Free Republic

<p>French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that his country has now overtaken the US as the main provider of intelligence to Ukraine.</p><p>"Where Ukraine was overwhelmingly dependent on American intelligence capacity, a year ago, two-thirds is today provided by France. Two-thirds," Macron said in a New Year's speech to the French military.</p>

According to the French president, Paris will join the military exercises in Greenland based on its commitment to the sovereignty of states in Europe and the United NationsPARIS, January 17. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron has promised a coordinated response from the European countries to the US decision to impose duties on February 1 over Washington’s wish to annex Greenland, he said on X. "Threats of tariffs are unacceptable and have no place in this context. The Europeans will respond to them unanimously and in a coordinated manner, if they are approved. We will defend European sovereignty," Macron wrote. "No...

The Louvre museum in the French capital, Paris, is hiking its ticket prices for most non-European visitors by 45 per cent. The famous institution was the scene last year of a daring heist which saw robbers get away with jewels worth over a $100 million dollars, blamed in part on its deteriorating state. "I want visitors from outside the EU to pay more … and for that surcharge to go towards funding the renovation of our national heritage," Culture Minister Rachida Dati said announcing the hikes in 2024. But France’s decision to increase entry costs to the help fund much-needed...

Ten British "far-right activists" have been banned from France after engaging in actions to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, the French interior ministry said on Wednesday. It said the activists, who belonged to a group called Raise the Colours, had been searching for and destroying small boats along France's northern coast, and were involved in "propaganda activity". Authorities have not released their identities. In a statement, Raise the Colours said it had always maintained that its activities must remain peaceful and within the law and it "does not support violence or any unlawful activity". The ministry...

Civilisational decline happens slowly at first, and then all at once. Britain has not been this weak and irrelevant on the global stage since the early 1500s; France and Germany are facing equally severe existential crises. It took Donald Trump to call our bluff, exposing our impotence and insignificance to a world we once dominated. British and European politicians cannot stop Trump from buying Greenland, or kidnapping Latin American tyrants, or taking out the Mullahs’ evil nuclear programme, or sanctioning Left-wing international judges, or doing whatever else he wants. Eighty-one years after the end of the Second World War, the...

Keir Starmer told his French and German counterparts that Nato must 'step up' operations in the Arctic today as they are frantically trying to stop Donald Trump seizing Greenland. The PM discussed the brewing row over US threats with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz in a phone call. European leaders have backed Denmark in a dispute with Mr Trump that has sparked fears the military alliance could be torn apart. Sir Keir held a second call with the American president in just two days last night. Downing Street said he had argued that Europe was defending the Arctic from Russia...

• Commitment comes at 'coalition of willing' gathering • Security protocols 'as strong as anyone has ever seen,' Witkoff says • Guarantees would enter into force after ceasefire • Question mark hangs over Russian response The United States for the first time on Tuesday backed a broad coalition of Ukraine's allies vowing to provide security guarantees that leaders said would include binding commitments to support the country if Russia attacks again. The pledge came at a summit in Paris of the "coalition of the willing" of mainly European nations to firm up guarantees to reassure Kyiv in the event of...

The leaders of the United Kingdom and France signed a declaration of intent on Tuesday to deploy “coalition of the willing” troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, providing security guarantees for Kyiv.Following a meeting in Paris of American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, European leaders, and top Ukrainian officials, British Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a declaration of intent to deploy a multinational military force in Ukraine to enforce a potential ceasefire with Russia.

A Paris court found Monday 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations she was born a man. One defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, while eight were handed suspended sentences between two and eight months. All 10 were mandated to attend cyberbullying awareness training. The court pointed to "particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious" comments referring to false claims regarding alleged trans identity and alleged pedo criminality targeting Brigitte Macron. "Repeated publications have had cumulative harmful effects," the court said. The defendants, eight men...

France is threatening to arrest British activists trying to stop migrants leaving French beaches on small boats bound for England. Sources close to Laurent Nunez, the French interior minister, said he wanted to see the Britons arrested for possible obstruction and aggravated violence. It follows a series of vigilante-style actions by Britons from the Raise the Colours movement, which encourages the widespread public display of flags bearing the Union Flag and St George’s Cross. Raise the Colours activists have published videos online of what they describe as “civilian border control” or “Operation Stop the Boats”. The films show them wading...

Oscar winner attacks Bari Weiss after silence over real journalistic crimesGeorge Clooney isn’t a journalist, but he plays one on screen (and on stage).If only that were the only time Clooney looked away while the press behaved oh, so badly.Breitbart News’ John Nolte has a running list of journalistic malpractice, one that has grown larger over the last 12 months. Some may quibble with an entry or two. Taken as a whole, it’s a shocking indictment of an industry that continues to self-implode. ... Here’s just part of that ever-growing list:Trump “Destroying” White House Hoax Photo of Starving Gaza Baby...

Hollywood elitist and longtime Democrat activist George Clooney has officially joined the growing list of wealthy, left-wing celebrities who preach “American values” while quietly distancing themselves from the United States. Clooney, along with his wife, Amal Alamuddin Clooney, and their two children, has reportedly obtained French citizenship through a naturalization decree.The couple’s 8-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, were included in the process.According to Fox News, the Clooneys uprooted their family from Los Angeles to escape what Clooney described as the “culture of Hollywood,” the very system that made him rich, famous, and politically influential.George Clooney told Esquire in October that...

George Clooney publicly said this past fall that he was concerned about raising children in Hollywood and that a farm in France was the family's primary residence. American-born actor George Clooney has been awarded French citizenship. The French government listed their names in the naturalization decree published this past weekend, according to The Hill newspaper. In addition to Clooney, his wife, Amal Clooney, a human rights lawyer, and the twins, wins Ella and Alexander, were offically granted citizenship. Amal Clooney was listed under her maiden name, Alamuddin, the Hill also reports. George Clooney publicly said this past fall that he...

The State Department announced Tuesday it was barring five Europeans it accused of leading efforts to pressure US tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints. The Europeans, described by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “radical” activists and “weaponized” nongovernmental organizations, fell afoul of a new visa policy announced in May that restricts the entry of foreigners deemed responsible for the censorship of protected speech in the United States. “For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose,” Rubio posted on X. “The Trump administration will no...

Denmark said Monday it will summon the US ambassador after President Donald Trump announced he had appointed a special envoy to Greenland, the Danish autonomous territory he has threatened to annex. In response, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said they stood "in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland". Denmark said Monday it would summon the US ambassador after President Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to Greenland who immediately vowed to make the Danish autonomous territory "a part of the US". Since returning to the White House in January,...

At the center of this debate lies approximately 210 billion euros ($246.42 billion) in Russian state assets .... The EU’s financial system has benefited for decades from a reputation for stability, predictability, and political restraint. Sovereign investors from Asia, the Gulf and the Global South have viewed European financial infrastructure as relatively insulated from geopolitical turbulence. The perception that sovereign reserves can be repurposed under political pressure threatens to erode that trust. This is not a hypothetical concern. Efforts to diversify reserves, reduce exposure to Western financial systems and develop alternative clearing mechanisms have been accelerating for years. The frozen...

Every year huge crowds gather in Paris at the Champs-Élysées to ring in the new year with fireworks and concerts. Much like the New Year’s Eve parties in Times Square in New York City, the joyous festivities are a key link in the chain of worldwide celebrations of the year to come. No more. New Year’s has been canceled in Paris. The New Year’s Eve concert was pre-recorded with actors pretending to be the audience. The fireworks will appear on TV. And there will be no one to count the countdown because the Champs-Élysées has become France’s latest ‘no-go’zone’. Ten...

Ukraine and 34 other countries approved compensation body for damages from Russia's invasion. The plan would help finance the Ukraine government and its battlefield needs for the next two years. For Europe, it is a "matter of survival to show it deserves a place at the negotiating table", says FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert. It also comes at a time where public opinion regarding financial help to Ukraine starts to cool in certain European countries.