France

Photo Story: The Louvre Museum reopens to public

Visitors wearing protective face masks line up to see Leonardo da Vinci's painting La Gioconda (Mona Lisa), at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, 06 July 2020. After a nearly…

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Marseille becomes latest French municipality to elect a Green mayor

Marseille became the latest French municipality to elect a Green mayor on Saturday, in a wave that has swept the country since local elections at the end of last month.…

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Air France and sister airline to cut 7,580 jobs

Air France confirmed plans to cut some 7,500 jobs including 1,000 at sister airline HOP! on Friday, as staff protested over its response to the collapse in travel due to…

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French coronavirus death toll rises by 18 to 29,893

The number of deaths in France from the new coronavirus has risen by 18 over the last day to 29,893, the country’s health department said on Friday. The number of…

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French service sector returns to growth in June

French service sector activity returned to growth in June as the country's coronavirus lockdown was further eased, boosting overall business activity, a survey showed on Friday. Data compiler IHS Markit…

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Macron names Jean Castex as new French Prime Minister

French President Emmanuel Macron has named Jean Castex as the country's new prime minister, following the resignation of Edouard Philippe. Castex is the mayor of Prades, a town in the…

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A further 14 deaths were reported in France from the coronavirus

The number of deaths in France from Covid-19 has risen by 14 from the previous day to 29,875, the country’s health department said. The number of people in hospital fell…

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UPDATED: French PM Philippe resigns

The French presidency on Friday announced that PM Edouard Philippe and his government have resigned. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe resigned on Friday ahead of a government reshuffle by President…

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Turkey wants French apology over Mediterranean warships incident

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey expects France to apologise after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean prompted Paris to request a NATO investigation.…

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France suspends role in NATO naval mission in Mediterranean

France has informed NATO that it is suspending its involvement in a naval operation in the Mediterranean after the results of a probe into an incident between French and Turkish…

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French govt calls on Airbus to make as few compulsory job cuts as possible

The French government is urging Airbus to make as few compulsory redundancies as possible, French junior transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari told BFM TV on Wednesday. Airbus announced on Tuesday 15,000…

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Diagnostics firm Eurofins launches new coronavirus test devices

French diagnostics company Eurofins Technologies announced on Wednesday the launch of new devices aimed at testing for the presence of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. The new,…

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Merkel-Macron insist again for need of effective agreement on European reconstruction plan

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for an "effective" agreement on the European reconstruction plan to deal with the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic after a meeting at…

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France’s oldest nuclear plant shuts down after 43 years

France has decommissioned the second and last reactor of the nuclear power station plant at Fessenheim, in the east of the country, three years after its estimated 40 year life…

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Former French PM Fillon sentenced to jail for embezzling public funds

A French court on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Francois Fillon to five years in jail, three of them suspended, for embezzling public funds in a scandal that wrecked his 2017 run…

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Merkel, Macron to meet today

Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts French President Emmanuel Macron for talks on Monday, days before Germany takes on the rotating presidency of the European Union with the economy in the throes…

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Macron’s centrist party gets drubbing in municipal elections

French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party faced a drubbing on Sunday in municipal elections, while the Greens surged into power in several big cities. In a rare bright spot for…

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France returns to polls for municipal elections

France emerges from months of coronavirus lockdown to vote on Sunday in a delayed second round of municipal elections, with opinion polls suggesting a dire outcome for President Emmanuel Macron,…

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Macron confident of progress in key areas with Russia, including Libya

French President Emmanuel Macron is confident of progress in key areas with Russia, notably the crisis in Libya, his office said on Friday after a video conference with Russia leader…

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French consumer sentiment climbs more than expected in June

French consumer confidence rebounded more than expected in June although households' fears about unemployment and the economic outlook remained high, a monthly survey showed. The INSEE official statistics agency said…

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Sanofi considering up to 1,680 job cuts in Europe

Sanofi is considering cutting up to 1,680 jobs in Europe, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, as the French drugmaker outlined plans to reduce costs to staff…

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Paris’s Orly airport reopens after three-month shutdown

The first flight took off from Orly airport south of Paris at 6:25am Friday, marking a reopening after shutting down on March 31 due to the coronavirus crisis, but with…

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France, Germany and Italy call for end to Libya fighting

France, Germany and Italy on Thursday called on forces in Libya to cease fighting and for outside parties to stop any interference in a bid to try and get political…

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Libya faces real risk of partition

Wolfram Lacher, a senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, warned of a "real risk" of partition in Libya. Interviewed by France 24 he said this could…

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Plastic packaging to get the chop at Garnier maker L’Oreal

L'Oreal aims to cut out non-recycled plastic packaging by 2030 and bring in greener products like solid shampoo bars under its flagship Garnier brand as it steps up an environmental…

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Eiffel Tower in Paris reopens

Anyone visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris when it reopens on Thursday after three months will have to take the stairs – all 674 of them – because France’s iconic…

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Turkey says Macron suffers “eclipse of the mind” over Libya

Turkey hit back at French criticism of its intervention in Libya, saying President Emmanuel Macron must have suffered an "eclipse of the mind" to oppose Ankara's support for the internationally…

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France’s COVID-19 daily death toll registers increase

The number of people who died from coronavirus infection in France rose by 57 to 29,720 on Tuesday, more than twice as much as Monday, with the health ministry including…

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French pharma company Sanofi expects approval for Covid-19 vaccine by mid-2021

French pharma company Sanofi SA said on Tuesday it expects to get approval for the potential COVID-19 vaccine it is developing with Britain's GlaxoSmithKline Plc by the first half of…

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France will not tolerate Turkey’s “dangerous games” in Libya – Macron

France will not tolerate Turkey's military intervention in Libya, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday (June 22), accusing Ankara of playing "a dangerous game". Turkey has intervened decisively in recent weeks in Libya, providing…

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Nokia to cut 1,233 jobs at French subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent

Finland's Nokia Oyj plans to cut 1,233 jobs at its French subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent International, equivalent to a third of the local workforce, two union officials said on Monday. The maker…

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France continues to move towards end of lockdown as schools reopen

France is entering Phase 3 of its progressive end of lockdown and life is returning to almost near normal. Almost all schools reopen today and classes are obligatory even though…

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New French coronavirus deaths sharply down

The number of deaths in France from coronavirus infection rose by 14 on Friday to 29,617, the lowest increase in five days. But the number of new confirmed cases rose…

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Chanel warns virus impact will linger on luxury sector

The luxury industry will feel the fallout from the coronavirus crisis for the next two years if not longer, Chanel's chief financial officer said, warning the French fashion label's 2020…

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Photo Story: Historic flypast over London and Paris

Photos made available by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) show the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, and the Patrouille De France carried out joint flypasts of both…

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NATO to investigate Mediterranean incident between French, Turkish warships

NATO will investigate French accusations that Turkey's navy failed to respond to an allied call to inspect a vessel this month in the Mediterranean, the alliance chief said on Thursday,…

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Eiffel Tower to re-open

The Eiffel Tower is preparing to welcome back visitors after the COVID-19 lockdown, but they will need to be fit: because of lingering concerns about infection, the elevators will initially…

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French finance minister calls on Air France not to make compulsory job cuts

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday called on Air France not to make compulsory job cuts but declined to confirm media reports saying the airline was planning to…

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Photo Story: French President Macron marks General de Gaulle WW2 speech anniversary

The Patrouille de France performs the traditional annual ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle's appeal to the French people to resist the Nazi occupation during the World…

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Prince Charles to host Macron to mark de Gaulle wartime broadcast

Britain’s Prince Charles will host French President Emmanuel Macron for a special celebration marking the 80th anniversary of Gen. Charles de Gaulle’s defiant appeal to the French people to resist…

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Reports Turkish warship harassed French ship off the coast of Libya

A senior Turkish military official said on it was "completely untrue" that the Turkish navy had harassed a French warship, denying an assertion by a French official. Earlier on Wednesday,…

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Actress Emma Watson joins board of French Gucci owner Kering

British actress Emma Watson, famed for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter film series, and former Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam are set to join the board of French luxury…

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7.8 million French on temporary unemployment packages at end-May

Around 7.8 million French people were on temporary unemployment packages at the end of May, said French jobs minister Muriel Penicaud on Wednesday. Penicaud also told Radio Classique that the…

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France gives its drugs industry a shot in the arm to tackle pandemic

France's president and top drugmaker announced plans to bolster domestic production of medicines as countries scramble to strengthen their healthcare industries to counter the coronavirus pandemic. Drugmaker Sanofi, which is…

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Violence erupts between rival Chechen gangs in Dijon

Armed police were deployed in part of Dijon, eastern France, after violence erupted between rival gangs for a fourth night running. Cars were torched and wheelie bins set alight late on…

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France has millions of unsold masks after virus crisis

The French praised the altruism of their prized textile and luxury goods companies when production facilities got diverted from churning out the latest fashions to making cloth masks designed to…

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France expects AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be shared pro rata

A deal between AstraZeneca and France over potential COVID-19 vaccines foresees doses being split between countries on a pro-rata basis based on population, a source at the French President's office…

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French health minister: Worst of epidemic is behind us but virus not dead

The worst part of the coronavirus epidemic is behind France, but people must remain vigilant as the virus continues to circulate, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Monday. "The largest…

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Photo Story: French police hold demonstration at Trocadero Square in Paris

French Police officers on Sunday evening gathered in front of the Eiffel tower to protest against French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner's reforms, including ditching a controversial chokehold method of arrest…

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From Covid-19 to anti-racism – Macron addresses France

French President Emmanuel Macron gave a televised national address amid mounting pressure over his government’s handling of the pandemic. The Sunday night speech was his fourth since the start of…

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France looks to insure businesses for future pandemics

France's private insurers would provide business-interruption cover of up to 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) a year in total for small companies hit by the fallout of any future pandemics,…

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France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Croatia declared ‘safe’ for flights to Malta from July 1 – Restrictions on all flight destinations would be lifted on July 15

The Prime Minister has this morning announced six new countries to Malta’s list of destinations considered as “safe flights”. These are France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Croatia and Greece. There will…

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