Tag - france

 
 

FRANCE

Elon Musk-owned X's Grok AI chatbot stirred outrage earlier this year over it generating images of naked women and girls without their consent.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2026
French prosecutors suspect Musk encouraged deepfakes row to inflate X value
The social media network’s Grok AI chatbot stirred outrage earlier this year over it generating images of naked women and girls without their consent.
Rising public disillusionment with democratic institutions is fueling support for disruptive leaders like Donald Trump, whose “wrecking-ball” politics are dismantling the postwar liberal international order.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2026
A world on the eve of destruction
In all the countries surveyed for the Munich Security Index 2026, the downsides of U.S. President Donald Trump’s wrecking-ball politics dominate public perceptions.
The private rocket company LandSpace's factory in Huzhou, China, on Dec. 17. China’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy integrates civilian and military capabilities, including space technologies.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2026
Take the China technology challenge seriously
China seeks to engage the rest of the world “to raise and strengthen its position within global technology ecosystems and markets.”
National Rally President Jordan Bardella expressed confidence that his party could attract mainstream voters, as the far-right party hopes to capitalize on local elections to build momentum heading into the 2027 presidential vote.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 16, 2026
French far right leads in Nice, nearing key election victory
The National Rally is seeking to show that far-right appeal is growing in big cities such as Marseille, Nice and Toulon, as well as more rural areas.
A man walks past election posters on the day of the first round of the French mayoral election in Paris on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 15, 2026
French far right faces early tests in local votes: What to watch
Voters in 35,000 municipalities will choose mayors and councilors in a two-round ballot that typically turns on local issues and personalities rather than national party platforms.
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Japan's prime minister and imperial couple.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 13, 2026
Macron to visit Japan and South Korea starting March 31
The French leader, who has visited Japan several times, will hold talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to members of the media as he visits the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle on the day of his visit to Cyprus on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 10, 2026
Nuclear power summit to open in France
Representatives from about 40 countries and international organizations are expected at the meeting to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron.
French President Emmanuel Macron (center) meets the crew of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle deployed in the Mediterranean Sea following Iranian drone strikes on Cyprus, on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 10, 2026
France to deploy almost a dozen warships and mull Hormuz mission, Macron says
European states have been largely sidelined as the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has escalated, and they are grappling with how to defend their interests.
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is seen as it passes through the Strait of Gibraltar off the coast of southern Spain in Tarifa on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 9, 2026
Macron to visit Cyprus as French warships deploy to counter Iran threat
Iranian-made drones targeted Cyprus, leading French President Emmanuel Macron to order an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean and a frigate and air defense units to Cyprus.
Electricite de France, Europe’s flagship builder, has struggled to deliver nuclear power projects on time and on budget.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 6, 2026
A global nuclear power renaissance isn’t living up to the hype
In much of the world, lofty nuclear ambitions are at odds with the reality of an industry hollowed out by decades of stagnation.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the nuclear submarine Navy base Ile Longue in Crozon, France, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 3, 2026
France to expand nuclear arsenal and let European allies host atomic weapons
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that eight European countries had agreed to participate in what he called a “forward” nuclear deterrence scheme.
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe (left) in action with Osasuna's Valentin Rosier in Pamplona, Spain, on Feb. 21
SOCCER
Mar 3, 2026
Real Madrid superstar Mbappe in Paris for treatment on knee injury
It remains to be seen if Mbappe will be able to play in the Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester City.
French President Emmanuel Macron waves prior to a meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 28, 2026
France’s Macron planning official visit to Japan in April
The trip is intended to reaffirm cooperation with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of the Group of Seven summit to be hosted by France in June.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is said to be considering stepping down early to deny euroskeptic leaders the chance to influence who follows in her role.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Feb 27, 2026
Under pressure from populist politicians, central bankers face tricky trade-off
How can central banks defend their independence and their credibility without appearing political themselves?
Hungarian President Viktor Orban and U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland. The U.S. president has affirmed his “complete and total” endorsement of the Hungarian prime minister who faces a tight election on April 12.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 25, 2026
MAGA meets Europe: Trump’s envoys rip up diplomatic playbook
The envoys, traditionally thought of as builders of bridges, have instead been publicly picking fights with their hosts in service of their boss.
Paris-headquartered Amundi is warming to Japanese government bonds for the first time in three decades, joining a growing number of foreign investors taking a long-term bullish view on Japan’s debt.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 24, 2026
Amundi goes long on Japanese debt for the first time in decades
The French asset manager, which started out 2026 slightly underweight on Japanese debt in its global portfolio, shifted last week into a slightly overweight position.
Sanae Takaichi and her ruling party's election victory strengthens Japan’s stability and its role in regional and global diplomacy amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2026
Stability as strategy: Japan’s moment for global leadership
Rising anti-China sentiment may have contributed to Takaichi’s strong mandate.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Thursday.
WORLD
Feb 20, 2026
Macron is setting up a G7 showdown with Trump over social media
The French leader says protecting children from the harms of social media and artificial intelligence will be a priority for his country’s Group of Seven presidency.
An employee holds a copy of the book "Et la joie de vivre" (A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides) by French mass rape survivor Gisele Pelicot, a book written with journalist and novelist Judith Perrignon, in a bookstore window in Paris on Tuesday.
WORLD
Feb 18, 2026
‘Hell and back’: Mass rape survivor Gisele Pelicot recounts her ordeal in memoir
“A Hymn to Life,“ published on Tuesday, retraces the 2024 mass-rape case that turned Pelicot, 73, ‌into ‌a global symbol in the fight against sexual violence.
Japan is facing pressure to strengthen scientific funding, flexibility and global recruitment as uncertainty in U.S. policy and rising competition from China reshape the global race for research talent.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 18, 2026
Lessons for Japan’s scientific community from Trump’s America
Following the proposed cuts to U.S. science funding, the Japanese government moved with notable speed to launch new initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining top researchers.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival