France

NATO to investigate Mediterranean incident between French, Turkish warships

NATO will investigate French accusations that Turkey's navy failed to respond to an allied call to inspect a vessel this month in the Mediterranean, the alliance chief said on Thursday,…

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Eiffel Tower to re-open

The Eiffel Tower is preparing to welcome back visitors after the COVID-19 lockdown, but they will need to be fit: because of lingering concerns about infection, the elevators will initially…

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French finance minister calls on Air France not to make compulsory job cuts

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday called on Air France not to make compulsory job cuts but declined to confirm media reports saying the airline was planning to…

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Photo Story: French President Macron marks General de Gaulle WW2 speech anniversary

The Patrouille de France performs the traditional annual ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle's appeal to the French people to resist the Nazi occupation during the World…

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Reports Turkish warship harassed French ship off the coast of Libya

A senior Turkish military official said on it was "completely untrue" that the Turkish navy had harassed a French warship, denying an assertion by a French official. Earlier on Wednesday,…

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Actress Emma Watson joins board of French Gucci owner Kering

British actress Emma Watson, famed for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter film series, and former Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam are set to join the board of French luxury…

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7.8 million French on temporary unemployment packages at end-May

Around 7.8 million French people were on temporary unemployment packages at the end of May, said French jobs minister Muriel Penicaud on Wednesday. Penicaud also told Radio Classique that the…

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France gives its drugs industry a shot in the arm to tackle pandemic

France's president and top drugmaker announced plans to bolster domestic production of medicines as countries scramble to strengthen their healthcare industries to counter the coronavirus pandemic. Drugmaker Sanofi, which is…

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Violence erupts between rival Chechen gangs in Dijon

Armed police were deployed in part of Dijon, eastern France, after violence erupted between rival gangs for a fourth night running. Cars were torched and wheelie bins set alight late on…

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France has millions of unsold masks after virus crisis

The French praised the altruism of their prized textile and luxury goods companies when production facilities got diverted from churning out the latest fashions to making cloth masks designed to…

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France expects AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be shared pro rata

A deal between AstraZeneca and France over potential COVID-19 vaccines foresees doses being split between countries on a pro-rata basis based on population, a source at the French President's office…

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French health minister: Worst of epidemic is behind us but virus not dead

The worst part of the coronavirus epidemic is behind France, but people must remain vigilant as the virus continues to circulate, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Monday. "The largest…

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Photo Story: French police hold demonstration at Trocadero Square in Paris

French Police officers on Sunday evening gathered in front of the Eiffel tower to protest against French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner's reforms, including ditching a controversial chokehold method of arrest…

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From Covid-19 to anti-racism – Macron addresses France

French President Emmanuel Macron gave a televised national address amid mounting pressure over his government’s handling of the pandemic. The Sunday night speech was his fourth since the start of…

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France looks to insure businesses for future pandemics

France's private insurers would provide business-interruption cover of up to 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) a year in total for small companies hit by the fallout of any future pandemics,…

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France to reopen borders outside Schengen zone from July 1

France will gradually reopen its borders to countries outside the Schengen zone from July 1, the interior and foreign ministers said in a joint statement on Friday. France 24 reports Foreign…

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Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva to leave PSG after Champions League conclusion

Paris St Germain’s record goalscorer Edinson Cavani and captain Thiago Silva will leave the club after the conclusion of the Champions League campaign, the Ligue 1 side’s sporting director has…

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Air France accelerates resumption of summer flight schedules

Air France announced on Friday it was accelerating moves to resume flights over the summer holiday period, as countries around the world look to slowly reopen their borders and economies…

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Photo Story: Floods in Corsica

Submerged cars remain in the middle of a flooded area after heavy rainfalls in Ajaccio, Corsica island, France. Corsica is under orange alert due to severe weather conditions. EPA-EFE/MICHEL…

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France should speed up return to business activity, says French Finance Minister

France should speed up its gradual return to work and business activity, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday as new data showed the economy lost half a…

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Agfa Gevaert announces two factory closures in France and UK

Agfa Gevaert today announced its intention to close its printing plate factories in Pont-à-Marcq (France) and Leeds (United Kingdom). Faced with a significant and structural decline in demand in the…

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France may end COVID-19 emergency health measures on July 10

The French government is considering whether to end emergency health measures imposed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic on July 10, the Prime Minister's department said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Edouard…

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Eiffel Tower will reopen to public on June 25

The Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited sites in Paris, will reopen to the public on June 25 more than three months after shuttering in France's coronavirus lockdown, its…

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France promises zero tolerance over racism in police force

France has vowed "zero tolerance" over racism among its enforcement authorities after George Floyd's death in the US raised alarm bells on the European continent. The country's interior minister, Christophe…

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Delicate work of dismantling Notre-Dame’s charred scaffolding begins

Work started on the the charred remains of scaffolding that melted atop Notre-Dame when the cathedral went up in flames, with workers beginning the delicate job of dismantling the 200…

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France coronavirus death toll rose at a slower rate

France's coronavirus death toll, the fifth-highest in the world, rose more slowly on Saturday, while the number of people in intensive care continued to fall, government data showed. The number…

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Few to mourn the D-Day dead in Normandy

This year’s 76th anniversary since that fateful June 6 on France’s Normandy beaches, when allied troops in 1944 turned the course of World War II and went on to defeat…

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French forces kill Al-Qaeda chief in north Africa

French forces have killed al Qaeda's North Africa chief Abdelmalek Droukdel in northern Mali, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on Friday. "On June 3, French army forces with the…

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Covid-19 “under control” in France

The Covid-19 pandemic is now “under control” in France, the head of the government’s scientific advisory council has said, as the country cautiously lifts a lockdown imposed in March. Jean-Francois…

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France cancels July 14 military parade over Covid-19

France's Bastille Day military parade marking its national day will be replaced by a ceremony on the Place de la Concorde square in central Paris, President Emmanuel Macron's office said…

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Renault finalises 5 billion euros credit facility with French state

Carmaker Renault finalised on Wednesday a 5 billion euros ($5.60 billion) credit facility with the French government, strengthening Renault's finances in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which has ravaged…

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European cloud computing platform taking shape

A proposed European cloud computing platform that seeks to break the continent's reliance on Silicon Valley will take shape in the coming weeks when a group of 22 French and…

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Tensions rise in Paris over the death of a black Frenchman in 2016

Police in riot gear drove back demonstrators with tear gas as the protesters demanded justice on Tuesday for the death of black Frenchman Adama Traore killed in 2016. Earlier on…

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France eases lockdown rules further as restaurants re-open today

Today marked the beginning of the second phase of easing lockdown rules in France, after a first set of measures were removed on 11th May. The changes including the re-opening…

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French manufacturing slump eases in May, but still dire

France's manufacturing activity rose in May as the country began to emerge from a nearly two-month coronavirus lockdown, pulling the sector out of a nosedive that had seen activity hit…

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French coronavirus cases continue to decline

France's coronavirus case numbers are continuing to decline, health officials said on Saturday, with 14,380 patients currently in hospital, down from 14,695 a day earlier. The number of COVID-19 patients…

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Louvre in Paris to re-open on July 6

The Louvre museum in Paris on Friday said it was planning to re-open its doors on July 6 following new steps announced by French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe to ease…

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Photo Story: The new face of dining out in Paris

French Designer Christophe Gernigon (R) tries out his creation Plex'Eat, plexiglas bubble which surrounds customers to protect them from the covid-19 infection during a press presentation at the H.A.N.D restaurant…

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French economy shrinks at fastest pace in 50 years; worse to come

France's economy contracted less than initially thought in the first quarter but it still plunged deep into recession and the worst is yet to come, official data showed on Friday.…

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Restaurants, bars, cafés and parks can reopen in all areas of France from June 2, with some restrictions

France on Thursday announced the long-awaited nationwide reopening of bars, restaurants and cafes from June 2, albeit with restrictions, and lifted limitations on domestic travel in time for the summer…

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French carmaker PSA to make surgical masks at Mulhouse site

French carmaker PSA said on Thursday that it would start manufacturing surgical masks at its site in Mulhouse in eastern France from August. The company said it would have a…

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Number of unemployed in France passes 4.5 million

The number of people in France looking for jobs surged in April by 22.6% to a record high as a nationwide coronavirus lockdown shut down swathes of the economy, Labour Ministry data…

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French economy could contract 20% in second quarter

France’s economy is on course to contract 20% in the second quarter from the previous three months as the country emerges from a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the INSEE official statistics…

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French consortium steps up plans for saliva-based COVID-19 screening test

A French consortium said on Wednesday that it was stepping up its previously announced plans for a saliva-based screening test to detect COVID-19, by joining up with medical laboratory and…

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Alarm at Covid-linked Mediterranean pollution

Video shot by a French environmental NGO in the Mediterranean Sea shows masks and gloves littering the seabed. Opération mer propre (Operation clean sea) is trying to clean up the…

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Air France-KLM seeks to cut staff

Air France-KLM has started talks with unions to reduce staff as part of a restructuring to be unveiled in the coming months -- a plan that also calls for a…

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Macron announces plan to rescue French auto industry

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday unveiled a plan worth €8 billion ($8.8 billion) to save the country’s car industry from huge losses wrought by virus lockdowns, including a big…

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France wants citizens to stay home and avoid travel for summer – Environment Minister

France wants its citizens to stay at home for their summer holidays and avoid foreign travel, Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne said in an interview with France Inter radio. However, Borne…

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Return to prayer

The priest Gil Florini celebrates mass at the Saint-Pierre d'Arene church in Nice, France, 24 May 2020. Churches have reopened their doors to the public after the French government announced…

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France allows religious gatherings to resume

France is to allow the resumption of religious gatherings after a two-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, but worshippers will have to wear face masks, the French interior ministry…

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France to quarantine visitors from the UK

France has announced it will bring in a “reciprocal” 14-day quarantine for all visitors from the UK on the same day the UK imposes quarantine on all those coming into…

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France to hold final round of local elections on June 28

France will hold a final round of mayoral elections on June 28 after suspending voting due to the coronavirus, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said Friday, adding that the plans…

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French finance minister warns Renault could disappear and must adapt

Renault could disappear if it does not get help very soon to cope with the fallout from the coronavirus crisis, France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday, while…

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France’s daily Covid-19 toll drops below 100 as hospitalisations continue to fall

French health authorities reported 83 new coronavirus deaths on Thursday, an increase of 0.3% over 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities in hospitals and nursing homes to 28,215.…

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France mulls holding final round of local elections in June

The French government is considering holding the final round of mayoral elections at the end of June or redoing the elections completely in January 2021, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told…

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French riot police deployed as youths set cars ablaze in Paris suburbs

Riot police were deployed in force as youths set cars ablaze in some low-income housing estates in the Paris suburbs overnight, online news reports and postings on Twitter showed on…

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Macron’s ruling party suffers split

Defectors from Emmanuel Macron's ruling party announced the creation of a new group in France's lower house of parliament on Tuesday, depriving the president of an outright majority and raising…

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