
-
Altomare hangs on to tie defending champ Korda at LPGA Match Play
-
Paraguay gold rush leaves tea producers bitter
-
Health concerns swirl as Bolivian city drowns in rubbish
-
Syria says deadly Israeli strikes a 'blatant violation'
-
Financial markets tumble after Trump tariff announcement
-
Starbucks faces new hot spill lawsuits weeks after $50mn ruling
-
Europe riled, but plans cool-headed response to Trump's tariffs
-
'Shenmue' voted most influential video game ever in UK poll
-
New coal capacity hit 20-year low in 2024: report
-
Revealed: Why monkeys are better at yodelling than humans
-
Key details on Trump's market-shaking tariffs
-
'A little tough love': Top quotes from Trump tariff talk
-
US business groups voice dismay at Trump's new tariffs
-
Grealish dedicates Man City goal to late brother
-
US tariffs take aim everywhere, including uninhabited islands
-
Trump sparks trade war with sweeping global tariffs
-
Israeli strikes hit Damascus, central Syria; monitor says 4 dead
-
Slot 'hates' offside rule that gave Liverpool win over Everton
-
US stocks end up, but volatility ahead after latest Trump tariffs
-
Barca oust Atletico to set up Clasico Copa del Rey final
-
Mourinho grabs Galatasaray coach's face after losing Istanbul derby
-
Grealish strikes early as Man City move up to fourth in Premier League
-
Reims edge out fourth-tier Cannes to set up PSG French Cup final
-
Liverpool beat Everton as title looms, Man City win without Haaland
-
Jota wins bad-tempered derby as Liverpool move 12 points clear
-
Inter and Milan level in derby Italian Cup semi
-
Stuttgart beat Leipzig to reach German Cup final
-
Trump unveils sweeping global tariffs
-
Italian director Nanni Moretti in hospital after heart attack: media
-
LIV Golf stars playing at Doral with Masters on their minds
-
Trump unveils sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Most deadly 2024 hurricane names retired from use: UN agency
-
Boeing chief reports progress to Senate panel after 'serious missteps'
-
Is Musk's political career descending to Earth?
-
On Mexico-US border, Trump's 'Liberation Day' brings fears for future
-
Starbucks faces new hot spill lawsuit weeks after $50mn ruling
-
Ally of Pope Francis elected France's top bishop
-
'Determined' Buttler leads Gujarat to IPL win over Bengaluru
-
US judge dismisses corruption case against New York mayor
-
Left-wing party pulls ahead in Greenland municipal elections
-
Blistering Buttler leads Gujarat to IPL win over Bengaluru
-
Tesla sales slump as pressure piles on Musk
-
Amazon makes last-minute bid for TikTok: report
-
Canada Conservative leader warns Trump could break future trade deal
-
British band Muse cancels planned Istanbul gig
-
'I'll be back' vows Haaland after injury blow
-
Trump to unveil 'Liberation Day' tariffs as world braces
-
New coach Edwards adamant England can win women's cricket World Cup
-
Military confrontation 'almost inevitable' if Iran nuclear talks fail: French FM
-
US stocks advance ahead of looming Trump tariffs

Paris police chief admits security 'failure' at European final
The head of Paris police acknowledged Thursday the "failure" of security operations for the Champions League final last month where crowd problems, tear-gas and street crime marred the biggest night in European club football.
"It is obviously a failure," Didier Lallement told a commission investigating the fiasco at the French Senate. "It was a failure because people were pushed around and attacked. It's a failure because the image of the country was undermined."
Lallement and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin have been under severe pressure since the May 28 game after they initially blamed the chaos on as many as 40,000 Liverpool fans at the stadium without tickets or with counterfeit tickets.
The figure has been widely disputed since by witnesses and media using images from the ground, leading Lallement to face repeated questions from senators who grew frustrated at his responses.
"Perhaps I made a mistake with the figure I gave to the minister," he said, saying he had based his estimate on the numbers of people using public transport and from feedback from the ground. "I never claimed that it was absolutely accurate."
He admitted there were not 30-40,000 "at the gates of the stadium" but maintained that many thousands were "in the vicinity" of police checkpoints at the Stade de France to the north of the capital.
Many Liverpool supporters struggled to enter the stadium, leading to kick-off to be delayed by more than half an hour and crushes at the entry gates, where police fired teargas.
Fans also complained about bottlenecks leading up to the stadium created by police, but Lallement said the checkpoints were anti-terror measures "for a risk that is still real".
The government's initial decision to blame Liverpool fans for the problems caused tensions between France and Britain, while questions have also been raised about the capacity of Paris to host the rugby World Cup next year and the Olympic Games in 2024.
- Street crime -
Lallement said he was "sorry" for authorising the use of tear gas to move supporters away from the stadium before the game, which affected mostly Liverpool fans including children and disabled people.
"We needed to get people to move back," Lallement explained. "We asked people to move back, then we used tear-gas... it's the only way to our knowledge of moving a crowd back, except for a baton charge."
His decisions that night had saved lives, he argued, saying: "I would do the same thing again."
"The line running through my actions is to avoid people dying," he told the commission.
Lallement was also asked to explain why frustrated rail passengers had been tear-gassed at a Paris station last weekend after their trains were cancelled.
He encouraged supporters from Liverpool and Real Madrid to file complaints if they were victims of counterfeited tickets or street crime outside the stadium "so that we can find the guilty parties and prosecute them".
Around 300-400 "delinquents" were outside the stadium, Lallement estimated, with many fans reporting being robbed or physically assaulted as they left after the game, which Real Madrid won 1-0.
The mayor of the Liverpool city region Steve Rotheram is due to testify to the Senate commission later Thursday.
He was a victim of pickpockets after the game, losing his phone and possessions.
Rotheram said he was "outraged by the treatment of Liverpool fans at the hands of the French police", accusing them of "looking for conflict".
S.Gregor--AMWN