Latest France government News
Paris angers critics with plans to restrict Olympic Games traffic but says residents shouldn't flee
PARIS (AP) — Stay, enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime show. That was the message from organizers of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday as they sought to reassure the French capital's residents that security measures and traffic restrictions won't make their lives nightmarish during the July...
France to ban smoking on beaches as it seeks to avoid 75,000 tobacco-related deaths per year
PARIS (AP) — France will ban smoking on all beaches, in public parks, forests and some other public areas as part of a national anti-tobacco plan presented by the health minister on Tuesday. Tobacco products cause 75,000 avoidable deaths a year in France, Minister of Health and...
6 teenagers go on trial for their alleged role in the 2020 beheading of a French teacher
PARIS (AP) — Six teenagers go on trial Monday in Paris for their alleged roles in the beheading of a teacher who showed caricatures of the prophet of Islam to his class, a killing that led authorities to reaffirm France's cherished rights of expression and secularism. Samuel Paty,...
Activists call on France to endorse a consent-based rape definition across the entire European Union
PARIS (AP) — Activists wearing masks depicting President Emmanuel Macron urged France on Thursday to change its position and endorse a law proposed by the European Union that would define rape as sex without consent in the bloc's 27 countries. The demonstrators gathered in downtown...
French military to contribute 15,000 soldiers to massive security operation for Paris Olympics
PARIS (AP) — France’s military is planning to contribute 15,000 soldiers to the massive security operation for next year's Paris Olympics, an army general involved in the preparations said Thursday. The bulk of the military force — nearly 10,000 troops — will be deployed in...
Finance may be junked from EU climate law, leaked memo shows. Critics say it could be unenforceable
LONDON (AP) — A flagship EU law intended to push European companies toward net zero faces being seriously weakened by member states, a confidential document passed to The Associated Press reveals, with firms seemingly no longer forced to implement Paris Agreement goals. The...
More than 180,000 people across France march against soaring antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war
PARIS (AP) — More than 180,000 people across France, including 100,000 in Paris, marched peacefully on Sunday to protest against rising antisemitism in the wake of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, representatives of several parties on...
France blames Russia for a digital effort to whip up online controversy over Stars of David graffiti
PARIS (AP) — France says it has been the target of a Russian online destabilization campaign that used automated social-media accounts to whip up controversy and confusion about spray-painted Stars of David that appeared on Paris streets and fed alarm about surging antisemitism in France during...
Imprisoned Algerian journalist remains behind bars despite expected release
CONSTANTINE, Algeria (AP) — An Algerian journalist who was expected to be released this week after serving a six-month sentence was kept behind bars in a move that surprised his attorneys and colleagues and underscored ongoing concerns about press freedom in the North African country. ...
France's parliament is debating a bill that would speed up the deportation process. Activists say no
PARIS (AP) — Senators in France opened debate on Monday on an immigration bill intended to strengthen the country's ability to expel foreigners considered undesirable. Advocacy organizations criticized the measure as a threat to the rights of asylum-seekers and other migrants. ...
