French President Emmanuel Macron has been slapped in the face on an official visit to the southeast of France. In a video circulating on social media, Mr Macron is seen walking up to a barrier on a trip to Tain-l’Hermitage outside the city of Valence. A man slaps Mr Macron in the face before officers quickly move in. The president, meanwhile, is pulled away. Two men have been arrested in the wake of the incident, according to French media. As the president is slapped, the words “Down with Macron-ism” are shouted. Politicians have swiftly denounced the incident. Prime Minister Jean Castex told the National Assembly shortly afterwards that while democracy meant debate and legitimate disagreement “it must never in any case mean violence, verbal aggression and even less physical attack”. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon tweeted his “solidarity with the President” immediately after the slap. And far-right leader Marine Le Pen posted her own condemnation, saying that “while democratic debate can be bitter, it can never tolerate physical violence”. President Macron is currently on a tour of France and had just visited a hotel school in Tain-l’Hermitage. His visit to the area was set to continue on Tuesday, officials said, with a trip to a vocational institute for 25-30 year-olds.(BBC)…[+]

Police in Norway have said a body found on the country’s coast earlier this year is that of a missing 15 month old who died in the English Channel. The child, named Artin, died along with four family members when the boat they were travelling in sank in October. The Kurdish-Iranian family had been attempting to reach the UK from France. Relatives of the family have spoken of their grief and confusion as they waited to hear what had happened to Artin. Now the child’s remains will be flown back to Iran to be buried. On Monday, police in Norway said the body had been found on the country’s south-western shore near Karmoy by two officers on New Year’s Day.

A tedious but consequential task kept Daniel Ellsberg busy for weeks from the end of 1969. One by one, he photocopied thousands of top-secret documents that he hoped would end a long and costly conflict. Known as the Pentagon Papers, the documents were part of a classified study that showed the extent of American involvement in the Vietnam War. Mr Ellsberg famously leaked the study to newspapers in 1971 before facing espionage charges that were ultimately dismissed. While the Pentagon Papers left a lasting legacy, they weren’t the only documents Mr Ellsberg got his hands on. At the same time, Mr Ellsberg copied another classified study that showed how seriously American military chiefs took the threat of nuclear war during the Taiwan crisis of 1958.(BBC)…[+]

The US and EU are calling for an immediate investigation into the “shocking” claims of sexual harassment and rape of Afghan policewomen. It follows a BBC investigation which revealed female officers faced widespread abuse by their colleagues. A number of women told the BBC they were too scared to report the attacks, which were often by their superiors. The Afghan government says it is committed to change, but rights groups say perpetrators are rarely punished. “Afghan women who choose to serve their country as police officers are courageous patriots,” Ambassador Ross Wilson, the US Charge d’Affaires to Afghanistan, said in a statement. “They face formidable cultural, social, political and security barriers, and we and all Afghans should honour and support their service. These reports are shocking, and we urge their prompt investigation by Afghan authorities.“(BBC)…[+]