France

PARIS (AP) — A French Holocaust survivor has denounced anti-vaccination protesters comparing themselves to Jews who were persecuted by Nazi Germany during World War II. French officials and anti-racism groups joined the 94-year-old in expressing indignation.

18 July 2021; MEMO: Massive protests took place in several French cities on Saturday for the second time in a week against the government's new health pass requirement and mandatory shots for healthcare workers.

An estimated 114,000 people took part in the protests, according to Interior Ministry estimates.

PARIS, July 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Paris Club of official creditors has agreed to cancel $14 billion owed by Sudan and restructure the rest of the more than $23 billion it owes, Paris Club chairman Emmanuel Moulin said.

Speaking on Friday after the deal was reached on Thursday, Moulin urged Sudan’s other private and public creditors to grant the country debt relief on the same terms.

PARIS (AP) — France will allow international travelers who have had AstraZeneca’s Indian-manufactured vaccine into the country starting Sunday.

At the same time, France is tightening border checks to control the spread of the delta variant and protect hospitals, according to a statement from the prime minister Saturday.

The move to accept visitors vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s vaccine made by India’s Serum Institute came after a global outcry over the fact that the European Union’s COVID-19 certificate only recognizes AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in Europe.

PARIS (AP) — The Eiffel Tower is reopening Friday for the first time in nine months even though the French government introduced new virus rules this week aimed at taming the fast-spreading delta variant.

The “Iron Lady” of Paris was ordered shut in October as France battled its second virus surge of the pandemic. The tower remained shut for renovations even after most of France’s major tourist draws reopened last month.

PARIS (AP) — France’s competition regulator announced Tuesday that it has fined Google 500 million euros ($592 million) over a dispute with French publishers who want the company to pay for the use of their news.

The agency threatened fines of another 900,000 euros (around $1 million) per day if Google doesn’t produce proposals within two months on how it will compensate news producers.

PARIS (AP) — France will withdraw more than 2,000 troops from an anti-extremism force in Africa’s Sahel region by early next year and pivot its military presence to specialized regional forces instead, President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.

Macron announced last month a future reduction of France’s military presence, arguing that it’s no longer adapted to the needs in the area. The French Barkhane force, operating in Mali, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, had also met opposition from some Africans.

PARIS (AP) — A French court on Wednesday convicted 11 of 13 people charged with harassing and threatening a teenager who harshly criticized Islam in online posts and ended up changing schools and receiving police protection to preserve her safety.

The verdict came in a trial in Paris that was the first of its kind since France created a new court in January to prosecute online crimes, including harassment and discrimination.

The court sentenced the defendants to suspended prison terms of four to six months and fined them about $1,770 each.

PARIS (AP) — Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders has put Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on its list of “predators,” the first time a Western European leader has been placed in the lineup of heads of state or government who “crack down massively” on press freedom.

The list published Monday includes 37 leaders.

PARIS, July 5 (Reuters) - The leaders of France, Germany and China, after a three-way video call on Monday, called on all parties involved in the Iran nuclear talks to seize a window of opportunity for an agreement, a French presidency source said on Monday.

The source said that French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping had spoken for more than an hour.