Two dead and hundreds arrested in France after PSG win soccer Champions League

PARIS — Two fans died and a police officer is in a coma after mass nationwide celebrations for Paris Saint-Germain’s historic Champions League victory, European soccer’s biggest prize, French authorities said Sunday.

A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the city of Dax during a PSG street party after Saturday night’s final in Munich, the national police service said. A man was killed in Paris when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations, the interior minister’s office said. The circumstances of both are being investigated.

A police officer was hit accidentally by fireworks in Coutance in northwest France and placed in an artificial coma because of grave eye injuries, the national police service said.

Hundreds of people were arrested in the celebrations, which were largely peaceful but degenerated into violence in some areas.

The team is expected to return to a big parade on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday after clinching its first Champions League title, a 5-0 win over Inter Milan.

At the top of the Champs-Élysées avenue, a water cannon was used to protect the Place de l’Étoile, near the landmark Arc de Triomphe. Police said a large crowd not watching the match tried to push through a barrier to make contact with police.

By 2 a.m. Sunday, a total of 294 arrests had been made, including 30 people who broke into a shoe shop on the Champs-Élysées. Two cars were set alight close to Parc des Princes, police added.

At the Place de la Bastille, there were joyous scenes as fans climbed onto the base of the famous column, singing, dancing and letting off flares, while those around joined in.

At one point, motorbikes loudly revved their engines and the crowd cheered as they did laps around the column. There were no police nearby and, by 1 a.m., the atmosphere was upbeat with no tensions and plenty of singing.

Security had been tightened up in anticipation of potential post-match violence and 5,400 police officers were deployed on the Champs-Élysées, other key parts of Paris, and its nearby suburbs.

 

Michigan judge dismisses charges against 15 pro-Trump ‘fake electors’

A Michigan judge has dismissed criminal charges against 15 people who signed false certificates saying Donald Trump won the state's electoral votes in 2020.

BLS revision shows hiring was overstated by 911,000 jobs in past year

The U.S. likely added 900,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months ending in March than had been reported, according to a preliminary Labor Department report.

Israel says it carried out a strike on Hamas’ main political office in Qatar

The Israeli military says it has carried out an airstrike on Hamas political headquarters in Qatar. Television footage from Doha showed a huge cloud of gray smoke rising over the area of Doha where the bombing took place.

New books out today: A Dan Brown thriller, John Prine bio, and World Wide Web memoir

New books this week include Secret of Secrets — the sixth installment of The Da Vinci Code saga, plus a tech memoir from Tim Berners-Lee and a career-spanning anthology from Terry McMillan.

‘We just want to get to the truth’: Jabari Peoples’ family still seeking answers

Eighteen-year-old Jabari Peoples was shot and killed by a Homewood police officer earlier this year. His family is still reeling from the loss and maintain their disagreement with police’s account of the incident.

Here’s what happens when private equity buys homes in your neighborhood

What makes rents go down and neighborhood diversity go up? Corporate landlords. But they also make it harder to own for yourself.

More Front Page Coverage