France

BAGHDAD, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday that his government granted one billion euros (1.15 billion U.S. dollars) loan to Iraq to support reconstruction and stability efforts in the areas destroyed by the war against the extremist Islamic State (IS) militants.

"France has decided to allocate a loan of one billion euros to Iraq to contribute to the reconstruction and stabilization efforts in the country," Le Drian told a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed al-Hakim.

13 Jan 2019; AFP: French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday spelled out the questions underpinning his "great national debate", a public consultation aiming to quell "yellow vest" anger after nearly two months of sometimes violent protests.

Macron made his appeal in a "letter to the French" released on Sunday, following the ninth consecutive Saturday of nationwide "yellow vest" rallies which saw an uptick in turnout.

PARIS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A woman who was reported missing was found lifeless, a day after a gas explosion blew up a building in the center of Paris, a state radio reported on Sunday.

French rescuers have found the victim's body buried under the rubble earlier on Sunday, France info said, citing a source from Paris prosecutor office.

The death of the 28-year-old woman, who lived in the exploded building, brought the death toll to four. Two firefighters and a Spanish tourist were confirmed dead on Saturday.

12 Jan 2019; AFP: An explosion that caused a fire at a bakery in central Paris on Saturday killed at least three people and injured 47, French authorities said. At least 10 people are believed to be in critical condition after the blast, which blew out windows and overturned cars.

Two of those killed were firefighters, according to police. Later, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said a woman from Spain who was on holiday in Paris also died as a result of the explosion.

The remains of a German UC-61 submarine have reappeared near a French seaside resort. The submarine was used to sink merchant ships during the First World War. Parts of the U-boat have been visible since December.

The wreckage of a German submarine used in World War I has reappeared on a beach in northern France after being buried under the sand for decades.

The UC-61 submarine sank more than a century ago, with the 20-member crew abandoning the vessel then scuttling it.

PARIS, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- After showing signs of fatigue during the holidays, "yellow vest" social movement drew more people on Saturday in the ninth consecutive weekend protests, as the government is seeking public consultations in a bid to end the unrest.

Citing police sources, BFMTV news channel said 32,000 protesters took to the streets by 1300 GMT across France. The turnout was up from a week ago when 26,000 people demonstrated.

12 Jan 2019; DW: Across France, 80,000 police officers are being mobilized for the ninth weekend of nationwide street protests. President Emmanuel Macron's plans for a three-month public debate have done little to assuage anger.

More than 5,000 police officers are expected to be on the streets of the French capital on Saturday to monitor the ninth weekend of street protests by the "gilets jaunes" (yellow vests) movement.

12 Jan 2019; DW: An explosion that caused a fire at a bakery in central Paris on Saturday seriously injured at least nine people, police said.

Police said the massive explosion, likely caused by a gas leak, gutted the ground floor of the building. The blast went off at around 9 a.m.local time (0800 UTC).

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said more than 200 firefighters were attending the scene at a bakery on Rue Trevise in the 9th arrondissement of north-central Paris.

12 Jan 2019; AFP: A powerful explosion badly damaged a bakery in central Paris on Saturday, injuring several people and smashing nearby windows after a suspected gas leak, police and AFP journalists said.

A fire broke out after the blast at around 9am (0800 GMT) in the city's 9th district, a residential and shopping area.

Images posted on Twitter showed debris covering the street and the lower part of the building blown out and in flames. Parked cars were also damaged in the blast.

06 Jan 2019; AFP: Hundreds of women on Sunday marched in Paris to reclaim France's "yellow vest" movement from violent activists, a day after protesters smashed their way into a government ministry.

The women, wearing yellow vests, turned out after 50,000 people returned to the streets of France on Saturday amid violent clashes with police.

Some of the women waved yellow balloons and pushed prams. Protests were also held in other French cities.