Page 11 - France

France's Macron acknowledges that dissolving parliament in 2024 backfired

French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged in his New Year's address to the nation that his decision to dissolve parliament, casting France into a political crisis, backfired. I must recognise tonight that the dissolution has, for the moment, brought more division in the (National) Assembly than solutions for the French, he said on Tuesday, adding that "I take my full part for that. It was as close as the French leader has come to apologising for his decision in June that triggered early legislative elections. They produced a hung parliament, with the National Assembly roughly split among three sharply opposed main blocks none with a majority to govern alone. Macron has since had to rotate through three prime ministers with Gabriel Attal followed by Michel Barnier followed by the current premier, Franois Bayrou in an effort to find a consensus-builder who might be able to bridge parliamentary divisions, pass a 2025 budget and stave off the risk of another governmental ...

French PM unveils recovery plan for devastated Mayotte after Cyclone Chido

French Prime Minister Franois Bayrou arrived Monday in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte to unveil a recovery plan three weeks after Cyclone Chido brought devastation. Bayrou, recently appointed as prime minister, also updated the death toll to 39 but urged caution, saying the final number could range from a few dozen to a few hundred. Days after the cyclone, Mayotte's prefect, Franois-Xavier Bieuville, had warned of the possibility of several hundred or even a few thousand deaths. Bayrou's visit follows that of French President Emmanuel Macron as some Mayotte residents have alleged that the French government had long neglected them. The prime minister said a draft emergency law aiming to rebuild Mayotte within two years will be submitted to parliament in January. And he said local authorities agreed to ban the rebuilding of informal settlements, home to an unknown number of migrants from African nations in the region who hope to make their way to Europe. Many of the makeshift

Gisle Pelicot's ex-husband won't appeal against his sentence for mass rapes

The ex-husband of Gisle Pelicot won't appeal his 20-year prison sentence for drugging and raping her and allowing dozens of other men to also rape her while she was unconscious, in a case that revolted France, his lawyer said Monday. Dominique Pelicot wants to spare his ex-wife the ordeal of another trial, lawyer Batrice Zavarro said in an interview with broadcaster France Info. She said 17 of the 50 other men found guilty this month after a trial that lasted more than three months have decided to appeal their sentences. The court in the southern French city of Avignon handed down sentences ranging from three to 15 years' imprisonment for the 50 men found guilty of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault on Gisle Pelicot in a nearly decade-long period. The court found Dominique Pelicot guilty of rape and all other charges against him and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, which was the maximum possible. At age 72, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. He won't be ...

Emmanuel Macron unveils new French govt led by PM Francois Bayrou

Newly appointed French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou formed the country's fourth government

New French government looks to fix 2025 budget while avoiding collapse

French President Emmanuel Macron's office announced a new government Monday, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the country's budget. The government, put together by newly named Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, includes members of the outgoing conservative-dominated team and new figures from centrist or left-leaning backgrounds. Coming up with a 2025 budget will be the most urgent order of business. The new government enters office after months of political deadlock and crisis and pressure from financial markets to reduce France's colossal debt. Macron has vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2027, but has struggled to govern since snap elections in the summer left no single party with a majority in the National Assembly. Since his appointment 10 days ago, Bayrou has held talks with political leaders from various parties in search of the right balance for the new government. Some critics on Monday were angry at Bayrou for ..

French magazine exposes Pak's links to extremist network Jaish-e-Mohammed

The report highlights the resurgence of the Jaish e Mohammed (JeM), particularly in Bahawalpur area of Punjab province

France's court convicts 8 for involvement in 2020 beheading of teacher

France's anti-terrorism court convicted eight people on Friday of involvement in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty in 2020. Paty was killed near Paris on October 16, 2020, days after showing his class cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a debate on free expression. The assailant, an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin, was shot to death by police. Those convicted were accused, in some cases, of providing assistance to the perpetrator and, in others, of organising a hate campaign online before the murder took place. The shocking death of the 47-year-old Paty left an imprint on France, and several schools are now named after him. The convicts include friends of assailant Abdoullakh Anzorov who allegedly helped purchase weapons for the attack and the father of a schoolgirl whose lies started the fatal spiral of events. The attack occurred against a backdrop of protests in many Muslim countries and calls online for violence targeting France and the satirical French newspaper

France mass rape trial: 50 guilty, ex-husband gets 20 years in jail

Dominique Pelicot drugged and raped his ex-wife Gisele for a decade, enlisting 50 men. Video evidence exposed the crimes, igniting calls for reform

European car sales decline in November, led by France and Italy: ACEA

The slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) sales was only partly offset by the growth of hybrid-electric car registrations

France's apex court upholds former Prez Sarkozy's conviction in bribe case

France's highest court has upheld an appeal court decision which had found former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling while he was the country's head of state. Sarkozy, 69, faces a year in prison, but is expected to ask to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet as is the case for any sentence of two years or less. He was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling by both a Paris court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. "The convictions and sentences are therefore final, a Court of Cassation statement on Wednesday said. Sarkozy, who was France's president from 2007 to 2012, retired from public life in 2017 though still plays an influential role in French conservative politics. He was among the guests who attended the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral earlier this month. Sarkozy, in a statement posted on X, said I will assum

Rescuers comb debris for survivors in cyclone-hit French territory Mayotte

Cyclone Chido devastated large parts of the archipelago off east Africa over the weekend with winds of more than 200 kph (124 mph), strewing homes over hillsides

Cyclone Chido death toll in Mayotte reaches 'several hundred': Official

The tropical cyclone blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean, also affecting the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. Mayotte was directly in the path of the cyclone and suffered extensive

Moody's Ratings cut France's credit grade, heaps pressure on new govt

In an unscheduled change, Moody's lowered its assessment of the euro area's second-biggest economy to Aa3 from Aa2, three levels below the maximum rating

President Macron names centrist ally Bayrou as France's new prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named centrist ally Francois Bayrou as prime minister, after a historic parliamentary vote ousted the previous government last week. Bayrou, 73, a crucial partner in Macron's centrist alliance, has been a well-known figure in French politics for decades. His political experience is seen as key in efforts to restore stability as no single party holds a majority at the National Assembly. Bayrou was recently cleared in a case alleging embezzlement of European Parliament funds. Macron vowed last week to remain in office until his term ends in 2027.

French President Emmanuel Macron to announce new prime minister today

Barnier stepped down after just three months in office, marking the shortest tenure of any prime minister in modern French history

ECB likely to cut rates while weighing US trade concerns and France's chaos

With US President-elect Donald Trump threatening new tariffs and political chaos engulfing France, the European Union's second largest economy, the question ahead of the European Central Bank meeting Thursday is not whether it will cut interest rates, but by how much. Analysts see a quarter-point rate cut from the current ECB benchmark rate of 3.25% as the most likely option when the bank's rate-setting council meets at its skyscraper headquarters in Frankfurt. But the prospect of a half-point cut isn't out of the question for the bank and its President Christine Lagarde as new risks that emerged since the bank's last meeting on October 17 cast a shadow over an already tepid recovery from a post-pandemic stagnation. Trump's election victory on Nov. 5 heightened the prospect of a more protectionist U.S. trade policy, such as new or higher tariffs on imported goods, after he takes office on Jan. 20. That sends a cold chill through the business world in Europe, where exports are an ...

Ukraine's Zelenskyy asks for security guarantees at Paris meet with Trump

Zelenskiy believes Putin fears only Trump and possibly China in the international arena and that any lasting peace would require Washington to be 'truly strong'

Pressure mounts on French President Macron to name a new prime minister

Sense of urgency comes days after Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally joined a left-wing coalition to topple the government, leaving France's political system in disarray

Europe's economy to suffer if chaos continues in France, Germany: Experts

Even before the French and German governments collapsed, Europe's economy had enough difficulties. Tepid growth and lagging competitiveness versus the US and China. An auto industry that's struggling. Where to find billions for defense against Russia? And now Donald Trump threatening tariffs. Solutions will be harder to find while the two countries that make up almost half of the eurozone economy remain stuck in political paralysis well into 2025. Where once there was the so-called French-German axis to push Europe ahead, now there's a vacuum. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned Thursday after losing a vote of confidence, and while President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a successor, the new head of government will lack a majority. Elections are not constitutionally permitted until at least June. Germany's coalition led by Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz with the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats fractured in November, triggering an early election on Feb. 23.

Notre Dame reopening ceremony: Macron welcomes Trump, Zelenskyy joins them

The trip to France marks Trump's return to the world stage, still a private citizen but already preparing to tackle a host of international crises