France: boom in baptisms and Bible sales
An unexpected spiritual revival is unfolding in France, where more than 10,000 adults are set to be baptised in 2025 - a 45% increase in one year. This surge, accompanied by record youth…
France: new PM to be named within 48 hours?
Emmanuel Macron is expected to appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours, following the abrupt resignation of Sébastien Lecornu’s government just 14 hours after being named. Lecornu, asked to outline a path…
France: implications of Sarkozy’s unexpected conviction for corruption
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy has been convicted of criminal conspiracy and sentenced to five years in prison, marking a historic and dramatic moment in French politics. The Paris court ruled that he engaged…
France: Macron’s options after prime minister ousted
France faces a huge political crisis after lawmakers voted to oust prime minister François Bayrou’s minority government over his controversial austerity measures. His plan to cut €43.8 billion from the budget, including the…
Europe: increasing number of mosquito-borne diseases
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has warned that Europe is entering a ‘new normal’ of longer and more intense mosquito-borne disease transmission. Rising temperatures, extended summers, milder winters, and…
France: Macron admits violence against Cameroon independence movement
Emmanuel Macron has publicly acknowledged the violence committed by French forces in Cameroon during and after the country’s independence struggle from 1945 to 1971. A joint report by Cameroonian and French historians has…
Channel migrants: ‘no specified number’ to be returned to France
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed there is 'no specified number' of migrants set to be returned under the UK-France 'one in, one out' agreement, now in effect. The scheme enables the UK…
France: cities impose curfews on children after drug violence
Several French cities have introduced night-time curfews for minors in response to escalating violence linked to drug trafficking. In Nîmes, where recent shootings and a brutal murder have shaken residents, authorities have imposed…
France: prime minister proposes axing two public holidays
There has been widespread criticism after prime minister François Bayrou proposed eliminating two public holidays - Easter Monday and 8 May (Victory in Europe day) - to help reduce the national budget deficit.…
Migrant boat crossings: France and UK aiming to curb the flow
Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer are engaged in critical talks aimed at curbing illegal Channel crossings in small boats. During Macron’s historic state visit to the UK, the first by a French president…
