France – News Stories About France - Page 31

'Black Widow of the Riviera'
Handed 22-Year Sentence

Jan 20, 2018 6:39 AM CST

'Black Widow of the Riviera' Handed 22-Year Sentence

Patricia Dagorn was accused of killing 2 men, poisoning more

(Newser) - She's referred to as "the Black Widow of the Riviera" (not to be confused with the Black Widow of Japan ), and now she has a prison sentence to go with that title. Patricia Dagorn was sentenced this week to 22 years for murdering two men and poisoning...

Deneuve Apologizes After
Anti-#MeToo Letter

Jan 15, 2018 2:53 AM CST

Deneuve Apologizes After Anti-#MeToo Letter

Actress is sorry if victims of sexual assault were offended

(Newser) - Catherine Deneuve has apologized to sexual assault victims amid the backlash to the backlash against the #MeToo movement in France. The actress said that while she agrees with the spirit of an open letter she signed, which denounced a "witch hunt" against men guilty of no more than "...

France Takes on Fake News

Jan 14, 2018 5:29 PM CST

France Takes on Fake News

Critics wonder what a new law will mean for freedom of the press

(Newser) - Can a democratic country outlaw fake news? France is about to find out, after President Emmanuel Macron ordered a law to quash false information disseminated around electoral campaigns. Criticism is pouring in from media advocates, tech experts—and Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT. They say the law smacks of authoritarianism, will be...

Hole in French Village Means
One Thing: Treasure Hunters

Hole in French Village Means One Thing: Treasure Hunters

Rennes-le-Château has dealt with this for decades

(Newser) - As the story goes, in the small French village of Rennes-le-Château a priest named François-Bérenger Saunière managed to accumulate an unlikely sum of money, giving birth to a legend that he had found buried treasure. It was said that he himself buried what he didn't...

All Jewels Recovered
After Botched Paris Heist

Jan 12, 2018 12:56 AM CST

All Jewels Recovered After Botched Paris Heist

At least 2 suspects are still at large

(Newser) - Paris authorities have recovered all the jewels stolen from the Ritz Hotel in a dramatic heist , but they are still searching for two thieves who got away, officials say. Three perpetrators "entered by the service entrance, smashed the jewelry stands, grabbed jewels that were clearly expensive with the help...

'Total Panic' After Ritz Paris Jewel Heist

Jewel Thieves Hit One of
World's Most Famous Hotels

Jan 11, 2018 12:20 AM CST

Jewel Thieves Hit One of World's Most Famous Hotels

3 arrested after heist at Ritz Paris

(Newser) - Armed thieves entered the luxury Ritz Hotel in Paris and stole valuable jewels and other goods from a hotel boutique Wednesday, carrying out an unusually brazen heist in one of the world's most prestigious neighborhoods. Three suspects were quickly arrested near the chic Place Vendome in central Paris, but...

100 French Women Slam
#MeToo 'Witch Hunt'

Jan 10, 2018 2:07 AM CST

100 French Women Slam #MeToo 'Witch Hunt'

'Rape is a crime but insistent or clumsy flirting is not'

(Newser) - In France, the #MeToo campaign is known as #BalanceTonPorc, meaning "Squeal on Your Pig"—and some women, including actress Catherine Deneuve, say it has gone too far. Deneuve was one of around 100 French women, including performers, writers, and academics, who signed a letter published in Le Monde...

French Kids Mag Lands
in Hot Water With Israel

Dec 26, 2017 9:25 AM CST

French Kids Mag Lands in Hot Water With Israel

'Youpi' pulls issue after it printed blurb that said Israel isn't a real country

(Newser) - A French children's magazine has been withdrawn from newsstands after it admitted a "mistake" in writing that Israel wasn't a real country. The news editor for Youpi, a magazine for children ages 5 to 8, told the AP on Tuesday the January issue was being removed from...

NYT Unmasks
Man Who Bought
$300M Home in 2015

Dec 19, 2017 3:27 AM CST

NYT Unmasks Man Who Bought $300M Home in 2015

Saudi prince's French mansion is world's most expensive

(Newser) - What do you call somebody who publicly leads a campaign against corruption while privately buying the most expensive things in the world for himself? In Saudi Arabia, the answer to that question is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, per a New York Times investigation that exposes the 32-year-old king-in-waiting as...

The Internet Just Bought an
800-Year-Old Castle in France

Dec 6, 2017 1:24 PM CST

The Internet Just Bought an 800-Year-Old Castle in France

For as little as $61 per person

(Newser) - The French castle about 200 miles away from Paris was built in the 13th century, captured twice by the English in the Middle Ages, sacked during the French Revolution, and partially burned down in 1932, the Guardian reports. Now the internet may have saved the Chateau de la Mothe-Chandeniers. According...

All of France Mourns
Its Very Own 'Elvis'

OBITUARY

Dec 6, 2017 1:00 AM CST

All of France Mourns Its Very Own 'Elvis'

Rock star Johnny Hallyday has died at age 74

(Newser) - Johnny Hallyday, France's biggest rock star for more than half a century and an icon who packed sports stadiums with his pumping pelvis and high-voltage tunes, has died. He was 74. President Emmanuel Macron announced his death in a statement early Wednesday, saying "he brought a part of...

Searching for a Foundation,
They Found Treasure Instead

Searching for a Foundation, They Found Treasure Instead

'I thought how I'd never again see something like it'

(Newser) - They were searching for an old infirmary. What they uncovered was an "exceptional and extremely rare treasure": 2,200 silver coins, 21 gold coins, a gold signet ring, gold foil, and a circular object also made of gold. It's a collection unlike any ever found, according to French...

After Shocking Cases
Involving 11-Year-Olds,
France to Set Age of Consent

Nov 14, 2017 4:21 PM CST

After Shocking Cases Involving 11-Year-Olds, France to Set Age of Consent

It currently doesn't have one, and will likely set it between ages 13 and 15

(Newser) - Is a 13-year-old girl old enough to agree to sex with an adult? That's a question France is asking itself as the government prepares to set a legal age for sexual consent for the first time, the AP reports. Twice in recent weeks, French courts refused to prosecute grown...

Deer Kills Seasoned Hunter

'The antlers of the stag are like many knives piercing you'

(Newser) - A member of a French hunting party was killed Monday in what authorities are calling an exceedingly rare accident. Police say the unarmed 62-year-old man was acting as a beater (meaning trying to get game to leave their cover) for a hunting party in Compiègne national park, around 50...

US Couple Forced to Give Up
Their $1.75M Pissarro

Nov 11, 2017 1:56 PM CST

US Couple Forced to Give Up Their $1.75M Pissarro

Artwork had been looted from Jewish family by French Vichy regime during WWII

(Newser) - A US couple loaned a valuable Camille Pissarro painting to a Paris museum earlier this year—and now they've lost it for good. "La Cueillette des Pois," or "Picking Peas," by the impressionist master was displayed in an exhibition at Marmottan and was recognized there...

Driver Plows Into Young
Pedestrians in France

Nov 10, 2017 12:48 PM CST

Driver Plows Into Young Pedestrians in France

3 students hurt, but police don't think incident has any links to terrorism

(Newser) - A French prosecutor says a car that rammed into a group of students in the city of Blagnac was driven by a man known to have "psychiatric" problems. Toulouse prosecutor Pierre-Yves Couilleau told France's BFM television that three students were injured on Friday when the motorist drove into...

Leading Islamic Scholar
Accused of Raping 2 Women

Nov 8, 2017 12:49 AM CST

Leading Islamic Scholar Accused of Raping 2 Women

Tariq Ramadan is on leave of absence from Oxford

(Newser) - One of the world's leading Islamic scholars is on a leave of absence from the University of Oxford amid allegations that he raped two women. Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss-born grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, has denied the allegations made by the two women in France and filed...

'A Killer in the Wild' Takes
Life of French Jogger

Nov 6, 2017 7:45 AM CST

'A Killer in the Wild' Takes Life of French Jogger

Alexia Daval's burned body was found Monday

(Newser) - The residents of Gray, France, number just 5,000, but on Sunday some 10,000 people took to the streets there in Alexia Daval's name. The 29-year-old's body was found last Monday, in a crime that the Times of London reports has raised the fears of female runners...

Fashion Designer
Comes Clean on
Her Youthful Glow

Fashion Designer Comes Clean on Her Youthful Glow

Vivienne Westwood reveals she only bathes once a week

(Newser) - Vivienne Westwood is known for her punk and new-wave style, and now also for her hygiene habits. The Guardian reports the 76-year-old British fashion designer was in Paris over the weekend for Fashion Week, and after her show put together with husband Andreas Kronthaler, Westwood was asked by reporters how...

Restaurant Sees 'Remarkable'
Change After Diners Disconnect

Oct 3, 2017 8:07 AM CDT

Restaurant Sees 'Remarkable' Change After Diners Disconnect

They're actually talking to each other, says Marco Canora of Hearth

(Newser) - "We want people to have an experience that is calm," says Chef Marco Canora of his revamped Hearth restaurant in New York City. Apparently that means phones should be out of the picture. After noticing how often diners appeared more engaged in their phones than in their company...