France’s Response: Riot Police Deployed, Funding Cut Amid Campus Protests over Gaza
PAIRS-As Israel continues to attack Gaza, tensions are growing between the French government and elite university students who, encouraged by their American counterparts, are organizing pro-Palestine demonstrations. Before riot police arrived on campus last week, students at the Sciences Po university in Paris took over several areas of the school and barricaded entrance to a building. The Escalating unrest Following the three-day blockade at the esteemed institution, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who is among the notable alumni of the university along with President Emmanuel Macron, declared
Pro-Palestinian advocates urge Olympic officials to restrict Israel’s participation in Paris games
PARIS-Several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered on Tuesday close to the offices of the Paris Olympics organizers, demanding that Israel's participation in the Summer Games in the French capital be restricted. Around 300 protesters demonstrated against Israel's "institutional participation" in the Games due to the Gaza conflict in front of the Paris Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games offices in the neighborhood of Saint-Denis. They waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Israeli chants. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict Protesters argued the International Olympic Committee should follow the same
Gérard Depardieu faces trial for alleged film set sexual assaults
PAIRS-Prosecutors said on Monday that French actor Gérard Depardieu will stand trial in October for allegedly sexually abusing two women on a movie set in 2021. The 75-year-old actor, who has always denied any wrongdoing, spent several hours earlier on Monday being questioned by police in Paris. After then, the actor's attorney, Christian Saint-Palais, told reporters that he was no longer in detention but otherwise declined to comment. Following the interrogation, the Paris public prosecutor's office announced in a statement that the actor had
IOC Chief Bach celebrates record-breaking interest in Olympics
FRANCE-The head of the International Olympic Committee thinks that the future of his sports organization is brighter than it has ever been, despite challenges from esports competition, artificial intelligence-enhanced doping, and climate change. The 70-year-old German fencer Thomas Bach has been in charge of the Olympic Games' guardian organization in Switzerland since 2013, when enthusiasm for holding the competition was at an all-time low due to many controversies involving expenses and corruption. Thomas Bach's observations When there were just two bidders, Paris and Los Angeles, who
Doping scandal: The biggest controversy of the 2024 Paris Olympics?
FRANCE-The question lingering over the swimming community worldwide isn't how many medals American Katie Ledecky or French Leon Marchand will win in Paris with two months until the US Olympic swimming trials and three months until the 2024 Olympic Games. Rather, it's this: 23 elite Chinese swimmers, who had all been advised for years not to eat anything they don't trust, were exposed to a prescription heart medication that is only accessible in tablet form and is outlawed. How did this medication get into
France indicts Daesh official’s ex-wife for crimes
FRANCE-According to French media, France has accused the ex-wife of a high-ranking Daesh official of crimes against humanity after learning that she may have forced a young Yazidi girl into slavery in Syria. Le Parisien reported on Saturday that Sonia M., the ex-wife of Abdelnasser Benyoucef, the leader of external operations for the terrorist organization, was indicted on March 14. Allegations and evidence According to the investigation, the Yazidi lady, who was 16 when Benyoucef forced her into slavery, said that Sonia M. had raped her
Rating agencies skeptical of France’s ambitious debt reduction goals
PAIRS-On Friday, two prominent rating agencies maintained their evaluation of France's massive debt mountain, but also questioned the government's goal of reducing its debt. The sovereign rating of France was kept at "Aa2" by Moody's, with a stable outlook. France's rating, which Fitch had lowered the previous year, remained at "AA-" with a stable outlook. In 2023, France's public deficit increased to 5.5 percent of GDP, above the government's target of 4.9 percent. Furthermore, after Greece and Italy, France has the third-highest debt ratio
Securing the flame: France mobilizes 6,000 police officers for Olympic torch arrival
FRANCE-In order to prevent potential industrial action, officials stated on Friday that incentives would be given to security personnel, including the deployment of some 6,000 police for the arrival of the Olympic flame in France next month. When the torch comes from Greece on May 8, there will be more police in Marseille's southern port than there was during Pope Francis's September visit to the city last year. When the Belem, a 19th-century sailing yacht, arrives at the harbor, an elite tactical unit, bomb
Paris enacts no-fly zone to safeguard ambitious Olympics opening ceremony
PAIRS-The operator of Paris airports said on Wednesday that there would be a six-hour closure of the skies above the Paris region as part of the extensive security measures for the Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 26. The head of Aéroports de Paris, Augustin de Romanet, stated that airlines are informed ahead of time of the closure and that they must fly around the restricted area. He stated on France Info radio that "there won't be any aircraft over the Paris region for
France’s human rights landscape: Amnesty International’s warning of ongoing erosion
FRANCE-It specifically included crackdowns on demonstrations against the government's controversial pension reform, plans to construct "mega-basin" water reservoirs in rural France, and the Gaza War, which resulted in arrests and the use of force during rallies. According to Amnesty International's 2023 annual report, the government suppresses civil freedoms and engages in systematic racism and discrimination. "French authorities repeatedly imposed excessive, disproportionate, and illegitimate restrictions on the right to demonstrate," the study stated. Freedom of expression under threat Persistent systemic racism and religious discrimination continued, targeting Muslim
