PARIS

The United States ran a detention centre in Kosovo that resembled ”a smaller version of Guantánamo”, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner charged on Friday in an interview with France’s Le Monde newspaper. Alvaro Gil-Robles said he had inspected the centre in 2002 and he conditions there ”shocked” him.

France is denial about the dangers of alcoholism and alcohol abuse, linked to one in 10 deaths in the country, according to a government-commissioned report issued on Thursday. Two million French people are dependent on alcohol, and women and young adults are taking an increased share of the population of alcohol abusers, the report ”Alcoholism: Straight Talk, Simple Talk” said.

South Africa have announced that winger Breyton Paulse has been recalled for Saturday’s Test against France having been absent from their past two matches because of club commitments. Meanwhile, France coach Bernard Laporte made nine changes to his side from the team who won 43-8 against Tonga at the weekend.

France was on alert on Friday for a possible upsurge of violence as the country headed into a long holiday weekend, two weeks after rioting first broke out in a run-down suburb of Paris. Exceptional security measures were taken for Armistice Day ceremonies attended by President Jacques Chirac in the capital.

They are gathered, as every night, on the edge of the car park at the foot of the block. Far enough into the shadows not to be easily seen; close enough to the stairwell to leg it inside if the police come near. Sylla, Sossa, Karim, Rachid, Mounir and Samir are the names they give. The oldest is 21, the youngest 15.

Top-seeded Andy Roddick beat Taylor Dent 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 on Wednesday to reach the third round at the Paris Masters. Meanwhile, ninth-seeded Thomas Johansson of Sweden beat Belgium’s Kristof Vliegen 6-3, 6-2 to move into the third round. He next plays number six Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia.

Unrest spread across troubled suburbs around Paris in a sixth night of violence as police clashed with angry youths and scores of vehicles were torched in at least nine towns, officials said on Wednesday. Police fired rubber bullets at advancing gangs of youths in Aulnay-sous-Bois, where 15 cars were burned on Tuesday night, officials said.

With the spread of bird flu prompting fears of an epidemic or even pandemic that could kill humans by the million, a Chinese spice hitherto associated with the pleasures of aperitifs has suddenly assumed key medical significance. The fruit known as star anise has an ingredient vital to a drug to fight the strain of avian flu that has already killed more than 60 people in Asia.

Andy Roddick will be the top seed at the Paris Masters, tournament organisers said on Friday. The American was selected after top-ranked Roger Federer and defending champion Marat Safin both withdrew due to injury. Federer has a torn ligament in his right ankle while Safin has tendinitis in his left knee.

Tour de France organisers unveiled the 20-stage 2006 edition in Paris on Thursday which will be held next July 1-23 and totalling around 3 600km. It will be the first not to feature seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, who is now retired, but the American was a hot topic despite the presence of several of his potential successors.

Paris, mid-October: a morning of bountiful autumn sunshine that makes one happy to be alive. But we are among the dead, searching in a sector of the Père Lachaise cemetery for the grave of Poulenc. Though we aren’t going to find him here: the names, and the stars where elsewhere there are crosses, denote that this quiet corner, ”amants légendaires”, is the seventh division, the Jewish quarter, and we need to push on up the Chemin Serré.

The Nobel Prize for Literature is considered the highest accolade to which a writer can aspire, but there is a long list of justly-deserving authors who have died without winning the award. Everyone has their own favourite who never made it on to the laureates list, but there are a good many about whom no-one with an interest in fiction would disagree.

Former French health minister Bernard Kouchner, a founder of Médécins sans Frontières, said on Monday that hundreds of Africans are dying of thirst and starving in the Moroccan desert after failing in their bid to reach Europe.

Improved methods of blood doping being used on the Tour de France are almost impossible to detect, claims former United States Postal doctor Prentice Steffen. Steffen, who has hit out at under-fire Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, claims riders and their team doctors have got using the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) and blood doping down to a fine art.

London are banking on a cash bonanza from the 2012 Olympics after gaining the support from the man who helped write the International Olympic Committee (IOC) marketing handbook. Michael Payne, who helped mastermind the IOC’s rise to a billion dollar business has agreed in principle to join London 2012 as a special consultant.