France's Limousin region is best known for its well-fed cows, pungent cheeses and fine porcelain. But it is also home to a network of luxury craftsmen, from glove- to shoe-makers, now looking to export their skills.

Despite his 30 years of experience, it still takes Bernard three hours to finish sowing a seam, his gnarled hands working the thick leather with a stitching awl and cobbler's thread.

A Muslim leader called Wednesday for surveillance cameras to be installed at every mosque in France following the latest in a series of attacks on Islamic places of worship.

A mosque in Limoges in the center of the country had excrement smeared on its doors overnight in an incident that reflects a growing trend, according to Abdallah Zekri, who chairs an Islamophobia Observatory set up by France's Muslim Council.