Rappler's latest stories on France
French bus driver dies after being attacked over mask-wearing rules
Two men are charged with attempted murder over the attack and prosecutor Jerome Bourrier says he will ask for the charges to be upgraded following Philippe Monguillot's death

'Big blow against press freedom': ABS-CBN franchise bill authors slam panel verdict
But these lawmakers can't file an appeal on behalf of ABS-CBN, as only those who voted with the majority – the legislators who rejected the franchise – can make a motion for reconsideration as per House rules

Quick economic rebound possible for France – stats office
France's statistics office INSEE issues a more optimistic forecast for the country's economy in 2020

Ineos sparks fury in UK with possible 4x4 relocation to France
Ineos Automotive is now rethinking its plan to build the Grenadier car in Wales, after entering into talks to acquire a plant from Daimler in France

Tiafoe barred from TeamTennis after positive coronavirus test
'While I've been so excited to get back out there, the health and safety of everyone continues to be a top priority,' says Tiafoe

France's Louvre reopens after 16-week virus shutdown
The museum's most popular draws such as Leonardo's Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Louvre's vast antiquities collection will be accessible

Huawei not totally banned from France, says watchdog – report
China's Huawei is not totally banned from France's next-generation 5G wireless market, but French operators using them will only get limited licenses

Algeria buries repatriated remains of anti-colonial fighters
President Tebboune says that Algeria is waiting for an apology for France's colonial occupation

Tiafoe joins list of tennis stars testing positive for coronavirus
World No. 81 Frances Tiafoe pulls out of the All-American Team Cup tennis exhibition event

Air France, Hop! to shed 7,580 jobs
The planned job cuts amount to 16% of Air France's staff and 40% of those at Hop! – part of measures 'on an unprecedented scale'

Edouard Philippe: France's unshowy but popular PM bows out
Philippe leaves the prime minister post after 3 years

French court rejects fresh probe of plane downing that sparked Rwanda genocide
The court hands down a 64-page judgment confirming the decision to throw out a probe against members of Rwandan President Paul Kagame's entourage

Macron replaces French PM after election rout
(UPDATED) The new premier, Jean Castex, is totally unknown to many in France until now and is officially a member of the right-wing opposition to Emmanuel Macron's centrists

State aid helps French car sales bounce back from virus pain
New car sales in France rise 1.2% in June 2020, a major rebound after the plunge during the coronavirus lockdown

France loans Philippines P14 billion for infrastructure, financial inclusion
The latest loan agreements will help small entrepreneurs, farmers, and fisherfolk, as well as the Duterte administration's Build, Build, Build program

Merkel, Macron meet as Germany takes on high-stakes EU presidency
Berlin's chairing of the bloc will be its last with Merkel in charge, and could be the one that defines the legacy of the leader dubbed the 'eternal chancellor'

Macron braces for setback in French local polls
Analysts expect the election will confirm that French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party has failed to gain a strong foothold at the local level

Protests disrupt reopening of Paris-Orly airport
At least 15 climate activists, who slammed the French government's bailing out of the aviation industry, are arrested for 'forbidden entry' and 'damage'

'Tears of joy': Eiffel Tower opens after 104 days of lockdown
The famous landmark in Paris opens to tourists after its longest closure since World War II

New Caledonia to vote October 4 on independence from France
The second vote on independence follows a referendum in November 2018 when 57% of voters chose to remain part of France

French gourmet grocer Fauchon requests administration
Luxury grocer Fauchon says sales are 'badly impacted' and operating costs at its shops in Paris have become 'unsustainable'

Looming election rout ups stakes for France's president
French President Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move party is fighting a losing battle for town halls in the vote while the president's personal popularity has slipped again

Kissing starts again in French films
'Kissing has started again' on French film sets where the actors have been tested for the coronavirus, says the country's culture minister

Google loses appeal against 50-million-euro French fine
The Council of State, a French government body that is also the court of last resort for matters of administrative justice, confirms a 2019 ruling by the CNIL, the French data watchdog

BMW cuts jobs, ends self-driving project with Mercedes
The 6,000 positions make up a considerable chunk of BMW's more than 120,000 worldwide

Police fire tear gas as thousands join French health care protest
Protesters clad in black set fire to a vehicle and pelt the police with projectiles, chanting, 'Everybody hates the police'

NGO accuses France of starting Mozambique 'climate bomb'
'French machinations are forcing yet another African country into dependency on fossil fuels...in the name of the economic interests of French energy industrials and bankers,' says NGO Friends of the Earth

Macron says France has scored its 'first victory' against virus
Macron says all of mainland France, including Paris, would go into a 'green zone' of a lower state of alert starting Monday

Star French chef comes up with 'COVID-safe' restaurant
Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse will be installing in his Paris restaurant a sophisticated 'anti-Covid' ventilation system similar to those in hospitals and intensive care units

Furious French police protest racism claims
French police have often faced accusations of excessive violence, with some incidents caught on video sparking widespread outrage

French urged to buy 'Made in France' masks amid surplus
As the pandemic slows in Europe, French businesses have millions of unsold masks on their hands, prompting a government effort to promote 'Made in France' masks

France likely to see 800,000 job losses in coming months
This figure amounts to 2.8% of total employment in France

Eiffel Tower to reopen to public on June 25
The famous Paris tourist site is reopening after 3 months of closure with new ground markings, only allowing visits by the stairs

PM says France 'not racist' as Floyd tribute held in Paris
Some placards at the rally draw parallels between George Floyd and those who have recently died at the hands of the French police

Prosecutor opens inquiry into France's handling of virus crisis
The investigation is not aimed at determining 'political or administrative responsibility' but whether national decision-makers had committed 'possible criminal offenses'

France pledges 15 billion euros for stricken aviation firms
(UPDATED) The French government says it is taking action to save around 100,000 jobs in the country's aviation industry

French economy to shrink about 10% in 2020, recovery mid-2022
The Bank of France's forecasts assume that the coronavirus will continue to spread but remain under control, and that the economy will adapt to the health measures required

France police to ban chokehold arrest as protest anger mounts
Media outlets publish the contents of a private Facebook group on which French police members repeatedly use racist and sexist terms and mock victims of police brutality

Last French Slam winner Noah blasts white 'silence' over racism
'It's good that the young people are involved, but what bothers me is that they are all either mixed-race or black,' says 1983 French Open winner Yannick Noah
COVID-19 pandemic 'under control' in France
'We can reasonably say the virus is currently under control,' says Jean-Francois Delfraissy, an immunologist who was appointed to the French government's coronavirus advisory panel

Dutch, French, Germans, and Italians form virus vaccine alliance
The collaboration will enable 'the fastest and best possible results with key players in the pharmaceutical industry about promising vaccine initiatives,' the Dutch Health Ministry says

Clashes at Paris protest against racism and deadly police violence
The demonstration comes after the release of two differing medical reports into the cause of Adama Traore's death. The Traore case has long been controversial in France.

France slams Ryanair 'blackmail' over job ultimatum
'Blackmail is never an option,' says French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, as Ryanair is locked in a dispute with French employees

France approves 5-billion-euro emergency loan for Renault
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire approves the loan after a meeting with executives, labor representatives, and local officials concerned by a sweeping overhaul unveiled by Renault

French economy to shrink 11% in 2020 – minister
'The shock is very brutal,' says French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire

Paris reopens square at fire-scarred Notre-Dame cathedral
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says 'it is almost a form of rebirth'

Thousands protest mass Renault job cuts
'We need these jobs, otherwise it's a whole territory that will die,' says a Renault union member in Maubeuge, France

Renault to cut 15,000 jobs in 'vital' cost-cutting plan
(UPDATED) French carmaker Renault says nearly 4,600 jobs would be cut in France and more than 10,000 in the rest of the world – some 8% of the company's global workforce

26 held over migrant lorry tragedy in Britain
The arrests target the ring of smugglers suspected of organizing the migrants' journey

French economy making 'cautious' virus lockdown recovery
A return to normal will likely take many months, warns France's national statistics agency
