France, prized by tourists for its historical treasures, loses at least half a million buried archaeological items to pillagers each year, a group fighting the practice said Wednesday.

Jean-David Desforges, head of the French association Stop the Pillage of Archeological and Historical Heritage, told a conference that many objects from ancient Gaul, and Nazi artifacts from World War II were illegally dug up and sold by thousands of prospectors using metal detectors.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius hit back at the Syrian regime Wednesday, saying the international peace talks are aimed at finding a transition government for the country, not about making "unfounded accusations" of terrorism.

"This is not a matter of having a general discussion about Syria, hurling abuse or slogans, nor a way to gain time nor to make speeches repeating the word terrorism," Fabius told the Syrian regime in his address at the conference.

A Spanish plan to tighten abortion laws will take women back to the Stone Age, French Social Affairs Minister Marisol Touraine said Tuesday.

Her broadside came amid a debate on a controversial new abortion law in France that would scrap a requirement for women to prove they are in distress to legally terminate a pregnancy.

Five members of the U.N. mission in Mali were injured Monday when their vehicle ran over a landmine planted in the northeastern rebel bastion of Kidal, the stabilization mission said.

"This (Monday) morning a MINUSMA (U.N. stabilization mission in Mali) vehicle ran over a mine" 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Kidal, the statement sent via Twitter said.

Malian soldiers and international forces paraded through the capital Bamako on Monday during a public holiday marking the 53rd anniversary of the founding of the west African nation's army.

Malian soldiers were joined in the Boulevard de l'Independance by U.N. peacekeepers, members of the European Union mission training Mali's army and troops from Operation Serval, France's military mission which ousted armed jihadists from its former colony last year.

French President Francois Hollande said Monday his partner Valerie Trierweiler is doing "better" and "resting" following a week's stay in hospital after his affair with an actress was made public.

A journalist asked how Trierweiler was during a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague, where Hollande is on his first trip abroad since news of the affair broke.

Iran must openly support the creation of a Syrian transitional government if it wants a seat at this week's peace talks in Geneva, France's foreign minister warned on Monday.

"Participation in Geneva II is conditional upon explicitly accepting" the goals set out in the U.N. invitation to the talks, namely "the establishment of a transitional government in Syria with full executive powers," Laurent Fabius said in a statement.

River levels were receding early on Monday in southeastern France after "historic" floods left two people dead and more than 150 were airlifted to safety.

A third man disappeared while out on his boat and 4,000 homes have been left without power after the deluge in the department of Var, they said.

One man died Sunday and more than 150 people had to be airlifted to safety after floods struck southeastern France, local authorities said.

A second man disappeared while out on his boat and 4,000 homes have been left without power after the inundations in the department of Var, they said.

Thousands of people protested abortion in France in a Paris rally Sunday on the eve of a parliamentary debate on a bill that would make terminations of pregnancy easier.

Organizers, among them rightwing religious groups, anti-gay activists and associations for handicapped children, claimed 40,000 people took part. Police put their number at 16,000.