France

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France Has Beef With Musk's Grok Over Auschwitz Posts

French government adds AI chatbot's Holocaust-denial remarks to a cybercrime investigation into X

(Newser) - France's government is taking action against billionaire Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok after it generated French-language posts that questioned the use of gas chambers at Auschwitz, officials said. Grok, built by Musk's company xAI and integrated into his social media platform X, wrote in a widely...

1642 Calculator Pulled From Auction in France

Court halts Christie's sale of device scientists call a 'national treasure'

(Newser) - A Paris court has halted the sale of one of the world's oldest known calculators, blocking its scheduled auction and export from France. The ebony-inlaid device, known as La Pascaline, was invented in 1642 by Blaise Pascal when the French mathematician was 19. Christie's had estimated it could...

At the Louvre Post-Heist, 'It's Time for Action'

Paris museum is boosting its security with 100 cameras, anti-intruder systems

(Newser) - The head of the Louvre said on Wednesday that new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion systems will soon be installed at the Paris landmark after last month's stunning crown jewels heist. The cameras—some 100 of them—will be up and running by the end of next year, while anti-intrusion...

French Student Explains How He Became Game-Show King

Emilien got a little obsessed during the pandemic

(Newser) - America has quiz-show legends such as Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer . Europe now has minted one of its own: A young Frenchman known only by his first name of Emilien. The 22-year-old history student racked up 647 consecutive appearances on the French TV quiz show Les Douze Coups de Midi...

He Just Broke the World Wheelie Record—by 43 Miles

French student Oscar Delaite covered more than 93 miles total with his bicycle wheel up

(Newser) - A French college student has shattered a world record by riding a bicycle wheelie for more than 93 miles—not once letting the front wheel touch the ground. Oscar Delaite, a 19-year-old engineering student at the Université de Technologié de Troyes, pulled off the feat over six hours and 31...

Arizona's No. 2 Fugitive Found Overseas After 14 Years

Wiseman also now faces new child assault charges in France

(Newser) - A fugitive who spent nearly 14 years evading US authorities has been arrested in France and is facing extradition to Arizona, where he was convicted of sexually exploiting a minor, NBC News reports. Michael Wiseman, Arizona's second-most-wanted fugitive, was taken into custody on Nov. 1 after years on the...

Vatican Rejects Reported Jesus Sightings in France

Church says supposed 1970s apparitions in Normandy are not supernatural

(Newser) - The Vatican has a message for the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide: reports of Jesus appearing in a small French town are not to be regarded as genuine. The statement, approved by Pope Leo and released by the church's doctrinal office on Wednesday, addresses decades-old claims from Dozule, Normandy,...

Colorado Man Gets 30 Years for Killing His Ex in France

Charles Dietrich also fatally shot his estranged wife's new boyfriend

(Newser) - A Colorado man has been sentenced to 30 years in a French prison for the murders of his estranged wife and her lover in a Paris suburb. Charles Dietrich, 50, was convicted of fatally shooting his former partner and her new boyfriend in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses in 2020, reports CBS News . The...

Sarkozy Might Walk Out of Prison After 20 Days
French Court Lets
Sarkozy Out of Prison
UPDATED
Nov 10, 2025 7:07 AM CST

French Court Lets Sarkozy Out of Prison

Former president can't leave the country ahead of his appeal trial

(Newser) - A Paris appeals court has decided to release former French President Nicolas Sarkozy from prison and place him under judicial supervision, per the AP . Monday's announcement came less than three weeks after Sarkozy began serving a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy over shady campaign financing. Sarkozy will be banned...

French Man Finds $800K in Gold, Coins While Digging Pool
French Man
Hits Jackpot
While Digging
His Pool
in case you missed it
Nov 9, 2025 1:50 PM CST

French Man Hits Jackpot While Digging His Pool

5 gold bars, various coins were buried under garden in Neuville-sur-Saone

(Newser) - A French man digging a swimming pool in his backyard stumbled onto a fortune hidden just beneath the surface. The unexpected find: five gold bars and a stash of coins, wrapped in plastic bags, with an estimated value of $800,000, reports CBS News . Per Reuters , the man reported his...

These Europeans Are Most Likely to Go Nude Outdoors

Survey finds Danes are most likely to strip down in public

(Newser) - Which Europeans are most inclined to strip down and bare it all outdoors? A new YouGov poll of six western European countries points to Denmark as the most nudity-friendly nation in both attitude and action. Among respondents from the UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, Danes were the most...

Island 'Extremely Shocked' After Man Injures 9 With Car

Authorities on French island of Ile d'Oleron say motorist rammed pedestrians, cyclists

(Newser) - A motorist rammed pedestrians and cyclists Wednesday across two neighboring towns on Ile d'Oleron, a quiet French island popular with tourists off the Atlantic coast, injuring nine people before being detained by gendarmes, officials said. Two of the injured are in critical condition, said Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, adding...

Shein Yanks Adult Products Category After French Uproar

The move is unlikely to silence criticism of the fast fashion giant set to open a store in Paris

(Newser) - Shein has banned the sale of all sex dolls from its global platform after criticism over childlike products appearing on the site . The move follows concerns raised by a French consumer watchdog, which said some dolls listed bore a childlike appearance, leaving "little doubt as to the child pornography...

France Threatens to Boot Shein Over Childlike Sex Dolls

More controversy ahead of Paris store's opening as France spots online offerings

(Newser) - French authorities have warned they may block access to Shein after it emerged that the online fast fashion giant had been selling sex dolls with a childlike appearance. France's consumer watchdog, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control, said last week it had discovered the dolls...

He Plunged Into Ravine, Then Broke Open the Wine

Cyclist, 77, survives for 3 days after 130-foot fall by sucking down vino he'd bought at market

(Newser) - A 77-year-old cyclist in France survived three days at the bottom of a 130-foot ravine by drinking bottles of red wine he'd just purchased, according to local police. The man was riding home from a supermarket through the remote Cevennes region when he failed to properly navigate a curve...

Some Up In Arms as Shein Moves Into Paris

Fast-fashion giant opening Nov. 1 inside BHV

(Newser) - Shein will have a physical presence in Paris beginning Saturday, and even the mayor is dismayed—Anne Hidalgo called the opening "a betrayal of Paris' values." The Chinese fast-fashion behemoth will open within the historic Paris department store BHV, a retailer with roots stretching back 170 years. The...

Police Arrest 5 More Linked to Louvre Heist

France's crown jewels remain missing

(Newser) - French authorities have arrested five more people in connection with the daring heist at the Louvre that saw more than $100 million in crown jewels vanish. One of the newly detained suspects is believed to have been at the scene, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, who spoke to RTL...

Critics Slam Bataclan Series for Being 'Indecent'

They don't love that TV drama was filmed at site of terror attack, though some survivors are OK with it

(Newser) - The director behind a new TV drama re-creating the 2015 Bataclan terror attack is pushing back against claims that filming inside the Paris concert hall was "indecent." Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who took home an Oscar for best documentary feature in 2002 for Murder on a Sunday Morning, argues...

10 Could Face Prison Over Brigitte Macron Rumors

Defendants in Paris trial accused of spreading false claims about first lady's gender

(Newser) - Ten people are facing trial in Paris after being accused of harassing France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, online over a conspiracy theory falsely claiming she was born male. The trial is the latest development in a broader legal campaign by Brigitte and President Emmanuel Macron, who have also filed...

Cops Get a Break in Louvre Heist
Cops Get a Break
in Louvre Heist
Oct 23, 2025 6:25 PM CDT

Cops Get a Break in Louvre Heist

DNA evidence found in discarded helmet, glove

(Newser) - French police investigating the theft of $102 million in jewels from the Louvre have found a potential break in the case. Police told ABC News that DNA evidence was found in a helmet and a glove discarded by the thieves after the Sunday heist. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Thursday...

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