France - The News from France
Francois Hollande
The president of France, sworn in on May 15, 2012, after defeating President Nicolas Sarkozy's quest for a second term. The second Socialist after Francois Mitterand to be elected president in the Fifth Republic.
What They're Saying About Islamism in France
On March 22, 2012, 23-year-old Algerian Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah was killed by police bullets after a 32-hour standoff at his home in Toulouse. Reportedly inspired by al-Qaeda, Merah had gone on a killing spree that took the lives of three Jewish children, a rabbi and three soldiers. The murders only intensified the debate over extremism in...
France
The largest country in western Europe, France has a colorful history and is the top tourist destination in the world. Learn more about France.
Nicolas Sarkozy
A profile of the president of France since 2007, succeeding two-term Jacques Chirac after defeating Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal.
Another Bomb Threat at the Eiffel Tower
The Paris landmark was closed for the second time this month due to a bomb threat but re-opened this evening.
France Passes Ban on Face-Covering Islamic Veils
A fine of 150 euros for women who fully veil themselves in France? That's what the bill passed by the French Senate -- a landslide 246-1 vote -- and set to become law in six months, barring no overturning on constitutional grounds, would set into place.
Sarkozy to al-Qaeda: It's On
France is vowing to go all out on the terrorist group al-Qaeda after al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb 78-year-old French aid worker Michel Germaneau, who was taken hostage in April in Niger.
Wanted: $125 Million in Stolen Art
Five paintings disappeared from the Paris Museum of Modern Art, across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower, on Thursday, and INTERPOL has now gotten in the game to find the treasured works of art estimated at 100 million euros.
Livid About World Cup Exit, Sarkozy Wants Answers from Soccer Star
At the last World Cup, France was known for Zinedine Zidane's infamous head-butt in losing the final match to Italy. At this World Cup, France was known for... getting eliminated in the first stage with two losses and one draw.
France Sends Out Security Council Resolution on Russia-Georgia War
The resolution was the result of five straight days of emergency meetings on the crisis in Georgia, and State Department sources say that the wording was watered down from what the United States sought.
Report: U.S., Israel, France All Helped Rescue FARC Hostages
There were reasons, if the story is true, for all of the parties to have been involved in the yearlong planning that went into rescuing Ingrid Bettancourt and other prisoners from the grasp of the FARC rebels.
France's Worst Serial Killers in History?
The trial of Michel Fourniret -- who reportedly enlisted his wife's help to seize virgin girls to rape and kill -- began March 27, 2008.
Muslim WWI Graves Desecrated in France
In 2007, a trio of neo-Nazi vandals ages 16-21 painted swastikas and other slogans on 52 of the Notre Dame de Lorette cemetery's Muslim graves, which are gathered in one area and face Mecca. They all got jail sentences. A year later, vandals struck again.
CIA World Factbook - France
A primer on France's leaders, geography, demographics, economy, military, infrastructure, and more.