France

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Mayotte Fears Death Toll After Cyclone Could Reach 4 Figures

France tries to get aid to island territory

(Newser) - The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is several hundred and may be close to 1,000, the island's top government official told the local broadcaster Sunday. Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville said: "I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we'...

Hundreds in France Demand Justice for Gisele Pelicot as Verdicts Near

51 defendants are on trial in French court for rape

(Newser) - Hundreds of people gathered Saturday in the southern French town of Avignon ahead of the verdict in a trial in which dozens of men are accused of raping Gisele Pelicot while she was drugged and rendered unconscious by her husband. The court is expected to deliver its verdicts by Dec....

'Crown of Thorns' Returns to Its Historic Home

After 5 years, the relic is back at Notre Dame Cathedral for public veneration

(Newser) - An ancient relic that many Christians revere as Jesus Christ's "Crown of Thorns" returned Friday to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, five years after it was saved from the flames of the medieval monument's devastating 2019 fire . The AP reports that the crown—a circular band of...

France Has Its 4th Prime Minister of the Year

Macron chooses centrist ally Francois Bayrou

(Newser) - France is ending 2024 the way it started it—with a new prime minister. French President Emmanuel Macron named centrist ally Francois Bayrou as prime minister on Friday, the AP reports. A historic parliamentary vote ousted the previous government last week after Michel Barnier had been in office for just...

Pelicot Wore Sunglasses 'to Protect Herself.' No More

BBC essay describes Frenchwoman as 'global icon of courage and defiance' as husband stands trial

(Newser) - Throughout the rape trial of Gisele Pelicot's husband, Dominique Pelicot , and the dozens of other men of sexually assaulting her while she was drugged unconscious, the world has seen the Frenchwoman go through a series of stages—from "serene grandmother, to anguished and shame-haunted rape victim, to fearful...

French Government Collapses as PM Is Voted Out

Michel Barnier's administration is first to be felled by no-confidence vote since 1962

(Newser) - France's far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined together Wednesday in a vote on a no-confidence motion prompted by budget disputes that forces Prime Minister Michel Barnier to resign. The National Assembly approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed, reports the AP . The Guardian reports Barnier'...

France Is On the Brink of a Major Crisis
France Is On the Brink
of a Major Crisis
The rundown
Dec 3, 2024 11:58 AM CST

France Is On the Brink of a Major Crisis

Government is poised to collapse, and the ramifications could be widespread

(Newser) - It looks all but certain that France's government will collapse this week, giving it the unwanted distinction of being the shortest-lived government in modern French history, reports the AP . The ramifications, however, go beyond France. The collapse is expected to happen on Wednesday or Thursday, whenever parliament holds a...

Trump Wants Pardoned Charles Kushner as Ambassador

Jared Kushner's father was sentenced to prison on for federal crimes

(Newser) - President-elect Trump announced Saturday that he has chosen Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law and a real estate mogul who was convicted of federal charges before being pardoned during Trump's first term, to be ambassador to France. "He is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who...

A Rebuilt Notre Dame Reveals Itself to the World

Cathedral looks a lot cleaner now than it did before 2019 fire

(Newser) - After more than five years of frenetic reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral showed its new self to the world Friday, with rebuilt soaring ceilings and creamy good-as-new stonework erasing somber memories of its devastating fire in 2019. Images broadcast live of a site visit by French President Emmanuel Macron showed...

France Might Buck ICC on Netanyahu Arrest

Foreign ministry says 'immunities apply'

(Newser) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant are wanted men under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court last week —but France could still be a safe place for them to visit. The French Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Netanyahu is covered...

Gisele Pelicot Testifies: 'People Will Remember' Me

French woman who has become 'feminist hero' testifies at her ex-husband's mass rape trial

(Newser) - "Today I am known around the world, whether I like it or not. People will remember Madame Pelicot, much less Monsieur Pelicot." Those were among the final words of Gisele Pelicot as she testified for what may be the last time at the trial of her former husband...

Their Children Died by Suicide. They're Suing TikTok

French parents say platform promoted suicide, self-harm, eating disorders

(Newser) - TikTok is being sued by seven families in France, including two that lost children to suicide. The joint lawsuit alleges that the platform's algorithm exposed teens to videos promoting suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders, CNN reports. The lawsuit is separate from a criminal complaint filed against TikTok last year...

Gisele Pelicot Testifies: 'This Isn't Being Brave'

French woman took the stand for a second time on Wednesday

(Newser) - After what the New York Times describes as weeks of having "remained silent as one defendant after another spoke before the judges," Gisele Pelicot took the stand once more on Wednesday. The French woman—who has been upheld as a feminist icon for insisting on a public trial...

A Year After Vanishing, Body of French Teen Found

Suspect in Lina Delsarte killing died by suicide in July, investigators say

(Newser) - A vehicle flagged months into the search for a French teenager who disappeared last September had been stolen by her kidnapper, police said Wednesday, announcing both the teen and her attacker are dead. The body of the girl, IDed by Elle as Lina Delsarte, 15, was found Wednesday in a...

France Won't Let bin Laden's Son Back In

Omar bin Laden had been living in the Normandy region before being booted in 2023

(Newser) - Osama bin Laden's son won't be able to call France his home ever again. France's interior minister said Tuesday he has taken additional steps against any effort by Omar bin Laden to return to the country, reports the AP . More:
  • The 43-year-old had since 2016 lived
...

Judge Does a 180 on Allowing Rape Videos to Be Shown

Journalists, members of the public in court for Pelicot case can now see recordings of sexual assaults

(Newser) - A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes....

After 31 Years, Somebody Has Found the Golden Owl

French treasure hunt had driven puzzle-solvers 'to the point of madness'

(Newser) - When French puzzle designer Max Valentin created the Golden Owl treasure hunt in 1993, he predicted it could be up to a year before it was solved. He died in 2009—and the treasure wasn't found for another 15 years. The BBC reports that Michael Becker, who illustrated the...

Facing Questions in Gang Rape Trial, Victim Asks Her Own

Gisele Pelicot tells court she's faced humiliating grilling by defense lawyers

(Newser) - After being questioned by defense lawyers Wednesday about her sex life, including whether she was really unconscious while being raped by dozens of men recruited by her husband, Gisele Pelicot responded in full. "Since I arrived in this courtroom, I have been humiliated," she told the French court,...

Dominique Pelicot on Wife: She 'Did Not Deserve This'

Frenchman accused of raping drugged wife, inviting others to do the same, takes the stand

(Newser) - After a delay in testifying last week due to a reported medical issue, the Frenchman accused of raping his wife while she was drugged, and inviting others to do the same, finally took the stand on Tuesday, and he left no doubt as to his guilt. "I am a...

Man Accused of 'Barbarism' by Wife Doesn't Testify as Planned

Dominique Pelicot was taken to the hospital on Tuesday

(Newser) - The French man accused of arranging to have his wife raped by strangers over a decade and drugging her to facilitate the crime was taken to the hospital on the day he was to testify. Dominique Pelicot's lawyer said the 71-year-old "is not trying to shirk his responsibility,...

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