Cayenne - Off the coast of Guiana, a French overseas department perched on the north coast of South America, scientists scour the choppy waters for signs of life.

Cayenne - Customs officials caught a Polish man was after trying to smuggle nearly 100 tarantula spiders in his luggage, at Cayenne airport, French Guiana, regional officials told AFP Saturday.

Cayenne - Three soldiers have been killed and another seriously injured in an operation to destroy an illegal gold mine in French Guiana, France's Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said Thursday.

Apatou - Honda all-terrain vehicles have replaced mules as the beast of burden of choice, but the wildcat mining camps of French Guiana are governed by the same rules and violence that have marked gold rushes since the 19th century.

Kourou - Two commercial satellites have been placed in orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket but have yet to reach their correct positions, Arianespace said Thursday, after mission control briefly lost contact with the craft in a rare malfunction.

Kourou - Two commercial satellites have been placed in orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket but have yet to reach their correct position, Arianespace said Thursday, after mission control briefly lost contact with the craft.The European space workhorse blasted off at 7.

Kourou - Arianespace's mission control has "lost contact" with an Ariane 5 rocket carrying two commercial satellites after its lift-off from French Guiana, CEO Stephane Israel announced late Thursday.The European space workhorse blasted off at 7.

Kourou - An Ariane 5 rocket put four GPS satellites into orbit on Tuesday for Europe's Galileo navigation project, Arianespace said.The European space workhorse took off at 1836 GMT and deployed the satellites four hours after launch.

Kourou - French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had his "full support" in enforcing the law in Catalonia as Madrid readies to take direct control of the rebellious province.

Cayenne - President Emmanuel Macron faced demonstrations on the first day of his trip to the impoverished French territory of Guiana on Thursday where he arrived saying he was not "Father Christmas" bearing gifts from the state.

Cayenne - The movement behind social unrest that left French Guiana paralysed for almost a month has ended the protest after Paris pledged an aid package worth billions of euros.

Cayenne - The movement behind more than three weeks of social unrest in French Guiana said Monday it would press its action until the government signs a draft accord on an emergency package and reopens talks on further funds.

Cayenne - The movement behind more than two weeks of social unrest in French Guiana has called for a complete shutdown of the overseas territory from Monday, after a police officer was injured.

Kourou - Protesters withdrew from the rocket-launching space centre in French Guiana on Wednesday as the French government approved a one-billion-euro emergency package to quell a wave of strikes.The sum offered by France is below the 2.5 billion euros ($2.

Kourou - Around 30 protest leaders in French Guiana attempted to occupy a rocket-launching space centre on Tuesday, escalating demonstrations that have crippled the territory in South America for 10 days.

Kourou - The rocket launchpad in French Guiana sums up everything that angers residents in this distant outpost of France that has been paralysed by strikes.

Cayenne - Labour leaders behind massive strikes in French Guiana have rejected a billion dollar aid package offered by the French government, demanding instead $2.5 billion right away.

Cayenne - France announced a billion euros ($1.07 billion) aid for strike-hit French Guiana, as representatives of the Guianese told visiting ministers the South American territory should be given "special status".

Cayenne - Life in French Guiana was severely disrupted by a general strike on Monday that closed schools and shops and stoked fears of further instability in one of France's overseas territories.

Cayenne - French Guiana came to a standstill Sunday on the eve of a major strike which has elbowed its way into France's presidential campaign.