Sarkozy to discuss ‘Syrian scandal’ with Russia’s Medvedev

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday he would speak with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev later in the day to discuss the situation in Syria, which he described as a “scandal.”

Sarkozy said on Saturday Paris was consulting with Arab and European countries to create a Syrian contact group to find a solution to the crisis after Russia and China vetoed a resolution at the U.N. Security Council. (more…)

French court asked to rule on genocide bill

France’s Constitutional Council has been asked to determine whether a bill concerning the mass killings of Armenians a century ago violates the constitution. (more…)

US, US and France send warships through Strait of Hormuz

Britain, America and France delivered a pointed signal to Iran, sending six warships led by a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier through the highly sensitive waters of the Strait of Hormuz.

This deployment defied explicit Iranian threats to close the waterway. It coincided with an escalation in the West’s confrontation with Iran over the country’s nuclear ambitions. (more…)

France decries UN Security Council ’silence’ on Syria

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Sunday decried the “silence” of the UN Security Council on Syria’s deadly crackdown on protests, saying the situation was becoming “intolerable”.
(more…)

French Mirage , Saudi F-15 warplanes collide, pilots eject

A French Mirage and a Saudi F-15 warplane have collided in the kingdom’s northern region of Tabuk but there were no casualties. (more…)

9 EU countries downgraded on black Friday 13th

Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit ratings of nine euro zone countries, stripping France and Austria of their coveted triple-A status but not EU paymaster Germany, in a Black Friday 13th for the troubled single currency area. (more…)

France downgraded, other Euro Zone counties would be hit

Standard & Poor’s has downgraded France’s credit rating, French TV reported Friday, while several other euro zone countries face the same fate later in the day, according to reports.

Germany and the Netherlands aren’t among those facing a downgrade, a senior euro zone government source told Reuters. Another source confirmed “several” countries would be hit. (more…)

French reporter killed in Homs, Syria

A reporter for France 2 TV was killed Wednesday in an attack while covering violence in the restive Syrian city of Homs, the French Foreign Minister and the network said.

Gilles Jacquier was on a rare Western reporting trip authorized by Syria’s embattled government amid a 10-month uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad. Another France-2 reporter was uninjured. (more…)

French parliament passes Armenian genocide bill

France’s parliament passed a controversial Armenian genocide draft law Thursday, making it a crime to publicly deny the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks last century, a National Assembly press officer said. (more…)

Russia and China move at UN to end violence in Syria

Russia and China on Thursday submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council, seeking to end the violence in Syria, which the UN said has claimed more than 5,000 lives.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who holds the council presidency for the month of December, did not disclose the exact contents of the text but said it will be discussed by the 15 council members in the coming days. (more…)