Curator Laurence Bertrand Dorléac says the display is not pacifist but rather a statement about the subversive role of art The art critic Robert Hughes described Goya's Disasters of War etchings as the greatest anti-war manifesto in the history of art. It is fitting, then, that as the world prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings and 100 years since the start of the 1914-18 war,...
Makeshift campsites in Calais are cleared by riot police in an evacuation ordered by a prefect for the Pas-de-Calais region, citing public health concerns after an outbreak of scabies. People staying at the camp, many of whom have fled conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan, attempt to board ferries headed for the port to avoid deportation following the raid. The move comes after a big success for the...
Talks will be Vladimir Putin's first meeting with the head of state of a major western power since Russia's annexation of Crimea The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will discuss the crisis in Ukraine at talks with his French counterpart, François Hollande, in Paris on 5 June, the Kremlin has said. The talks will be held at the Elysée Palace in Paris on the eve of a second world war...
Transparency campaigners call for details of long-delayed deal with French firm to be published after dispute over royalties News that the French nuclear company Areva has finally signed a new operating contract with the Niger government for its northern uranium mines has received a cautious welcome from transparency campaigners. Continue reading... ...
This political earthquake comes at a time of huge national doubt about France's future and its mainstream parties, both right and left In the 10th arrondissement of Paris where I live, Front National scored only 6% of the vote in Sunday's European elections, against 25% nationally. The ruling Socialist party came first in this "bobo" area of central Paris, but only managed a humiliating third...
Authorities cite health concerns outbreak but aid groups lambast expulsion of refugees as 'show operation that solves nothing' French authorities have bulldozed three makeshift migrant camps that had been sheltering hundreds of refugees at the port of Calais, citing health concerns following an outbreak of scabies and increasing violence. Continue reading... ...
Front National leader partners with Italian, Dutch, Austrian and Belgian parties and says she is confident of adding others Marine Le Pen is confident of forming a powerful Eurosceptic bloc before the first meeting of the European parliament at the beginning of July. The Front National (FN) president appeared buoyed up and determined as she led a press conference with the leaders of four other far...
Number of unemployed people in Germany rose by 24,000, while France's jobless total reached record high of 3.364m Unemployment is rising in Europe's two largest economies, with a shock jump in Germany and a new record high in France, according to the latest figures. The number of unemployed people in Germany rose unexpectedly by 24,000 to 2.905 million in May. It was the biggest monthly increase since...
Iron implant is same size and shape as incisors found with Celtic woman's remains and was likely added after death An iron tooth implant fitted about 2,300 years ago has been found in the grave of a young woman in northern France. Archaeologists believe it may have been fitted to beautify her corpse, as it would have been too excruciating to have had it hammered into the living jaw. The corroded piece...
Front National leader rules out joining forces with extreme-right parties Golden Dawn, Jobbik and Ataka France's Front National leader Marine Le Pen will meet other far-right and eurosceptic leaders on Wednesday in an attempt to create a powerful bloc in the European parliament. However, Le Pen ruled out joining forces with the extreme-right Golden Dawn in Greece, the Hungarian party Jobbik or Ataka...
Controversial carcinogen suspect hexachlorobenzene stored at Botany since 1991 after two failed attempts to send it overseas The Australian chemicals company Orica said on Tuesday it had applied to ship a vast stockpile of toxic waste to France to end a long-running saga over how to dispose of it. The company has 15,000 tonnes of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) a byproduct and suspected human carcinogen of...
The fresh crop of MEPs includes Holocaust deniers, fascists, xenophobes and a leftwing war hero Poland's newly elected MEP is anti-EU, anti-democracy, pro-Putin and, by his own account, anti-women. The 72-year-old led his party New Right to fourth place in the elections, with 7.2% of the vote. He also gained 28.5% of votes among 18- to 25-year-olds more than any other party. Continue reading... ...
French PM admits country has been shaken by 'earthquake' after far-right party won 25% of votes in European elections French prime minister Manuel Valls has ruled out any policy change as the mainstream parties reeled from the stunning victory of the extreme-right Front National in the European elections. Valls, speaking on RTL radio before heading to the Elysée Palace for an emergency mini-cabinet...
A Brussels dinner brings together the walking wounded from an election that has reshaped the politics of at least four nations Prime ministers, presidents, and chancellors from across Europe are to dine in Brussels on Tuesday evening, and digest the verdict from their respective disenchanted voters. Many will arrive as walking wounded, their credibility battered, their reputations bruised, their policies...
The 'bleu Marine' wave that washed over France, giving FN one quarter of the vote, spared only Paris and the west of France In the Calvados town of Lisieux in Basse Normandie (Lower Normandy) it is hard to escape the beady eye of Saint Thérèse whose imposing basilica dominates the skyline attracting thousands of pilgrims from around the world. On Monday, however, Lisieux was paying tribute...
FN leader claims 'the people have spoken', as far-right party polls an historic 25% of votes in the European elections It was, as even their avowed opponents agreed, an historic victory. Or as French foreign minister Laurent Fabius succinctly put it, there was "one winner and a lot of losers". From the beginning of the European election campaign weeks ago Marine Le Pen was insistent that...
Elections return record number of MEPs opposed to EU project, with far right winning in France, Denmark and Austria Rolling coverage of the European election results European politics were jolted as seldom before on Sunday when France's extreme nationalists triumphed in the European parliament elections, which across the continent returned an unprecedented number of MEPs hostile or sceptical about...
French economist's bestselling book on growing inequality in west undermined by 'inexplicable' data, says Financial Times Only a few days ago, the "rock star" economist Thomas Piketty had the world at his feet. He had lectured at the White House, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations. His 577-page Capital in the Twenty-First Century, an unexpected bestseller, was economics'...
Photographs from the Guardian Eyewitness series Continue reading... ...
Helena Costa, the new manager of French club Clermont Foot, says having a female coach in professional football 'should be a normal thing'. The 36-year-old has become the first female manager to be appointed in the highest two divisions of any professional European league. She says the media attention is understandable but has asked to be treated as a 'normal coach' Continue reading... ...