A week after thieves stormed the Louvre and ripped eight priceless pieces from France’s Crown Jewels, the country is nursing a deep cultural wound.

A woman who raped, tortured and murdered a 12-year-old girl in Paris three years ago was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.

Police officers will be stationed permanently in neighboring cells throughout Sarkozy's incarceration, France's interior minister said.

The robbery at the Louvre left behind more than broken glass. It battered the pride of a nation that is increasingly glum about itself and its direction.

Sarkozy’s election marked a generational change for France: Born in Paris in 1955, he was France’s first president with no memory of World War II. A conservative, Sarkozy beat Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal in the election's second-round run-off, thwarting her bid to become France's first woman president.

As Paris wrestles with ballooning debt and a budget impasse, two major Franco-German military projects and other E.U. integration initiatives could stall.

The country’s attachment to an early pension, seen as a fundamental right, forced a major concession by the government, allowing it to survive, for now.

The Tour de France will return to Montmartre for the final stage of the 2026 edition following this year’s success.

Gillette Stadium will play host to seven World Cup matches, the tournament running from June 11 to July 19 in 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.