MEP and former Sarkozy protege fears apathy about EU will open door to extremists Rachida Dati , a French centre-right MEP and former justice minister under President Nicolas Sarkozy, who now represents French people living in Britain, has appealed to voters to turn out in this week's elections to the European parliament to combat the threat of "ultra-violent, ultra-racist and populist" parties....
In Cannes to promote new film mirroring the downfall of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Depardieu expresses sympathy for those with compulsive behaviour and says Abel Ferrara's movie is not pornographic The actor Gérard Depardieu has expressed sympathy for sex addiction sufferers, such as the fictionalised version of Dominique Strauss-Kahn he plays in a new film at the Cannes film festival. The film's...
Foreign Secretary William Hague, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and French President François Hollande are among attendees of a summit in Paris on the growing threat of Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria. Outrage at the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls by the group has led Jonathan to accept help from French, British and US intelligence agencies Continue reading... ...
After high-profile sackings in at the New York Times and Le Monde, a survey confirms that top businesswomen work on the edge of a glass cliff The perception that high-achieving businesswomen are more vulnerable than their male counterparts to being abruptly fired pushed off the "glass cliff" in the contemporary corporate vernacular has been borne out by a new study from a global management...
Guy Aubry suspected of tampering with and then burning ballot papers after 24 villagers say they voted for rival The village of Lignières-sur-Aire in the Meuse is a close-knit place with 51 registered inhabitants. Difficult to falsify an election, one would think. However, the mayor of the hamlet in north-eastern France has been accused of doing just that in a desperate attempt to hang on to...
French government can block foreign takeovers in 'strategic' industries threatening US group General Electric's plans to bid for French assets The French government has given itself a new power to block any foreign takeovers of French companies in "strategic" industries. A decree, published in the official state gazette on Thursday will allow the state to block foreign takeovers in the energy,...
International Monetary Fund says sticking to 50bn cuts plan is essential if France is to bring its deficit down The French government risks failing to deliver on 50bn (£40.8bn) of spending cuts, threatening plans to get the deficit under control, the International Monetary Fund has warned. The IMF, based in Washington, said François Hollande's government was faced with a very large challenge...
Eurozone recovery takes a knock as economy grows just 0.2% in last quarter, with many countries disappointing Latest: Dr Kristin Forbes to join MPC Euro growth misses forecasts Summary: France flat, Germany strong 1.58pm BST Our full story on the IMF's warning to France is now live: 1.46pm BST Just in - the number of Americans signing on for unemployment benefit has dropped to its lowest level in...
Natalie Nougayrède says she is stepping down from role at French newspaper after 'personal and direct attacks' Natalie Nougayrède, the first female editor-in-chief of the prestigious French daily Le Monde, has quit after a power struggle with top staff who staged a protest last week over her plans to revamp the newspaper. Last week, seven senior editors stepped down from their posts after disputes...
A French minister is under fire for failing to sing along with La Marseillaise. But why is there pressure to participate? Can we really say "It wouldn't happen here"? This is what springs to mind when reading about the furore surrounding French justice minister Christiane Taubira , who was caught on camera failing to sing La Marseillaise at a public ceremony. Other politicians, including...
The opening night of the Cannes film festival has unfolded, with jury members including Jane Campion and Willem Dafoe trooping to the cinema to see Grace of Monaco. The film - which stars Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly - is not in competition, and has been greeted with almost universally hostile reviews Continue reading... ...
Fictional work tells story of a French model who is mistaken for the American actor by the lead male character Scarlett Johansson is suing a French novelist for 50,000 (£41,000) in damages, alleging that his work of fiction makes fraudulent claims about her personal life. "La Premiere Chose qu'On Regarde" (The First Thing We Look At), by Grégoire Delacourt tells the story of...
Canada sends special forces to assist Nigerian troops, joining teams from the US, UK, France and Israel The Nigerian government has confirmed that a military operation has been launched with international backing to locate and rescue more than 200 girls, who have been held captive for a month. The government also signalled that it is ready to negotiate with Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group that...
Government dismissal of Anne Baldassari, driving force behind museum's refit, causes rift with artist's son Claude Picasso Weaving her way through hard-hatted workmen labouring to finish the 52m (£42m) transformation of the Picasso museum in Paris, Anne Baldassari seemed more excited than anxious. Yes, the museum director admitted, the project had overrun by a spectacular three years and the...
France's literary market has great potential, yet big firms remain reluctant to learn the language of international rights trading Six thousand languages are spoken worldwide, but few have a market for books. French is the fifth-largest language pool, coming after Chinese, English, Spanish and Hindi. So there is a sense of responsibility for the transmission of knowledge. How are the book markets organised...
The Canadian province has been a stealthy focus for French publishers, but its booksellers are also looking towards Paris The Canadian province of Quebec has about 6 million French-speaking inhabitants. In comparison there are only 4.2 million French-speakers in Belgium. French publishers have got the point and export their goods there, but this has not prevented home-grown equivalents from springing...
Zaïr Kédadouche, ambassador to Andorra, says some in Quai d'Orsay considered his background and name a handicap A French ambassador has resigned, accusing the country's foreign ministry of abject racism. Zaïr Kédadouche, France's man in Andorra is now suing over the discrimination he claims is endemic in the country's elite diplomatic service. In a letter to the country's president, François...
French president orders immediate despatch of team to 'shine light on circumstances of assassination' of 26-year-old A French photojournalist has been killed in the Central African Republic, the presidential palace announced on Tuesday evening. The body of Camille Lepage, 26, from Angers, was discovered by French troops patrolling in the Bouar region in the west of the country in a vehicle driven by...
French bank in talks with US authorities to resolve inquires into whether it broke sanctions on Iran, Sudan and other countries BNP Paribas is in talks with US authorities to pay more than $3bn (£1.8bn) to resolve investigations into whether the French bank violated American sanctions on Iran, Sudan and other countries. The bank warned last month it faced fines in excess of $1.1bn over the matter,...
But, Paris, at least we'll always have masturbation There's really nothing like a conversation with someone who doesn't live here to make you remember how puritanical America is when it comes to sexuality and women's pleasure, specifically. In a pretty wonderful exchange between New York magazine's Maureen O'Connor and French GQ sex columnist Maia Mazaurette, the women take on first dates ("There...