France

Putin allies tell Macron: Any French troops you send to Ukraine will suffer fate of Napoleon’s army

By Andrew Osborn Macron troop comments anger Russia Putin allies liken him to Napoleon Moscow portrays Macron as reckless Notes other Western countries baulked (Reuters) - Allies of Russian President…

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France’s Macron does not rule out Europeans sending troops to Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron opened the door on Monday to European nations sending troops to Ukraine, although he cautioned that there was no consensus at this stage as allies agreed…

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Strike closes Eiffel Tower in blow to tourists ahead of Paris Olympics

The Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited tourist sites in the world, closed on Monday as staff went on strike in protest against the way the Paris monument is…

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Former Frontex chief joins French far-right RN party

The former director of the European Union's border agency Frontex said he will run in the June European elections on the list of French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN). Fabrice…

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Private sector should foot climate bill, French finance minister says

Funding to combat climate change needs to come from the private sector as there is no more public financing available from France or other European Union countries, French Finance Minister…

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Britain, France lead 35 nation agreement on controlling spyware, mercenary hackers

Countries led by Britain, France and the United States and tech firms including Google, Microsoft and Meta on Tuesday signed a joint statement recognising the need for more action to…

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Bike-friendly Paris votes to triple parking fees for SUVs

By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - Parisians voted in a referendum on Sunday in favour of subjecting large SUVs to a threefold increase in parking charges as the French capital…

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Bike-friendly Paris votes on raising parking fees for SUVs

PARIS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Paris holds a referendum on Sunday asking Parisians whether the city should impose a parking surcharge on large SUVs, as the French capital pushes on…

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French food industry lobby sees 0-1% price cuts after talks with retailers

PARIS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The head of French food industry lobby ANIA said on Thursday that the latest round of negotiations between retailers and large consumer goods companies was…

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Farmers in Europe step up protests against rising costs, green rules

PARIS/BRUSSELS, Jan 31 (Reuters) - French and Belgian farmers set up dozens of blockades on highways and on access roads to a major container port on Wednesday to press governments…

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France to push for EU law changes as farmers block Paris highways

France to push for EU law change at summit Farmers block main highways around Paris French farmers step up pressure on government Belgian farmers also protesting in Brussels PARIS, Jan…

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France to reform parental leave after births hit post-war low

2023 births lowest since World War Two France has typically had high birth rate, supported by benefits Economic, social concerns weigh on birth rate By Leigh Thomas PARIS, (Reuters) -…

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Gabriel Attal: five things to know about France’s young, openly gay prime minister

Emmanuel Macron appointed 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal as his new prime minister on Tuesday. Here are five things you should know about Attal: * At 34, Gabriel Attal is…

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UPDATED – Gabriel Attal becomes France’s youngest PM as Macron seeks reset

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal as his new prime minister on Tuesday, seeking to breathe new life into his second mandate ahead of European parliament elections. The…

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Floods and snow hit Northwest Europe after latest Atlantic storm

By Pascal Rossignol Parts of Europe hit by heavy rain or snow Temperatures fall in northern Scandinavia Flooding affects travel in some areas ARQUES, France, (Reuters) - Parts of northwestern…

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HSBC completes sale of retail banking business in France

HSBC subsidiary HSBC Continental Europe (HBCE) has completed the sale of its retail banking business in France to Crédit Commercial de France (CCF), a subsidiary of My Money Group, the…

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Paris faces major security challenges in first post-Covid Games

By Karolos Grohmann The International Olympic Committee (IOC) hopes the 2024 Paris Games will be the "light at the end of the tunnel" after two COVID-hit Olympics but organisers face…

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France to step up security measures for New Year’s celebrations

PARIS, Dec 29 (Reuters) - France will have large numbers of police and soldiers deployed for this weekend's New Year's celebrations due to the 'very high' terrorist threat facing the…

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Four children and their mother murdered in France

Police in France on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of murdering his wife and four children in a knife attack early on Christmas Day, a public prosecutor said.Their bodies were…

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French city of Montpellier makes public transport free for all residents

The French city of Montpellier this week became the latest European metropolis to allow all its residents to ride public transport for free. The entire European country of Luxembourg including…

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Eurotunnel ends strike, cross-Channel traffic to resume gradually after major disruptions

Traffic on the cross-Channel Eurotunnel will gradually resume following an agreement with unions, Eurotunnel said, after a strike by French workers interrupted traffic on the undersea link between Britain and…

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Tougher French immigration bill passes, Macron’s parliament majority wobbles

By Elizabeth Pineau and Michel Rose French lawmakers gave their final approval to a contested bill that toughens rules for immigrants on Tuesday, giving President Emmanuel Macron a policy victory…

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French lower house rejects Macron’s immigration bill

French lawmakers sent the government's immigration bill back to the drawing board on Monday in a surprise move that cut short debates at the lower house and dealt a blow…

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Paris’ Louvre museum to hike ticket prices by 29%

The Louvre art museum in Paris will hike its basic entrance fee next year by 29%, adding to concerns that visitors coming to Paris for next year's Olympic Games will…

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France’s DGSI warns that ISIS propaganda seducing “a new generation of teens”

A new generation of French teenagers is being wooed by the Islamic State terrorist group — infamous for its on-camera immolations of captives in Iraq — and seems ominously…

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France passes law to protect farmers against neighbours’ complaints over noise and smells

By Geert De Clercq French parliament has passed a law to protect farmers from complaints from neighbours about noise or stench from agricultural activities, to stop "abusive" lawsuits from former…

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Hungary’s Orban to meet Macron ahead of EU summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, his press chief said, ahead of an EU summit at which talks on Ukraine's joining the bloc and financial…

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France on ‘high’ alert for bird flu after new cases detected

France raised the risk level of bird flu to 'high' from 'moderate' on Tuesday after new cases of the disease were detected, forcing poultry farms to keep birds indoors to…

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‘No plan B’ for Paris opening ceremony after knife attack – sports minister

Dec 4 (Reuters) - There is no "plan B" for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games, the French sports minister said on Monday, after a man…

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Paris on high alert after knifeman kills tourist, wounds others near France’s Eiffel Tower

By Dominique Vidalon and Gilles Guillaume PARIS, (Reuters) – Security forces in the French capital and major cities in France are on high alert after a man armed with a…

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France reports bird flu on turkey farm as disease spreads in Europe

PARIS, (Reuters) - France has detected an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu virus on a turkey farm in the northwest of the country, the agriculture ministry said, as a…

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Paris mayor quits X platform, calling it a ‘gigantic global sewer’

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced she was quitting the X platform formerly known as Twitter, calling it a "gigantic global sewer" that was "destroying our democracies" by spreading abuse and…

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Six teenagers in court over beheading of French teacher

PARIS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Six teenagers go on trial behind closed doors on Monday, accused of involvement in the beheading of French history teacher Samuel Paty by a suspected…

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France’s Sarkozy denies wrongdoing in illegal campaign financing case

PARIS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Former President Nicolas Sarkozy told a Paris appeals court on Friday he was innocent of any wrongdoing, as he tried to overturn a 2021 conviction…

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France makes case for Paris to host new EU dirty money watchdog

PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire made the case on Friday for Paris to host the European Union's Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the…

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UPDATED: Macron: there must be a humanitarian pause very quickly in Gaza

PARIS, Nov 9 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that there must be a humanitarian pause very quickly in Gaza and that countries must also work for…

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France’s Sarkozy appeals conviction in illegal campaign financing case

PARIS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Former president Nicolas Sarkozy appeared in court on Tuesday to appeal a 2021 conviction for illegal campaign financing over his failed 2012 re-election bid. Sarkozy,…

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France’s Macron sees hope for hostages in Gaza after Qatari mediation

By John Irish France's President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the release of two American hostages in Gaza, highlighting Qatar's role and saying he hoped similar initiatives would happen in the coming…

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Arrests after wave of bomb threats in France

At least 18 people have been arrested after a wave of bomb threats prompted evacuations across France. The Palace of Versailles, the Louvre as well as schools, airports and hospitals…

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UPDATED: Several French airports evacuated due to bomb scare; France stepping up border security

Eight French airports faced security alerts on Wednesday and several were evacuated for checks, the DGAC aviation authority said, and the Palace of Versailles closed again due to its third security scare in…

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France’s Palace of Versailles being evacuated for security reasons

France's Palace of Versailles is evacuating its visitors for security reasons and will be closed on Tuesday, the Chateau de Versailles said on social network X.BFM TV, citing police sources, said a bomb squad…

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France deploys 7,000 troops for extra security

PARIS, (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron deployed up to 7,000 soldiers for increased security patrols, as bomb alerts forced the evacuation of the Louvre museum after a teacher was…

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UPDATED: Fatal attack in school in Arras, France

By Pascal Rossignol ARRAS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - A knifeman fatally stabbed one teacher and wounded another in an attack at a school in the northern France city of Arras…

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Russian journalist who protested Putin’s war live on TV may have been poisoned

PARIS, (Reuters) - French prosecutors have opened an investigation into why an exiled Russian journalist who staged a high-profile protest against the war in Ukraine was suddenly taken ill, a…

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EU rethinks energy state aid to break France-Germany deadlock – document

European Union countries may scale back plans to expand state aid for power plants in an attempt to break a deadlock between France and Germany, a document seen by Reuters…

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France reluctant to delay Brexit tariffs on UK-EU electric cars – sources

France is reluctant to delay post-Brexit tariffs that are set to hit electric vehicles traded between Britain and the European Union, French government sources said, in a move that could hit…

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France kicks off bird flu vaccination despite trade backlash risk

PARIS, Oct 2 (Reuters) - France started vaccinating ducks against bird flu on Monday to try and stem the virus that killed millions of birds around the world, a move…

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French retailers divided over government call to sell fuel at cost

Two leading French retailers were at odds on Tuesday over the government's call for petrol and diesel to be sold at cost price at the fuel pump, ahead of a meeting between the…

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Pope Francis hammers home his message that Europe do more for migrants crossing the Mediterranean

By Philip Pullella MARSEILLES, France, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday condemned "belligerent nationalisms" and called for a pan-European response to migration to stop the Mediterranean, where thousands…

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Pope says impeding migrant rescues at sea is ‘gesture of hate’

MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - Pope Francis said that migrants who risk drowning at sea "must be rescued," calling it "a duty of humanity, a duty of civilisation". Speaking at the…

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Marine Le Pen faces trial over ‘fake jobs’ EU scandal

PARIS (Reuters) - The Paris prosecutor's office said that far-right leader Marine Le Pen and 23 other members of her party should stand trial over alleged misuse of EU funds,…

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Pope visit to Marseille to shine light on latest EU migration crisis

By Philip Pullella and Layli Foroudi VATICAN CITY, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis arrives on Friday in the French port city of Marseille for a lightning visit that will…

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World War One cemeteries, Rwanda genocide sites, Argentine torture center declared UNESCO World Heritage

By Geert De Clercq PARIS, (Reuters) - World War One cemeteries in Belgium and France, the hills of Rwanda's 1994 genocide and a former torture center in Argentina have been…

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UPDATED: King Charles speaks on Ukraine, climate, in French Senate address

PARIS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - King Charles underscored the importance of the relationship between Britain and France on the second day of a state visit to France, which both nations…

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UPDATED: King Charles greeted in France with pomp, diplomacy on state visit

By Elizabeth Pineau and Louise Dalmasso PARIS, Sept 20 (Reuters) - King Charles arrived in France on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, during which he and President Emmanuel Macron…

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King Charles and France’s Macron hope to build on personal bond post Brexit

After flames engulfed France's Notre-Dame cathedral in 2019, Britain's future King Charles III sat down to write to President Emmanuel Macron, describing his heartbreak and offering his help and advice…

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French Interior Minister Darmanin says irregular migration on the rise

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced police reinforcements along the France-Italy border in order to stem irregular migration, which he said is on the rise. "We have a 100% increase…

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