Islamic State claims responsibility for Paris attacks

Islamic State claimed responsibility on Saturday for attacks that killed 127 people in Paris, saying it sent fighters strapped with suicide bombing belts and carrying machine guns to various locations in the heart of the capital.

The attacks were designed to show France would remain a top target for the jihadist group as long as the country continued its current policies, the group said in a statement.

Few dissenting voices as France curbs rights after massacre

France calls itself "the homeland of human rights" but has focussed in the past week on limiting them as the government pushed through sweeping curbs on basic freedoms in the wake of the Paris massacre.

In the edgy days since jihadists killed 130 people on Nov. 13, the government declared a "war on terrorism", extended its initial post-attack state of emergency for three months and laid out plans to write further restrictions into the constitution.

Civil libertarians protest that the crackdown could leave fundamental rights curtailed even after the crisis has past.