France News

January 15, 2019

‘Upside’ in surprise number one spot at N. American box office

“The Upside,” a Hollywood remake of a French smash hit, was a surprising box office hit over the weekend, raking in more than $20 million — double industry expectations — as it opened in North American theaters. The feel good…

January 14, 2019

France to cull wild boar after swine virus cases in Belgium

France will start culling thousands of wild boar near the Belgian border to prevent the African swine fever virus from spreading, the agriculture ministry said Monday. It said the operation would be held in the coming weeks and involve large…

January 14, 2019

Mafia boss daughter denies cashing in with Paris restaurant

The daughter of a notorious Sicilian mafia boss has denied cashing in on her father’s notoriety with a new Paris restaurant and has promised to change its name. Lucia Riina, a painter and the youngest child of former “boss of…

January 14, 2019

Euro MPs back Brexit delay in letter to Britain

More than 100 members of the European parliament have promised to back a delay to Brexit to allow voters to think again, in a letter to British citizens. The cross-party group of MEPs wrote as Prime Minister Theresa May faces…

January 14, 2019

French police on trial for alleged rape in former headquarters

Two French policemen went on trial Monday over the alleged gang-rape of a drunk Canadian tourist in the former headquarters of the Paris police, one of several scandals to roil the force in recent years. The alleged crime took place…

January 14, 2019

Scepticism in France as Macron launches ‘great national debate’

French President Emmanuel Macron faced a battle Monday to convince sceptical French of his latest move to quell “yellow vest” anger as he kickstarted a two-month national debate on his policies. Struggling to end the biggest crisis of his presidency,…

January 14, 2019

Amazon France under fire for destroying unsold goods

US online retailer Amazon faced new French government pressure Monday after a TV report over the weekend showed it destroying thousands of new diapers, toys and other unsold or returned items in perfect condition. Brune Poirson, a secretary of state…

January 14, 2019

Paris Opera drops star dancer after homophobic rant

The Paris Opera Ballet has dropped controversial Ukrainian-born dance star Sergei Polunin from a production of “Swan Lake” after he made a homophobic and sexist rant on social media. The mercurial “bad boy of ballet”, who was compared to Rudolf…

January 14, 2019

Germany says Siemens-Alstom tie-up concessions not enough: reports

Germany’s market watchdog says concessions offered by Siemens and France’s Alstom to secure a merger of their rail businesses are not enough to allay competition concerns, according to press reports Monday. A letter from the Bundeskartellamt regulator to the European…