EDOUARD PHILIPPE

No sooner had Emmanuel Macron defeated a far-right rival in last month's presidential vote than left-wing parties began mounting a challenge for legislative supremacy in June elections.

PARIS – French police searched the homes of the former prime minister, the current and former health ministers and other top officials Thursday in an investigation into the government response to the global coronavirus pandemic. The Health Ministry confirmed the dawn searches, which included the offices of the current health minister Olivier Veran. They came a day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced curfews in Paris and eight other French cities to deal with the rising toll of new infections. A special French court has ordered an investigation over the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. Among those whose homes were searched include former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Veran, his predecessor Agnes Buzyn, top health official Jerome Salomon, and Sibeth Ndiaye, a former government spokeswoman.

(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)JOHANNESBURG South Africa has announced another record daily number of confirmed coronavirus cases with 9,064, as Africas most developed country shows signs of strain in coping with the pandemic. The African continent overall has more than 433,000 confirmed virus cases. Gavin Newsom is warning local elected officials that they risk losing state funding if they dont enforce health orders as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. The tribe reported 64 new confirmed coronavirus cases Friday and two more deaths. The holiday beach closures began Friday from Los Angeles County northward through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

FILE - In this Wednesday, June 3, 2020 file photo, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe leaves after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris. The French Presidency announced on Friday, July 3, 2020 that Philippe has resigned and a government reshuffle is expected in the coming days. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool via AP, File)PARIS French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has resigned as a government reshuffle is expected in the coming days, the French presidency announced Friday. The reshuffle comes days after a green wave swept over France in local elections. The reshuffle was planned even before the voting, as Macrons government faced obstacles and criticism before Sunday's election and during the virus crisis.

FILE - In this May 20, 2020 file photo, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe arrives for a meeting in Paris. A new French prime minister will be appointed on Friday to replace Edouard Philippe, who has resigned amid an expected government reshuffle, the French presidency announced. (Thomas Coex, Pool via AP)PARIS A special French court ordered an investigation Friday of three current or former government ministers over their handling of the coronavirus crisis. President Emmanuel Macron and his government have acknowledged mask shortages and other missteps in the virus crisis. The new investigation is separate from dozens of lawsuits filed in other French courts against nursing homes or others accused of mismanaging the virus crisis.

France is reopening its restaurants, bars and cafes starting next week as the country eases most restrictions amid the coronavirus crisis. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)PARIS Frances national health agency reported a sudden jump in new virus infections -- just an hour after the prime minister announced a sweeping national reopening plan. Its good news, but not good enough for everything to return to normal.Statistics released Friday showed 96 virus clusters have emerged around France since the government started easing confinement measures May 11. Overall COVID-19 is receding in France, with the number of virus patients in intensive care dropping every day since April 8 and now at 1,429. It is now testing more than 200,000 people a week, according to the health agency.

France is reopening its restaurants, bars and cafes starting next week as the country eases most restrictions amid the coronavirus crisis. Edouard Philippe defended the gradual lifting of lockdown up to now, saying the strategy was meant to avoid provoking a second wave. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)PARIS The French way of life is set to largely resume next week, with most virus-related restrictions easing as the country prepares for the summer holiday season amid the pandemic. From June 2 restaurants and cafes will reopen, together with monuments and museums, concert halls and theaters, beaches, campsites, gyms and public swimming pools. Philippe also pledged to revive cultural and sport life. Most shops reopened on May 11, and hotels are now awaiting clients.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)PARIS Employees of a major group of French nursing homes on Monday took part in protests across France to call for better pay amid the coronavirus crisis. The government is formally opening on Monday two months of talks with health care workers over changes to France's public health system, which has suffered from decades of cuts. Facing anger from health care workers, President Emmanuel Macron promised a massive investment plan for Frances public health sector. Philippe pledged that health workers would see a significant salary raise rise in what he promised to be a radical review of the French health care system. The government said that all staff working in public hospitals and nursing homes in the regions hardest hit by the virus will get a 1,500-euro ($1,632) bonus from the state.

As France begins its fourth week of lockdown, the number of new cases and deaths keep rising. The latest figures show that more than 10,000 people have died in France from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Paris has also decided to introduce even more stringent restrictions on movement, banning all outdoor exercise during the daytime starting Wednesday. France is closely watching the situation in Italy, where the number of new infections is now on a downward trend. The French lockdown was based on the northern Italian one, and health officials believe France is about two weeks behind Italy on the curve.

AFP via Getty ImagesTwo weeks ago, everything felt normal for most people living in France. Like many other countries in Europe and increasingly around the world, France has gone into official lockdown, closing all but essential businesses and urging residents to stay indoors, under penalty of fines and arrest. Paris, France. "Even in my own family they are scared of me, because I would go outside for work," Amel said. A Paris metro train sits practically empty as France's residents stay in their homes with most of the country's businesses shut as the country enters its second week of coronavirus lockdown.

* Nurses and doctors demanded action after Spain reported its sharpest daily increase in coronavirus cases on Tuesday and said about 14% of the nearly 40,000 infections were among health workers. * French authorities reported 240 new deaths from coronavirus on Tuesday for a total of 1,100, making it the fifth country to cross the 1,000-fatalities threshold. It has confirmed 2,566 virus cases, of whom 12 have died. * South African businesses braced for a nationwide lockdown as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 554. * The Cannes Film Festival venue is opening its doors to the towns homeless who have nowhere to go during the coronavirus lockdown.

France will close all nonessential stores in order to stop the rapid spread of the coronavirus in Europe, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Saturday in a press conference. The order applies to restaurants, cafes, movie theaters and nightclubs effective at midnight, Philippe said. There are at least 4,481 confirmed cases of coronavirus and at least 91 deaths in France, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Germany, the EU's largest economy, has called for the cancellation of most public events to stop the spread of the virus. The central bank did announce measures to support bank lending and expanded its asset purchase program by 120 billion euros.

(CNN) - The French Riviera city of Cannes, best known for the A-list film festival held there each year, is making moves to ban some cruise ships from its port. The decision comes after the mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, conducted a study on how cruise ships were affecting the local ecosystem. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which accounts for about 40% of Cannes' total cruise ship traffic, signed an agreement with the city pledging to make its ships more environmentally friendly. Saint-Raphal, another French port city located between Cannes and St-Tropez, is now enforcing a similar ruling. Earlier this year, the city of Venice, Italy, banned large cruise ships from its historic center.