France News

Macron courts the stars; meets Rihanna on education

By AFP

Paris - France's Emmanuel Macron continued to reach for the stars Wednesday, hosting R&B icon Rihanna for what she called "incredible" talks at the presidential palace in Paris two days after Irish rocker Bono.

French anti-migrant wall demolished after project scaled back

By AFP

Toulouse - French protesters who built a wall blocking access to a future migrant centre tore it down on Wednesday after the shelter's operator agreed to slow the pace of arrivals.The two-day-old wall, which measured 18 metres (60 feet) long and 1.

Priest's killers failed to divide France, says Macron

By AFP

Saint- - Two teenagers who murdered an elderly French priest a year ago, after pledging loyalty to the Islamic State group, failed to sow religious division, President Emmanuel Macron told a memorial service Wednesday.

Paris tourism alive and kicking again after terror doldrums

By AFP

Paris - High-kicking dancers are enthralling full houses again at the Moulin Rouge and art lovers are swarming the Louvre as Paris enjoys a tourism revival after plummeting numbers brought on by terror attacks.

Police 'routinely' use pepper spray on migrants in Calais: HRW

By AFP

Paris - French police are regularly using pepper spray against migrants in Calais, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday, an accusation denied by authorities.

Leo and Kate will be your date, for the right price

By AFP

Los Angeles - Ever yearned to swap tales of the sea with "Titanic" stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet?

Brazil regulators greenlight Natura buying The Body Shop

By AFP

S - Brazilian regulators have authorized the $1.1 billion purchase of British chain The Body Shop by Brazil's Natura, officials said Tuesday.

France unemployment falls at start of Macron presidency

By AFP

Paris - The number of jobless in France dipped slightly in June, the first full month under President Emmanuel Macron, who has launched labour reforms aimed at boosting hiring.After rising in May the number of unemployed in mainland France fell by 0.

Locals join firefighters battling French blazes

By AFP

Bormes-les-mimosas - Local residents joined firefighters in southern France Wednesday to battle blazes that have forced over 10,000 people to flee and left chunks of coastal forest a blackened mess.

'Libyan rivals committed to ceasefire, elections'

By AFP

Paris - The two principal rivals in conflict-ridden Libya, who are to hold French-brokered talks Tuesday near Paris, are committed to a ceasefire and elections "as soon as possible", said a draft talks statement.

Rival Libyan leaders back ceasefire, elections at France talks

By AFP

Paris - The two main rivals in conflict-ridden Libya agreed Tuesday to a ceasefire and committed to holding elections that French President Emmanuel Macron said would take place in spring 2018.

France battles raging fires on Cote d'Azur

By AFP

Marseille - Thousands of firefighters battled forest fires in large areas of southeast France Tuesday, with one "extremely virulent" inferno raging near the jetset resort of Saint-Tropez, emergency services said.

Hundreds battle wild fires across southern France

By AFP

Bastia - Hundreds of firefighters were battling blazes across southern France on Monday, with one inferno spreading across 900 hectares of forest and threatening homes on the island of Corsica, emergency services said.

Wild fire threatens homes on France's Corsica

By AFP

Bastia - Dozens of firefighters were battling a blaze on the French island of Corsica on Monday that has spread across 900 hectares of forest and was threatening homes, emergency services said.

200 sheep chased down ravine by bear in southern France

By AFP

Foix - More than 200 sheep have fallen to their deaths after apparently being chased down a gorge in the Pyrenees by a brown bear, officials said Monday.

Pioneering Paris canal swimming spot closed due to pollution

By AFP

Paris - A new public bathing area on a Paris canal that has been helping residents keep cool during the summer was temporarily closed Monday due to pollution concerns just a week after opening.

Ukraine leader slams Russia over arms given to rebels

By AFP

Kiev - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday demanded Russia's Vladimir Putin halt arms supplies to rebels as the leaders of France and Germany tried to revive a peace plan.

Protesters wall off access to French migrant shelter

By AFP

Toulouse - Protesters in a town in southwest France have built a nearly-two-metre-high wall around the entrance to a disused hotel to try to prevent it being turned into a migrant shelter.

Popularity tumbles for France's Macron: poll

By AFP

Paris - A poll out Sunday shows the popularity rating of France's new President Emmanuel Macron has slumped 10 points to hit 54 percent over the past month.

France's far-right National Front keeps euro-exit stance

By AFP

Paris - France's far-right National Front (FN) said Saturday it would maintain its goal of seeing the nation out of the euro common currency, despite urging by some in the party to ditch the stance as a vote-loser.

French grape harvest shrivels to record low

By AFP

Paris - Knocked off course by a cold spring snap, French wine production this year slid to a record low, falling 17 percent on 2016, initial ministry of agriculture projections show."At 37.6 million hectolitres (993.

10 years on, Bulgarian nurses leave Libya ordeal behind

By AFP

- Bulgarian nurse Valentina Siropoulo was once condemned to death in Moamer Kadhafi's Libya. Ten years after she and four colleagues were released and allowed home, appreciation of their freedom overwhelms memories of their harrowing ordeal.

International talks set for Monday on Ukraine conflict

By AFP

Kiev - The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France will hold telephone talks on Monday, officials said, amid a fresh flare up in fighting in eastern Ukraine between government troops and Russian-backed rebels.

France jails Britons over migrants flown to UK

By AFP

Boulogne-sur-mer - A French court on Friday jailed two Britons for over two years for having smuggled migrants to England in a light aircraft in what prosecutors said was a first.

France must build more migrant centres: rights body

By AFP

Paris - France should create more reception centres for migrants to ensure decent conditions as arrivals pick up pace in the summer months, the head of an independent rights watchdog said Friday.

France's far-right takes stock of vote failure

By AFP

Paris - France's far-right National Front (FN) began meeting Friday for a soul-searching exercise after leader Marine Le Pen was routed in May's presidential election.

'Saigon' brings exiles' loss and longing to the stage

By AFP

Avignon - A hugely moving debut drama about exile set in a Vietnamese restaurant has become a surprise hit at the world's biggest theatre festival, with standing ovations every night and the audience in tears.

Wolves to the slaughter: France approves cull to save sheep

By AFP

Paris - The French government on Thursday gave the green light for the cull of dozens of wolves in mountainous areas where sheep are under sustained attack.

French military chief resigns after row with Macron

By AFP

Paris - France's top military chief resigned Wednesday after a war of words with Emmanuel Macron over budget cuts that tested the new president's authority.