Tag: France
France acknowledges role in repression of Cameroon independence movements
Emmanuel Macron writes to Cameroonian president with findings of joint commission on country’s colonial past France has acknowledged its role in decades of violent repression of independence movements in Cameroon, the latest stage in a slow process of reckoning with its brutal colonial past. In a letter to the Cameroonian president, Paul Biya, dated 30…
First migrants detained under ‘one in, one out’ deal with France
The first migrants have been detained under the UK’s new “one in, one out” deportation deal with France after crossing the English Channel. Pictures showed the migrants wearing life jackets disembarking from Border Force boats in Dover on Wednesday, the first day the pilot scheme came into force. The Home Office said those detained will…
France, U.K., others plan to recognize a Palestinian state. What does that change?
By Scott Neuman France and the United Kingdom are among the latest countries preparing to formally recognize a state of Palestine — a move by two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council that would deepen their split with Israel and the United States over the 22-month war in Gaza. Canada this week also joined…
France under pressure to stop $9.7m of USAID contraceptives being destroyed
US reportedly planning to destroy contraceptives, probably destined for Africa, in France after dismantling USAID The French government has said it is closely monitoring a US plan to destroy millions of dollars of contraceptives stocked in Europe after outrage from French feminists, rights groups and family planning organisations at what they called a wasteful attack…
Canada follows France and UK with plan to recognise Palestinian state
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, becoming the third G7 nation to make such an announcement in recent days. Carney said the move depends on democratic reforms, including the Palestinian Authority holding elections next year without Hamas. His remarks come a day after the UK announced…
France will recognise Palestinian state, Macron says
France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said, which will make it the first G7 nation to do so. In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York. “The urgent need today is for…
France signals willingness to discuss reparations for colonial massacres in Niger
More than a century after its troops burned villages and looted cultural artefacts in the quest to include Niger in its west African colonial portfolio, France has signalled willingness over possible restitution, but is yet to acknowledge responsibility. The 19 June response was given to a letter dated two months earlier from a UN special…
UK to return some migrants to France within weeks, Starmer says
The UK will begin returning migrants arriving in small boats to France within weeks under a new pilot scheme, Sir Keir Starmer has said. Under the “one in, one out” deal, some arrivals would be returned to France and in exchange the UK would accept an equivalent number of asylum seekers, subject to security checks.…
In effort to protect children, France bans smoking at parks and beaches
Eleanor Beardsley PARIS — A restrictive outdoor smoking ban has come into force in France, a country where café culture, which often includes a glass of wine and a cigarette, is a way of life. As of Sunday, smokers are no longer allowed to light up in public parks, at swimming pools, or at beaches,…
Two dead and hundreds arrested in France after PSG Champions League win
Two people have died and hundreds have been arrested across France after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans celebrated the club’s victory in the Champions League final, according to the French interior ministry. In the south-west town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest late on Saturday evening, local media reported. A…
France expels 12 Algerian officials as row over alleged kidnapping escalates
Move follows Algiers’ expulsion of diplomats, after France’s arrest of man linked to abduction of influencer Amir DZ France has expelled 12 Algerian consular and diplomatic officials and recalled its ambassador in Algiers, the French presidency said on Tuesday, in a retaliatory measure as a spat escalates between the two countries. “The Algerian authorities are…
France considers response after Algeria expels 12 embassy staff
Move by Algiers follows arrest of Algerian consular official in Paris over alleged involvement in kidnap of influencer France is considering its response after Algeria ordered the expulsion of 12 embassy staff over the arrest of an Algerian consulate official in Paris over alleged involvement in the kidnap of a TikTok influencer. Algiers has given…
Marine Le Pen’s ‘Witch Hunt’ Talk Echoes Trump. Will It Work in France?
Trump Administration news analysis After years trying to moderate her party’s image, the far-right leader, convicted of embezzlement, now voices Trump-like outrage, at some risk. By Roger Cohen Reporting from Paris Since a Paris court barred her from standing for public office, Marine Le Pen has denounced a “witch hunt,” accused “the system” of deploying…
France backs bold new pact to save Amazon
Editor’s Note: Climate Week is taking place from September 23 to September 29. Check Conservation News for ongoing coverage of this global forum. A groundbreaking effort to protect the Amazon rainforest just got a massive boost. France has committed US$ 100 million to a new South American-led initiative, it was announced at a side event…
UK, France and Ukraine agree to work on ceasefire plan for Russia’s war in Ukraine
By The Associated Press LONDON — Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday as he prepared to host a summit of European leaders to discuss ending the war. The summit has been overshadowed by the extraordinary scolding…
UK and France to present Ukraine peace plan to Trump, PM says
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK and France will work with Ukraine “on a plan to stop the fighting” with Russia – and will then “discuss that plan with the United States”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending a summit of European leaders, two days after a fiery exchange with US President…
France prepares for trial of surgeon accused of abusing anaesthetised children
A former surgeon who is accused of abusing hundreds of young patients, often while they were under anaesthetic, is set to go on trial this month in the largest child abuse trial in French history. Joel Le Scouarnec, 73, is accused of assaulting or raping 299 children – the majority former patients of his –…
France seeks UN resolution naming Rwanda as backer of M23 rebels in DRC
France is seeking western support for a UN security council resolution that names Rwanda as being behind the M23 rebel group attacks inside the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the surprise weekend seizure of parts of Goma, the largest city in eastern DRC. UN officials said as many as 4,000 Rwandan troops were escorting…
France Wants to Prosecute the Founder of Chat Site Linked to Pelicot Rapes
France Rape Trial France Rape Trial France Rape Trial Isaac Steidl founded the Coco platform, which authorities tied to criminal activity for years. The effort to hold Mr. Steidl accountable tests a new legal frontier. By Aurelien BreedenCatherine Porter and Ségolène Le Stradic Reporting from Paris Shortly after Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was…
France Indicts Founder of Notorious Website Used in Pelicot Rape Case
France Rape Trial The site, coco.fr, was shut down in June after being linked to more than 23,000 sexual abuse and other cases in France alone, including the rape trial that shocked the country last year. By Catherine Porter and Ségolène Le Stradic Reported from Paris The founder of the website used by Dominique Pelicot…
Europe will not allow attacks, says France, after Trump Greenland threat
France has said the European Union will not allow other nations to attack its “sovereign borders”, after US President-Elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland. On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was “critical” for national and economic security. French Foreign Minister…
France warns Donald Trump against threatening EU ‘sovereign borders’
Foreign minister hits out after US president-elect refuses to rule out military action to take control of Greenland France has warned Donald Trump against threatening the “sovereign borders” of the European Union after the US president-elect refused to rule out military action to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of EU member Denmark. The…
Social media fuelling rising terror threat in France, says minister
Bruno Retailleau says threat has never been greater, as country marks decade since Charlie Hebdo attack The threat of a terrorist attack on France is being fuelled by social media and has never been greater, the country’s interior minister has said, 10 years after gunmen killed 12 people in an attack on the Charlie Hebdo…
In France, Drug Traffic Spreads to Small Towns
France’s Political Turmoil Even quaint corners of the country are seeing a rise in drug violence and crime. Just ask the mayor of Morlaix, which has a population of about 15,000. By Richard Fausset Reporting from Morlaix, France For centuries in Morlaix, a city of cobblestones and creperies on the Breton coast of France, the…
Dominique Pelicot, Convicted in Mass Rape Trial in France, Will Not Appeal
France Rape Trial Seventeen of the other 50 men convicted in the case — most for participating in rapes of Gisèle Pelicot, then Mr. Pelicot’s wife — have filed appeals, according to a lawyer. By Ségolène Le Stradic and Richard Fausset Reporting from Paris Dominique Pelicot, the 72-year-old who admitted to drugging his wife for…
Political Crisis in France: The Fall of Michel Barnier’s Government and the Future of Macron
On December 4, 2024, France experienced a historic event not seen since 1962: the removal of a government through a vote of no confidence. Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted after the National Assembly approved the no-confidence motion introduced by the left-wing alliance New Popular Front (NFP), with the crucial support of the far-right party…
International News Highlights
Israel and Lebanon are reportedly close to reaching a ceasefire agreement, according to international sources. U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce the agreement within the next 36 hours. The Israeli government will vote on the truce this Tuesday.