The Latest: France's Macron vows to cut middle-class taxes

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on French President Emmanuel Macron's solutions to quell the economic anger of yellow vest protests(all times local): 6:50 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to cut income taxes for middle-class workers. Macron made the vow Thursday during a planned speech outlining...

French President Emmanuel Macron pledges to cut taxes for middle-class workers.

Macron to offer solutions to French yellow vest grievances

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is set to unveil long-awaited plans Thursday to quell five months of yellow vest protests that have damaged his presidency. Macron will speak to the nation from the Elysee presidential palace after three months of national debate aimed at addressing the...

France's yellow vests: Who they are, what they want, and why

PARIS (AP) — Yellow vest protesters remain a force in French politics despite ups and downs in the five months after their movement started. As President Emmanuel Macron announces long-awaited responses to their grievances Thursday, here's a look at their movement: ___ WHO THEY ARE The movement started...

Aid groups sue France to stop boat donation to Libya's navy

PARIS (AP) — Aid groups are suing the French government to stop the donation of six boats to Libya's navy, saying the watercraft will be used to take migrants to detention centers notorious for horrific conditions. Europe has relied heavily on the Libyan coast guard, which is part of the navy, to intercept...

France wants to speed up Notre Dame reconstruction work

PARIS (AP) — France's government has presented a bill aimed at speeding up the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral and providing transparency on how huge amounts of donation money for the restoration will be spent. The bill detailed Wednesday in a weekly Cabinet meeting will allow the government to pass...

New Zealand and France to call for an end to online terror

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Wednesday that she and French President Emmanuel Macron will host a meeting in Paris next month seeking to eliminate acts of violent extremism and terrorism from being shown online. Ardern said she and Macron will ask world...

All not in favor of Trump's Buckingham Palace dinner date

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump finally has a date on the calendar for a state dinner at Buckingham Palace — a visit more than two years in the making. The mere announcement of his June visit as the guest of Queen Elizabeth II stirred up fresh anti-Trump sentiment Tuesday among Brits who...

Workers install tarps to protect gutted Notre Dame from rain

PARIS (AP) — Professional mountain climbers were hired to install synthetic, waterproof tarps over the gutted, exposed exterior of Notre Dame Cathedral, as authorities raced to prevent further damage ahead of storms that are rolling in toward Paris. The looming bad weather threatens to further damage the...

Sri Lanka, like world, again sees scourge of suicide attacks

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Easter attacks in Sri Lanka are a bloody echo of decades past in the South Asian island nation, when militants inspired by attacks in the Lebanese civil war helped develop the suicide bomb vest. Government ministers have said seven Sri Lankans from a little-known local group...