The Local France

How France will mark VE day on May 8th

Fri, 07 May 2021 14:05:22 +0200

Saturday's commemoration of the date that marks the end of World War II in Europe will be happening under strict Covid-19 health rules, but there will be events in France.

German charged over making Nazi memorial in French field

Thu, 12 Jul 2018 16:13:18 +0200

A suspected German neo-Nazi accused of erecting a headstone in a French field to honour a Nazi tank division has been charged with glorifying crimes against humanity, French prosecutors said Thursday.

World War II 'white angel' French nun dies aged 103

Sat, 21 Apr 2018 17:17:55 +0200

A French nun who was called "the white angel" by Canadian soldiers she saved during one of the worst single disasters to befall Allied armies during World War II has died aged 103, authorities said Saturday.

Preserved in time: WWII bunker hidden under Paris train station

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 10:08:24 +0100

It lies hidden deep beneath Paris's bustling Gare de l'Est railway station, its sprawling subterranean rooms and sparse furniture pristinely preserved if a little dusty.

Hollande to lead 'southern D-Day' tributes

Fri, 15 Aug 2014 11:03:00 +0200

President François Hollande leads ceremonies on Friday to mark 70 years since the Allied invasion of southern France which, two months after D-Day, pushed the exhausted Nazi army back towards Germany and hastened the end of World War II in Europe.

Veterans arrive in France for D-Day anniversary

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 16:54:00 +0200

The flags are up and the veterans have begun to arrive: Normandy is just about ready to deliver an emotional salute to the heroes of D-Day.

News crews hit out at access to D-Day events

Sat, 31 May 2014 12:46:00 +0200

Tens of millions of viewers around the world could be deprived of live images of the 70th anniversary commemorations of D-Day because of a decision by the French presidency to allow host broadcasters to charge international news agencies for access.

80 WWII shells found on French beach after storm

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 15:28:00 +0100

Some 80 shells left over from the Second World War have been uncovered on a beach in north-western France pounded by strong waves during a storm, police said on Tuesday.

Hollande and Sarkozy unite to honour war dead

Tue, 08 May 2012 18:15:00 +0200

President-elect Francois Hollande and ousted rival Nicolas Sarkozy laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris Tuesday as France marked the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

Court rejects Renault heirs' claim on company

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:12:00 +0100

A court on Wednesday rejected a bid by heirs of the founder of French auto giant Renault for the return of the firm seized and nationalized in 1945 when their grandfather was branded a Nazi collaborator.

Australian heroine of French resistance dies

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:38:00 +0200

Nancy Wake, whose courageous acts during World War II won her the prestigious French Légion d'Honneur award, has died in London.

Learn lessons from Nazi Roma killings: Council of Europe

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:59:20 +0200

The Council of Europe expressed concern Tuesday about discrimination against Roma, urging its member states to draw lessons from the Nazi massacre of gypsies during World War II.