Tag Archives: France

French police will abandon the chokehold method of arresting suspects, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner promised as George Floyd protests in the US inspired renewed outrage over police conduct in France. “It will no longer be taught in police and gendarmerie schools,” Castaner said on Monday, adding that the chokehold “has …

A ceremony to honor the sacrifice of those who lost their lives in the D-Day landings in 1944 was held on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer in France Saturday. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, the commemoration was much smaller than previous annual events, when tens of thousands or people congregated on …

French forces have killed the leader of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Algerian Abdelmalek Droukdel, in northern Mali, France’s defense minister said. Droukdel was killed on Thursday near the Algerian border, where the group has bases from which it has carried out attacks and abductions of Westerners in the …

France has rejected allegations that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has been holed up inside the nation’s diplomatic mission in Caracas. Venezuelan authorities earlier labeled Guaido a “fugitive from justice.” “Juan Guaido is not at the French residence in Caracas. We have repeatedly confirmed this to the Venezuelan authorities,” French …

Protests against police brutality turned violent in Paris, tear gas fired at protesters.

Paris police banned on Tuesday a demonstration planned in memory of Adama Traore, a 24-year old black Frenchman who died in a 2016 police operation which some have likened to the death of George Floyd in the United States. The Paris police department said in a statement that there were …

France, Italy, and Belgium acted to halt the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat patients suffering from COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, amid questions about the safety of the generic anti-malaria drug. France on Wednesday canceled a decree allowing hospital doctors to dispense the medicine, while the Italian …

The EU insisted Thursday that any vaccine against coronavirus must be available fairly to all countries after French drug giant Sanofi said it was reserving first shipments for the US. “The vaccine against COVID-19 should be a global public good and its access needs to be equitable and universal,” European …

Switzerland’s borders with France, Germany, and Austria will reopen on 15 June, Swiss Federal Councillor Karin Keller Sutter announced on Wednesday. The councilor made her comments following a Federal Council meeting. The positive development of the coronavirus pandemic makes this possible. This decision was taken jointly with the interior ministers …

A preliminary study by French researchers had claimed, smokers might be 80 percent less likely to infect COVID-19 than non-smokers of the same age and sex. The conclusion has arrived at a study done on 482 patients in a Paris hospital from 28 February 28 to 9 April, where it …

French prosecutors said Monday they are opening an investigation into ex-president Valery Giscard d’Estaing over allegations by a German journalist that he sexually assaulted her after an interview in 2018. The investigation follows claims by reporter Ann-Kathrin Stracke that Giscard d’Estaing, 94, repeatedly touched her behind in his Paris office, …

France is urging its European Union partners to consider threatening Israel with a tough response if it goes ahead with a de facto annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, three EU diplomats said. Belgium, Ireland, and Luxembourg also want to discuss the possibility of punitive economic measures during …

Police in France has dismantled smuggling networks trying to take advantage of a rush to buy medical supplies –including face masks– to tackle the coronavirus epidemic. By the end of April, police had dismantled a number of such smuggling networks, stopped scams and attempted scams to the value of more …

British coastguards rescued more than 120 migrants trying to cross the English Channel on seven small boats, French maritime authorities said on Friday. The rescue took place in the night from Thursday to Friday, according to a spokesman for the Maritime Prefecture for the Channel and the North Sea. Border …

Leaders across Europe are marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day with low-key ceremonies, as much of the continent remains under coronavirus lockdown. The UK has held a two-minute silence to honor the war dead, and later an address by the Queen will be broadcast. The leaders of France and …

France accused Apple of undermining its effort to fight the coronavirus by refusing to help make its iPhones more compatible with a planned “StopCovid” contact-tracing app. Countries are rushing to develop smartphone apps, which are seen as a way to help keep the novel coronavirus epidemic in check while reopening …

The first coronavirus case in France could have occurred a month earlier than official figures suggest, according to a professor from Avicenne Hospital, following the retesting of 24 patient blood samples. Professor Yves Cohen from the Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny said in an interview with local media that it appears …

Video surveillance cameras in France will monitor how many people are wearing masks and their compliance with social distancing when the coronavirus lockdown is eased next week. The resort city of Cannes on the Côte d’Azur has trialed the monitoring software, installed at outdoor markets and on buses. It is …

Paris Saint-Germain was declared champion of the French football league on Thursday after the season ended early because of the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement from the league followed the French government’s decision on Tuesday to call off the football and rugby seasons in the country and end plans to resume. …

Two police officers in a Paris suburb have been seriously injured after they were rammed by a car, apparently on purpose. The driver has been arrested and authorities are investigating the possibility it was a terrorist attack. A BMW drove into two mounted officers and proceeded to crush one of …