France

Facemasks and sanitizer as French kids go back to school

Twelve million French children headed back to school on Thursday, wearing facemasks, using sanitizer at the entrance and standing distanced from each other in the yard under strict government rules…

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France winds down crisis support for companies

France will rein in its crisis support measures for companies from the end of September and tailor them to benefit only those companies still struggling afterwards, Finance Minister Bruno Le…

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Macron says France, Britain to propose Kabul safe zone

PARIS (Reuters) - France and Britain will submit a resolution to an emergency United Nations meeting due Monday on Afghanistan proposing a safe zone in Kabul to try and protect…

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Chanel buys up more jasmine fields to safeguard famous No. 5

Wary of disappearing flower crops used in its best-selling perfumes, fashion and beauty firm Chanel has bought up more land in southern France to secure its supplies of jasmine and…

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French consumer confidence holding up despite COVID curbs

French consumers were only marginally less confident about their economic prospects in August despite a surge in coronavirus cases and new rules requiring a health pass to enter many retail…

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France to roll out COVID booster shots in nursing homes from Sept 12-13 -PM

France plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccine booster shots in nursing homes from September 12 or September 13 onwards, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. Meanwhile, people aged over…

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France’s COVID-19 hospitalisations highest in 2 months

French health authorities said on Monday the number of people hospitalised for COVID-19 and those treated in intensive care units (ICU) stood at the highest levels in more than two…

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French economy “doing well”, hoping for pre-COVID growth levels by end 2021

The French economy is "doing well" thanks to a rise in consumer spending and even in spite of restrictions still in place to tackle the coronavirus, French Finance Minister Bruno…

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Protesters in France demonstrate against COVID pass for sixth weekend

Thousands demonstrated across France for a sixth consecutive weekend on Saturday against a COVID-19 health pass required for daily activities, highlighting a simmering political risk for President Emmanuel Macron. The…

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Around 100 migrants rescued in English Channel

Around 100 migrants have been rescued just off the coast of Calais in northern France while trying to cross the English Channel, said the local French maritime body, without specifying…

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France registers more than 100 deaths from Covid in a day again

France registered 111 deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals on Tuesday, the first time since June 1 that the daily toll was more than 100, health ministry data showed. The new…

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UPDATED: One person found dead in French wildfire near Saint Tropez

One person has been found dead as French firefighters battled throug the night to contain a wildfire in the hills behind the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez, the regional government said…

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France’s Macron urges UN to act with single voice on Afghanistan

Islamist militants will seek to benefit from the turmoil in Afghanistan, said French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, adding that France would do all it could to ensure Russia, the United States…

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French Covid permit scheme extended to Paris department stores

France’s pass sanitaire health permit system will be extended to more than 120 major department stores and shopping centres on Monday in areas where levels of Covid infection are causing…

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Reluctant French get Covid vaccination as health pass closes doors

Reluctant French people lined up to get vaccinated as authorities were set to get tougher on the mandatory health pass for entering restaurants, trains and public places. From this week,…

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French daily new COVID-19 infections above 30,000 for first time since end April

French health authorities reported 30,920 new daily COVID-19 infections, a figure above the 30,000 threshold for the first time since April 28, when the country was about to exit its…

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France seeks volunteers to help battle COVID-19 in Caribbean territories

France's health minister appealed for volunteer doctors and nurses to travel to the overseas territories of Guadalupe and Martinique as a wave of COVID-19 infections overwhelms hospitals on the two…

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France implements Covid-19 health pass despite protests

People in France now need to show a health pass to enjoy usually routine activities such as sipping a coffee in a cafe or travelling on an intercity train, in…

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Quarantine-free travel from France to UK resumes

Fully vaccinated people can now visit France without quarantining on their return to the UK, after travel rule changes came into force at 04:00 BST. Brittany Ferries said it had…

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‘We don’t want your health pass’ – protesters march in France for fourth weekend

Protesters marched in cities across France on Saturday in a fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations, denouncing what they see as oppressive rules compelling health workers to get COVID-19 shots and…

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France beat ROC in men’s volleyball final to win first gold

France beat the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team in the men's volleyball final on Saturday in a sensational five-set match to grab their first Olympic gold medal in the sport.…

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Germany adds southern France to high-risk travel list

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany has declared southern France a coronavirus high-risk area, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Friday, which means returning travellers need a negative test or proof…

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France forecasts fall in weather-hit wine output to historic low

France's wine production could slump by as much as 30% this year, to its lowest level in decades, after vineyards were hit by spring frosts and summer downpours, its farm…

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French President Macron: third COVID vaccine doses likely for elderly and vulnerable

French President Emmanuel Macron said on his Instagram account on Thursday that it was likely that the elderly and vulnerable would need a third COVID-19 vaccine shot, and that France…

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Thousands protest against COVID-19 health pass in France

PARIS, July 31 (Reuters) - Thousands of people protested in Paris and other French cities on Saturday against a mandatory coronavirus health pass for entry to a wide array of…

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France calls UK quarantine rules discriminatory, excessive

England's decision to keep quarantine measures for travellers coming from France and not for those coming from other European Union countries is discriminatory and not based on science, a French…

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Cuban Embassy in Paris attacked with petrol bombs, France beefs up security

Cuba's embassy in Paris said on Tuesday it had been attacked overnight with petrol bombs that caused some damage but no injuries to its staff, in an incident that prompted French authorities…

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France says Iran endangers compromising chance for nuclear deal

France's foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran was endangering the chance of concluding an accord with world powers over reviving its 2015 nuclear deal if it did not return to the…

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France passes 40 million mark for first doses of COVID-19 jab

Forty million people in France have now received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a Tweet on Monday. Macron said that…

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French parliament approves law requiring restaurant Covid pass, vaccine rules

The French parliament on Monday approved a bill which will make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for health workers as well as require a bolstered health pass in a wide array of…

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UK could end quarantine for travellers from France

Britain is expected to remove France from its "amber" category of coronavirus risk countries and could drop quarantine for travellers from France as soon as next week, The Times reported…

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French scientist says return to normal life after COVID may not occur until 2023

A return to normal life following the COVID-19 virus outbreak may not occur until 2022 or even 2023, said professor Jean-Francois Delfraissy, who advises the French government. Delfraissy also told…

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France rejects UK Brexit renegotiation request

France's Europe minister Clement Beaune rejected Britain's request to renegotiate the Brexit deal governing trade with Northern Ireland, dismissing British accusations of European dogmatism as a "tall tale". Britain on…

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Israel eyes spyware export curbs; Macron, Merkel troubled by abuse reports

An Israeli parliamentary panel may seek changes to defence export policy over reports that software sold by Israel's NSO Group was used to spy on journalists, officials and rights activists…

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France calls Turkish-Cypriot move on ghost town a ‘provocation’

France on Wednesday criticised as a "provocation" a move by Turkish Cypriot authorities to partially reopen an abandoned town in Cyprus for potential resettlement, in the latest critique from the…

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Delta variant is the majority COVID-19 variant in France, PM says

The Delta variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is now the majority variant of the virus circulating in France, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday. Castex told…

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France introduces Covid-19 health pass to access cultural venues

A new Covid health pass has come into effect in France amid a surge of new infections. From Wednesday, people need proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery…

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Phones of Macron and some French ministers targeted for surveillance

The phone of French President Emmanuel Macron was on a list of potential targets for potential surveillance on behalf of Morocco in the Pegasus spyware case, French daily Le Monde…

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France, Britain beef up patrols, crack down on illegal migration

France and the United Kingdom have agreed to deploy more police and invest in detection technology on the French coast to try to stop boats carrying illegal migrants from reaching…

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France honours Rev. Jesse Jackson with the Legion d’Honneur

PARIS (Reuters) - French president Emmanuel Macron on Monday awarded U.S. civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson the Legion d'Honneur, one of France's highest honours, in recognition of what he…

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France cannot exclude re-imposition of COVID curfews as cases rise

The re-imposition of curfew measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 cannot be excluded in France if infections continue to climb, junior European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told BFM TV…

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French protests call for ‘freedom’ amid government vaccine push

Thousands marched across France on Saturday to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to force vaccination of health workers and require a COVID-19 free certificate to enter places such as…

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France opens doors to vaccinated travellers, restricts others

France will reinforce restrictions on unvaccinated travellers from a series of countries to counter a rebound in COVID-19 infections, while opening its doors to those who have received all their…

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Cannes awards pick wide open after film festival’s crowded comeback

A Moroccan film about hip-hopping youth in Casablanca, a hero’s tale by Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, and a wildly imaginative French movie featuring sex with a car are among…

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France reports over 10,000 new coronavirus cases per day again

France reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases again as the rapid spread of the more contagious Delta variant led to a jump in new infections. The health ministry reported…

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UK to keep quarantine rules for travellers from France

Britain said that it was scrapping a planned easing of coronavirus rules for travellers from France, which had been due to take effect on Monday, because of the continued presence…

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Rush for COVID vaccines as France may ask for proof of immunization

PARIS, July 13 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people in France rushed to set up appointments to get vaccinated against the coronavirus after the president warned that the unvaccinated…

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French retailers puzzle over how to keep non-vaccinated shoppers from stores

PARIS, July 13 (Reuters) - French retailers were puzzled on Tuesday over how a new government proposal requiring them to block people not vaccinated against COVID-19 from shopping malls could…

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France fines Google 500 mln euros over copyright row

France's antitrust watchdog slapped a 500 million euro ($593 million) fine on Alphabet's Google on Tuesday for failing to comply fully with temporary orders the regulator had given in a row with…

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UPDATED: Delta variant to account for most new French COVID cases from this weekend

The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 will probably account for most new coronavirus cases in France from this weekend, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Friday. Veran, who has…

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French people should avoid Spain, Portugal for summer holidays due to COVID risks – minister

French Junior European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said on Thursday that he was advising French people to avoid Spain and Portugal for their summer holidays, due to risks tied to…

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COVID Delta variant could ruin summer, French government warns

The highly contagious Delta variant now represents around 40% of new COVID-19 infections in France, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday, and could jeopardise the summer if a fourth…

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French champagne industry group fumes over new Russian champagne law

France's champagne industry group blasted on Monday a new Russian law forcing foreign champagne producers to add a "sparkling wine" reference to the back of their bottles. The "Comite Champagne"…

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Home workers questioning jobs, supply-chain havoc weigh on French recovery

A shortage of qualified workers, doubts raised by working from home and supply-chain havoc are proving problematic for some companies as they try to ride France's recovery from the pandemic…

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No return to the old National Front insists France’s Le Pen

French Far Right leader Marine Le Pen, facing criticism following defeat in last month's regional elections for making her party too mainstream, said on Sunday she would not change course.…

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Paris local government to buy Bataclan music venue

The Paris local government will buy the Bataclan venue from Lagardere, government official Emmanuel Gregoire said, noting the city's long history with the site, where more than 80 concert-goers were…

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COVID Delta variant now represents a third of French COVID cases

The Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus now represents around a third of COVID cases in France, said French Health Minister Olivier Veran on Friday. Veran's latest estimate on the…

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