France

Causes and Events of the French Revolution
A historic journey through causes and events of French Revolution…

Riots in France Underscore Rising Racial Tensions
The recent riots in a suburb near Paris this week emphasize the growing unrest among disenfranchised minority groups there.

A Year in the World
A new book by author, Frances Mayes follows his year long journey around the exotic locations of Europe.

Surgeons in France Perform the World’s First Face Transplant
It sounds like something out of a Hollywood movie, but it's true. Doctors in France announced Wednesday that they have performed the first-ever partial face transplant.

The Holiday That Was, Then Wasn’t And Now Is
The confusing story of a reinstated public holiday with the French celebrating a five-day weekend break as Whit Monday officially becomes a day off - again.

French Railway Buys British Baguettes
Barnsley baker takes advantage of legal loophole and beats local boulangers with their long-life loaves

France’s renewed bid to free Farc hostages
French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner arrives in the Colombian capital, Bogota, on the first leg of his whistle stop, three nation trip to South America to restart negotiations for the release of Farc-held hostages.

French Country Property - Tips To Find Your Dream French House
Is there anything more charming than French country property? For many it's a dream that's surprisingly affordable.

How To Buy A House In France - Tips For Safe French House Buying
Buying a house in France should be fun, but it can be a nightmare. Avoiding the pitfalls isn't difficult though.

Camembert Wars Get Dirty in Fight for France's Soul
Said to smell like God's feet, France's favorite soft cheese is at the heart of a battle pitting small farmers against the corporations

French Mps Back Law to Bar Media From Promoting Anorexia
Offenders could face jail and fines up to €45,000

Sharpshooter, Paratrooper, Hero: the Woman Who Set France Ablaze
Secret National Archive files show insiders' accounts of Briton's heroism against the Nazis

The Eiffel Tower - The Symbol Of France
Article about the Eiffel tower in Paris

I Love French Wine and Food - A 2007 Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau
I love French wine and food so much that I am doing a series on the typical and special wines and foods of France. This article explores the world famous Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau wine of southeastern France. I'll make specific recommendations, and won't be silent if I'm unhappy with a wine.

Britain Scorns France's Plans for Eu Defence
Miliband says Europe will never be a superpower · Sarkozy's view on Turkey membership rejected

Sarkozy Puts France on Green Track
Old-style light bulbs and single glazing to be banned· Carbon tax and nuclear question bypassed

A Bad Day for Sarkozy: First, Strikes Grip France, Then His Marriage Comes to an End
First French president to divorce while in office· Accusations of spin on announcement's timing

France Prepares for Black Thursday As Unions Stage National Rail Strike
Workers in walkout over president's reform plans· Threat to pension rights triggers action

France's First Immigration Museum Opens
After 20 years of rows, controversy and warnings that it was a dangerous taboo, France finally opens its first museum to immigration today.

Lost in France: the Iraqis Seeking a New Life in Britain
The build-up of Iraqis sleeping rough in Cherbourg is now alarming local politicians. The northern French port has become a no man's land of Iraqis desperately trying to get to England to claim asylum. Known as the "ghosts of Cherbourg", the young Iraqis have only one goal: Britain.

France Calls for Lower European Interest Rates
New finance minister Christine Lagarde tells Guardian Unlimited that a cut is needed to put downward pressure on the euro. By Marianne Barriaux in Paris.

France Gets a Touch of the Bleus After Two Big Sporting Defeats
After being beaten by both underdogs Scotland and unfancied Argentina, French sports fans are in the doldrums, writes Angelique Chrisafis.

How France's First Lady Charmed Col Gadafy
· Appeals 'as a mother' won Belgian medics' release · Mrs Sarkozy refuses to testify at MPs' inquiry

US Judge Approves Noriega's Extradition to France
Panama's former dictator, Manuel Noriega, can be extradited to France for a money laundering trial after he completes a lengthy jail sentence in Miami next month, a US judge ruled yesterday.

US Judge Approves Noriega's Extradition to France
Panama's former dictator, Manuel Noriega, can be extradited to France for a money laundering trial after he completes a lengthy jail sentence in Miami next month, a US judge ruled yesterday.

Novelist in Infanticide Row
Mazarine Pingeot's fifth novel, about a woman who murders her baby and hides the corpse in a freezer, has sparked a row in France after the family in a real-life infanticide case accused her of exploitation.

France Signals Wish for Iraq Role With Visit By Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, held talks yesterday with Iraqi leaders in the first visit by a French minister to Baghdad since Paris's opposition to the US-led invasion in 2003.

France Signals Wish for Iraq Role With Visit By Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, held talks yesterday with Iraqi leaders in the first visit by a French minister to Baghdad since Paris's opposition to the US-led invasion in 2003.

The Barbarizing Mission of France made Muslims’ Integration Impossible
It is therefore impossible for the French and the Europeans, who do not denounce this colonial game, to possibly integrate those, who they first alienated – in so indescribably immoral way.

France Agog at First Lady's Surprise Style and Purpose
France's Socialist opposition yesterday called for Cécilia Sarkozy to appear before an inquiry over her role in the release of six foreign medics jailed in Libya.

Chanel Story – Part1
The House of Chanel, more commonly known as Chanel, is a Parisian fashion house in France founded by Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel born August 19, 1883.

France Denies Libyan Arms Trade-off
· No deal over jailed health workers, Sarkozy insists· Socialist leader demands inquiry into negotiations

France's First Lady Flies to Aid Death Row Nurses
France's first lady, Cécilia Sarkozy, yesterday made her first foray into international diplomacy, travelling alone to Libya for talks with Colonel Muammar Gadafy and meeting the Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for allegedly infecting children with HIV.

France's Tough Cops Wield a New Weapon: Culture
They are accused of being violent, corrupt, racist. Now the police are answering back with a wave of novels, memoirs and music that challenges the stereotypes.

Eugen Weber
Obituary: Charting the story of modern France

Treat for the Eyes As Versaille's Hall of Mirrors Brightens Up
Chateau of Versaille's dulled glasswork restored in France's biggest ever privately funded restoration.

Life, Death ... and Cassis. Inside the Village 'hell' That is Gripping France
Jason Burke reports how a novel about life in the hamlet of Lussaud was badly received by some of its real-life citizens, who await sentencing for assaulting the writer.

France's Horsemeat Lovers Fear Us Ban
Illinois campaigners force closure of abattoir - Action threatens to rein in rising European market

I Love France
Of course, I am part French and so there for I have a right to love it.

First Test for France's Little Big Man
World Briefing: France's little big man and his "mandate for change" have raised expectations in the way that Tony Blair's arrival in Downing Street did in 1997. But there is also the familiar danger that ambition will outstrip performance. The G8 summit is the first test of his mettle. By Simon Tisdall

France Abuzz Over Cecilia's Role As the First Lady
Cecilia Sarkozy wears Prada, not the more presidentially correct Chanel, and claims to be more comfortable in a pair of combat trousers.

The Tough New President Still Loves His Mum, France's Real First Lady
Andrée Sarkozy is helping her son soften his image as he prepares to name a cabinet half-full of women.

France Heads to Right As Political Showman Delivers Final Performance of Campaign
Polls show Sarkozy moving further ahead as Royal clings to hope of late switch.

Bayrou, France's Kingmaker, Refuses to Take Sides
Centrist cements gains by forming new party - Poll shows Royal gaining on frontrunner Sarkozy

Forever France
Whether Sarko or Sego wins the French election, let's give the Anglo-Saxon condescension a miss. By Peter Preston

France Faces Left-right Elysee Showdown
In the end it came down to the long-predicted "Sarko versus Ségo" runoff, a race between the man who has cast himself as the new stern father of France and the woman who styles herself as the mother of the nation, promising to guide it gently into the future.

I Will Protect You, Sarkozy Tells France As His Flame Burns Again on Last Day of Campaigning
Frontrunner talks tough on immigration and crime - Campaigning style will dominate runoff

Better a Greater Middle East than the Colonial Hell of France
An introduction to the historical and the political reasons bringing the Middle Eastern peoples closer to American President’s plans of development than to the Colonial Underdevelopment France and England imposed in the area for 200 years.

Sheep, Cheese and a Profonde Crisis That Could Decide Who Rules France
Presidential candidates play down their urban links in battle for the decisive rural vote.

The Last King of France
Balthazar Napoleon de Bour­bon – now there’s an aristocratic name that rolls off the tongue. And why shouldn’t it? The owner of that name claims direct lineage from the Bourbon dynasty that ruled France for centuries. Balthazar, however, is a 48 year-old lawyer and part-time farmer who lives in Bhopal, India.

Found in India: the Last King of France
Indian lawyer acclaimed as head of royal house - Prince Philip's cousin sets out 'incredible' theory

Airbus to Cut 1,600 British Jobs in European Shakeup
10,000 job losses across continent - Plants to close in France and Germany

A Woman's Place: France Rocked By Michelin's Latest Three-star Chef
Female cook wins award for first time in 50 years - Fish specialist overcame macho gastronomic world

A Woman's Place: France Rocked By Michelin's Latest Three-star Chef
Female cook wins award for first time in 50 years - Fish specialist overcame macho gastronomic world

France Swoons on a Wave of Piaf Nostalgia
Movie of tragic star's life expected to break records - Film sees lucrative revival of national affection

France's Charlie Hebdo in Court Over Muhammad Cartoons
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo goes on trial today for publishing controversial Muhammad cartoons. By Gwladys Fouche.

It's Oui to Rom-coms and Non to Art House As Cinéphiles Die Out
Fabled celluloid genre of Truffaut and Renoir could be facing the final edit.

France Divided Over Nude-free Louvre in Gulf
The Louvre is to lend its name and its masterpieces to a new museum in Abu Dhabi for a fee approaching half a billion pounds. Officials from the Paris museum will fly out this week to complete the controversial deal with the emirate's royal family.

Incroyable, But True ... France's 1956 Bid to Unite With Britain
Newly uncovered documents have shocked historians by revealing that in the 1950s, Britain and France discussed the possibility of uniting and Queen Elizabeth II becoming France's head of state.

France and Uk Considered 1950s 'merger'
Britain and France talked about a 'union' in the 1950s, even discussing the possibility of the Queen becoming the French head of state, it was reported today.

Solved at Last: the Burning Mystery of Joan of Arc
France's favourite saint was martyred by her English foes, who ordered her remains to be cast into the Seine. Now scientists believe they have established the facts surrounding her execution.

Rwandan Leader Accuses France of Aiding Genocide
The Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, yesterday accused a French judge of "inexcusable arrogance" in issuing arrest warrants for nine of his close associates and claiming he too should be prosecuted by an international criminal court.

£7bn Nuclear Fusion Project Launched in France
Officials from six nations and the European Union today signed an international treaty launching a £7bn nuclear fusion energy research project aimed at developing an emission-free energy source.

English Speaker is First to Win French Literary Prize
A US author has made history by becoming the first native English speaker to win France's most coveted literary award, the Prix Goncourt.

Foreign Writers Win Top French Book Awards
France prides itself on being the world literary capital, with 3,000 awards each year and a handful of winners that shape the reading habits of the nation. But its autumn season of major literary awards has been shaken by a high-profile spat between judges and a pattern of foreign writers taking home the big prizes.

France Gets Fiery Reminder of Civil Unrest
Armed groups burned two buses last night in Paris, with authorities expressing concern today that violence could escalate in the lead up to the anniversary of France's suburban riots last year.

Conductor on Trial Over Cult Killings in France, Switzerland and Canada
· Prosecutors say writings incited mass suicide · Man in dock for second time after first case failed

Turkey Warns France Over Armenian Genocide Bill
The French parliament has been warned it could undermine relations between the EU and Turkey if it passes a law tomorrow making it a crime to deny Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during the first world war.

Film Honours France's African Saviours
Indigènes, a controversial new action film about the forgotten north African heroes of the second world war, opens in Paris tomorrow.

TGV Marks 25 Years
It has woken sleepy provincial towns, shrunk the map of France and even promises to matchmake lonely passengers.

La France Tgv Service Marks 25 Years
It has woken sleepy provincial towns, shrunk the map of France and even promises to matchmake lonely passengers.

France Faces Claims Over Nazi Deportation
· 200 families to sue state and railway for war role · Millions of euros may be paid in compensation

How France Missed a Chance to Sink Bismarck
New documents found in a dusty town hall reveal that the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck nearly drowned while swimming at the French seaside resort of Biarritz, an event that could have profoundly changed the course of European history.

Police Evict Africans in Raid on France's Biggest Squat
· Legal immigrants among 1,000 forced out · Sarkozy is accused of staging publicity stunt

US and France Close to Ceasefire Agreement
Diplomats at the United Nations expressed optimism last night that a Lebanese ceasefire deal will be finalised today, bringing to an end more than a fortnight of frustratingly slow negotiation.

Frances Lawrence
More than a decade after the murder of her husband Philip, Frances Lawrence says her life is still inexorably linked with that of his killer, Learco Chindamo. She talks to Esther Addley.

France Pushes Un for Action on Conflict
Security council move challenges US and British approach.

France, a Country of Two Halves
Focus: In 1998 the French celebrated joyously when their multi-ethnic squad won the World Cup. But in the eight years since, the country has been riven by racial tension, and that sense of national unity is a distant memory. By Jason Burke

Chirac Opens Indigenous Museum in Paris
The French president, Jacques Chirac, unveiled his great cultural legacy to the country today, a new museum for indigenous art which he promised would inspire "peace and tolerance" in the world.

France's Leftwing Mouthpiece Plunged Into Existential Crisis As Editor Told to Leave
Future uncertain after investor insists on removing veteran of 1968 student revolt.

The Shutters Come Down on France's Bistro Culture
France's bistros are shutting so quickly, according to new statistics, that within 10 years they will all either have closed down, become 'theme bars' or been swallowed up by large chains.

Rapper Faces Jail for Song Dissing France
One of France's most popular rappers will appear in court today charged with offending public decency with a song in which he referred to France as a "slut" and vowed to "piss" on Napoleon and Charles de Gaulle.

'Vulgar, Bigoted, Cynical': France Warms to Le Bureau
Smelly cheese replaces jelly jokes as David Brent sets up office across the Channel.

It's Spamalot Without the Jokes
There is nothing, but nothing, the Cannes film festival loves more than a Hollywood movie which is complimentary about France.

France's Political Crisis Grows As 3 Million Take to Streets
Police fought running battles with rioters in central Paris last night as youths attacked officers with bangers, bottles and concrete at the end of a mass demonstration against a youth employment law that has caused a political crisis for Jacques Chirac's ruling party.

France Braces for Mass Labour Law Protests
More than 4,000 police were deployed on the streets of central Paris today in preparation for the latest protests against new labour laws designed to tackle the country's chronic unemployment problems.

Mass Protests on the Streets of France
· Organisers claim 3m people join marches · Sarkozy floods Paris with 4,000 riot police

De Villepin Stands Firm on Law As France Heads Out on Strike
· Public transport, schools and banks to be affected · Threat to extend protest at 'easy hire-easy fire' law

France's Global Warning
Once again, French students are leading the march - this time against an unpopular employment law - but these protests are also about the country's future on an increasingly globalised planet, writes Alex Duval Smith in Paris.

Students Take Jobs Protest to Elite Paris College
Around 200 students invaded one of Paris's most elite colleges last night, clashing with riot police as protests intensified against the government's plans to curb France's youth unemployment.

Chirac Plots to Rekindle France's Love for Eu
· European disaster relief force among proposals · President hopes plans will undermine rival Sarkozy

France is Gripped By Poison Plot
Did a jealous aunt hire a forest warden to kill her niece and the lover she stole? In this scandal the word 'lesbian' is still taboo.

French Minister Concerned Over Mittal's Arcelor Bid
France today signalled its readiness to allow a €18.6bn (£13bn) hostile bid for the European steelmaker Arcelor from Lakshmi Mittal to go ahead.

France to Review Stem Cell Guidelines
Scientists in France are today expected to receive clearer guidance on stem cell research...

Straw Sets Britain on Collision Course With France Over Cap
· Foreign secretary backs UK diplomat in email row · French remain unmoved and hostile to cuts

Rare Tortoise Puts Brakes on High-speed Train Link
France's last colony of a rare and protected breed of tortoise may force the route of a high-speed TGV train line to be altered.

France Warned of More Flare-ups Rooted in Urban Insecurity
French intelligence warned yesterday that the urban unrest that saw more than 3,000 youths, mainly from immigrant communities, arrested and nearly 10,000 cars go up in flames could arise again at the slightest provocation.

Rapper May Be Jailed for Calling France a Slut
A French court agreed yesterday to consider a complaint brought by a conservative MP against the rapper Monsieur R for referring to France as a slut in a song.

Libération is Sick, France Carries on
· Strike over cuts paralyses radical French newspaper · Relaunch plan falters as sales slide and losses rise

Job Cuts Prompt Walkout By Libération Employees
The 330 staff of France's emblematic but ailing leftwing daily Libération walked out yesterday in protest at a plan to axe 52 jobs.

France Clears Way to Prolong Emergency Powers
French ministers today approved a bill to extend the country's state of emergency for three months to tackle the country's urban unrest. Youths destroyed 284 vehicles last night in the 18th consecutive night of violence; 374 vehicles were attacked the night before. Paris was...

The New Miserables of France
Economic rigidity has left an underclass of young men unemployed and desperate. Heather Stewart reports.

France Targets Aid at Areas Hit By Riots
· Job incentives for young as towns get new powers · Foreign nationals guilty of rioting to be deported

France: Fiery Dissent or Planned Violence?
The civil unrest and violence in France is a disturbing symptom of something much darker.

'We Hate France and France Hates Us'
· Rioters vent anger at government and police · Curfews imposed under law used in Algerian war

France is Clinging to an Ideal That's Been Pickled Into Dogma
Britain is in no position to lecture, but the French model of colour-blind integration gives racism a free hand.

France & The Burning Embers of Repression
Whether the current upheaval is characterized as mindless rioting, youthful unrest or social rebellion, observers have pointed to the 1968 student uprising and the Lyon confrontation of 1991 for reference. I could not help but think of Algiers and the brutal repression in Paris 1961.

UK and France Head for Eu Budget Clash
London and Paris were last night on a collision course over Britain's £3.2bn EU budget rebate secured by Margaret Thatcher more than 20 years ago.

Violence Sweeps France in 10th Night of Riots
France was reeling from a 10th night of violence yesterday as rioting swept from the suburbs of Paris to become a nationwide crisis.

US, France, UK circulates resolution against Syria
The resolution was circulated after chief investigator Dellev Mehlis formally told the council that Syria was not cooperating, interviews given by its officials were rehearsed and just repetitions and it also need to hand over documents he has asked for.

Teenage Double Suicide Shocks France
French police are investigating the suicide of two teenage girls who tied themselves together and leapt from the seventeenth storey of a tower block while their horrified boyfriends watched.

France Plans to Pay Cash for More Babies
· Mothers may get €1,000 a month to have third child · High birthrate fails to stop population shrinking.

An approach to French art
France has been among the main pioneers in many artistic expression forms throughout the country's history.

France Hints at Tax on Oil Firms
France today raised the prospect of a tax on oil companies to ease the pressure on consumers and businesses from higher energy prices.

Snubbed Critics Snigger at Writer's Psychedelic Rap
When the celebrated French author Michel Houellebecq launched his latest novel in circumstances of extraordinary secrecy last week, he enraged some of France's most eminent literary critics by witholding copies from them to stave off bad reviews.

How France Finally Fell in Love With Britain's Humble Crumble
Our neighbours pour scorn on Anglo-Saxon cuisine, yet a new book reveals the dish now gaining Gallic plaudits is a very British one.

France Facing a Tidal Wave of Protest
France could face its worst period of social unrest for a decade, analysts and commentators warned, as Dominique de Villepin's centre-right government returns today from its summer break.

Art Looting Smugglers Target French Churches
A series of robberies by art thieves, many working for international gangs, is threatening to make France, rather than Italy, Europe's most looted country.

France May Order Language Tests for Migrants
Immigrants may have to pass a French language test if they want long-term residence rights in the country, a junior social affairs minister said yesterday.

Plague of Locusts Invades France
In a devastating new twist to the severe drought hitting southern Europe, France is now fighting a plague of hundreds of thousands of locusts which are devouring everything from crops to flowers in village window boxes.

Abuse Trial Ends in France
France's largest ever child abuse trial drew to a close yesterday with prosecutors demanding maximum sentences of up to 30 years for some of the 66 defendants accused of raping, sexually abusing and prostituting 45 children - sometimes their own.

France Hums Away Its Tribulations
An opinion poll just published found 83% of the adult population sings or hums to itself "often or very often".

France Blocks Turkey's Path
Turkey was being set up as the casualty of French and Dutch rejection of the EU constitution last night when France seemed to put the brakes on Ankara's dream of joining the union.

France Denies Paying Ransom to Free Journalist
The French government today insisted it paid no ransom for the release of a journalist held in captivity for five months in Iraq. By Chris Tryhorn.

When France Sneezes ...
The political and social convulsions afflicting our neighbour will have severe repercussions for the rest of Europe. Will Hutton

Gallic Genius Will Save France Says Villepin
France's new prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, refused yesterday to push the country down the road towards free-market reform, saying "Gallic genius" would help put back on its feet a "suffering, impatient and angry" nation that has failed to adapt fully to a changing world.

France Refuses to Grow Up - It is the Politics of Peter Pan
The French welfare state is good but unsustainable in the modern world. Martin Kettle

France Delivers Its Judgment, and Europe is Plunged Into Crisis
· Voters in overwhelming rejection of constitution
· UK poll in doubt after blow to ratification process

France Rejects Eu Constitution
French voters have rejected the European Union's proposed constitution, President Jacques Chirac said tonight, delivering a stunning blow to the 25-nation bloc's ambitions.

France Votes on Eu Constitution
Europe's eyes turned to France today as the country delivered its verdict on the European Union constitution.

Polls Indicate France Will Say No
France entered the final day of campaigning for the European constitution referendum today with opinion polls giving a clear lead to the no camp.

Last-ditch Fight for France's Eu Vote
With the eyes of Europe upon them, the rivals in France's crunch referendum on the EU constitution entered their final week of campaigning yesterday as a sixth consecutive poll put the no vote ahead.

France's Eu Constitution Rivals Head for Hard Fight in Last Week of Campaign
With the eyes of Europe upon them, the rivals in France's crunch referendum on the EU constitution entered their final week of campaigning yesterday as a sixth consecutive poll put the no vote ahead.

The Day France Was Asked to Work for the Old
The French blew a giant Gallic raspberry yesterday at the idea floated by their prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, that they should all skip a bank holiday to help raise money for the elderly.

France Rejects Migrant Amnesty
The French interior minister, Dominique de Villepin, yesterday unveiled a package of tough new anti-immigration measures and warned that mass amnesties for migrants who had entered the country illegally were "completely out of the question".

France Tries Again to Give Women Equal Pay
The French national assembly launched a campaign yesterday to raise pay for women, who despite laws dating back to the early 1970s still earn on average 25% less than their male counterparts.

France and US learn to love each other again
Peter Beaumont says Britain is being supplanted as the key American ally in Europe.

Miss France May Be Stripped of Crown
Miss France 2004 risks being stripped of her title after revealing pictures of her were published in the May edition of Playboy, the contest's organiser, Genevieve de Fontenay, said yesterday.

Art Museum Falls Foul of Red Tape
One of France's richest men is on the brink of ditching plans to build a spectacular contemporary art museum outside Paris because he is fed up with the red tape and inertia of the local authorities.

France Fears Summer of Drought As Rains Fail
France faces its worst drought in 30 years, the environment ministry warned yesterday, saying parts of the country have received 90% less winter rainfall than normal and at least six areas have already introduced water rationing.

How a 'non' From France Could Throw Europe's Future Into Crisis
French voters are in the mood to sink the EU constitution.

De Gaulle is Greatest Frenchman
To no one's surprise, France's iconic if cantankerous wartime leader Charles de Gaulle has topped a television poll to choose le plus grand Français de tous les temps - the greatest Frenchman ever.

Scientific Sleuth Solves the Riddle of What Killed 'france's First Bimbo'
King Charles VII's beautiful mistress was poisoned, says leading pathologist, but the murderer remains a mystery.

France to Scrap Law That Lets Girls Be Married Off at 15
The French parliament's upper house yesterday backed a proposal to raise the minimum age at which women may marry from 15 to 18, belatedly amending a century-old law that experts say encourages the misery of arranged marriages.

Toot Alors! France Thinks We Are Good Drivers
France's notoriously wilful drivers were begged to take a leaf out of British motorists' handbook yesterday, and behave in a "courteous, cautious and civil manner".

Attacks on Jews and Muslims Soar in France
The number of racist, anti-semitic and xenophobic attacks in France soared by nearly 90% last year, according to a report presented to the government yesterday, reaching the highest level so far recorded.

France's Biggest Abuse Trial Starts
The largest and probably worst child abuse case ever heard in a French criminal court got under way yesterday when 66 adults, including 27 women, appeared in a specially built courtroom accused of raping, sexually abusing and prostituting 45 children.

Syrian Isolation Grows As France and Us Demand Lebanon Pullout
Syria found itself increasingly isolated yesterday as the US and France stepped up their pressure for withdrawal of its forces from neighbouring Lebanon.

US and France Demand Syria Leave Lebanon
Washington and Paris sought to capitalise today on the upheavals in Lebanon with a strongly worded joint statement calling on Syria to withdraw its troops from the country.

France Arrests German Conductor at Concert
The raid last week, in which 15 members of the Cologne New Philharmonic were taken into custody, followed allegations that the 49-year-old conductor had been illegally employing musicians from eastern Europe without work permits.

France Says It Will Outlaw All Neo-nazi Groups
France will take steps to break up and ban all neo-Nazi groups on French soil after new figures showed that the number of violent attacks they committed more than doubled last year, the interior minister said yesterday.

Kroes May Sue France for Alstom Bail-out
European commission set in train showdown with France over its industrial policies.

Workers May Lose France's 35-hour Limit
The French parliament will today take a major step towards dismantling the country's groundbreaking but controversial 35-hour week when MPs begin debating changes which critics say will make the rules meaningless.

Series of Public Sector Strikes Brings Misery to France
Delayed postal deliveries, cancelled doctors appointments, closed schools and erratic train services - a series of public sector strikes is making life hard in France this week.

France Gripped By Public Sector Strikes
Delayed postal deliveries, cancelled doctors appointments, closed schools and erratic train services - a series of public sector strikes is making life hard in France this week.

French Stars in the Limelight Over Links to Fallen Tycoon
France's most successful actor, Gérard Depardieu, is this week due to be questioned by fraud investigators about his links with a disgraced tycoon said to be hiding in Britain after his empire collapsed, leaving 14,000 people jobless.

Winners and Losers in ... France
In our series looking at how countries fared in 2004, Jon Henley reports from Paris.

French Tackle Oyster Thieves
Days before France's mammoth annual shellfish fest, gangs of marauding oyster-snatchers are forcing growers in Brittany and on the Atlantic coast to mount vigilante patrols.

France Outlaws Sexist and Anti-gay Insults
The French parliament yesterday definitively adopted legislation that could lead to year-long jail terms for anyone found guilty of insulting homosexuals or women.

A Relieved France Asks: Why Now?
A ransom payment would clear away some of the mystery surrounding the release of two French journalists from Iraq, writes Jon Henley.

France Faces State Sector Pay Strike
France's public sector trade unions said yesterday that a potentially crippling nationwide strike was "unavoidable" in January.

Search for Earl Missing in France Upgraded to Murder Inquiry
The heir of a British peer missing in the south of France said yesterday he feared the worst as detectives upgraded the investigation into his father's disappearance to a murder inquiry.

France Shocked By Double Murder and Beheading at Psychiatric Hospital
A savage double murder in the psychiatric wing of a French hospital, in which a nurse's decapitated head was left on top of a television in the patients' day room, stunned France and left hospital staff terrified of returning to work.

Foster's Beautiful French Bridge
The breathtaking British-designed viaduc de Millau, France's first great civil engineering project of the new century and the world's highest bridge, will be inaugurated today by President Jacques Chirac.

French Vineyards Face Worst Crisis in More Than a Century
Tens of thousands of angry winemakers took to the streets across France yesterday demanding urgent government action to help haul the industry out of its worst crisis in more than a century.

In France They Know How to Turn Fantasy Into Reality
For a lesson in combating political apathy, this is the place. Snoozing on the Eurostar the other day, I started to fantasise. Nothing voluptuous. No nudity at all. Just a political image, though beguiling in its quasi-credibility.

Le Monde Editor Quits As Problems Mount
The editor-in-chief of Le Monde, France's best-known and most authoritative newspaper, said yesterday that he was resigning in a move likely to plunge the 60-year-old daily into further editorial and financial difficulty.

France 'impatient' to Speak to Hostages' Driver
12pm: France is 'impatient' to be granted access to the freed driver of two French journalists being held hostage in Iraq, the country's foreign minister said today. By Claire Cozens.

Stuck in France's Orbit, a Depressingly Circular History
If the weekend rioters had a unifying motive, it was anger at what they see as a renewed attempt by France, and the west in general, to manipulate Ivory Coast as in the past.

Doing Business in France
Tips on protocol, etiquette and business practices for those travelling to France on business.

France Reforms in the Name of the Mother
French women won a small but significant victory over the mighty forces of Gallic bureaucracy yesterday with the publication of an amendment allowing children to bear their mothers' surnames. Until now, under a law that like so many dates back to Napoleon, parents have had to pass on the...

Emigré Jew's Wartime Book Takes France By Storm
Sixty-two years after its author died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, a remarkable and previously unpublished wartime work by an emigré Russian Jew in France has taken the world of publishing by storm.

Salinger, Jfk's Spin Doctor and a Friend of France, Dies at 79
Man to whom Kennedy clan turned in time of crisis.

France Rejects Iraqi Oil Claims
Galloway and Russian party leader also deny profiting under Saddam regime.

France Gains First Black Presenter on Main Evening Bulletin
A 32-year-old journalist from the French Caribbean island of Martinique is the first black newsreader to present the main evening news on a national French TV station.

France Defies Eu to Continue Force-feeding Birds for Foie Gras
The French agriculture ministry has infuriated animal welfare organisations by defending that bastion of Gallic culinary culture, foie gras, rather than bow to the demands of Brussels. The ministry yesterday gave the country's 6,000 producers an extra five years - until 2010 - to scrap...

Garson! You're Slow, Surly and at Last You've Admitted It
In a mea culpa as welcome as it was unexpected, the owners of France's 60,000 bars, brasseries and cafes admitted yesterday that all too often their staff are surly, service slow and hygiene horrendous. "Customers are right to complain of a poor or non-existent welcome, an excessively...

Papa Wemba Faces People-smuggling Charges Over 'recruits' for His Band
Papa Wemba, the world music star known as the King of Congolese Rumba Rock, will be tried in France in October for allegedly smuggling at least 150 people into the country by claiming they were members of his band, his French lawyer said yesterday. Yves Leberquier said the singer, who...

France Sounds Note of Caution Over Hostages
10.45am: France said today it remained hopeful about the fate of two journalists held hostage in Iraq after its foreign minister returned empty-handed from his trip to the Middle East in a diplomatic bid to secure their release. By Claire Cozens and agencies.

State Sells France Telecom Shares
The French government is giving up control of France Telecom by raising up to €5.75bn (£3.9bn) as part of a debt reduction campaign to met eurozone rules on government borrowing. By Mark Milner.

Britain and France Fall Out Over Seat at Forum for Burma
A new diplomatic spat between Britain and France has developed over an invitation to Burma to attend a joint Europe-Asia forum in October. The Foreign Office is opposed to the participation of the Burmese military government until it releases the pro-democracy opposition leader, Aung San...

Extradition Author Stays in France
Cesare Battisti, the terrorist-turned-author who disappeared this week to evade extradition and life imprisonment in Italy, will stay in France to fight his case. In a letter to his lawyers, the crime writer, convicted in Milan of four murders in the 1970s as a member of a far-left terror...

Ex-guerrilla Flees France As Extradition Looms
Cesare Battisti, former terrorist, author and far left favourite, disappears rather than face Italian life sentence

Photographer Who Turned a Hobby Into an Art Form
Henri Cartier-Bresson, universally acknowledged as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, was buried yesterday, two days after his unannounced death at home in the south of France. He was 95. "He had not been eating for several days. He grew gradually weaker," a...

Court Annuls France's First Gay Marriage
Couple vow to 'fight to the end' as issue causes political storm.

Bosch Staff Deal Blow to 35hr Week
Employees at a German car parts plant in France have voted to work longer hours with no extra pay to save their jobs, dealing a possibly fatal blow to the country's 35-hour working week. Some 70% of the 820 workers at a Bosch diesel pump plant near Lyon backed a management plan to work 36...

Limited Cull of Wolves Ordered to Save Sheep
For the first time since they were hunted to the verge of extinction in the early years of the last century, grey wolves may once again be legally slaughtered in France - but only four of them. The government yesterday authorised a limited cull barely a decade after the controversial...

France Accuses Us of Aids Blackmail
America was yesterday accused by France of blackmailing developing countries into giving up their right to produce cheap drugs for Aids victims. In a move that may strain already tense relations between the two countries, the French president, Jacques Chirac, said there existed a real...

France Split Over Battle for Muslim Souls and Minds
French intelligence has accused 'ghetto' communities of terrorist links - now the estates are fighting back.

Sales Cut As Bordeaux Goes Into Red
Faced with what some are calling its greatest crisis for 150 years, France's most prestigious winegrowing region has decided to cut back the amount of wine it sells. The Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB), which includes legendary names such as Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Haut...

Lawsuit Over 'mistreated' Animals in French Reality Show
The company that supplied the animals for Celebrity Farm, France's most popular reality TV show, is suing the producers because too many died. Arts France, which provided chickens, goats, ducks and even a small pony for the programme, said yesterday it had not been allowed too look after...

France Launches Radical Green Tax on Bigger Cars
Scheme rewards drivers who opt for small vehicles.

France to Train Imams in 'french Islam'
The French interior minister, Dominique de Villepin, said yesterday that the country must urgently begin training Muslim clerics in a moderate Islam that respects human rights and the republican code. Addressing a meeting of local prefects a day after he deported an Algerian imam who was...

France Blamed As Rwanda Marks Genocide Date
France's representative at a commemoration to mark the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide yesterday left early after accusations that France was partly responsible for the tragedy. Renaud Muselier, the deputy foreign minister, left the Rwandan capital, Kigali, sooner than expected...

France to Oppose Turkish Eu Entry
Turkey's hopes of launching EU accession talks soon took an unexpected battering yesterday when France's new foreign minister insisted Paris would oppose its entry "under current circumstances". Addressing the French parliament, Michel Barnier said France would reject the Muslim state's...

France 'sought secret UN deal' in bid to avert row
The French government offered a surprise compromise to the US president, George Bush, in the run-up to the war in Iraq, according to a detailed investigation published in Vanity Fair this week.

French Rock Star Gets Eight Years for Killing
The French rock star Bertrand Cantat was today sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty in a Lithuanian court of beating his film actor girlfriend to death. Cantat, the 40-year-old lead singer of Noir Désir, one of the most popular rock bands in France, had faced a...

France on Alert Over Rail Bombs
France's interior ministry confirmed yesterday that the police and security services were on full alert following a series of threats by an unknown group to blow up railway tracks around the country.

France Leads Calls for Aristide to Step Down
International pressure mounted on the president of Haiti to resign yesterday as rebels tightened a noose around the capital, Port-au-Prince, and took a town crucial to their advance. France made a new call for President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to step down after talks in Paris between the...

France Seeks to Quell Haiti Chaos
France last night called for an "immediate" international civilian force to restore order in Haiti and help stem the poverty-stricken Caribbean state's slide into chaos. "This force would be charged with assuring the restoration of public order and support actions in the field of the...

France's Wine Industry in Decline
Foreign competition damages exports, while drink-drive laws hit domestic market.

Looted Armour Sent Back to France
Yesterday, a major British museum sent a pair of tassets - thigh covers from a suit of 16th-century armour - back to the Musée de l'Armée in Paris.

France Divided Over Headscarf Ban
The government, the media and the feminists say the Islamic scarf is a repressive symbol, but many French Muslims say the debate is racist.

Gallic Tv to Reflect Society
After a government report denounced French television's "abject failure" to reflect France's multicultural society, the Gallic equivalent of the BBC unveils its first plan to ensure minority groups are represented.

Live in France, Work in Britain and Help Out Eurotunnel
Eurotunnel is planning to run commuter trains from France and its own freight trains to and from mainland Europe to offset the fall in revenues brought on by a savage price war on cross-Channel routes. The Channel tunnel operator, which saw income from passengers fall 11% last year in the...

Criminal Inquiry Into Legionnaires' Outbreak in France
Police opened a manslaughter inquiry yesterday into France's worst outbreak of legionnaires' disease, which has killed seven people and infected 59 more near the town of Lens.

Killer Was Hired As Air France Guard
The company put in charge of security for Air France flights employed a convicted murderer and a number of others with serious criminal records, it emerged yesterday. The background of the guards was disclosed in a Paris court during a hearing to wind up the company, Pretory, which had...

France Lifts Curb on Tv Book Adverts
After a rearguard action lasting more than 30 years, French publishers have had to drop opposition to TV commercials for books, despite warnings that the measure could wreck smaller publishing houses. The first 30-second spot will appear on January 1 for the French edition of Paul...

Women Eye Power in France
A new book of interviews with wives of politicians says time is ripe for a woman President, writes Paul Webster in Paris.

France: Ex-minister Accused of Art Fraud Trial
France's former foreign minister, Roland Dumas, and the country's leading auctioneer, Jacques Tajan, are to be tried after accusations of an alleged fraud involving artworks left by the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Mr Dumas, 81, the closest political ally of the late president,...

France to Ban Pupils' Religious Dress
Outlawing headscarves at school is persecution, say Muslims. Muslim headscarves and other religious symbols are almost certain to be banned from French schools and public buildings after a specially appointed commission told the government yesterday that legislation was needed to defend the secular nature of the state.

NHS in Crisis? Patients in France Also Wait on Trolleys
France's public hospital system, often cited as a model for Britain, is on the brink of paralysis, according to medical staff, who blame a lack of funding and personnel. Trade unions representing the system's 750,000 staff have organised street demonstrations later this month, claiming a...

Widespread Flooding in Southern France
Five people died yesterday as torrential rain, flash floods and 90mph winds again battered the Rhône valley in south-eastern France, closing roads and railway lines and forcing nearly 8,000 people from their homes. President Jacques Chirac and his interior and environment ministers...

Speed Traps Rebellion in France
A month after being installed, the first 20 automatic speed traps in France have churned out 52,000 tickets, raising €4.75m (£3.3m) for the government's coffers.

Chirac Calls for Schools Reform
President Jacques Chirac yesterday launched a national debate on the future of France's troubled education system, saying reforms were urgently needed to produce schools that were "fairer, more efficient and more sure of their objectives". "Our schools are merely treading water," the...

France to Clean Up Sink Estates
France yesterday launched a vast renovation programme for its big-city suburbs, pledging to spend £21bn over the next five years to clean up its most troublesome sink estates. The urban affairs minister, Jean-Louis Borloo, said the new national urban renovation agency was "a...

France and Germany Return to Growth
Hopes of economic recovery in the eurozone received a boost yesterday with news that the two powerhouse economies of the single currency bloc, Germany and France, have returned to growth. Stronger exports, particularly to the buoyant US, are believed to be the source of expansion that has...

Police Recover Costliest Art Haul
Police have recovered 258 artworks, some by Dufy, Picasso, Buffet, Van Dongen and Cézanne, stolen in the most expensive art robbery ever in France. The police seized the works in a small van on the Avenue Georges V in central Paris on Monday, a spokesman said yesterday. They were...

France Tests Pact to Breaking Point
The European Union's strict budgetary rules have their day of reckoning tomorrow as France continues to defy calls from Brussels to to cut its budget deficit. Eurozone Finance Ministers are expected to agree that France has failed to comply with orders to bring its deficit below the 3 per...

France Outraged By Newborn Killings
Faced with growing public revulsion, the French authorities yesterday appointed a special team of 11 gendarmes to investigate the deaths of four newborn babies whose bodies were found in plastic binliners partially buried in a forest in eastern France. A farmer discovered the badly...

France Sets Targets for Expelling Migrants
The French interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, has launched his toughest and most controversial offensive yet against illegal immigration, setting local authorities individual "expulsion targets" for the coming year. In a circular last week to France's prefects, Mr Sarkozy said he wanted...

France Warns Against Iran Action
Military intervention would be ridiculous, says foreign minister, denouncing policy of forcible regime change.

Cuisine Goes Back to College
Alarmed by a waning of France's global prestige in all things culinary, the government is to establish a university of gastronomy. "Haute cuisine these days is international: you can find great chefs and wine experts everywhere," Renaud Dutreuil, minister for consumer affairs and...

Doubts Tearing France Apart
An orgy of breast-beating in print claims the French 'piss off the planet', Paul Webster reports from Paris.

France Warned for Breaching Euro Pact
France was told by the European commission yesterday that it faces disciplinary action after failing to cut its budget deficit in line with eurozone rules. In a terse and low-key statement Brussels declared that Paris had taken "no effective action" to get spending under control since a...

Watchdog wants 'degrading' thong adverts axed
France's advertising industry watchdog yesterday took the exceptional step of asking a leading underwear manufacturer to withdraw a nationwide poster campaign for thongs.

Air France and Klm Plan Merger
KLM-Air France tie-up could lead to consolidation, but regulators will have their say. Air France and Dutch carrier KLM are planning a €784m (£544m) merger that would create Europe's biggest airline and could kickstart industry consolidation within the European Union.

Air France and Klm to Join Forces
Air France and the Dutch airline, KLM, today announced a partnership that will create the first European airline group. The move comes in response to turmoil in the airline industry. The creation of the new company, Air France-KLM, would form an aviation giant with annual revenues of...

France gripped as a showbusiness story of doomed love unravels
The sordid aftermath of the death of one of France's best-loved actresses at the hands of her rock star lover has split the nation's cultural elite. Two fiercely opposed clans have emerged from within the French music and acting communities, as friends and relatives of the couple pay homage to their respectively ruined lives.

France Looks Forward to a Rural Rebirth
Innovative policies stem the countryside's decline.

Archaeological Oversight Puts Renovation at Risk
For one of France's best-known artistic treasures, nothing could be too good: state-of-the-art air conditioning, improved natural lighting, easier access and - best of all - a whole new underground floor complete with exhibition space, shops, study facilities and toilets.

Billionaire in court fight over 'fake' Pharaoh
An impulse buy has proved costly for the reputation of France's leading art collector. As head of both Christie's and Gucci, and the owner of one of Europe's finest private art collections, François Pinault has always prided himself on having an eye for quality.

France compensates resistance orphans
Cash payments to non-Jews who lost their parents to Nazi brutality. France is to compensate the children of second world war resistance members killed for opposing the German occupation, the government announced at the weekend.

France buries its unclaimed dead
Chirac's appearance at paupers' funeral viewed sceptically after 'scandalous' response to heatwave. Valérie Dumans could never have expected the president to be present at her burial. If she gave any thought at all to her funeral during the last days of her life, she probably assumed that no one would come.

Truffle farmers feel the heat
Gloom over gourmet fungus adds to France's farming woes. First large swaths of the country's oyster supplies were submerged under the flood of toxic black sludge that poured from the hull of the Prestige oil tanker.

Télécom to Buy Back 13% of Orange
France Télécom yesterday launched a €7.1bn (£5bn) offer to buy out the minority shareholders in its mobile phone subsidiary Orange. The all paper offer for the 13.7% stake, which is being backed by a promise of a return to the dividend list, will dilute the French...

France calls for transatlantic charter to mend rift on Iraq
France has called for the creation of a transatlantic charter, designed to set out new principles for improved relations between Europe and America, as the latest initiative aimed at mending the rift suffered during the debate on Iraq.

Raffarin Expects Leniency on Deficits
France will reduce its budget deficit and boost growth next year but the European commission must be "flexible" about strict eurozone deficit rules, the French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin urged yesterday. Mr Raffarin flew to Brussels for the meeting of the commission to signal...

France Tries To Overturn EU Animal Testing Ban
France and a group of cosmetics ingredients manufacturers have launched legal action to try and overturn the 7th amendment to the EU Cosmetics Directive, which contains a combined "animal testing and sales" ban for cosmetics and toiletries.

Secret French move to block animal-testing ban
France, home to the world's largest cosmetics company, L'Oréal, has quietly launched a legal action aimed at killing off a historic EU ban on animal-tested cosmetics, the Guardian has learned.

France faces nuclear power crisis
Ecologists warn of threat to river life as nuclear stations get right to discharge warmer water. Ecologists warned yesterday that the ecosystems in France's rivers were at grave risk after the government's decision to relax environmental...

Autumn chaos to hit France
200,000 gather at Larzac festival. Two hundred thousand protesters came together in the southern French countryside at the weekend to plot ways of making September a difficult month for the government.

Festival turns up heat on Chirac
France is steeling itself this weekend for a fresh explosion of protest as up to 100,000 angry teachers, students, actors and farmers converge on a tinder-dry plain in the south for the Larzac festival.

EU Threatens France's Plans to Save Alstom
The French government's plans to rescue Alstom by taking a 30% stake in the engineering group via a rights issue yesterday threatened to bring it into conflict with EU competition authorities. Alstom is expected to announce as early as today a refinancing deal - prompted by government...

France and Italy Curb the Car Maniacs
After decades of dicing with death, the reckless Latin roadhog could be doomed to extinction. In Italy, as in France, draconian measures introduced in the past couple of months have slashed the death rate and persuaded some of the world's most naturally anarchic drivers to buckle up, slow...

France Suffers Worst Drought for 25 Years
More than half of France's 95 departments have introduced water rationing, the environment ministry said yesterday, as crops wither, cattle suffer and rivers run dry in the most serious drought to strike the country for 25 years. "We are concerned not just for farmers but for France's...

Four Die in France As Wind and Rain Sweep Away Heatwave
Four people died and up to 80 were injured in violent summer storms that have lashed western France, while the downpours started drifting across to sticky southern Britain yesterday. Cornwall was the wettest part of the UK, with one inch (25.4mm) of rain, and scattered thunderstorms were...

Walkout brings Avignon festival to a halt
Juliet never got to cry, "O Romeo, Romeo! Pourquoi es-tu Romeo?" from a balcony in Avignon last night, and if Mick Jagger manages to belt out Satisfaction at the Stade de France this evening he'll be lucky.

Performers Threaten to Halt 650 French Festivals in Support of Unemployed
All France's 650 summer cultural festivals face cancellation because of a protest by performers, musicians, dancers, stage managers and technicians that is likely to halt next week's Avignon festival. Yesterday, Avignon's artistic director, Bernard Faivre d'Arcier, who backed the...

France Says Iran Sect Are 'fanatics'
The leafy rue des Gords in this little market town north of Paris hardly lives up to its reputation as a new world capital of terrorism. It was here that hundreds of police smashed open the doors of suburban houses in a dawn raid which the French claimed had pre-empted worldwide strikes...

Elf Trial Hit By Lawyer's Revelations
France's Elf corruption trial was disrupted for several hours yesterday as defence lawyers demanded that the investigating magistrate mainly responsible for bringing the case to court be reprimanded for publishing a revealing book about it.

France Signals Real Change in Agriculture Policy
Historic talks designed to give the EU's much-maligned common agricultural policy (CAP) the biggest overhaul in its 40-year history began yesterday with signs that France may, for the first time, be willing to sanction change. The policy has become a byword for greed, waste and fraud and...

Hushed Reception for the Café Des Signes
To order a plate of chips at Paris's Café des Signes, interlock your fingers in the form of a steeple, look the waiter in the eye and smile. France's first silent bistro, where most of the 45-strong staff cannot hear, has been opened officially after a month's trial on the left...

France Hit By New Wave of Strikes
French rail workers gave the starting signal for a week of public and private sector industrial unrest last night when staff on most of the national rail system began two days of stoppages which could affect international traffic. Public transport throughout the country, including Paris,...

Air France on Course for Sell-off
Air France said yesterday that it could receive clearance for privatisation this summer but was unlikely to be ready for take-off into the private sector at least until September.

Black Tuesday Brings France to a Standstill
France's famously organised public service unions brought the country to a halt yesterday, and severely affected travel across the rest of Europe, posing the biggest domestic challenge yet to the year-old rightwing government. More than a million demonstrators took to the streets in a...

France crippled by 'Black Tuesday' strike
A 24-hour strike has brought chaos to the French transport system today as trade unions mobilised a mass protest against planned state pension reforms.

France Given Ec Deficit Deadline
France came under unprecedented pressure yesterday to stop flouting the rules that govern the euro after the European commission gave Paris less than six months to tackle its wayward budget deficit or face the consequences. In a humiliating swipe at the French government, the EC ordered...

Put sanctions on hold, says France
France startled British and American negotiators in the UN yesterday by calling for an immediate suspension of sanctions on Iraq - even though inspectors have not yet declared the country free of weapons of mass destruction.

France faces isolation as strains show in anti-war axis
Jacques Chirac faced a backlash from his peace campaigning yesterday after warnings from his own party that France had gone too far in opposing Britain and the US, and now faced international isolation.

France Shows Strain of Anti-war Stance
Jacques Chirac faced a backlash from his peace campaigning yesterday after warnings from his own party that France had gone too far in opposing Britain and the US.

UK and France Push for Un Iraq Role
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, and his French counterpart, Dominique de Villepin, today stressed their agreement over the need for urgent international involvement in rebuilding Iraq. However, Javier Solana, the EU's high representative for common foreign and security policy, today...

France Sets Up Muslim Council
French Islamic leaders voted yesterday to elect the members of a new national council aimed at giving the faith's diverse factions a unified voice and represent their views to government.

France Insists Us Should Give Way on Rebuilding Iraq
The United Nations must play "the key role" in rebuilding Iraq after a crisis that has "shattered" the existing world order, the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, insisted yesterday. Speaking on a brief visit to London, Mr de Villepin urged Europe and the US to work in...

Russia and France angered by end of diplomacy
The United States and Britain walked away from the United Nations yesterday, withdrawing their bid for a second resolution, abandoning their pursuit of security council support for war against Iraq and sparking acrimonious exchanges with France and Russia.

France hints at softening Iraq stance
In an apparent softening of France's position on Iraq, the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, said tonight that Paris wanted to achieve a consensus in the UN security council.

France Rejects Plan for Disarmament Tests
· French opposition extraordinary, says Straw
· Blair: second resolution less likely
· Iraq rejects drone accusations

Scramble for Africa as Britain and France go head to head for key votes
It is hot and humid in Luanda at this time of year but there are fewer opportunities than usual for catnaps for the men in charge of rolling out the red carpet at the airport. Yesterday, it was the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, and today it will be the British minister for Africa, Lady Amos, her second visit in a fortnight.

Russia and France Threaten to Use Veto
· Ivanov delivers warning
· Pakistan 'to abstain'
· Short criticised by cabinet loyalists

France Issues Threat to Block Resolution
New progress reports presented by the chief UN weapons inspectors yesterday offered no reason for the anti-war axis of France, Russia, China and Germany to drop their stiffening opposition to an early US-led attack on Iraq. Hans Blix and Mohamed El Baradei's verdict of mainly improved...

'Being politic is difficult for me'
Enthroned in his London office, the man now known as Sir Alan Parker recounts a tale of days gone by. It was back in the 1970s and he had travelled to France to promote his latest picture. Asked about his background, the young film-maker explained that he was the son of a painter.

Anti-fascist fable sweeps France
A short book by an obscure provincial writer, from an even more obscure publisher, is outselling works by France's leading authors. But the success of Franck Pavloff's Matin Brun (Brown Morning) won't make him a euro richer.

France Takes on New Wave of Anti-semitism in Schools
Minister fears a war in Iraq could exacerbate tension between Muslim and Jewish communities. France began an effort to stamp out anti-semitism and racism in its schools yesterday, fearing that a war in Iraq could seriously heighten the tension between its Muslim and Jewish communities.

'Hate-filled' Book Rocks Le Monde
Stung by a vicious attack on his newspaper's independence, honesty and financial standing, Le Monde's editor said yesterday that France's most influential daily would sue the authors of a book which has caused turmoil in the national media. Edwy Plenel took up a page of the sedate,...

France's Virtuous Le Monde Comes Under Fire for Hypocrisy
Journalists at Le Monde are awaiting nervously the publication on Wednesday of an iconoclastic book which claims the sober journal of record is dishonest, hypocritical and facing bankruptcy.

France snubbed as Nato strikes Turkish deal
Nato last night sidestepped French opposition to approve plans to defend Turkey in case of war with Iraq, but Europe's bitter divisions face cruel public exposure at today's emergency EU summit.

France forces fudge on Mugabe sanctions
European Union governments last night renewed a travel ban on Robert Mugabe and his top officials but gave the green light to the Zimbabwean leader to attend a summit in Paris.

Wimps, Weasels and Monkeys - the Us Media View of 'perfidious France'
The "petulant prima donna of realpolitik" is leading the "axis of weasels", in "a chorus of cowards".

France Sinks Into Forgotten War
Eruption close in Ivory Coast as ex-colonial power sends more troops.

France Flexes Its Muscles in Africa
The French government has become a great deal more active in African affairs since Jacques Chirac's re-election in May, writes Jon Henley.

France scuppers EU Zimbabwe sanctions
The European Union's policy on Zimbabwe was in disarray last night as foreign ministers failed to agree on a new package of sanctions because of a row over France's controversial invitation to Robert Mugabe to attend a summit in Paris.

France fights for EU white elephant
Alarmed that Strasbourg is in danger of losing its coveted status as the official home of the European parliament, France is to spend £30m shoring up the city's claim to house the EU's only democratically elected body.

Swearing or Loitering Could Be Punished By Jail in France
Streetwalking, begging, loitering in public places and swearing at a policeman will become crimes punishable by a jail sentence under radical new laws that France's National Assembly began debating yesterday. More than 30 human rights and civil liberties groups, as well as the leftwing...

France Tackles Tide of Anti-semitism
The French interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, attended a prayer service at a Paris synagogue yesterday marking the recent attacks on a liberal rabbi and the fear that anti-semitism may once more be on the rise in France. He said he was "absolutely determined" to find those responsible...

Bank of France chief on trial for financial scandal
Lawyers defending Jean-Claude Trichet in a financial scandal that could ruin the Frenchman's chances of becoming the next head of the European Central Bank say he risks being made a scapegoat.

Head of Bank of France Appears in Court
Jean-Claude Trichet, the governor of the Bank of France, and eight others were appearing in court today to face charges relating to a decade-old banking scandal that has clouded Mr Trichet's prospects of becoming the next president of the European Central Bank (ECB). Mr Trichet faces...

France to Toughen Laws on Cannabis
France is planning to tighten restrictions on the smoking of cannabis in an attempt to curb its steadily rising popularity. Campaigners claim that millions of people are regularly defying existing laws as more plantations of cannabis are discovered, particularly in the south of the...

Haute cuisine?
Richard Neat, the inspired British chef who won two Michelin Guide stars for his London restaurant, Pied à Terre, in the early 1990s, had a baptism of fire when he tried to repeat the trick in France.

France Blunts German Move on Turkish Entry
The deep divisions in Europe over admitting Turkey to the EU were thrown into sharp relief last night when it became clear that the German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, had failed in a bold attempt to cajole France's president, Jacques Chirac, into backing early entry. Mr...

France Weeps for Firemen Killed By Speeding Driver
Police and rescue workers were still searching a river in southern France last night for the body of one of five young volunteer firemen killed by a speeding driver in a tragedy that has horrified the country. The five firemen, all from the small town of Loriol-sur-Drome near Valence,...

French air strike hits travel schedules
A strike by French air traffic controllers will force the cancellation of large numbers of flights in and out of France today, airlines said.

New Rightwing Unity Puts France's Left in a Spin
France's divided and demoralised left admitted yesterday that the official inauguration this weekend of France's first united centre-right party had dealt it a powerful blow from which it could take as long as a decade to recover. "The right has taken a huge leap forward," said...

France Chops at the Roots of Elitism
Parliamentary move to close the school for top mandarins is likely to bring a sharp cut-back.

Soros faces insider dealing charge in France
Billionaire financier George Soros will face a French court today on insider dealing charges relating to a failed takeover bid for Société Générale 14 years ago. Mr Soros is one of four men accused of earning some $11m from speculating in shares of the then newly privatised French bank ahead of the public announcement of a takeover bid.

Train Fire Kills 12 in East France
Twelve people were today killed after a Paris to Munich express train burst into flames near Nancy station in eastern France. The fatalities - six men, five women and one child - included five Americans and four Germans. At least three Britons were among the up to nine injured, but were...

Literary Prize Winner Boggles France's Best Minds
The winner of France's most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt, would normally expect to sell some 500,000 copies and become a household name overnight. Pascal Quignard, critics say, will be lucky to shift a tenth as many.

France Issues Warning on Iraq As Un Deadline Nears
France is privately warning the US and the UK that they will be left alone in the political and economic task of reconstructing Iraq if they press ahead with a war on Saddam Hussein without UN support. The French warning comes as the US and UK demanded a decision from the UN security...

France warns of new text
The Bush administration appears to have reached the end of its tether with the increasingly tense negotiations for a security council resolution on Iraq, judging by the impatient hint from Colin Powell, the secretary of state, that the US may force the issue in the next few days by calling for a vote.

Russia and France Reject Latest Draft Resolution
France and Russia dug their heels in over Iraq yesterday, vowing to resist a revised United Nations resolution proposed by the US.

France wins friends in east, respect in US
Paris has found itself the unexpected focus of opposition to US plans for a possible war on Iraq by becoming the final hurdle in the Bush administration's search for a tough UN resolution.

France pressed to back UN compromise
France was under heavy pressure last night to agree to a compromise UN resolution on Iraq, potentially paving the way for military action, after the US offered concessions and Russia signalled its readiness to accept them.

France Renews Attack on Brussels
France yesterday renewed its campaign against the European commission's fiscal controls when it rejected the latest demand from Brussels for eurozone members to reduce their deficits to zero by 2006. Finance minister Francis Mer told the French parliament that the country would not...

Heroic immigrants are toast of France
They were sleeping rough, as they had done every night since they arrived in France. From beneath the canal bridge, they heard the splash, and the screams. They jumped in, dragged the young man to the bank, emptied his lungs and helped him home.

Master Chefs Feed Gm Foods Rebellion
France's leading cooks are in open revolt against tampering with Europe's crops and cattle. They are among the most celebrated names in the gastronomic world, kings in the kitchens of France's finest restaurants.

France Takes Centre Stage in Iraq Crisis
France may hold the key to a compromise between the hawks and the doves on the security council on the question of an eventual UN-backed attack on Iraq, officials and diplomats said yesterday. Paris, the fifth permanent member of the council, wants two UN resolutions before any military...

France Lifts Ban on British Beef After Six-year Dispute
The French government finally lifted its ban on British beef yesterday, ending a dispute that has soured relations between Paris and London for six years and saw France dragged before the European court of justice. The decision came less than a fortnight after the French food safety...

France waves the stick and carrot
France voiced its toughest opposition yet to the US-sponsored draft UN resolution threatening military action against Iraq yesterday, and warned Washington that any attempt to bring about a "regime change" would violate international law.

Télécom hangs up on MobilCom
France Télécom yesterday seemed to have soured Franco-German relations as it put 5,000 German jobs on the line in the run-up to the country's election by ending its MobilCom wireless joint venture.

France Télécom Readies Lifeboat
Board seeks salvation in €15bn rights issue and asset clearout. France Télécom was last night putting the finishing touches to a €15bn (£9.4bn) rescue fundraising - the largest to date in European corporate history - backed by the French government.

Perils of the private life
France Telecom is under pressure from Germany's Mobilcom as lumbering former monopolies are tripped up in a swift moving commercial world. Michel Bon faces the most testing board meeting of his career as head of France Télécom later today. He and his colleagues must resolve a long running row about what to do about Mobilcom, the German mobile phone company into which France Télécom has ploughed billions.

Household Goods Cheaper on Continent, Says Survey
Shopping is cheaper in France and Belgium, not just for alcohol but for a whole range of goods, according to a Which? magazine survey published today.

France Télécom pins hopes on state
Credit rating agencies predict government bail-out. Hopes were growing yesterday that the French government will bail out France Télécom, the heavily indebted communications group which owns British internet service provider Freeserve and a majority stake in mobile phone group Orange.

French Link Murders to Cult Film
France's third teenage murder in two years linked to the influence of the Scream horror film trilogy has sharpened fears about the impact of screen and video game violence on the young.

Why Woody Hates Hollywood, Loves France
As his film opens festival, veteran hails French good taste as a bulwark against the barbarism of the US industry.

Muslim Woman Writes Bestselling Erotic Epic
It passed almost unnoticed when it was published in France last year, but L'amande or The Almond, a slim brown volume billed as the "first erotic account written by an Arab woman", has now sold rights in 17 countries, including Britain, where it is to be published next month.