A French woman who travelled three times to Syria in support of her jihadist son was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday for being part of a terrorist conspiracy. Christine Riviere, 51, was sentenced for her "unfailing commitment" to jihad and for helping a number of young women travel to Syri...

The trial of Abdelkader Merah – who stands accused of aiding and abetting his brother Mohamed in the March 2012 shootings that took place in southweste France – has revealed flaws and gaps in the prosecution’s case. It's a Merah trial without Mohamed Merah. In his place stands the accused, Abdelkade...

The Eiffel Tower on Thursday will celebrate its 300 millionth visitor since it opened in 1889, with the usual entrance fee waved for the first 1,500 people to arrive on the first floor after climbing 328 stairs for a party starting at 6pm. "There will be drums on the courtyard of the Eiffel Tower. O...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech on EU reforms as substantive and passionate, but said it was "too early" to judge the viability of his proposals on closer EU economic and military integration. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday welcomed Fren...

The mother of a Franco-Algerian jihadist who is believed to have died in Syria was sentenced Thursday in Paris to two years in prison for "financing terrorism" by sending him money, a conviction her lawyer said she intends to appeal. The criminal court did not, however, order the immediate incarcera...

A nude drawing that bears a striking resemblance to the Mona Lisa may have been done by Leonardo da Vinci, experts told AFP Thursday. Scientists at the Louvre in Paris, where his masterpiece is held, have been examining a charcoal drawing known as the "Monna Vanna" which had been attributed to the F...

Montpa asse Tower has long been derided as the ugliest building in Paris. But the 1970s skyscraper is set to undergo a total revamp, costing €300mn, to become a stunning, ecological landmark for when Paris hosts the 2024 Olympic Games. For Parisians, Montpa asse Tower, or Tour Montpa asse, may be co...

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday signed sweeping changes to France's complex labour code into law, sealing a signature reform after four months at the helm. The measures, which have triggered mass protests, are designed to give employers more flexibility to negotiate pay and conditions wit...

French far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon rallied thousands on Saturday to protest against labour reforms signed into law by President Emmanuel Macron a day earlier. Thousands of Mélenchon supporters, environmental activists, anti-capitalism campaigners and others gathered first at the iconic Place ...

French President Emmanuel Macron's La République en marche (LREM) party suffered a setback in Senate elections on Sunday as the conservative Les Républicains strengthened their hold on the upper house of parliament. Initial results from the vote to renew 171 of 348 Senate seats were expected to leav...

The French trade unions CGT and FO blocked access on Monday to several fuel depots in protest against an overhaul of employment laws, seeking to test the gove ment's will to reform the economy. In southe France, protesters' unions set up a road-block in front of Total's La Mede refinery, while in we...

French judicial investigators have opened a full-scale inquiry into allegations of complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, an official at the public prosecutor's office said on Monday. BNP Paribas bank, accused by non-gove mental organisations of complicity over a transfer of $1.3 million to an arm...

The Paris council voted on Monday to remove the sign “To the Happy Negro” (“Au Nègre Joyeux”) from the city’s former chocolate factory of the same name, after the Communists in the council branded the façade an “insulting and offensive presence”. The local authority decided to move the sign from the...

French MPs started to debate President Emmanuel Macron’s anti-terrorism bill on Monday, with a big divide between those on the right who want the bill to go further, and voices from the left saying it will create a “permanent state of emergency”. Macron’s gove ment has argued that the legislation is...

In a landmark exhibition, the Arab World Institute (IMA) in Paris is showcasing works, frescoes and scripts recounting the 2,000-year history of Christians in the Middle East – a heritage under threat in a region scarred by war and persecution. The exhibition, “Oriental Christians: 2,000 Years of Hi...

Thousands of people are expected to protest against labour reforms across France on Tuesday, the first widespread demonstrations of Emmanuel Macron's presidency. Some 180 protests are expected to take place in cities nationwide. The protests are the first big public display of discontent with Macron...

Two young female American tourists were sprayed with hydrochloric acid in the French city of Marseille on Sunday by a woman who appeared to have psychological problems, a police source said. The attack occurred inside the Mediterranean port city's Saint-Charles train station at around 9.00 am. The w...

US President Donald Trump on Monday revealed plans to transform America's Independence Day celebrations next July 4 into a vast military parade, styled on France's Bastille Day. "We're actually thinking about Fourth of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military stre...

Montpa asse Tower has long been derided as the ugliest building in Paris. But the 1970s skyscraper is set to undergo a total revamp, costing €300mn, to become a stunning, ecological landmark for when Paris hosts the 2024 Olympic Games. For Parisians, Montpa asse Tower, or Tour Montpa asse, may be co...

Florian Philippot, for many years the closest aide of French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, said on Thursday he was quitting the National Front party, opening up a likely split in the country’s far-right ranks. Philippot, whose responsibilities for strategy and communications were earlier remov...