The release of Olivier Grondeau, detained in Iran since 2022, dominated morning headlines with Macron announcing the Frenchman was "free" and back home after 887 days. Meanwhile, Algerian prosecutors demanded a 10-year prison sentence for Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, with verdict expected March 27, intensifying diplomatic tensions already strained by Retailleau's stance on the 1968 migration agreement.
The government unveiled a new defense investment fund allowing citizens to finance France's military industry with minimum €500 placements, part of Europe's shift to a "war economy."
A censorship controversy erupted when cartoonist Jul revealed the Education Ministry cancelled an 800,000-copy order of his modernized "Beauty and the Beast" for schools.
The evening brought dismal performance from France's football team in a 2-0 defeat to Croatia, while Macron announced a "coalition of the willing" summit on Ukraine for March 27 in Paris with Zelensky attending.