France

Macron assures Ukrainian President of support ahead of peace summit

French President Emmanuel Macron assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of support during a phone call ahead of a peace summit on eastern Ukraine taking place on Dec. 9 in Paris,…

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Sudden snowstorm leaves one dead, many without electricity in southeast France

A man died due to unexpectedly heavy snowfall in the Rhône-Alpes region in France. Rail traffic was also disrupted, and 300,000 homes were left without electricity due to the weather.…

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French EU commission nominee approved by MEPs

Thierry Breton has been approved by MEP committee as European Commissioner. His confirmation comes after the hearing at the European Parliament. Earlier, the Hungarian nominee was declined. Developing Story via…

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Cirque du Soleil founder embroiled in Tahiti marijuana probe

Authorities in French Polynesia have handed preliminary drug charges to the founder of world-renowned circus Cirque du Soleil. State broadcaster Polynesie 1 showed Guy Laliberte released from custody Wednesday after…

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Calls in France for boycott of latest Polanski film after new rape claim

Film director Roman Polanski was facing calls for a boycott of his new film which opened in France Wednesday, in the wake of the latest rape accusation against the controversial…

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Photo Story: Paris attacks anniversary ceremony

People pay their respect at the entrance of the Bataclan concert venue after a ceremony marking the fourth anniversary of the Paris attacks of November 2015, in Paris, France, 13…

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3.3 earthquake felt in Strasbourg

An earthquake was felt in Strasbourg where the walls of buildings trembled for a few seconds, AFP journalists said. The earthquake reached a magnitude of 3.3 on the Richter scale,…

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5.4 earthquake hits southeastern France

An unusually strong earthquake hit southeastern France on Monday, seriously injuring at least one person, authorities said. France 24 reports that the 5.4 magnitude earthquake,, was felt in a vast…

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Protesters block border on highway connecting Spanish region of Catalonia to France

Protesters blocked a border point on the AP-7 highway that connects the Spanish region of Catalonia with France. The protest stopped the traffic in both directions, a Catalan police spokesman…

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Polish Prime Minister defines Macron’s Comments on NATO as ‘dangerous’

French President Emmanuel Macron's critical remarks about NATO were "dangerous", Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in an interview published on Sunday evening by the Financial Times. In an interview…

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EU heavyweight states push for joint supervisor against money laundering

The European Union’s largest states are pushing for the establishment of a new supervisory authority that would take over from states the oversight of money laundering at financial firms, after…

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Carrefour to sell off Rue du Commerce online site

French supermarket retailer Carrefour is in talks to sell its Rue du Commerce online shopping site to French e-commerce venture Shopinvest, as it refocuses its online sales strategy on food…

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France’s privatisation push with sale of national lottery stake

The French government has launched its biggest wave of privatisations in more than a decade, kicking off the process with the sale of the majority of its stake in the…

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Paris authorities’ clear large migrant camps on edge of city

Police launched an operation early Thursday to clear roughly 3,000 refugees and migrants living in camps on the edge of the French capital. About 600 police officers escorted the camp’s…

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France to ‘take back control’ of immigration, says French PM

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Wednesday unveiled the government's new immigration measures, including the first ever quotas for migrant workers, as President Emmanuel Macron's administration seeks to toughen its…

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French film star Catherine Deneuve hospitalised after stroke

French actress Catherine Deneuve, 76, has been admitted to hospital in Paris after suffering a mild stroke while filming her latest movie. Deneuve's family said in a statement released Wednesday that the 76-year-old…

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Actress Catherine Deneuve hospitalized

French actress Catherine Deneuve has been admitted to a hospital in Paris after feeling ill. French newspaper Le Parisien, which first broke the news, said Deneuve, 76, was in a…

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France and China agree €13.5 billion trade contracts

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced major trade contracts in Beijing in Wednesday worth €13.5 billion. Deals were agreed in aeronautics, energy and agriculture. Twenty French companies…

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Photo Story: French President Emmanuel Macron visits China

Chinese honour guard prepare China's and France's national flags before a welcome ceremony for French President Emmanuel Macron at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Wednesday…

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France to set up regional quotas for foreign worker permits

France will establish a quota system, by region and profession, for issuing work permits to non-EU citizens, the country's Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud announced. It comes during President Emmanuel Macron's renewed…

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France says its troops killed a leading jihadist in the Sahel

French troops killed one of the Sahel region’s leading jihadists on Oct. 9, France’s defence minister said. Moroccan Ali Maychou of the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) was…

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The risks of the France’s obstacle to North Macedonia and Albania’s EU membership

North Macedonia and Albania face a risk of surging nationalism and unravelling economic reforms after the EU closed the door for years on their hopes of joining the bloc, the…

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Bulgaria and Ukraine issue formal protest over Macron’s migration remarks

Bulgaria and Ukraine issued diplomatic protests over remarks by Emmanuel Macron about migrants coming to France from those countries. In an interview published Thursday in conservative weekly magazine Valeurs Actuelles the…

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French soldier killed in Mali by roadside bomb

A French soldier was killed in Mali on Saturday after his armoured vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb, France's presidency said in a statement. Corporal Ronan Pointeau died near…

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French jeweller held in Germany in international gold trafficking investigation

A gold trafficking case between France and Germany thought to be worth at least €1 million has led to the arrest of a French jeweller and nine of his accomplices,…

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Ocean Viking gets go ahead to disembark at Pozzallo

The NGO-run search-and-rescue ship Ocean Viking will be allowed to disembark the 104 asylum seekers it rescued on October 18 in the Sicilian port of Pozzallo, the Italian interior ministry…

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Migrants found in refrigerated truck in Calais

A refrigerated truck carrying eight migrants was discovered by French authorities on Sunday in the northern port city of Calais. Four adults and four children, who said they were from…

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Nutella biscuits to hit Italian shelves in the coming days, after their piloting in Malta and launch in France

55 years from the birth of Nutella, Ferrero will be officially launching its first biscuits filled with the famous hazelnut cream in Italy this week. Nutella Biscuits are produced in…

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France introduces new rules for e-scooters use

France is bringing in new rules for the use of electric scooters following hundreds of incidents involving the vehicles, including several deaths. From Saturday, riders will be required to be…

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Photo Story: Asterix gets female heroine Adrenaline

Asterix, Gaul comic book character who is forever outfoxing the Romans, returns this week for his 38th comic book adventure “Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter” featuring for the first time…

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The Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre Museum in Paris

A series of photos from the exhibition at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, 22 October 2019. The exhibition running from 24 October 2019 to 24 February 2020 marks the…

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Photo Story: Mona Lisa’s renovated room at the Louvre Museum in Paris

Leonardo da Vinci's painting La Gioconda (Mona Lisa) is displayed at the new renovated room of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, after two months of work. The painting was…

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People killed after fierce flooding in southern France

Three people have died after several days of heavy storms that sent rivers flooding over their banks across southern France, causing "significant damage," the interior minister said. Rescue workers have…

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Macron proposes Thierry Breton as new French EU commissioner

France has proposed Atos technology group Chief Executive Officer Thierry Breton as its candidate to head industrial policy in the next European Commission, President Emmanuel Macron's office said, two weeks…

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UPDATED: French police deployed after emergency situation in museum

The French SWAT team, RAID, has arrested a suspect who barricaded himself inside a museum on the French Riviera in the town of Saint Raphael. Police had taken up position…

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French railway services return to normal after strike

French rail services ground to a halt in parts of the country Sunday as workers walked off the job for a third day in a dispute over train staffing levels,…

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France, Italy and Germany preparing measures to block Facebook Libra

France, Italy and Germany are together preparing measures to block Facebook's new Libra cryptocurrency from use in Europe, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire announced Friday. France 24 reports Le…

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Highlights of the Greco exhibition in Paris

Photos from the exhibition highlighting the work off the Cretan painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos, also known as Greco. The works of art are displayed as part of the Greco exhibition held…

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France to pause EU enlargement

France blocked a European push to launch membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania yesterday, saying it could not approve negotiations until Brussels reformed the “endless soap opera” of admitting…

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French patrols doubled to tackle migrant crossings to the UK

The UK and France have agreed an enhanced action plan which will see patrols on French beaches doubled, as activity is stepped up to tackle migrants crossing the Channel in…

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Restoration work on Notre Dame to begin next year

Melted scaffolding atop fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral will be removed “in the coming weeks” to allow restoration work to begin next year, France’s culture minister announced. French Culture Minister Franck…

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Macron, Merkel to meet to harmonise positions before EU summit

France's Emmanuel Macron will hold talks Wednesday with Germany's Angela Merkel for the second time in a week to chart a united front on issues ranging from Brexit to Syria…

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France calls for Turkey to be punished for celebrating goal with military-style salute again

France has called for Turkey to be punished after several Turkish international football players celebrated a goal with a military-style salute during a match in Paris. Sky News reports that…

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France calls for reform in EU accession process

EU ministers are meeting Tuesday to discuss whether Albania and North Macedonia can begin talks to join the bloc. But DW reports that France has voiced opposition and said it would veto…

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Ten EU member states declare readiness to block arms export to Turkey

Italy is ready to block arms exports to Turkey because of its Syrian intervention, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday. NewEurope reports that Italy is the biggest EU…

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French Finance Minister says he’s not a candidate to be Macron’s new choice for EU Commissioner

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday that he was not a candidate to replace Sylvie Goulard as French president Emmanuel Macron’s choice for European Commissioner. “I…

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Michelin announces its intention to close the La Roche-sur-Yon site, in France

The Michelin group announced to the La Roche-sur-Yon employees in France its plan to close the site. The commitment of the employees and the efforts of the company proved insufficient…

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France’s troubled Republicans elect new leader

France's rightwing Republicans (LR) on Sunday elected Christian Jacob, the current head of the troubled party's parliamentary group, to steer them to municipal elections in March. The 59-year-old former minister,…

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Renault fires CEO Bollore

Thierry Bollore, Renault Chief Executive Officer, was dismissed from the post with immediate effect. Financial director Clotilde Delbos was appointed to take over his job on an interim basis. The company…

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France to increase contribution to Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and malaria by 15 percent

International donors gathered in France are set to pledge $14 billion on Thursday to combating the diseases, said French President Emmanuel Macron, announcing a 15% increase in his country’s contribution…

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Photo Story: Highlights from the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition in Paris

Highlight of the works by French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec displayed as part of the 'Toulouse-Lautrec Resolutely Modern' exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, France. The show, which brings…

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Corsican separatists warn against foreigners buying homes on the island

After having declared in 2014, the cessation of its armed struggle, the militant pro-independence National Liberation Front of Corsica, or FLNC this week called for a ban on foreigners…

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Paris police killer had converted to Islam in 2015 – reports

An internal report on the man who killed four police colleagues in Paris last week says the 45-year-old computer expert, who was hearing disabled and had converted to Islam, showed…

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Terrorist risk still ‘very high’ in France

France’s interior minister said on Monday that the terrorist risk remained “high” to “very high” in France following the killing of four police personnel by a radicalized colleague. Minister Christophe…

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Photo Story: The Moulin Rouge celebrates the 130th anniversary

Moulin Rouge dancers perform in front of the cabaret to mark its 130th anniversary in Paris, France. Moulin Rouge is best known as the birthplace of the modern form of…

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Thousands took to the streets in France against IVF bill

Thousands of people thronged the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest a government-proposed bill that would allow single women and lesbian couples the same access to medically assisted fertility…

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Photo Story: Parade of the Nuit Blanche in Paris

Peoples participate at the opening Parade of the Nuit Blanche art festival in Paris, France, on the evening of the 5 October 2019. The annual all-night arts festival Nuit Blanche…

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