France

French pension protest blocks entry to Louvre museum

PARIS, March 27 (Reuters) - Trade union protesters angered by President Emmanuel Macron's move to raise the French retirement age without a final vote in parliament blocked the Louvre museum…

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Why is Macron in so much trouble over pension reform?

By Richard Lough PARIS, (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron faces the toughest challenge to his authority after his government bypassed the lower house to push through a deeply unpopular pension…

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Disappointment for King Charles as first overseas visit as monarch is postponed

LONDON (Reuters) - King Charles' first state visit to France as British monarch, postponed on Friday because of widespread social unrest, was supposed to be an occasion celebrating a new…

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France to ban TikTok on work phones of civil servants; British parliament blocks TikTok

PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) - France will ban the use of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on the work phones of civil servants, Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerini said on his…

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Macron under pressure to find way out of pension crisis after night of clashes

Hundreds of thousands joined ninth day of protests Anarchists riot in Paris, rallies mostly peaceful Unions call for new nationwide action on March 28 Visit to Paris by Britain's King…

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UPDATED: King Charles’s visit to France postponed over violent protests, trip to Germany will go ahead

By Benoit Van Overstraeten and Elizabeth Pineau PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles on Friday cancelled a state visit to France after social unrest over President Emmanuel Macron's…

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Violence hits France in day of anger over Macron’s pension changes

Macron says he won't budge on pension age Hundreds of thousands join ninth day of protests Anarchists riot in Paris, rallies mostly peaceful Unions call for new nationwide action on…

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Nationwide protests in France after Macron doubles down on pension bill

By John Irish PARIS, March 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people were set to strike and demonstrate in France on Thursday after President Emmanuel Macron vowed to push…

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‘Weakened’ Macron sticks with pension bill, eyes new reforms

French President Emmanuel Macron is looking to regain the initiative with new reforms in the coming weeks after his government barely survived a no-confidence motion over an unpopular pension bill and nationwide…

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French govt narrowly survives no-confidence vote

President Emmanuel Macron's government narrowly survived a no confidence motion in the National Assembly on Monday, after bypassing the lower house to push through a deeply unpopular change to the…

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More strike disruption expected at French airports this week, Macron faces a critical moment on Monday

PARIS, March 20 (Reuters) - France's DGAC civil aviation authority warned on Monday that passengers should expect more disruptions at French airports this week, citing strikes and protests against the…

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Another night of violence in Paris protesters clash for third night over Macron’s pension reform

By Dominique Vidalon and Manuel Ausloos PARIS (Reuters) - Paris police clashed with demonstrators for a third night on Saturday as thousands of people marched throughout the country amid anger…

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London fears losing luxury shoppers to Paris and Milan

By James Davey and Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - London's luxury retailers fear the city is losing its pull as a shopping destination, with tourists from the United States, China…

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Police clash with protesters at Paris demonstration against pension overhaul

By Layli Foroudi and Manuel Ausloos PARIS, March 17 (Reuters) - Riot police clashed with protesters on Friday evening in Paris as a new demonstration took place against the government's plans to…

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Pressure mounts on Macron after violent unrest over pensions

PARIS, March 17 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday faced the gravest challenge to his authority since the so-called Yellow Vest protests after his government's decision to push…

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Anger as French government pushes through pension change without vote

Macron to raise retirement age by two years to 64 Bill's approval by National Assembly was in doubt Police fire tear gas at spontaneous protest in Paris Opposition to table…

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French pension reform heads for final parliamentary votes on Thursday

By Elizabeth Pineau and Antony Paone Millions attended nationwide protests since mid-January Bill approved by joint parliamentary committee But approval by full houses of parliament not a done deal Protesters…

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Paris mayor vows to keep Russian, Belarusian athletes out of Olympics

The Mayor of Paris said it was unthinkable that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to take part in the 2024 Summer Olympics under their national flags, adding she…

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French strikes disrupt fuel deliveries, power supply for fourth day

PARIS, March 10 (Reuters) - Deliveries were blocked from leaving TotalEnergies' TTEF.PA refineries and depots on Friday, a company spokesperson said, as workers extended a strike over planned pension reforms…

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UPDATED: After tough years, France and Britain tout post-Brexit reset

UK PM aims for reset after years of post-Brexit disputes Britain wants further help to tackle small boat migrants Ukraine, defence projects and energy also on the agenda By Michel…

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French pension strikes continue to disrupt power output, fuel supplies

TotalEnergies says no fuel deliveries from its refineries No deliveries from Esso's Fos, Port Jerome back to normal Power supplies reduced by 13% but no imports needed By Forrest Crellin…

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French Senate votes raising retirement age to 64

PARIS, March 9 (Reuters) - French senators early on Thursday voted in favour of raising the legal retirement age to 64 from 62, a first win for President Emmanuel Macron's…

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Trains halted, schools shut in France as unions seek to block pension reform

Most trains came to a halt, oil refineries were blocked and power production reduced in France on Tuesday as unions organised a sixth day of nationwide strikes against President Emmanuel…

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After $15 billion award, sultan’s heirs target Malaysian properties in Paris

French bailiffs attempted to enforce a seizure order on three Paris properties owned by the Malaysian government in a case linked to a $15 billion court award to descendants of…

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French strikes over pension reform plans to disrupt public transport on Tuesday

By Mathieu Rosemain and Benjamin Mallet PARIS (Reuters) - Industrial action in France over the government's planned pensions overhaul will cause heavy disruption to public transport again on Tuesday, the…

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Deal with main supermarket chains in France to help shoppers cope with food price

By Dominique Vidalon PARIS, March 6 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has reached a deal with the country's main supermarket chains to help shoppers cope with food…

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France’s Macron to host King Charles in first visit abroad as monarch

By Michel Rose PARIS, March 3 (Reuters) - King Charles will travel to France on March 26-29 for his first state visit as Britain's monarch, the French presidency said on…

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Breakthrough close on France-Spain undersea electricity link

By Belén Carreño, Benjamin Mallet and Kate Abnett MADRID/PARIS/STOCKHOLM, March 2 (Reuters) - France and Spain are poised to announce a breakthrough this week in a long-running impasse over hefty…

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ECB’s Villeroy sees inflation peak in first half of year, no risk of recession

Inflation is likely to reach its peak in the first half of the year and, barring a major world event, the risk of recession could be ruled out, French European…

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France’s Macron calls Wagner Group ‘life insurance of failing regimes’ in Africa

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday described the Russian mercenary Wagner Group as the "life insurance of failing regimes in Africa", in comments made before he visits the continent. He said that…

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French people’s healthy lifespan up by more than 2 years since 2008

PARIS (Reuters) - The amount of time that 65-year-olds in France can hope to live without health issues has increased by more than two years since 2008, French statistics agency…

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France eyes ‘unprecedented’ water curbs after driest winter since 1959

By Marine Strauss PARIS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - France is preparing to introduce restrictions on water use in parts of the country from March, in an unprecedented move for the…

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Schoolteacher stabbed to death by pupil in southwest France

PARIS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - A teacher has been stabbed to death by a pupil at a high-school in the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in southwest France, government officials said on…

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French Finance Minister: will meet French retailers this week over food inflation

By Dominique Vidalon PARIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday he will meet retailers this week to find ways to help shoppers cope…

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Russia tells Macron: don’t forget Napoleon when you talk of regime change

MOSCOW, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Russia on Sunday scolded Emmanuel Macron over remarks about Russia's defeat, saying that Moscow still remembered the fate of Napoleon Bonaparte and accusing the French…

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Macron – France wants Russia’s defeat, but not to ‘crush’ it

PARIS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - France wants Russia to be defeated in Ukraine but it does not want to "crush" it, President Emmanuel Macron told paper Le Journal du Dimanche.…

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French pension change debate moves to Senate as tense parliament session ends

PARIS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The French government's plans to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62, which has led to widespread protests, moved on to the Senate after a tense…

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French agency orders halt in some uses of Syngenta weedkiller

PARIS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - French health and safety agency ANSES on Wednesday ordered a halt to some uses of one of the most widely used weedkillers in France, S-metolachlor,…

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Photo Story: 150th Nice Carnival

A float entitled 'King of the World's Treasures' passes by a crowd during the 150th annual Carnival of Nice, in Nice, France, on the evening of Tuesday 14 February 2023.…

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Opposition groups rally in France, in solidarity with protesters in Iran

Thousands of opponents of Iran's ruling authorities rallied for a second day in Paris on Sunday (February 12) to pressure European Union states to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a…

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Protests across France to test government resolve over pension reform

By John Irish PARIS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to take part in demonstrations across France on Saturday as protesters seek to keep up…

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Italy calls invitation of Ukraine’s Zelenskiy to Paris “inappropriate”

BRUSSELS/ROME, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday said the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and…

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Third wave of strikes over pension reform keeps pressure on Macron

Trade unions launched a third wave of nationwide strikes on Tuesday against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to make the French work longer before retirement, as the legislation started its bumpy…

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French PM offers to ease pension overhaul for conservatives’ backing

PARIS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne offered on Sunday to soften a planned pension overhaul to let some people who started work early also retire early…

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Cost of living crisis tests striking French workers

Workers are trying to block overhaul of pension system More strikes planned after Tuesday's stoppages Higher living costs increase pain for striking workers Unions seeking ways to limit strike impact…

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Man detained on French high-speed TGV after attack threat

By Marine Strauss and Alain Acco BRUSSELS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A man was arrested after threatening to commit an attack while travelling on a high-speed TGV train in eastern…

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French inflation to decline from mid-2023 onwards, says French Finance Minister

PARIS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday reiterated that he expected inflation in France to start declining from mid-2023. "Inflation should decline from mid-2023,…

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French labour minister says raising pensions age is ‘non-negotiable’ despite mass protests

PARIS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - French Labour Minister Oliver Dussopt said on Wednesday that raising the retirement age to 64 was "non-negotiable", a day after more than a million people…

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Huge crowds march across France, raising pressure against Macron’s pension reform

PARIS (Reuters) - Huge crowds marched across France on Tuesday to say "Non" to President Emmanuel Macron's plan to make people work longer before retirement, with pressure in the streets…

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France’s nationwide strike hits power production, fuel deliveries

A nationwide strike in France against pension reform led to a drop in electricity output and stopped deliveries from TotalEnergies sites on Tuesday. French power supply has been reduced by…

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Strikes over pensions to disrupt public transport in France on Tuesday

PARIS, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Labour union strikes in France over the government's planned pensions overhaul will cause heavy disruption to public transport on Tuesday, the transport minister and several public transport…

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France aims to regulate world of online influencers

The online influencer economy is booming worldwide as brands shift cash from TV to so-called content creators, who promote products and services to millions of young followers on platforms like…

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France extends mandatory COVID tests for Chinese travellers until Feb 15

PARIS, Jan 28 (Reuters) - France has extended mandatory COVID tests for travellers from China until Feb. 15, a government decree published on Saturday showed. While Chinese officials have said infections have…

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Scholz and Macron celebrate 60 years of Elysee Treaty

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Sunday to mark 60 years since the signing of the Elysee Treaty. Speaking at the Sorbonne…

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Burkina Faso military government demands departure of French troops

OUAGADOUGOU, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso's military government has demanded the departure of French troops stationed in the country, the West African nation's national television reported on Saturday, citing…

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France’s Macron proposes big hike in military spending for 2024-2030

By Michel Rose and Clotaire Achi Mont-de-Marsan, FRANCE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Friday boosting military spending by over a quarter in coming years, saying…

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French sugar beet pesticide exemption halted by EU ruling

PARIS, Jan 20 (Reuters) - France's plans to allow sugar beet farmers to continue using a banned pesticide for another year have been halted by a European Union court decision…

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