A gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group fired shots and took hostages at a supermarket in southwestern France on Friday, a local prosecutor said. Security forces were responding to two separate incidents, one at a supermarket in the town of Trebes and the second, a 15-minute drive away, in the town of Carcassonne where a policeman was shot. It was unclear if the two incidents were linked. In Trebes, the man “entered […]
Tag: France
Macron reforms unleash strikes, protests
by Adam PLOWRIGHT and Joseph SCHMID Agence France-Presse PARIS, France – An estimated 200,000 protesters took to the streets of France on Thursday in a showdown between trade unions and President Emmanuel Macron that could be decisive for his reform agenda. Seven unions representing staff in the public sector led strikes and protests, and a third of railway workers walked out to join the demonstrations against 40-year-old Macron’s bid to shake up the French state. […]
Hip cafe chain staffed by disabled workers opens in Paris
by Pascale Juilliard and Fiachra Gibbons Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — It is a hip-looking cafe like any other in central Paris, thronged with lunchtime dinners. Except that Joyeux has a little something extra — many of its cooks and waiters have one more chromosome. The coffee shop is the latest in a chain of lunch joints springing up across France staffed by people with Down syndrome, autism and other cognitive disabilities. “Joyeux” […]
Sarkozy blasts lack of ‘physical evidence’ in corruption case: French media
PARIS, France (AFP) — Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy blasted what he said was a lack of evidence for the corruption charges against him over allegations that late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi funded his 2007 election campaign, in his court statement published Thursday. The morning after he was charged in one of France’s most explosive political scandals in years, the 63-year-old rightwinger said he had been in “living hell” since the allegations first emerged in 2011. […]
Macron backs UK claim that Russia behind spy attack
PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday backed Britain’s charge that Russia was responsible for the nerve agent poisoning of a former spy, saying there was “no other plausible explanation”. “Since the start of the week, Britain has kept France closely informed of the evidence gathered by British investigators and of elements demonstrating Russian responsibility in the attack. “France shares Britain’s assessment that there is no other plausible explanation and reiterates its solidarity […]
France to take legal action against Google, Apple for ‘abusive’ practices
PARIS, France (AFP) — France will take legal action against Google and Apple for “abusive business practices”, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Wednesday as transatlantic ties threaten to be riven by a trade war. “I believe in an economy based on justice and I will take Google and Apple before the Paris Commercial Court for abusive business practices” against French start-ups, Le Maire said on RTL radio. He said start-ups face conditions imposed […]
Bannon tells French far-right: ‘history is on our side’
by Anne Renaut © Agence France-Presse LILLE, France (AFP) — Former top Trump aide Steve Bannon told the French far right on Saturday that “history is on our side” as he addressed the party conference of a National Front that is seeking to bounce back from crushing electoral setbacks. “The tide of history is with us and it will compel us to victory after victory, after victory,” Bannon, once a powerful figure in the Trump administration […]
Angry Lille fans invade pitch, try to attack players
LILLE, France (AFP) — Angry Lille supporters invaded the pitch and tried to attack players at the end of their struggling side’s 1-1 draw with Montpellier in France’s Ligue 1 on Saturday. Some of the fans who swarmed onto the pitch managed to shout insults and even aim kicks at players, including Nicolas Pepe, the Ivory Coast forward whose goal had earned Lille a draw in the game at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. The supporters — around […]
Modi, Macron sign key security deal with an eye on China
by Abhaya Srivastava © Agence France-Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said defense ties with India had reached a new high after the two nations signed a key security accord for the Indian Ocean to counter China’s growing influence in the region. “Defense cooperation between the two countries now has a new significance,” Macron said as a gushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood by his side. Under the deal, India […]
Dozens dead or wounded in attacks on Burkina military HQ, French embassy
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AFP) — Twin attacks on the French embassy in Burkina Faso and the country’s military headquarters Friday left dozens dead or wounded, security sources said. The apparently coordinated attacks underlined the struggle the fragile West African nation faces in containing a bloody and growing jihadist insurgency. The government said the attack on the military was a suicide car bombing, adding that a regional anti-terrorism meeting may have been the target. Eight […]
Macron’s migrant law faces rough ride in parliament
by Katy Lee and Clare Gallen © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron faces a difficult week as lawmakers weigh up a controversial bill that toughens France’s stance on migrants, with even some of his own party reluctant to back it. After France processed a record 100,000 asylum applications last year, Macron vowed to grant asylum faster but also to deport economic migrants more swiftly, while better integrating those who stay. The new […]
France threatens Syria strikes if chemical attacks proven
PARIS, France (AFP) – France will launch strikes if proof emerges that the Syrian regime has used banned chemical weapons against its civilians, President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday. “We will strike the place where these launches are made or where they are organized,” Macron told the presidential press corps. “But today our services have not established proof that proscribed chemical weapons have been used against civilian populations,” he added. “As soon as such proof is established, […]
