France News

January 23, 2019

Google to appeal 50-million-euro French data consent fine

Google said Wednesday it would appeal a record 50-million-euro fine imposed by France’s data regulator for failing to meet the EU’s strict new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). “We’ve worked hard to create a GDPR consent process for personalised ads…

January 23, 2019

France’s ‘yellow vests’ to contest European elections

A group of French “yellow vest” protesters announced plans Wednesday to field candidates in this year’s European Parliament elections, with a 31-year-old health worker to lead a list that a poll suggests could win up to 13 percent of the…

January 23, 2019

France sees Huawei ‘risks’ for 5G networks: foreign minister

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Wednesday of “risks” in deploying next-generation 5G wireless networks using equipment from the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. “We are well aware of the risks… from Huawei’s position in major networks, the risks that…

January 23, 2019

French sex workers seek repeal of ban on paying for sex

French sex workers have lodged a constitutional challenge to a 2016 law making it illegal to pay for sex, reopening a debate on whether women should be free to sell their bodies. On Tuesday, around 30 sex workers backed by…

January 23, 2019

French watchdog sounds alert over chemicals in diapers

A French public health watchdog warned Wednesday about the risks of several chemicals found in disposable nappies, leading the government to demand that manufacturers withdraw them from their products. The Anses health body stressed there was no medical study which…

January 23, 2019

High-profile former ETA leader free in Spain

The former head of the political wing of Basque separatist group ETA, known as “Antza”, has returned to Spain a free man after completing his jail sentence in France, police said Wednesday. Mikel Albizu Iriarte, alias “Antza”, was arrested in…

January 23, 2019

France won’t enter a ‘stupidity contest’ with Italy: minister

Paris will not be drawn into a “stupidity contest” with the populist government of Italy, where officials have launched several verbal attacks on President Emmanuel Macron, France’s Europe Minister Nathalie Loiseau said Wednesday. “Our intention is not to have a…

January 23, 2019

France sends top African football official to war crimes court

France on Wednesday extradited a member of Africa’s top footballing body to the International Criminal Court in The Hague where he faces war crimes charges, the ICC said. Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, who sits on the board of the Confederation of African…

January 23, 2019

Cocaine found in Chris Brown’s hotel room ‘was not his’: lawyer

French police probing rape claims against American R&B star Chris Brown found cocaine and cannabis in his Paris hotel suite, his lawyer said Wednesday, while denying that the cocaine belonged to the singer. Brown’s French lawyer, Raphael Chiche, confirmed that…