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The latest breaking news and stories on France, a country in western Europe known as a semi-presidential republic, and the world’s seventh largest economy. Also covering France’s relationship with China and Europe, plus commentary and updates on France’s economy, politics, society and social issues.
Capital
Paris
Head of State
President Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron
Head of Government
Prime Minister Michel Barnier
Sophie la Girafe, the national toy of France, is actually manufactured in China, according to an investigation by a French media outlet. Photo: Sophie la Girafe
China-EU relations

Tall story? Sophie la Girafe, France’s national toy, revealed to be Chinese-made

The maker of Sophie la Girafe reportedly ran a ‘fake’ factory in France for years, while secretly producing the iconic toy in China.

China's military weapons

China confirms it helped Pakistan’s air force during last year’s war with India

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Sri Lanka

Ex-SriLankan Airlines head in US$16 million Airbus corruption case found dead

India-Pakistan tensions

Chinese J-35 stealth jets set to give Pakistan a strategic edge over India

India has a much larger fleet of 4.5-generation fighters but is lagging behind Pakistan in the acquisition of stealth warplanes.

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The J-35A fighter jet appears during a CCTV report on Shenyang Aircraft Corporation on May 1. Photo: CCTV
Asean

Opinion | Why China’s warning over military blocs is finding listeners in Asia

For regional governments, strategy is about preserving options. China has read this instinct carefully and given it a diplomatic vocabulary.

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X (formerly Twitter)

French prosecutors open judicial investigation into Elon Musk and X

Move follows tech billionaire’s failure to attend an April summons over possible abuses on his social media network X.

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Disease

Nations race to trace passengers of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Cruise operator says 29 passengers left the MV Hondius in St Helena on April 24, after the first death.

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A person in a white hazmat suit disembarks a medical aircraft in Amsterdam on Wednesday. Photo: ANP via AFP
The Philippines

Opinion | US allies in Asia are looking to build middle-power coalitions

Faced with the US’ unreliability and China’s ascent, countries such as the Philippines are creating new networks of partnerships.

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Nicolas Sarkozy

France’s ex-president Sarkozy escapes second ankle tag sentence

Last year he became modern France’s first president to go to jail, in a case related to alleged Libyan funding in his 2007 election campaign.

Hong Kong tourism

Aviation authorities report ‘less than 5%’ flight cuts despite Mideast war

Fewer than 5 per cent of Hong Kong flights for May and June have been cancelled, and about 1 per cent in July, despite global fuel crisis.

The Hong Kong Airport Authority reported fewer than 5 per cent of flights were cancelled in May and June, and about 1 per cent in July. Photo: Eugene Lee
Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi’s son asks France to help him locate mother in Myanmar

Kim Aris says he has still not heard from his mother after she was transferred to house arrest last week.

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Aung San Suu Kyi and her son, Kim Aris, pose for pictures at the airport in the ancient temple city of Bagan before flying back to Yangon on July 8, 2011. Photo: AFP
European cinema

Who was Marguerite Duras? Decoding the French cinema radical’s dual identity

Born in French Indochina in 1914, Duras was a visionary who treated the silver screen as a canvas for her haunting psychological experiments.

Emmanuel Macron

Melenchon confirms 2027 run as France prepares for post-Macron era

The French hard-left leader will make another run for the presidency next year, his fourth bid for the top job.

Artificial intelligence

From footwear to AI services: China moves up the value chain in exports

In 2025, China’s export growth in telecoms, computer and information services far outpaced exports of traditional goods, such as footwear.

Robots produce automotive body parts at a mold stamping company in Fuzhou, Fujian province, April 16, 2026. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Europe’s refugee crisis

2 dead after boat runs aground in France in failed crossing to UK

The vessel carried 82 people but ran aground with 65 on board after a French gendarmerie vessel rescued 17.

Migrants walk in the water to board a small boat in an attempt to reach Britain, on November 6 last year, in Gravelines, northern France. Photo: AP
Trip Inspiration

Discover Europe with flexible, affordable first-class Eurail adventures

Breakfast in Spain, lunch in France and dinner in Italy – with plenty of sightseeing from a comfortable seat in between. The joys of flexible, first-class train travel can be yours for the price of a Eurail pass.

India

Why India’s logistics pact with Russia signals its Arctic ‘footprint’ ambition

The pact allows up to ‘five warships, 10 aircraft and 3,000 troops’ to be stationed in each other’s territory for five years.

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Asean

Why Singapore, Thailand are among the world’s ‘happiest’ economies

Southeast Asian countries outdid larger economies in the 178-nation Hanke’s Annual Misery Index for 2025.

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People walk on the boardwalk in front of Singapore’s financial centre. Photo: AFP
Cybersecurity

France probes teenage suspect in massive ID data breach

The 15-year-old had put on sale on hacker forums between 12 million and 18 million lines of stolen data.

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US-China relations

Letters | University of Michigan must stand up for its Chinese scholars

Readers discuss cases involving researchers at a US university, and the International Olympic Committee’s gender testing requirement.

Singapore

Singapore charges French teen over vending machine straw-licking stunt

A court also allowed Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien to travel to Manila from May 2-25 for a school trip required for his graduation.

French teenager Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien (centre) leaves the State Courts in Singapore on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Beauty

8 pharmacy products to buy when in France, from barrier balm to micellar water

From Caudalie’s face mist to Nuxe’s dry oil for body and hair, these are the finds that genuinely earn their place in your luggage.

La Rosée Sun Stick SPF50 is one of the many popular beauty products you can find at Citypharma, or other pharmacy chains across France. Photo: Handout
Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for April 30-May 2

Mandarin Oriental The Landmark opens a new champagne bar, Artifact brings us the best of Rome, and Cruise at Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour transports us to Mexico.

China-EU relations

Opinion | A new framework may be the only way to save China-EU trade

Both sides have every incentive to explore a deal that does what blunt protectionism cannot: manage the complexities of their interdependence.

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Banking & finance

China targets ‘zombies’ with regulatory headshots to kill off indebted laggards

Six provinces and the capital city test a forced-insolvency pilot to purge overcapacity and dismantle local protectionism, prioritising market efficiency.

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A worker produces photovoltaic modules for export at the workshop of a new-energy company in China’s Jiangsu province. Findings indicate a disproportionately high number of “zombie companies” in the nation’s renewables sector. Photo: Getty Images
Food and Drinks

Beyond steak: 3 Hong Kong chefs share dry-ageing tips for fish, lamb, poultry

Dry-ageing isn’t reserved for beef only – chefs from Fireside, Kyanbasu by Mt. Yotei and Tori Jukusei offer techniques for home cooks.

Fireside’s fridges for dry-ageing meat and fish in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
United States

US and Nato in frustrating ‘marriage crisis’, Belgian defence minister says

Theo Francken believed the strained transatlantic relationship should remain ‘united’, although sometimes Nato ‘can be a paper tiger’.

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China birth rate

In China, a France-sized population loss begins to test coastal powerhouses

Rising pension burdens and social security subsidies are also straining public finances – though trends remain uneven, analysts say.

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