Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will announce a bid to become France’s first woman president on Sunday, joining a growing list of challengers to incumbent Emmanuel Macron, several MPs from her Socialist party told AFP. Hidalgo’s intention to seek France’s highest office has been an open secret for months. On Tuesday, …
Read More »Trial of 20 men accused in 2015 Paris terrorist attacks begins in France
Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam says in court that he is a soldier of ISIS, Reuters reports. A court trial began on Wednesday into the November 2015 terrorist attacks on Paris, which left some 130 people killed and hundreds wounded when gunmen with suicide vests targeted six bars and restaurants, the …
Read More »Suspects nabbed in chase after 10 mln euro jewel heist at Bulgari in Paris
Police in Paris caught three suspected armed robbers after opening fire on their car as they made their getaway from a 10 million euro ($12 million) jewellery heist at a Bulgari store in the French capital on Tuesday. Three individuals, wearing sharp suits and armed with guns, robbed the recently …
Read More »Facemasks and sanitizer as French kids go back to school
Twelve million French children headed back to school on Thursday, wearing facemasks, using sanitizer at the entrance and standing distanced from each other in the yard under strict government rules aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. “This is very different from usual ‘back-to-school’ days,” said Matthieu Seguin, deputy director …
Read More »Ex-EU Brexit negotiator Barnier to run in French presidential center-right primary
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator, said on Thursday he would participate in his center-right camp’s probable primaries for next year’s French presidential election, joining an already crowded field of candidates. “In these dark times, I took the decision to run for the French presidency, to be president …
Read More »Protesters in France denounce COVID health pass rules for fifth weekend
Protesters have marched in cities across France for a fifth consecutive weekend against rules compelling them to show a COVID-19 health pass for daily activities, but in lesser numbers than a week ago. Crowds rallied through the streets of Paris, Marseille, Nice, Montpellier, and other towns, waving placards reading “Pass=Apartheid” …
Read More »French cafés sit EMPTY as police raid outdoor diners, after Macron extends vaccine pass to restaurants (Videos)
Police in France has begun enforcing the vaccination pass mandate to enter cafés and restaurants, leading to many of their tables being empty during the usually busy lunchtime, as the French lunched on public benches instead. On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron’s government extended the controversial ‘pass sanitaire’ requirement to dining …
Read More »France, Italy gripped by mass protests over new COVID restrictions
Protesters have staged street rallies in France and Italy against COVID restrictions, which they say infringe on their civil liberties. Hundreds of thousands of French protesters took to the streets on Saturday in opposition to government-issued health passes and mandatory vaccines for health care workers. Some 17,000 people demonstrated in …
Read More »Mass protests continue in France against Covid health pass rule
From Monday, people in France would need the health pass if they want to eat at restaurants, cafes or use inter-city transport. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across France for the fourth weekend in a row against a coronavirus health pass needed to enter a cafe …
Read More »France’s Constitutional Council approves controversial health pass
The highest constitutional authority in France ruled in favor of controversial measures for a COVID-19 “health pass” Thursday, along with compulsory vaccination for health care workers. With the decision by the Constitutional Council, the precautions drawn out in a recently passed health crisis bill will go into effect on Monday, …
Read More »Chaumet jewellery store near Champs-Elysee in Paris hit by armed robbery
A Chaumet jewellery store close to the Champs-Elysee avenue in central Paris was targeted by an armed robbery on Tuesday, the Paris prosecutors’ office said, with almost 2 million euros ($2.37 million) worth of goods stolen, according to reports. Le Parisien newspaper said a man arrived at the store on …
Read More »Cuba blames US for Molotov cocktail attack at Paris embassy
Cuba has blamed the United States for an attack on its embassy in the French capital of Paris, saying Washington encourages such violent actions against the Latin American country. The Cuban Embassy building was attacked by Molotov cocktails in the French capital on Monday. According to firefighting officials, “the devices, …
Read More »French parliament approves COVID passes despite protests
New legislation extends the use of health certificates in daily life, introduces mandatory vaccinations for healthcare workers. France’s parliament has approved legislation to make COVID passes a key part of daily life and vaccinations mandatory for health workers amid a surge in infections across the country. Monday’s move means people …
Read More »No health pass, no cinema or museum: France tightens COVID-19 rules
Where’s your health pass? Visitors heading to museums, cinemas, or swimming pools in France will be denied entry from Wednesday if they cannot show the document that proves they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have had a recent negative test. Summary| Health pass needed for cinemas, museums from Wednesday …
Read More »Over 100,000 protest in France against ‘compulsory’ Covid-19 vaccination (Videos)
Some 114,000 people have rallied across France to denounce what they see as government intrusion into their private lives. The protests were in response to the rollout of Covid-19 certificates and mandatory vaccination plans. Thousands-strong protests took place in major French cities on Saturday, with a total of 137 protest …
Read More »Thousands protest against forced COVID-19 vaccinations in France
Thousands marched across France on Saturday to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to force vaccination of health workers and require a COVID-19 free certificate to enter places such as bars, restaurants, and cinemas. Macron this week announced sweeping measures to fight a rapid surge in coronavirus infections, which protesters …
Read More »Eiffel Tower reopens after eight-month COVID closure
The Eiffel Tower reopened on Friday after an eight-month shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, its longest closure since World War Two. As a countdown clock at the foot of the tower turned to zero, there were cheers and applause from visitors queuing to get in, a brass band …
Read More »Protesters clash with police in France against coronavirus ‘health pass’ rules (Videos)
People in France have taken to the streets to protest against the government’s decision to make Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for health workers and to introduce a health pass to access bars and restaurants. Protests took place across France on Wednesday with heated clashes erupting with police in Paris. A number …
Read More »Knifeman arrested after stabbing two cell phone store employees in France
A disgruntled customer has stabbed two cell phone store clerks in a shopping mall in the city of Claye-Souilly, near Paris. The suspect was arrested shortly after the attack. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on Twitter that the assailant was detained by an off-duty police officer and an off-duty …
Read More »French study: Two doses of vaccine crucial to beating Delta variant
Newly-published research from France’s Pasteur Institute suggests that people are mostly protected from the Delta variant of coronavirus after two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. The study, published in Nature journal on Thursday, tested the effects of exposure to the hyper-infectious strain first identified in India on 59 vaccinated people …
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