Europe

France’s Macron to be inaugurated for second five-year term

Editorial Bureau May 8, 2022

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is being inaugurated for a second term during a ceremony on Saturday at the Elysee presidential palace. Macron was reelected for five years on April 24 in a runoff that saw him beat out far-right rival Marine Le Pen. About 500 guests are expected at the

Europe

Fruity near-miss for France’s Macron, targeted by tomatoes

Editorial Bureau April 28, 2022

PARIS — Newly reelected French President Emmanuel Macron narrowly avoided being pelted by what looked like a small sackful of cherry tomatoes Wednesday as he waded through a boisterous and packed crowd in a market northwest of Paris. About six of the small fruits, some orange, some red, contained in what looked like a blue […]

Europe

Tensions over race, religion in France’s presidential race

Editorial Bureau April 22, 2022

PARIS — From attacks on “wokeism” to crackdowns on mosques, France’s presidential campaign has been especially challenging for voters of immigrant heritage and religious minorities, as discourse painting them as “the other” has gained ground across a swath of French society. French voters head to polls on Sunday in a runoff vote between centrist incumbent […]

Europe

France’s Le Pen warns against sending weapons to Ukraine

Editorial Bureau April 14, 2022

PARIS — French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen warned Wednesday against sending any more weapons to Ukraine, and called for a rapprochement between NATO and Russia once Moscow’s war in Ukraine winds down. Le Pen, an outspoken nationalist who has long ties to Russia, also confirmed that if she unseats President Emmanuel Macron in […]

Business

France opens safety probe of ‘serious’ NY-Paris flight issue

Editorial Bureau April 7, 2022

PARIS — France’s bureau that investigates air crashes and aviation safety said Wednesday it is looking into a “serious incident” involving an Air France flight from New York’s JFK airport that suffered flight control problems on approach to its landing in Paris. The BEA said it has opened a safety investigation and that information from […]

Europe

Saharan dust storm covers Spain, reaches France and Portugal

Editorial Bureau March 17, 2022

BARCELONA, Spain — A huge dust storm swirling over Europe from the Sahara desert made it hard to breathe in large parts of Spain for a second straight day on Wednesday and gave cleaning crews extra work as far away as Paris, London and Belgrade to remove the film of dirt falling on cars and […]

Business

France preparing to seize Russian assets

Editorial Bureau March 1, 2022

The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war: PARIS — French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says France is getting ready to seize all assets of Russian officials and business leaders who are being targeted by EU sanctions. Le Maire said France is in the process of listing property including financial assets, real estate, yachts and […]

Europe

France and EU to withdraw troops from Mali, remain in region

Editorial Bureau February 18, 2022

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron says France will withdraw its troops from Mali but maintain a military presence in neighboring West African nations. Announcing the move during a Thursday news conference in Paris, Macron said, “We cannot remain militarily involved” alongside Malian transitional authorities with whom “we don’t share the strategy and goals.” France has […]

Europe

Greek parliament approves major arms deals with France

Editorial Bureau February 16, 2022

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s parliament on Tuesday approved a 3 billion euro ($3.4 billion) agreement for three new French-made frigates that defense officials say are vital for addressing ongoing tensions with neighboring Turkey. Lawmakers also voted in favor of adding six new Rafale fighter jets to an existing order for 18 planes ‒ six of […]

Europe

France: Man tried over killing 8-year-old girl, other crimes

Editorial Bureau February 1, 2022

GRENOBLE, France — It started with the disappearance of 8-year-old Maëlys de Araujo at a wedding in the French Alps. After a massive search that drew nationwide attention, investigators identified a wedding guest as the main suspect. But that was just the beginning: The investigation led authorities to suspect the man in other crimes around […]