Allegations come atop a political downfall for Christophe Girard, who resigned after criticism of his ties to a pedophile writer.
Author: Norimitsu Onishi and Constant Méheut
French Take Their Apéros to the Streets, Testing Lockdown Limits
A coy cat-and-mouse game speaks to an unusually personal and emotional relationship between the individual and the state.
How France Lost the Weapons to Fight a Pandemic
The French once thought of medical gear, like fighter jets, as a national security asset that had to be made at home. But cuts and outsourcing have left them scrambling for masks, tests and even pain pills.
Pandemic Shakes France’s Faith in a Cornerstone: Strong Central Government
Local governments are now challenging the primacy of the centralized state, the foundation of French society, after it allowed supplies of virus-fighting masks and test kits to be depleted.
France Weighs Using Digital Tracking in the Fight Against Coronavirus
The French are cautiously considering digital tracking, which has proved effective in Asia. But can a country that so prizes personal freedom and privacy ever accept it?
Mask-Wearing, Common in Asia, Spreads in the West
To stem the coronavirus outbreak, European nations and even the United States are starting to adopt the wearing of masks in public, a practice long established in Asia.
Rich Europeans Flee Virus for 2nd Homes, Spreading Fear and Fury
In France and the rest of Europe, the affluent decamp cities to spend their confinement in vacation homes, widening class divides.