Freshly back from maternity leave, FRANCE 24’s Florence Villeminot shares her insights about having a baby in France. While the number of births in the country is dropping, France remains one of the better performers within the European Union. One of the reasons is its healthcare system, "la Sécurité sociale", which covers the bulk of the cost of having a baby. A key player in the whole process is someone called a "sage-femme" – a little-known profession outside of France. We also look at attitudes towards breastfeeding and an iconic toy that is a must in terms of baby gifts ..read more

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Thursday announced measures to crack down on teenage violence in and around schools, as the government seeks to reclaim ground on security from the far-right two months ahead of European elections ..read more

Thousands of German soldiers moved in on southeastern France's Vercors Plateau in July 1944 in a bid to crush a regional uprising led by a rural French Resistance group. Over 100 Resistance fighters died in the bloody battles on the mountainside. Many of them were of African origin but who they were and why they decided to join the French Resistance has only recently begun to come to light ..read more

Azerbaijan on Wednesday accused France of pressuring and threatening the country after Paris recalled its ambassador and accused the Caucasus country of damaging bilateral ties ..read more

France on Tuesday said it had recalled for consultations the French ambassador to Azerbaijan, accusing Baku of taking actions that have damaged the bilateral relationship ..read more

Exactly five years ago, the world watched in horror as Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral was ravaged by flames. Today, carpenters and artisans are hammering away to meet a December 8 deadline for the Gothic landmark's grand reopening. Spectators attending the Paris Olympics this summer will already be able to admire the renovated structure from the outside. Meanwhile, life has resumed on the Île de la Cité, the island that's home to Notre-Dame in the historical heart of the French capital. The square in front of the cathedral and its surroundings are even set for a makeover. FRANCE 24's team w ..read more

Exactly five years after the fire that destroyed the roof and badly damaged the rest of Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of those who worked on the project has spoken of the camaraderie of the team reconstructing the edifice and the skill of their achievement. Valentin Pontarollo is a carpenter who finished working on the roof just a few weeks ago. The carpentry of the structure is now complete. In Perspective, he told us of his joy at what the team has achieved, five years after tons of 13th-century oak either caught fire or was sent crashing down into the nave below.  ..read more

The French government on Wednesday introduced a bill on assisted suicide, paving the way for euthanasia under strict conditions. The text, which was deemed too restrictive by some and irresponsible by others, will be debated by lawmakers at the end of May ..read more

Rights watchdogs including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on Thursday said they were seeking UN help to end racial profiling by the French police, they said ..read more

France's President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called for a "sustainable" effort to scale up weapons production following the Russian invasion of Ukraine as he laid a foundation stone for a much-needed gunpowder factory ..read more