French | News

On World Press Freedom Day, marked on May 3, France honored the memory of French photojournalist Arman Soldin (note: original text says Antoni Lallican, likely referring to a French journalist killed in Ukraine) who was killed in Ukraine as a result of a Russian drone strike, and stated that Russia has made freedom of information its target.

A thwarted home invasion near Montpellier adds to France’s surge in violent “wrench attacks,” as high‑profile and doxxed crypto holders are increasingly in criminals’ sights. A man posing as a delivery driver allegedly tried to extort a crypto investor at gunpoint in a suburb of Montpellier, in what local media describe as the first reported crypto-motivated home invasion in France’s Hérault region.  According to French outlet Actu.fr, the suspect gained access to the family home in Saint-Jean-de-Védas on April 11, pulled out a handgun and forced the parents and their children into a room before the father overpowered him during a struggle in which a shot was fired.  No one was injured, and investigators from the Montpellier research section of the Gendarmerie later identified and arrested a 25-year-old suspect, who has since been charged and remanded in custody while police examine whether he acted alone. Read more

The country's finance minister supported the Qivalis initiative, launched in 2025, to create a euro-pegged stablecoin under the MiCA framework. Roland Lescure, France’s finance minister, backed an initiative by European banks to launch a euro-pegged stablecoin in 2026 to compete with US dollar-backed tokens, which currently dominate the market. According to a Friday Reuters report, Lescure supported the euro-pegged Qivalis stablecoin plan launched in September 2025 by EU banks, including Dutch lender ING and Italy’s UniCredit. The goal of the banks was to create a stablecoin in compliance with the EU’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework; the MiCA-compliant euro stablecoin is expected to be launched in the second half of 2026. Read more

As previously covered by The Jerusalem Post in December 2025, an Algerian nanny was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment for poisoning a French Jewish family for whom she was working.

Jean-Didier Berger said at Paris Blockchain Week that France is preparing new steps to protect crypto holders as wrench attacks and kidnappings keep mounting. Jean-Didier Berger, minister delegate to the interior minister of France, said authorities are taking measures to protect cryptocurrency investors from the growing threat of crypto kidnappings and wrench attacks in the country. Speaking at Paris Blockchain Week, Berger said his office has taken “preventative measures” against crypto wrench attacks, including launching a prevention platform that has drawn thousands of sign-ups. He added that he was working with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on what he described as a more serious plan in the coming weeks. His comments come days after another reported crypto-linked abduction in France this week, where a mother and her 11-year-old child were reportedly kidnapped in Burgundy on Monday by four suspects who demanded a 400,000 euro ($471,000) ransom from the father, a crypto entrepreneur. Authorities caught t...

French media reported authorities had arrested Hassan and detained her in custody because they suspected the post made on March 26 could be construed as showing support for terrorism.

French blockchain-based stock exchange Lise plans to host what it describes as a fully onchain IPO for ST Group. French blockchain-based stock exchange Lightning Stock Exchange (Lise) is preparing to host what it describes as a fully onchain initial public offering (IPO), listing aerospace and defense SME ST Group as its inaugural company. The company called the deal the first IPO on a natively tokenized exchange, where shares are issued and traded as digital tokens rather than recorded through traditional market infrastructure, according to a Thursday announcement shared with Cointelegraph. CEO Mark Kepeneghian said it could fundamentally change “how markets are built, how companies raise capital, and how investors connect to the real economy.” Read more

A French couple was forced to transfer about $1 million in Bitcoin during a fake police home invasion as wrench attacks keep rising, local media reported. A French couple in their late 50s was forced to transfer over 900,000 euros ($1 million) in Bitcoin during a fake police raid at their home west of Paris in the latest violent attack targeting cryptocurrency holders in France, according to TF1 Info and Agence France-Presse (AFP). Three suspects posing as police officers entered the couple’s home Monday morning in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, in the Yvelines department, and forced the husband to transfer the Bitcoin (BTC) while threatening the pair with a knife, according to TF1 Info and AFP. The attackers then tied up the man, injured both victims and fled in a white van, the reports said. The woman later freed her husband and alerted neighbors at about 9:00 am local time, according to the reports. The Versailles prosecutor’s office said the case is being investigated by the Brigade for the Repression of Bandit...

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said that the Swedish military has confirmed that the drone which approached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was Russian.

In 2023, French special operations troops came under attack from ISIS fighters near Hawija, Iraq. Guardsmen boarded a CH-47 and sped off towards the fight.

A Russian drone approached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which had entered the port of Malmö in Sweden the day before to participate in several NATO exercises.

French tourists reportedly chased them into the restroom, forced the door open, and demanded they turn over the contents of their pockets.

French MP Caroline Yadan's Bill 575, which seeks to combat “renewed forms of antisemitism,” has already been adopted by the French National Assembly Law Committee.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he believes Ukraine enjoys broad support across French society and expressed hope that this backing will not diminish after the end of Emmanuel Macron's presidential term.

The head of French military intelligence, General Jacques Langlade de Montgros, confirmed productive cooperation between his agency and the Ukrainian side.

The head of French military intelligence, General Jacques Langlade de Montgros, confirmed productive cooperation between his agency and the Ukrainian side.

The head of French military intelligence, General Jacques Langlade de Montgros, confirmed productive cooperation between his agency and the Ukrainian side.

A local news outlet reported that a hacking group called the Shiny Hunters sent ransom demands to Waltio after seizing personal data from about 50,000 users. Authorities in France have started a preliminary investigation into a breach of cryptocurrency tax platform Waltio that could have compromised users’ personal data. According to a Thursday notice by French cybersecurity authorities, the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office and the country’s National Cyber ​​Unit were investigating the nature of the stolen data and identities of Waltio users. The notice warned that users affected by the breach could be targeted in an attempt to move their digital assets under the guise of legitimate security concerns. According to a Friday report from Le Parisien, a group of hackers called the Shiny Hunters sent a ransom demand to Waltio following the attack. The hackers obtained personal data from about 50,000 Waltio users, the majority of whom were based in France. Read more

From Twingo to drones, French carmaker Renault plans to have a new unmanned aerial model in its lineup, destined for the French armed forces.

In a textbook for the French graduation exam, publisher Hachette framed the onset of the Gaza war as following attacks which led to 'the death of 1,200 Jewish settlers', drawing condemnation from top French government officials and Jewish groups