Patience with horses, as Sir Michael Stoute knows, is not so much a virtue as a necessity. And one of his charges, Telescope, who missed the Derby after a disappointing training gallop, is now back in the reckoning for top contests later in the year after a thoroughly satisfactory comeback in a minor contest at Leicester.

As two-time Tour champion Alberto Contador told The Independent, “if you could pick one Tour de France to win of all of them, this would probably be it” – and there can be no doubt that the 100th edition of this race has a special feel to it.

One-time supporting act has built up the confidence to be main man for Sky as he tries to conquer the Tour, he tells Robin Scott-Elliot

The irony of the setting for an Anglo-French rally against same-sex marriage, at the foot of Nelson's Column, was not entirely lost on the crowd.

Immanuel Kant's vision of a federation of peaceful nations must have seemed like a distant dream from his idyllic Prussian village. Indeed after his death in 1804, wars would blight the continent of Europe shattering entire political systems and the millions of lives of Europeans aching for some semblance of peace and tranquillity in their lives.

In his last state ceremony as France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy led commemorations today in Paris marking the end of World War II in Europe, standing side-by-side with the man who ousted him from power.

If you drive due west from Paris, heading for the skyscrapers of La Défense, you might not realise you have left the French capital. The Arc de Triomphe remains visible in your rear-view mirror. The broad avenue ahead of you is an extension of the Champs Elysées.

From idiot abroad to Masters champion - Bubba Watson has come a long way in the last 10 months.

For over a half a century and for tens of millions of Spaniards the grainy baritone voice of the actor and film dubber Rogelio Hernandez was indistinguishable from those of some of Hollywood's greatest stars, from Marlon Brando and Tony Curtis to Richard Harris and Cary Grant.

Animal lovers have reacted with horror after a stallion was mutilated and killed in what police called a "sickening" attack, the second on a horse in the space of a week.

Two of the best-known independent cinemas in Paris have “abolished Christmas” to protest against the monopolisation of popular “art” films by the big, French cinema chains.

All is not bliss in the Elysian fields.

Accident in training is not life-threatening but is enough to end the career of trainer André Fabre's Classic winning colt

Whether you call in en route to Spain, or make a special trip, this cultured and historic city in southern France delivers a memorable stay.