Islamic State demands $200m for lives of two Japanese hostages

Five ethnic Chechens from Russia have been arrested in France, including one with a cache of explosives, as four other men appeared at a Parisian court, the first to face charges over recent attacks.

France has been on high alert since three days of terror left 20 people dead in Paris, including the three gunmen, earlier this month.

The arrests came France’s prime minister urged his nation to do some soul-searching about France’s deep ethnic divisions and declared that fighting hatred, anti-Semitism, and racism was a top priority, especially in France’s impoverished housing projects, home to many immigrants.