France

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Brigitte Macron's Cyberbullies Get Up to 8 Months in Prison

8 men, 2 women convicted in French court

(Newser) - A Paris court on Monday found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations that she was born a man. The court convicted all defendants to sentences ranging from a cyberbullying awareness training to 8-month...

Not Everyone Is Happy About Clooneys' French Citizenship

France's government defends granting it to the famous couple after minister complains

(Newser) - Actor George Clooney and his wife, Amal Clooney, were granted French citizenship because "they contribute, through their distinguished actions, to France's international influence and cultural outreach," the French government said Wednesday, defending their naturalization that was questioned by a junior French minister. The naturalizations of the Kentucky-born...

Picasso Painting Could Be Yours for Just $120

Global raffle via Christie's aims to raise nearly $13M to fight Alzheimer's

(Newser) - Owning a Picasso usually takes a fortune. This time, it will take about $120 and a whole lot of luck. France's Alzheimer's Research Foundation is raffling off a 1941 Pablo Picasso painting, "Tete de Femme," valued at nearly $1.2 million. Anyone can buy a ticket...

Chappell Roan Isn't So Keen on Brigitte Bardot Anymore

After tribute, singer now says she rejects the late actor's far-right, anti-immigrant political stances

(Newser) - Chappell Roan's RIP to Brigitte Bardot didn't survive a second look. After news broke that the French film icon had died over the weekend at age 91, the singer briefly honored her on Instagram, calling Bardot her inspiration for the song "Red Wine Supernova." Lyrics for...

George, Amal Clooney Now Citizens of France

Couple cites privacy protections and family life in France

(Newser) - George and Amal Clooney are now officially French, along with their 8-year-old twins, thanks to a decree published in France's official government gazette declaring the celebrity family has been granted French citizenship, the Guardian reports. The move formalizes a plan George Clooney had hinted at in December, when he...

French Divers Find Underwater Wall From 5,000 BC

Ancient stone structure may explain Brittany legends of sunken cities

(Newser) - A long, stony line on the seabed off western France is turning out to be a lot more than a geological quirk. Marine archaeologists say a 394-foot structure found off the Ile de Sein in Brittany is a man-made wall dating to roughly 5,000 BC, making it the largest...

France's Postal Service Has Outage at an Awkward Time

Officials suspect cyberattack disrupted online operation

(Newser) - A suspected cyberattack knocked France's national postal service and its banking arm offline Monday, blocking and delaying package deliveries and online payments at the height of the busy Christmas season. The postal service, La Poste, said in a statement that a distributed denial of service incident "rendered its...

French Palace Employee Accused of Stealing Tableware

Staffer allegedly listed unique Sèvres porcelain on online marketplace Vinted

(Newser) - An employee trusted to care for the French president's finest tableware is accused of quietly selling it off online. French police have arrested a silver steward at the Élysée Palace, along with two alleged accomplices, on suspicion of stealing porcelain and silverware from the presidential residence and...

'Dr. Death' Poisoned 30 So He Could Act the Hero

12 died through the actions of anesthetist Frédéric Péchier, handed life sentence

(Newser) - A onetime "star anesthetist" in France will spend the rest of his life in prison. A court in Besançon on Thursday handed 53-year-old Frédéric Péchier a life sentence for poisoning 30 patients over nearly a decade, 12 of whom died after suffering cardiac arrest during...

Louvre Workers Double Down on Their Strike

Union employees at Paris museum complain of understaffing, building deterioration

(Newser) - Employees at the Louvre voted on Wednesday to extend a strike that has disrupted operations at the world's most visited museum. Union workers were protesting chronic understaffing, building deterioration, and recent management decisions—pressures intensified by a brazen crown-jewels heist in October. The decision came during a morning general...

France's First Lady on Insulting Feminist Protesters: No Regrets

Brigitte Macron defends 'stupid b----es' comment while apologizing to those hurt

(Newser) - France's first lady has found herself walking a narrow line between apology and defiance after she was caught on camera referring to feminist protesters as "stupid b----es." Brigitte Macron on Monday said she was "sorry if I hurt women victims" of sexual assault with the comments...

The Louvre Just Cannot Catch a Break

Workers vote to strike in another blow to the Paris museum

(Newser) - Workers at the Louvre Museum voted Monday to strike over working conditions and other complaints, dealing another blow to the Paris museum after an embarrassing jewelry heist in October. The CFDT union said the vote was taken at a meeting of 400 workers on Monday morning and that they decided...

With COVID Vaccines, 'No Increase in the Risk of Mortality'

French data show 50% higher death rate among unvaccinated adults

(Newser) - French researchers say a massive real-world test of COVID shots turned up something vaccine skeptics won't like: People who skipped them died at a significantly higher rate, reports RFI . In a study of nearly 30 million adults ages 18 to 59, published in JAMA Network Open , the Epi-Phare group—...

Louvre Heist Perpetrators Had Just Seconds to Spare

Investigation reveals police were on the scene about 30 seconds later

(Newser) - Thieves who slipped crown jewels out of the Louvre in October appear to have been truly racing against the clock, according to a French investigation that paints a picture of cascading security failures at the world's most-visited museum. A report ordered by the culture ministry and presented to the...

France Boosts Holiday Market Security Amid Terrorism Fears

Interior minister warns of 'very high' terror threat

(Newser) - France is ramping up security around Christmas markets after Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned of a "very high" terrorist threat, referencing previous attacks on holiday markets in Germany and Strasbourg . In a directive sent to regional leaders Wednesday, Nunez told state officials to treat Christmas markets as potential targets...

A Very French Heist: $100K Worth of Snails

Thieves make off with huge stash from family farm

(Newser) - Thieves have pulled off an unusual heist in France's Champagne region, making off with nearly half a ton of snails. The haul, valued at $100,000, vanished from L'Escargot des Grands, a farm run by Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne, in an overnight caper last week, reports the Independent . Most had...

Protester Cracks Egg on Far-Right Figure in France

Days earlier, Jordan Bardella was covered in flour

(Newser) - A rising figure on the far right in France endured his second attack by food in a week on Saturday. Authorities say a 74-year-old man approached Jordan Bardella of the National Rally party at a book signing in Moissac and cracked an egg over his head, reports the AFP . The...

French Inmates Escape the Old-Fashioned Way

They sawed through bars, used bedsheets to flee Dijon prison

(Newser) - A pair of French inmates pulled off a jailbreak that could have come straight out of a movie. Authorities say they sawed through the bars of their cells and used bedsheets to escape from an overcrowded prison in Dijon, reports CBS News . The two men, ages 19 and 32, were...

French Civil Servant Accused of Drugging 240 Women

Alleged victims say illegal diuretics were slipped into their drinks during job interviews at culture ministry

(Newser) - More than 240 women have accused a senior French civil servant of secretly drugging them during job interviews at the culture ministry, exposing a disturbing form of alleged abuse. As one alleged victim tells the Guardian , "At the time, I didn't even know this type of attack existed....

French Army Chief: We Can't Fear 'Losing Our Children'

Gen. Fabien Mandon's blunt warning about possible conflicts sets off a backlash

(Newser) - France's new army chief has sparked a national debate after bluntly warning that the country must be ready to "accept losing our children" in the face of growing military threats, particularly from Russia. Gen. Fabien Mandon made the remarks to mayors from across France, urging them to prepare...

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