France

French government no-confidence vote set for Wednesday

French members of parliament will vote Wednesday afternoon on at least one motion of no confidence that is likely to topple the French government, according to French media reports confirmed…

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What’s next in France’s political and budget crises?

France's minority government is in a precarious position, with the far-right National Rally party promising to force the collapse of Prime Minister Michel Barnier's cabinet unless it yields to its…

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France’s Barnier makes last-minute concession to far right in bid to avoid being toppled

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier made another significant concession to Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) on Monday, shelving planned cuts to medication reimbursements in a last-ditch effort to…

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French far right says government spurned budget talks

France's far-right National Rally (RN) accused the government on Sunday of rejecting its budget demands, increasing the likelihood of a no-confidence vote that could oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier. RN…

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UPDATED: Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris set to reopen

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit renovation works at Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral on Friday ahead of its reopening on Dec. 7, five and a half years after a devastating fire…

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France arrests 26 for smuggling migrants from Indian sub-continent

A French-led investigation, supported by Europol, has resulted in the dismantling of a large criminal network comprising several small criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling and money laundering. The extensive…

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French government chances of survival weaken

The French Socialist Party confirmed on Wednesday that it plans to vote to topple the government following an hour-long meeting with Barnier. Patrick Kanner, leader of the Socialist group in…

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French prosecutor calls for jail term for Marine Le Pen

The Paris prosecutor called for a five-year prison term and a five-year ban from holding public office for far-right leader Marine Le Pen, in a trial where she and 24…

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New EU sanctions on violent Israeli settlers could happen soon, France says

France's foreign minister said on Monday that a new round of sanctions targeting violent Israeli settlers could happen soon. "We were instrumental in setting up the (EU) sanctions regime that…

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Majority of French think current democratic system does not work

Most people in France think the Fifth Republic's democratic system does not work, said a survey from a government-advisory body, highlighting the country's lingering malaise following general elections this summer…

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French police search for a 17-day-old baby abducted from maternity ward

French authorities were hunting Tuesday for a 17-day-old prematurely born baby boy who was abducted from the maternity ward of a Paris-region hospital, with his parents identified as the chief…

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French government tightens belt in budget for 2025

France's government delivered its 2025 budget on Thursday, proposing 60 billion euros ($65.68 billion) in tax hikes and spending cuts to address a growing fiscal deficit. Prime Minister Michel Barnier's…

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Son of Osama bin Laden deported from France, barred from returning

A son of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden has been deported from France, where he lived for years painting landscapes in a Normandy village, and barred from returning after…

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UPDATED: 31-year treasure hunt comes to an end as Chouette d’Or found

A 31 year treasure hunt appears to have come to an end, after an announcement in France that a buried statuette of a golden owl has finally been unearthed. “We…

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France sends helicopter carrier to eastern Mediterranean

A French helicopter carrier will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the next five to six days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign…

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I chose freedom over justice, Julian Assange tells European lawmakers

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Tuesday that he was freed after years of incarceration because he “pled guilty to journalism.” Assange gave evidence of the impact of his detention and…

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France Set for Tougher Immigration and Security Measures Amid Rightward Shift

France is on the brink of implementing significantly tougher immigration and security policies, reflecting a broad societal shift to the right, according to the country's newly appointed interior minister, Bruno…

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After negotiating Brexit, Michel Barnier tasked with propping up Macron

After making his name negotiating Brexit, one of the messiest muddles Brussels has faced in recent years, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier now faces an equally daunting task: running a…

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Michel Barnier: Key facts about France’s new prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed the European Union's former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as his new prime minister on Thursday in a bid to end political paralysis following an inconclusive…

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France’s Macron names former Brexit negotiator Barnier as new prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier, the European Union's former Brexit negotiator, as his new prime minister on Thursday, in a bid to put an end to political paralysis…

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Telegram’s Durov charged in probe into organized crime on app

A French judge put Telegram boss Pavel Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday in a probe into organized crime on the messaging app, but granted the entrepreneur bail on condition…

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UPDATED: Russia and France relations at their “lowest” level following the arrest of Telegram boss

The relationship between Russia and France is at its “lowest” level following the arrest of Telegram boss Pavel Durov in Paris over the weekend, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said.…

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Political crisis in France continues as Macron refuses leftist prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron ruled out naming a prime minister from the leftist New Popular Front alliance and will instead start a new round of consultations on Tuesday with parties…

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Telegram says arrested CEO Durov has ‘nothing to hide’

Messaging app Telegram has said its CEO Pavel Durov, who was detained in France on Saturday, has "nothing to hide". Mr Durov was arrested at an airport north of Paris…

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Vandals attack French telecoms lines days after rail sabotage

Vandals attacked telecoms lines in parts of France overnight, disrupting some fixed and mobile services, the junior minister for digital matters, Marina Ferrari, said on X on Monday. A police…

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Eurostar cancels a quarter of all services, urges against travel

Eurostar said it would cancel a quarter of all services on its network and asked passengers to postpone their travel where possible on Friday after its rail services between London…

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Arson attacks hit France’s train network hours before Olympic ceremony

Saboteurs attacked France's TGV high-speed train network in coordinated actions that caused chaos on the country's busiest rail lines ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. The action…

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French police arrest man who planned attack during Olympics

French police have arrested a man in the Bordeaux, southwest France, area who planned an attack during the Olympics, a security source told Reuters on Tuesday, confirming a report in…

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UPDATED: Attacker injures a police officer in central Paris

French police arrested on Friday a man on terrorism charges accused of trying to murder a taxi driver with a knife while expressing support for Palestinian militant group Hamas, a…

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French government resigns, stays on for now in caretaker role

French centrist Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and his government resigned on Tuesday, but will stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is appointed following an inconclusive snap…

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French left targets speaker role as struggles to form government

Some lawmakers in France's left-wing bloc argue that they should aim to secure the speaker's role to demonstrate their influence over parliament, despite lacking a majority and struggling to form…

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Macron Calls for Unity in Letter to French People

Three days after France's snap parliamentary elections failed to produce an absolute majority, President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation in a letter published on the media. With the left-wing Nouveau…

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Key figures to know in the left-wing New Popular Front bloc

France's left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), an alliance of parties hastily assembled after President Emmanuel Macron called a surprise snap parliamentary election, scored a shock win in Sunday's vote over…

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France election: political leaders react to upset result

Following are reactions to the upset results of France's parliamentary election on Sunday. The country was on course for a hung parliament with the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coming…

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French voters deliver a win for the left, a blow for Le Pen and a hung parliament

France faced potential political deadlock after elections on Sunday threw up a hung parliament, with a leftist alliance unexpectedly taking the top spot but no group winning a majority. Voters…

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Challenges and Uncertainties in France’s Second Round of Parliamentary Election

Here's how the second round of France's parliamentary election on July 7 will work and the possible scenarios after official results showed Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party…

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French election run-off: How does it work and what to look out for

The second round run-off vote in France's parliamentary election on Sunday may lead to a hung parliament with no clear majority, opinion polls show, unless the far right wins enough…

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France to deploy more police to prevent trouble after Sunday election

Some 30,000 police will be deployed across France late on Sunday following the high-stakes runoff of a parliamentary election to ensure there is no trouble, a minister said, as two…

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France’s political alliances and their election pledges

France's political parties have scrambled to form political alliances after President Emmanuel Macron's surprise move to call a parliamentary election, reshaping the political landscape into three large blocs. From the…

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National Rally to fall short of absolute majority in French parliamentary elections, poll shows

France's far-right National Rally (RN) party will likely fall short of an absolute majority in forthcoming parliamentary elections, OpinionWay said in a poll for business daily Les Echos published on…

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Lourdes won’t remove mosaics by priest accused of abuse, for now

The sanctuary of Lourdes, one of the world's most popular Catholic pilgrimage sites, will not for the moment remove mosaics made by a prominent Slovenian Jesuit priest accused of sexual…

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Far right wins first round in France election

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party scored historic gains to win the first round of France's parliamentary election on Sunday, exit polls showed, but the final result will…

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France’s far-right National Rally seen winning 37% of vote in first election round

An opinion poll published in the newspaper Les Echos on Friday showed that French far-right party National Rally (RN) might win as much as 37% of the popular vote, two…

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French far right dominates polls three days ahead of snap elections

France's political future was up in the air Thursday with the far-right surging in polls but other forces fighting to the end three days before a high-stakes parliamentary vote. Depending…

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YouGov Poll: UK and France Lead European Pessimism

Britons are the most likely of seven European nations to say their country is in a sorry state, but the French are the most likely to think things will get…

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Macron warns podcast of ‘civil war’ risk as French elections loom

French President Emmanuel Macron told a podcast episode shown on Monday that both the far right National Rally (RN) party and the left-wing New Popular Front coalition - front runners…

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What’s at stake in Macron’s shock snap election call?

In a high-risk gamble, President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he would dissolve France's parliament and call legislative elections later this month after he was trounced in European elections by…

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Campaigning kicks off in France for snap election

Campaigning kicked off on Monday for France's snap parliamentary election which opinion polls suggest the far-right National Rally will win, with President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance coming third, behind a…

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France’s left pledges to tie wages to inflation, lower retirement age in new alliance

France's leftwing parties will reveal the political manifesto for their renewed alliance on Friday, which politicians from the bloc said included policies that would lower the retirement age, link salaries…

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Macron defends his shock call for a snap election

President Emmanuel Macron defended on Wednesday his shock call for a snap election after the far right's strong showing in last weekend's European vote. Here are some key quotes from…

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Macron says he won’t resign, regardless of the outcome of the French election

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said he would not resign “whatever the result” of the upcoming French parliamentary elections. Macron called the election on Sunday night, in response to…

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French parties rush to seek alliances ahead of snap election

French political parties were rushing to try and find potential new alliances on Tuesday ahead of a snap election which opinion polls show Marine Le Pen's far-right party is likely…

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France enters election mode after far-right win in European Parliament vote

France began to gear up for elections on Monday, after President Emmanuel Macron called a shock snap legislative election following a bruising loss in the European Parliament vote to the…

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Emmanuel Macron dissolves parliament calls snap election

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would dissolve the national assembly, arguing: "I can't pretend that nothing has happened." His centrist Renew party was handed a heavy blow by…

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The live commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings

Events are taking place in France and the UK to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France.In Normandy, the King Charles spoke of the "supreme test" of…

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World leaders, veterans, commemorate D-Day’s 80th anniversary in Normandy

Veterans and world leaders meet in Normandy on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings, when more than 150,000 Allied soldiers arrived in France…

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A quick look: D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in history

D-Day was the Allied troops invasion in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, having been delayed by 24 hours because of poor weather, to fight Nazi Germany in World War…

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