Latest news reports on FRANCE, French politics and culture - France 24

Follow FRANCE 24’s coverage of events in Paris and across France, Corsica and the French overseas territories. An insider look at French politics, culture, society, technology and sport through on-the-ground reports, investigations, exclusive interviews, debates and analyses.
  • Street crime crackdown packs Paris-area prison ahead of Olympics
    A police crackdown that aims to clear a poor suburb of petty crime and street vendors before the Paris 2024 Olympics is putting pressure on an overcrowded prison operating at almost double its capacity.
  • French beekepers prepare for killer Asian hornets to emerge from hibernation
    Asian hornets were first detected on French soil in 2004, and the invasive species has since spread rapidly across the country and the rest of Europe, including Germany, Spain and the UK. Asian hornets are known to be a major cause of high bee mortality, with entire colonies wiped out in as little as several days. Earlier this month, the French government launched a nationwide strategy to combat their proliferation. Beekeepers have also had to adapt in order to protect their hives. The Down to Earth team reports from France's western Finistère peninsula.
  • #MeToo and the French medical profession
    While Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction has been overturned by New York's top court, the French medical profession is now dealing with a series of #MeToo allegations in hospitals, including one leading female specialist levelling accusations against a renowned male colleague. Also it may be 2024 but a full-time working woman still makes only 88 cents for every euro or dollar earned by a man, across the OECD. Annette Young talks to OECD senior economist, Valerie Frey, on the effectiveness of pay transparency laws. Plus the Egyptian female rappers vying for the spotlight as they seek to pursue their careers in a highly traditional Muslim country.
  • ‘Mortal’ Europe needs to scale up defence, says Macron in keynote speech
    French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged Europe to wake up to the fact that it was not sufficiently armed in the face of global threats such as Russian aggression that pose an existential challenge to the continent. In a major foreign policy speech, Macron called on Europe to adopt a "credible" defence strategy that is less dependent on the US.
  • Still lives and more dynamic, moving forms at the Louvre
    Paris's landmark museum is gearing up for the Olympics, with a special exhibition that takes visitors through the history of the Games. We hear more about a project for those who want to combine exercise and culture, as the Louvre launches a fitness circuit that puts participants among the artwork. Plus, a new show shines a light on the work of mysterious Dutch painter Jan van Eyck, and French land artist Saype gets his first solo show in Paris, after painting his immense frescoes on landscapes around the world.
  • Top French far-left MP Mathilde Panot summoned by police over Hamas comments
    The leader of far-left MPs in the French parliament was on Tuesday summoned for questioning by police in an investigation into suspected justification of "terrorism" over comments on the October 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel. 
  • French PM backs boarding schools to tackle youth ‘addiction to violence’
    French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Monday endured a sometimes rocky reception at a boarding school taking on children during the Easter break, part of government efforts to stem juvenile delinquency and keep teens off the streets during holidays. 
  • The Surrealist Manifesto: Marking a century of avant-garde art
    In 1924, French poet André Breton wrote a short text with fellow poet and compatriot Louis Aragon that was to send ripples through the world of art and literature, providing a blueprint for the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. One century later, we take a look at how the Surrealist Manifesto prompted an intellectual and artistic revolution in 1920s Paris; a statement of intent that was to have repercussions far beyond the French capital in the years that followed.
  • Tests expose worrying flaws in France’s anti-drone system for 2024 Olympics
    With less than 100 days to go before Paris hosts the 2024 Olympics, which organisers plan to open with an elaborate waterborne ceremony on the Seine river, concerns are mounting about the efficiency of the anti-drone shield meant to protect the French capital from a potential terror attack. According to several security sources, recent tests have exposed some worrying flaws in the system.
  • French PM announces crackdown on teen violence after fatal assault on schoolboy
    French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Thursday announced measures to crack down on teenage violence in and around schools, as the government seeks to reclaim ground on security from the far-right two months ahead of European elections.