The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has led a series of solemn and emotional commemorations to mark two years since Paris was hit by a series of terrorist attacks that left 130 people dead and hundreds injured.

Macron laid a wreath and stood grim-faced as the names of those killed in the bombings and shootings were read out and a minute’s silence was held at each of the places the terrorists struck.

Accompanied by his predecessor, François Hollande, and the Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, Macron met relatives of some of those who died. One grief-stricken woman, who had lost her son, told him: “I cry every day, I have no life any more. My life is finished. He was my only child.” Flanked by his wife, Brigitte, Macron appeared close to tears as he spoke to families and survivors. The event was deliberately simple and low-key at the request of the victim’s families. The president made no public speech.

The homage began at the Stade de France where the first attack happened, and was repeated at four other sites including the Bataclan concert venue where 90 people died on the night of 13 November 2015. It ended in front of the town hall of the 11th arrondissement, where balloons were released.(theguardian)…[+]