France

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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Gunman shoots man dead, injures woman in front of Paris hospital – UPDATED

PARIS (Reuters) -An unidentified gunman shot dead a man and injured a woman on Monday in Paris before fleeing on a motorcycle, in what the local mayor said appeared to be a private…

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France extends gap between vaccine shots to speed-up rollout

PARIS, April 11 (Reuters) - France will lengthen the period between the first and second shots of mRNA anti-COVID vaccines to six weeks from four weeks as of April 14…

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French COVID-19 intensive care numbers resume upward trend

The number of people in intensive care units (ICU) with COVID-19 in France increased by 52 to 5,757 on Friday, a nearly five-month high, after dipping on Thursday, health ministry…

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French far-right politician Marine Le Pen to stand in 2022 election

French far-right politician Marine Le Pen said on Friday she would stand in the 2022 presidential election and that she thought victory was entirely "plausible". "I am once again standing…

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France still in favour of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

The French health regulator should say later on Friday that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, like those developed by Pfizer and BioNTech , should be used as a second dose for people…

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UPDATED: France recommends second mRNA COVID-19 dose for under-55s who got first dose with AstraZeneca

France's top health body said recipients of a first dose of AstraZeneca's traditional COVID-19 vaccine who are under 55 should get a second shot with a new-style messenger-RNA (mRNA) vaccine,…

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France and EU ponder sanctions for Lebanese politicians, diplomats say

France and the European Union are putting together proposals that could see asset freezes and travel bans imposed on Lebanese politicians to push them finally to agree on a government…

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Brexit weighs on French exports to Britain in February

French exports to Britain picked up 4% in February but were still at only 84% of the monthly average of the second half of 2020, as post-Brexit trade rules continued…

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France to open Mitterrand’s Rwanda archives

PARIS (Reuters) - France will open the Rwanda archives of former French president Francois Mitterrand, President Emmanuel Macron's office said in a statement on Wednesday. Macron's office said the decision…

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French services slowdown eases in March despite COVID curbs -IHS Markit

A slowdown in France's service sector eased in March despite tougher coronavirus restrictions, a monthly survey showed on Wednesday, offering the euro zone's second-biggest economy some relief. Data compiler IHS…

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France’s COVID-19 hospitalisations at a near five-month high

France’s hospital system is under heavy pressure from the pandemic, with the number of people treated in intensive care units for COVID-19 at the highest in almost a year, even…

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Claims that vaccinated people are more likely to infect others have no scientific basis – WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly denied claims that Covid-19 vaccines were among the factors causing the spread of new variants of the virus. These reports were being fuelled…

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France to become biggest Air France shareholder with capital hike

France will contribute up to 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) to a recapitalisation of Air France-KLM and more than double its 14.3 percent stake in the airline group under plans…

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French tycoon Bernard Tapie attacked in violent burglary

Former French minister and scandal-ridden tycoon Bernard Tapie, the former owner of Adidas, was attacked along with his wife during a night-time burglary of their home near Paris, police said.…

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France, Brussels have agreed on Air France-KLM refinancing – minister

The French government has reached the outline of a deal with the European Commission on a state-backed refinancing package to help strengthen Air France-KLM's balance sheet, Finance Minister Bruno Le…

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Eerily silent Charles de Gaulle airport marks Easter without air travel rush

Easter at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport typically starts two weeks early as extra staff are trained to cope with one of the busiest weekends of the year. An eerie…

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France reports further rise in COVID-19 intensive care patients

France reported on Saturday that 5,273 people were in intensive care units (ICU) for COVID-19, a rise of 19 from the previous day, as the country entered its third national…

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Five women arrested in southern France over suspected attack plan

French anti-terrorism prosecutors have arrested five women in the southern city of Beziers and launched a preliminary investigation in connection with a possible Islamist attack plot, a judicial source said…

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France sees biggest jump in COVID-19 intensive care patients in months

France reported on Friday that 5,254 people were in intensive care units with COVID-19, an increase of 145 people in one day and the highest daily increase in five months.…

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Good Friday Procession in Paris

Archbishop Monseigneur Aupetit performs during the Stations of the Cross ceremony as part the Good Friday procession at the Sacre-Coeur (sacred heart) basilica atop Montmartre overlooking Paris, France, 02 April…

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Macron’s ‘Waterloo’? French president comes under attack for lockdown U-turn

French President Emmanuel Macron's order for a third COVID-19 lockdown, having insisted for weeks on keeping the country open against the advice of scientists, has exposed him to criticism from…

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France March factory activity growth fastest since 2000 -PMI

French manufacturing activity proved stronger than initially thought in March, hitting levels not seen since the internet boom at the turn of the century as firms prepared for an economic…

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Peak of French COVID-19 wave could be within 10 days

France could hit the peak of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in seven to 10 days with the new restrictive measures announced on Wednesday by French President Emmanuel…

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France orders schools closed, widens COVID-19 restrictions

resident Emmanuel Macron extended movement restrictions to cover the whole of France and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back a third wave of…

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UPDATED: Macron to address the nation, COVID-19 infections threaten to over-run hospitals

French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation on Wednesday evening, his office said, as a fast-spreading third wave of COVID-19 infections threatens to over-run hospitals. Macron has sought to…

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French company found guilty of deception on weight-loss pill

A Paris court on Monday found French pharma company Servier guilty of manslaughter and deception over weight-loss pill Mediator, and fined it 2.7 million euros ($3.18 million), according to BFM Television. France's…

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