Climate activists hurl soup at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris

In a video posted on social media, two women with the words “FOOD RIPOSTE” written on their T-shirts can be seen throwing soup at the glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece and passing under a security barrier to get closer to the painting.

“What’s the most impo…[Read more]

French govt prepares to head off ‘siege’ of Paris planned by agricultural unions

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Sunday tasked law enforcement officials with putting into place “extensive security measures” to prevent farmers from blocking Paris area airports or its Rungis market and “to prohibit any entry into Paris”.

The leaders of two o…[Read more]

Traffic jams as French farmers block highway near Paris to protest low prices

Unions have called for the roadblocks in and around Paris to increase pressure on Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s government, which the farmers accuse of not doing enough to help them.

“We will go right into Paris to highlight our rage, our grievances,” said farme…[Read more]

France Rejects Russia’s ‘Mercenary’ Claims, Doubles Down on Support for Ukraine

Paris has rejected claims by Moscow that dozens of French “mercenaries” were killed in a recent Russian strike on a facility in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

“France helps Ukraine with supplies of military material and military training in full compliance…[Read more]

France Gets Ready to Say ‘Merci’ to World War II Veterans for D-day’s 80th Anniversary This Year

France is getting ready to show its gratitude toward World War II veterans who will return, many for the last time, to Normandy beaches this year for 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day to mark the defeat of the Nazis.

A ceremony at Omaha Beach…[Read more]

France temporarily bans Bay of Biscay fishing to protect dolphins

The month-long ban off the country’s West coast – the first since the end of World War II – is set to begin Monday and applies to both French and foreign fishermen. It follows calls by environmental activists to protect the marine mammals, pointing to a surge in dolphin deaths on…[Read more]

Macron urges French defence firms to boost production to support Ukraine

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Macron has pushed the defence industry to switch to “war economy mode”, reiterating his call during a visit to the Cherbourg naval base in northwestern France.

“We must amplify the transformation we have begun” to respond…[Read more]

French farmers threaten to intensify protests over taxes, regulation

France’s largest farm union FNSEA is considering nationwide protests in the coming weeks, a spokesperson said on Friday, potentially expanding action by farmers in the southwest who have blocked a highway and dumped manure on public buildings.

Like their German counterparts w…[Read more]

French court annuls extradition of Italian mafia hitman-turned-pizza chef

In April 2023, the Lyon Court of Appeal had backed Greco’s extradition but the decision was suspended by an appeal to the Cour de Cassation.

The Cour de Cassation, basing its decision on a procedural flaw tied to the composition of the investigating chamber of the Lyon…[Read more]

Football star Benzema files defamation complaint against French minister

A tough-talking right-winger with designs on the French presidency, criticised Benzema after the former France striker and 2022 Ballon d’Or winner posted on X (formerly Twitter) in mid-October in support of the inhabitants of Gaza, who, he claimed, were victims of “…[Read more]

‘Natalist injunctions’: Macron sparks uproar with call to revive France’s birth rate

During a press conference on Tuesday, Macron said France needed to pursue what he called “demographic rearmament”.

The president pledged to offer better parental leave and combat infertility – which he called “the taboo of the century”.

“Leave our uteruses a…[Read more]

French booze-free January falls flat with Macron government

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of caving in to the wine lobby by failing to lend his weight to an alcohol-free “Dry January”.

Fifty specialists on addiction wrote an open letter this week, lamenting the lack of government support for the post-festivity no-drinks…[Read more]

France drops renewables targets, prioritises nuclear in new energy bill

like other EU countries, aims to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.

The proposed text, which is slated to go before the cabinet early next month and then be submitted to lawmakers, reaffirms France’s commitment to nuclear power to ensure “energy sovereignty”.

The count…[Read more]

Gabriel Attal becomes France’s youngest and first openly gay premier

“The president of the republic appointed Mr. Gabriel Attal prime minister and tasked him with forming a government,” read a presidential statement issued on Tuesday.

Gabriel Attal rose to prominence as the government spokesman and education minister. He is France’s first o…[Read more]

France’s new PM Attal to choose cabinet as Macron eyes political reset

French President Emmanuel Macron and his new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal worked on Wednesday to pull together a cabinet, a day after Macron appointed the 34-year-old media-savvy loyalist to breathe new life into his second term.

Attal has promised to be bold and fast to help…[Read more]

Macron hosts Hungary’s Orban in bid to unlock EU support for Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron meets Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday in a bid to break the deadlock ahead of an EU summit after the Hungarian leader threatened to block further backing for Ukraine.

Hanukkah ceremony at Elysée sparks secularism backlash against Macron

After the chief rabbi of France lit a Hannukah candle in Emmanuel Macron’s company at the presidential palace, all the opposition parties have criticized a breach of French secularism, as has the head of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions.

A Hanukkah…[Read more]

A culpable apathy to the ‘normalization’ of Le Pen’s Rassemblement National

For the first time, 43% of French people surveyed think that the Rassemblement National, a party with xenophobic and authoritarian aims, is capable of participating in government. Hardly anyone among the political and social forces is bothering to expose its…[Read more]

Le Pen, her party, and 26 people will be tried over fake European Parliament jobs

Two investigating judges referred Marine Le Pen, the Front National party (now called Rassemblement National), and 26 other people on Friday, December 8, to the Paris criminal court. All are suspected to have taken part in a system of misappropriation of European…[Read more]