France

France and Algeria: Signs of Calm, but No Real Reconciliation

In recent weeks, France appears to be cautiously reopening a door long left ajar. In early November, the new Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, said he had received an invitation from his Algerian counterpart, a gesture that has yet to be officially confirmed. In Paris, it is regarded as a quiet sign of goodwill. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister ...

Macron Warns Any Planned West Bank Annexation a 'Red Line'

French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Tuesday that any Israeli plans for annexation in the West Bank would be a "red line" and would provoke a European reaction. He spoke as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Paris one month into a fragile truce between Hamas and Israel, following two years of war triggered by the militant group's ...

'Western Tech Dominance Fading' at Lisbon's Web Summit

Global tech leaders will pack Lisbon's annual Web Summit from Tuesday to talk Artificial Intelligence, robots, and startups -- all under the shadow of tensions over cutting-edge tech and the natural resources needed to build it. Over four days, the "Davos for geeks" is set to welcome over 70,000 visitors including 2,500 startups and ...

French Court Frees Ex-President Sarkozy From Jail Pending Appeal

Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday was freed from prison, a 20-day experience the former president called a "nightmare," as a judge ordered his release pending an appeal decision over Libyan funding. Sarkozy was freed from La Santé prison in Paris shortly before 3 pm (1400 GMT) on Monday, a source familiar with the case told AFP. The ...

France's Sarkozy says Prison a 'Nightmare' as Prosecutors Seek his Release

Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday called his imprisonment a "nightmare" as prosecutors requested the former French president be released from jail pending an appeals trial over Libyan funding. A lower court in September found the right-winger -- who was head of state from 2007 to 2012 -- guilty of seeking to acquire funding from Moammar ...

“Doudou on the Streets”: The Baffling Profile of a Louvre Thief

Abdoulaye N., 39, the key suspect in the October 19 theft of the Crown Jewels at the Louvre, does not fit the typical profile of a high-stakes burglar. Already known to police for minor but aggravated thefts, among them a 2014 jewelry store robbery in Barbès that earned him a three-year prison sentence, he reportedly has 15 entries on his ...

Star Designer Rousteing Quits Fashion Group Balmain

Star designer Olivier Rousteing announced Wednesday he was quitting as artistic director of French fashion house Balmain after 14 years in which he revolutionized the luxury group. Rousteing was the first Black designer to lead a major Paris fashion house and is credited with helping make luxury fashion more accessible, recruiting Kim Kardashian ...

Louvre Heist a 'Deafening Wake-up Call' for Museum Security

Last month's spectacular Louvre heist, in which robbers made off with some of France's crown jewels, was a "deafening wake-up call" for museum security, the head of France's highest audit institution said Thursday. Upgrades to security at the world-renowned museum have been moving at a "woefully inadequate pace", Pierre Moscovici told a press ...

France Moves to Suspend Shein Website as First Store Opens in Paris

Shein opened its first physical store worldwide in Paris under the eye of riot police, as the French government said it was suspending the Asian e-commerce giant's online platform following outrage over its sale of childlike sex dolls. Hundreds of shoppers streamed into Shein's permanent physical store on the sixth floor of the BHV department ...

The Louvre Heist Explained

Four thieves broke into the Louvre in under eight minutes and vanished with France’s imperial jewels. Here’s how one of the world’s most daring museum heists unfolded and how it remains unsolved.  

Lebanon Pressed Again to Hunt Down Assad Officials

Lebanon has once again found itself at the center of a sensitive international investigation tied to the post-Assad era. One year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, Beirut is being asked to cooperate with international judicial authorities to locate senior Syrian security officials accused of war crimes and crimes ...