France – News Stories About France - Page 1

Wednesday Was a Big Day
for the French Baguette

Nov 30, 2022 2:45 PM CST

Wednesday Was a Big Day for the French Baguette

Bread received UNESCO heritage status

(Newser) - The announcement was celebrated in the most appropriate way, per Axios : with baguettes waved in the air. (See photo evidence here .) UNESCO on Wednesday voted to add the baguette to its "intangible cultural heritage" list, which now numbers 600 items. Reuters notes that some 16 million baguettes are...

Court Sides With Man Fired
for Avoiding Workplace 'Fun'

Nov 28, 2022 10:00 AM CST

Court Sides With Man Fired for Avoiding Workplace 'Fun'

French man objected to the abundance of booze and crude jokes

(Newser) - A white-collar worker in France has won an unusual court case related to his firing. The man, identified in court documents as Mr. T, says he wasn't fired for job performance but because he wasn't "fun" enough in the eyes of his employer, reports Insider . He'd...

Village in French Alps
Bows to a New Reality

Nov 24, 2022 3:25 PM CST

Village in French Alps Bows to a New Reality

Saint-Firmin dismantles decades-old ski lift because it no longer snows enough

(Newser) - It used to snow so much in the French Alps village of Saint-Firmin that locals built a ski lift to bring in extra money. This month, however, the village came to terms with a new reality and dismantled that very same ski lift, reports AFP . The reason is pretty simple:...

France Takes Up Putting Abortion Rights in Constitution

Citing US, French House Votes
to Protect Abortion Access

Nov 24, 2022 2:25 PM CST

Citing US, French House Votes to Protect Abortion Access

Some lawmakers argue there's no threat to rights, but others say that's what Americans thought

(Newser) - Lawmakers in France's lower house of parliament on Thursday adopted a bill to enshrine abortion rights in the country's constitution, the first step in a lengthy and uncertain legislative battle prompted by the rollback of abortion rights in the US. The measure was approved with 337 lawmakers voting...

The Queen
of Goldfish
Is Caught

Nov 22, 2022 12:15 PM CST

The Queen of Goldfish Is Caught

Andy Hackett brings 67-pound Carrot to the surface in France

(Newser) - If you were wowed by headlines about a 9-pound goldfish caught in South Carolina, you'll be stunned by what's come out of a lake in France. Andy Hackett was on a fishing trip with friends when he pulled up a massive goldfish weighing 67 pounds, or as much...

A Catholic First:
Cardinal Admits Abusing Minor

Nov 8, 2022 8:46 AM CST

A Catholic First: Cardinal Admits Abusing Minor

78-year-old Jean-Pierre Ricard says he abused 14-year-old girl in 1980s, steps down

(Newser) - Jean-Pierre Ricard has become the first Catholic cardinal to publicly admit to abusing a minor, according to reports. The French cardinal said Monday that he "behaved in a reprehensible way with a young girl aged 14" as a priest in the archdiocese of Marseille in the 1980s and "...

Demonstrators Pressure Macron on Prices, Climate

Macron Rivals, Nobel Laureate
March Against Inflation

Oct 16, 2022 12:15 PM CDT

Macron Rivals, Nobel Laureate March Against Inflation

Demonstrators increase pressure on government

(Newser) - Thousands of protesters, including France's newly crowned Nobel literature laureate, piled into the streets of Paris on Sunday, in a show of anger against the bite of rising prices and pressure on the government of President Emmanuel Macron. The march for wage increases and other demands was organized by...

As Trial Begins on Fatal
Flight 447, a Big First in France

Oct 10, 2022 6:54 AM CDT

As Trial Begins on Fatal Flight 447, a Big First in France

Air France and Airbus are first French companies to face trial there after a plane crash

(Newser) - Thirteen years after Air France Flight 447 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean during its journey from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, a nine-week manslaughter trial is finally beginning. Reuters reports that the trial starting Monday in the French capital is the first time that companies in that nation have faced...

This Is an Alternative Way
to Celebrate Turning 60

Sep 19, 2022 4:06 AM CDT

This Is an Alternative Way to Celebrate Turning 60

'Spider-Man' Alain Robert celebrated his milestone by scaling a 48-story building with no gear

(Newser) - Alain Robert, the daredevil known as France's "Spider-Man," celebrated his 60th birthday in a way that, for most people, would be considered a bit unconventional: He scaled a 48-story skyscraper with no safety gear. Then, as some people might celebrate their 21st birthday, according to local reports,...

France Explains Why It Put Only
Male Cyclists in Business Class

Sep 18, 2022 9:35 AM CDT

France Explains Why It Put Only Male Cyclists in Business Class

The lower-ranked females were booked economy seats

(Newser) - The French Cycling Federation flew its riders to the Cycling World Championships in Australia and booked two classes of tickets to do so. The BBC reports the 9-member men's team flew in business class, while the 7-person women's team flew in coach, as did all junior riders and...

Eiffel Tower Will Go Dark Early

Sep 14, 2022 1:23 PM CDT

Eiffel Tower Will Go Dark Early

Move is part of 'energy sobriety' campaign

(Newser) - Paris is taking steps to reduce power consumption by at least 10% amid an energy crisis—and the city's most famous monument is not exempt. Mayor Anne Hidalgo said Tuesday that as of next week, the Eiffel Tower will be going dark earlier than usual, CBS reports. The tower...

A Genius of
Film Is Dead

OBITUARY

Sep 13, 2022 6:07 AM CDT

A Genius of Film Is Dead

French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard dies at 91

(Newser) - Jean-Luc Godard, the ingenious "enfant terrible" of the French New Wave who revolutionized popular cinema in 1960 with his debut feature Breathless and stood for years as one of the world's most vital and provocative directors, has died, French media reported, per the AP . He was 91. Godard...

France Uncovers
20K Secret
Swimming Pools,
Makes Millions

France Uncovers 20K Secret Swimming Pools, Makes Millions

Pool owners forced to pay taxes on the undeclared pools

(Newser) - After using artificial intelligence to uncover more than 20,000 secret swimming pools, France collected nearly $10 million in taxes. The undeclared pools were discovered during a trial of software developed by Google and a French consulting firm that was run last year, the BBC reports. The trial resulted in...

Doctor Who First Helped Diana
in Crash: I Didn't Recognize Her

Aug 29, 2022 10:50 AM CDT

Doctor Who First Helped Diana in Crash: I Didn't Recognize Her

As 25th anniversary approaches, Frederic Mailliez speaks about the night of the fatal 1997 accident

(Newser) - The woman was crumpled on the floor of a mangled Mercedes, unconscious and struggling to breathe. The French doctor had no idea who she was and focused on trying to save her. Twenty-five years later, Frederic Mailliez is still marked by what happened in the Alma Tunnel in Paris on...

Couple Likely Gave
Monkeypox to Their Dog

Aug 16, 2022 12:16 PM CDT

Couple Likely Gave Monkeypox to Their Dog

WHO's Rosamund Lewis says it's first apparent case of human-to-animal transmission

(Newser) - What appears to be the first known human-to-pet transmission of monkeypox has surfaced in France. A nonexclusive, cohabiting couple developed symptoms of the virus, which has been appearing mostly in men who have sex with other men, a few days after sleeping with other partners, reports CBS News . Twelve days...

Cows Can't Eat
Parched Grass,
So We Don't Get
Special Cheese

Aug 16, 2022 8:51 AM CDT

Cows Can't Eat Parched Grass, So We Don't Get Special Cheese

Production of unique Salers cheese halted due to drought in France's Auvergne region

(Newser) - If the grass in your yard goes a little dry over the summer, it's no big deal. In France's central Auvergne region, however, those parched parcels, a result of the nation's current drought, are wreaking havoc on the making of a centuries-old cheese. The Guardian reports on...

Activists Fill Golf Holes
With Cement

Aug 14, 2022 8:20 AM CDT

Activists Fill Golf Holes With Cement

French environmentalists angry that courses get watering exemption amid drought

(Newser) - Golf just became much more difficult at two courses in southern France—environmental activists plugged holes with cement, reports the BBC . A group known as Extinction Rebellion claimed responsibility, saying it makes no sense that golf courses get an exemption from watering amid a severe drought. The activists say the...

Man Charged With
Raping US Tourist
in Paris Public Toilet

Aug 10, 2022 5:23 PM CDT

Man Charged With Raping US Tourist in Paris Public Toilet

Woman was attacked in heart of tourist district

(Newser) - Paris has been shocked by the rape of an American tourist in the heart of a district generally considered safe. Investigators say the 27-year-old woman was out with her husband Saturday night on the right bank of the River Seine near Notre Dame Cathedral, an area that is busy by...

'Unprecedented'
Rescue of Stranded
Whale Is
Too Late

Aug 10, 2022 7:25 AM CDT

'Unprecedented' Rescue of Stranded Whale Is Too Late

Beluga taken out of Seine to be transported back to chillier waters dies

(Newser) - A beluga whale stranded in the Seine, far from the colder waters where it belongs, has died during an attempted rescue, reports CNN . The first part of a multistage relocation operation took place early Wednesday, with the 13-foot-long, 1,800-pound marine mammal lifted out of the waters in northern France...

Whale Is Stranded in the Seine

Aug 5, 2022 9:53 AM CDT

Whale Is Stranded in the Seine

Officials are now trying to save the beluga in France, far from its usual home in chillier waters

(Newser) - A beluga whale is stranded far from home, and now French officials are trying to figure out how to get it to safety. The BBC reports that the skinny-looking whale is right now floating near Vernon, 45 miles or so northwest of Paris and way south of the chilly Arctic...