France

Sunil Bharti Mittal awarded France's Legion of Honour for business ties

France's highest civilian distinction acknowledges the Bharti Enterprises chairman's longstanding role in expanding business cooperation and strategic engagement between the two countries

Mbappe faces China backlash over Mao remark as major sponsors cut ties

Kylian Mbappe's remarks on Mao Zedong sparked a backlash in China, prompting brands to sever sponsorship ties and highlighting growing political risks for global companies.

Police, protesters clash in Paris as 410,000 demonstrate across France

Protesters and police are clashing in Paris, with tear gas fired and projectiles thrown, at the tail end of demonstrations in the capital and elsewhere that the French government says have drawn 410,000 demonstrators nationwide. Paris saw the largest protest on Saturday, with the interior ministry estimating that 110,000 took part in a march on the city's southeastern edge that started peacefully but is ending with violence. Police have fired volleys of tear gas and are also using water cannons to try to disperse people, including some who have thrown projectiles.

Mass protests challenge Macron as French police fire tear gas, use cannons

More than 100,000 people marched in Paris on Saturday over school funding and soaring living costs, challenging President Emmanuel Macron's government as police fired tear gas and water cannons near the end of the protest. Paris police estimated turnout at 110,000, with demonstrators mobilizing despite restrictions that confined the march to the city's southeastern edge, away from the center. Police used tear gas in several cities, including Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, and Strasbourg, and water cannons in Nice and Nantes, French media reported. In Marseille, officers fired tear gas during clashes with several dozen people near the march's endpoint. The Paris prosecutor's office said 64 people had been arrested in connection with Saturday's demonstration and 40 placed in police custody. Those arrested included six minors. Most arrests concerned suspected weapons offenses or participation in a group preparing violence or property damage, the office said. The unrest is testing Macron's ..

France deploys 70,000 security personnel as new protests raise riot fears

Paris has boarded up shops and shut 3 major museums ahead of Saturday's protests, while a football match has been postponed; President Macron acknowledged planning failures after last weekend's unrest

Paris suburb shooting: One killed, five injured; Macron expresses grief

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the shooting in Trappes and La Verriere, calling it a turning point and alleging that the attack targeted people based on their skin colour or religion

France steps up security, deploys military to contain fresh protests

There will be 20% more police on the ground than last Saturday, according to the Interior Ministry

Thousands gather in Paris after court lifts protest ban amid unrest

Thousands of protesters took to the Paris streets on Thursday while other cities banned demonstrations following a weekend of clashes and widespread looting that marked France's most violent unrest in years. Organisers of the Paris protest said an administrative court overturned a ban issued by police after they challenged it. The Paris prefecture previously said the ban was necessary, given the risk of street violence after groups of masked youth clashed with officers, looted shops and torched cars over the weekend. The Paris court ruling was not immediately made public. Protesters, including many youngsters, gathered peacefully and chanted in a southeastern part of the city amid heavy police presence. "We don't need tear gas for our future to look bleak," read a banner they unfurled. Organisers signed a police document stating that the protest would remain stationary due to the risk of violence. More bans were expected in the coming days. French President Emmanuel Macron said su

India advises nationals in France to stay alert amid protests, curfews

India has advised its nationals living in France and those travelling to the country to remain vigilant and exercise caution amid continuing unrest, violent clashes and localised curfews in parts of the European nation. In an advisory issued on Wednesday, the Embassy of India in France urged Indian nationals to avoid large gatherings and crowded places where protests are taking place and follow instructions issued by local authorities. "In view of the recent developments and localised curfews imposed in France, please remain vigilant and exercise due caution," it said. The advisory comes as France grapples with widespread protests and riots, triggered by student demonstrations over high school conditions and expanding into mass anti-government anger over inflation and living costs. The unrest has been marked by incidents of looting, arson and clashes between demonstrators and police. The Indian mission asked nationals to stay informed through local news reports and official updates

Macron takes apparent dig at Trump, Netanyahu for comments on France unrest

Speaking in Doha during a Gulf visit, the French president criticised foreign leaders for using France's recent riots for political gain, saying some were campaigning at the country's expense

Not just France, Europe's political centre is crumbling amid discontent

Economic stagnation, inflation and rising inequality are eroding trust in Europe's centrist parties, fuelling support for populist movements on both the far right and far left

Curfews bring calm to Paris as France cracks down on weekend rioters

Paris returns to calm after deadly weekend riots as France imposes curfews and steps up legal action against looters

From France and Italy to Belgium: What is driving protests across Europe?

Rising energy bills, food prices and housing costs have become major concerns for European households

The French fantasy of equality and prosperity is coming to an end

Protests over living costs, inequality and failing public services have exposed wider anxieties about climate change, artificial intelligence and economic insecurity

Trump warns Europe faces collapse without border closures, deportations

Donald Trump urged European countries to close their borders and deport people he said posed a threat, as France imposed curfews following weekend unrest

French protests tapers off after tougher security measures imposed

Protests drew more than half a million people on Saturday across the country, but the demonstrations over cost-of-living concerns soon deteriorated as fast-moving groups targeted hundreds of shops

From France to Albania, social unrest sets Europe's streets ablaze

Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis have created perfectly stormy weather for an autumn of protests in Europe. Crowds have taken to the streets for weeks in major cities, resulting in arrests, looting, injuries, and violence across France, Italy and Albania. In Spain and Portugal, tent camps have sprung up in protests against unattainable rents and housing costs. Young people "feel disappointed with the (social) model and experience a strong sense of uncertainty and a lack of control," said Maria Silvestre, professor of sociology at the University of Deusto in Spain. "And when specific situations come together, a spark suddenly ignites that is capable of channelling that discontent and driving people into the streets." Cities have turned into battlefields as several top EU economies, including France, Italy and Spain, approach pivotal elections, while far-right parties have made electoral gains in Germany and could

France tightens protest control measures as officials admit to failure

France banned Marseille demonstrations and urged curfews where needed after weekend riots, while businesses sought aid and Paris hotels began reporting cancellations

France unrest: Macron urges calm after 2,400 arrests amid riots, looting

The unrest spread across Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille and Limoges, where masked groups attacked public buildings, set fires and looted shops

French unrest raises alarm across Europe as protests turn violent

While France has a history of street demonstrations, the intensity of attacks on public buildings, shops, raised fears of repeat action during a campaign featuring both the far left and far right