France

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Crypto Entrepreneur's Father Freed After Kidnapping: France

Hostage unit carried out successful raid, officials say

(Newser) - French officials said police rescued the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur in a nighttime raid after he was taken hostage for ransom, the latest alleged criminal effort in France to extort people involved in the management of digital assets. The man was kidnapped Thursday morning in Paris, the prosecutor'...

In France, an Odd Fight Over Van Gogh's Last Work

Village, homeowners battle over who owns the actual tree roots painted by the master

(Newser) - What is not in dispute: Vincent van Gogh's last painting is called Tree Roots , and the actual tree roots he used as a model still exist in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris. What is very much in dispute: Who owns those roots? As the New York Times explains,...

Woman Doesn't Survive Cooldown at Paris Gym

Reports describe possible nitrogen leak from repaired cryotherapy chamber

(Newser) - A woman is dead and another is in critical condition after cold therapy went horribly wrong at a Paris gym. A 29-year-old gym employee and a 34-year-old client were discovered in cardiac arrest on Monday evening at Paris' On Air gym following a nitrogen leak from a cold chamber, or...

Paris Got Serious, and Cleaned Up Its Air

Over past 20 years, French capital has seen PM2.5 levels drop 55%, nitrogen dioxide levels by 50%

(Newser) - Paris just got some good news: Those roaming its streets are breathing in much cleaner air than a couple of decades ago. A new report from the independent air-quality monitoring group Airparif reveals that the City of Light has seen a 50% drop in nitrogen dioxide levels since 2005, as...

Hairy Skin Covering Medieval Texts Traveled Quite a Ways

Seal fur harvested by Norse might have appeared 'quite magical' to Europe's monks

(Newser) - A set of medieval manuscripts detailing real and imagined creatures was bound in the skin of a slippery animal that hailed far from the books' creators, according to new research that reveals an extensive medieval trade network. Bestiaries, a type of animal encyclopedia, were popular in medieval Europe and often...

Far-Right Leader Stirs Conviction Outrage

France's National Rally and leftist parties bring Trump into their debate

(Newser) - Convicted of embezzling public funds and barred from running for office, far-right politician Marine Le Pen stood unshaken before a sea of French flags in Paris on Sunday. "For 30 years I have fought against injustice," she told the crowd. "And I will continue to fight."...

Le Pen Ruling Is a Stunner in France
Le Pen
Ruling
Is a Stunner
in France
the Rundown
Mar 31, 2025 11:31 AM CDT

Le Pen Ruling Is a Stunner in France

Far-right leader barred from running for president in 2027 over embezzlement case

(Newser) - A court ruling in France that bars far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for president in 2027 is a "political earthquake" for the nation, according to the Guardian . The sentiment is a familiar one: The AP similarly sees "an earthquake for French politics," the New York ...

Marine Le Pen Guilty of Embezzling EU Funds

French far-right leader awaits sentencing, which could block her from running for president

(Newser) - A French court found Marine Le Pen guilty on Monday in an embezzlement case but didn't immediately say what her sentence might be and how it might impact the far-right leader's political future. Le Pen, 56, who was runner-up to President Emmanuel Macron in the 2017 and 2022...

Dead Boy's Grandparents Who Sought 'Answers' Are Arrested

French couple, along with 2 of their adult children, are detained in murder of toddler Emile Soleil

(Newser) - Two grandparents of a French toddler whose bones were discovered last year have been arrested on suspicion of murder, alongside two of their adult children. All four are held on suspicion of voluntary homicide and concealment of a corpse, prosecutors said Tuesday, per the BBC . Emile Soleil was just 2...

Depardieu Tells Court He's a 'Disgusting Slob'

But says he's not a predator; plaintiff testifies actor pinned her, touched her hips, pubic area on film set

(Newser) - French actor Gérard Depardieu acknowledged Tuesday that he used crude language around a woman who accuses him of sexual assault and grabbed her hips but denied assaulting her, as he testified for the first time at his landmark trial in Paris. "I am a disgusting slob," said...

With Depardieu Trial, France May See Its #MeToo Moment

Actor accused of groping 2 women during 2021 filming of Les Volets Verts

(Newser) - French actor Gérard Depardieu went on trial Monday in Paris on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set , in a case seen as a potential watershed for the #MeToo movement in France, per the AP . Depardieu, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser...

France Is Prepping Survival Guides for All
France Is Prepping
for Doomsday
in case you missed it
Mar 23, 2025 7:04 AM CDT

France Is Prepping for Doomsday

Nation is readying a survival manual for every household on how to deal with 'imminent' threats

(Newser) - War? Natural disaster? Another pandemic? Total collapse of democratic governments that lead to societal collapse? These are all hypotheticals that have spurred the French government to start prepping survival manuals for every household within its borders, with details on how to prepare for such "imminent" threats, reports the Guardian...

French Lawmaker: We Want Lady Liberty Back
WH Responds
to Lawmaker's
Lady Liberty
Offer
UPDATED
Mar 18, 2025 9:45 AM CDT

WH Responds to Lawmaker's Lady Liberty Offer

Raphael Glucksmann had suggested US return statue to France; 'absolutely not' is WH's reply

(Newser) - Although a French lawmaker says he wasn't serious when he suggested the US return the Statue of Liberty to France, the White House isn't laughing. "Absolutely not," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Monday briefing on the proposal on Lady Liberty, given to the US...

Canada's PM Sends Message With His First Foreign Visit

Mark Carney heads to France, not the traditional Washington, DC

(Newser) - New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday during his first official overseas trip, seeking support from one of Ottawa's oldest allies as President Trump attacks Canada's sovereignty and economy. Macron and Carney did not take journalists' questions ahead of the talks,...

After Chase, Ex-Mafia Boss Gunned Down in France

Gunmen targeted Jean-Pierre Maldera of the Italo-Grenoblois group on a highway

(Newser) - A former mob boss was chased in his car, then fatally shot on a motorway in southeastern France on Wednesday. Jean-Pierre Maldera, 71, described as a "godfather" of the local mafia in the 1980s and '90s, got out of his BMW and attempted to escape on foot across...

Pelicot's Daughter Seeks More Charges Against Him

'I know that he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse'

(Newser) - Caroline Darian says her mother wasn't the only victim of her father's monstrous crimes. She has filed a sexual abuse case against Dominique Pelicot, who is serving a 20-year sentence for drugging and raping Gisele Pelicot and recruiting dozens of strangers to take part. Darian believes her father...

Emilia Perez Triumphs at French Oscars

Despite the controversy around it, the celebrated French film dominated at the Césars awards

(Newser) - Oscar contender Emilia Pérez was named the best French film of the year at the Césars awards—France's equivalent of the Oscars—and under-fire Karla Sofia Gascón , the star of Jacques Audiard's Mexico-set melodrama, made a rare public appearance. The musical is one of the...

Surgeon Accused of Abusing 299 Patients, Mostly Kids

Joël Le Scouarnec of France allegedly described himself as a lifelong pedophile

(Newser) - Former surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec took the stand on the first day of the largest child sexual abuse trial in French history on Monday, saying he would take responsibility for his crimes. The 74-year-old is charged with raping or sexually abusing 299 patients who were under anesthesia or recovering...

After 9 Months on the Run, Fugitive 'the Fly' Faces Court

Mohamed Amra, who made a deadly escape in France, busted in Romania on Saturday

(Newser) - A notorious French fugitive who staged a deadly escape last year appeared in a Romanian court Sunday after a nine-month international police hunt culminated in his arrest in Bucharest, reports the AP . Mohamed Amra, sporting dyed red hair possibly meant to disguise his identity, flashed a big smile at onlookers...

Thieves Stole Guy's Card, Bought $523K Lottery Ticket

And the card's owner has a deal for them

(Newser) - Thieves used a stolen card to buy a winning French lottery ticket worth $523,000. But they vanished before cashing in—and now they're among France's most famous fugitives. The man whose card was stolen, identified in police documents as Jean-David E., is offering to split the cash...

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