France

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Louvre Director Says Her Resignation Wasn't Accepted

She admits 'terrible failure' in testimony to lawmakers about jewel heist

(Newser) - The director of the Louvre said Wednesday that she submitted her resignation after Sunday's jewel heist but France's culture minister refused to accept it. Laurence des Cars, testifying to the French Senate, admitted that there had been a "terrible failure" at the Paris museum and she takes...

Sarkozy Gets 2 Unusual Prison Mates
Sarkozy Gets 2
Unusual Prison Mates
Oct 22, 2025 8:09 AM CDT

Sarkozy Gets 2 Unusual Prison Mates

Displeased unions say prison staff can keep ex-president safe without police

(Newser) - Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving time in Paris' La Santé prison, but he won't be alone. The Guardian reports two police officers will be stationed in neighboring cells to protect him for the duration of his five-year sentence, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. The...

Smarting Over Daylight Heist, the Louvre Reopens

French Crown Jewels remain missing 3 days after the brazen theft

(Newser) - The Louvre reopened on Wednesday to long lines beneath its landmark Paris glass pyramid, three days after one of the highest-profile museum thefts of the century. The thieves slipped in and out of the famed museum—making off with eight pieces from France's Crown Jewels—a cultural wound that...

Latest Hit on French Museums: a $700K Gold Heist
Woman, 24, Charged in
Paris Museum's Gold Heist
UPDATED
Oct 21, 2025 10:37 AM CDT

Woman, 24, Charged in Paris Museum's Gold Heist

This one was at the National Museum of Natural History, before the one at the Louvre

(Newser) - Amid the ongoing search for thieves who struck Paris' Louvre on Sunday, French prosecutors have some good news to announce: an arrest in last month's break-in at Paris' National Museum of Natural History. A 24-year-old woman from China stands charged with stealing roughly 13 pounds of gold nuggets from...

In Sarkozy's Prison Bag: The Count of Monte Cristo

France's former president begins serving 5-year sentence Tuesday

(Newser) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy headed to prison on Tuesday to serve time for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya, the first ex-leader of modern France to be imprisoned, the AP reports. Sarkozy contests both the conviction and a judge's unusual decision...

A Well-Placed Ladder Was Key to Daring Louvre Heist

It's now a 'race against time' to recover priceless jewelry

(Newser) - New details have surfaced on how burglars pulled off an incredible daylight heist at the Louvre over the weekend, one that El Pais notes is already being labeled the "theft of the century:"
  • Four thieves were involved in the Sunday morning caper. Authorities say they used a truck
...

Embattled French PM Lecornu Survives No-Confidence Vote

Macron spared from having to call snap elections

(Newser) - French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu survived a vote of no-confidence Thursday that could have toppled his fragile new government and plunged France deeper into political chaos. The National Assembly vote clears the way for the embattled Lecornu to pursue what could be an even greater challenge: getting a 2026...

Sarkozy Is Due to Report for Historic Prison Sentence

Former French president was convicted of criminal conspiracy tied to Gadhafi campaign funding

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy is on his way to making history next week as the first former French president—and the first ex-leader of a European Union country—to serve time behind bars. According to Le Monde , Sarkozy, now 70, will report to La Santé Prison in Paris on Oct. 21...

The Countries With the Most American Expats

Mexico tops the list of nations hosting the most Americans

(Newser) - Millions of Americans live outside of the United States, according to the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, which recently updated its stats to see which countries host the most former residents of the USA. AARO's analysis used census data culled by the UN and from the US Census Bureau,...

Once-Again French PM: There Weren't 'a Lot of Candidates'

Re-appointed prime minister Lecornu calls for calm amid political chaos, says this time around may not last

(Newser) - France's newly re-appointed prime minister acknowledged Saturday that there weren't "a lot of candidates" for his job—and that he might not last long in the post given the country's deep political divides. Sebastien Lecornu, renamed by President Emmanuel Macron late Friday after a week of...

France's 3rd PM of the Year Resigns
PM Who Just
Resigned Is
Back in Office
updated
Oct 10, 2025 4:10 PM CDT

PM Who Just Resigned Is Back in Office

Macron asks Lecornu to try again to form a government

(Newser) - Days ago after telling France his "mission is over," Sébastien Lecornu is back as prime minister. On Friday, President Emmanuel Macron asked him to return to office and try again to form a government, the BBC reports. Macron made the announcement after meeting with representatives of most...

Appeal Results in Longer Sentence in Pelicot Case

Court adds another year to 9-year sentence in France

(Newser) - Only one of the 51 men convicted of sexually abusing Gisèle Pelicot after her then-husband drugged her appealed his sentence—and it was a gamble that he lost. A French appeals court sentenced Husamettin Dogan to 10 years on Thursday, Le Monde reports. The 44-year-old's original sentence was...

Woman Killed by Electric Car Window

Tragedy unfolds as hand brake mishap triggers fatal window closure

(Newser) - A woman in eastern France was killed in a freak accident while cleaning her car, according to French media outlets cited by People . Bernadette Delmotte, 60, was cleaning her Fiat 500 on June 13 in Saone-et-Loire when, investigators believe, the car began to roll backward. Delmotte apparently leaned through...

Gisèle Pelicot Is Back in Court—to Applause

French court revisits the shocking rape case as one defendant appeals

(Newser) - Less than a year after the landmark verdict in a drugging and rape trial that shook France and turned Gisèle Pelicot into a global icon, she was greeted with applause Monday as she arrived at a courthouse for the appeal of a man challenging his conviction. Husamettin Dogan, sentenced...

France Arrests Captain of 'Shadow Fleet' Tanker

Ship intercepted by French navy may have been involved in Denmark drone incidents

(Newser) - The captain of a suspected "shadow fleet" oil tanker intercepted off France has been taken into custody and will go on trial in February, authorities confirmed Thursday. Prosecutors say the captain, a Chinese national, and the first officer were arrested after the French navy boarded the Boracay, though the...

US Heads to 'Bread Olympics' for First Time Since 2017

On the Rise team brings Midwest bread skills to France

(Newser) - An Ohio bakery is set to put American bread on the global stage, the Guardian reports. On the Rise Artisan Breads, a neighborhood favorite in Cleveland Heights, has been chosen to represent the United States at the Mondial du Pain—better known as the "Bread Olympics"—in...

South Africa's Ambassador to France Dies in Hotel Fall

Investigation underway after diplomat's death at Paris Hyatt Regency

(Newser) - South Africa's ambassador to France was reported missing by his wife on Monday evening after she received a text she found concerning. On Tuesday, Nkosinathi Emmanuel "Nathi" Mthethwa, was found dead outside his Paris hotel. Authorities say the 58-year-old had reserved a room on the 22nd floor...

Sarkozy Convicted in Libyan Cash Plot
French Court Sentences
Sarkozy to 5 Years
UPDATED
Sep 25, 2025 7:04 AM CDT

French Court Sentences Sarkozy to 5 Years

Former French president found to have sought illicit campaign funds from Libya in 2007

(Newser) - A court in Paris sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison on Thursday, reports the AP . The case revolved around allegations that his 2007 campaign illegally received money from Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. The 70-year-old called the ruling a political injustice, saying hatred "has no...

Murder Trial Grips France Despite No Body, Little Evidence

Circumstantial evidence and online theories fuel national fascination

(Newser) - A high-profile murder trial has gripped France, not because of shocking violence or dramatic confessions, but for its stubborn central mystery: the absence of a body. Monday saw the start of the trial of Cédric Jubillar, a 38-year-old painter-decorator from southern France who is accused of killing his...

France Officially Recognizes Palestine

'The time has come,' Macron says at UN summit

(Newser) - "The time has come," French President Emmanuel Macron said at a United Nations meeting on Monday, declaring that France is officially recognizing a Palestinian state. "This is why, true to the historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the...

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