Pro-independence supporters celebrate the results of an independence referendum vote in Nouméa, New Caledonia, in October. In a vote that marked a milestone in a three-decade decolonization effort, 46.7% supported independence. Now the Pacific island territory has a government made up mostly of pro-independence politicians and the congress is expected to select a new president this month. Mathurin Derel/AP hide caption
French former President Nicolas Sarkozy (left) arrives to hear the verdict in a corruption trial at Porte de Clichy court house in Paris on Monday. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
A nurse prepares to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Dr. Jean-Christophe Richard in La Croix-Rousse hospital, in Lyon, France, on Wednesday. Amid public outcry, France's health minister promised Tuesday an "exponential" acceleration of his country's slow coronavirus vaccination process. Laurent Cipriani/AP hide caption
Police break up a rave in Lieuron in northwestern France. Some 2,500 partygoers attended an illegal New Year rave, violently clashing with police who failed to stop it and sparking concern the underground event could spread the coronavirus. Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Haut-de-France Customs Director Jean-Michel Thillier, left, believes the Port of Calais is ready for Brexit. Rebecca Rosman/NPR hide caption
A laboratory technician is pictured handling swab samples at a hospital in Mulhouse, France, in November. French officials confirmed the country's first case of the new coronavirus variant on Friday. Patrick Hertzog/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Fishermen unload and sort the day's catch from the fishing boat Laurent-Geoffrey at Quai Gambetta in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Pete Kiehart for NPR hide caption
The U.K. and France reached a deal to reopen their mutual borders for rail, air and sea delivery services amid the rapid spread of a new coronavirus strain. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
French President Emmanuel Macron will isolate himself for seven days after testing positive for the coronavirus. Yoan Valat/AP hide caption
In the wake of the 2015 attack in Paris, "Je Suis Charlie" became a rallying cry for demonstrators grieving the victims at the controversial French publication Charlie Hebdo. On Wednesday, a French court found 14 individuals guilty of supporting the massacre. Hussein Malla/AP hide caption
French actresses Nadege Beausson-Diagne, Mata Gabin, Maimouna Gueye, Eye Haidara, Rachel Khan, Aissa Maiga, Sara Martins, Marie-Philomene Nga, Sabine Pakora, Firmine Richard, Sonia Rolland, Magaajyia Silberfeld, Shirley Souagnon, Assa Sylla, Karidja Toure, at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. They together wrote the book "Noire n'est pas mon metier" (Black is not my job). Eric Gaillard/REUTERS hide caption
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (center) at a Paris council meeting in July after winning reelection. Thibault Camus/AP hide caption
Former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, pictured in 2017, died Wednesday in Paris at age 94. TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Thousands of protesters across France hit the streets Saturday to condemn police brutality and a proposed law that would make it harder to publicize images of on-duty police officers. Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
This video grab taken on Thursday from an AFP video shows CCTV camera footage, widely distributed on social networks, shows producer Michel Zecler being beaten up by police officers at the entrance of a music studio in the 17th arrondissement of Paris on Nov. 21. AFP via Getty Images hide caption