Articles
Venice targets fare dodgers as euro crisis bites
With the euro crisis hitting Italy's finances, local budgets have been severely squeezed. To try to ease the pain in Venice, the city is targeting fare-dodgers who use public transport.
Tough business behind the red carpet glitz at Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival is about more than big names and eye-catching projects. Along the Croisette, talk will also turn to some of the other 2,000 or so films that production companies need to sell and distributors consider buying.
Sheikh Khalifa in the UK: crowning glory of a visit to remember
It was two days of pomp and ceremony, but also a meeting of old friends and an opportunity to strengthen ties between two peoples with a shared history. Colin Randall relives the highlights of Sheikh Khalifa's State Visit to the UK.
Hollande popularity plummets in France as politicians reveal wealth
After Francoise Hollande was elected to lead France he wore his socialist agenda on his sleeve, proudly asserting his tenure would mark an end to political scandal in Paris. One year on, little seems to have changed.
France's female Arab mayor a role model who highlights personal effort
Rachida Dati, whose ultimate goal is widely considered to be the Elysee, says her first principle has always been 'hard work'. Colin Randall brings this second instalment from Paris.
Arab woman's ambition could guide her all the way to the Elysee palace
Rachida Dati's origin as a child of impoverished Maghrebin immigrants may boost her appeal in Paris's mayoral election, and beyond. Colin Randall reports from Paris.
Margaret Thatcher: 'The lady's not for turning'
Britain's first female prime minister, who died yesterday, polarised not just her own country but much of the world. Colin Randall reports
Clear thinking on water resources
The next time a dense cloud of fog hovers over Abu Dhabi or Dubai, devouring towers and disrupting travel, consider one highly positive aside: that pea-souper could be a valuable water source.
Mixed-race baby switch mothers sue for millions
Eighteen years after giving birth in the same clinic but going home with the wrong babies, two mothers are suing for €12 million (Dh57 million) in compensation after bringing up each other's daughters. Colin Randall reports from Nice
Diesel tax plan galls French drivers
In France most vehicles on the roads run on diesel, which for decades has enjoyed a price advantage over petrol. But an EU push for parity in the cost of the fuels would hit French hauliers and motorists hard.
Hunting for greatness at horse racing's richest run
Business of sport: Hunter's Light is the best hope for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's herd of stallions at this year's Dubai World Cup.
Pope Francis keen on 'dialogue with Islam'
Emphasising the conciliatory role of the head of the Catholic church, Francis noted that pontiff means 'bridge-builder' and spoke of a need to embark on a new 'journey' with countries with which the Vatican does not yet have relations.
Time for tourists to return to Tunisia
Tunisia's economy is faltering and its politics unstable following the 2011 uprising. But, as Colin Randall discovers, that should not necessarily put tourists off.
Algerian war memories divide France
An initiative to honour those killed in France's former North African colonies is snubbed by some and gives rise to protests by others. Conin Randall reports from Marseille
Francis I, the world's first pope from the Americas
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has become the Roman Catholic Church's first non-European pontiff in more than a thousand years. Colin Randall reports
