France

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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Doctors issue warning over rise in French COVID-19 intensive care patients

he number of COVID-19 patients in France's intensive care units has risen to a new high for this year, health ministry data showed on Sunday, as doctors warned a third…

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French COVID-19 intensive care patient numbers rise again

France on Sunday recorded a further rise in the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units to a new high for this year, health ministry data showed, as doctors…

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Dembele inspires France to 2-0 win in Kazakhstan

Ousmane Dembele inspired France to a 2-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Sunday in their second match in World Cup qualifying Group D to mark a successful return to the world…

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Louvre museum makes its entire collection available online

The Louvre museum in Paris said Friday it has put nearly half a million items from its collection online for the public to visit free of charge. As part of…

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France tightens classroom closure protocols in high COVID risk regions

France will send a school class home once one COVID-19 infection is detected among its pupils, instead of three previously, in regions under tighter coronavirus restrictions, the education minister said…

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France’s debt burden hits record in 2020 but comes in below govt expectations

France posted a record public sector deficit and debt last year, but these came in below expectations after the economy contracted by less than foreseen in the government's budget planning,…

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French health authority says dentists and vets should be allowed to give COVID-19 shots

French dentists and vets should be allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccination injections as France’s supply of doses will increase greatly next month, the health authority said on Friday. The Haute…

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French business activity stronger than expected in March

French business activity held up better than expected in March as the country faced new coronavirus restrictions, with manufacturing surging ahead at the fastest pace in more than three years,…

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European Commission, France flag growing support for carbon border levy

Support is building for a European levy on imports from countries with easier carbon emissions standards, senior European Union and French officials said , as the bloc seeks to impose…

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France still facing several difficult weeks due to COVID, culture minister taken to hospital with COVID-19

France is facing several difficult weeks ahead due to the new spread of the COVID-19 virus, which has led the government to enforce a new lockdown in some parts of…

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French vaccines chief eyes return to normal life by Summer

French vaccination chief Alain Fischer said on Monday he expects the country to return to some kind of "normal" living conditions by summer or autumn thanks to an acceleration of…

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Ikea France goes on trial for spying on private lives of staff

The French branch of Swedish retailing giant Ikea goes on trial Monday accused of running an elaborate system to spy on staff and job applicants using private detectives and police…

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France reports COVID-19 patients in intensive care at new 2021 high

The number of people in intensive care units with COVID-19 in French hospitals has risen by 66 to 4,353, a new 2021 high, the health ministry reported on Saturday. The…

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French authorities allow foreign players to forgo quarantine

PARIS (Reuters) - The French sports ministry on Saturday opened the door for foreign players in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to join their national teams for World Cup qualifiers…

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France recommends AstraZeneca for over-55s only, departing from EU guidance

PARIS, March 19 (Reuters) - France's medical regulator approved the resumption of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations on Friday, but in a break with guidance from the European watchdog said it should…

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Paris goes into lockdown as COVID-19 variant rampages

France imposed a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of the north after a faltering vaccine rollout and spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants forced President Emmanuel Macron to shift…

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Paris, its region and beyond to start month-long limited lockdown on Friday

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Thursday a month-long limited lockdown for Paris and other regions of the country starting Friday as the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care…

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France to impose tougher COVID-19 curbs on Paris, other regions

The French government will impose tougher restrictions for some regions including Paris from this weekend to counter the accelerating spread of COVID-19 infections, spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday after…

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French clubs to refuse to release players for internationals outside EU

PARIS (Reuters) - French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs will not release players called up for their national sides if the teams are playing outside the European Union (EU)…

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HSBC in final talks to sell France unit to Cerberus -source

LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - HSBC has entered into final negotiations to sell its France retail bank business to Cerberus, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. HSBC…

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France to suspend AstraZeneca COVID vaccine pending EMA guidance

PARIS, March 15 (Reuters) - France will stop administering AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine pending an assessment by the European Union's medicine regulator due on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said on…

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French vaccines chief says AstraZeneca COVID vaccine shows great efficacy

French vaccination chief Alain Fischer said on Friday the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine had shown great efficacy, reaffirming France's commitment to an inoculation which has been suspended in several other countries.…

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Millions of websites offline after fire at French cloud services firm

PARIS (Reuters) - A fire at a French cloud services firm has disrupted millions of websites, knocking out government agencies' portals, banks, shops, news websites and taking out a chunk…

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France says no contract signed to produce Russian COVID-19 vaccine

No company in France has signed a contract with Russia to produce its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, a spokesman for France’s industry minister said, appearing to contradict the head of…

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France logs 23,000 coronavirus new cases

PARIS (Reuters) - France reported 23,302 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, up slightly from 22,857 last Tuesday, but the week-on-week increase, at 3.95% was below the 4.23% seen last Tuesday.…

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J&J COVID vaccine could be approved in France by end of this week

The president of France's Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) health regulator said on Monday that France could approve Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this week, in…

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Total CEO sees oil prices at around $50-60 a barrel

Total's chief executive said on Monday it could take two years for the world economy to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and that oil prices were unlikely to remain at…

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Italian police arrest man suspected of helping Bataclan attackers

An Algerian man has been arrested in the Italian town of Bari on suspicion of belonging to the Islamist militant group Islamic State and helping the perpetrators of a coordinated…

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France reports 21,825 new confirmed COVID-19 cases

France reported 21,825 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, down from 23,306 on Saturday. The Health Ministry reported 130 new COVID-19 deaths, taking the total to 88,574. The number of…

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French billionaire politician Olivier Dassault killed in helicopter crash – UPDATE

(Reuters) - Conservative billionaire politician Olivier Dassault was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter. Dassault, 69, was the eldest son of French…

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France goes all out on vaccinations

French Prime Minister Jean Castex promised on Saturday that the government would "go all out on vaccinations" and would not immediately end government aid for the restaurant sector once they…

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France could block vaccine shipments, similar to Italy – Veran

PARIS, March 5 (Reuters) - France could block shipments abroad of COVID-19 vaccines, similar to moves on this front by Italy, said French Health Minister Olivier Veran on Friday. Asked…

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EU regulators approve $24 bln French scheme to help virus-hit companies

EU competition enforcers on Thursday cleared a 20-billion-euro ($24 billion) French scheme to help virus-hit companies via quasi-equity loans and subordinated debt. The European Commission said the scheme consists of…

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Sarabia strikes as PSG keep up with Lille

PARIS: Pablo Sarabia made up for Paris St Germain's lack of firepower as he earned the French champions a crucial 1-0 win at Girondins de Bordeaux on Wednesday (Mar 3) in…

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France says ties between Turkey and EU still fragile

Turkey has stopped insulting France and the European Union, providing some reassurance, but ties will remain fragile until it takes concrete action, France’s foreign minister said. Ankara has repeatedly traded…

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Sarkozy ready to sue France before European court to prove innocence

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday he was ready to go all the way to the European Court of Human Rights to prove his innocence, his first public…

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French court finds former President Sarkozy guilty of corruption

A French court found former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty on Monday of trying to bribe a judge and influence peddling, making him the second head of state in modern-day France to be…

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Former French president Sarkozy faces verdict in corruption trial

A French court is to hand down its verdict in the corruption trial of former president Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday, with prosecutors demanding prison time for the 66-year-old. Sarkozy, who led France…

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Germany tightens borders with France

DW reports Germany has added France's eastern Moselle region to its list of "variant of concern" areas, triggering tougher entry requirements at the border between the two neighbours. Under the…

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Mbappe nets double as PSG thrash Dijon to put pressure on Lille

PARIS (Reuters) - Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe bagged a double as they hammered bottom side Dijon 4-0 away to cut Lille's Ligue 1 lead to one point on Saturday. Mbappe…

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France looks to ban ‘confusing’ gender-neutral words

Over 60 MPs in France have proposed a new law to ban public servants from using "gender-inclusive" words in their work, arguing that it makes learning proper French harder and…

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France needs a lockdown hospital official warns as COVID-19 cases rise

France should impose a national lockdown given the increase in COVID-19 cases and the longer it waits, the higher the death toll will be, the head of the emergencies unit…

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France believes that Mafia-type gangs likely behind cyber attacks on hospitals

Mafia-type organisations, often based in eastern Europe, are likely to have been behind a recent wave of cyber attacks on French hospitals, rather than foreign powers, said the French minister…

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