News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

Francois Fillon is mired in a scandal over public money he paid his wife to be his parliamentary assistant

France's Fillon calls on party to unite around him

Francois Fillon has urged his conservative party to rally around him, saying he was the only legitimate candidate despite calls by many in his camp for him to pull out of the French presidential race over allegations of misuse of public funds.

News • 06 Mar 17

Valls steps down as PM to seek French presidency

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has announced he is stepping down from his position and will contest the country's presidential election.

World • 05 Dec 16

The remaining structure at the Calais camp are being torn down

Hollande hails success of Calais camp evacuation

French President Francois Hollande has called this week's evacuation of the squalid Calais Jungle camp a success as he vowed the country would not accept the emergence of any more makeshift migrant camps.

World • 29 Oct 16

Vladimir Putin was expected to visit the French capital

Putin shuns Paris visit over Syria talks offer

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not come to Paris next week after declining an offer to meet President Francois Hollande only for talks on Syria, a French presidency source said.

News • 11 Oct 16

One of the attackers has been named as Adel Kermiche (L), the second man is unidentified

Video shows church attackers pledge IS allegiance

The so-called Islamic State group has released video footage it said showed two men who killed a priest in a French church pledging allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

News • 28 Jul 16

Enda Kenny and Francois Hollande issued a joint statement calling for Brexit negotiations to begin

UK should trigger Brexit 'as soon as possible'

French President Francois Hollande and Taoiseach Enda Kenny have said Britain should begin the process of leaving the European Union "as soon as possible".

News • 21 Jul 16

Gendarmes patrol on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice

France votes to extend state of emergency

France's National Assembly has voted to extend the country's state of emergency for six months following last week's killing of 84 people in Nice.

News • 20 Jul 16

Copies of the London daily newspaper the Evening Standard ran the Brexit story on its front page today

UK votes to leave the EU in historic move

People in Britain - and around the world - reacted with shock today to the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union.

News • 25 Jun 16

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel lay a wreath to mark the centenary at Verdun, France

Merkel, Hollande mark anniversary of Verdun battle

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande together marked the 100-year anniversary of the Battle of Verdun today, laying a wreath at a cemetery in north-eastern France for the 300,000 soldiers killed.

News • 29 May 16

French President Francois Hollande speaks with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari during a meeting at the presidential Palace in Abuja, Nigeria

News in brief

A round-up of international news stories.

News • 15 May 16

The measure is one of a tough set of proposals introduced by French President Francois Hollande

French politicians pass nationality measure

Politicians in France’s lower house of parliament have voted through a controversial proposal to amend the constitution to strip people convicted of terrorist offences of their French nationality.

World • 09 Feb 16

Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin meet at the summit in Paris

Obama and Putin hold closed-door talks in Paris

US President Barack Obama has held closed-door talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a UN climate conference in France.

News • 30 Nov 15

President Obama held a phone call with his French counterpart earlier

US committed to ending ‘unacceptable’ practices

US President Barack Obama has reiterated his country’s commitment to end past practices that were considered "unacceptable" by its allies in a phone call with French counterpart Francois Hollande.

News • 24 Jun 15

The protests closed down the Eiffel Tower to tourists

Thousands protest against French cutbacks

Tens of thousands took to the streets in towns and cities across France today in union-led protests against public spending cuts that closed down the Eiffel Tower to tourists.

News • 09 Apr 15

Russia, Ukrainian, German and French leaders will meet to discuss a solution for the Ukrainian conflict

Four-way summit on Ukraine crisis planned

A summit between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine is being planned for Wednesday in Minsk.

News • 08 Feb 15

Francois Hollande said he wants businesses to help ensure that 'sources of financing for terrorists' dry up'

Hollande urges big business to help fight terror

French President Francois Hollande has called on business leaders gathered in Davos to take action in the fight against terrorism.

News • 23 Jan 15

Tributes to the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre

Charlie Hebdo to print three million copies

Three million copies of the first post-attack issue of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo will be made available on newsstands, distributors MLP said this evening.

News • 12 Jan 15

French police stand at a check point during the manhunt near Villers Cotterets, northeast of Paris

French security forces deployed in manhunt

French security forces are deployed in a northern town where two brothers suspected of having killed 12 people in the attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo abandoned their car.

News • 08 Jan 15

Francois Hollande ordered Manuel Valls to form a new cabinet

French government dissolved amid row over economy

France has been thrown into fresh crisis after President Francois Hollande told his prime minister to form a new government.

News • 25 Aug 14

President Francois Hollande vows to continue with French economic reforms

Hollande unveils measures to boost French economy

President Francois Hollande today vowed to go "faster and further" with reforms as he seeks to bolster France's economy that has ground to a halt.

Business • 20 Aug 14

The journalists were greeted by French President Francois Hollande and their families

French journalists home after hostage ordeal

Four French journalists who were held captive in Syria for more than ten months have arrived back in France.

News • 20 Apr 14

Manuel Valls impressed in his role as Interior Minister

Hollande names Valls as new prime minister

French President Francois Hollande tonight said he had named Interior Minister Manuel Valls to be his new prime minister, replacing Jean-Marc Ayrault.

News • 31 Mar 14

Marine Le Pen's National Front has made big gains in the French local elections

National Front make big gains in French elections

France's anti-immigrant National Front is on track to win at least four towns in local elections, exit polls have shown, beating its previous record amid public dissatisfaction with President Francois Hollande's Socialists.

News • 30 Mar 14

Marine Le Pen gives a speech after the results of the first round of the municipal election in Paris

National Front makes gains in French elections

The French far-right National Front party has made strong gains in local elections.

News • 24 Mar 14

Francois Hollande shakes hands with Eamon Gilmore after a meeting at the Elysee Palace

Tánaiste urges French president over bank legacy

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore has held talks with French President Francois Hollande on Ireland's legacy bank debt.

News • 14 Mar 14