, and discovers how the Loire Valley’s cultural capital comes into full bloom in the summer months.

A former Belgian bishop at the centre of one of the Catholic Church’s biggest paedophile scandals said he had abused two nephews but insisted he had no plans to abandon the priesthood.

Angers, a town in western France known for its medieval castle and Cointreau liqueur, now has a new, more sordid reputation – as the home of a paedophilia ring where parents allegedly raped, abused and pimped children and even babies.