France

French economy could contract 20% in second quarter

France’s economy is on course to contract 20% in the second quarter from the previous three months as the country emerges from a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the INSEE official statistics…

Read More Here

French consortium steps up plans for saliva-based COVID-19 screening test

A French consortium said on Wednesday that it was stepping up its previously announced plans for a saliva-based screening test to detect COVID-19, by joining up with medical laboratory and…

Read More Here

Alarm at Covid-linked Mediterranean pollution

Video shot by a French environmental NGO in the Mediterranean Sea shows masks and gloves littering the seabed. Opération mer propre (Operation clean sea) is trying to clean up the…

Read More Here

Air France-KLM seeks to cut staff

Air France-KLM has started talks with unions to reduce staff as part of a restructuring to be unveiled in the coming months -- a plan that also calls for a…

Read More Here

Macron announces plan to rescue French auto industry

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday unveiled a plan worth €8 billion ($8.8 billion) to save the country’s car industry from huge losses wrought by virus lockdowns, including a big…

Read More Here

Eurogroup chief calls Franco-German 500 bln euro recovery fund a step towards EU fiscal union

Eurogroup chief Mario Centeno said plans by Germany and France to set up a 500 billion euro ($545 billion) recovery fund to cope with the coronavirus pandemic would be a…

Read More Here

France wants citizens to stay home and avoid travel for summer – Environment Minister

France wants its citizens to stay at home for their summer holidays and avoid foreign travel, Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne said in an interview with France Inter radio. However, Borne…

Read More Here

Return to prayer

The priest Gil Florini celebrates mass at the Saint-Pierre d'Arene church in Nice, France, 24 May 2020. Churches have reopened their doors to the public after the French government announced…

Read More Here

France allows religious gatherings to resume

France is to allow the resumption of religious gatherings after a two-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, but worshippers will have to wear face masks, the French interior ministry…

Read More Here

France to quarantine visitors from the UK

France has announced it will bring in a “reciprocal” 14-day quarantine for all visitors from the UK on the same day the UK imposes quarantine on all those coming into…

Read More Here

France to hold final round of local elections on June 28

France will hold a final round of mayoral elections on June 28 after suspending voting due to the coronavirus, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said Friday, adding that the plans…

Read More Here

French finance minister warns Renault could disappear and must adapt

Renault could disappear if it does not get help very soon to cope with the fallout from the coronavirus crisis, France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday, while…

Read More Here

France’s daily Covid-19 toll drops below 100 as hospitalisations continue to fall

French health authorities reported 83 new coronavirus deaths on Thursday, an increase of 0.3% over 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities in hospitals and nursing homes to 28,215.…

Read More Here

France mulls holding final round of local elections in June

The French government is considering holding the final round of mayoral elections at the end of June or redoing the elections completely in January 2021, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told…

Read More Here

Russian, Turkish foreign ministers back Libya ceasefire

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu backed an immediate ceasefire in Libya during a phone call on Thursday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.…

Read More Here

Petrogas drops out of deal to buy Total’s North Sea oilfields

French oil major Total said on Wednesday that it had revised a previously agreed deal to sell its British North Sea oilfields, which would result in Oman's Petrogas pulling out…

Read More Here

French riot police deployed as youths set cars ablaze in Paris suburbs

Riot police were deployed in force as youths set cars ablaze in some low-income housing estates in the Paris suburbs overnight, online news reports and postings on Twitter showed on…

Read More Here

Macron’s ruling party suffers split

Defectors from Emmanuel Macron's ruling party announced the creation of a new group in France's lower house of parliament on Tuesday, depriving the president of an outright majority and raising…

Read More Here

Hotels firm Accor gets 560 million euros credit line, sees signs of recovery

French hotel company Accor - one of many in the tourism sector to have been hit hard by the impact of the coronavirus - said on Monday it had secured…

Read More Here

New Covid-19 outbreaks rattles French food chain

Around a hundred people are believed to have been infected by the coronavirus in newly discovered outbreaks in two French abattoirs. One abattoir is in the central Val de Loire…

Read More Here

Britain still in talks with France over quarantine exemption

Britain is still in talks with France over whether French travellers should be exempt from a requirement for a 14-day quarantine when they arrive in the United Kingdom, culture minister…

Read More Here

Macron, Merkel to announce new “Franco-German initiative” on Monday

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will present a new Franco-German initiative later on Monday, Macron's office said in a surprise statement. The two leaders will hold…

Read More Here

Coronavirus has killed more than 28,000 people in France

An additional 483 coronavirus patients in France have died over the past 24 hours, the National Health Agency confirmed Sunday, bringing the total death toll to 28,108. According to the…

Read More Here

French boy and British baby die of coronavirus-linked Kawasaki disease

A nine-year-old boy from Marseille is reported to have died of Kawasaki disease, the mysterious inflammatory syndrome linked to coronavirus. The boy is believed to be the first victim of…

Read More Here

Iran sentenced French-Iranian academic to 5-year imprisonment

Iran has sentenced a 60-year-old French-Iranian academic to five years in prison over national security charges and allegations of propaganda against the state, her lawyer said on Saturday according to Middle East Eye. …

Read More Here

Cases of children with rare inflammatory syndrome spike in Italy and France

Doctors in northern Italy, one of the areas hardest hit by the new coronavirus, and in France have reported spikes in cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome in young children that…

Read More Here

France unveils “unprecedented” plan to save its tourism industry

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced an “unprecedented” 18 billion euro plan to support the country’s tourism industry. Under the plan, tourism businesses will be eligible for grants of…

Read More Here

Study says only 4.4% of French population infected by coronavirus

A study led by the Pasteur Institute says a mere 4.4% of the French population - or 2.8 million people - have been infected by the novel coronavirus, much higher…

Read More Here

France braces for end of lockdown

France is set to end eight weeks of strict lockdown as the government urged people to behave responsibly to avoid a sudden spike in coronavirus cases. Hours before the…

Read More Here

No quarantine for people flying into the UK from France

Travellers coming to the UK from France will not have to be quarantined after the two countries agreed a reciprocal arrangement. Boris Johnson had announced on Sunday evening that…

Read More Here

Photo Story: France remembers VE Day

French President Emmanuel Macron (C-L), lays a wreath of flowers at the statue of General Charles de Gaulle during VE Day ceremonies in Paris, France, 08 May 2020. Victory in…

Read More Here

France records 178 deaths in 24 hours as hospitalisations continue to fall

France on Thursday recorded 178 Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours, a 0.7 percent rise from the previous day in the lowest rate of increase in four days, taking the total…

Read More Here

France to limit international travel this summer

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that it was unlikely that French people would be able to undertake major foreign trips this summer and that even trips within Europe may…

Read More Here

Dismay in France as millions of masks on sale from supermarkets when healthcare professionals faced shortage

French supermarkets have come under intense spotlight after they announced millions of masks on sale to protect against Covid-19. Nothing strange so far, one would think: yes, this news came…

Read More Here

‘They’re my only link to the outside world’: Caregivers hailed as heroes amid pandemic

France’s caregivers are being hailed as heroes among the frontliners fighting against COVID-19 for over two months, whose courage and efforts have helped to save many lives. Cécile Aime has…

Read More Here

French Senate votes against easing of restrictions

The plan to ease restrictions announced by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe was given thumbs down by the upper house of the French Parliament, the Senate. In a tight vote…

Read More Here

France seeking to permanently reduce traffic, Orly airport not to reopen any time soon

The French state will help national railway firm SNCF survive the coronavirus crisis but France must drastically reduce demand for transport and Paris’ second airport, Orly, will not reopen any…

Read More Here

France says will not quarantine EU, Schengen area citizens

France said that it would not quarantine anyone arriving from the EU, the Schengen area or Britain due to the coronavirus, as it prepares to start easing confinement measures after…

Read More Here

France proposes 14-day quarantine on entry

Those entering France after the end of lockdown on 11 May could be subjected to a minimum of a fortnight in quarantine as part of a new proposed law which…

Read More Here

May 11th is only first step towards normality – Macron

President Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that ending the national lockdown on May 11 would be only a first step for France to pull out of the coronavirus crisis, for…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Mask distribution in French public transport stations

Ile-de-France region staff members distribute protective masks to commuters at the Argenteuil rail station, in Argenteuil, France, 30 April 2020. The French government plans to decrease containment measures taken…

Read More Here

France enters recession

France's gross domestic product contracted 5.8 percent in the first quarter and is officially in a recession, mainly because of the coronavirus lockdown imposed since mid-March, the national statistics agency…

Read More Here

Remy Cointreau warns of 50-55% slump in sales due to coronavirus

French spirits company Remy Cointreau warned it expected sales to fall by around 50-55% in the first quarter of the 2020/21 fiscal year, due to wholesaler destocking in Greater China…

Read More Here

Malta amongst European countries wanting EU to suspend refunds for cancelled flights law

France, Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Poland and Portugal are calling on Brussels to temporarily suspend a European law granting refunds for cancelled flights. France and…

Read More Here

Face masks mandatory for schools and public transport in France

France will make face masks compulsory on public transport and in secondary schools when it starts easing its coronavirus lockdown on 11 May, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said. Schools…

Read More Here

An aggressive COVID-19 testing will be the basis for unwinding its coronavirus lockdown

France will adopt an aggressive new doctrine on COVID-19 testing from May 11 so that it can slowly unwind its coronavirus lockdown and avoid economic meltdown, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe…

Read More Here

France PM expecting to announce easing of lockdown this afternoon

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is expected to announce an easing of restrictions this afternoon in Parliament. The French Government has indicated that it will seek to balance the need…

Read More Here

France seizes 140,000 ‘illegal’ masks near Paris

France seized around 140,000 "illegal" masks during a police operation near Paris over the weekend. Two men were arrested in the afternoon whilst unloading "several boxes" from a cargo coming…

Read More Here

France Covid-19 death toll reaches 22,856

The death toll in France from the coronavirus has risen by 242 to 22,856, the health ministry said on Sunday, as the government prepares to see how it might ease…

Read More Here

The Centre Pompidou launches video game that invites the public to discover some its major works

The Centre Pompidou in Paris, France, is launching Prisme7, its first video game, which invites the public to discover some major works from the collection of the Musée national d’art…

Read More Here

EU, Germany, Italy and France call for humanitarian truce in Libya

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Italy and the EU's top diplomat made a joint call on Saturday for a humanitarian truce in Libya, saying all sides must resume…

Read More Here

Study shows lockdown saved as many as 60,000 lives in France

The French government agrees with a study by analysts from the French School of Public Health (EHESP), which concluded that lockdown measures prevented 60,000 deaths in France, Health Minister Olivier…

Read More Here

France rules out coronavirus aid for tax-haven businesses

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire has said companies registered in tax havens, or with subsidiaries in such places, cannot benefit from the billions of euros of support being provided…

Read More Here

France testing whether nicotine could prevent coronavirus

Nicotine could protect people from contracting the coronavirus, according to new research in France, where further trials are planned to test whether the substance could be used to prevent or…

Read More Here

Renovation of France’s Notre-Dame set to resume

Work on restoring the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris will gradually resume Monday after the coronavirus lockdown forced a halt to repairing the gothic landmark nearly destroyed by a fire…

Read More Here

Hospital cases in France continue to fall

France on Thursday reported 516 new deaths from the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing its overall toll to 21,856 fatalities, the country's health department said. But it…

Read More Here

France eyes opening retail outlets on May 11, but not bars and restaurants

The French government wants all retail outlets other than restaurants and bars to be able to reopen once a nationwide lockdown is lifted on May 11, Finance Minister Bruno Le…

Read More Here