Aquilino Morelle alleged to have worked for a pharmaceutical company while also engaged by a health watchdog An adviser to François Hollande has resigned after he was accused of a past conflict of interest and of behaving like a champagne Socialist. Aquilino Morelle, who was in charge of Hollande's communications, was alleged to have worked in secret for a pharmaceutical company while also engaged...
Jimmy's Hall, directed by Loach, and Leigh's Mr Turner among the 18 films selected to compete at prestigious event this year Two of the greats of British cinema, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, are to go head to head at this year's Cannes film festival, more than two decades since they first sparred for one of the most prestigious prizes in the film world. The pair first competed at the premier European...
Woman in custody after boy reported missing on Friday and parents turn out to be a construct of false Facebook accounts Police searching for two-year-old Chayson Basinio knew it was a race against time to find the missing child, who had reportedly disappeared from a supermarket car park. The local judge opened an inquiry for kidnapping and sequestration and police divers dredged a lake, fearing the...
A French judge has dismissed charges against musician for comments in Rolling Stone, as prosecutors pursue publisher A French judge has dismissed the charges that Bob Dylan "incited racial hate" by making a comparison between Croatians and Nazis in an interview with Rolling Stone, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal . Prosecutors are now said to be pursuing the magazine's French...
In the third of a new weekly series of interactive photographs to mark the first world war centenary, battle-weary German soldiers rest on the steps of Varreddes town hall during their attempt to take Paris in the opening months of the conflict. The action became known as the first battle of the Marne Photography then and now lets you move through time by tapping or clicking on the historic image...
Hollande's rout in the French local elections shows the price to be paid if Labour embraces cuts and corporate power The Tory press are crowing that George Osborne is as good as home and dry. Now that wages have outstripped inflation for the first time in four years, the Sun claims Ed Miliband has "got nothing left to say". In fact, real wages are still falling, if you take out bonuses or...
Police investigating rape at lycée Fénélon-Notre-Dame say man aged over 18 declined to give sample for personal reasons Detectives carrying out mass DNA testing at a French lycée to trace a rapist say only one student has refused to give a sample. The young man, who is over 18, told police he had personal reasons for not giving a sample as part of the police operation at the private Catholic...
The far right is fixated on pork and is using it as an excuse to target yet another aspect of Muslim life Following its significant gains in last month's local elections, the French Front National leader, Marine Le Pen, swiftly announced that school cafeterias would no longer serve non-pork substitution meals to children living in towns won by FN candidates. Targeting Muslims for another ritual round...
France to host meeting in hope of prompting referral of Syrian government to international criminal court for war crimes Photographs of some of 11,000 Syrians allegedly tortured and killed by Bashar al-Assad's forces are to be seen on Tuesday by members of the UN security council as part of an effort to prosecute the perpetrators for war crimes. UN ambassadors are to view a selection of 55,000 digital...
Mayor of Laguiole asks François Hollande to intervene after court rules in favour of company that trades under village name The French village of Laguiole has appealed to François Hollande to intervene after losing a long-running legal battle to use its own name. The 1,300 residents have been told they can continue trading on their home's name to market the famous Laguiole knives decorated with...
The car-share service is cheaper than public transport and targets the built-in inefficiencies of motoring With only three days to go before Christmas in 2003, Frédéric Mazzella was under pressure to get to his family home in Fontenay-le-Comte, 300 miles outside Paris but all the trains were full. After eventually getting a lift from his sister, he noticed most of the cars on the road...
More than 500 male staff and pupils face genetic testing at Catholic school in La Rochelle after 16-year-old girl raped A private Catholic school in France is to test the DNA of all male pupils and staff in an attempt to identify the rapist of a 16-year old girl who was assaulted in the school toilets. In the first time this mass testing has been carried out in France, 527 pupils and staff will be...
Opponents complain that new glass facade planned as part of redevelopment of Paris landmark will look like a shower curtain To its fans, La Samaritaine a vast art nouveau and art deco edifice on the banks of the Seine facing Pont Neuf is one of the architectural delights of Paris. Now the bulldozers are rumbling towards the former department store to destroy the last remaining parts of its historic...
As the world comes to the London Book Fair we examine the most exciting fiction from across the channel with the French novelist Marie Darrieussecq and the Dutch writer Peter Buwalda Continue reading... ...
A new labour agreement in France aims to give employees a better work life balance by asking employees to switch off work email after 6pm Continue reading... ...
Sumptuous Park Avenue apartment with 18 rooms is being sold as part of plans to reduce government's debt For Sale: the French ambassador to the UN's sumptuous apartment at one of the most sought after addresses in Manhattan. With billions of savings needing to be found in order to cut its budget deficit, Paris has put its 18-room duplex at 740 Park Avenue, one of New York's most exclusive properties,...
Parc Zoologique de Paris opens this weekend after six-year rebuild aimed at giving visitors a 'journey around the planet' It is one of the most celebrated landmarks in eastern Paris. The Grand Rocher, a 65m fake boulder that dominates the skyline around the Bois de Vincennes, is the defining symbol of the French capital's zoo. Continue reading... ...
A new labour agreement in France means that employees must ignore their bosses' work emails once they are out of the office and relaxing at home even on their smartphones Just in case you weren't jealous enough of the French already, what with their effortless style, lovely accents and collective will to calorie control, they have now just made it illegal to work after 6pm. Well, sort of. Après...
François Hollande's government remains deeply unpopular as he struggles to revive France's stagnant economy Keen to ensure his ministers are paying attention, the French president, François Hollande, has imposed a ban on mobile phones during cabinet sessions. Ministers will now be forced to leave their portable devices at the door when they join the French government's weekly cabinet meeting,...
The French government has launched an app to teach leadership skills to women. Sounds very empowering, but can a phone really teach you confidence in the workplace? You're a woman in a French workplace and you think you deserve a payrise, but how do you go about getting one? A) Ask for one. B) Ask for one and cry if you don't get it. C) Don't ask for one but expect the boss to know you want one. D)...