Page 2 - France

'Long live friendship', says French President Macron after meeting PM Modi

Prime Minister Modi, on his part, described the meeting as a "delightful exchange" and said that India-France ties remain a "force for global good

DRDO, DGA of France ink pact to develop solutions for defence challenges

A technical agreement was on Thursday signed between the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) of France, aiming to leverage the combined expertise and resources of both entities to develop innovative solutions for future defence challenges. Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO, Samir V Kamat and National Armaments Director, DGA, France, Lt Gen Gael Diaz de Tuesta, inked the agreement at the DRDO Bhawan here to deepen collaboration in defence research and development. It provides a formal framework for joint research and training programmes, testing activities, exchange of information, organisation of workshops, and seminars to enhance the skills and knowledge in defence research and development, the defence ministry said in a statement. Under the agreement, the transfer of equipment, know-how and technologies will be available to both countries. Key areas of cooperation outlined in this agreement ...

Paris blackout halts metros, darkens streets as thousands lose power

A power outage hit parts of Paris and Hauts-de-Seine on Thursday morning, cutting electricity to thousands of homes and briefly stopping metro services and traffic lights

Ace art director Thota Tharrani to receive France's Chevalier honour

Ace art director Thota Tharrani has been selected for the prestigious French honour -- the Chevalier de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters), the Alliance Francaise Madras announced. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed pleasure, saying the joy of the announcement has doubled by a personal connection. The CM recalled that he unveiled a portrait of renowned social reformer Thanthai Periyar (E V Ramaswamy) painted by Tharrani, at Oxford University's St Antony's College, on September 4, during his visit to the UK. In a social media post on Wednesday, Stalin said, "It is an honour to see Thotta Tharrani, who studied at the Government College of Arts, joining the ranks of great personalities from India to receive this award. Congratulations on your remarkable achievement." Ambassador of France to India Thierry Mathou would confer one of France's most prestigious distinctions on Tharrani on November 13, a press release from Alliance Francaise

Paris court to rule on former President Sarkozy's bid for early release

A Paris court is deciding on Monday whether to release former French President Nicolas Sarkozy from prison, less than three weeks after he began serving a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya. Sarkozy, 70, became the first former French head of state in modern times to be sent behind bars after his conviction on Sept. 25. He was jailed on Oct. 21 pending appeal but immediately filed for early release. Under French law, detention before an appeal ruling is supposed to be exceptional. Judges will weigh whether Sarkozy presents a flight risk, might pressure witnesses, or could obstruct justice. If the request is granted, Sarkozy could leave Paris' La Sante prison within hours under judicial supervision. The former president, who governed from 2007 to 2012, denies wrongdoing and says he is the victim of a plot linked to the former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Sarkozy also faces separate proceedings, includ

France moves to suspend Shein after childlike sex dolls found online

France has started action to suspend Shein after banned items like childlike sex dolls and weapons were found on its website, just hours after the Chinese retailer opened its first Paris store

'Louvre' for password? Decade-old blunder haunts French museum after heist

After the October 19 heist, the Louvre's security failures have come to light, exposing weak passwords, old systems and years of ignored warnings

Inside the $100 million Louvre jewel heist that stunned the world

More than a week after thieves made off with treasures from the Louvre, a picture is emerging of a seemingly well-planned burglary that exploited security lapses at the museum and outpaced the police

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