France hit by protests and disruption as new prime minister takes office

Nationwide unrest broke out across France on Wednesday as protesters blocked roads, set fires and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas, as anger grows against the country’s political class.

The interior ministry said 473 people had been detained, with 80,000 p…[Read more]

France suspects foreign intelligence over pigs heads left outside mosques

French police suspect that people who put pigs’ heads outside Paris mosques on Monday night were acting under orders from a foreign intelligence service, probably Russian.

The heads were found on Tuesday morning outside nine mosques in central Paris and surrounding…[Read more]

France’s streets ablaze as antigovernment protests disrupt daily life

Hundreds arrested after more than 200,000 demonstrators force French government into high-stakes confrontation.

A nationwide wave of antigovernment protests swept across France, filling streets with smoke, burning barricades and tear gas as demonstrators rallied against b…[Read more]

‘La tapisserie, c’est moi’: Macron accused of putting politics first in Bayeux tapestry loan

Organiser of petition says French president ignoring expert advice that artefact too fragile to be transported to UK

The Bayeux tapestry is so fragile that transporting it risks irreparable damage, French experts have said, as a petition urging Emman…[Read more]

Germany, France push for secondary sanctions on Russia amid Ukraine war

European Union’s two biggest economies have agreed to push for measures targeting companies from third countries that support Russia’s war.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have called for secondary sanctions aimed at disrupting Rus…[Read more]

Macron vows to serve out mandate to its end despite budget crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would continue his mandate until the end of its term in 2027, despite a high-stakes confidence vote on September 8 that could bring down the government and plunge France into a new period of prolonged instability.

French President Emmanuel…[Read more]

French PM Bayrou to hold news conference ahead of possible September protests

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will hold a news conference on Monday, his office said, as he seeks to boost support for his government’s budget which aims to cut more than 40 billion euros ($47 billion) in public spending.
“I want to put things in place again…[Read more]

France summons US envoy over antisemitism claims

France says it will summon the US ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner, over what it says are unacceptable allegations of failing to tackle a surge in antisemitism.

Kushner, who is Jewish and whose son is married to US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, made the comments in an open letter…[Read more]

France faces prospect of paying higher borrowing costs than Italy

Rome has significantly reduced its public deficit over the past three years, while Paris has allowed its own to spiral. In the eyes of investors, Italy is now as credible as France, despite a heavier debt burden. On the markets, the gap in interest rates between the two countries…[Read more]

France rejects Netanyahu’s claim that it fuels antisemitism

Europe minister Benjamin Haddad said France needs ‘no lessons’ on fighting antisemitism, after the Israeli prime minister condemned Macron’s plan to recognize Palestinian statehood, saying it ‘rewards Hamas terror’ and ‘encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking streets.’

Israeli Prime…[Read more]

French President Emmanuel Macron says he doesn’t believe Putin is ‘very willing to get peace’ in Ukraine

After a meeting at the White House on Monday, the French president said that if there is no progress in talks, Russia should be hit with more sanctions.

There must be a push for peace to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, but French…[Read more]

Macron admits France waged a repressive war in Cameroon during its decolonization

In a letter, President Emmanuel Macron cited a report by a joint French-Cameroonian team of historians, which clearly demonstrated that France had waged a ‘war’ in Cameroon, characterized by ‘repressive violence.’

France waged a “war” in Cameroon marked by…[Read more]

UK, France and Germany ready to reimpose sanctions on Iran over nuclear programme

The UK, France and Germany have told the UN they are ready to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme if it fails to resume talks by the end of August.

The three countries, known as the E3, said they were prepared to trigger a “snapback” mechanism -…[Read more]

Far-right populists top polls in Germany, France and Britain for the first time

Alternative for Germany has joined France’s National Rally and Reform U.K. in becoming the most popular party in its country, according to polls.

For the first time in modern history, far-right and populist parties are simultaneously topping the polls in Europe’s t…[Read more]

Women call out ‘creepy’ experiences on Vinted as trolls and image thieves target site

Scrutiny of selling platforms grows as female users warning of harassment on sites after photos stolen and sexualised

Users of secondhand clothing websites such as Vinted are warning about the danger their images will be used against their will on por…[Read more]

How a drowning victim became a lifesaving icon

If you know CPR, chances are you’ve practised on a dummy with the face of a woman who, legend says, drowned in Paris.

In the late 1950s, Norwegian toymaker Asmund Laerdal received an unusual brief: to design a life-like mannequin that resembled an unconscious patient.

Peter Safar, an Austrian d…[Read more]

French police open investigation after Israeli rabbi threatens Macron

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Friday said he had reported threatening comments against President Emmanuel Macron to police investigators. The threats were expressed in an online video by a rabbi angered over France’s recent decision to formally recognise a…[Read more]

Former PM Gabriel Attal wants to make his mark with a name change for Macron’s Renaissance party

Gabriel Attal, former prime minister and current head of Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, sent questions to Renaissance members on July 31 about the party’s future and name, as a way to redefine its identity and shape it to suit him ahead of the…[Read more]

France suspends Gaza evacuations after student antisemitism row

France has suspended its programme for receiving Palestinians fleeing Gaza.

The freeze will be in place while authorities investigate a Palestinian student in France who has been accused of making antisemitic remarks online, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has said.

The…[Read more]

Long delays for passengers at Port and LeShuttle

People leaving the UK via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel Le Shuttle at Folkestone are facing delays as the summer holiday getaway begins.

At Dover, travellers are being warned of a 90-minute processing time at the French border during check-in.

Traffic is building in the town, with TAP…[Read more]