#france

#france

Algeria's parliament has unanimously approved a law declaring France's colonisation of the country a crime and demanded an apology and reparations. Lawmakers, standing in the chamber wearing scarves in the colours of the national flag, chanted long live Algeria on Wednesday as they applauded the passage of the bill, which states that France holds legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu submitted a "special law" for the state to continue to collect taxes and pay civil servants based on the 2025 budget from January 1st. However, the 'rollover budget' does not allow for new spending, including on defence, a mounting priority in the face of a confrontation with Russia over Ukraine. France's transport minister on Tuesday revealed that he had been forced to cancel orders for new night trains and an upgrade to air traffic control systems, due to the budget stalemate.

A provision in the 2025 budget that would have lowered the threshold below which micro-enterprises are exempt from VAT to €25,000 in annual turnover was suspended until 2026 following protests from small business owners. This provision was expected to generate around €780 million per year in tax revenue. Almost as soon as the budget was passed, that provision was 'paused' following an outcry from small business owners. It was later formally suspended until 2026.

But there are crucial differences this time around - not least the adoption of the social security bill. So what happens now? Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was on Monday consulting with political parties, ahead of a cabinet meeting expected Monday evening for the urgent presentation of a special law intended to provide temporary funding for the state and government agencies despite the lack of a budget, before parliamentary debates resume in January.

Its text recognises that enforcement of previous laws "criminalising the use of, practice of, access to, and information about abortion" constituted "an infringement of the protection of women's health, of sexual and reproductive autonomy", as well as "of women's rights". The pre-1975 laws led to "numerous deaths" and caused "physical and moral suffering", it adds.

France is already seeing widespread protests and road blockades from farmers - so far, the largest union has not got involved. But that could change if an EU treaty is signed this week. The head of France's largest agricultural union the FNSEA has threatened more protests if the EU's controversial Mercosur trade deal is signed this week. Arnaud Rousseau told France Inter radio on Wednesday that there will be "much larger protests" if the Mercosur deal is signed by the end of the week.

Beginning last week at a farm in Ariege close to the Spanish border, farmer protests are spreading rapidly across France - particularly targeting roads. The dispute is over the culling of cattle in areas where the highly contagious Lumpy Skin Disease has been detected - the government insists this is necessary to prevent the spread of the disease, the farmers say that the culls are disproportionate and devastating to small breeders.

French health officials are working to trace all the contacts of two men who contracted Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a potentially deadly disease that typically only occurs in the Middle East. These cases of the disease are the country's first in 12 years, according to the French health ministry. The men, both of whom are in their 70s, are in a stable condition.

If you're due to send or receive money at the end of December, you may have to wait for the funds to arrive due a combination of European Central Bank rules and the day that Christmas falls on this year. Every weekend, as well as on certain public holidays, the payment transfer systems operated by the European Central Bank are closed. These public holidays include Christmas - bank transfers will not go through on December 25th or December 26th.

It will be a great duel,

The Talking France podcast is back and picking through the recent war-like rhetoric heard in France, as well as the crisis for the French wine industry, possible changes to the school day and and early look at next year's crucial elections. Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local France's Emma Pearson, Genevieve Mansfield and John Lichfield to discuss all the latest news and talking points from France.

As part of that influence, Kevin Roberts -- president of the powerful Heritage Foundation and a key influence on Trump's policy decisions -- earlier this year visited Paris to speak to what he called "leaders of the French right", whom he declined to name. Roberts said during the trip in May that, while the foundation did not officially represent the US government, it could still knit together a network of ideologically aligned groups.

It's still trailing far behind countries like the Netherlands or Croatia, but France has leapt six places in the European rankings for levels of English language proficiency, the latest ranking shows. Each year, Education First publishes a report on global English-language skills. For their 2025 edition, France showed significant year-on-year improvement. The country jumped to 38th place internationally, up from 49th place in 2024.

France is currently in the grip of a cold snap which blanketed large parts of the country in snow on Thursday. The 'manteau blanc' (white coat) was caused by a polar vortex which has become stuck over the country leading to unusually cold temperatures and ice and snow in lowland areas. According to Météo France, this will continue into the weekend, with Saturday predicted to be the coldest day.

Castro, a 41-year-old yoga teacher, disappeared on June 26 at the Paraguachon border crossing, which separates Venezuela from Colombia, where he lives. He had gone to renew his expired Colombian residency visa, his family said in August. In mid-September, Castro's mother said she had not received any news from him other than a voice message at the end of July in which he "called for help".

IKEA is well known for its monster-sized warehouses in major cities, but bosses have a plan to open new format stores in smaller towns in 2026, as it seeks to expand its footprint in France. The Swedish furniture brand is planning to open a new generation of smaller stores in medium-sized towns and cities across France, "where [they are not] yet present (...) in existing spaces and buildings that [they could] rent rather than build."

A French homeowner has unearthed a staggering 700,000 ($800,000) fortune in gold bars and coins while excavating for a new swimming pool in his garden, local officials have confirmed. The unnamed individual stumbled upon the valuable hoard at his property in Neuville-sur-Saone, a town near Lyon, back in May. He promptly reported the discovery to the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs.

Two French policemen have been charged for allegedly raping a young woman while she was in custody, with one of the suspects apparently filming the act on his phone. The officers were initially suspended after the woman accused them of assaulting her earlier this week while she was in custody at a court in Bobigny, a town in the northeastern suburbs of Paris.

The French government has launched a consultation to gather the public's views on parenthood and policies related to parenthood, in an effort to understand declining fertility rates. The goal of the report is to "target the economic and socio-cultural causes that have led to a decline in the birth rate in France, but also to understand the related consequences," MP Constance de Pélichy told the French press. Anyone can take the survey (which is entirely in French).

If your vehicle is missing, the first step is to check if it has been towed. Here's how to do so online in France. If you find that your car is missing, before filing a police report, you might want to check to see if it has been towed. Helpfully, the French government has a dedicated online service via the Service-Public website that allows you to do just that.

Four Bulgarians went on trial in France Wednesday accused of desecrating a Jewish memorial with red handprints last year, which prosecutors think may have been foreign interference linked to Russia. The vandalism was staged during heightened tensions in France over the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas that broke out in October 2023. The trial is the first of its kind in France, one of a series of similar cases suspected of having been orchestrated by a foreign power

Now, Variety has reported that White has not only zoned in on France, but selected the exact locations he wants to shoot in. The publication reports that HBO has been scouting hotels in Paris, with five-star properties including Le Lutetia and Ritz Paris lined up as possible settings. Likely contenders for locations in the south of France include Monaco, known as the richest place in the French Riviera, as well as Nice and Cannes.

France's foreign policy is not made by resolutions in Parliament. This does not prevent us from respecting this vote.

French criminal law currently defines rape as any kind of sexual penetration committed using violence, coercion, threat or surprise. It does not specifically mention consent. But after the change the criminal code will define rape or sexual assault as any non-consensual act. It states consent must be informed, specific, prior and revocable and cannot be inferred solely from the silence or lack of reaction of the victim.

Never mind that it was probably carried out by a couple of chancers with a crowbar: for some of the pessimists, it's civilisation itself that's being prised open. Funny how the same people who decry France's alleged dysfunctionalism probably marvelled at the Paris Olympics of summer 2024 that brief, dazzling interlude when the city actually worked, the trains ran on time, and millions around the world fell a little bit in love with France again.