France

December 13, 2024 7:34 PM

France’s Macron names veteran centrist ally Bayrou as prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron named Francois Bayrou as his fourth prime minister of 2024 on Friday, charging the veteran centrist with steering the country out of its second political crisis in the past six months. The priority for Bayrou, a close Macron ally, will be passing a special law to roll over the 2024 budget, with a nastier battle over the 2025 legislation looming early next year. Parliamentary pushback over the 2025 bill led to the downfall of former Prime Minister Michel Barnier'...

December 4, 2024 6:53 PM

Crunch time in France as lawmakers look set to oust Barnier’s government

French lawmakers are all but certain to oust the governmentwith a no-confidence motionon Wednesday, plunging the euro zone's second-biggest economic power deeper into political turmoil. Barring a last-minute surprise, Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government will be France's first to be forced out by a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years, at a time when the country is struggling to tame a massive budget deficit. That would leave a hole at the heart of the European Union at a time when G...

November 27, 2024 11:24 PM

Israel-Hezbollah truce holds, Israel sets south Lebanon curfew

A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah held on Wednesday after the two sides struck a deal brokered by the U.S. and France, but Israel warned local residents not to return to the border area yet or approach its troops. The agreement, a rare diplomatic feat in a region racked by conflict for months, ended the deadliest confrontation betweenIsrael and the Iran-backed militant group in years, but Israel is still fighting its other arch foe, the Palestinian militant group Ham...

September 30, 2024 9:37 PM

India to take part in Euronaval 2024 defence exhibition in France

India is among 104 countries invited to attend the world's largest naval defence trade show that will be held in Paris from November 4-7. This year, there will be shows on innovative solutions to protect naval forces and maritime infrastructure against air and surface drones, next-generation anti-ship missiles, missile systems to destroy multiple hostile drones and many other latest features to strengthen naval forces around the world. The event, focusing on innovation, sovereignty and interna...

September 26, 2024 9:40 AM

US and allies call for 21-day ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border after UN talks

The United States, France and several allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border while also expressing support for a ceasefire in Gaza following intense discussions at the United Nations on Wednesday. The ceasefire would apply to the Israel-Lebanon "Blue Line," the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, and would allow the parties to negotiate towards a potential diplomatic resolution of the conflict, a senior Biden administration official said. "We ...

September 6, 2024 6:33 PM

French far right exerts outsize power over Barnier and Macron, rivals say

France's far-right National Rally (RN) is exerting outsize power over President Emmanuel Macron and his new Prime Minister Michel Barnier, rivals said on Friday, a day after the veteran politician got the job with tacit support from the RN. Macron named former 73-year-old Barnier, a conservative and a former Brexit negotiator, as prime minister on Thursday, capping a two-months-long search following his ill-fated decision to call a legislative election that delivered an unruly hung parliament. ...

September 16, 2024 6:00 PM

India-France-UAE trilateral focal points meeting held virtually: MEA

Officials from India, France, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) convened virtually on Wednesday for a trilateral focal points meeting, as announced by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The discussions focused on collaborative efforts outlined in the Joint Roadmap agreed upon in February 2023. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal took to social media platform X to report on the meeting. "Discussions covered progress in trilateral cooperation as per the Joint Roadmap agreed in Feb 2023, inclu...

July 8, 2024 10:30 AM

Violence erupts in France as left-wing coalition leads snap election

Violence erupted across France following a surprising exit poll suggesting a left-wing coalition's lead in the snap election, dealing a blow to Marine Le Pen's ambitions of forming France's first hard-right government since the war, Fox News reported. Video footage captured masked demonstrators running through streets, igniting flares, and causing disturbances as riot police were dispatched nationwide. French election night turned turbulent as results showed a left-wing coalition poised to clai...

July 1, 2024 10:18 AM

Far-right National Rally wins first round in France election

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party scored historic gains to win the first round of France's parliamentary election on Sunday, exit polls showed, but the final result will depend on days of horsetrading before next week's run-off. The RN was seen winning around 34% of the vote, exit polls from Ipsos, Ifop, OpinionWay and Elabe showed, in a huge setback for President Emmanuel Macron who had called the snap election after his ticket was trounced by the RN in European Parliament ...

June 10, 2024 3:46 PM

Euro and French markets roiled by shock Macron election call

The euro tumbled, while French bonds and stocks were hit hard on Monday, following French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to call a snap parliamentary election after being trounced in a European Union vote by the far right. The euro fell 0.5% to a one-month low of $1.0764 and slumped to a 21-month trough against sterling of 84.53 pence. French blue-chip stocks dropped 2%, led by steep losses in the likes of lenders such as BNP Paribas and Societe Generale, making the CAC 40 the worst-...