The French centre’s troubles are hardly unique. Populist-right parties are surging in many democracies. Yet in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and elsewhere, centrists have found ways to beat them. Besides a willingness to sound firm on immigration and crime, politicians who vanquish populists tend to share three traits.

Paris seeks to remove Usmanov from the sanctions list in an apparent quid-pro-quo move to secure the release of detained French nationals. View on euronews

Authorities suspect sabotage caused a train derailment in northwestern France that injured 44 people after a piece of rail was found on the track. The regional train was carrying 186 passengers from Rouen to Caen when it derailed Friday evening in Cleon. One carriage tipped onto its side while four others left the tracks.