Despite an outstanding seafaring heritage and the second-largest area of territorial waters in the world, France no longer rules the waves. With fishing quotas, foreign competition and rising fuel costs, can the decline of the French maritime sector - which provides 400,000 jobs - be halted?
A devastating blast at a Greek Cypriot naval base has left at least 10 people dead and dozens wounded, after a brush fire reached a gunpowder store in a seized Iranian weapons cache.
Forces loyal to Muammar Gadaffi's regime started this week to push back hard against those cities seized by rebel forces in the Libyan uprising. Meanwhile defectors from his rule started organising themselves and created a national transition council. Elsewhere in the region authorities hoping to quell budding unrest are responding to citizens complaints about the lack of jobs.
It's been nine years since 11 French engineers were killed in an attack in Karachi, Pakistan. Yet the authorities are no closer to bringing anyone to account, let alone finding out the motive for the attack. Could it have been connected to France's decision to sell submarines to Pakistan's greatest rival, India?
The people of South Sudan are preparing to vote in the independence referendum. Videos made by a US Naval officer have sparked controversy. And a site which transforms the diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks into poems.
Iran launched four 120-tonne mini submarines with "excellent shallow-depth performance" on Sunday, according to local TV reports. Tehran said the subs would boost Iran's defence at a time it faces international pressure over its nuclear programme.
The big story in today’s papers is a declaration by the Budget Minister, Eric Woerth, which confirms government plans to raise the retirement age from 60. Elsewhere, French nationalists would be devastated but could the French naval vessel the Joan of Ark be dismantled in Britain? We also look at a profile of “the biggest star in the world”, Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan. WEDNESDAY, 26th MAY 2010
Ukraine's decision to extend the lease for the Russian fleet in the Crimea has been extremely controversial. However, in the port city of Sevastopol, locals are enthusiastic - the Russian naval base is the primary source of income for most of the region.
South Korea says that a North Korean submarine launched a torpedo attack to sink one of its warships last month near their disputed sea border, the Yonhap.
