France Gallery

France-Nuclear Testing-Rainbow Warrior

The French frigate "Vandemaire" (foreground) shadows "Rainbow Warrior" (R) and "Greenpeace" (L), two ships of the environmental pressure group Greenpeace, and the Cook Island schooner "Te Ka toa" (2nd-R) 30 August 1995 at the edge of the exclusion zone declared around the French nuclear testing site, Mururoa Atoll. France conducted 193 underground and atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in French Plynesia between 1966 and 27 January 1996. The first "Rainbow Warrior" ship, the Greenpeace's flagship, was bombed by the French secret service in 1985 on its way to protest nuclear testing in the Pacific. / AFP PHOTO / MARCEL MOCHET

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Cycling-Fra-Tdf2012-Pack-Postcard

The pack rides past a field of sunflowers during the 199 km and seventh stage of the 2012 Tour de France cycling race starting in Tomblaine and finishing in La Planche des Belles Filles, eastern France, on July 7, 2012. AFP PHOTO / JOEL SAGET / AFP PHOTO / JOEL SAGET

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Cycling, Field, General View, Horizontal, Illustration, Pack, Sunflower, Tour De France

France-Car Racing-Gordini

Amedee Gordini, Italian-born French sport car driver and manufacturer stands next to his racing car in the 1950s during LeMans 24 hours car race.The Gordini firm was founded by Amedee nicknamed "Le Sorcier" (The Sorcerer). At the beginning Gordini had close ties with Simca. Gordini competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1956. Later Gordini worked with Renault as an engine tuner and finally sold his firm to Renault. With a Gordini modified 1,600 cc engine, the Alpine/Renault combination continued into the 1970s, and became one of Europe's most successful championship rallying cars ? the European Championship was won in 1970 (by Jean-Claude Andruet), and the World Championship in 1971 and 1973. In 1974, Alpine was taken over by Regie Renault. AFP PHOTO / AFP PHOTO

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