Page 22 - France

Carla Bruni charged with witness tampering in husband's campaign case

Former supermodel and French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was given preliminary charges Tuesday for involvement in alleged efforts to pressure a witness who accused ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy of receiving illegal campaign financing from Libya. Bruni-Sarkozy was placed under judicial supervision on Tuesday, which included a ban on contact with all those involved in the proceedings with the exception of her husband, according to a judicial official not authorized to be publicly named when speaking about an ongoing investigation. Preliminary charges against Bruni-Sarkozy include witness tampering and participation in a criminal association with an attempt to commit fraud in efforts to deceive magistrates investigating her husband on suspicion of receiving illegal funds during his 2007 presidential election campaign, the official said. Bruni-Sarkozy's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. After she was questioned by police in May, her lawyers said she provided 'useful ...

French elections: Left bloc wants to rule but centrists demand a role

The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) won the most seats in the National Assembly but fell short of an absolute majority by about 100 seats

Le Pen faces investigation for 2022 French election campaign funding

The Paris prosecutor opened the case after it was alerted by the country's campaign-funding watchdog in 2023, an official said in an email

France's election outcome 'negative' for credit rating, says Moody's

France is facing complex negotiations to form a government after a left-wing surge in elections on Sunday blocked Marine Le Pen's quest to bring the far right to power

France's elections end with no clear majority. What happens next?

Election results show French voters have chosen to give a broad leftist coalition the most parliamentary seats in pivotal legislative elections, keeping the far right away from power. Yet no party won an outright majority, putting France in an uncertain, unprecedented situation. President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance arrived in second position and the far right in third still drastically increasing the number of seats it holds in the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament. No clear figure has emerged as a possible future prime minister. Macron says he will wait to decide his next steps, and heads to Washington this week for a NATO summit. The new legislators can start work in parliament on Monday, and their first new session starts July 18. A hung parliament? Three major political blocs emerged from the elections yet none of them is close to the majority of at least 289 seats out of 577. The National Assembly is the most important of France's two houses of

Paris Olympics 2024: All about tickets, stays, ways to get around Paris

Paris Olympics 2024 is set to be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Check details about tickets, stays get around and other things

If France is boring you, go watch something else, says coach Deschamps

A boring France team? Coach Didier Deschamps doesn't care. Tuesday's European Championship semifinal between Spain and France is a matchup of very different styles. One team is playing some of the most exciting soccer at Euro 2024, and the other is playing arguably the dullest. A team that has won all five of its matches, against a team that has won just two (excluding Friday's penalty shootout victory over Portugal ). A team that has scored a tournament high 11 goals, against a team whose players have yet to score from open play having notched two own goals and a penalty. If we're boring you, you can watch something else, it doesn't matter, Deschamps said on Monday when asked about criticism of his team's form. It's a very particular European Championship, with less goals than normal. We have the chance to make France happy, in a delicate situation for the country. If (others) are bored, I don't really care. France has underwhelmed and captain Kylian Mbapp is frustrated as he

Far-right groups from France, Hungary to be new political force in EU Parl

Far-right parties from 12 countries, including France's National Rally and Hungary's ruling Fidesz, announced on Monday that they have joined together to form a new bloc in the European Parliament and plan to become a major political force. The European Parliament moved perceptibly to the right following Europe-wide elections a month ago as many voters abandoned the business-friendly liberals and environmentalist Greens. Mainstream centre-right and centre-left groups still hold the majority though. The new bloc, dubbed Patriots for Europe, is made up of 84 EU lawmakers and will be led by Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old protg of Marine Le Pen. Kinga Gl, from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn's Fidesz party, will be first vice president. Right-wing parties from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain are also involved. Forming a group brings parties more influence, money and the possibility of coveted posts on ...

French revolution

Hung Parliament points to turmoil ahead

French elections: Macron the gambler wins chance to play Kingmaker

Results for the final round of France's snap parliamentary election suggest voters have delivered an emphatic 'non' to Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally

French elections 2024: Left leads, far-right rises, no majority secured

The left coalition in France won the most seats in Sunday's legislative elections, countering a far-right surge but failing to secure a majority

Violence breaks out in France as left-wing coalition leads snap election

French election night turned turbulent as results showed a left-wing coalition poised to claim the majority of parliamentary seats

French voters deliver political deadlock as left falls short of majority

The awkward leftist alliance, which the hard left, Greens and Socialists hastily put together before the vote, was far from having an absolute majority of 289 seats in the 577-seat assembly

French PM Attal resigns as leftist coalition defeats Macron's ruling party

The election results marked a significant shift in French politics, with the National Rally, led by Jordan Bardella, claiming substantial gains

France's business elite braces for new era of political volatility

Far right and left-wing parties want to roll back some of Macron's reforms, ranging from raising the retirement age to scrapping a wealth tax on financial assets

French turn out in force for parliamentary election, far right seeks power

In the outgoing parliament, French President Macron's alliance had only 250 seats and he required support from other parties to pass laws

How Macron went from successful political newcomer to a weakened leader

French President Emmanuel Macron's expected political failure in decisive parliamentary elections Sunday may paralyse the country, weaken him abroad and overshadow his legacy, just as France prepares to step into the global spotlight as host of the Paris Olympics. France's youngest-ever president is known on the international stage for his tireless diplomatic efforts and pro-European initiatives. Now, many wonder how he will manage to keep the reins of the country with likely no majority in parliament and a confrontational government. Constitutionally barred from running for a third consecutive term in 2027, Macron, 46, is facing a struggle not to become a lame duck. Whatever the outcome of Sunday's runoff, it's not expected to be good news for Macron. French media have recently described an end of reign atmosphere at the Elysee presidential palace. Polls show Macron's centrist alliance is headed for defeat in Sunday's runoff, after coming in third in the first round. It looks a

Euro 2024 quarterfinals: Ronaldo heads home as France beats Portugal 5-3

France's heartache in penalty shootouts is over. So is Cristiano Ronaldo's last-ever European Championship. In a clash of the soccer superstars, it was Kylian Mbapp and not Ronaldo, his idol advancing to a semifinal match against Spain as France beat Portugal 5-3 in a shootout following a 0-0 draw on Friday. Portugal substitute Joao Felix hit a post with the only miss in the shootout and Theo Hernndez showed no sign of pressure by converting the clinching kick into the top corner. It was a record sixth and final European Championship for the 39-year-old Ronaldo, who scored Portugal's first penalty in the shootout and ended up consoling fellow veteran Pepe afterward as the 41-year-old defender cried on his captain's shoulder. We need to go through this moment of our loss, which is very painful, Pepe said. Ronaldo's 20-year career in the Euros included the title in 2016 when Portugal beat France in the final and it remains to be seen if the five-time world player of the year wil

World leaders congratulate Starmer after Labour's victory in UK election

We will continue the work begun with the UK for our bilateral cooperation, for peace and security in Europe, for the climate and for AI, said French President while congratulating Keir Starmer

French elections: Exit polls predict hung parliament; Far Right could gain

A total of 577 constituencies are being decided in the election, one for each seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament