France

France embraces Google, Microsoft in quest to safeguard sensitive data

Some of France's most sensitive state and corporate data can be safely stored using the cloud computing technology developed by Alphabet's Google and Microsoft, if it is licensed to French…

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UPDATED: French school evacuated after bomb alert in Lille

Police gave the all-clear on Monday following an earlier bomb alert in the northern French city of Lille, with no explosives found following checks. The police department for the Hauts-de-France…

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Vacations in mind, younger French people rush for vaccines

Clement Bosko, a 31-year-old Frenchman who works in train maintenance, this week scored a lucky ticket: an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccination. "I want to go on holiday this…

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France has reached 20 million first COVID-19 vaccine shots – Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a Twitter statement on Saturday that 20 million people in France had now received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, as the government tries to step up its vaccination campaign. The…

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New French COVID-19 cases slow further

French health authorities reported 19,461 new confirmed COVID-19 infections on Thursday, representing a weekly rise of less than 2% for the first time in almost a year. The total number…

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France to hold up EU-UK financial services deal over fisheries

A French move to delay a European Union financial services deal with Britain over fishing access is another example of the bloc issuing threats at any sign of difficulty, a…

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Ivory Coast Prime Minister Patrick Achi admitted to hospital in France

Ivory Coast Prime Minister Patrick Achi, 65, has been admitted to hospital in Paris for medical tests, two sources close to him said. Achi, a close confidant of President Alassane…

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France’s Le Maire sees French economy back to pre-COVID levels by H1 2022

The French economy will return to its pre-COVID 19 levels of economic activity by the first half of 2022, said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Monday, who also…

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France to reopen outdoor bars and dining on May 19

The reopening of outdoor bars and restaurants will go ahead on May 19, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Monday, as the number of COVID cases in intensive care eases.…

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Suspect arrested over earlier killing of French policeman in Avignon

A man suspected of having shot dead a French policeman in the city of Avignon last week has been arrested, along with another individual, said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin…

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PSG title chances dented by 1-1- draw at Rennes

PARIS (Reuters) - Paris St Germain's Ligue 1 title hopes took a major knock on Sunday when the defending champions were held to a 1-1 draw at Stade Rennes, leaving…

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UPDATED: Die Welt reports France delaying EU order for COVID-19 vaccine

France is delaying an EU order for 1.8 billion doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine planned for the next two years, a German newspaper said on Friday, citing EU diplomats,…

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UPDATED: UK withdraws patrol boats from Jersey after post-Brexit fishing row

PARIS (Reuters) -Britain withdrew its Royal Navy vessels from the waters off Jersey on Thursday but said it would remain on standby to support the Channel island after a dispute…

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France widens COVID vaccine rollout to 16-17 year olds at high risk of major illness

France has decided to widen its COVID-19 vaccine rollout to people aged 16-17 who could face a high risk of a major illness from the virus, said the country's health…

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French banks told to speed up response to climate change

French banks and insurers should speed up their response to climate change, France's banking regulator said, after publishing what it called the world's first climate-related stress test of banks. Other…

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French factory boom eases in April as bottlenecks bite

French manufacturing activity growth eased off a little in April from the record pace recorded the previous month, as bottlenecks weighed on the sector's recovery, a survey showed on Monday.…

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France reports lowest new COVID-19 deaths since October

France reported 113 new coronavirus deaths in hospitals on Sunday, down from 195 on Saturday, and the lowest since October, health ministry data showed, on the eve of an easing…

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Frost damage could cut French wine output by a third

Frost damage to French vineyards this month could reduce wine production by nearly a third compared with recent years, farm office FranceAgriMer said this week, citing initial estimates from wine…

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Luxury goods companies use social media and virtual showrooms to woo their wealthy customers

As Italy entered a new coronavirus lockdown and shut shops in March, Genoa-based jeweller Gismondi 1754 turned to messaging service WhatsApp to sell a 300,000 euro diamond ring to a…

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French economy grows 0.4% in Q1, beats expectations

The French economy grew more than expected in the first quarter, as consumer spending and business investment held up despite coronavirus curbs, official data showed on Friday. The euro zone's…

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UPDATED: France warns not to underestimate potential danger of Indian COVID variant

French Health Minister Olivier Veran told France info radio on Friday that it was still unclear if available COVID-19 vaccines were effective against the Indian variant, and he added that…

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France’s Macron expected to announce easing of COVID rules in coming days: minister

French President Emmanuel Macron will probably make an announcement on plans to relax COVID-19 restrictions in the next few days, employment minister Elisabeth Borne told BFM TV on Tuesday. France,…

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German, French ministers back U.S. on 21% minimum corporate tax rate

The finance ministers of France and Germany support the U.S. government's idea of a global minimum corporate tax rate of 21%, they said in a joint interview in Zeit Online on Tuesday. "I,…

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French primary pupils return to school despite high COVID numbers

PARIS (Reuters) - France sent primary and nursery pupils back to school on Monday, the first phase of reopening after a three-week COVID-19 lockdown, even as daily new infections remained…

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French police worker’s killer watched jihadist videos just before attack – prosecutor

PARIS (Reuters) - The Tunisian national who killed a police administrative worker last Friday near Paris had watched religious videos glorifying acts of jihad just before carrying out his attack,…

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French fashion designer Alber Elbaz dies of Covid

ARIS/ZURICH, April 25 (Reuters) - Luxury fashion company Richemont on Sunday confirmed the death of designer Alber Elbaz, saying the former creative director at French fashion house Lanvin had died…

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Mbappe double sends PSG top of Ligue 1 at Metz

(Reuters) - Kylian Mbappe scored either side of halftime but picked up a thigh injury as Paris St Germain returned to the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-1 victory…

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France plans to donate 500,000 COVID vaccine shots

France will step up vaccine donations to the international COVAX vaccine programme in the coming months with a donation of 500,000 shots, including from suppliers other than AstraZeneca, President Emmanuel…

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French PM says murder of police employee was an attack on France

The murder on Friday of a police employee in a Paris commuter town was an attack on the French Republic, said Prime Minister Jean Castex. "Once again, the Republic has…

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UPDATE: Attacker fatally stabs police employee near Paris, Macron calls it terrorism

RAMBOUILLET, France (Reuters) -A man fatally stabbed a police administrative worker as she walked into a police station in a Paris commuter town on Friday, and President Emmanuel Macron said…

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EU clears 100 mln euro French aid for Brexit-hit fisheries sector

EU state aid regulators approved on Friday 100 million euros ($120.6 million) in French aid for the country's fisheries sector hit by Britain's withdrawal from the bloc and the subsequent…

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Pernod Ricard eyes full year profit growth after sales beat forecasts

French spirits group Pernod Ricard said strong demand in its key U.S. and Chinese markets underpinned a 19.1% jump in sales in the third quarter of its 2020/2021 fiscal year,…

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France kicks off Europe’s vaccine donations to poorer states

France will soon become the first European Union member to send some of its own COVID vaccine supplies to developing countries via the international COVAX scheme, hoping others will join…

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France warns Russia of sanctions if Kremlin critic Navalny dies

France's foreign minister told Russia on Thursday that the European Union would hold President Vladimir Putin and Russian authorities responsible if hunger-striking Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny died and said the…

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French domestic travel restrictions reportedly to end on May 3

French domestic travel restrictions, set up to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, will end on May 3, said a government source, as President Emmanuel Macron’s administration eyes a…

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Europe’s police crack down on cross-border crime groups

More than 200 people were arrested last week in 17 European countries in a coordinated crackdown on cross-border movements of stolen goods, illegal drugs and cash, the European police agency…

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‘I don’t want that’ – France struggles to pitch AstraZeneca vaccine

Tasked with persuading shoppers at an outdoor market to consider taking the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Paris city hall employee Leo Martin was finding it a tough sell. "Which vaccine is…

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France sees no immediate need for Russia’s COVID shot

Russia’s Sputnik V anti-COVID shot is unlikely to play a part in France’s efforts to accelerate its vaccination rollout because it does not yet have approval from the European regulator,…

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Last-gasp Icardi goal boosts PSG title bid

PARIS (Reuters) -Paris St Germain stayed in the hunt for a fourth successive Ligue 1 title after Mauro Icardi scored in the dying seconds of stoppage time to secure a…

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France’s Macron says ‘clear red lines’ should be drawn with Russia

World powers should draw "clear red lines" with Russia and consider possible sanctions against Moscow when they're crossed, French President Emmanuel Macron told U.S. news network CBS in an interview.…

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France reports daily decline in COVID-19 patients in intensive care

PARIS, April 17 (Reuters) - The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units in France has fallen and the figure for patients in hospital has also dropped, the health…

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France eyeing possible re-opening of some cultural and leisure venues from mid-May

PARIS, April 16 (Reuters) - The French government is working on gradually re-opening some cultural and leisure venues - such as outdoors restaurants and cafe terraces - from mid-May onwards,…

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French parliament approves landmark bill setting age of sexual consent at 15

French lawmakers gave final approval on Thursday to legislation setting the minimum age of sexual consent at 15, following a wave of allegations of sexual abuse and incest described as France's…

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COVID-19 deaths in France exceed 100,000, eighth-highest toll in world

PARIS (Reuters) -France's COVID-19 death toll rose on Thursday to more than 100,000, according to the latest hospital figures from the health ministry, a bleak statistic for President Emmanuel Macron's…

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UPDATED: Two years after blaze, Notre-Dame still awaiting resurrection

On April 15, 2019, a devastating fire swept through Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral, tearing down the spire and destroying the roof of the landmark structure. Two years later, the cathedral remains…

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France could return to pre-COVID normal economic growth levels by mid-2022 – Villeroy

France could return to pre-COVID normal economic growth levels by the middle of 2022, Bank of France governor and European Central Bank (ECB) policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Tuesday. "We will gradually climb back to the altitude we had prior to COVID," Villeroy told France Culture radio. The…

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