France

PARIS (AP) — Paris commuters faced disruptions as public transport workers went on strike Friday to protest what they say was an insufficient salary increase proposal by the state-owned transport company RATP amid rising inflation.

Most subway lines in the Paris area and train services linking the capital with the suburbs were shut down during rush hours. Driverless trains that were in service had been packed with people rushing to reach work and children’s schools on time.

PARIS (AP) — Two words, taboo for many in France because they evoke a conspiracy theory embraced by white supremacists, have been haunting the French presidential campaign.

“Great replacement” rolls off the tongue of presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, an outsider with views to the right of the far-right who has made the term the underpinning of his campaign. But when mainstream conservative presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse pronounced them at her first major rally last weekend, politicians and pundits screamed foul, saying she had crossed a red line.

17 Feb 2022; MEMO: French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said yesterday that a decision on salvaging Iran's 2015 nuclear deal was just days away and that it was now up to Tehran to make the political choice.

Indirect talks between Iran and the United States on reviving the nuclear deal resumed last week, after a ten-day break.

Officials from Britain, France, Germany and Russia have been shuttling between the two sides in an effort to bridge the gaps.

15 Feb 2022; MEMO: The European Commission called on France to disclose whether it provided Egypt with internet and communications surveillance and espionage equipment, as French media has recently claimed.

This comes days before Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is expected to take part in the joint European and African Union summit being held in Brussels on 17-18 February.

PARIS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump has told French far-right presidential challenger Eric Zemmour, whose nationalist programme is shaping a divisive campaign race, to stay strong and true to his convictions, Zemmour said.

Zemmour's campaign team said the two had a 40-minute phone call late Monday. Like Trump, Zemmour has positioned himself as a political outsider, banking instead on his celebrity status and no-nonsense language.

PARIS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Four men went on trial on Monday over the murder of an elderly priest who was knifed to death at his altar in a militant attack that rocked France.

Father Jacques Hamel was leading morning mass in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in July 2016 when two attackers stormed in, forced the 85-year-old to his knees and slit his throat. They were both shot dead by police.

PARIS (AP) — He has a full campaign team that’s fanning out around France, meeting with voters. He makes speeches about his plans for the country in the upcoming years. The problem? Emmanuel Macron hasn’t officially declared that he’s a candidate for April’s presidential election yet.

Critics say he’s unfairly using his taxpayer-funded presidential pulpit to campaign for a second term while dragging out his widely expected announcement as long as possible.

PARIS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - French troops killed 40 militants on the Benin-Burkina Faso border in West Africa's Sahel region, the French government said on Saturday.

The action followed an attack on park rangers in northern Benin on Tuesday in which a French national was among eight people killed.

PARIS, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron held a high-level summit aimed at protecting the world's oceans on Friday, with representatives of more than 100 countries.

The One Ocean Summit in Brest brought together heads of state and government, leaders of multilateral institutions, shipping companies and civil society policymakers to unite in supporting the "Brest Commitments for the Oceans."

During the summit, panels were held on various commitments to marine protection and tackling climate change.

PARIS (AP) — Paris police intercepted at least 500 vehicles attempting to enter the French capital Saturday, in defiance of a police order, to take part in protests against virus restrictions inspired by Canada’s horn-honking “Freedom Convoy.”

The police said on Twitter that several convoys were stopped from entering at key city arteries and over 200 motorists were handed tickets.

Elsewhere, at least two protesters were detained amid a seizure of knives, hammers and other objects in one central Parisian square.