Richard Assheton

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Richard Assheton

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Richard Assheton

The sight of the gun tucked into the man’s trousers told us it was time to go. We had been in one of France’s most notorious estates for several hours, trying to understand life on the frontline of the country’s spiralling drug war. Seeing three people he did not know and a camera, he decided enough was enough. “You, where do you live?” he said, rushing towards us from the foot of a tower block where he had parked his scooter. “Don’t talk back to me, I’ll break your head in.

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Richard Assheton

When she set sail around the world from the west coast of France three months ago, Violette Dorange was barely known outside her sport. By the time she returned last week, she was a household name in her country. At 23, Dorange has become the youngest solo sailor to complete the around-the-world race, having spent 90 days, 22 hours and 37 minutes at sea.

2 months ago | thetimes.com | Richard Assheton

2 months ago | airmail.news | Richard Assheton

It is hard to imagine a tussle over a travel operator attracting the passions of a finance minister and a president’s son. But in France, homegrown corporations are a point of national pride, as are vacations themselves. So when, in 2015, Chinese investors bought the storied resort chain Club Med, after the longest takeover battle in French history, seat belts were fastened for a bumpy ride.