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French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that foreign leaders — including those “on the other side of the Atlantic” — were seeking to exploit France’s tense social climate for political gain following a weekend of street violence and looting. Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting that have drawn worldwide attention and shocked many French citizens. U.S. President Donald Trump has used the violence to rally his political supporters, making unsubstantiated claims that Muslim migrants are responsible for the unrest, and urging Macron to “close your borders and take control before it is too late!”...

Is Israel to blame again? French President Emmanuel Macron hinted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump were exploiting the riots in France for political purposes ahead of the upcoming elections. During a speech in Qatar, Macron referred to "leaders who are in the midst of election campaigns, whether here in the region or across the Atlantic, who are innocently spreading narratives that certain circles are clearly trying to promote," apparently referring to Netanyahu and Trump. Macron added, "They are using our country for their political campaigns. And we don't need that. We already have our own...

It just doesn’t fit....The list of reasons for football fans of a certain age to intensely dislike the National Football League in 2026 is a long one. I miss when defenses were allowed to tackle quarterbacks, for example. Google it, young fans. I swear it was legal! We’re not far from the day when linebackers will need to get the QB to sign a consent form before a pass can be disrupted in any way. I kid, but I don’t.I’ve had a theory for years that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is a plant by Big Soccer, sent to destroy actual...

Marine Le Pen is set to officially launch her presidential campaign this weekend at the National Rally two-day party congress in Orléans. The latest Ifop poll, carried out in the wake of the mass protests and riots in France, suggests the far right leader would win the first round of the presidential election by a wide margin, and far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon emerged as her most likely opponent in the runoff. ...

Half a year before the French presidential election, Marine Le Pen threatens Germany with a fiscal campaign. Le Pen's attempt to turn France's domestic fragmentation into its neighbor's problem even before the vote could smother the national-conservative turn in the EU in the bud. They once formulated great goals, the representatives of the rising political right in the EU. They envision a common protection of the external borders, a kind of Fortress Europe, to meet the growing migration pressure late, but still effectively. The realization: you cannot leave states like Spain or Greece alone with the mess made by the...

A protester's hand was blown off by a police crowd-control grenade on Saturday as the nationwide demonstrations against the higher cost of living and school conditions turned violent. According to France’s biggest trade union, the CGT, more than half a million people are taking part in the protests across the country. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.6 minutes ago Paris mayor condemns vandalism during protests Paris’s Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire has condemned the vandalism that has plagued the protests in the city, saying the “vast majority” of the demonstrators are “marching peacefully”. 11 minutes ago 📸 Paris march in pictures...

"Nationwide protests are expected in France today against the high cost of living, including a large march in the capital, Paris. Join us for live coverage of the French cost of living protests (including the march in Paris, France). Numerous groups in France, from French students to members of the Yellow Vest movement and more, are expected to participate today in large cost-of-living protests across France. A march in Paris is scheduled for 2pm local time (8am ET), and protests have already begun in Paris. Plus, protest activities are set to take place throughout the country." France Protests - LIVE...

Probably, you have read about the recent round of riots in France. They began in late September, and are now in their fourth week. This round of riots features mostly students, and the stated bases for the protests certainly appear quite mundane, if not trivial, and certainly out of proportion to the scale and intensity of the riots. What are they so worked up about? They are demanding things like hiring more teachers, repair of dilapidated school buildings, more and better air conditioning and heating, universal school lunches at 1 euro, and so forth. (Here is a list of the...

Nearly half of all Muslims in France say they would think about going into exile if sovereigntist candidate Marine Le Pen is elected President next year, with a massive one in five followers of Islam saying they would definitely leave the country. French news magazine Marianne has published the findings of large sample polling conducted for them by Ifop that suggests a large proportion of the country would simply refuse to keep living peacefully in France if their preferred candidates don’t prevail in the April 2027 Presidential Elections. Some 46 per cent of Muslims in the 9,600 respondent poll —...

A new Toluna-Harris survey for French radio RTL and French television channel M6 published Monday showed that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party was set to win around 35 to 36 percent in the first round of voting for France's presidential elections on April 18, 2027, up from 33 percent in an earlier poll published on September 14. In the second round on May 2, she would easily beat hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, if he made the run-off, and also polls well ahead of centre-right candidate Édouard Philippe, who was seen winning 13 percent to...

On Thursday the 2027 French budget proposal put on the table. The new budget seeking to reach a five percent of GDP deficit target but not expected to get there. That is being projected to materialize in 2028. Mainstream was spinning the seriousness of France's budget and debt situation in the months leading up to Thursday's announcement. The need to freeze government employees' salaries stirring up a Tuesday strike action by some government workers... Teachers and students shutting down hundreds of schools across France this week to protest crowded conditions and lack of funding. Authorities cracking down with thousands of...

This week Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu calling for extensions of fuel subsidies for construction, farmers and fishermen until the end of the year. With fishermen staging blockades in protest this week Lecornu calling for their subsidy of 25 cents per litre to be upped to 35 cents. The 15 cents a litre for farmers and 20 cents a litre for construction... This week Marine Le Pen interviewed by French news channel "LCI" taking on the issues including the Ukraine War, the Iran War and domestic matters. Le Pen said she is ready to become President of France following the 2027...

Two wars have cut France off from supplies of natural gas. First the Ukraine War shutting off the flow of Russian gas in 2022 now Middle East gas supplies disrupted by the Iran War. On October 1st the price of natural gas in France will rise on average 6.3 percent. This follows a 5.6 percent rise on September 1st... France joined the UK and Canada along with nine other countries in imposing sanctions on Israeli nationalist settlements this week. Israel bristled at the decision with immediate retaliation against the UK... France has also weighed in on the tensions between Israel...

New polling last weekend put Marine Le Pen in a very favorable position to win the Presidential Election next spring. The National Rally (RN) candidate well ahead in a first round of voting at 35-38 percent of the vote. Her closet rival leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon of La France Insoumise (LFI) at 16-17 percent. If the two moved into a second-round Marine Le Pen would easily defeat Mr. Melenchon 64-36 percent... New polling out this weekend done for BFM-TV confirming the strength of Marine Le Pen. She beats all potential second round opponents including the best-positioned centrist Edouard Philippe... Seven presidential...

🚨BREAKING: Marine Le Pen now has largest poll lead EVER France will be saved 🇫🇷 Le Pen (RN-PfE): 38% (+2) Mélenchon (LFI-LEFT): 17% (+1) Attal (RE-RE): 14% (-2) Retailleau (LR-EPP): 9% (+1) Hollande (PS-S&D): 8% Zemmour (REC-ESN): 4% (-1) Tondelier (LÉ-Greens/EFA): 4% (-1) Roussel (PCF-LEFT): 3% Dupont-Aignan (DLF→ECR): 2%

In less than six months the first round of France's Presidential Election will be held on April 18th with the second-round set for May 2nd if no candidate gains a majority. The leading candidate in polling right now is Marine Le Pen of the National Rally (RN). Her likely opponent in the second round would be a centrist candidate in the mold of current President Emmanuel Macron either Edouard Philippe or Gabriel Attal former Prime Ministers for Mr. Macron. Leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon likely to fall short in a first round if recent polling is accurate. Marine LePen envisions a...

On Friday France's Constitutional Council upheld the new assisted death law and ruled against the social media ban law for those under the age of 15... The Russian interference narrative synonymous with some recent US elections is front and center in France's presidential election now six months away. At a Monday campaign stop one of the leading centrist presidential candidates and one of Emmanuel Macron's prime minister Gabriel Attal driving home that message. He said the government reporting linking online criticism of himself and other candidates to Russia is proof that Russia has a favorites in the 2027 Presidential Election...

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen will be able to run in France’s presidential election next year, though her involvement remained in doubt Tuesday after a Paris appeals court upheld her conviction for misusing European Union funds. The court shortened her ban on running for elected office, potentially reopening the path for her to run. However it ruled she must wear an electronic ankle tag for a year, making a campaign both logistically and politically difficult. Le Pen herself appeared to rule out a run if she was forced to wear a tag. “If I’m allowed to be a candidate but...

Marine Le Pen is about to find out whether or not she can run for the French presidency in next year's elections, when a Paris appeal court decides at 13:30 (12:30 BST) whether to uphold an embezzlement conviction against her. She has already run for president three times and came second to Emmanuel Macron in 2022 and 2017, but this time she tops the polls with 10 months to go before the vote. If she does not run, her young lieutenant Jordan Bardella will stand in her place, so the verdict could have far-reaching consequences for France.

This week both French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pushed rapid European economic development. They spoke at a European industrial conference in Antwerp, Belgium. Macron and Merz citing the competition of the United States and China linking the need for rapid development to a notion of European sovereignty... It is already well-known that Europe is committed to massive increases in defense spending. This seems to be a pathway towards European participation in future conflicts with Russia and or China alongside the United States. But the military buildup can also be clearly seen as a demand by the...