Page 2 - France

Louvre jewellery heist: Five more arrests made in Paris as probe deepens

Earlier, two suspects from Aubervilliers were charged with organised theft and criminal conspiracy after being held for nearly four days

Former Madagascar president Rajoelina stripped of citizenship after coup

Former Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina has been stripped of his citizenship after he was ousted during a military takeover just over a week ago. Rajoelina, whose whereabouts remain unknown after he fled the country following protests that demanded his resignation, also holds French citizenship. The country's new prime minister, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, has signed a decree invoking laws which strip all Madagascans of their citizenship if they have citizenship of another country. Rajoelina's possession of French nationality had previously caused a debate about his eligibility to run for the presidency in the 2023 polls, an election he won. He fled the country at the height of youth-led protests, which brought thousands into the streets in several cities and initially sparked a harsh crackdown by security forces that left 22 people dead and more than 100 injured, according to the United Nations. At the time, he said he feared for his life, and addressed the nation from an unk

Two suspects arrested over multimillion Louvre museum heist in Paris

French police detained two men for allegedly stealing 19th-century jewels from the Louvre's Gallery of Apollo in a daring daylight heist

Louvre theft could make France's stolen Crown Jewels as famous as Mona Lisa

The robbery at the Louvre has done what no marketing campaign ever could: It has catapulted France's dusty Crown Jewels long admired at home, little known abroad to global fame. One week on, and the country is still wounded by the breach to its national heritage. Yet the crime is also a paradox. Some say it will make celebrities of the very jewels it sought to erase, much as the Mona Lisa's turn-of-the-20th-century theft transformed the then little-known Renaissance portrait into the world's most famous artwork. In 1911, a museum handyman lifted the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece off its hook. The loss went unnoticed for more than a day; newspapers turned it into a global mystery, and crowds came to stare at the empty space. When the painting resurfaced two years later, its fame eclipsed everything else in the museum, and that remains so today. That's the uneasy question shadowing on Sunday's robbery: whether a crime that cut deep will glorify what's left behind. Because of the .

France raises bird flu alert level to 'high' after fresh outbreaks

France has heightened its bird flu alert to 'high' after new outbreaks were confirmed in poultry farms and wild birds, prompting tighter biosecurity measures across the country.

Louvre museum reopens for visitors three days after daring jewel heist

The museum's Director Laurence des Cars will appear before a French Senate cultural committee on Wednesday to answer questions about the museum's security

Melting $102 mn stolen Louvre jewels won't pay off, warns French prosecutor

While melting them down could give thieves a small profit, the real value lies in their heritage and rarity, making resale extremely risky

France's ex-president Sarkozy to begin serving 5-yr prison sentence today

Nicolas Sarkozy will become the first former French president in living memory to be imprisoned when he is expected to begin a five-year sentence on Tuesday in Paris' La Sant prison. Convicted of criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya, Sarkozy maintains his innocence. Regardless, he will be admitted to serve his time in a prison that has held some of the most high-profile inmates since the 19th century. They include Capt Alfred Dreyfus, wrongly convicted of treason because he was Jewish, and the Venezuelan militant known as Carlos the Jackal, who carried out several attacks on French soil. Sarkozy told Le Figaro newspaper that he expects to be held in solitary confinement, where he would be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons. Another possibility is that he is held in the prison's section for vulnerable" inmates, colloquially known as the VIP section. Former La Sant inmates described their experiences and what

Crown jewels stolen in audacious daylight robbery at Louvre museum

Louvre heist: The thieves used a grinder to cut through display cases, helping themselves to precious jewellery before making their escape on motorbikes

Louvre museum in Paris closes after robbery targeting Napoleon-era jewels

French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said a robbery occurred at the Louvre on Sunday morning as thieves reportedly used chainsaws and a freight elevator to steal Napoleon-era jewels

Political crisis in France eases for now as PM survives no-confidence vote

France's latest political crisis eased -- for now -- when Prime Minister Sbastien Lecornu survived two consecutive no-confidence votes on Thursday, averting another government collapse and giving President Emmanuel Macron a respite before an even tougher fight over the national budget. The immediate danger may have receded but the core problem is still very much centre stage. The eurozone's second-largest economy is still run by a minority government in a splintered parliament where no single bloc or party has a majority. Every major law now turns on last-minute deals, and the next test is a spending plan that must pass before the end of the year. The drama in parliament On Thursday, lawmakers in the 577-seat National Assembly rejected a no-confidence motion filed by the hard-left France Unbowed party. The 271 votes were 18 short of the 289 needed to bring down the government. A second motion from the far-right National Rally also failed. Had Lecornu lost, Macron would have faced

France is on brink as President Macron's govt faces no-confidence votes

France could sink deeper into political crisis Thursday when the prime minister faces two attempts in Parliament to topple his fragile new government, which could leave President Emmanuel Macron with no palatable option other than calling snap legislative elections. Legislators in the National Assembly, the powerful but deeply divided lower house, will vote on no-confidence motions filed by Macron's fiercest opponents the hard-left France Unbowed party and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally and her allies in Parliament. If Prime Minister Sbastien Lecornu survives, it could be close. Should the ally of Macron fall, the president has signalled through a government spokeswoman that he could dissolve the National Assembly rather than name a replacement for Lecornu. He resigned as prime minister last week only for Macron to re-appoint him again four days later. The outcome of legislative elections that would follow any National Assembly dissolution is uncertain. But Le Pen's

French PM Lecornu to suspend pension reform to avoid govt collapse

French Prime Minister Sbastien Lecornu on Tuesday announced he would suspend a much-debated plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, in a move aimed at preventing his fragile minority government from being toppled. After a week of political turmoil, the newly reappointed Lecornu said in a policy speech at the National Assembly that the law, a flagship initiative of President Emmanuel Macron, would be put on hold until after the next presidential election, to be held in 2027. The Socialist Party, which is not part of the governing coalition, had demanded the law be repealed, and Lecornu's offer to suspend it was seen as a prerequisite for the Socialists' potential support. On Thursday, Lecornu will face two no-confidence motions, one from the hard-left France Unbowed and the other from the far-right National Rally. The two parties do not hold enough seats to topple Lecornu's government on their own, but the prime minister could quickly be undone if the Socialists and others on

Army Chiefs of India and France discuss strengthening defence ties

The ongoing military engagement between the two nations builds on General Dwivedi's visit to France earlier this year

Sarkozy set to become France's first former president to serve jail term

Nicolas Sarkozy was told by prosecutors that he will be incarcerated on Oct 21, according to BFM TV, which added that the former president would be held in the Paris prison of La Sante

France's re-appointed PM names new Cabinet in bid to quell political crisis

France's newly reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu named a new government Sunday, as he faces pressure to urgently produce a budget and quell political turmoil that is scaring businesses and investors and staining the country's image. The Cabinet includes several familiar faces from previous governments who hail from French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp, as well as allied conservatives, and some people from outside the political sphere. It is unclear how long this new team will last. Macron, whose term ends in 2027, lacks a majority in the deeply fractured parliament and is losing support from his own ranks. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen's ascendant far-right National Rally party is calling for new elections, while far-left France Unbowed wants the president to resign. Immediately after the president's office announced the new Cabinet, the conservative Republicans party announced it was expelling the six party members who agreed to join the government. Lecornu, a ..

French PM Sebastien Lecornu races against the clock to form government

Just two days after being reappointed, Lecornu must present a draft budget bill to cabinet and parliament on Monday

France's re-appointed PM Lecornu calls for calm amid political chaos

France's newly re-appointed prime minister acknowledged Saturday that there weren't a lot of candidates for his job and that he might not last long in the post given the country's deep political divides. Sebastien Lecornu, renamed by President Emmanuel Macron late Friday after a week of political chaos, called for calm and for the support of political parties to produce a budget for the European Union's No. 2 economy before looming deadlines. His appointment is seen as Macron's last chance to reinvigorate his second term, which runs until 2027. His centrist camp lacks a majority in the National Assembly and he is facing increasing criticism even within its ranks. But rivals from far right to far left slammed Macron's decision to rename Lecornu, France's fourth prime minister in barely a year. France is struggling with mounting economic challenges and ballooning debt, and the political crisis is aggravating its troubles and raising alarm across the European Union. I don't think the

'We must end this crisis': Macron reappoints Lecornu as prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron reappointed Sebastien Lecornu days after his resignation, tasking him with forming a new government and delivering a budget to end France's political stalemate